Hamilton Clay Target Club Inc.
PO Box 500, Hamilton. Victoria. 3300

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Shooting Disciplines

Clay target competition is conducted in three basic disciplines - TRAP, SKEET and SPORTING CLAYS.
TRAP is further divided into ISSF TRENCH, DOUBLE TRAP and DOWN THE LINE (DTL) Shooting. DTL further divides into:
- Double Barrel (DB);
- Double Barrel Point Score (DB Points);
- Single Barrel (SB);
- Double Barrel Handicap (HCP);
- Double Rise (DR);
- Deauville Doubles;
- Novelty Events.
SKEET divides into two disciplines - ISSF SKEET and an Australian version of AMERICAN SKEET and SKEET DOUBLES. Detailed rules of all disciplines are laid out in the ACTA Rules Book, available at the club office, but briefly, the different disciplines are shot as follows:

Down the Line (DTL) Layout
Targets are released from the trap house on the shooter's call. The trap oscillates causing the target to be released unpredictably somewhere within the defined arc.
Trap

Double Barrel
This is the most common basic form of DTL shooting. A squad of 5 shooters stand 15 metres behind the trap house with unloaded guns. The referee will announce the event is ready to start. No. 1 shooter will load two cartridges into his gun, place his gun to his shoulder and call "Pull". The referee will release a target from the trap, the competitor will fire at the target. If he breaks it with his first shot, the referee will call "one", if he misses with the first shot he may fire a second shot at the target. If he breaks it with his second shot the referee will call "one". Regardless of which shot breaks the target, the score is the same, if the target is missed the referee will call "lost" and the score of zero is recorded. Immediately the competitor has shot, he unloads his gun then No. 2 shooter will repeat the procedure and so on. After No. 2 shooter has shot, No. 1 shooter moves across to No. 2 position i.e. each competitor moves one position right after each shot. The club nominates the number of targets to be shot for each event.

Double Barrel Points
The procedure is the same as above except that if the target is broken with the first shot, the shooter scores 3 points, with the second, 2 points, a miss is zero.

Single Barrel
Is similar to double barrel except only one cartridge is loaded into the gun and one shot only fired at the target, the score is one or zero.

Double Barrel Handicap
Is similar to double Barrel Shooting except the shooter is placed further or closer than 15 metres from the trap according to ability. Handicaps are determined by rules laid out in the ACTA Rule Book. In this event competitors may use 32 gram cartridges as opposed to 28 gram cartridges required in all other events.

Double Rise

In this event the 15 metre mark and the squad etc. are the same as double Barrel but two targets are released simultaneously from the trap when the competitor calls pull, and the shooter attempts to break one target with each shot. The score is one point for each target actually broken.

Deauville Doubles
In this event two shooters team up to shoot 2 targets released from the Trap simultaneously, the competitor shoots at "his" target first, if he breaks it with his first shot and his partner missed with both of his shots, the partner may use his second shot to attempt to break his partner's target, if both targets are broken by either shooter, a score is recorded. If neither or one is broken - no score is recorded. The shooters stand at 20 metres from the trap house for this event and shoot from tracks numbers 2 & 4.

Novelty Events
Are a light hearted diversion from formal events. Their form can vary from event to event. They have no effect on the grade or handicaps of shooters.

ISSF Trench (not available at Hamilton CTC)
Is the trap discipline shot at the Olympic Games and World Championships. 15 traps are installed in a trench and are electronically released by acoustic microphones in random sequence controlled electronically.

Double Trap
Two targets are thrown simultaneously.

Skeet
A round of skeet consists of 25 targets shot on a semi circular layout with two trap houses, the left being the high house, the right the low house. There are 8 shooting stations. One shot only may be fired at each target. Squads consist of 5 shooters, each takes his turn to shoot from a position known as a pad. These are numbered from 1 to 8. From each of these stations a single target is released from each house on the call of "pull". The shooter may have his gun on or off his shoulder as he chooses.
After the competitor has shot his two single targets from stations 1,2, 6 and 7, he remains on the pad and shoots a "double", ie two targets are released simultaneously, one from each house, one shot is fired at each target. If at any time during a round a competitor misses a target he then reloads one cartridge and repeats the first target that he has missed; however, if he gets to station 8 and has broken all of the 24 previous targets, he then repeats his last target to complete the 25 target round.


Skeet Ground

ISSF Skeet
The above comments also apply to this discipline. The gun must be in the classic ISSF down position when the target is called and there can be up to a three second delay before the target is released. 24 gram loads must be used for all ISSF shooting.

Skeet Doubles
This is shot with a simultaneous pair thrown from each station, except No. 8.

Sporting Clays
Sporting clays Is a very testing and popular sport. Unlike skeet and trap, which have set target trajectories that are the same at every range, sporting clay targets are thrown from numerous traps set out in random fashion over a large area with each club and competition vastly different.
The targets, varying in size and shape to add to the variety and challenge, are thrown either as singles where two shots may be fired, or in combination of pairs where only one shot per target can be fired. Targets can be thrown at slow or fast speeds in varying heights and directions and can be launched as going away targets, incomers, quartering, crossers, from towers, in amongst trees or in open fields.
Other variations include “springing teal” that climb vertically, “battues” that turn at the end of their trajectory or “rabbits” that run along the ground. Targets may be close or as far away as 50 metres. Every shooter gets the opportunity to see the targets first before shooting, and all shooters have to shoot the same targets and combinations.

The Traps

Traps are purpose made, spring loaded devices specially designed to launch the different types of targets at distances of up to 100 metres.

These machines vary from very simple, hand cocked, hand loaded and hand released types to the highly sophisticated, fully automatic variety which can hold up to 400 targets and are electrically operated and released by remote control either by the pressing of a button or by a voice activated release.

Target speeds and trajectories can be easily modified and varied to suit the discipline or type of shooting required.


Typical Auto Trap

Clay Targets

The clay targets are usually in the shape of a saucer, made from a mixture of pitch and chalk designed to withstand being thrown from traps at very high speeds. They are easily broken when hit by just a few lead pellets. The targets are usually black, but other colours such as white, yellow or fluorescent orange are frequently used so that they can be clearly seen against varying backgrounds and/or light conditions. Clay targets are made to exacting specifications for weight and dimensions and must conform to set international standards.

There are several types of targets which are used for the various disciplines. However, only the standard target is used in all of the trap and skeet disciplines. The sporting clays discipline uses a full range of targets (except ZZ) to provide the variety which is unique to this discipline.

 


Standard

The most commonly used target. Weighs 105 grammes and is 110 mm overall diameter and 25-26 mm in height.


Mini
As it's name indicates this is very small at only 60mm in diameter and 20 mm in height.


Rabbit
A standard sized but thicker wheel shaped flat target designed to run fast along the ground.
 


Midi

Same saucer shape as the standard but with a diameter of only 90mm.


Battue
A very thin, flat, wafer of about 100mm diameter. It flies very fast and falls suddenly.



ZZ
A plastic, standard sized target is attached to the centre of a 2-blade propeller of different colour designed to zig-zag in flight in an unpredictable manner.

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PO Box 500, Hamilton. Victoria. 3300. All Rights Reserved