Shotgun Shooting is about safety, focus, and steady practice. You will learn firearm safety rules and protective gear, then build real skills on a range with certified supervision. Many Scouts find it builds patience and confidence.
Why it's worth it
Hitting a moving clay target takes focus, timing, and a calm head, and the safety habits you build on the range stick with you for life. Shotgun Shooting teaches you to handle a firearm responsibly under trained supervision, which matters whether you go on to compete, hunt with family, or simply know what to do if you ever come across a gun. Many Scouts find it is one of the best parts of summer camp.
Start this week
- Write down the basic firearm safety rules from your handbook and say them out loud until you know them by heart.
- Ask your Scoutmaster for the name of a Shotgun Shooting counselor, and send them a short message with a parent copied to set up a first meeting.
- Ask your leaders whether your council camp offers Shotgun Shooting this summer, and get the dates on your family calendar.
- Talk with a parent about how firearms are stored, or would be stored, safely in a home.
Stay safe
- Handle firearms only on an approved range with a certified instructor and range safety officer, and follow every range command right away.
- Always wear eye and ear protection on the range, and if you ever find a gun outside the range, don't touch it, leave the area, and tell an adult.
Requirements · 3
Every official requirement and part, numbered to match Scouting America, in plain language. Sign off against the official wording (opens in a new tab).
Note: All shooting must follow the Guide to Safe Scouting and the National Range and Target Activities Manual, under a certified NRA Shotgun instructor and range safety officer
- Requirement 1
Firearm safety and responsibility
Tips for this section: Learn and repeat the safety rules until they're habit, and talk through safe storage and eye and ear protection.
Example for this section: Be ready to explain each safety rule with a real example, like "Keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction, even when you think the gun is unloaded." Then talk through why eye and ear protection matter and what safe storage looks like, with guns locked and ammunition stored separately. And if a friend asks to see a gun in your home, say no and tell an adult right away.
- Requirement 1a
Define a projectile. Explain why anything that launches one at high speed calls for careful, respectful handling and should be used only at approved locations
- Requirement 1b
Explain the basic safe gun-handling rules that apply to every firearm
- Requirement 1c
Describe what you would do if a friend at your home asked to see a gun that belongs to you or your family
- Requirement 1d
Explain why eye and hearing protection are needed, what kinds there are, and how to use them
- Requirement 1e
Explain the key points of your community's and state's laws on owning and using guns
- Requirement 1f
Explain how hunting ties in with wise use of renewable wildlife resources
- Requirement 1g
Pass a state hunter education course, or get a copy of your state's hunting laws, then do 1g1 and 1g2
- Requirement 1g1
Explain the key points of your state's hunting laws and any special rules about guns and ammunition
- Requirement 1g2
List the kinds of wildlife that may legally be hunted in your state
- Requirement 1h
Explain to your counselor the hygiene practices to follow when shooting
- Requirement 1i
Name and explain three shotgun sports. Find places nearby where you could practice them, and explain how you could get involved in range and target activities
- Requirement 1j
Review with your counselor where you could go, or whom you could contact, to learn more about firearms and their use
- Requirement 2
Shoot with a certified instructor and range officer. Choose 1 of 2
Tips for this section: Shoot only on an approved range with a certified instructor or range officer. Ask lots of questions as you learn.
Example for this section: At camp, keep a short log for each range session: what the range officer coached you on, such as stance, mount, or following through on the swing, and how many targets you hit. Seeing your progress written down helps you stay patient.
- Requirement 2a
Option A: modern shotshell shotgun
- Requirement 2a1
Identify the main parts of a shotgun and the action types, and explain how they work
- Requirement 2a2
Identify and demonstrate the rules for storing and handling a shotgun safely
- Requirement 2a3
Identify each part of a shotgun shell and explain its job
- Requirement 2a4
Identify the different shotgun gauges and explain which you'd pick for a given use and why
- Requirement 2a5
Identify why a shotgun may fail to fire and explain misfires, hangfires, and squib fires. Explain and demonstrate how to prevent each and what to do when one happens
- Requirement 2a6
Demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and attitude to shoot a shotgun safely on a range, following range procedures and commands
- Requirement 2a7
Explain the safety rules to follow when cleaning a shotgun and name the materials you need
- Requirement 2a8
Demonstrate cleaning a shotgun correctly and safely
- Requirement 2a9
Discuss what you would think about when choosing a shotgun
- Requirement 2a10
Using position, mount, vision, and movement, hit at least 12 of 25 moving targets in each of two 25-target rounds (50+ shots; rounds needn't be in a row or on one day). Follow the pamphlet's skill rules, including: 12-, 16-, or 20-gauge; factory ammo only, no reloads; targets thrown the same way at a fair speed, rising; trap station 3 straightaways or skeet station 7 low house
- Requirement 2b
Option B: muzzleloading shotgun
- Requirement 2b1
Discuss with your counselor a short history of how the muzzleloading shotgun developed
- Requirement 2b2
Identify the main parts of a muzzleloading shotgun and discuss how each works
- Requirement 2b3
Identify and demonstrate the rules for storing and handling a muzzleloading shotgun safely
- Requirement 2b4
Identify the grades of black powder and explain how to use each correctly and safely
- Requirement 2b5
Discuss safe procedures for storing black powder
- Requirement 2b6
Discuss the correct components of a load
- Requirement 2b7
Identify the correct procedures and accessories for loading a muzzleloading shotgun safely
- Requirement 2b8
Identify why a muzzleloading shotgun may fail to fire and explain misfires, hangfires, and squib fires. Explain and demonstrate how to prevent each and what to do when one happens
- Requirement 2b9
Demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and attitude to shoot a muzzleloading shotgun safely on a range, following range procedures and commands
- Requirement 2b10
Explain the safety rules to follow when cleaning a muzzleloading shotgun and name the materials you need
- Requirement 2b11
Demonstrate cleaning a muzzleloading shotgun correctly and safely
- Requirement 2b12
Discuss what you would think about when choosing a muzzleloading shotgun
- Requirement 2b13
Using position, mount, vision, and movement, with a muzzleloader, hit at least 5 of 15 moving targets per round over two 15-target rounds (30+ shots; rounds needn't be in a row). Follow the pamphlet's skill rules, including: 10 gauge or smaller; no matchlock, wheellock, or flintlock; standard clays; straightaway targets only, 8 yards behind a trap house or skeet station 7 low house
- Requirement 3
Find out how the safe, responsible firearm skills you learned could lead to a career or hobby. Research extra training and experience, likely costs, and groups that could help, then discuss it with your counselor along with your short- and long-term goals
Tip: Talk with your counselor about how safe, responsible habits carry into hunting, sport shooting, or life at home.
For example: If shooting has hooked you, look into what it would take to keep going: a youth trap or skeet program, a hunter education course, or helping at a range, plus costs like shells, range fees, and gear. Share a short-term goal, like finishing a full round of trap, and a long-term one.
Places to visit
Ask an adult to set it up, and go with your family, den, patrol, or crew.
A council camp or certified shooting range
This is where the badge is actually earned, with certified instructors, proper equipment, and a range safety officer.
How: Have your leaders sign the troop up for a camp shooting sports program or a range day, and confirm a certified instructor will be present.
A state wildlife agency office or hunter education class
Staff can explain hunting laws, ethics, and how they manage wildlife.
How: Have a parent check your state wildlife agency's website for hunter education classes or outreach events open to youth.
Where it can lead
- Range safety officer or shooting sports instructorRuns ranges and teaches safe shooting at camps, clubs, and parks.
- Game warden or wildlife officerEnforces hunting and fishing laws and helps protect wildlife.
- GunsmithA trade that repairs, cleans, and fits firearms, often learned at a technical school.
- Hunter education instructorVolunteers or agency staff who teach new hunters safety and ethics.
Ask yourself
- Why do you think the safety rules are the same for every shooter, from beginners to Olympians?
- What part of shooting is hardest for you to stay focused on?
- How did you handle a round where you missed more than you hoped?
- What would you do if you were somewhere without an adult and someone showed you a gun?
- Where could you keep practicing safely after camp?
Good questions to ask your counselor or the range safety officer
- What is the most common mistake you see new shooters make?
- How do you know when someone is ready to move on to harder targets?
- What do you check before every range session?
- How did you get started in shooting sports?
- What should someone know before they go hunting for the first time?
Helpful reads
- Earning a merit badge, step by step, From picking a badge to getting the final signature: how to find a counselor, set up meetings safely, work the requirements, and keep your progress., Youth · Families · 6 min read
- Contacting counselors, experts, and organizations, Email and phone scripts, who to ask for, how to follow up, and how to say thanks, with a parent copied every time., Youth · Families · 7 min read
- Choosing your next merit badge, How to pick a badge you'll actually finish: start with what you care about, balance Eagle-required and just-for-fun badges, and make the most of camp., Youth · Families · 6 min read
For leaders & parents
- Plan this at a council camp or approved range with certified shooting sports staff.
- Review safety rules with scouts before every range session.
People & places that can help
- Merit badge counselor — Talk with them early; they can explain what's expected.
- Council camp shooting sports staff — Certified instructors who supervise range work.
- State wildlife agency — Offers hunter education and safety courses.
- USA Shooting (opens in a new tab) — The national governing body for Olympic shooting, including trap and skeet.
- Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (opens in a new tab) — Find your state wildlife agency for hunting rules and hunter education.
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Tips, examples, and questions are ideas from experienced leaders, not extra requirements. Your unit leader or counselor decides when a requirement is complete.