How sporting clays is scored
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- Targets per round
- 50 or 100
- Stations
- Usually 10 to 15
- Points per target
- 1
- Gun position
- Mounted or low
The course
Sporting clays is shot on a course: a walk or cart ride through woods and fields, with each station set up to imitate a different hunting shot. A full round at a registered shoot is usually 100 targets, spread over 10 to 15 stations, and most clubs also sell 50-target rounds.
Each station has its own presentation: which machines throw, in what order, and whether the targets come as singles or pairs. The squad can watch the targets thrown before anyone shoots, so nobody is surprised by the angle.
Singles and pairs
Most stations throw pairs, two targets per turn. The kind of pair changes how you shoot it:
- Single: one target.
- Report pair: the second target is launched at the sound of your shot at the first.
- Simultaneous (true) pair: both targets launch at the same moment. You choose which to shoot first.
- Following pair: the same machine throws twice, the second target as soon as the machine resets.
Target types
Courses mix target sizes and shapes to change speed and how a target flies:
- Standard (108 mm): the classic clay.
- Midi (90 mm): smaller and faster; it slows down sooner.
- Mini (60 mm): tiny and quick off the machine.
- Battue: a thin, flat disc that flies edge-on and often flips as it falls.
- Rabbit: a thick-rimmed clay that rolls and bounces along the ground.
What counts as a hit
A target is scored dead when the referee sees a visible piece break off it. A target that only puffs dust, with no visible piece, is scored lost.
A target that breaks on launch, or a pair thrown wrong, is a no-bird and is thrown again. It does not count against you.
Every target is worth one point. Your score is the number of targets broken out of the round's total, for example 78/100.
Gun position and classes
Under NSCA rules, used in the US and by most Canadian sporting clubs, you may mount the gun before calling for the target. FITASC, the international version of the game, requires the gun to be off the shoulder until the target appears.
Registered NSCA shooters are placed in classes (Master, AA, A, B, C, D and E) and move up by placing high in their class at registered shoots.
Score a round of sporting clays with Dustd
- Tap the + button at the bottom of the screen, then Keep Score.
- Choose Sporting Clays, pick your club, and add your squad: yourself, friends on Dustd, or guests by name. If the club's course is on Dustd, its stations load for you.
- Hold to start. At each station, enter the menu off its card (singles, report pairs, true pairs, following pairs, and target types if you like), then tap Start station.
- Tap Dead or Lost for each target, or Pair dead when both targets of a pair break. Hold to undo takes back the last shot.
- After the last station, hold to finish the round. Your Progress tab then breaks your scores down by presentation and target type.
Where to shoot sporting clays
Find a club that offers it, or see what shoots are coming up.