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Skeet shooting

American skeet is a shotgun sport with clay targets from two houses, eight shooting stations and a 25-target round. NSSA competition groups shooters by ability and separates events by shotgun gauge. This guide covers American skeet, not Olympic skeet. [43] [1] [23]

Governing body: National Skeet Shooting Association 

At a glance

Firearm
A shotgun capable of firing two shots; double-barrel, pump and automatic shotguns are permitted. [1]
A round
25 targets: 17 shot as singles and 8 as doubles. [43]
The field
Eight stations and two trap houses; seven stations form a half moon and the eighth is directly between the houses. [43]
Scoring
One point for each target visibly broken by a legal shot, as judged by the referee. [2]
Events
12 gauge, 20 gauge, 28 gauge and .410 bore, plus separate Doubles events at many tournaments. [1]
Membership
Regular one-year membership: $50 with the e-magazine or $67 with the printed magazine. International printed-magazine memberships add $40 annual shipping and handling. [46]
Rulebook
2026 NSSA Rule Book, V3; includes the June 5, 2026 device restrictions. [45] [24]
Clubs
The NSSA homepage states: “There are more than 600 NSSA member clubs.” [44]

Upcoming matches

2 events matching this sport’s disciplines. Discipline does not establish league affiliation. Coverage is partial; confirm dates and registration with the organizer.

  1. Listed date, not yet confirmed by the organizer
    Skeet21101 Kettlefoot Lane, Bristol, VA 24202
    VA calendar
  2. Listed date, not yet confirmed by the organizer
    2026 Skeet CLUB ChampionshipDelaware County Field And Stream Association, 713 Chester Creek Rd, Brookhaven, PA, 19015, United States
    PA calendar

We don't have locations for these events yet; use the state calendars above.

How a match works

  1. Registered competition uses NSSA rules and records scores for classification. Read the shoot program for the shotgun-gauge events, target counts and entry conditions. An event may contain 50 or more targets; a championship or title event must have at least 50. [5] [6] [21]
  2. Your squad—the group shooting together—starts at Station 1 in score-sheet order. Five shooters is normal; fewer are permitted, and NSSA says more than six should not be squadded for safety. Wait until the previous shooter has left the station before taking your turn. [3] [4] [26]
  3. On the station, prepare your gun safely and call for the target when ready. The target may appear immediately or within one second; the pull need not be instantaneous. Keep part of both feet inside the station boundaries. At Station 8, stand on the half of the pad farthest from the house throwing your target. [25] [27]
  4. Follow the station order in the scoring table below: singles at every station, with simultaneous pairs at 1, 2, 6 and 7. Station 8 has a squad-wide changeover: everyone shoots the high-house target before anyone shoots the low-house target. [43] [3]
  5. The option is an extra scored target, not a replacement score for a miss. Repeat the first lost target immediately, as a single even if the miss was in a pair. If you break the first 24 targets, take another low-house target at Station 8. [2]
  6. A separate Doubles event is not the four pairs in a regular round. It has at least 50 targets and travels from Station 1 through 7, then back from 6. Rounds 1 and 3 have 24 shots, ending at Station 2; rounds 2 and 4 have 26, ending at Station 1. At Station 4, shoot high house first going out and low house first coming back. [7]

Where to compete

NSSA offers separate club and shoot searches. The shoot schedule is updated monthly through March, then quarterly thereafter, and excludes Leagues and Monthly targets. The club finder searches member clubs by area or name. [49] [50]

Your first match

  1. Find a club and a place to learn. Use NSSA Club Search to find member clubs near home or in an area you plan to visit. NSSA also publishes an instructor directory for beginners through advanced shooters. For a practice round, its basics guide directs you to the club’s sign-up desk to pay and receive a field assignment. [49] [51] [43]
  2. Choose a registered shoot and read its program. Use NSSA Shoot Search and the downloadable schedule. The lists omit Leagues and Monthly targets. The host’s program defines the gauge events and target counts, and management may post changes at registration before the event starts. You can compete in one or two events with the guns you have. [50] [5] [1] [21]
  3. Arrange membership and classification. Check Complimentary Limited Membership eligibility before buying regular membership, or use your Crossfire NSSA number if you are an NSCA member. Bring your membership and classification cards. If you have shot in another clay-target organization, provide every organization’s averages, classes and titles from the previous three years. Residents need their own state or territorial association membership to register targets shot in that state. Check your class and any age or status category before shooting. [47] [48] [6] [20] [41] [14] [17]
  4. Bring the event equipment and check in. Bring the shotgun, correct ammunition and eye and ear protection. A wearable shell holder is on NSSA’s practice checklist. Be on time for your squad, introduce yourself and say you are new. Before each round, your squad may observe two targets from each house. Wait for your turn and the previous shooter to leave the station before stepping up. [43] [10] [18] [25] [26]
  5. Verify and record the result. Verify your totaled score before leaving the field and make sure one squad member initials the official score sheet. Record the score, date and shoot on the classification card. If you are tied, check the posted shoot-off time: NSSA makes it the shooter’s responsibility to determine that time before leaving the grounds. [6] [8]

Never fired a gun at a range? Start with your first range visit.

What to bring

Bring eye and hearing protection to your first match, even where a league only recommends it. Check the host’s requirements before you arrive.

ShotgunRequired
A shotgun that can fire two shots, in a gauge allowed by the events you enter. You can enter one or two events rather than every gauge. [1] [10]
Gauge-appropriate target ammunitionRequired
NSSA’s practice checklist lists one box of 25 shells in the gun’s gauge. Bring enough for your entered events. Registered loads have gauge-specific shot-weight limits; shot must be between No. 9 (2 mm) and No. 7½ inclusive. Non-lead loads are allowed if the club uses them and they meet industry target-load standards. Factory or commercial ammunition labeled with a prohibited shot size disqualifies your score for that event. [43] [10] [15]
Eye and ear protectionRequired
Required for all persons, including shooters, referees and trap personnel, on a skeet range at an NSSA-sanctioned shoot. Ordinary Apple Air-pods and similar earbuds are not adequate unless custom molded to provide hearing protection; earbuds specifically designed for hearing protection are acceptable. [16]
Wearable shell holderOptional
NSSA’s practice-round equipment list includes a shell holder to carry ammunition while moving around the field. [43]
Membership and classification cardsRequired
For registered competition, competitors must be current NSSA members in good standing, with the Crossfire route available to NSCA members. The rulebook requires the classification card at shoot registration. [17] [6] [48]
Leave prohibited devices off the fieldRequired
Keep gun-, person- or glasses-mounted cameras off the field during registered events and shoot-offs. Laser aiming devices, magnifying/light-emitting/electronic target-enhancing sights and lead-calculating or shot-pattern-tracking devices are also prohibited, whether fitted to the gun or worn or carried. Switching them off does not make them permitted. [19]

What it costs

Regular NSSA membership
One Year Regular E-Magazine: $50. One Year Regular Printed Magazine: $67. International printed-magazine memberships are subject to an annual Foreign Shipping and Handling fee of $40.00. [46]
Junior NSSA membership
One Year Junior (Under 21) E-Magazine: $15. One Year Junior (Under 21) Printed Magazine: $42, with the international printed-magazine shipping qualifier above. [46]
Complimentary limited membership
Allows registered-tournament competition for the current year if you have not been an NSSA or NSCA member for the past three years. Includes a membership card, rulebook and shoot record classification card, but no voting privileges. [47]
Already an NSCA member
Crossfire lets NSCA members register NSSA skeet targets without an additional membership fee. Use the Crossfire NSSA number ending in “C”; it does not confer NSSA voting or Certified Instructor-program eligibility. [48]
Practice price example, not a national rate
National Shooting Complex, San Antonio: the sheet updated September 4, 2025 lists 25 skeet targets at $9.00 for members, $8.00 for youth and $10.75 for non-members. Gun rental is $10.00 for members and youth, $15.00 for non-members. Membership rates and round cards apply only during open public shooting dates. Visiting NSSA/NSCA members who live more than 75 miles away receive member rates. These are local practice prices, not national match fees. [52] [53]

How scoring works

A round is scored by adding the dead targets. A dead target requires a visible piece, observed by the referee before it hits the ground, resulting from a legal shot. A target with no visible piece broken is lost. [2]

  • The option does not erase the first miss. That target remains lost; the repeated target is scored separately as the twenty-fifth shot. If the first twenty-four (24) targets are dead, the option must be low-house eight. [2]
  • “No bird” means no score is recorded. A late target is not automatically a free repeat if you shoot: when you fire before the referee calls no bird, that result counts. If you withhold a shot because the pull exceeded one second, the referee may declare no bird. A target thrown already broken is never scored. [27]
  • Championship-title ties are broken by miss-and-out (sudden-death) shoot-offs under the rulebook’s tie procedures. Doubles shoot-offs use Stations 3-4-5, miss-and-out by station: both targets on a station are needed to beat a shooter who broke only one. [8]
  • You can lose targets without missing a clay. A failure to fire caused by the shooter, a pair shot in reverse order, or a shot outside the shooting bounds costs a target. For a first foot-position violation, a hit is shot over but a miss stays lost; each later violation in that event costs a target. [28] [25]
  • High overall (HOA) combines events in a registered tournament. NSSA recognizes an HOA with at least 2 qualifying gauge or Doubles events; it does not require every tournament’s HOA to mean all four gauges. The program defines the combination. [9]
Regular skeet target order; the option supplies the twenty-fifth target [43] [2]
StationSingles, in orderDoubles, in order
1 and 2High house, then low houseHigh house first, then low house
3, 4 and 5High house, then low houseNone
6 and 7High house, then low houseLow house first, then high house
8High house, then low houseNone
OptionRepeat the first lost target; otherwise low-house 8A lost target in a double is repeated as a single

Divisions and classes

12 gauge
Open to guns of 12 gauge or smaller, with shot loads not exceeding one and one-eighth (1-1/8) ounces. [10]
20 gauge
Open to guns of 20 gauge or smaller, with shot loads not exceeding seven-eighths (7/8) of an ounce. [10]
28 gauge
Open to guns of 28 gauge or smaller, with shot loads not exceeding three-quarters (3/4) of an ounce. [10]
.410 bore
Open to guns of .410 bore or smaller, with shot loads not exceeding one-half (1/2) ounce. [10]
Doubles
Open to guns of 12 gauge or smaller, with the same one and one-eighth (1-1/8) ounce limit as the 12-gauge event. Uses its own target sequence and independent classification. [10] [7] [11]
Concurrent categories
Concurrent categories are extra age or status events alongside the regular event, or separate events if management chooses. Ladies and military categories may be offered. Age and status are determined on January 1. Sub-junior is under 14; junior is under 18. Adult thresholds are triple-sub-senior 18–39, sub-sub-senior 40+, sub-senior 50+, senior 60+, veteran 70+, senior-veteran 80+ and super-veteran 90+. When your age category is offered, enter that category rather than a younger one. These are not the under-21 junior membership rates. [14] [34] [46]
Collegiate concurrent
Full-time undergraduate or graduate students at accredited degree-oriented institutions have up to five years of eligibility. At entry, bring a student ID valid on January 1. An 18-or-older high-school student may qualify for one year; a one-time pre-freshman entry requires a college acceptance letter. [35]
Military and first-responder concurrents
Active military, retired military and military veteran are distinct categories; you cannot substitute another military category when yours is not offered. First responder covers qualifying sworn law-enforcement, fire-service and EMS personnel employed full- or part-time by, or retired from, government, including military police and fire/rescue. NSSA Headquarters must approve first-responder eligibility using an official agency ID or an official-letterhead letter signed by a supervising officer. Read III.C for the full service definitions. [36] [37]

Classification

Each gauge and Doubles has its own ability class. AA, A, B, C and D are compulsory, with E in 12 gauge; AAA is optional, and AA includes AAA shooters when it is not offered. If no prior-organization rule applies, your first registered score in a gauge normally sets the class for that event and the next one; a new shooter may instead declare the highest class offered. Include that gauge’s events from the previous three years until you reach five events. Your class floats freely until after the fifth event, then cannot fall more than one class below the fifth-event class during that shooting year. Classified shooters use the latest five events: total targets broken divided by total targets shot. In later years, downward movement is limited to one class below the starting class. Bring your previous organizations’ averages, classes and titles; III.B.4 can change your starting class and downward-movement rules. [11] [12] [13] [20]

Safety rules

  • NSSA requires adequate eye and ear protection for everyone on the range at a sanctioned shoot. Read Section I of the current rulebook and follow the host’s safety requirements; the rulebook makes competitors and field personnel responsible for enforcing its procedures. [16]
  • Load only on the shooting station. Keep a loaded gun pointed in a safe direction; away from the station, carry it open and empty. Pumps and automatics must have their bolt open; double-barrel shotguns must be broken open. [16]
  • Never load more than two shells. Management may permit two shells for singles, but not for the last single at any station or Station 8 high house. If shooting is delayed by an equipment breakdown, open the gun and remove all shells. Test shots require the field referee’s permission. [30]
  • For a malfunction on a single or first shot of a pair, keep the gun pointed safely and let the referee inspect it before opening it or touching the safety; opening it first can cost the target. Release-trigger guns have a separate procedure in I.A.12: if the trigger is set after a malfunction, you may open the gun or, with the referee’s permission, release the trigger safely downrange. At the World Shoot, a “cease-fire” stops shooting and clears the fields during hazardous weather. [31] [40]
  • Introduce yourself and tell squad mates you are new. Stay out of the shooter’s peripheral vision, be quiet on their turn and turn off your phone. Do not eject shells toward others; pick up only your own empty hulls after the round or when club rules allow. Coaching does not belong in competition. Follow officials and club rules. [18] [33]
  • Willful or repeated safety violations that endanger others disqualify a shooter for the rest of the shoot. Throwing a gun means immediate expulsion. Willfully interfering with another shooter means event disqualification; deliberate inexcusable squad delays after a warning can also lead to event disqualification. [32] [30] [26]
  • Non-shooting spectators are welcome at the World Skeet Championships, but NSSA requires them to stay off the skeet field, behind shooters, and wear eye and ear protection in shooting areas. [55]

Match levels and major events

  • Club registered shoots: only NSSA-affiliated clubs with current fees paid are eligible to conduct registered shoots. Where a state or territorial association is active, the club must also be affiliated and in good standing with it. [21]
  • State and zone championships: NSSA recognizes state and provincial champions only when sanctioned by the respective organization. Each of the nine NSSA zones holds a Zone Championship annually. [17] [57]

Major events

World Skeet Championships 
Held at the National Shooting Complex in San Antonio. The 2026 program covered September 24–October 3: September 24 was the 4×50 warm-up, and Mini-World events began September 25. Any NSSA member in good standing could participate, including NSCA members using Crossfire. The event page links the program and results. [54] [38] [55]
Kolar US Open Skeet Championship 
The 2026 event was June 26 – 28, 2026. NSSA administered it from Headquarters at the National Shooting Complex with additional club sites listed on the event page. [56]
Zone championships 
Each of the nine NSSA zones holds a championship each year. The published policy schedules zone skeet shoots for the second full weekend of August unless a waiver is granted; Zone 9’s Armed Forces shoot is held each May. [57]

Common questions

How is skeet different from trap?

American skeet has eight stations with targets from a high house and a low house; the regular round combines singles and four pairs. ATA singles trap rotates a squad through five posts, with five shots at each post in a 25-target round. Trap also has separate handicap and Doubles events. Use the trap guide for ATA’s competition path. [43] [59]

What is skeet shooting?

A shotgun clay-target game played on a field with eight stations and high- and low-house targets. In American skeet, a regular round has 25 targets, including four simultaneous pairs. NSSA organizes competition by gauge and ability class. [43] [1] [11]

What is the shooting order at each skeet station?

Stations 1 and 2: high single, low single, then a pair, high first. Stations 3, 4 and 5: high single, low single. Stations 6 and 7: high single, low single, then a pair, low first. Station 8: everyone shoots high before anyone shoots low. The option repeats the first lost target, or adds low-house 8 if the first 24 targets are dead. [43] [3] [2]

Does the option cancel a missed target?

No. NSSA scores the repeated target as the twenty-fifth shot, not as a replacement for the lost target. If the miss occurs in a double, the lost target is repeated as a single. [2]

Do I need four shotguns to enter an NSSA match?

NSSA says shooters can compete in one or two events with the guns they have access to. Each event sets a maximum gauge: a 20-gauge gun, for example, is permitted in the 12-gauge and Doubles events as well as the 20-gauge event. The gun and ammunition must meet the entered event’s rules. [1] [10]

Can I use a pump shotgun for skeet?

Yes. NSSA’s introduction permits a double-barrel, pump gun or automatic, provided it can fire two shots. It advises trying several gun types because weight, chokes, drop and fit vary. [1]

How much does skeet shooting cost?

NSSA lists regular one-year membership at $50 with the e-magazine or $67 with the printed magazine, with an annual $40.00 foreign shipping and handling fee for international printed-magazine memberships. Eligible newcomers can use Complimentary Limited Membership. As a location-specific practice example, the National Shooting Complex lists $10.75 for 25 skeet targets for non-members and $15.00 non-member gun rental; those are not national match fees. [46] [47] [52]

How does NSSA classification work for a beginner?

If no prior-organization classification changes the entry rule, your first registered score in a gauge normally sets your class for that event and the next one. A new shooter may instead declare the highest class offered. Include events from the previous three years until five events are reached. Your class floats freely until after event five, then has a one-class downward limit from the fifth-event class for that year. A classified shooter uses the latest five events. Each gauge and Doubles is independent; you do not automatically start in D. [12] [11] [20]

Can I take as long as I want before calling for a target?

No. NSSA defines more than 10 seconds on the station before the call as a time balk, but it is not called unless repeated delays contribute to the squad exceeding its 20-minute round allowance, including breaks between rounds. The referee may warn you once each round without penalty; successive time balks cost a target. This is not an automatic penalty for any single pause over 10 seconds. [29]

What are the NSSA 12-gauge classification averages?

The rulebook’s 12-gauge table lists AAA at .9850 & over; AA at .9750 to .9849; A at .9600 to .9749; B at .9350 to .9599; C at .9000 to .9349; D at .8550 to .8999; E at .8549 & under. AAA is optional. Other gauges and Doubles use different thresholds: use the table for your event, not the 12-gauge column. [42] [11]

Where can I find skeet shooting near me?

NSSA Club Search locates member clubs by area or name. NSSA Shoot Search provides a search tool and downloadable shoot schedules, but its lists exclude Leagues and Monthly targets. Use the club finder for a practice location and the shoot finder for a registered competition. [49] [50]

Is NSSA skeet the same as Olympic skeet?

No. This page covers American skeet. NSSA’s 2026 rulebook says it no longer hosts international shooting events; international shotgun events are sanctioned and held by ISSF and USA Shooting. Use the Olympic shooting guide for that separate competition path. [23]

Can young shooters take part?

NSSA hosts youth camps to introduce skeet and publishes a junior membership rate for people under 21. Its competition concurrents use different ages: sub-junior is under fourteen and junior under eighteen, with eligibility determined on January 1. NSSA-NSCA also sanctions SCTP events annually. [58] [46] [14]

Do NSCA members need to buy NSSA membership too?

Not to register skeet targets: Crossfire provides an NSSA number to NSCA members without an additional membership fee. Crossfire does not grant NSSA voting rights or eligibility for NSSA’s Certified Instructor program. [48]

Glossary

Station
A shooting position on the skeet field. There are eight: seven around a half moon and one directly between the houses. [43]
High house and low house
The two houses that launch the clays. NSSA’s basics guide places the high house on the left side of the field and the low house on the right; Station 8 is between them. [43]
Round
The 25-target unit for one shooter. A registered event may contain more than one round. [4] [5]
Squad
The group shooting the round together. A normal NSSA squad has five (5) shooters. [4]
Double
A regular target from each house thrown simultaneously. Separate Doubles events use a different sequence from a regular round. [4] [7]
Dead target
A target with a visible piece broken by a legal shot, observed by the referee before it hits the ground. [2]
Lost target
A target with no visible piece broken as a result of being fired upon, in the referee’s judgment. [2]
Option
The extra scored shot after the first lost target, from that station and house, or low-house 8 after the first 24 targets are dead. It is not a replacement score for the miss. [2] [4]
No bird
A target for which no score is recorded, or failure of a target to appear within the prescribed one-second limit. [4]
Event
For classification, the gauge event defined by the shoot program. It could be 50 or more targets as scheduled by the club; a 200-bird shoot can be one or two events depending on that program. [5]
Class
An ability group determined by NSSA’s average tables, separately for each gauge and Doubles. AAA is optional; AA through D, and E in 12 gauge, are compulsory. [11]
Concurrent
An event for an eligible age or status category that may be shot alongside the corresponding regular event, or separately, at management’s discretion. [14]
HOA
High overall: an aggregate of qualifying gauge or Doubles events in a registered tournament, with at least 2 events for NSSA recognition. [9]
Targets only
Registered targets for which no winner is declared and no tangible prizes are awarded. NSSA specifies increments of 100 targets, or 50 targets for 50-target programs; new shooters shooting targets only are not eligible for awards. [22]
Purse option
An entry for additional prize money, distinct from the option target in a round. The 2026 World program lists optional class and concurrent purses separately from event entry fees; check the program rather than assuming all purses are mandatory. [39]
Balk
Failure to shoot at a regular target or pair because of the shooter’s fault. It is scored lost, not treated as an allowable gun malfunction. [28]
Gauge event
An equipment category that sets the largest permitted shotgun gauge and maximum shot load. A smaller-gauge gun is allowed; .410 bore and Doubles also have their own events and ability classes. [10] [11]
Target call and pull
Your call asks for the next target; the pull releases it. NSSA allows an immediate release or a delay of up to one second. “No bird” is a referee’s no-score call, not the same as a missed clay. [27]
Release-trigger gun
A gun subject to a separate trigger-safety procedure. Before using one, notify the referee and squad and ensure it carries NSSA-compliant safety stickers. If its trigger is set after a malfunction, I.A.12 permits opening the gun or releasing the trigger with the referee’s permission while pointed safely downrange. [31]

Watch and read

Sources

Facts checked October 4, 2026 against the sources below. Each bracketed number on the page links to its source.

  43. Skeet Basicsmynssa.nssa-nsca.org
  44. NSSA homepage: club findermynssa.nssa-nsca.org
  45. NSSA Rule Bookmynssa.nssa-nsca.org
  48. Crossfire Programnssa-nsca.org
  49. Find an Instructormynssa.nssa-nsca.org
  52. 2026 World Skeet Championshipsmynssa.nssa-nsca.org
  55. Zones and 2026 Shootsmynssa.nssa-nsca.org
  56. NSSA Youth Shootingmynssa.nssa-nsca.org

Inclusion is not an endorsement. Send a source or correction.