The DC Traveler

The Bull Run Shooting Center in suburban Centreville, VA lets shotgun shooters looking to simulate the hunting experience and practice shooting targets without actually killing anything.

Skeet shooting and its related cousins, trap and sporting clays, is a competitive sport where participants try to break clay disks (pigeons). The neon colored “birds” are flung into the air, at high speed, from a variety of positions on the shooting range. The shooter must quickly react, site and shoot at the pigeon with a shotgun. The targets fly at different speeds, angles and trajectories, making it a challenging skill to learn.

The pigeons are clay discs that are just over 4 inches in diameter and usually bright yellow or orange in color. Shooting sports originally used live pigeons but clay targets were introduced in the 1860s as a more humane alternative.

When the shooter is ready to be presented a target, they call out “pull”. Within fractions of a second, the target is launched and the shooter attempts to shot it before it hits the ground.

Here’s a great skeet shooting primer.

Skeet and trap shooting are Olympic sports and competitions at several levels occur at the center several times a year.

The Bull Run Center offers 5 different shotgun shooting games, including:

• Sporting Clay - Shoot at a series of 50 clay pigeons that simulate different hunting targets, such as various birds and rabbits. The targets are launched from 14 stations placed around the open field and woods.
• Skeet - Shooters shoot from 7 positions on a semi-circle at targets launched from two houses on either side of the range.
• Trap - “birds” are launched form one station, as shooters move through 5 different shooting positions.
• Wobble Trap - Standing on a 5 station pyramid-shaped platform, shooters must react quickly to birds launched with unknown trajectories that simulate the flights of quail, pheasant and chukars.
• 5-Stand - With five “stands” or stations to shoot from, multiple shooters shoot in turn at targets thrown from multiple launchers.

For the inexperienced, Learn To Shoot classes ($25.00), taught by certified instructors, are offered on Saturdays and Sundays at 10:00 a.m., 11:30 and 1:00. Instruction covers shotgun types, shotgun safety, shooting etiquette, how to to shoulder, point and fire, and a description of each clay or game thrown. The class includes ammunition, targets, ear and eye protection and gun rental.

The class costs $25.00 per student and reservations are recommended.

The center also has an indoor 20-yard archery range, but you need to supply your own equipment.

Bull Run Public Shooting Center
Bull Run Regional Park
7700 Bull Run Drive
Centreville, VA 20121 (map it)
703-830-2344

Dates and Times - Tuesday - Thursday, 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., Friday - 2:00 - 8:00, weekends 9:00 - 5:00, closed Monday.

Costs -

• Skeet or Trap (25 Targets) - $4.75 per round, discount ticket - 10 Rounds - $45.00, 25 Rounds - $100.
• Sporting Clays (50 Targets) - $19 per round, discount ticket - 5 Rounds - $80
• Five Stand Sporting Clays (25 Targets) - $7.25 per round, discount ticket - 10 Rounds - $65
• Shotgun Rental - Pump action or Semi Automatic - $6.00, Over and under $9.00
• Archery Range - $5.00 per lane/hr. , each add’l. shooter $1.00

Nearest Metro Subway Station - Taking Metro to the park is not really viable, but the Vienna/Fairfax,/GMU Metro station - Orange line, is the closest.

Parking - Free parking included.

Images - trap machine, archery target, all others from personal collection - © 2008 - Jon Rochetti

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