[j1b]

Why have we watered skeet down?

Birds are slower, and the set up is entirely different.

Why would we do that? I don't get it.

I've yet to achieve my goals in American skeet. Long ways to go there. But knowing that once I've achieved some goals that there's a whole world of international skeet that is a whole new game all together is perplexing.

Wouldn't it be cool to be traveling over in Europe or something and get a chance to run some skeet? I'll do it, but I know it'll be a whole different ball game. And really there's no excuse for that - I can't for the life of me figure out why we watered the game down?

Jack

[XRe]

Same reason we made Steel Challenge easier, I'd imagine....

[ranger]

Skeet shooters and Trap shooters win by "not missing" versus "hitting". Skeet and Trap tournaments are usually won in shootoffs to break perfect scores.

This is a common topic in sporting clay circles - do you make the course challenging or relatively easy. If you make it too challenging, the shooters with skeet and trap mentality will go somewhere else. If you make it too easy, those looking for challenging targets go elsewhere.

[LPatterson]

There is absolutely nothing that requires you shoot skeet American style, shoot it International style for awhile and when you can shoot 100 straight every time then you are ready to make some money shooting regular (American) skeet.

[lynn jones]

when my broher-in-law was into skeet. he shot 25 straight while the butt of the shotgun was on his hip.

lynn

[LPatterson]

47 years ago when I first started I could do it in practice but never in a tournament. Now when I feel the need for a challenge or think I am getting good I just shoot the 410 and it brings me back to earth.

[benos]

j1b, on Oct 25 2009, 01:28 PM, said:

Why have we watered skeet down?
Jack

My opinion.

In a nutshell, I think compared to people in any other country, Americans are lazy.

I had the good fortune to shoot some International Skeet when training for the Sportsman's Team Challenge. It was awesome. Low-house station 8 - I never hit one.

be

[j1b]

I know there's an international skeet range in Colorado Springs. Close to the parents.

Next trip out, I'll be making a visit.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the clays games. I just realize there's more out there. I have a yearning to shoot some competitive skeet.

Someday.

Jack

[hitman]

There are International field around you just have to find them.

I learned to shoot skeet on an international field in Ohio, think it closed down.

The field I shoot at now (when I can anyway) has 2 machines that have ajustable speed setting, US, Int. variable.

[Irishlad]

Benos's "My Opinion" pretty well sums it up. I'd add that in the effort to make skeet technically "less difficult", they have in some ways increased the "pressure" for the competitors because you can't miss in any shoot of any size in any gauge, except the 410...and not much either.

It's a shame for the country that invented skeet. It just take a "little bit" of change over many years and too much "entrenchment" to reverse it. But, Sporting Clays took the "bored" skeet shooters so at least there was another avenue. Took away potential "International skeet" shooters also IMO.

On the plus side, you can modify just about any skeet field for International "style". Just increase the target speed, to a point for "american" style birds, have the puller "pull" anywhere from instant to 3 seconds and shoot the International sequence...that works!! If you can, use 24 gram loads.

[Tom Freeman]

j1b, on Oct 26 2009, 04:52 PM, said:

I know there's an international skeet range in Colorado Springs. Close to the parents.

Next trip out, I'll be making a visit.

Its a bitch to get on though. Give me a shout before you head this way.

[j1b]

Tom Freeman, on Oct 27 2009, 02:31 PM, said:

j1b, on Oct 26 2009, 04:52 PM, said:

I know there's an international skeet range in Colorado Springs. Close to the parents.

Next trip out, I'll be making a visit.

Its a bitch to get on though. Give me a shout before you head this way.

Will do, and Thank You!

Be over a year before I'm out there. I know, I should visit the parents more, but life is what it is.

I'll get some practice in before showing up!!!

Jack

[benos]

Irishlad, on Oct 27 2009, 08:14 AM, said:

Benos's "My Opinion" pretty well sums it up. I'd add that in the effort to make skeet technically "less difficult", they have in some ways increased the "pressure" for the competitors because you can't miss in any shoot of any size in any gauge, except the 410...and not much either.

Very true. There's so many guys shooting clean it's crazy.
be

[Charles Bond]

benos, on Nov 10 2009, 03:21 PM, said:

Very true. There's so many guys shooting clean it's crazy.
be

And therein is the true answer.

By "watering down" the sport, the sport grew beyond all expectations. But the cream will always rise to the top. Those that shoot with purpose and dedication will prevail. Those that pay their dues and practice are always going to come out on top whether it be the American or Intenational version. But if the watered down Amercian version created rapid success, that is the "hook" that brought in more new devotees and in so doing, grew the size of events and paybacks to reward those shooters who have reached the point they almost always shoot it clean.

[LPatterson]

With all this discussion about how watered down and shooting clean, there has been no mention of shooting classes. Skeet has AAA, AA, A, B, C, D, & E for 12 Ga and AAA to D for other gauges and doubles, so lets put this in a USPSA perspective. Percentages are different for each gauige so for a 12GA AAA 98.5% and over, AA 97.5- 97.49, A 96.0-97.49, B 93.5-95.99, C 90.0-93.49, D 85.5-89.9 E 85.49 and under. Each of the 4 guns, doubles, HOA & HAA have their own percentages that a person can possibly win something. So all the talk about having to shoot clean is only for the shooter who is trying to be High Gun. I have fun shooting a C in 12GA, C in 20GA, B in 28GA, D in 410 Bore and C in Doubles. USPSA is D Open, C Limited, C Limited 10, C Production and C Revolver.

[EkuJustice]

Skeet is far from watered down. The 100 targets isn't really the event. That is just the qualifier. The real event is 3 4 5 doubles. Once you get in the higher classes 100x100 won't get you a thing if you cant shoot the doubles. Got out of it a couple years ago just due to other committments and left in AAA in 12, 20, 28, 410 doubles and HOA. Once you get to about B or maby A class the mechanics are down. Its just being able to hold it together for the whole event or shoot.

There really isn't much money to be won shooting skeet these days. Skeet unless you do every option out there, and win them your not gonna make the big money. I think the most I ever brought home from a shoot was a little under 2k. Trap you can get some money at the huge shoots.

[Charles Bond]

EkuJustice, on Nov 18 2009, 04:38 PM, said:

There really isn't much money to be won shooting skeet these days. Skeet unless you do every option out there, and win them your not gonna make the big money. I think the most I ever brought home from a shoot was a little under 2k. Trap you can get some money at the huge shoots.

I think the most I ever brought home from any action shooting match was just under $300. Where was that $2K match and does anyone wanna buy some really nice race pistols??

[j1b]

EkuJustice, on Nov 18 2009, 03:38 PM, said:

Skeet is far from watered down. The 100 targets isn't really the event. That is just the qualifier. The real event is 3 4 5 doubles. Once you get in the higher classes 100x100 won't get you a thing if you cant shoot the doubles. Got out of it a couple years ago just due to other committments and left in AAA in 12, 20, 28, 410 doubles and HOA. Once you get to about B or maby A class the mechanics are down. Its just being able to hold it together for the whole event or shoot.

There really isn't much money to be won shooting skeet these days. Skeet unless you do every option out there, and win them your not gonna make the big money. I think the most I ever brought home from a shoot was a little under 2k. Trap you can get some money at the huge shoots.

I appreciate your post, and thanks!

And good work BTW, AAA is impressive.

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE shooting American skeet. If I could shoot 4 rounds of skeet everday for the rest of my life, things would be pretty dang good. I just would prefer the game to be the same everywhere. I travel a good bit, and would love to shoot a few rounds in Ireland, or Greece. It would be neat that the location changed, but the game was the same. It would be something else to say "Yeah, I broke 25 at this ocean side range in Ireland"

Jack

[Scoterbeast]

j1b, on Oct 25 2009, 02:28 PM, said:

Why have we watered skeet down?

Birds are slower, and the set up is entirely different.

Why would we do that? I don't get it.

I've yet to achieve my goals in American skeet. Long ways to go there. But knowing that once I've achieved some goals that there's a whole world of international skeet that is a whole new game all together is perplexing.

Wouldn't it be cool to be traveling over in Europe or something and get a chance to run some skeet? I'll do it, but I know it'll be a whole different ball game. And really there's no excuse for that - I can't for the life of me figure out why we watered the game down?

Jack

Ask the manager at the club where you shoot if you can crank up the machines a little. If he has been around for awhile, he can tell you just how much is needed to throw international targets. Shoot low gun - used to do it all the time. Great training for over all shotgunning and wing shooting. The mount is everything.

[LPatterson]

Charles Bond, on Nov 18 2009, 06:31 PM, said:

EkuJustice, on Nov 18 2009, 04:38 PM, said:

There really isn't much money to be won shooting skeet these days. Skeet unless you do every option out there, and win them your not gonna make the big money. I think the most I ever brought home from a shoot was a little under 2k. Trap you can get some money at the huge shoots.

I think the most I ever brought home from any action shooting match was just under $300. Where was that $2K match and does anyone wanna buy some really nice race pistols??

The entry fees range from $35-50 per event so that's 4 guns plus doubles plus HOA plus HAA plus prelim so yeh a nice race gun might cover the event cost. Then there's the ammo at 500-600 rounds, 410 & 28 are running about $9 a box, 20ga about $7, 12ga about $5-6. So your event costs are up around $800 and it is a 3 day event so add in motel costs and meals and you'll probably be out of pocket more than that open gun is worth.

[EkuJustice]

Ya I took up other interests when the ammo cost was going up. The big stuff was about $4.40 a box, the small stuff about $6.00. Entry fees were generally $250 for the 5 guns, + HOA entry and any optional purses you played. When I got a nice payout I was playing quite a few options. The biggest I got from a shoot money wise was from, a zone shoot with a bunch of options played. Won the 410, and HOA 2nd in the HAA and placed high in the other events as well with class win etc.

Krieghoff Masters(last year they had it full size before it got shrunk down) was about $1500 or so and that was getting 3rd overall out of about 500 shooters after shooting off 399s

[LPatterson]

I thought it sucked to tie someone in HOA and have to shootoff with the 410. 3-4-5 are bad enough singles but doubles!!

[Jaxshooter]

There is only one shotgun sport that pays big money, Flyers. It also cost big money to play but if you win the payout is huge and all cash..

[EkuJustice]

3 4 5 doubles arnt too bad with the bigger guns but the 410 is kinda a crap shoot as to whos gonna miss. I have seen shootoffs in 410 do 3 places in 1 station, and some that go multiple boxes. When I shot the VAST majority was doubles ie probibally 95% doubles practice