16-Yard Trap Shooting Broken Sport? A Critical Analysis.

Trap shooting is a longstanding discipline within the world of competitive shooting sports, demanding a blend of precision, consistency, and mental fortitude. However, a growing consensus among both veteran shooters and sport analysts is that the 16-yard trap discipline — the standard starting distance in American trapshooting — has become outdated and ineffective as a meaningful measure of skill. One of the most cited concerns is the increasing frequency with which top shooters post perfect scores, leading to overpopulated shoot-offs and diminishing the competitive value of the event.

Improved Firearms, Shotshells, Chokes, and Training techniques

At the core of this issue is the fact that modern equipment, training techniques, and athlete preparation have dramatically evolved over the past few decades. Shotguns, chokes, ammunition, and even target presentation have become so refined that breaking 100 straight targets at 16 yards is no longer a rare feat — it’s the expectation. In major competitions, it’s not uncommon for dozens of shooters to post perfect scores, resulting in marathon shoot-offs that often rely more on endurance and luck than genuine skill differentiation.

This saturation of perfect scores has undermined what was once the foundational challenge of the sport. In theory, a perfect score should be an exceptional performance; in 16-yard trap, it has become the baseline. Consequently, the event fails to produce a meaningful skill gradient, which is essential for ranking athletes, awarding titles, and recognizing talent. When 30 or more competitors all break 100, the original match becomes little more than a formality before the “real” contest begins — the shoot-off.

Conditions at the Club can dictate the outcome

The problem isn’t just that everyone makes the shoot-off — it’s that the shoot-off format itself is poorly suited to represent overall performance. Conditions often change during extended shoot-offs, from lighting to wind, giving some shooters advantages based solely on timing. Furthermore, the shoot-off adds a level of randomness that can allow a less consistent shooter to walk away with the win simply by hanging on long enough. This undermines the integrity of the event and frustrates athletes who have spent years mastering consistency.

From a spectator standpoint, this also weakens the appeal of 16-yard trap shooting. Audiences struggle to remain engaged through repetitive, drawn-out shoot-offs with little drama until someone finally misses. The result is a sport that lacks climax and narrative — a crucial element for any spectator event seeking broader appeal or media attention. In short, it’s not just broken for the shooters; it’s broken for the fans.

Breaking 100 Clay Targets is the Standard

Youth shooters and beginners are also affected by the broken nature of 16-yard competition. While it provides an easy entry point, it sets a problematic precedent. New shooters quickly realize that breaking 100 is a prerequisite to be competitive, which may seem unattainable and discouraging. At the same time, those who do reach that level may find themselves plateauing without incentive to improve further, as the discipline fails to reward incremental progress once perfection is reached.

Many shooters and coaches argue that the solution is to modify the structure of the competition. For instance, starting competitors at longer distances or incorporating more varied target presentations could restore a skill gradient. The handicap trap format, where shooters stand farther back based on ability, partially addresses this — but it doesn’t solve the fundamental issue with the 16-yard event as a standalone sport. It remains a relic of a time when equipment and average skill levels were much lower.

Old ATA Fuds refuse to make Changes

The reluctance of governing bodies to reform 16-yard trap likely stems from tradition and fear of alienating purists. However, every successful sport has evolved in response to increased performance standards and changing technology. Golf adjusted its courses. Swimming modified its regulations. Shooting sports must be willing to do the same or risk stagnation and declining relevance. Holding onto a broken format for the sake of nostalgia does a disservice to the sport’s future.

There are real consequences to maintaining a system where everyone reaches the shoot-off. It devalues the competition, frustrates skilled athletes, and creates a barrier to meaningful progression. While some argue that shoot-offs add excitement, this is only true when they are rare and dramatic — not when they become the de facto second half of the event. A legitimate championship should be decided by the main match, not a prolonged afterthought.

4 Boxes of shotshells for the main event and 4 flats for the shootoff

The longest recorded shootoff in Amateur Trapshooting Association (ATA) history was in 2008 when Foster Bartholow and Leo Harrison III shared the Singles Clay Target Championship after a shootoff of 900 targets. The two shooters shot 200 targets in the initial event and then 900 targets in the shootoff, leading to a total score of 1,100 targets each.  You need to bring more shells for a trap shoot-off than for the main 16-yard match because shoot-offs can last far longer than the regular round, depending on how many shooters are still hitting every target. Even though the main event is fixed at 100 targets, a shoot-off has no guaranteed end. If everyone keeps breaking targets, you’ll keep shooting. That’s why you need to bring more shells — potentially double or triple the amount you use in the actual match — just to stay in the game.

Yes, American Trap Association. Your sport is broken.

In conclusion, 16-yard trap shooting is broken not because it’s too easy for beginners, but because it has become too easy for the best shooters without offering any higher challenge within the same format. When everyone makes the shoot-off, the event loses its ability to separate the great from the good. Without reform, this discipline risks losing its credibility and relevance. More and more trap fields will sit idle while competitors take to sporting clays or skeet. The time has come for the sport to evolve — or accept that 16-yard trap shooting, in its current form, is no longer a true competition. Maybe one day the ATA will wake up do its job and make a change