Standard Target

 

The standard clay target is the bird sporting shooters will face on most stations. It measures 4 1/4 inches (108-110mm) across and about 1 inch in height, up to nearly 1 1/8 inch from some makers. A standard can be broken with open chokes and small shot when up close, say within 30-35 yards, regardless of the angle of the bird presented to the shooter. Even when only its edge is visible, its rim and high shoulder provide a lot of surface area for pellets to impact. Standards that show much or all of their underside or top, such as birds thrown well above or below the shooter, present even more surface area to the gun and can be broken with open chokes and small shot to 45 yards and even beyond. The time to tighten chokes and switch to larger shot, like No. 7 1/2s, is when ranges increase significantly, especially when only the target's profile is visible.