chokes for helice

[Daniel G Rainey]

Prairie Wildlife is putting a helice ring and having never shot this game, I am wondering what are the chokes needed ? It is my understanding the game is a take off live pigeon shooting.

[Mark Ray]

Ive shot a good bit of helice, or zz birds, in some circles...i shoot my box bird gun, 30+” barrels improved (IC)and TIGHT. It is a blast!! Typically I will shoot 3 1/4-1 1/4- 7 1/2’s in barrel one and 3 3/4-1 1/4-6’s in barrel 2. Same as I use for live birds, Depending on shoot rules.

[todd allen]

Tight and tighter. Just like box birds. My experience has been 25 k first bbl, and 35 k for the second bbl.

[Daniel G Rainey]

Thanks to all. I have Parker choked improved and full. I will try it. Know it will be great fun.

[Todd Poer]

That does sound fun. I had heard about helice several years ago. but have not been to a place to try it. More of a SC fan. Anyway that would look perfect for 16 ga Parker that is choked modified and full.

What are the rules to Helice and how do they compare to rules of other shooting sports and pro wrestling.

[Mark Ray]

Five or seven boxes (traps) in a arc 25 meters from the closest stand, and each trap is no closer than 21 meters from the ring boundry, which is a low fence that is dense enough that a witness (the white center of the bird, that detaches when hit) cannot pass thru it. The boxes are arranged within a 41 degree arc. A shooter takes the stand loads and calls “trapper ready?”, the trapper will announce “ready” or sometimes “listo”, shooter mounts his gun and calls for the bird “pull!” Or “bird!”. The bird will launch from a random box, and the shooter has two shots to “kill” the bird within the fence. The “witness” must land inside the fence. If it is a 5 box ring, shootes take 2 bird turns, it is a 7 box ring typically 3 bird turns. There are handicap stations out to 30 meters for shootoffs.

We seldom shoot sanctioned Helice, and use the same loads we would if we were shooting live box birds, but I think regulation Helice requires a load no greater than 1oz 7 1/2’s.

The only tips I have are these. Shoot FAST! Make sure your stance allows you to swing to the limit of the field on your weak side. I have seen lots of trap shooters block themelves out of the shot by squaring up on the center box.

You will find it quite addictive!!

[Todd Poer]

Wow. I have heard that it is addicting and finally got the pronunciation, hell ees. I guess short for helicopters. Pretty interesting. Will have to find a place around me that has it.

I saw a video about it. You do have to be fast with a double triggered gun.

[Paul Harm]

It takes no longer for two triggers over one trigger. Your finger is sliding off the front trigger on to the back one. With one trigger your finger has to go back forward before it can go back again.

[Todd Poer]

I don't disagree with that assessment about double triggers and a shooters effectiveness once it becomes second nature to someone and your extremely comfortable with it. Read an article about helice that specifically mentioned that shooters preferred O/U's with single triggers due to speed of having to rapid fire. I know that is just an opinion that was in the article that was written more like an introductory report referencing a discussion with someone at the US helice organization or sanctioning body. I purposely steer away from using word "official" but the fella was experienced shooter of helice involved in the organization.

I shoot lefty so I even have a slight advantage than a righty with a traditional double trigger layout since second trigger is to the left and back in the assembly and finding second trigger is no problem for me. However I think there is the perception a single trigger for a double gun has a faster effective firing rate than a double trigger. I think we are talking fractions of a second difference and recovering from recoil to keep on target and make an effective shot might take longer. Even with all this being said it is hard to argue against ergonomics that someone with a fast twitch trigger finger can work a single trigger action faster than someone shooting double triggers. That may be against popular opinion on this site that holds double guns and double triggers sacred but...

[Mark Ray]

As enamoured as I am with SxS’s, in competition, particularly helice, and live pigeons, I will have a single trigger O/U. Trigger speed is part of it, in this game, the second barrel is usually loosed immediately, And I do think that, with exceptions of course, that a good single trigger is faster. In hunting situations, I find the double trigger superior, if not just for the instant choke selection, and you almost never fire a second barrel instantly. But recoil mgt is just as important. That is why you see so many “live bird Guns” (sxs’s), with single triggers, non selective. O/U recoil mgt is also much better for a quick second shot. just my two cents!!

BUT! When they close that casket, my cold dead hands won’t be wrapped around a Midas Grade Superlite, they will be grasping a small bore SXS!!!

[Paul Harm]

I have a friend who shoots a lot of pistol games where rapid fire is a requirement. He can shoot a SxS with two triggers and you'd think it was a full automatic going off. He claims the finger just slides off the front trigger onto the back one. It's quicker than having to release a single trigger and pull it again. Claims his finger is only going one way, back. Not back, forward, and back again. Makes sense to me. But then with the recoil involved, can't see where it would matter a whole lot.

[Todd Poer]

SxS brothers I get it. Mind justifies the heart in a whole lot of cases. I think hunting and shooting with Parkers and SXS with double trigges is awesome and its a great choice. SxS have a lot of versatility but they are not the best in all circumstances, but that versatility is what makes them classic. Do you think the Parker Bros when they made their guns in late 1800's through early 1900's that in 2018 there would still be a group of passionate followers. I'll bet they would be astounded.

My wife's grandmother lived to be 104 and was born and raised in Indiana. She was college educated and a journalist. She even interviewed Knute Rockne several times. She was a neat old bird and had all her faculties up to when she passed. I used to ask her in her 100 years of living through WWI when she was only 5 and thru the depression, WWII etc, etc, all the technological advances, airplanes, space travel, computers. All that she seemed really unfazed. I think what astounded her most was the amount of information and the way we now communicated that she could not grasp. She always thought if we all could communicate better, more effectively and quicker then problems could be solved but alas she said even though tools of mankind have progressed, really mankind hasn't.

Want to get a giggle, go and watch movie Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and see how it applies to the context of today.