Trap Shooting Vs. Sporting Clay

Trapshooting and sporting clays are shotgun sports developed as a way for hunters to train. Many hunters still shoot trap or sporting clays to refine their skills, but both have developed into major sports practiced by hunters and non-hunters.

  1. Origins

    • Trapshooting was invented in England in the mid-eighteenth century. The first targets were live pigeons. Sporting clays also started in England in the 1880's. Glass balls were filled with feathers to practice game hunting

    Stations

    • Trapshooters shoot from five stations, each located 16 yards behind the trap house. The shooter fires five times from each of stations, but only one shot per round at a single target. In sporting clays, the shooter travels from station to station, as in golf. Shots are not from a uniform distance and may be from inside the woods, across a field or even over water. Shooters fire five or 10 shots at each station.

    Targets

    • Trapshooters shoot at standard clay targets, which in the United States weigh 100g and measure 108 mm. Sporting clays courses incorporate a variety of targets, including standard clays, midis, minis, rabbits, battues and ZZs.

    Target Flight

    • Targets randomly fly left, right or straight in trapshooting. In sporting clays, targets duplicate the flight path of game birds so they might fly straight up, at the shooter, away from the shooter, sideways or even bounce along the ground.

    Scoring

    • Scoring is identical. A hit is marked as an X while a miss is marked as an O. A standard round of trap is 25 shots. A standard round of sporting clays is 50.