Shooting trap

[oldcrow]

While shooting trap it seems my SBE shoots low.

I have to cover the clay with the end of the barrel to get a good hit.

 

This should be adjustable with the amount of drop in the stock?

Which way do I go and how much

 

I have a B shim installed at this time

[timb99]

Not sure what shim you need, but you need to raise the comb of the gun with respect to the barrel. In other words, the more rib you see when you mount the gun, the higher the gun will shoot.

[oldcrow]

Thanks, I've been checking the book and searching around on YouTube and they usually refer to "drop"

If I understand this correctly "raising the comb" is the same as "decreasing drop"

The SBE has 4 shim option A - D; A has least amount of drop, D has the most

I'll replace the B for an A and see how that works for me.

[timb99]

Yes sir. Decreasing the drop would be the same as raising the comb.

 

Good luck, and let us know how it works. I shoot a lot of trap and I have a gun that shoots reasonably high. Works for me.

 

If you find that the shims don't give you enough comb height, try using strips of Dr. Scholl's moleskin. Ugly, but it does work.

[tucker301]

You could also try using the shorter LOP recoil pad, which would raise POI.

[timb99]

You could also try using the shorter LOP recoil pad, which would raise POI.

 

True, if its a standard tapered comb, and not a parallel comb (I don't know on the SBE.)

 

But I prefer to keep the LOP so you maintain about a 1-1/2" gap between the nose and the thumb of the trigger hand. If you shorten the LOP, you might not have that.

 

Hey Tucker. Long time no see.

[oldcrow]

Well that didn't work like I hoped.

I struggled to find the target hitting 3 of the first 10 clays then finished off 5, 4 & 3

Edited July 2, 2013 by oldcrow

[Novaking]

I shoot my Nova for trap and have to cover the bird as well. Something I've gotten used to. I can keep in pretty good for the first 3 rounds. Then the old farts with the fancy guns take over.

[tucker301]

I know it's a PITA to do, but the only way I finally got my SBII right was to take the tools, the shims, and all to the range and freehand shoot some pattern boards until I got what I wanted.

 

Somewhere or another I posted a link to an article describing how it's not quite as simple as changing shims, because the as you raise or lower the comb, you also affect the geometry of your sighting axis. It's all over my head. I hated Geometry in school and was usually drunk through second period, so I just gave up and did the above.

Edited July 3, 2013 by tucker301

[4BFamily]

The point of impact (POI) for the SME will be lower than dedicated trap guns. You can monkey with the stock to get it to "shoot higher" but then your head won't be parallel with the barrel and any non-rising target you shoot will be missed high, especially if you go too far. I've had folks add comb with aftermarket pads to improve trap scores. If it were me, i'd learn to work thru it by covering the bird. Might be a good excuse to buy a new gun?

[BigHugMug]

All the answers to your questions are at the pattern board. There are a lot of variables that can send you down the wrong rabbit hole if you are not systemic in your testing. Going to the range to try and decide if you have made a positive adjustment can be confusing. Everything from shell characteristics  to your point of aim...it may not be the gun.. Order some "shotgun pattern" targets online and make sure you know where you are aiming and where your shot is hitting. Bring several different brands and velocities of shells. I would say start with a Full choke and decide on a shell then start on chokes. One shot each target, exact same point of aim each time. My M2 prefers Federal Game Shok 1290fps.. Your pattern should be 60/40. What that means is 60% of the shot should hit above point of aim and 40% below, that's optimum. Good luck and have patients. Stay away from the range until you and your gun are happy..