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still be very close both before and after that yardage, because the barrels are very close together). The barrel set hinges on the bottom of the gun's receiver and is locked in place by lever on top of the action. When the lever is pushed, it releases the barrels, allowing them to swing down from the hinge, exposing the chambers for each barrel. The shooter drops one round into each chamber and then swings the barrels back up, closing and locking the breech. The act of opening and closing the gun cocks both hammers, each of which are activated, in a modern gun, by a single trigger: once the action is closed, the gun will fire two shots as fast as a person can pull the trigger twice. A two barrel gun can have the two barrels side by side or one on top of the other (stacked). All serious skeet tournament two barrel guns are stacked (the narrow sighting picture is an advantage), and are most commonly referred to as "over and under" shotguns. Two barrel guns are the least fussy about ammunition and surest method of getting two fast shots from a shotgun. These guns also permit the shooter to recover every just-fired shotgun shell, to be reloaded and used again, a convenient and valuable characteristic.
509:.410 events with the same weight, balance and sight picture for each of these gauges. However, with tubes removed to shoot 12 ga. rounds, the gun will be 10-12 oz. lighter, and thus will swing faster and kick harder, undermining some of the consistency intrinsic to the concept. The solutions are: to stop shooting 12 ga. rounds at all in tournaments, thus always shooting through the inserts; buying a second, pre-weighted 12 ga. barrel (the latter makes the combination a "two barrel tube set"); or, three, adding removable weights to the 12 ga. barrels when shooting without the sub-gauge tubes to try to match the weight and balance of the gun when tubed. All three solutions are employed, depending upon shooter preferences and/or resources, and tubed over and under shoguns now dominate American skeet tournaments.
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four different sets of chambers. Historically, that required four different guns, each weighing, balancing and presenting, differently, undermining a shooter's consistency. There is relatively little manufacturer interest in a cure for the problem with pumps and automatics. However, double guns present opportunities. One solution is to build four matched weight sets of barrels to fit one action (a "four barrel set"). This is an expensive endeavor, but from the 1960s to 1990s, four barrel sets reigned supreme in
American skeet, and they remain thoroughly competitive. Beyond the costly expenditure, the principal criticism is that the four barrel set can still present a different sight picture for each gauge because each barrel set, in diminishing gauge, is narrower than the prior set.
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ramming a new round into the chamber for a second shot. One sees semi-automatics in tournaments, occasionally, now. They shoot well when clean, but are prone to jamming when dirty, when fouled by debris, or when there is something unusual about the rounds in gun. Just how prone to jamming varies by brand, design and shooter maintenance. They largely supplanted pump guns in skeet tournaments during the 1960s, because, even if they jam from time to time, semi-automatics still invite less error than all the activity the shooter must control with a pump gun. Further, semi-automatics usually offer a softer recoil, a real benefit given all the rounds fired in a skeet tournament. Semi-automatics are most reliable with 12 ga. rounds, and are thus most used in the 12 ga. skeet events.
461:. The fifth event, usually shot first in a five event competition, is Doubles, during which a pair of targets is thrown simultaneously at stations 1 through 7, and then from station 6 back through either station 2 or 1, depending on the round. The maximum gauge permitted in Doubles is 12 gauge. Each of the five events usually consists of 100 targets (four standard boxes of ammunition). All ties in potential winning scores are broken by shoot offs, usually sudden death by station, and usually shot as doubles, from stations 3, 4 and 5. Tournament management has the right to change the shoot format with respect to the order in which events are conducted, the number of events in a given shoot, and the rules governing shoot offs.
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248:. The shooter shoots from seven positions on a semicircle with a radius of 21 yards (19 m), and an eighth position halfway between stations 1 and 7. There are two houses that hold devices known as "traps" that launch the targets, one at each corner of the semicircle. The traps launch the targets to a point 15 feet (4.6 m) above the ground and 18 feet (5.5 m) outside of station 8. One trap launches targets from 10 feet (3.0 m) above the ground ("high" house) and the other launches it from 3 feet (0.91 m) above the ground ("low" house).
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trigger, and the other on a sliding wooden or composite forearm. In turn, the forearm is attached to one or two bars that operate the action, both to load the chamber with the first round and to cycle the action after firing, putting another round in the chamber for the second shot. The power is supplied by the shooter pulling the forearm back and then pushing it forward: a process prone to error on the skeet field because it requires speed, consistency, and precision from the shooter.
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clock and a trap set at the 12-o'clock position. The practice of shooting from all directions had to cease, however, when a chicken farm started next door. The game evolved to its current setup by 1923, when one of the shooters, William
Harnden Foster, solved the problem by placing a second trap at the 6-o'clock position and cutting the course in half. Foster quickly noticed the appeal of that kind of competition shooting, and set out to make it a
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A double-barreled shotgun is just that: two single shot barrels and hammer sets attached to the same receiver and trigger assembly. The barrels are attached to each other and are aimed to hit the same spot a given distance: say, 21 yards or so at skeet (though the shot pattern from both barrels will
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At stations 1 and 2 the shooter shoots at single targets launched from the high house and then the low house, then shoots a double where the two targets are launched simultaneously but shooting the high house target first. At stations 3, 4, and 5 the shooter shoots at single targets launched from the
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The answer was to build barrel inserts for 12 ga. two barrel guns: these allow the shooter to switch out matching sets of full length light weight aluminum tubes (10-12 oz. per set) chambered for 20, 28, and .410, in almost any 12 ga. double gun. One could then use one gun to shoot the 20, 28, and
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Recognizing that a high level of perfection is beyond the skill, interest, or time available to most shooters, NSSA competitions are subdivided into several classes, each based on the running average score shot over the last five most recent events shot in each gauge, prior to any given competition.
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Another difference with
American skeet is that the sequence to complete the 25 targets in a round of Olympic skeet requires shooters to shoot at doubles, not only in stations 1, 2, 6, and 7, as in American skeet, but also on 3, 4, and 5. This includes a reverse double (low house first) on station 4.
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American skeet is administered by the
National Skeet Shooting Association (NSSA). The targets are shot in a different order and are slower than in Olympic skeet. There is also no delay after the shooter has called for them, and the shooter may do this with the gun held "up", i.e. pre-mounted on the
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hunter, and Foster, an avid hunter, painter, illustrator and author of "New
England Grouse Hunting", developed a game which was informally called "Shooting around the clock". The original course took the form of a circle with a radius of 25 yards with its circumference marked off like the face of a
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The international version of skeet uses a target that is slightly larger in diameter , thinner in cross-section , and has a thicker dome center, making it harder to break. International targets are also thrown a longer distance from similar heights, at over 70 yards (64 m), resulting in higher
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Regardless of the type of gun employed, tournament skeet shooters have a problem. American skeet tournaments consist of at least four events: the 12 ga., the 20 ga., the 28 ga., and the .410 bore. These are four different sized shotgun shells (diminishing in size, in the order listed), requiring
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The shooter must then re-shoot his first missed target or, if no targets are missed, must shoot his 25th shell at the low house station 8. This 25th shot was once referred to as the shooter's option, as he was able to take it where he preferred. Now, to speed up rounds in competition, the shooter
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high house and then the low house. At stations 6 and 7 the shooter shoots at single targets launched from the high house and then the low house, then shoots a double, shooting the low house target first then the high house target. At station 8 the shooter shoots one high target and one low target.
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The requisite use of the small bore shotguns, including the difficult .410, is a major differentiation between the
American version of the sport and the international version. Some would argue that it makes the American version at least as difficult as the International version, though perhaps at
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So effective is the tubed gun solution that perfect scores are often required to win the open title in individual events, and combined scores of 395 to 400 may be required to win the open HOA in a major shoot, depending on the weather (though a perfect score of 400 remains a rare and noteworthy
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A semi-automatic shotgun has a fixed forearm: it relies on either the burning, expanding, gas from the first fired round, or the recoil from the same fired round, to cycle the action. Such a gun cycles "automatically" each time it is fired: ejecting the just fired, now empty, shell casing, and
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Each event normally constitutes a separate championship. In addition, the scores in the four singles events are combined to crown a High Over All ("HOA") champion for the tournament, a coveted title. On occasion, the scores for all five events are also combined, to determine the High All Around
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For practical purposes, there are three types of shotguns if the shooter must have two shots in rapid succession, a requirement for
American skeet. The types are: the pump-action, the semi-automatic, and a double-barreled shotgun. A Pump-action shotgun operates with one hand on the grip and
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status since 1968, and, until 1992, was open to both sexes. After that year, all ISSF events have been open to men only, and so women were disallowed to compete in the
Olympic skeet competitions in 1996. This was controversial because the 1992 Olympic Champion,
227:(one with a tighter pattern) or a skeet choke (one with a wider pattern), but this is a matter of preference. Some gun shops refer to this type of shotgun as a skeet gun. Skeet chokes are designed to produce a 30 inch shot pattern at 21 yards.
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magazines, and a prize of 100 dollars was offered to anyone who could come up with a name for the new sport. The winning entry was "skeet", chosen by
Gertrude Hurlbutt. The word allegedly derived from the Norwegian word for "shoot"
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For his role in perfecting and developing the sport, William "Bill" Foster was named as one of the first members to the
National Skeet Shooters Association Hall of Fame in 1970, and is now known as "The Father of Skeet".
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In Olympic skeet, there is a random delay of between 0 and 3 seconds after the shooter has called for the target. Also, the shooter must hold his gun so that the buttstock is at mid-torso level until the target appears.
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Alternatively, a sporting gun or a trap gun is sometimes used. These have longer barrels (up to 34 inches) and tighter choke. Many shooters of American skeet and other national versions use
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This permits shooters of roughly equal ability at the relevant point in time to compete against each other for the individual and HOA titles in their class.
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A full tournament is typically conducted over the course of five events. These include four events each shot with a different maximum permissible
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between September 6 and 9, was won in a shoot off between two competitors, each of whom shot a combined score of 399 out of a possible 400.
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Other national versions of skeet (e.g., English skeet) typically make similar changes to the rules to make them easier or more difficult.
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to attempt to break clay targets which two fixed stations mechanically fling into the air at high speed and at a variety of angles.
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became the first American to medal in 6 successive Olympic games. Her prior Olympic medals were for trap shooting in
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used skeet shooting to teach gunners the principles of leading and timing on a flying target.
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event). For example, the HOA title at the 2007 US Open tournament, shot in
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inches (28.58 mm) thick, and fly a distance of 62 yards (57 m).
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160:" or "international skeet"), and many with only national recognition.
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This last double was introduced in the sequence starting in 2005.
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is a recreational and competitive activity whose participants use
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Sport in which players use shotguns to hit clay disks in cookies
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Zone VI Skeet Shooting Association (AR, LA, MS, OK, TX) (US)
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Skeet is one of the three major disciplines of competitive
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The event is in part meant to simulate the action of bird
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The sport was introduced in the February 1926 issues of
152:. There are several types of skeet, including one with
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U.S. intercollegiate trap and skeet shooting champions
30:"Skeet shoot" redirects here. For the video game, see
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223:. Often, shooters will choose an improved cylinder
215:of choice for this task is usually a high-quality,
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847:Skeet, trap, and sporting clay club locator (U.S.)
351:With her bronze in women's skeet shooting at the
268:invented skeet shooting. In 1920, Davis, an avid
256:must shoot the low 8 twice for a perfect score.
798:North Carolina Skeet Shooting Association (US)
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319:Olympic and international skeet is one of the
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837:Official International Skeet Shooting Website
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803:Mississippi Skeet Shooting Association (US)
264:Charles Davis and William Harnden Foster of
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808:New Jersey Skeet Shooting Association (US)
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468:Skeet shooting, Fort Stewart's Skeet Range
219:with 24- to 32-inch barrels and very open
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771:National Skeet Shooting Association (US)
433:Learn how and when to remove this message
115:Aerial view of a skeet shooting range in
842:Official American Skeet Shooting Website
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547:International Shooting Sport Federation
813:Oklahoma State Skeet Association (US)
217:double-barreled over and under shotgun
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776:Clay Pigeon Shooting Association (UK)
190:inches (109.54 mm) in diameter,
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612:by Jeff Johnston, Managing Editor,
415:adding citations to reliable sources
781:New Zealand Clay Target Association
634:National Skeet Shooting Association
457:. These gauges are 12, 20, 28, and
786:Australian Clay Target Association
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717:"AMERICAN SKEET – NSSA-NSCA.club"
577:. issf-sports.org. Archived from
1053:Rifle and pistol shooting sports
616:magazine, July 2013, pages 40,41
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698:from the original on 2021-02-26
686:Neilson, Larz F. (2017-07-01).
668:from the original on 2013-09-25
643:from the original on 2023-10-28
402:needs additional citations for
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897:300 m rifle three positions
446:shoulder (as is allowed in
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912:50 m rifle three positions
572:"ISSF General Regulations"
371:and for skeet shooting in
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172:Illustration of skeet game
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1022:10 m running target mixed
1012:50 m running target mixed
664:. Claytargetsonline.com.
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1048:Shotgun shooting sports
953:25 m center-fire pistol
515:Albuquerque, New Mexico
239:over-and-under shotguns
232:semi-automatic shotguns
948:25 m rapid fire pistol
627:"The History of Skeet"
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353:2016 Rio Olympic games
266:Andover, Massachusetts
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156:status (often called "
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792:US state associations
765:National associations
692:Wilmington Town Crier
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1058:Clay pigeon shooting
1043:ISSF shooting events
958:25 m standard pistol
907:300 m standard rifle
883:ISSF shooting events
819:US zone associations
532:ISSF shooting events
411:improve this article
321:ISSF shooting events
1017:10 m running target
1007:50 m running target
383:US national variant
338:World Championships
286:Hunting and Fishing
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527:ISSF Olympic skeet
473:("HAA") champion.
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282:National Sportsman
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164:General principles
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86:Number of targets
57:Number of targets
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102:Abbreviation
73:Abbreviation
986:Double trap
943:25 m pistol
938:50 m pistol
542:Double trap
144:—alongside
32:Skeet Shoot
1037:Categories
742:2024-05-28
722:2024-05-28
702:2022-03-16
672:2013-09-18
647:2023-10-28
558:References
330:Zhang Shan
236:break-open
97:Since 2000
68:Since 1968
459:.410 bore
357:Kim Rhode
696:Archived
666:Archived
638:Archived
636:. 2010.
521:See also
423:May 2024
135:shotguns
117:Cuxhaven
89:125 + 60
60:125 + 60
973:Shotgun
588:15 June
325:Olympic
260:History
246:hunting
213:firearm
199:⁄
185:⁄
154:Olympic
125:Germany
931:Pistol
270:grouse
221:chokes
105:SK125W
991:Skeet
890:Rifle
641:(PDF)
630:(PDF)
582:(PDF)
575:(PDF)
455:gauge
334:China
291:skyte
225:choke
81:Women
76:SK125
981:Trap
590:2020
377:2012
375:and
373:2008
369:2004
367:and
365:2000
361:1996
297:the
284:and
234:and
211:The
148:and
450:).
413:by
332:of
52:Men
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