Shooting skeet

Shooting skeet is a competition game. Clay pigeons (shotgun discs) are flung from two fixed houses at either end of a semicircle. Shooters use a shotgun to break the clay pigeons. There are several different types of skeet, including US skeet, international skeet, and Olympic skeet.

There are also other forms of competitive shooting like sporting clays and trap shooting, which have similar characteristics but different rules, courses, and types of targets. Let’s dive into the basics of skeet shooting rules. The American version of skeet uses clay discs measuring 4 and 5/16 inches in diameter and 1 and ⅛ inches thick. They are mechanically flung from two fixed houses at either end of a semicircle and fly for 62 yards.

People generally use a double-barreled shotgun with an over-under configuration, 26- to 30-inch barrels, and an open choke. However, some may choose slightly different specifications like a tighter choke pattern, a semi-automatic, or a break open shotgun. It’s a matter of preference for the shooter.

Skeet simulates bird hunting and can be an effective way for hunters to practice. The game is laid out on a skeet range which is a semicircle with a radius of 21 yards. There are seven stations around the outside of the semicircle and an eighth station in the middle of the two houses.

Two houses at either end of the semicircle launch targets into the air. One house is the high house and launches from ten feet above the ground while the other house is the low house and launches three feet off the ground.

These houses launch the targets, called traps, to a point that’s eighteen feet outside of station 8 and fifteen feet above the ground. The trajectory of the traps intersect at this point.