Clay Rabbit layout advice

.50 (MOA)

So i'm having a small clay shoot new years eve for a few family and friends and want to shoot rabbit clays, i have the clays and trap to throw them and have used it before for rabbits but with limited success. I was wondering if any of you good ladies and gentlemen had any advice that would make things run better.

the problems before were:

clays breaking on the ground/stones, this can be fixed with a bit of carpet for the first bounce or so- right?

trap puller wary of getting himself shot (was never really gonna happen but needs to be sorted out still)- so i'm thinkin a longer pull rope and a round bale to hide the clay for the first few feet, so the shooters swing will start farther from the trap.

the clays following a curved path with the ground- just use a level bit of ground

The base kept moving but this is fixed with a new base - definitely doesn't move: tested on saturday.


i've kinda answered all these questions but if i've missed anything correct me.

the next problem is the shooters location what kinda distance and angle would be the norm? both for the shooter from the clays path and the amount of the clays path that is visible before it goes behind another round bale?

this is a diagram of how i was planning to set it up, with three possibilities for shooter position, the i was thinking that position B would be the best at a range of about 20 yards with the clay visible for about 30 yards before disappearing behind thesecond round bale.

is there anyhting else i'm missing?

Thanks in advance, now if i could be certain of good weather- lookin not too bad at the minute.

jwshooter

rabbits , we dont know how to show them hear. i shot a sporting international a few years back in scotland .

the rabbit was 45 or more yards rolling quarting down a steep hill ,it turned sides on the fall of ground ,coming edge on before it stopped .so you had to shoot it before it became edge on . i also shot a rabbit going away at 35-40 yards going away in rolled over a bank out of sight if missed.

show the rabbit on carpet for the first 5 yards . dont throw it to fast but keep it out 30-40 yards .give the gun time to shot it have it going behind a tree or hedge or marker .

it will be far more fun if its a true target, not a flash as we see hear .also guys will want to shoot some thing different.

.50 (MOA)

Thanks for that JW:), over 80 views and no-one, save JW, has an opinion, unusual to say the least:eek:. looks like i'm gonna have to go with my initial plan though i might set it up that the clay disappears over a hill like was suggested, should't be too hard to do about here, in Donegal, you see, we have that much land we had to pile it up in hills to fit it all in:D:P:cool:.

Seriously though, has no-one else shot rabbit clays on here, and can give me some pointers, or at least tell me that my initial plan sounds about right.

I'll have to take a few pics of the setup and post them, let yous see what your missing out on.

<Quote>it will be far more fun if its a true target, not a flash as we see hear.<Quote>

whats this mean? do you mean the colour, as in flash orange or is it to do with some kind of pair or what, you've lost me there boss.

<Quote>also guys will want to shoot some thing different.<Quote>

I have two other traps so we'll be shooting at them as well, and the rabbit trap can be turned round after a while and used to throw birds, just takes a minute with a spanner, and some muscle to turn the base- 200kg of concrete:D.

jwshooter

rabbits are mostly showed hear at close range doing 200kph.

if you have hills use them roll the rabbit down the hill,along the so it turns with the fall of ground . always try to have the trap some where that it can be loaded with out stopping the shoot ,if a auto of course.

rabbits are a fun target ,so set up some thing odd or different .the only thing stopping you is imagination.

kakashka

.50 (MOA) wrote: »

Thanks for that JW:), over 80 views and no-one, save JW, has an opinion, unusual to say the least:eek:.

Hey .50,maby a more appropriate title would have got more replys as for myself-little interest in CP and even less knowledge on the subject,i am a member of CP Club and they have the rabbit running up hill on an undulating rubber matt at a ballistic rate:eek:,very hard to get

.50 (MOA)

Title changed, thanks for that one kakashka.

I'll be slowing it down from before, I have a lighter spring, this'll make pulling the trap easier too

heres a pic of the trap, hand made.



I know the only thing holding me back is my imaagination and i do have a good one of those but i though maybe having 20 or 30 imaginations and experiences would be much better

jwshooter

i have set up and helped set up many 100 target registered sporting shoots , i fined some people can see a target before its even set up.

more cant see it when its in the air.

play around and you will come up with a exciting bunny. think of it as a learning curve ,just make sure the trapper and the path to him is safe.

pullandbang

.50 (MOA) wrote: »

trap puller wary of getting himself shot (was never really gonna happen but needs to be sorted out still)- so i'm thinkin a longer pull rope and a round bale to hide the clay for the first few feet, so the shooters swing will start farther from the trap.

This is always a major concern. One way to prevent it is to put up a vertical post to prevent the shooter swinging his gun back towards the trapper.
In other words, if the clay is left to right, put a post in the ground on the left side of the gun to stop it going back too far towards the trapper. Make sure the post is high enough to actually stop the gun swing. Also, I'd suggest a sheet of steel or galvanised as well as the bale as as added precaution.

jwshooter

pullandbang wrote: »

This is always a major concern. One way to prevent it is to put up a vertical post to prevent the shooter swinging his gun back towards the trapper.
In other words, if the clay is left to right, put a post in the ground on the left side of the gun to stop it going back too far towards the trapper. Make sure the post is high enough to actually stop the gun swing. Also, I'd suggest a sheet of steel or galvanised as well as the bale as as added precaution.

NO !. typical of what **** you see in ireland ,naul was infamous for this .

the gun is hidden in buy sticks and bales the target is a flash at 40 yards ,sporting is not about this .

good trap set up ,give the gun time to shoot there style on the target.

also right handers would have a advantage over left handers ,if you use a post like you suggested .

the idea of sporting is to get a good gun swing going.

kakashka

pullandbang wrote: »

This is always a major concern. One way to prevent it is to put up a vertical post to prevent the shooter swinging his gun back towards the trapper.
In other words, if the clay is left to right, put a post in the ground on the left side of the gun to stop it going back too far towards the trapper. Make sure the post is high enough to actually stop the gun swing. Also, I'd suggest a sheet of steel or galvanised as well as the bale as as added precaution.

Makes sence,be safe,i've also seen old square oil tanks full of water(or sand i guess) used if you had one

pullandbang

jwshooter wrote: »

NO !. typical of what **** you see in ireland ,naul was infamous for this .
the gun is hidden in buy sticks and bales the target is a flash at 40 yards ,sporting is not about this .
good trap set up ,give the gun time to shoot there style on the target.
also right handers would have a advantage over left handers ,if you use a post like you suggested .

What on earth are you rabbiting on about? (pardon the pun:))

He's not setting up a registered FITASC shoot - it's a flapper for some friends. There's no point is setting impossible targets 50 yards out and disappearing up or down hills. A simple crossing or quartering rabbit at 30 yards is good enough to give a few hours pleasure. Ideally build a cage to shoot from but in the likely event that this won't happen, a couple of posts to prevent the gun swinging back to the trapper as I previously suggested is a help.
The idea that someone might have an advantage over someone else is neither here nor there - it's a safety feature, that's all.

To the OP, I think your "C" layout is spot on for what you want. A post in the ground in front of the gun will stop the gun getting back to the trapper and he wan't be too far away so he can hear the calls from the shooters.

jwshooter

pullandbang wrote: »

What on earth are you rabbiting on about? (pardon the pun:))

He's not setting up a registered FITASC shoot - it's a flapper for some friends. There's no point is setting impossible targets 50 yards out and disappearing up or down hills. A simple crossing or quartering rabbit at 30 yards is good enough to give a few hours pleasure. Ideally build a cage to shoot from but in the likely event that this won't happen, a couple of posts to prevent the gun swinging back to the trapper as I previously suggested is a help.
The idea that someone might have an advantage over someone else is neither here nor there - it's a safety feature, that's all.

To the OP, I think your "C" layout is spot on for what you want. A post in the ground in front of the gun will stop the gun getting back to the trapper and he wan't be too far away so he can hear the calls from the shooters.

who advised him to set up a target at 50yds disappearing up or down a hill .

read my OP , put it going slowly at 30-40 yards using the fall of ground if possible.
and give the gun time to shoot it. is what i said

.50 (MOA)

Thanks for all that guys, i'll be working hard on making sure the trapper's safe this time and i have already looked about the yard for something to use as a post (a post would be maybe a bit short) to stop the gun swinging back too far but i had thought that maybe the bale would stop this happening, but a physical obstruction would be even better.


And as pulland bang pointed out this isn't a serious shoot, most of the people don't shoot too many clays, if any at all. and since i have the rabbits i wanna use them, and make sure i get it right unlike the last couple of times i tried and failed.


I was in between the B and C layout myself, the rabbit clay's hard to break unless you hit it face on, one time i threw a few up like a standard clay and they had marks where they were hit, but none broke. with the C layout the clay will be face on for more of the time, and i'll be using the slope of the ground to turn the clay to its right as it rolls, with it finally disappearing behind the bale.