Shotguns

In Praise of 5-Stand

Half sporting clays, half trap or skeet, the game of 5-stand presents a variety of targets on a condensed course. Shooters can expect to see springing teal, overhead going-away targets, incomers and rabbits, in addition to crossing and quartering targets.

   Somewhere between the predictable standards of trap and skeet and the variety offered by sporting clays, 5-stand oftentimes gets unfairly snubbed. On my local public clays range—Bull Run Shooting Center in Centreville, VA—most shooters, after warming up on the skeet field, walk right by the 5-stand course en route to sporting clays with little more than a passing glance.
   Perhaps it’s in fear of a scorecard with more losses than hits, as for several years Bull Run had what was considered by many to be the most difficult 5-stand course on the East Coast. Since most shotgunners are up for a challenge, though, I doubt this is the reason the 5-stand stations remain largely uncrowded. It could simply be a lack of familiarity—the game has neither the history of trap or skeet, nor the glamour of sporting clays. Nonetheless, 5-stand is a worthwhile alternative to all three, providing the opportunity to take a wide range of shots in a format that saves shooters time and money.
   Making it’s appearance in the mid-1980s, 5-stand is the creation of Clay-Sport International’s Raymond Foreman, who went on to develop the Make-A-Break clays game televised by ESPN. Foreman, a
shooting-facility design consultant, came up with "5-Stand Sporting" as a way to present targets at a multitude of angles and distances on a course that would fit inside a standard trap or skeet field. The game was designed to follow the same format and rotation as trap, since most clays shooters are very familiar with this structure.
   According to rules set forth by the National Sporting Clays Association, the organization that sanctions 5-stand competition in the United States, the five shooting stations that comprise a course should be in a straight line with a recommended distance of 5 yards between the centers of each. Stations are enclosed at the front to limit the angles at which the shotgun can be fired. Layout regulations were put in place with safety in mind—a 5-stand course can simultaneously accommodate a shooter at each station, and the pace can resemble that of trap—but they also fit with Foreman’s goal of being able to overlay a 5-stand course on a skeet or trap field.
   The features that 5-stand shares with trap, however, fade the minute you take a look at the menu of targets to be presented. A typical 5-stand course consists of six to eight automatic trap machines placed at various positions and distances, and set up to throw an interesting mix of targets. Along with crossing and quartering targets, a round can include springing teal, going-away targets thrown from a tower, incomers and, my personal favorite, rabbits.
Singles, report pairs and simultaneous pairs are all options, with one single and two pairs at each station being the norm. Shooters are permitted to load the gun with two shells for each target opportunity. Both may be used to break a single with no penalty. If a shooter misses the first bird in a pair with the first shot, the second shot may be taken at the same target. A round consists of 25 targets—five presented at each station.
   Because a 5-stand course requires far less acreage and fewer trap machines than sporting clays, it is less expensive for a clays range to implement and maintain. Some ranges find it easy to convert an existing trap field into a 5-stand course by adding a few more trap machines and placing portable shooting stations made of PVC pipe along one of the yardage lines. Savings are passed on to shooters. The cost to shoot a round of 5-stand is usually in line with that of skeet and trap. And while a round of sporting clays can take an hour or more to complete, 5-stand can usually be shot in half that time. In a world where both space and time are becoming more limited, 5-stand is an efficient solution.
   The layout and format of 5-stand especially benefits shooters who are looking for pre-season practice. Since targets are thrown at all sorts of angles and distances, shots are rarely predictable—just like in grouse coverts and duck blinds. On the other hand, the targets cross a portion of the central playing field, which allows shooters to analyze flight paths and watch other members of the group, learning from their successes and mistakes. Most 5-stand courses are fairly open—unlike sporting clays, where vegetation may obscure part of a target’s path—so they are great places to work on sustained lead.
   Any shotgun choked improved cylinder or modified is fine for 5-stand, and it makes sense to use the gun with which you intend to hunt. I’ve shot many a round with a pump gun, since that’s what I planned on taking to the field. While my scores may not have been "competitive," I certainly benefited from the practice. Mastering 5-stand requires a good deal of experience, considering in a single round you’ll have to deal with numerous shot angles and distances. It’s what makes the game such a fun and effective way to hone your skills.