Skeet Shooting at NCRGC

If you have never shot skeet, no problem! We can help you to learn the basics. NCRGC skeet events are generally open to the public and we welcome everyone from beginners that want to learn, to experienced shooters that, when asked, tend to share their wisdom!

What do you need to bring?

• Shotgun
• Eye and ear protection
• A vest or shell/shooting pouch for holding shotgun shells and the empty hulls
• 25 shotgun shells for each round that you would like to shoot; 7 ½ to 9 shot size only

(Loaner equipment may be available on a first-come-first-served basis. Loaner equipment includes everything listed above.)

Terminology -

Bird or target: a clay pigeon
Stations: The positions at skeet where you will shoot. There are eight Stations in skeet. 
Squad: The group of shooters that is moving through the stations together during a skeet event.
Round: One complete cycle of all eight stations which will require 25 shotgun shells and targets.
Pull: The verbal command to call for the target to be released. Other commands may be used.
Option: (shot): The next shot taken after your first miss — at the time you missed and on the station / house, you missed from (e.g., low house or high house).

Skeet shooting basics -

The sport provides a greater variety of shooting angles than possible with trapshooting as the shooter moves from station to station. In skeet shooting, throwers, or “traps” are set at two points on the field (high house and low house) and targets are always thrown the same direction and height from each house, diagonally across the shooter’s field of vision as well as directly away from him. They targets are launched to a centralized point 15 feet above the ground. The high house launches targets from 10 feet above the ground, while the low house launches targets from 3 feet above the ground.

There are 8 main stations in skeet shooting, with 7 arranged in a semicircle with a radius of 21 yards and the 8th position being halfway between stations 1 and 7. Skeet starts at station 1 which is directly under the high house, and then you work your way around to station 7 by the low house. The round ends at Station 8 in the middle between the high and low houses.

Clay targets thrown from only one house are referred to as singles, whereas targets thrown simultaneously from both houses are called doubles.

Because you are usually shooting "passing" shots at the targets, you will need to lead the target to hit it. Lead is typically shooting where you expect the target to be. There are many factors in lead and many are found in some of the clay target shooting manuals.
 
Making your way around the stations -

Do not load you gun until you are on station and ready to shoot. Once that you are loaded and ready for a target (or targets) to be thrown, the standard command is “Pull” (although there are a number of other noises that might be made).

What happens if you miss? Your first miss is repeated immediately at the target thrown from the same house that you just missed and is called an “Option”. You only have one “Option” shot.

Once that you finish your turn on the station, the next shooter in the squad steps onto the station for their turn. After all shooters have had a turn at the station, the squad moves on to the next station.

• Stations 1 & 2 require four shots each; first shooting singles at targets thrown from the high house and then from the low house. After those two shots are completed, doubles are thrown (one target from each house, thrown simultaneously) and the first shot that you make should be at the target thrown from the high house.
• Stations 3, 4, & 5 require two shots each; the first shot is fired at a target from the high house, and the second shot is fired at a target thrown from the low house.
• Stations 6 & 7 are both four shots, similar to Stations 1 & 2 with the only difference being that your first shot when the doubles are thrown should be at the target thrown from the low house.
• Station 8 requires two shots; one at a target thrown from the high house and then one at a target thrown from the low house. Only load one shell at a time so your gun is not loaded when moving from one side to the other of station 8 and load only after you are in position.

This all adds up to 25 targets if your “option” was used. If you were lucky enough to not miss any, you get to shoot an extra target thrown from the low house at station 8 and if you break that clay, you will have a perfect score of 25!

Rules & Regulations -
Please familiarize yourself with the Rules & Regulations  before attending an event.

We look forward to helping you have a safe, fun, educational and enjoyable experience when you come out to shoot with us. If you have any questions, feel free to send an email to shotgun@ncrgc.org.

Want to learn more about Skeet and other upcoming NCRGC events? Visit the NCRGC calendar.