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WHAT'S THAT THEN?
Down The Line, or DTL, is one of the oldest forms of clay
shooting. It is a great discipline for beginners (well I say
beginners, what I mean is people on tranquilisers) as it gives you
many targets to break and also teaches the importance of
concentration on the shooting circuit. A round usually consists of
25 targets, which are fired away from the shooter (less scary that
way). The shooter stands 16 yards behind the trap house, where
they will shoot at the targets rising away, far far away.There are
5 firing positions and even though the targets rise they do so at
a constant angle. However, the targets are fired randomly across
the horizontal plane, left, right and ahead, the maximum arc is
around 44 degrees.
HOW DO YOU SHOOT
IT?
Well ..... Each competitor must shoot from each of the five firing
points and a total of five clays will be launched at each of these
points. Shooter 1 shoots, shooter 2 etc. until you have shot
at five targets. When the competitor has shot at five
targets, they move to the next position on their right and the
shooter on position 5 will go to position 1. The shooter usually
calls for each target with the gun already in their shoulder and
has two shots to break the target.
HOW IS IT
SCORED?
The same old one kill, one point? Not so quick there little
stick fella, this one is different! Three points are awarded for
breaking a target on the first shot, whilst only two points are
awarded for breaking the target with the second barrel.
Competitions can consist of 4 rounds making up 100 targets, a
perfect score would be 300 points from 100 targets. It is possible
to win a competition by breaking fewer clays than other
competitors, as two first barrel kills are the equivalent of three
second barrel kills.
WHAT ABOUT THE
BEST GUN FOR THE JOB?
A trap gun is the most suitable for DTL no matter what level you
are shooting at. A common set-up would be ¾ and full choke, the
trap gun being set to shoot slightly higher than centre. This will
aid the shooter in putting the target inside the pattern, the clay
being positioned slightly above the foresight bead. If the only
gun available is a sporter, an alternative set-up can be made with
a multichoke using the tightest chokes, not a problem these
days. After playing and seeing what works with other people,
I can tell you that some use ¼ in the first barrel and say ½ in
the second and the targets all break. I'm using the same gun
for everything and DTL scores were mostly 23's and first barrel
kills, but I have screwed up more recently so I erm, won't mention
much more.
CARTRIDGE
CHOICE?
K! 28g 7½ shot and a plastic wad. However an 8 in the first
barrel is also a possibility, it is just down to personal
preference. A round will see a competitor shooting lengthy stints
at a quick pace. High performance 24gr. cartridges have a tighter
pattern than the 28gr and these are intended for international
trap but hey have a go if you like, I won't track you down and
growl.
ADVICE?
To be a team member in this discipline, concentration is the key
to success. Keep a good rhythm and make good use of time, mistakes
can also affect the performance of other team members and you
don't want to upset a DTL shooter! Some shooters can get
into a rhythm to which they become accustomed .... for instance
five people going pull bang / pull bang / pull bang / pull bang /
pull bang is different to five shooters going pull bang / ooo its
me is it, scratch nuts, put cartridges in, step forward, adjust
hat, pull bang / pull, bang. Keep cool and don't let people
annoy you!
FURTHER ADVICE?
If you can stand the
excitement of this discipline, Good luck! Always have an
unloaded gun when walking between firing positions (helping to
keep your toes attached to your feet)
BEGINNERS RATING
If a beginner can consistently score 75% and above there will be
enough evidence to suggest they could go on to improve and reach
much higher scores.
DIGWEED RATING
Over 90% is reasonable but to compete with the best in the sport,
a score above 95% is required. |
