How to Shoot Skeet

One of America’s favorite shotgun games is skeet. The game was invented by Charles Davies in the 1920s and originally involved only one trap or target thrower with the shooters rotating 360 degrees around it. The game changed to a semi-circle when a neighbor put a hog farm next to the skeet field. By adding another trap, all the shooting could be done in one general direction greatly reducing the acreage required for a skeet field.

Targets
The targets in skeet are identical to the normal targets for trap and sporting clays. About 4 ¼ inches in diameter, domed to allow sustained stable flight, and made of brittle clay, they’re called clay pigeons because most original shotgun events were fired at live birds. They’re thrown at a speed that will allow them to fly 60 yards.

The original idea of skeet was to replicate upland bird shooting. The targets come from two traps at opposing ends of the shooting area. The trap on the left is the high house with the targets coming from about 10 feet above ground level. Targets from the low house on the right are launched from about three feet above ground level. As the shooters cover the seven stations in a semi circle between the two traps, they are offered incoming, outgoing, and crossing targets both as singles and doubles. The doubles are launched simultaneously from the high and low house. At station eight — halfway between the two traps — the shooter gets one shot off each trap as a very fast incoming shot. The first shot missed in each round can be shot over and is called the option bird.

Skeet Events
Skeet events are held with classes for four gauges, 12, 20, 28 and .410. Perfect scores of 100 hits are common with 12- and 20-gauge guns and not at all rare in the smaller gauges. Some shooters shoot different guns in each gauge but most change barrel sets or use tube sets that allow shooting the same gun in all four gauge classes.

Originally skeet was shot with a low gun but difficulties in enforcing the unmounted gun rule caused a change in the rules to allow shooters to call for the bird with the gun mounted on their shoulders. Allowing mounted guns has allowed the guns to become heavier and barrel lengths have increased over the years to smooth out the swing required for shooting the crossing targets.

The Guns
While a standard hunting shotgun can shoot acceptable scores on a skeet field, competitors normally use guns designed for the sport. The typical skeet gun would be an over/under 12 gauge with 30-inch barrels and very light choke constriction. Chokes are between cylinder and improved cylinder. The combs on skeet gunstocks are slightly higher than most hunting guns since competitive shooters tend to position their head firmly against the comb to get a more consistent gun mount. Most skeet guns weigh over eight pounds with small gauge guns or barrel sets mimicking the weight and balance of 12-gauge guns.

Recreational Skeet
Recreational skeet shooting is a great way to become a better wingshooter and enjoy your shotgun between hunting seasons. Typically, a round of 25 targets costs between $5 and $12. Screw an improved cylinder choke in your hunting gun and bring a vest to hold your shells while negotiating the course. The only other thing you’ll need is ear and eye protection. When the hunting season arrives, you’ll be much more likely to connect.

 For more information, please visit The National Skeet Shooting Association.