SHOOTING SPORTS 101 AND FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

1. What Kind of People Participate in Shooting Sports
   
   
2. What is Trap Shooting
   
   
3. What is Skeet
   
   
4. What is Sporting Clays
   
   
5. What is 5-Stand
   
   
6. What is Handicap Trap
   
   
7. What is FITASC
   
   
8. What is Annie Oakley
   
   
9. What is Load & Shoot
   
   
10. What is Homestead Golf.
    
    
11. I have never participated in any shotgun sports, will someone provide help and what do I need to bring.
    
    
12. Do you have camping facilities at your range.
    
    
13. Please explain the various types of bows used in archery sports.
    
    
14. Can you provide archery instruction and/or a day of archery shooting for a family or corporate event. What would the cost be?
    
    
15. The media generally makes shooting seem like a dangerous sport. How can I be sure I will be safe at your facilities.
    
    
16. What is bench-rest shooting.
    
    
17. What is handgun shooting
    
    

1. What Kind of People Participate in Shooting Sports

   The best kind of people;- you will find participants from all walks of life; doctors, lawyers, plumbers, construction personnel, pharmacists, engineers, accountants, nurses, housewives, dentists, welders, etc. Women make up approximately 40% of the participants in shooting sports and frequently achieve equal or better scores than men in archery, precision bench rest shooting and shotgun sports.

   top
   
   
2. What is Trap Shooting

   Trap shooting dates back to 1880/1881 when a George Ligowski of Cincinnati invented a flat disc target and a successful throwing machine. From then on, it has been a highly popular shooting sport. A round of trap consists of 25 clay targets launched from a single machine in a direction going away from the shooter and randomly within a prescribed arc. A shooter progresses through 5 shooting stands which are placed in an arc 16 yards back from the trap house where the throwing machine is located. Five targets are presented from each stand. These are at a consistent height but may be any where in a horizontal arc approximately 40 degrees on both the left and right of the trap house. Trap rules in North America are established by the Amateur Trap Association, (ATA) and is generally referred to as American Trap. In Europe and certain other countries, the rules and format differ somewhat and this is referred to as Olympic or International Trap. In addition to single targets, most clubs also have machines which will throw 2 targets simultaneously; ie doubles. The Club has facilities to conduct four simultaneous trap competitions although only two machines can throw doubles.

   top
   
   
3. What is Skeet

   “Skeet” is the Scandanavian word for “shoot” and is a game developed in the 1920’s. The development to the game is credited to a Charles Davies of Andover, Massachusetts who was looking to improve trap shooting with the addition of incoming and crossing targets. In skeet, the shooter is presented with 25 targets from a combination of a “high-house” and a “low-house” where the throwing machines are located. There are 7 different shooting positions arranged in a semi-circle plus one in the middle with predefined target presentations for each shooting position, including both singles and doubles. The 8 different shooting positions combined with a high and low trap house provides challenging target presentations. Skeet is shot in North America as well as internationally. Somewhat different rules and target presentations apply to the international version as compared to the North American version.

   top
   
   
4. What is Sporting Clays

   Sporting Clays has been described as golf with a shotgun. In a round of Sporting Clays, the shooter is presented with 50 random targets launched from hidden machines. The number of shooting stations is dependant on the design of the course but is typically in the range of 10-20. Targets at a particular stand may be singles or doubles and are presented in a variety of patterns such as outgoing, incoming, high targets from elevated towers, targets rolling along the ground, targets hidden by trees, etc. There is considerable variety and challenge in a round of Sporting Clays and it has probably become the most popular shotgun sport in North America. A Sporting Clays course requires a sizeable parcel of land and numerous automatic trap machines and is a considerable investment.

   top
   
   
5. What is 5-Stand

   Due to the requirement for land and cost of establishing a Sporting Clays facility, many shooters were looking for a sport which provided the variety of Sporting Clays without the disadvantages of land acquisition and high cost. The solution became 5-Stand and the development of this sport is generally credited to Raymond Foreman of Calgary. Many clubs have implemented a 5-Stand set up as an alternative to Sporting Clays. A 5-Stand facility is normally overlaid on a regular trap field. It consists of 5 shooting stations similar to trap, however each shooting station is equipped with firing angle limiters to restrict the movement of the firearm in the interest of safety. A 5-Stand facility normally has from 6-8 automatic trap machines placed in various positions and capable of presenting a variety of targets including verticals, quartering away, incoming, high tower, targets from the rear, and targets rolling along the ground. Five targets are presented to the shooter at each station for a total of 25 shots. Normally menus are shown at each shooting station to inform the shooter of the next target he/she will see. Targets at each station may be singles or doubles with one single and two doubles being the norm. Based on the use of our 5 automatic machines, our Club currently does not meet the “official” requirements of 5-Stand and we therefore call our facility “Informal 5-Stand”. Rest assured that the variety in our machine positioning will make for an interesting and challenging event for the shooter in spite of our “informal” status.

   top
   
   
6. What is Handicap Trap

   As skill levels improve in 16 yard trap, shooters often break 25 targets on a consistent basis. In order to provide more challenge and allow fair competition in certain organized events, shooters may be positioned further back from the trap house, anywhere from 19 yards up to 27 yards. The increased distance makes targets considerably more difficult to hit. Shooting from distances at, or in excess of, 19 yards is referred to as Handicap Trap.

   top
   
   
7. What is FITASC

   FITASC stands for Federation Internationale de Tir aux Armes Sportives de Chasse. It is a popular sport in Europe where the lack of available land makes the establishment of a Sporting Clays course prohibitive for many clubs. A FITASC setup normally uses from 4-6 trap machines along with 3 shooting positions. These shooting positions are selected to ensure that the target presentations seen from each of them are radically different. Normally a squad consists of 6 shooters and each shooter is presented with 4 singles and 2 sets of doubles at each shooting position for a total of 24 targets. One additional single target will be presented at one of the shooting positions to make up a 25 target round. Shooters must maintain the gun in the low position until the target is visible and two shots are allowed at single targets.

   top
   
   
8. What is Annie Oakley

   Annie Oakley is a popular elimination game in which a number of shooters are positioned in a line located a prescribed distance from the trap house. The first shooter calls for the target and attempts to break it. If successful, the turn passes to the next shooter on the right. If the first shooter misses the target the second shooter has the option to shoot at it. If the second shooter hits the target, the first shooter is eliminated from the competition. If both the first and second shooters miss the target, the third shooter has the option to shoot at it. If successful, both the first and second shooters are eliminated from the competition. This continues until only one person is left.

   top
   
   
9. What is Load & Shoot

   Load & Shoot is a rapid fire game developed by the Club. A two-person team is presented with 25 targets in rapid succession and tries to break as many targets as possible. Due to the short interval between targets, shooters are challenged to reload and shoot quickly without missing any targets. Load & Shoot can be played using a conventional trap facility or alternatively using portable machines in a more challenging environment.

top


10. What is Homestead Golf.

    Homestead Golf is another clay target game developed by the Club for use at the Rauch Homestead Range. There are 9 “tee boxes” or shooting stands; each rated par 3, 4 or 5 according to the difficulty of the target presented at that tee box and for a total of 36 “strokes” or shots. At a par 3 tee box, the shooter is presented with 3 relatively easy targets and is expected to break these with 3 shots; ie par. The same applies to the par 4 and par 5 tee boxes. As in golf, the person with the lowest score wins. In order to expedite play, no person shoots more than double par at any of the tee boxes.

    top
    
    
11. I have never participated in any shotgun sports, will someone provide help and what do I need to bring.

    During our regular trap hours, someone will be pleased to provide informed instruction and assistance to anyone who has not shot trap (or other shotgun sports) as well as providing demonstration. Equipment you should bring, if you have it, is the following:

    • FAC/PAL
    • Shotgun
    • Ammunition, (Target loads either #7-1/2 or #8 shot)
    • Hearing protectors
    • Eye Protection
    • Your enthusiasm

    If you do not have the above, shotguns and hearing protectors can be borrowed under supervision and arrangements can be made to obtain ammo. The FAC/PAL would not be required if you are borrowing a gun under supervision for use at the range.

    top
    
    
12. Do you have camping facilities at your range.

    We have primitive camping facilities at our range. The area is nicely forested and there are great places to park travel trailers, RV’s, truck campers or tents. There is no electricity, running water, potable water, flush toilets or showers on site however there are outhouses. There is a covered concession building used for special events and we have 3 large charcoal BBQ’s and a small quantity of fire pits for use when forestry conditions allow.

    top
    
    
13. Please explain the various types of bows used in archery sports.
    • Long Bows - are a straight bow and when strung the string touches the bow only at the end notches. They are always shot with fingers and off the shelf, no rests.
    • Recurve Bows - are as the name curved back so when strung the string runs along the bow from the notches giving more speed and power. These are shot with fingers and sometimes a rest for more accuracy.
    • Compound Bows - have pulleys and cams to increase power and allow let off for easier holding. These are the most powerful and mostly shot with release, rest and sights.
    top
    
    
14. Can you provide archery instruction and/or a day of archery shooting for a family or corporate event. What would the cost be?

    Bookings are available, cost is dependant on number and time. We have qualified coaches and all equipment for groups up to 20.

    top
    
    
15. The media generally makes shooting seem like a dangerous sport. How can I be sure I will be safe at your facilities.

    The Club pays particular attention to operating a safe range. See Safety. Shooting at an organized range is one of the safest activities you can participate in. There have been no incidents at shooting ranges in Canada over the past 25 years when records have been kept. Shooting sports are much safer than driving a car, an airline flight, boating, golf or even a stay in the hospital.

    top
    
    
16. What is bench-rest shooting

    In bench-rest shooting, the shooter is seated at a solid bench and typically uses adjustable and/or padded rests to eliminate unwanted gun movement as much as possible.

    Competitions may have scored targets in which a series of concentric bulls eyes are each designated a value up to a maximum of 10 for the second smallest circle with the smallest circle designated as the “X” ring. As the name implies, the objective is to shoot the best score with the most bullets touching the X ring. Scoring is usually the total of 10 shots and a perfect score would be 100-10X.

    A second type of competition is target groups in which the objective is to shoot the smallest (tightest) group with a number of shots. Scores are determined by measuring the spread between the farthest spaced holes in the target without consideration of the scoring rings. Reasonable groups with stock hunting rifles would be about 1 minute of angle (MOA) this being equivalent to approximately 1” at 100 yards. Target class rifles in the hands of experienced bench rest shooters might have bullet holes touching each other at a range of 100 yards.

    top
    
    
17. What is handgun shooting

    Handgun shooting is the sport of shooting pistols or revolvers at targets usally done standing and at short range. These are restricted weapons and owners must be a member of a club with a licensed range

    top