[Literalist]

Just for the heck of it, allow me to relate today's daydreaming. It was over a cup of coffee while listening to the wind and rain outside, that I was digging through some old shell boxes, many of which I shot "back when."

I got to thinking back and realized that 49 years ago I shot my first registered trap. I used my old 37 Ithaca the first shoot, then Dad bought me a model 12 and a MEC 250 to load the paper Western shells I'd been shooting. Cardboard and felt wads with Hi Skor (later to be Hi Skor 700X...then just 700X).

Next year, for my 15th birthday, Dad got me a new Browning Superposed for doubles.

I fondly remember many of the old men who tolerated a kid shooter. Most are long gone now. And I still wouldn't trade ten million bucks for the times I've had shooting targets, hunting, reloading, and collecting shotgun-related items.

In this day of ATA frustration, griping, and arguing about the sport...it's fun to think back when the old fellows were gentlemen, often dressed up for the events, and who taught me an awful lot.

Sorry if I bore you with my wistfulness.

Denny

 

[Setterman]

Good one Lit.

 

[ric3677]

Nice thoughts Denny.

See ya soon

Rick in MT

 

[Simon]

hi lit. no u didnt bore me. i believe you found the secret of trapshooting. it is the people you meet and the fond memories of ur dad. trapshooters r nice to be around. thnks for posting and have a great day howard

 

[Hauser]

I began registered trapshooting in 1966 when a hunting friend took me to the Beeline Trap Club which was located across the road from the old drag strip on the south side of the Beeline Highway. I started shooting in a weekly trapshooting league at the Beeline club and got hooked on the competitive nature of the sport.


During the summer someone at the club mentioned that there was going to be a registered trap shoot held at the club the following weekend. I decided to join the A.T.A. and entered the shoot. I didn't shoot very well but I found out there was going to be a two day shoot held in Prescott the following weekend. I packed my bags, drove to Prescott and entered the shoot.


The old Prescott gun club was located on the east side of the Prescott golf club and only had two trap fields. Following the Saturdays registered shooting the club served a steak dinner for $5 and had an open bar. They then proceeded to shoot “miss and outs” while the bar served drinks to any and all.


Everyone put in $5 and had to shoot and break the target from the same location as the first shooter. If the first shooter shot from the parking lot or the porch of the clubhouse as they did in Prescott, you had to duplicate that shot. If you missed you were out. The last person standing won the money.

The net result is you had a group of shooters, many who and been drinking, shooting well outside the normal shooting area, in close proximity to the spectators. Its hard to believe there was a time where it was considered ok to drink and shoot a shotgun.


Jerry Hauser

 

[yukon_870]

Great post!! I remember setting trap in 7th. and 8th. grade in the mid to late 1970's at the local gun club on Saturday afternoons making 50 cents a squad. On a good night I would make $7.00. After everyone was done shooting then it would be my turn and my neighbor would give me 2 boxes of Winchester AA reloads to shoot and he would let me use his Remington 1100. Got some great instruction from the "old men" as Denny says. I used to LIVE for those Saturday afternoons and evenings in the summer. Back then I never heard of or saw a "P" gun or a "K" gun with most of the guys shooting a BT-99, 870 or 1100 with a few Browning O/U or 3200 every now and then. Always enjoyed talking and listening to the "old men" of the day. But as Denny said most of them are long gone now and I have a lot of plesant memories of these fine gentlemen.

When there was a registered shoot we would start at 7:00AM and finish at 7:00PM and on that day I would make $20.00 and thought that I hit the Powerball. I saved every dime I had to buy a 870.

Today trapshooting seems to more about the money with the calcutta'a and sponser purse rather than just enjoying the sport. the memories from those Saturday afternoons will always be with me.

 

[Ross]

AHHH yes those wonderful memories, I discovered gun club type activities around 1961-2, didn't learn much about registered until the next year and didn't shoot a registered target until 1986 (even then not very many) but sure had a lot of fun with all those crazy games we played. Hardly anybody plays games around here, or back home anymore either for that matter. If it hadn't been for those games I probably wouldn't have gotten very interested in trap, and surely wouldn't have met some of my best friends. Ross Puls

 

[Ken Brandt]

I remember sitting with Russ Johnson under the porch at the Iowa State shoot about 1976 talking to Don Ewing. Most people will remember when there was a wrought iron railing across the front of the clubhouse and somewhere during the conversation Don got his knee stuck between two of the ballisters. The look on his face as he tried to extricate himself from his predicament without drawing attention to what he had done was as they say "priceless". Finally after a few minute's Russ asked him what the problem was and Don say's, I've got my fn knee caught, what the hell do you think the problem is? After about 2 minute's of histerical laughter Russ and I pulled the ballister's apart so he could get free.
We never let Don forget that.

Thanks Denny for starting a good thread for a change.

How about more stories from the past?

Ken

 

[illtrap1]

My Dad took me to a gun club called Present Day,shot 5 bird matches with a 870 magnum field grade,I was shooting right handed I couldn't close my left eye,so I held my head way over and closed my right eye and shot with my left eye,I just won a 5 bird event,A old timer came up to me and told me I could not shoot like that,I told him I just won a match but it did kick,He told me to close my left eye,my reply was i couldn't.. His name was Fred Kelly,he had me unload my gun and mount it and gave me 2 choices wear a patch over my left eye or swith to left hand shooting. I took his advice and swithed to left hand shooting,after about a month I ran 25 and went back out and broke another 25, The old timers knew what they was talking about most of anyway never shot ATA for about a year $8.00 targets $8.00 shot.My dad was right handed and shot left handed and my son Tyson is right handed and shoots left handed.People bent barrels on car tires at shoots to make their model 12's shoot higher,I could buy a case of AA's for $35.00 for 500. There was no Pro's being sponsered that much back then and guns was cheap.I miss those days with my Dad he passed on in 1997 he never liked trap that much but was one hell of a game shot and rifle shot with iron sights. ATA has changed the sport from pleasure to people who do it for a living,I am not against the good shooters out there or mad at them,Dan

 

[pj 999]

Was lucky and grew up with trapshooting. The friends and fun are too many to list. Below is picture from 1961 Grand. Hanging on the rail in front of Beer Tent.

 

[Scott Johnson]

Denny,
Great thread and dam interesting, lots of good stories in some of you old farts heads, love to hear them all. I was kinda dumfounded though, I would have sworn Maltz said you, Bob and him started when it was still black powder.............did you forget that? Or is Maltz mistaken? Scott

 

[ImpalaBob]

UPSA has been around since 1942. We were 1 of the Big 3 back in the day .... South End, West Chester, and Upper Perk.

 

[wpairishshot]

I used to set birds too, had a little space heater down there for cooler nights. I think I might have made enough to pay for a couple of rounds of myself shooting before the night was over. My Uncle Dee used to coach me at trapshooting one night a kid like myself and I entered the buddy-buddy shoot, at the end of the night at the Pony Farm club. Thats Armstrong County Hunting and Fishing Club. As we shot our buddy shoot we didnt miss a single bird, should have heard the cursing about the damn kids winning! I felt great that night. One winter we shot a benefit shoot for Childrens Hospital, Pittsburgh. It snowed such big flakes, rained and there was fog that you could barely see through. When we shot we were making big holes in the fog/snow. Wet but a great reason to come in by the fire after finished. Lots of old gentlemen here too, were always willing to help a kid out with his shooting. What great times!

 

[Tim Earney]

When I came home from the Army in 1970 some co-workers asked me to shoot on their team in a league at Olin in East Alton. Ill. I had never shot a clay bird and told them I might not be a good choice. They said that I had shot plenty of ducks, crows, and pigeons and I would do fine. I started out with a 30" field Model 12. 100 targets, including 4 new boxes of AAs cost $8.00 and you could keep the empties and if you didn't have a shotgun they had hundreds of Winchesters in the club house and they would loan you one at no cost. It was great fun with some great people and virtually impossible to beat the Olin team on their home ground but we kept trying for over 10 years. I think that they had 24 combination fields and they would be full every evening. Around 1974 they increased the price to $9.00 per hundred, still with 4 boxes of AAs, and you should have heard the complaining. A lot of the guys that I shot with didn't reload and some nights I would bring home a couple of thousand one time AA empties. I still have 4 or 5 thousand left. Those were some great times. They have since closed the old facility and built a new one with four trap and skeet fields. It is still a fun place to shoot.

 

[ljutic73]

I started in 1977 at the now defunct Lethbridge (AB) Trap Club with a CZ BRNO Sidelock SxS. I had no clue what I was doing but understood that day I needed a real trap gun and bought an 870 TA that week. Then doubles required the purchase of a Win. 101. I started registering ATA targets in '78 and in 1980 purchased my Browning Superposed ST-100, then an 870 Comp. and finally my Ljutic 73 in '83. I've been privileged to shoot in Alberta, Montana, Arizona and Kauai, Hawaii. The best part of course have been the friendships I've made in this wonderful game. I've seen real characters and some great shooters along the way and had the pleasure of shooting with a few of the greats like Rudy Etchen, Zip Eaton and Britt Robinson. It's been a great ride and there's more to come.

Ron Burr

 

[crusha]

I'm amazed. The lecture hall door has barely clicked shut, his favorite professor has only begun to shuffle his papers at the oak podium...and right on cue, here is Johnny suck-up, already in the front seat with his hand in the air.


Is that the clink of Vic Reinders' Model 31 I hear in the background?

 

[Tripod]

lit. What does "rain" sound like? I can't remember.

 

[APrice]

Denny,did I ever tell you about the early days of shooting trap in Rhodesia? Derek Partridge was a cohort then.

 

[targetchip]

1926.....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWRoRQHgmvc

Maybe somebody can help to put it up right, very interesting!

Enjoy it!

Bill

 

[Porcupine]

Here ya go .....

LA in MA