Shotgun shooting is a shooting event in which shooters use a smooth-bored (unrifled) shotgun to shoot at clay targets that are released from a machine called a trap. Clay target shooting can be broadly split into three categories- skeet, trap and sporting. Skeet and Trap are both performed at the Olympic Games, while sporting involves shooting at targets designed to simulate those found in nature. Shotgun shooting with clay targets first emerged in the 1880s.
Shotgun shooting featured at the first Olympics in 1896, and the line-up of events has frequently changed since then. The first World Championships featuring shotgun shooting were held in 1897.
The objective of the shooters is to score points by hitting targets within a specific time frame. The athlete who hits the most targets wins.
Trap
Both men's and women's event
Double Trap
Both men's and women's event
Skeet
Both men's and women's event
Both men and women participate in all the three (trap, double trap and skeet) events of the shotgun shooting.
Shotgun Shooting - Shotgun
A shotgun is similar to a rifle but have some variations. 12-bore shotguns are used which fire cartridges containing small pellets. Trap-shooting guns weigh 4 kg (heaviest) and have the longest barrels. Double trap guns are similar to the trap guns but the pellets have a wider spread. Skeet shooting shotguns weigh 3kg and have a shorter barrel. The shotguns have movable butt plates to adjust the length and height of the buttstock according to the shooter’s preference.
Shotgun Shooting - Ear protection
Shooters wear ear muffs or another form of protective gear to protect their hearing while in the vicinity of the firing line.
Shotgun Shooting - Shotgun Shooting
Sun visors or other devices are sometimes used during shooting events that keep the wind and sunlight out of shooter’s eyes.
Shotgun Shooting - Clothing
No specific clothing is required, but usually, shooters wear loose-fitting shirts and trousers that do not hinder their movement. Some shooters also wear a loose sleeveless jacket with large pockets to store their cartridges.
Shotgun Shooting - Goggles
Protective eyewear made from shatter-resistant plastic lenses is worn by shooters to guard their eyes during the event.
Trap shooting events take place on a shooting range which normally has the field of play 20m in width. There are five shooting stations in which each is served by three traps. Therefore there is atotal of 15 traps in the trench. The trench containing the target-pullers is 15m away from the shooting stations and it is 2m deep and 2m wide.
In skeet shooting, usually a standard round of 25 targets are shot from eight stations in a semi-circle. At the ends of the semi-circle are the high and low trap houses from which targets (on a fixed trajectory) are released and within defined limits. A set combination of single and double targets are shot from each station and scored on the basis of one point per target hit, and the shooter is only allowed one shot at each target.
Chief Range Officer
Incharge of the competition at the range and incharge of the range officers, who give the commands to the shooters.
Referee
To check that the correct athletes are present on the range before the start of a round, to make immediate decisions regarding LOST targets, NO TARGETS and IRREGULAR targets and to issue Warnings (Yellow Card) or Automatic Deductions (Green Card) for rule violations.
Assistant Referees
Responsible for assisting the referee with all the work, watching each target thrown and to carefully observe that whether a target is broken before the shot is fired or not.
Scoring Officers
Responsible for ensuring that targets are rapidly changed, scored and marked.
