bigmanindc
Active Member
Is it necessary to join a gun club to shoot competitively or are competitions open to the public?
Loch Raven Skeet and Trap Center has a winter league starting November 8th that is open to the public. Shooters receive handicap targets based on their score. Competition starts at 10:00 AM. Call 410-252-3851 for more information.
AGC is open to public Sunday and on Wednesday nights if memory serves. PG Trap and Skeet is open to the public all the time. Three Rivers is open to non members on Thursday nights.
I know PG Trap and Skeet allows anyone to sign up for competitions. The others I am not sure about.
Are you talking about formal competition? Even if the club is a members only club 99% of registered trap shoots are open to the public. You must join the ATA (American Trapshooting Association). They’re the national governing body for Trapshooting Competition. It’s only $20/year and another $30 if you want the magazine. Spend the extra $30! Lots of good information. These shoots are more formal than the winter, spring or fall leagues or fun shoots that clubs may host. They usually cost more too. Most people “graduate” from shooting league shoots to shooting registered targets. This isn’t a requirement though. You can join the ATA below or at a shoot. Before going to a shoot you may want to familiarize yourself with the rule book.
https://shootata.com/Membership/OnlineMembershipApplication.aspx
If you’re not talking about formal competition then a lot of members only clubs have “open” nights that non-members can shoot. Usually at a higher cost. PG and Loch Raven are the two biggest public shotgun ranges in the area. They’re always open to everyone.
Let me know if you have any more questions. I shoot more Skeet but have been shooting shotgun for 35+ years.
Looks interesting but looking to start out with Trap shooting not sure if I'm ready for Skeet yet. Might not be ready for Trap but willing to try.
Looks like good places to get some practice in if I can find a league to get in.
I was looking at the ATA website that's why I asked about the membership to the gun clubs. When you say formal competition are you saying a league isn't formal competition? Definitely looking for a situation where the butterflies in your stomach can make or break you.
I'm debating a new shotgun just for trap/skeet. Unfortunately I haven't been to many ranges in MD yet. Would a synthetic stock be a good idea? Back in NY we wouldnt shoot rain or shine, but close enough. Synthetic would make sense.
You have just general shooting or practice. The next step up is league shooting. The rules are set by the club or clubs if it’s a traveling league. The scores aren’t used for anything else except for that league. The “highest” level of competition is registered ATA targets. The scores get reported to the national organization and your average/yardage is based off of those scores for the 3 different events within American Trapshooting. Averages are used for singles and doubles. Handicap is shot at varying yardages based on your scores. The better you shoot the further back they move you up to 27 yards. Leagues are more formal than just shooting for fun because there’s money to be won but they aren’t the same as ATA targets. You should look into the various winter leagues that are starting up.
Here’s one at Carroll that’s starting up.
http://carrollgun.com/default.asp?menu=league
This is probably the biggest one in the area. It’s finishing up though.
http://heartofmaryland.net/
Will definitely sign up for this. I also see an event at Anne Arundel Fish & Game with ATA & State fees of $6, other than the one day vs 3 months time length what is if any difference?
Is it necessary to join a gun club to shoot competitively or are competitions open to the public?