Photo: James J. Jenkins--flickr
Pat forwarded a copy of proper etiquette for shooting trap that he found and thought it might be a nice complement to the regulations in the last post. These come from the Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation and their Scholastic Clay Target Program. They are a pretty thorough summary of proper behavior on the trap range. Here they are:
1) Make sure you understand where your assigned trap bank is located. Be sure you are behind the bank well in advance of your turn to shoot. This also means having all of your equipment and gear ready to go. Forcing the rest of your squad to wait for you is most inconsiderate, and it holds up every squad behind you.
2) Be ready when your squad is called and when it is your turn to shoot in the squad.
3) Do not lean over each time to pick up a shell out of the box on the ground or to pick up empties; it is distracting to other shooters. Have your shells where you don’t have to stoop to get them.
4) Do not raise your gun until the shooter ahead of you fires. Avoid any unnecessary movement on your post that might distract or interfere with other shooters.
5) Remain on your post, standing facing the trap quietly, until the fifth person has fired, and then move to the next post. At the end of the round, remain still on your last post facing the trap until the last person has fired the last shot. If you are leadoff, do not fire until you have checked and ensured that all members of the squad are on their posts and ready after each change of post.
6) Never load your gun before changing positions. When going from Post 5 to Post 1, turn to the right to avoid bumping guns with the shooter coming from Post 4. When moving from Post 5 to Post 1, always walk behind the other shooters.
7) Load only one shell at a time except in doubles. If a delay occurs, remove the shell(s) from the chamber. Close your gun only when you are on the post and facing the trap. Close it only when you are preparing to shoot, and avoid disturbing other shooters when doing so.
8) Do not allow ejected shells from your gun to hit or annoy other shooters.
9) Do no unnecessary talking on the firing line. When not on the firing line, keep your voice down when you are around other squads who are shooting. Remember, other shooters on the squad and adjacent traps deserve to shoot undisturbed. Coaching is not allowed while shooters are on the line.
10) Time your shooting to establish a rhythm in the squad. Call for your target in a clear voice; do not call in such a load voice so as to trip the voice releases on adjacent fields.
11) Be a good sportsmen at all times. If you are shooting well, others are aware of it, and you don’t need to brag. By the same token, if you are having a bad day, accept it without complaint or displays of anger. Don’t do anything that might interfere with other shooters.
12) Observe safety rules. Do not point your gun at another, even if you think it is unloaded. On the firing line, always keep your gun pointed toward the ground or the traphouse. Off the firing line, keep your action open and your muzzle pointed in a safe direction. Treat every gun as if it is loaded.
13) Shooters are almost always happy to have you look at their guns if you ask for permission first. Do not pick up another shooter’s gun from the gun rack and handle it without asking.
14) Above all, have fun and treat every other shooter the way you would like to be treated.
