ChampionTraps and Targets, Trap, Skybird 3/4 Cock Trap w/Tripod (WaistHigh) (40906)

We love this product. Easy to set up, well built, stable on uneven ground.

Nice thrower, easy to use and assembly was easy

The clay thrower is a great idea in that it can throw regular birds as well as rotated to throw rabbit clays. The problem is the throwing arm stop started bending after less than 100 clays. The concern is over time, the stop will completely break off over time. It was being used regularly and not mistreated. Need to redesign or use stronger materials.

As with all champion products there is excelent customer service and product quality. this thrower is on a tripod which i thought would make it unstable or that it would shake and just be not effective but i tried it any ways, and i have to say i am thouroughly impressed, it ways almost twice as much as anyother thrower that and has the kind of quality parts you expect. the powdercoat was extremly thick giving it a matte finish, who really cares, but the bolt holes are not comprimised as a result. throws any combination of clays any distance you need.Update after 5 years in use it is still working great, when it does break but the way it is going it looks to be indestructible.I will buy a new one from the same company you can’t beat this clay thrower.

Purchased this thrower to practice sporting clays. All components come preassembled. The only assembly required is attaching the thrower to the tripod base, the handle to the thrower's base and the main spring & release cord. The tripod legs are easy to set up. The plastic tube protection ring is not required for operation. I am not using the ring as the unit is more compact for transporting without it. I also release the clutch wratchet to deload the arm from its 3/4 cock position so the arm and base are in a straight line for ease of transporting.The unit comes with a stamped closed-end box wrench that fits the spring adjustment bolt and the elevation bolt. The thrower assembly is attached to the tripod base with fixed bolts & wing nuts. The wing nuts facilitate turning the thrower 90 degrees so the arm moves in a vertical plane to throw rabbits and chondelle targets. I have not used it in this mode, yet. Vibration from launching targets causes these wing nuts to loosen. I added locknut washers under the wing nuts to better secure them. Adjusting elevation is awkward. The contact surface of the thrower and its mounting bracket, around which the elevation is adjusted, are radially grooved. One has to really torque down the elevation bolt to lock in the desired elevation position, else it slips & loosens.The thrower must be held down using the handle when cocking, especially the first time when there is no 3/4 cock. Because of the ratchet clutch, there is no risk that the arm will swing back as it is being cocked. The arm should be brought down gently to rest against the release plate. The release plate includes a thumb position to launch the arm, but it takes a lot of pressure to activate. I find it easier to use the string routed through one of the quick disconnect clips on the tripod leg. Release involves pulling up on the string rather than pushing down on the thrumb release. It is much more stable to hold the launcher down by the handle while pulling up on the string. I found it easier if the trapper is sitting down in a chair while cocking, loading and launching targets. Even with the 3/4 cock capturing excess spring force, the tripod wil move and the legs will dig into soft ground.The launcher will send standard clay birds out to a range of 70 yards depending on elevation and spring force. I have been using it to launch single birds. I have not tried doubles or other types of clay targets. I have been using biodegradeable clay targets which may may be thinner and more prone to launch breakage than standard birds. Launch breakage has been minimal but more frequent using recycled birds. After launching about ~150 birds, the breakage frequency began to increase. I found the rubber guide strip on the launch rail had started to come out at the end of the rail. I trimmed the rubber strip profile back to a straight edge using a box cutter knife and this solved the breakage problem.It's a good idea to lubricate the bearing surfaces and pivot points before use and periodically. The components do not come prelubricated.Customer service and technical support are very good. I had several operational questions which I emailed to the company. Responses and focused answers come back fairly quickly. All parts are available from the manufacturer.