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you may send it to via email at: SMST@SOMD.NET Clay Pigeon Thrower Helps With Target Practice By Kelly Ambrose - Submitted December 13, 2010
Any serious wing shooter can put a Clay Pigeon Thrower to good use if he wants to sharpen his shotgun skills or just stay in practice during off season. They are available from the simple hand powered thrower all the way up to voice actuated automatic machines. You will discover that each of them has its own advantages and disadvantages so it will pay off to sped some research time before you buy.
Some sportsmen are fortunate to live close to a gun club where they can practice at their convenience but it is not necessary when you own your own Clay Pigeon Thrower. You can set up anywhere shotguns are not banned and you have a couple hundred yards of clear space. The actual range of the thrower is usually less than 100 yards but the added space will give you a safety factor. I will also give you a little more room in case of a miss and you want to take a second shot at the same clay target.
The Clay Pigeon Thrower gets its name from the targets it throws; they are made from clay, usually a bright color and called clay targets. Many years ago some shotgun sporting events were held with live pigeons as the targets but in recent times the clay targets have replaced the live pigeons. Clay targets replacing live pigeons just actually gravitated to the term clay pigeon and the Clay Pigeon Thrower was born.
Practicing your shotgun shooting skills at a moving, flying target that simulates a flying pigeon is an excellent way to enjoy the sport and improve your shooting ability at the same time. If the target is hit by only one or two shotgun pellets it will break and a hit is easily scored by visual sighting. If the target is hit by several pellets it will literally disintegrate into a puff of dust that resembles smoke. This is probably where the term "Smoking The Targets" came from.
Before you buy your Clay Pigeon Thrower you can do yourself a favor by visiting a local gun club and actually watching a shooting event where they utilize the throwers. You will find top notch individuals frequenting the top gun clubs and they will be happy to give you a tour and acquaint you with all the equipment, rules and answer ally your questions to the best of their ability.
So that you will enjoy many target practice shotgun outings it is highly recommended that you purchase as high up in the quality line as you can afford and justify. However the very basic hand operated Clay Pigeon Thrower will give you good target practice and a lot of arm exercise at the same time, take a friend and let one person shoot and the other throw. You will also want to keep in mind that the hand operated unit is generally limited to throwing only one target at a time. This makes it impossible to practice shooting doubles.
All the sportsmen I am acquainted with will tell you that whether you decide on the very basic hand operated or top of the line fully automatic Clay Pigeon Thrower you will be setting yourself up for many days of enjoyment.
Why is a Clay Pigeon Thrower so well thought of among most all sportsmen? Let us tell you more and lead you to other important sites and organizations with more answers. We do not offer anything for sale on this Clay Pigeon Thrower website.
My teenage son decided he wanted to get a clay pigeon trap. He has been target shooting for some time, and the handheld model we had was getting tiresome. Now I'm as open minded as the next guy, but I didn't know much about clay target throwers, so I decided to do a little research.
Clay Pigeon Traps Developed Out of a Need to Launch Birds. A clay pigeon trap is a spring-loaded machine that throws clay "pigeons" into the air as targets for recreational or competition shooting. The firearm of choice for clay trap shooting is typically a shotgun loaded with shot. When skeet, or pigeon shooting, began in the late 1800s, live pigeons were used as targets. This was hard on the birds, especially if the pigeon was just "winged," or hit a glancing blow. (After all, who could perform medical care for a pigeon in 1880?) Britain actually made using live pigeons as targets illegal in 1921, and a new target was developed. The new target was a clay pigeon, which is still in use today. Interestingly, the target is still referred to as a "bird."
The clay target is made of limestone crumbs and pitch, and is a little more than 4 inches in diameter. It looks much like a small inverted frisbee. Some skeet shooting disciplines use pigeons that are smaller or larger than the standard 108 mm size. Clay targets typically come in a bright orange color, but they can also be black, white or yellow so that the target can easily be seen.
When You're New to the Sport, Your Clay Pigeon Trap Is Usually Your Arm! When someone is new to the sport of trap shooting, his trap is usually his arm. In other words, either the shooter or a partner will throw the pigeon into the air at an angle. The idea is to shoot the moving target before it hits the ground. Because of the somewhat brittle composition of the target, even a glancing blow will break the clay, resulting in a "hit." Generally one or two clay targets are thrown at one time, although some competitions involve throwing multiple pigeons. Once a newbie becomes proficient at clay target shooting, he may opt to get a pigeon trap or thrower. This allows him to work on refining his craft, since he doesn't have to wear out his arm throwing targets.
Clay Pigeon Traps Come in Various Configurations. Clay traps come in several different sizes and configurations. For example, there are handheld models that throw a single or double target, there are ¾ cock trap and full-cock trap, or you can graduate to the sophisticated models like foot traps and automatic traps.
Handheld Clay Pigeon Traps. A handheld clay target trap can be the simplest to start with. It looks like a sideways slingshot. You simply place the bird in the thrower's "fingers" and wing it out with a sideways action. The handheld trap can throw one, two or three targets simultaneously. Allen and MTM are two companies who manufacture a handheld thrower, and prices range from about $7 to about $16. With this type of handheld clay trap, though, you'll most likely want to have a partner do the throwing for you while you stand ready with your shotgun.
¾ Cock and Full-Cock Clay Target Throwers. The ¾ cock clay pigeon trap, when tripped, is designed to release the bird and stop at about 8 o'clock (having released from the 12 o'clock or noon position). Both ¾ and full-cock throwers allow you to fling targets as much as 70 to 100 yards out, and will send out single or double targets. You can also vary the angles of throw with a ¾ cock and full-cock model, so that you can practice hitting high targets or near-the-ground targets. Most of these traps sit off the ground. This allows someone to sit on a chair next to it to re-cock the machine for the next throw. You can get an additional add-on seat that allows someone to sit with the trap and hit the lever to throw, and many people have suggested getting this because it is so comfortable. Prices range from $60 to $200 for a ¾ or full-cock model, without the seat.
Fully Automatic Clay Pigeon Traps. Fully automatic clay target traps are the next step up. These come with several rotating stacks of pigeons, which means that you can be shooting a long time before you need to refill them. Automatic throwers are quite sophisticated, and many can be operated by foot or by voice. Many can be programmed to throw targets at different angles and different elevations. Some traps are operated electrically and others operate on battery power. Some can even be stocked with different size targets in case you want to vary your discipline. With a foot-operated model, you simply stand just behind the thrower and tap your foot on the release. Some automatic traps are actually voice-activated when you call "Pull!"
Prices for an automatic clay target trap are quite a bit higher, but the reviews indicated that these throwers were worth the money. Expect to pay about $350 to $500 for a fully automatic trap, with some competition-style models approaching as much as $1300. My son and I opted for a ¾ cock model and we couldn't be happier. He gets to practice his target shooting and I get to spend quality time with him.
What could be better? Maybe you want to think about getting a clay pigeon trap and enjoy quality time with your family, too!  |
