An Overview of the Olympic TRAP Event and The Required
Facility
An excerpt from a white paper prepared by USA Shooting for the Congressional
Sportsman’s Foundation - 7 March 2002 |
| Olympic Shotgun Events and Equipment |
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In general, the Olympic shotgun events are intended to be far more
difficult than their domestic counterparts. The clay targets used in
the Olympic events are flatter and of a more durable construction,
making breakage much more difficult. The targets are thrown at far
greater speeds, over much wider arcs and angles, and to a much greater
distance than those in our domestic events. Firearms allowed include
any 12-gauge shotgun holding two rounds. Over-and-under designs
predominate due to their reliability and durability, having to
withstand many tens-of-thousands of rounds fired in practice and
competition each year. 12-gauge ammunition used in Olympic events is
restricted to a lighter load of lead pellets to further increase the
shotgun events’ difficulty. |
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| Trap |
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Trap has been a part of the Olympics since 1900. Squads of six shooters fire in rotation in rounds of 25 targets. Each shooter is presented with the same set of targets during the round, but in random order so the target’s flight can’t be anticipated. Targets emerge upon the shooter’s call from an underground bunker containing 15 throwing machines. One or two shots may be fired at each target. Men fire a 125 target qualifying round over two days, while women fire a 75 target course in one day. The top six shooters from the qualifying round proceed to the medals final round, firing an additional 25 target round with the final score added to the qualifying score to determine the medallists.
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International Trap Field |
An International Trap field is quite a bit different than the American trap field. As described above, there is a trap bunker which has 3 machines in front of each of 5 shooting stations (International Trap is sometimes refered to as "Bunker" Trap). There is a sixth station that is used as a holding station as a full "squad" consists of 6 shooters. Shooters fire from approximately 16 yards from the traps. Shooters will see 2 R-to-L targets, 2 L-to-R targets, and one center target from each station thrown in a random order. After each shot shooters rotate stations from L to R. The 110mm targets are thrown much faster and farther than their American (108mm) counterparts ( ~72 yards@ 65mph compared to 50 yards@40mph). Also, since there are 2 shots allowed at each target, Over/Under type shotguns seem to be preferred so that different chokes may be used for each shot. International Trap loads are normally restricted to 24.5grams (~7/8oz) of shot.
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