Is the Do-All FireFly trap thrower any good?

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WVGunman

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I'm having a real problem finding any video of this thing being used. I don't know if that means it's a new model, or a p.o.s. I could really use something this small and light. The Champion Workhorse is close in size, weight, and price, and seems to throw farther also, but it is still bigger in size and more expensive. Just trying to get the best for my money.
 
Have you thought about contracting a shotgun club to see if they have any older commercial machines for sale because they upgraded or added new stuff? I'd take an old Winchester Western single stack skeet machine over any home use thing made today.
 
They were giving away the old W-W trap machines back when the Pat Trap came out. The Champion Workhorse is a much better machine than the Fire-Fly, well worth the extra $$. I'd actually pony up for the Wheely Bird for the convenience.
 
They were giving away the old W-W trap machines back when the Pat Trap came out. The Champion Workhorse is a much better machine than the Fire-Fly, well worth the extra $$. I'd actually pony up for the Wheely Bird for the convenience.
Thanks, that's kind of what I need to know. I will have to routinely carry whatever I buy up and down stairs to transport it, so the FireFly's size and cheapness were very tempting. I had a sneaking suspicion the Champion was better though.
 
Perhaps then, it might be easier to go join a local club and shoot on their fields?
 
Actually, George P, I've been looking at the various models myself. I have a friend who has a few acres, and he is working getting permission to shoot onto the neighbor's land behind him. Absentee landowner, lives in MN and comes out about twice a year. That would give him about 600 yards for rifle, and plenty of room for shot fall. We have been talking about putting a thrower that holds 50 back on his property line and shooting some informal trap. My club only has leagues, and only one night a week. I volunteer as a High School team coach, so I am there two nights a week, and sometimes get to shoot towards the end of the evening, sometimes even an Annie Oakley with the kids. But I have just got back into Trap last year, just got a new gun this year, and I need the trigger time to get back to where I was when I competed.
 
If you want to seriously get in some trigger time for competition, then you need a machine capable of throwing competition targets as regards speed and distance, something most home machines do not do well. For putzing around or introducing a new young kid, get an Atlas or Champion, they'll work for that just fine. But competition is at another level.
 
The "home machines" how much shorter do they throw " competition " targets.

Also what is the difference in "competition targets and the targets Walmart sells?
 
I made some 2” receiver mounts for the older Winchester machines like these. So we can slide them into the hitch on the back of a truck, they are meant to be permanently mounted.

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They work great and will likely last a couple of life times. Their negatives are they are heavy, the motor is always running and is 120VAC.

I have a couple of older do all machines that hold 90 clays, more than the Winchester’s. They run off 12V DC but are not quite as fast of a cycle time as the Winchester but still have no problem putting two in the air before the first can hit the ground. How far they throw depends on their height above the ground, angle, wind but all equal they throw about the same.
 
The "home machines" how much shorter do they throw " competition " targets.

Also what is the difference in "competition targets and the targets Walmart sells?
The Walmart targets are the cheaper versions that will not hold up to serious spring. Winchester makes a version called the "pheasant", which is designed to be used with commercial machines.
Serious machines can throw a target to 100 yards
 
I made some 2” receiver mounts for the older Winchester machines like these. So we can slide them into the hitch on the back of a truck, they are meant to be permanently mounted.

View attachment 842066

They work great and will likely last a couple of life times. Their negatives are they are heavy, the motor is always running and is 120VAC.

I have a couple of older do all machines that hold 90 clays, more than the Winchester’s. They run off 12V DC but are not quite as fast of a cycle time as the Winchester but still have no problem putting two in the air before the first can hit the ground. How far they throw depends on their height above the ground, angle, wind but all equal they throw about the same.
My old local club has been using them for quite a while. First on the skeet fields, and then onto the 5-stand - with minimum maintenance, those tanks will run forever.
 
Getting back to the OP, he's looking for a trap machine that's portable. The Do-All is small and light. The Champion
heavier and larger. How far a trap throws a bird depends on much tension is put on the spring.
My W-W will reach 100 yards with extra tension on the spring.
I checked on White Flier web site they make many different targets, the sporting clays are slightly different.
So Walmart targets are the same as the general trap targets all the ranges use. The sporting clays
are different.
Please note Winchester-Western does not make trap machines any more. Used machines start at about
$2,000.00.
 
So Walmart targets are the same as the general trap targets all the ranges use.
In physical size, yes. The materials used are also essentially the same, but I will ascertain that the ones we sell at Walmart will result in more broken birds (by the machine) when used in a Pat Trap than the White Rock AA Flyers that our club uses for the Pat traps. (There does exist the human variable in there, too, in that loaders who are not careful will cause more broken birds regardless of make) The Walmart ones usually work fine out of the smaller motorized and spring only Traps.
The W-W machines , either trap or skeet versions, are bulletproof.
 
By using the acronym W-W, I did not infer Winchester-Western. But
White-Wing from Do-All, The trap would break clays all the time until
I added the conversion to add extra birds.
You might do well to give your Pat-Traps a going over tightening bolts/screws.
Check the mounts for looseness and vibration will result in broken birds.
 
The serious clay targets from White Flyer are made harder and slightly thicker to withstand the stress from commercial machines

PHEASANT 108mm • Available Central & Eastern US

Essentially the same target as the Standard Trap & Skeet target, both 108 mm and same paint schemes. The difference between the two is the Pheasant/Sporter was designed specifically for Sporting Clays shooting. Based on longer throwing distances and faster speeds, the Pheasant/Sporter weighs a few grams more and is a bit denser in its configuration than the American Trap & Skeet target. For Sporting Clays we recommend you use the Pheasant/Sporter version. Both the Pheasant/Sporter and the American Trap & Skeet targets “smoke” extremely well and are used at the NSSA World Skeet Championships; ATA Grand American Trapshoot and the NSCA National Sporting Clays Championships.
 
That is complete phooey. I have talked with white flyer about this. The only difference in the standard 108mm targets you buy at Walmart (or anywhere else retail) is the amount of targets in the box. 90/ case for retail sales and 135/case for gun club sales. If anything, you break many more targets with a manual thrower than a quality trap. Regulation trap and skeet targets have to meet certain weight and strength requirements. They can not make " harder" targets that would be competition legal. Sporting clays on the other hand have several different sizes, shapes, and weights for different target presentations.
 
That quote is right from White Flyer, so YOU are incorrect. Talk to serious gun clubs; they will confirm; the targets for sporting and International skeet and trap are different; 110 in the case of International and they have to withstand being thrown at speeds of ~62mph vs US speeds of ~42mph; the sporting, while 108, have a greater mass to withstand the tighter springs used on sporting machines to throw greater distances.
 
That quote is right from White Flyer, so YOU are incorrect. Talk to serious gun clubs; they will confirm; the targets for sporting and International skeet and trap are different; 110 in the case of International and they have to withstand being thrown at speeds of ~62mph vs US speeds of ~42mph; the sporting, while 108, have a greater mass to withstand the tighter springs used on sporting machines to throw greater distances.

Yes, that is exactly what I said. These are not the targets you are buying at Walmart, or shooting at the gun club unless you are shooting registered NSCA or FITASC, and only then on a very few target presentations at select clubs. The standard 108mm targets you buy at the store are the EXACT same as would be thrown from the trap house at an ATA registered shoot.
 
No, not just a few presentations; that would defeat the volume buying aspect of it; all of my local sporting clubs buy nothing BUT the pheasant level targets for all presentations, even their 5-stand and trap and skeet fields (if they have them) because it is easier on the help to just deal with one level of target quality. Will the Champion or cheap stuff at Walmart work with your hand thrower or backyard foot-pedal trap? Sure it will; but if you are seriously trying to practice, you'll get a better machine and use the better-made target. To that end, it would be better to approach your local club and buy some of those targets from them.
 
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Actually the White Flier targets from Walmart are tougher than the Champion targets for sale locally.
The White Fliers are painted 100% and resist handling better than the Champion's.
And Walmart sells them cheaper!
 
For home traps I did a lot of research. Was considering the do-all but after researching and reading all the responses from owners the champion was the better trap. I bought 2 Champion Wheelybirds 2 years ago an installed them in my trap houses wired with their electronic remote. The remote has a delay dial that you can set for up to 5 secs after you press the button. One sits at a 10 ft height and the other sits at a 5 ft. height. The remote has buttons for trap #1/trap #2 and Both for doubles. I shoot a lot and invite friends over to shoot. They have been flawless. All I do is feed them clays and mash the button. Battery life is long too. I use a 12V lawnmower battery on each trap.
 
If you aren't doing so already, some inexpensive solar charger panels from harbor freight can keep your batteries always charged up and running.
 
I love the way this post went from a question about a lightweight portable trap,
to heavy club machines throwing super hard targets. Now we have machines
in a low house and high house with solar panels charging the battery's.

To me the OP sounded as if he wanted a light portable machine and wanted a review
on one make and model.
 
I love the way this post went from a question about a lightweight portable trap,
to heavy club machines throwing super hard targets. Now we have machines
in a low house and high house with solar panels charging the battery's.

To me the OP sounded as if he wanted a light portable machine and wanted a review
on one make and model.

That would be correct. :-S But I went and bought a Champion Workhorse, so ... it's moot now!
 
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