quote:

Originally posted by honestlou:
but have you seen these?

Never point a gun at anything you're not willing to destroy and take full responsibility for.

There are shooters without toes.

About those toe rests.....

They are actually very handy and I use one. What is very important is NOT shown in the picture. The gun is an over/under and the action is open, perfectly safe.

Thank you all for your replies. Sounds like the general consensus is to have the finger on the trigger before the call.

I've shot trap a handful of times, treated the trigger like any other firearm and kept my finger off it until the stock was to my cheek. I found that by taking that extra half a second or so to put my finger on the trigger I would have a steady lead on the clay and nail it most of the time no matter what the distance.

My range offers a juniors program and I was watching the kids shoot skeet the other day. All of them had their fingers on the triggers and most of them fired well before they had acquired and started to lead the clay. It's not my program to run but it was quite evident that they would have benefited by waiting an extra half second or two before shooting. Also, in my opinion, it doesn't sound like a good idea to have fingers on the triggers for 12-17 year old kids, most who have been shooting for less than a few weeks.

quote:

Originally posted by Dead_Eye:
I've shot trap a handful of times, treated the trigger like any other firearm and kept my finger off it until the stock was to my cheek. I found that by taking that extra half a second or so to put my finger on the trigger I would have a steady lead on the clay and nail it most of the time no matter what the distance.

Experienced trap shooters generally want to shoot the clay as soon as possible, while it's still rising. Dedicated trap guns are set up for this -- often with high ribs, almost always with a high point of impact -- so the shooter doesn't need to cover the bird with his barrel.

More casual trap shooters often shoot with a flat-shooting gun (think skeet, sporting clays, or hunting guns). With such shotguns, waiting that touch of a moment allows the bird's flight to flatten out, and barrel no longer needs to cover the bird.

I agree that most new shooters should learn with their finger off the trigger at the clay's pull.

quote:

Originally posted by heathtx:
About those toe rests.....

They are actually very handy and I use one. What is very important is NOT shown in the picture. The gun is an over/under and the action is open, perfectly safe.

I know it's an O/U. And if the action is open and there's nothing in the tubes, all should be good. Most of the trophy toes have been bagged by semi autos.

But I've spent a number years in clays comps -- skeet, trap, sporting, FITASC, 5-stand. One shotgun dude in my neck of the woods doesn't walk all that well without his big toe.

I've watched shooters in all clays disciplines load rounds into an O/U with the action open, with the choke tubes resting on their toe flap.

I've seen virtually all brands of O/U torch off a round when closing the action, with finger off the trigger. B, P, K guns -- probably others, too. Sometimes the shot impacted the ground a fair ways down range. Other times the impact was close enough to scatter dirt and leaves back at our squad. Those were close calls.

Most of the time when we violate only one of the four primary gun safety rules, nothing happens. It's the combination of two or three simultaneous violations which cause NDs. I see no reason to start with one safety violation right off the bat. But hey, do what you want.

Yea, I don't feel comfortable resting the barrel on my foot... even action open and unloaded. Just not something I would do.

I differ from most of the people I shoot trap with, thinking more for my background in shooting. We have cuts of rubber from tires for barrel rests... never use them. Waiting on an older shooter to go from 5 to 1, waiting for the guy that talks too much fumble around to get ready for the round... if I'm on the firing line, the most relaxed would be the action over my arm. If I'm getting ready to start the round or anytime during the round, it is ready for me to shoulder if need be (action open until the guy before me fires).

Don't like putting the muzzle down on something, either damaging the choke tubes or getting something stuck in them (if you miss the rest and get mud/dirt/grass in the barrels).

The place I go is pretty good with safety. Get new shooters closing the action with a shell in the barrel while rested on the ground... they get yelled at. Don't need concrete chunks to be blown at me because someone is a moron.

For the original question, I call with my finger on the trigger. Gun is pointed down range/towards the trap house. When I first started, always forgot the safety... since I always put it on. The trap range and my trap gun is the only situation where I leave the safety off. It goes off when I put my gun together... and back on when it comes apart (time at the range, I keep it clear as the safety).