Access Fixtures is no stranger to lighting unusual projects. High-performance lighting solutions is what we do, after all. When a sportsman’s club contacted us about lighting a trap and skeet range, we jumped in to help. Using our extensive knowledge of lighting and our experiences lighting similar locations including firing ranges, we were able to provide lighting solutions for this project that exceeded expectations.
What is Trap Shooting?
Trap shooting is both a sport and a pastime that involves shooting clay pigeons, which are small discs made of clay. In trap shooting, clay pigeons are launched out of a machine called a house downrange from the shooter. The goal of trap shooting is to shoot as many clay pigeons as possible within an allotted time. Shotguns with lead shot ammunition are used and the size of the Trap shooting has become more popular in recent years and has been an Olympic sporting event since the early 1900s.
Lighting for a Trap Range
One of the obvious difficulties of lighting a trap range is making sure visibility is high in all areas of the range. This is both a safety issue and a performance issue. Both horizontal and vertical illuminance matters. The area where the shooters are located needs to be lit so that they can see their equipment clearly as well as see each other, and downrange needs to be lit so that the shooters can see the clay pigeons as they are launched. Additionally, lighting solutions can be tailored to different budget constraints, ensuring that all financial considerations are met. Choosing the right bulbs, such as LED bulbs, is crucial for optimal lighting due to their brightness, energy efficiency, and longevity.
Here are some actual questions one of our lighting specialists asked a customer interested in lighting his trap range:
What is the height of the clay pigeons when you fire at them?
What is the approximate speed of a clay pigeon?
Are there any neighbors that would be aggravated by the lighting?
Are there any local regulations that we need to be aware of?
Can you locally source wood poles or will you want to go with steel poles?
Lighting experts can help in selecting the right fixtures and bulbs to ensure the best possible lighting setup. All of these questions are important when lighting a trap range because they deal with issues like pole height, light trespass, fixture wattage, and optics. Based on the answers to these questions, a photometric analysis can be generated.
For this particular project, we ended up combining STAD fixtures with APTA fixtures on 30′ poles. The STAD sports light was able to illuminate the shooting area and the APTA fixtures featured T5W optics that projected light far out downrange. The result was a perfect solution that allowed members of the sportsman’s club to shoot trap safely at night. Modern lighting solutions were used to enhance the range’s visibility.
Ceiling lighting is also important in indoor shooting ranges to ensure comprehensive visibility and safety.
What is Skeet Shooting?
Skeet shooting is a close relative of trap shooting in that it’s also a shooting sport that involves a shotgun and clay pigeons. The main difference between these two sports is that in trap shooting, there is one machine that launches clay pigeons downrange from the shooter, and in skeet shooting, there are typically two machines that launch clay pigeons across the shooter’s range of view simultaneously. Skeet shooting is also newer in that it was first created in 1920 in Andover, Massachusetts. Skeet is also an Olympic sport and there is quite a bit of overlap in fans of trap shooting and fans of skeet shooting.
Skeet Range Lighting
A customer contacted us recently looking for lighting for a skeet range at a sportsman’s club. Proper lighting enhances the experience on a skeet shooting course. The range was currently utilizing old metal halide lighting that no longer worked or reached the target, and they were mounted on 20′ poles which didn’t distribute the light correctly. Certain types of lighting can fill the space effectively. The customer was looking for a solution that would create even lighting across the entire visual area of the range.
Like the trap lighting project, we ran a photometric analysis which took into consideration the concerns of the sporting club. In this photometric, we utilized eight STAD 500s with NEMA 3 optics mounted four apiece on two 30′ poles. The diagram to the right shows the location of the fixtures and the way the beam angles distribute light evenly across the shooting range. It is important to light the entire range for optimal visibility. We also highlighted the benefits of using LEDs for energy efficiency and brightness. This provided a much more efficient and effective solution for lighting a skeet range. The types of LED lights used for the skeet range were specifically chosen for their durability and brightness.
Different lighting styles can enhance the ambiance of the shooting range. Additionally, selecting the right lighting for different rooms or areas within the shooting range is crucial for both functionality and atmosphere.
Speak to an Access Fixtures Lighting Specialist to discuss your Range Lighting Project: Call 800-468-9925
Conclusion
In conclusion, there are many different ways to light a trap or skeet range. Sportsman’s clubs and other similar venues have plenty of options when it comes to safe and attractive lighting for their facilities. Do you have a sportsman’s club, trap range, or skeet range that you need to illuminate? Contact an Access Fixtures lighting specialist or request a photometric analysis. There is no sportsman’s club lighting project too big or too small for Access Fixtures.
