Shooting Sports Definitions

Gordian Blade

I'm just starting with sport shooting and I'd like some help with definitions so that when I go to my local club, I won't have to ask really dumb questions, just normal dumb questions. This should be really easy for you long-timers.First, shotgun shooting: What are the differences among skeet, trap, and sporting clays shooting? What would be a typical barrel length (and choke?) for these?Rifle shooting: There are at least a dozen popular calibers that one might shoot. My club divides it into sporter rifles and high-power rifles. I assume .22 falls into the sporter category, while the very largest calibers would of course be in the high-power category. Where is the dividing line? Would a Marlin Camp 9 carbine or other rifles using pistol ammo fit in there anywhere?Pistol shooting: What calibers are typically used in matches? I know .22 is very popular, also .45. Others?Thanks for any and all help. P.S. -- I understand that if it's just a matter of personal marksmanship improvement, one can use any caliber.

Der Gebirgsjager

I'll try to take this one on. Skeet is the shotgun game where you have two trap houses, a high house and a low house, that throw clay birds generally across the shooter's front from right to left and left to right in a criscross manner. The shooting positions (stations) are arranged in a semi-circle between the two houses and the shooter progresses from position to position, thus having to shoot at the birds crossing from two different heights from different angles, giving a variety of shots and distances. Trap involves only one trap house and clay birds are thrown away from the shooters at different angles, but always away, not across. The challenge here is achieved by standing closer or farther back. Again, shooting positions are in an arc, but less so than in skeet. Sporting Clays is a game designed to simulate actual hunting shots that might be enountered; and whereas there are regulation skeet and trap fields, sporting clays differ from location to location, club to club. The shooter generally stands in a fixed position, but the clay birds may come high, low, across, away, through trees, bounce along the ground, etc. depending on the type of shot desired and game being simulated. This is all greatly simplified, but should be enough to let you know what to expect. Now as for the rest of your question Sporters vs. Highpower, I'm not too sure. This could mean different things at diffent clubs and ranges. I would speculate that Sporter matches involve competition with firearms made specifically as sporting weapons, i.e. Winchester Mod. 70, Remington Mod. 700, custom made hunting rifles on Mauser actions, etc., and that scopes might be allowed on the rifles; and that Highpower would involve competition with Military and Military-style rifles in military-style matches utilizing different shooting positions (standing, kneeling, sitting, prone) at various distances, and that the match would be fired with "iron" sights". .22 Rifles would probably have matches designed specifically for them as they are usually incapable of accurate fire at the distances required of highpowered rifles of either Sporter or Military design. You'll have to ask a member of your club on this one, though; the definition could vary from place to place. Hope this is some help. Say little, listen well, and you'll be a club expert in no time.

stewart

As far as the handgun sportshooting goes, www.sportshooter.com will give you descriptions of IPDA, IPSC and GSSF and the types of gear that is used.

Gordian Blade

Most helpful. Thanks a lot!