Trap Shooting -- Your New Outdoor Activity

Portland has some of the best weather in the world - if we're talking about the summer months that is. Warm, dry and beautifully clear days lend themselves to a plethora of outdoor activities in the Portland Area. This weather is right around the corner, and now is the time to start day dreaming of some great outdoor activities.

A Beautiful hike in the Columbia River Gorge on a picturesque day can be a wonderful and exhilarating experience. Kayaking down a river, letting the fresh from the mountain water splash on you and cool you from the midday heat can be refreshing. Bird watching, swimming, golf and tennis can all be a great way to spend your day out of the office and under the sun.

Now it's time to consider adding one more outdoor activity to your list: Trap Shooting!

What is trap shooting? Trap shooting is the sport of shooting clay discs (called pigeons) with a shotgun. It is very challenging, and takes a lot of practice to become very good.

Each trap range has a trap house (the machine that throws the discs into the air) and five shooting posts. For a round of trap, each shooter shoots five rounds at each post. This makes for a total of 25 shots per round, or one box of shotgun shells.

The shotgun shells used are called target loads. These are less powerful than game hunting loads, so there is less recoil. This is important, because if you get addicted to the sport like many do; typically you would shoot 100 shots every time you went out. There is less gun powder in these loads, and there is less shot as well. The shot is also smaller. Typically, the shot doesn't travel beyond 50 yards. The clay discs are extremely fragile, so it doesn't take a large amount of force to break them.

There are actually many professional trap shooting leagues. Many people take this sport very seriously, and it is their life. Personally, I just like to go on a Saturday and shoot a couple boxes of shells and try to improve my score. The best I can get is 23 out of 25 clays. I am still waiting for that day when I can get all 25.

There are many places around Oregon where one can find a trap range. Here in Portland, we are lucky to have The Portland Gun Club (4711 SE 174^th Ave). The Portland Gun club is a shotgun only club that is primarily trap shooting. They also offer sporting clays. This club is open to the public, Thursdays from 11-9, Saturdays and Sundays 11-5.

Established in 1913, the Portland Gun club is a very friendly and safe place to enjoy your new found love of trap shooting. Everyone is very welcoming and happy to see new faces. One has no reason to feel intimidated, as any newcomer to the sport will be warmly welcomed. Any seasoned veteran of the sport would be happy to take some time to show you how to shoot, and give some advice on techniques.

The Portland Gun club practices very strict safe shooting rules. There is no alcohol allowed at the club. Shooters are only allowed to load one round into their gun before their shot while on the shooting line. When moving posts, guns must be unloaded. When stepping off the firing line, all guns must be unloaded with their actions open to show everyone that the gun is not armed. Everyone follows these strict rules, because everyone at the club realizes that they are handling deadly weapons. Accidents are non existent. There is no tolerance to the rules being broken, so a newcomer not totally comfortable being in an environment of guns need not feel intimidated.

Of course, if you are interested in this sport, you will need a gun. Many Oregonians own, or know someone who owns a shotgun. Semi-automatic shotguns are the best choice for beginners, as they have the least recoil of any of the 12 gauge shotguns. This is because a lot of the energy of the cartridge is being used to cycle the gun and eject the cartridge. That means less energy sent to your shoulder. Remember, even though you may use an auto loader, only one shell is allowed in your gun at a time.

If you need to purchase a gun, it is fairly easy. A new shotgun can range anywhere from $200 to $200,000 believe it or not. A newcomer should go for the $200 version, of course. A Gun can be purchased at any Bi-Mart, Joes, or other outdoor stores. You must have a clean record, as there will be a background check necessary to obtain a gun.

So, grab a shotgun and head to the Portland Gun club. It is best that you buy your first few boxes of ammo at the club ($6.50 a box) before you venture on your own to get ammo. This way you'll know what type of ammo to use and won't bring any ammo that is too large or powerful (which would be against club rules). For non members, a round of 25 clays is $5 and you'll have a $2 range fee for the entire day. This is a very fun and challenging sport, and I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I do. Have fun and be safe.