Trapshooting is a sport in which a person shoots at clay disks that are thrown into the air by a machine. Trapshooters use a 12-gauge shotgun that fires shells holding about 500 lead pellets. The disks measure no more than 4 5/16 inches (11 centimeters) in diameter. A machine called a trap hurls the disks into the air at speeds of almost 60 miles (97 kilometers) an hour. The trap is housed in a structure called a traphouse, which is partially beneath the ground.
A trapshooter stands behind the traphouse in one of five lanes, called stations. When the shooter calls out “pull,” a disk is launched, and the shooter fires at it once. A disk is called “dead” if a visible piece falls from it. If the shooter misses, the disk is called “lost.” Most competitions consist of 100 disks shot in groups of 25. The shooter fires five times from each of the five stations.
Trapshooters compete in singles, doubles, and handicap events. In singles, one disk at a time is launched. In doubles, competitors shoot at two disks launched simultaneously. In both singles and doubles, shooters stand 16 yards (15 meters) behind the traphouse. In a handicap event, the greater the shooters’ ability, the farther they must stand behind the traphouse. The distance varies from 18 to 27 yards (16 to 25 meters).
A related sport called skeet shooting has eight stations and two traphouses aboveground.
