Skeet Shooting | Loch Raven Skeet & Trap Center

About the Sport

What is Skeet?

Skeet shooting is a clay target shooting discipline in which the shooter moves through a series of eight positions arranged in a semicircle. Targets are thrown from two houses — a high house and a low house — at crossing angles.

Each round of skeet consists of 25 targets. Skeet is an excellent discipline for beginners due to the predictable flight paths of the targets, while also offering enough challenge to keep seasoned shooters engaged.

LRSTC is a proud NSSA (National Skeet Shooting Association) affiliate and hosts sanctioned shoots throughout the year.

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Proud NSSA Affiliate

Discipline

American Skeet

History

Skeet shooting was invented by William Harden Foster, an avid grouse hunter, in the 1920s as a sport originally called "Clock Shooting." It evolved into its modern form by 1923. The name "skeet" reportedly derives from a Scandinavian word meaning "shoot" and was chosen through a naming contest in 1926.

Game Structure

A standard round consists of 25 targets presented in a predetermined sequence of singles and simultaneous doubles. Squads of five shooters rotate through eight stations arranged in a semicircle.

Shooters take two singles and one double from stations 1, 2, 6, and 7
Two singles are taken from stations 3, 4, 5, and 8
The 25th target serves as either a makeup shot after the first miss, or a final low-house shot at station 8
Targets are thrown a distance of 60 yards; crossing shots are typically engaged at approximately 20 yards
On station 8, the target must be shot before it crosses the center of the field

Sub-Bore / Multi-Gauge

American Skeet is the only discipline that has regular, specific tournament events for sub-bore shotguns: 20 gauge, 28 gauge, and .410.

Doubles Competition

Doubles events involve 50 or 100 total targets. Shooters progress from station 1 through 7, then reverse back through station 1, each shooting one pair per station.

Quick Facts

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25 targets per round, 8 stations

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Targets travel 60 yards; crossing shots engaged at ~20 yards

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4 gauges: 12, 20, 28, .410

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NSSA sanctioned — LRSTC is a proud NSSA affiliate

Olympic Discipline

International Skeet

Key Differences from American Skeet

Targets move approximately 30% faster than American Skeet targets
Shooters must start in a low-gun position, with the stock toe touching the waist at elbow level
All easy incoming targets are eliminated
A random delayed pull of 0–3 seconds — the target can be released randomly after the call
No first-miss makeup shot
No established "first-bird-dead" rule on doubles
Maximum load is 7/8 oz. of shot, usually at 1,350 ft/sec

Sanctioning Body

USA Shooting is the official sanctioning body for Olympic International shooting and record keeping. Annual USA Shooting membership costs $40.

Modified International Skeet

A popular hybrid variant: it follows Olympic/International rules and the same shooting sequence, but target speed is reduced to American Skeet speed and loads up to 1⅛ oz. are acceptable. This makes it shootable on any skeet field at any time without special equipment.

Performance Standards

65/100

Considered a good novice score

High 90s

Competitive level — may attract Olympic recruitment attention

Even the best shooters in the world rarely score 100%.

Practice tip: Home practice should focus on low-gun mount techniques with an unloaded firearm, emphasizing a gentle grip and deliberate movements.

Interested in shooting International Skeet? Contact us to learn more →

Ready to Try It?

Come Shoot Skeet at LRSTC

New to Skeet? Register First!

All first-time visitors must complete our quick safety registration before stepping onto the range. Groups should arrive by 2:30 PM.

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