What Is a Skeet Thrower?

Skeet throwers, also known as clay pigeon throwers and traps, are devices used in skeet shooting as well as other shooting type activities. Skeet throwers can be hand operated, manual, or automatic. In skeet shooting, there are two skeet throwers, facing toward each other. They alternate fire while shooters try to destroy the skeet by leading the target. Skeet throwers that are automated add a faster pace to the game.

Charles Davies

Charles E. Davies, and avid grouse hunter, is accredited with creating the game of skeet shooting in 1915. Davies wanted a way to improve his marksmanship, so he set out to duplicate targets moving at wide angles. The game started in Andover, Massachusetts as a contest amongst Davies and his friends. They fired at clay targets launched into the air. The friendly game turned competitive and Davies came up with rules and guidelines for fairer play.

Skeet Shooting

The actual name of skeet shooting is accredited to Gertrude Hurlbutt, the winner of a naming contest held in 1926. "Skeet" is roughly "to shoot" in Scandinavian. Skeet shooting was originally "clock-shooting" because of its originally circular field with only one trap, or skeet thrower, at the 12 o'clock position. A second thrower was added at six o'clock when the game adopted its current half-circle.

Purpose

The skeet thrower, or skeet shooter, or trap, is the device designed to toss the clay targets into the air. There are two of them, one positioned at 12 o'clock and the other at six o'clock, facing each other. The skeet throwers alternate fire and the shooters from any of the eight shooting positions. The skeet thrower at the 12 o'clock is elevated up 10 feet in a "high" position while the six o'clock position is at ground level.

Function

A skeet thrower consists of a frame that has rotating wheels and a delivery mechanism. When skeet is loaded onto the delivery mechanism, it moves forward to the wheels where a tongue holds it in place for stability. The wheels push the skeet outward and the delivery mechanism is returned to load the next skeet. Automated skeet throwers can use electrical or pneumatic power to automate the process as well as adjust distances.

Automated Skeet Throwers

Automated skeet throwers add ease to the game by allowing less waiting time between throws. Automated throwers can be single-stack, holding up to 50 clay pigeons at a time, and portable. Larger club-level automated skeet throwers can hold up to 250 and more clay pigeons, but are much more expensive.