ClayShootingUSA SepOct2022 - 20th Anniversary Edition

MARKETING DIRECTOR KALEIGH LAWSON

20 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE IN CLAYS

MATTHEW GAY SUMMARIZES A WHERE IT ALL STARTED VS WHERE IT’S GOING INTRODUCTION TO OUR THROWBACK ISSUE OF SOME OF THE EARLY DAYS STARTING FROM 20 YEARS AGO, OUR LAUNCH ISSUE.

Dear ClayShootingUSA Reader, ClayShootingUSA Magazine is celebrating 20 years of delivering the best sporting clays, FITASC and 5-Stand event coverage in the industry. On the following pages you are going to find various articles, pictures and coverage of events and equipment from days gone by. It is our pleasure to celebrate where we began as well as where we are going in the future. Bear in mind that as time has passed, many of the shooters pictured on the following pages have moved to new sponsors, equipment and gear as the game and technology has advanced. These historical pictures are to serve as fond memories of days gone by.

When ClayShootingUSA magazine started, Mr. Brunton had a unique vision for this publication. From comedic essays on the game and idiosyncrasies of shooters, to

coverage of historic sporting events, this edition will take you back to sporting days of old. The following articles and essays have been printed in their original format, complete and unedited in order to give you an unfiltered look at the history of your favorite clay shooting publication. We have made an effort to update the contact information included in the original articles but make no guarantee that all contained within is current. Grab yourself a cup of coffee, settle in to that favorite chair, kick back and enjoy these fascinating throwback pieces and the fond memories they bring to mind. n

EDITOR PICTURED WITH FUTURE WORLD CHAMP SHOOTER SOPHIA

TIME FOR SOMETHING NEW!

Clay target shooting is no different. The growing numbers of American shooters that now travel to Europe for top Sporting competition is equally matched by those Europeans that list the major US Sporting and FITASC Championships as ‘must attend’ events. Add to that the domestic demand for coaching and masterclass sessions from high profile British names (and vice versa) and the use and advice of British target setters for top US events, and it soon becomes apparent that our sport is becoming more international — and it doesn’t end there. The major manufacturers and retailers of shotguns, shells and clothing have long and keenly eyed both the European and US market as a single market.

Our sport, on both sides of ‘the pond’, also share common concerns — whether it be pressure from the anti-shooting brigade, the administration of our sport, its profile with the public and, on occasions, the lack of razzmatazz that prevents us attracting ever more people to enjoy clay target shooting.

As markets change, opportunities arise. For some years now, Brunton Publications, an industrial and leisure magazine publisher and printer based in the UK, has published ‘Clay Shooting’ — Europe’s only monthly magazine exclusive to clay target shooting. Our plans for an American sister publication have been on the drawing board for over two years — but now the time is right, and I hope you’ll enjoy reading this launch issue.

THE DAYS OF INSULAR PHILOSOPHIES AND ATTITUDES ARE NUMBERED. WHETHER IT BE BIG CORPORATE BUSINESS OR MAJOR PRODUCT BRANDING, THE HOT TOPIC IS GLOBALISATION AND INTERNATIONALISM. ‘THE WORLD IS BECOMING A SMALLER PLACE’ — AND ITS EFFECTS ARE FELT THROUGHOUT OUR DAILY LIVES, INCLUDING MOST MAJOR SPORTS.

MICHAEL BRUNTON PUBLISHER

Most importantly, this will not be ‘just another shotgunning’ publication. Initially published every other month, this magazine will be solely dedicated to the Sporting disciplines — no trap, skeet or hunting. While fully reporting on all aspects of the US Sporting scene, it will also have an international flavor — something that has long been demanded by those that shoot the fast-growing Sporting disciplines. I also anticipate that these two sister publications will act as the catalyst to extend the marketing opportunities for US manufacturers, encourage and assist shooters to compete at a more international level and provide the platform to launch a new series of Classic Sporting,

FITASC and Five Stand Championships in the USA.

The launch of ClayShootingUSA requires a significant market commitment by our company. To this end, I have opened offices in San Antonio and have appointed my son, Ben Brunton, as Assistant Publisher. Now resident in USA, Ben is well known to many of you and as a top-ranking Sporting shooter and former FITASC World Champion I know that you will now see him regularly at all major US Sporting events. He is totally committed to the sport and will, I know, ensure that ClayShootingUSA meets the demands of all sporting shooters.

All that leaves is your commitment to ensure that the word about this new magazine is

passed around the circuit. It will be a fast growing subscription base that ensures the future success of ClayShootingUSA. Enjoy!

“While fully reporting on all aspects of the US Sporting scene, the magazine will also have an international flavour … something that has long been demanded by those that shoot the fastgrowing Sporting disciplines.”

THE TEAL TARGET

The Teal target – or Springing Teal to use the traditional name –is one of the classic Sporting Clays challenges, dating back to the early days of the sport. The idea is to replicate the flight of the teal, a small duck, which leaps from the ground almost vertically when disturbed, usually at great speed. Modern traps can be set up to throw almost a true vertical target if required as well as all the intermediate angles and it is this variation in angle that is one of the course designer’s main weapons. Add in varying speeds and distances from the trap to the shooting station and you have a target that can range from one of the easiest to something to test even the greatest.

BASIC SET UP

For most presentations the set up for teal should be straightforward. As the main trajectory is upwards, there is little debate about the kill point as you will be lined up facing the trap, with the leading foot pointing at the trap and the rear foot at around two o’clock for right handers, ten o’clock for lefties. If there is a degree of angle on the flight to one side or another you may wish to adjust slightly to account for this.

This is a target for which the hold position can be critical. The natural inclination, particularly for novices, is to have a hold point on or just above the trap, but this is invariably a mistake. The shooter sees the target leap above the barrels in a blur and the instinctive reaction is to rush after it immediately. At best this will lead to an uncontrolled swing, at worst it will produce excessive gun speed, which will lead to the gun racing past the target and a miss over the top.

At the other extreme, a hold point too high up the target flight path will also cause problems, with no time to generate any swing at all. Coaches call this a ‘dead gun’ and the result is usually a hopeful poke at the bird.

TOPTIP

The correct position is something that you will develop with practice, but is likely to be around the mid point between where you see the clay clearly and what you intend to break it. It will enable you to see the bird from its initial blur to the

IN THIS SERIES WE WILL LOOK AT MANY OF THE COMMON PRESENTATIONS YOU WILL SEE ON SPORTING CLAYS COURSES, ANALYSE TECHNIQUES FOR DEALING WITH THEM AND ALSO PROVIDE TIPS FROM THE TOP SHOOTERS TO HELP YOU MAXIMISE YOUR SCORES. WE START OFF WITH A TARGET THAT MANY SHOOTERS LOVE TO HATE – TEAL.

TEAL TARGETS HAVE MUCH IN COMMON WITH TRAP BIRDS AND THERE IS MUCH TO BE SAID FOR ADOPTING A HIGH GUN POSITION WHERE THE RULES ALLOW. MANY TOP SHOOTERS START WITH THE GUN HELD JUST OUT OF THE SHOULDER. THIS ALLOWS A CLEAR VIEW OF THE TARGET BUT MINIMIZES THE RISK OF A POOR GUN MOUNT.

TARGETTIPS

point where you see it clearly, then swing smoothly and under control to catch it up.

THE ADDRESS POSITION

For international (FITASC) sporting you will of course have no option but to adopt the standard low gun position when addressing the target. This will put a premium on a smooth, controlled gun mount and makes it particularly important that you choose the correct ‘mid point’

hold. Mounting a fast moving gun is never easy and a mis-mount is always possible.

READING THE BIRD

Getting a sideways look at a teal station can often be illuminating, that clay that you thought was going straight up at 90 degrees will often prove to be going away from the shooter to some extent. Many traps do not throw a true vertical and the degree of elevation will be crucial to how you take the shot.

THE CHECK LIST:

DISTANCE: how far are you from the trap?

SPEED: varied by the spring tension and the factor that determines the target’s maximum height. Watch out for midi clays thrown as teal –they will be very fast over the first part of their flight but may be slowing dramatically at just the point you plan to shoot them.

ANGLE OF ELEVATION: this could be anything from 45 to 90 degrees.

ANGLE OF DEFLECTION: how much does the target vary from a true vertical?

TOPTIP

ALWAYS STUDY THE CLAY CAREFULLY IN FLIGHT. A TRUE VERTICAL PRESENTATION WILL SHOW YOU THE FULL FACE OF THE TARGET, BUT THE MORE IT IS ANGLED AWAY, THE MORE YOU WILL SEE OF THE BOTTOM RIM. THE PERCEIVED LEAD WILL BE GREATEST ON A TRUE VERTICAL, WHEREAS THE CORRECT SIGHT PICTURE ON A BIRD ANGLED AWAY AT, SAY 60 DEGREES, MAY HAVE THE BEAD JUST TOUCHING THE TARGET, WITH GUN SPEED DOING THE REST.

THE SIGHT PICTURE

HOLD POINTS

Most top competitors believe that the best approach is to treat teal just like a driven target – pulling the trigger just as the clay is blotted out and relying on gun speed to give any required lead. This is a method that works consistently well when taking the shot with the clay still under power and rising.

As we have already seen, this picture may need to be adjusted if the trajectory is flat.

Most top shots shoot teal targets ‘on the rise’. They do this because a target under power is always flying to a more true and consistent trajectory and the method is therefore more repeatable.

ON THE DROP

There will always be times when you may want to – or be forced to – take a teal target on the drop. A

IT’S ALREADY IN YOUR BLOOD. DON’T LET IT GET IN YOUR HEAD. Trust Hodgdon® shotgun powders.

favorable wind for example may be blowing the clay back towards your position, or you may be unable to take both birds in a true pair on the way up. Each occasion will be different, but remember that as clays fall they start to accelerate once more. Moving the

TARGETTIPS

gun towards the ground is an unnatural act for most of us and the tendency will be to slow or stop the swing. Be aggressive, lock the head on the stock and keep the gun moving.

As with all targets, the mental approach as you prepare to shoot

is all important – particularly with a non-favorite target. Don’t talk yourself out of the kill. Study the target carefully, set up for it correctly and attack the target in a positive manner – you’ll be surprised at the result. What’s next – rabbits oh no, I hate rabbits! n

READ THE TARGET

ELEVATION OF TARGET SEEN FROM SIDE

ANGLE OF DEFLECTION FROM TRUE VERTICAL

DAVE HOLMES REMINISCES OF DAYS LONG PASSED

VANISHED WITHOUT A TRACE

WELL, OK, MAYBE THERE’S A BIT OF A TRACE, BUT IT’S LIKE DINOSAUR TRACKS. YOU CAN TELL THEY’VE BEEN THERE, BUT YOU KNOW YOU DON’T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT STEPPING IN ANYTHING IF YOU FOLLOW THE TRACKS IN THE DARK. IT HASN’T ALWAYS BEEN THAT WAY.

Back when I was a kid, which, like many of you, is longer ago than I wish it was, the Model 12 Winchester was the King, spoken of with tones of reverence. Then there was this upstart, a stamped out Remington 870, that started making waves. “It couldn’t be as good as the 12 because it wasn’t machined” – so the story went, but it won trap shoots and hunter’s hearts, sold for a reasonable price and the rest is history. The Model 12, the deposed royalty,

slipped from its throne, albeit with lots of loyal subjects still pouting. The 870 now wore the crown. Remington, long chasing the lead, took over the market while Winchester came up with the 1200 and crawled right out of the competition gun arena. Oh, sure, there was the Super X and the 101, but they didn’t dominate, they just hung around. Besides, the 101 wasn’t made in the U.S.A. That counted for something back then.

In 1963 the Model 1100 Auto emerged from Ilion’s loins. Following in the stamped out tradition of the 870, it wasn’t the machined wonder that some longed for, but it worked as long as it was kept reasonably clean. Felt recoil was reduced. It was a gun that allowed shooters to shoot as well as they shot with any other gun, or maybe even a bit better. We might have said it was ergonomically superior, if we had known what ‘ergonomic’ was, but we did know it was a winner.

Competition shooters liked it. Hunters liked it. The 1100, in conjunction with the 870, meant Remington was the top dog of the American target shotgun market. To be sure, the Model 12 would hang around while the Browning Superposed was the gun of dreams and there were always dogs from other valleys on the field, but the 1100’s soft recoiling shooting dynamics made it the darling of those who could afford it and the 870 sufficed for those who couldn’t.

While this scenario wasn’t that long ago, we sometimes forget that money was a bit tougher for most to come by back then. My Dad, and a lot of other Dads, worked long hours to pay the bills. ‘Disposable income’ hadn’t been invented. Credit cards were unheard of. The stock market wasn’t influencing the lives of middle America the way it would in years to come. Nobody had a clue what a choke tube was. Hearing protection was uncommon and not needed by ‘real’ men. Pump actions were the standard and even autos were a bit elitist in the Midwest that I called home. Full choke barrels were the norm. The guys with over and unders were talked about behind their backs because they wasted so much money on a gun. Yes, there was a bit more

jealousy than reason behind many of the discussions, but boys will be boys no matter how long they’ve been shaving.

In the midst of the fray, my first gun purchase was an 870. Stamped parts were OK with me. I paid a hard earned $96 for it and frankly thought I’d died and gone to heaven. It all seems a bit too long ago when I see fourteen year old kids today toting K -guns around sporting clay ranges in golf carts, shooting Dad’s shells, spending Dad’s money and wearing shoes that cost more than our guns used to! I wonder if those expensive guns mean to them what that pump gun did to me. I wonder if they will ever have a chance to develop appreciation for the little things of life, like getting the chance to shoot 10 clay targets for a dollar (including the shells) at a local shoot out of an old 97 Winchester that pounded this skinny little kid unmercifully. It was literally the worst beating of my life. I have no idea why I still wanted to shoot.

It hasn’t been so long ago that many of us, who are the free spending Dads shooting sporting today, were ecstatic when our Dads would spring for an extra box of

…NOBODY HAD A CLUE WHAT A CHOKE TUBE WAS. HEARING PROTECTION WAS UNCOMMON AND NOT NEEDED BY REAL MEN…

shells to supplement the supply bought with money earned picking up pop bottles, hoeing bean fields or baling hay. Winchester’s new plastic AA hulls were treated with respect and reverence, but used until the crimps were black and frayed. We were introduced to one of the most powerful aphrodisiacs known to man, a smell never forgotten — Red Dot powder burned in paper hulls. (Watch the guys with gray hair when they pick up a paper hull at a range. See how many of them will still sniff it.) Those hulls reeked of love, a love of shooting. One hundred shells collected for a trap shoot (there weren’t any sporting clays then, either) was a seldom-encountered treasure. Christmas dreams revolved around guns for young and old alike, but more likely than not, you still found socks and underwear under the tree.

Ever been to Ilion and walked the halls of Remington? You immediately have a sense of the factories that had sprung up around the country to fuel an expanding economy. When I first saw the old brick walls with the company

parking lot in front, I was reminded of the factory where my Dad worked. He built trucks, not guns, but the structural similarities certainly pricked my mind. I remembered the first time I visited him at work — the smell and the noise and the vow I made never to work in a factory out of the sunlight where fresh air was a rare commodity.

I was much more interested in what was going on at Remington than I was at Dad’s plant. I was impressed by the stark contrast of the polished hardwood floors of the Custom Shop. I was curious about the machines and assembly process. As I walked through the plant watching men and women do what they did — day in and day out —I appreciated their efforts, made so the rest of us could go out in the sunshine and play. I wondered if by chance there was anyone still working there who had helped make my 870. I was there with a group that included Rudy Etchen, a name that may not mean much to those who have grown up hearing about Jon Kruger, Bobby Fowler and Dan Carlisle, but a name that I had read about for years and held

HOW MANY SHOOTS WERE WON WITH A REMINGTON 1100?

THE ORIGINAL KING –WINCHESTER MODEL 12

in awe as a kid. Rudy was a wonderful ambassador for shooting. I’m not much of a hero worshipper, but I certainly considered it a pleasure to get to know him. The museum was fascinating, chronicling Remington’s history from early rifles to the Model 11 my uncle had, through several flavors of 870’s and 1100’s. The gun that was missing was the target gun Remington never got around to building, the one that would keep it on top of the clayshooting world.

Remington followed the example of Winchester and seemed to simply surrender the title. While others innovated, Remington rested too long on wellearned laurels. Thousands of

shooters slowly abandoned their loyalty to American made guns, choosing to move on as gun innovations appeared from makers in Europe and Japan. Rising incomes permitted many shooters to look past pumps and autos to over and unders. In a touch of irony, both Winchester and Remington’s main presence on shooting fields would evolve as ammunition manufacturers, rather than gun vendors, something unimaginable when I was a kid.

The 870 remains immensely popular among hunters, but pump

…REMINGTON FOLLOWED THE EXAMPLE OF WINCHESTER AND SEEMED TO SIMPLY SURRENDER THE TITLE. WHILE OTHERS INNOVATED, REMINGTON RESTED TOO LONG ON WELLEARNED LAURELS. THOUSANDS OF SHOOTERS SLOWLY ABANDONED THEIR LOYALTY TO AMERICAN MADE GUNS, CHOOSING TO MOVE ON AS GUN INNOVATIONS APPEARED FROM MAKERS IN EUROPE AND JAPAN.

RUDY ETCHEN –A WONDERFUL AMBASSADOR

BRING YOUR A GAME

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guns are antiques on skeet fields, and hardly ever appear on sporting fields unless there is a special event for them. The gas system of the 1100 was eclipsed by almost every other gas system, both in versatility and tolerance to fouling. The 11-87 was heralded as the successor to the 1100, but in reality was only slightly different. The 11-87 gas system permitted the use of 23/4” and 3” shells in the same gun, but 11-87 target guns shot 23/4” shells only, so in effect were 1100’s all along. In what is a common tactic among gun manufacturers trying to appeal to old sentiments, Remington has returned to calling their target guns 1100’s to draw upon the old appeal. In fact, those of us who lusted after 1100’s in our youth can’t be lured back so easily. Reason, based on experience with

better gun designs, cannot be buried by the desire to see an old friend do well. The same plow will likely be no more successful for Winchester’s Super X 2, which was supposed to draw on the perceived merits of the Super X 1. The problem there is that there weren’t enough Super X 1’s built for most shooters to ever have any experience with them. The name isn’t going to pluck at the heartstrings of potential buyers because there is no association.

I know we are in the age of a global economy. I know buying guns from companies located overseas still provides Americans jobs. I know we can often get better products for lower prices when we buy from abroad, but, dang it, I still wish for those days of innocence when an American made

gun lead the pack, when adolescent boys could dream of someday owning an affordable gun from an American company that was the best in the field. I know the odds aren’t good that it will ever happen again, but I’m just enough of a redneck to hold out hope.

Likely the gun would have to be an auto. There will be no resurrection of the pump gun in sporting circles. Shooters can afford to buy more efficient delivery systems these days. Over and unders are too expensive to produce to fill the void at the right price. By default, it will have to be an auto design. Remington could be the one to do it, but we haven’t seen the signs yet. Winchester also could, but with their marriage to Browning it isn’t likely we’ll ever see an All-American Winchester in the

near future. Ruger? Perhaps, but I suspect that things will never be as they were. Perhaps that is why memories are so warm, rich and full of value; we can only experience some things once. A first love, a first dance, a first kiss, a first child — they only come once and can’t be bought again for any price, hence by default becoming priceless.

So I will lick my wounds, cover my red neck and bandage my ego. I will pick up my Italian shotgun, collect my Spanish shells and carry them in a bag made in Taiwan. I will wear a vest made in Thailand, a shirt made in China, pants in Mexico and a hat made in Bangladesh. I will take these things and go out to shoot a game conceived in England. The world today is truly a different place — but I’m still just that kid who loves to shoot.

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*Standard up to 90 yards with Standard Clay; 100 yards with Midi Clay

I’ve been shooting Sporting Clays competitively for about three years – though I’m in my fifties and have shot for over thirty years. Sadly, I didn’t have the time or money to catch the Sporting Clays bug until I was over fifty. I found that the old competitive juices were still there when I shot my first tournament, which surprised me a little.

I still don’t have the time to shoot a lot of tournaments, maybe ten or eleven a year. So, I came to the realization that I would never get to shoot enough to be a consistent winner in my class, much less for HOA. Instead, I have

— mentally and physically. I’ve even seen this guy leave his gun at the station and not realize it until its his turn to shoot at the next station!

Different groups, of course, handle this shooter in different ways. Some drop hints for him to get his act together. Some roll their eyes and talk behind his back. Should we pity this guy, make sure he is never in our group again, or just put him out of his misery. Hey, I am just kidding about the latter!

I think if we knew the whole story we might be a little kinder and more understanding. The story

usually goes something like this: his mind is elsewhere because he has a problem at home or work. He knows down in his gut that he should be somewhere else taking care of that problem. He’s wasting his entry fee, his time and embarrassing himself unnecessarily. If you ever find that you have become this guy, if even for only one day, do yourself and your fellow shooters a favor. Pull out of the shoot and go take care of whatever is on your mind.

Oh, in case you are wondering why I said women are rarely this “guy”, think about it. Women are

the original multi-taskers. They have raised children, worked fulltime jobs, cooked, cleaned the house and still find time to go shopping. Men are at their best when thinking about one thing at a time. Women are at their best when seven things are happening at once, and they feel needed. I know you women are impressed that a mere man has figured this out. Okay, I have to confess. My wife ‘splained’ it to me. Also, my assistant at work can do forty-seven things at once in the same time I am deciding what I am going to do first.

If the cap fits …

JIM ATKINSON PENS HIS OBSERVATIONS ON FOUR TYPES OF COMPETITION SHOOTER – ALL TO BE AVOIDED!

learned to enjoy doing my best, fighting the good fight and don’t worry about how many times I place. What I enjoy most is watching other competitors – some funny, sometimes sad, but always entertaining.

NEVER READY

First is the shooter that never seems to be ready for his turn in the box. You know, the guy that gets to the first station late, has to change his chokes just before his turn to shoot and has to ask the trapper where the second target is coming from even though two shooters have already shot before him. This guy, and by the way this shooter is rarely a woman, seems to be unprepared on every station

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ALABAMA

ORVIS – Pursell Farms Sylacauga, AL 35151 855-799-2826

Orvis.com/PursellFarms

ALASKA

Precision Arms Anchorage, AK 99508 907-279-5755

PrecisionArmsAK.com

COLORADO

Xcel Shooting Sports, LLC Loveland, CO - by appt. 406-209-8922

xcelshooting.com

FLORIDA

Cole Fine Guns Naples, FL 34109 239-352-0345

ColeGun.com

Woolley Shooting Clinics St. Augustine, FL 32095 904-556-9286

WoolleyShooting.com

GEORGIA

Old Hudson Plantation Sparta, GA 31087 706-467-9345

OldHudsonPlantation.com INDIANA

Indiana Gun Club Fortville, IN 46040 317-485-6540

IndianaGunClub.com

MAINE

Cole Fine Guns Harpswell, ME 04079 207-833-5027

ColeGun.com

MARYLAND

Barts Sports World 410-507-5184

OnlineBarts.com

Schraders Outdoors Henderson, MD 21640 410-758-1824

SchradersOutdoors.com

Visit us at GueriniUSA.com

MICHIGAN

Michigan Shooting Centers Lake Orion, MI 48360 248-693-0567 MIShoot.com

Pacific Sporting Arms (East) Walled Lake, MI 48390 248-960-7262

PacificSportingArmsEast.com

MONTANA

Xcel Shooting Sports, LLC Kalispell, MT 59901 Helena, MT - by appt. Missoula, MT - by appt. 406-209-8922

XcelShooting.com

NORTH CAROLINA

Bob Schultz Target Shotguns @ Cleghorn Gun Club Rutherfordton, NC 28139 800-684-6329

TargetShotguns.com

Hyatt Farms Sporting Clays Polkton, NC 28135 704-826-6014 NCSportingClays.com

NEW YORK

ORVIS – Sandanona Millbrook, NY 12545 845-677-9701 Orvis.com/Sandanona

NEW JERSEY

Griffin & Howe Andover, NJ 07821 973-398-2670 GriffinHowe.com

OHIO

Country Attic Treasures South Lebanon, OH 45065 513-494-2075

CountryAtticTreasures.com

Dawson Enterprises Demo Center @ Hill N Dale Club Medina, OH 44256 330-723-5105 HillndaleClub.com

OREGON

Mid Valley Clays Gervais, OR 97026 503-792-3431

MidValleyClays.com

PENNSYLVANIA

Lehigh Valley Sporting Clays Coplay, PA 18037 610-261-9616 LVSclays.com

ORVIS – Hill Country Fairfield, PA 17320 717-253-9665

TEXAS

Cole Fine Guns San Antonio, TX 78253 ColeGun.com

Defender Outdoors Clay Ranch Fort Worth, TX 76126 817-935-8378 DefenderOutdoors.com

Joshua Creek Ranch Boerne, TX 78006 830-537-5090 JoshuaCreek.com

Woolley Shooting Clinics San Antonio, TX 78253 210-559-1320 WolleyShooting.com

WISCONSIN

Flight & Field Trevor, WI 53179 262-869-0001 FlightandField.com

PERSONALVIEW

GOD’S GIFT

Let’s move on to the next shooter type. This shooter I call “God’s Gift to Shooting”. He is of course a Masterclass shooter and he firmly believes that he deserves to win, and all other shooters should not be a nuisance while he is performing his “gift”. We have all seen this guy many times, especially at the larger shoots. He always shoots with an entourage of admirers. They drive up to a station in a motorized cart – these guys never walk, it’s beneath them – and they immediately begin discussing the targets and how to shoot them like the current shooter in the box is not even there. A few opinions may be stated by the underlings, but eventually the “Master” tells all within ear shot of the adjoining forty acres the “correct” way to shoot the pair. If you are shooting at that moment, and have erroneously chosen to shoot the pair incorrectly, the “Master” will carefully whisper so that you can

hear, “He’s shooting them the wrong way around.” His tone of course implies that you are probably on the mental scale somewhere between an idiot and a moron.

Now that the “Master” has proclaimed the proper way to shoot the targets, his group is ready to shoot next. As the last shooter from the previous group finishes, the “Master” group is lined up about four inches behind the box ready to proceed. This happens even if three other groups are standing there waiting. They are ignored. They are not there. If lesser shooters should dare to say it is their turn, they get the “stare” from the “Master”. He then feigns an apology that is dripping with contempt. His glare will make you so uncomfortable that you may find yourself telling him, “Hey no problem, why don’t you guys go ahead.”

After the “Master” group is finished shooting, they pack up and zoom away in their carts like they’re on a newspaper deadline. It is important that you understand

that it is your fault if you are in their way. If necessary, climb a nearby tree or impale yourself on the gun stand, but do not hinder their departure. They will run over your foot and never look back.

I had one “Master” underling actually hit me in the head with his gun barrels while leaving the premises. He was busy talking to another underling. When my offending head hit his gun, he spun around and looked at me like, “where did you come from.” He did apologize, but more interestingly, he then examined his barrels with a look that clearly said, “I hope that idiot didn’t dink my barrel.”

NO HOPER

My third shooter is one that many of us have been with at some time or another. This is the guy who is shooting poorly, and he is so embarrassed that he has to tell everyone around, “I couldn’t hit the ground with my hat.” The first time he does this you empathize with

…ONE TIME HE SAID, “I’M GOING TO CLOSE BOTH EYES AND SEE HOW THAT WORKS.” BY THIS TIME EVERYONE ON THE SQUAD HAD HAD ENOUGH. I POLITELY SUGGESTED THAT “MAYBE YOU WOULD BE BETTER OFF TO JUST CALL IT A DAY.” HIS RESPONSE WAS UNBELIEVABLE. “NO, I’M NOT A QUITTER. I AM GOING TO STICK THIS OUT TO THE BITTER END.”

WOMEN ARE AT THEIR BEST WHEN SEVEN THINGS ARE HAPPENING AT THE SAME TIME!

PERSONALVIEW

him because you have been there. However, after you have shot half the course, and he is still beating himself up, you are ready to end his misery by asphyxiation. Invariably this shooter will let everyone around him know that it must be some inexplicable law of nature that no one can shoot two tournaments in a row well. Then he will tell all that will listen how “great” he shot at the last tournament. This may or may not be true, but it is important to him that he lets you know he really is a good shot.

I had one of these “can’t hit a bull in the ass” fellows on my squad last month. This guy took the selfpity thing to new heights, or maybe I should say new lows. He would sit dejected on a bench by himself at each station, not looking at the targets, not preparing in any way. When it was his turn to shoot we had to tell him he was up. He would slowly get his gun from the rack and walk to the station like he was going to the electric chair. He would usually say something like, “I’m leaving my chokes alone, what difference does it make.” One time he said, “I’m going to close both eyes

and see how that works.” By this time everyone on the squad had had enough. I politely suggested that “maybe you would be better off to just call it a day.” His response was unbelievable. “No, I’m not a quitter. I am going to stick this out to the bitter end.” Some people have a hard time defining what ‘quit’ means. This guy had ‘quit’ since the third station. He just hadn’t realized it yet.

MOST HELPFUL

My fourth and favorite shooter is the guy that just wants to help. Much of this help is really genuine. He truly believes you are underleading the target or shooting over it. He is so sure that he is right that he has to help you.

After receiving this unrequested help several times, I have resolved a successful way to handle these helpful do-gooders. I don’t say anything and continue to shoot the targets as I see fit. After I finish, if I was successful, I tell him he was wrong and tell him what I did instead. If I continue to miss the target, I tell him, “Well, I tried your recommendation, but it didn’t

work.” Either way, he usually stops giving advice.

However, if he insists on continuing to be your personal consultant, then you are forced to perform ‘The Retribution’ technique. You must do this with an absolutely solemn appearance for it to have the full effect. You inform him that you are going blind. Heavy blinking and staring at the sky while you tell him this usually aids the effect. You explain further that the doctors have said complete darkness is probably only a month or two away. You’re trying to do your best and do what he has so graciously recommended, but you really can’t see the target most of the time!

Usually from this point on, the helper will be completely silent. Except, when you hit a target, he may be overly excited and gush about what a great shot you made!

One thing is for certain, you will never have to worry about being squadded with this guy again. He will give the shoot administrators explicit instructions when he signs up, “Just don’t put me on the same squad as the blind guy. He makes me very nervous.”

…YOU INFORM HIM THAT YOU ARE GOING BLIND. HEAVY BLINKING AND STARING AT THE SKY WHILE YOU TELL HIM THIS USUALLY AIDS THE EFFECT… YOU EXPLAIN… YOU’RE TRYING TO DO YOUR BEST AND DO WHAT HE HAS SO GRACIOUSLY RECOMMENDED, BUT YOU REALLY CAN’T SEE THE TARGET MOST OF THE TIME! USUALLY FROM THIS POINT ON, THE HELPER WILL BE COMPLETELY SILENT…

MY FOURTH AND FAVORITE SHOOTER IS THE GUY THAT JUST WANTS TO HELP.

MINDGAMES

OK – you’re packing up for your next competition. Let’s see, do you have everything you need to shoot well? You make a quick equipment check. Yep, your set up is good and you’ve got all your gear. Let’s look at form next. You’re ready in that department as well. “I wouldn’t change a thing,” you say. So, why are you still worried about how you’re going to do this weekend? “Something’s missing and I don’t know what it is.”

What’s missing may be the confidence that your mental control system may not be as complete as the other parts of your game. Perhaps the first place to look in determining if you have all the parts of your mental system is to find out IF you have a mental

system. What is a mental system and what are its ingredients?

A mental system is a defined, practiced method of training the mind to perform well in competition. I’ll give you an example. The system I use and teach is called the Mental Management® System. It’s the process of improving the probability of having a consistent mental performance under pressure, on demand. It includes controlling the mental processes that lead to a winning performance.

A winning mental performance, in my opinion, is primarily a function of the development and control of three mental processes; The Conscious Mind – your thoughts, The Subconscious –your skills and the Self Image –

your attitudes and habits. The essential ingredients for a winning mental system should include methods to control and enhance these three mental processes.

How will you know if you have a good mental system? First, determine the capabilities of each mental process to determine if they complement each other and are appropriate to your goals and priorities. For example, if you are picturing winning a certain competition (Conscious process), is your skill level (Subconscious process) equal to the task and is it like you (Self Image process) to achieve it? When your mental processes are balanced and working together, a good technical performance seems easy. When

balanced, you love to shoot and you shoot well with little mental effort. If, however, one of these processes is out of balance you will likely find much frustration in your shooting and you will expend a lot of mental energy just to get through the event.

If you discover that you are out of balance, your mental system should have specific strategies to correct the imbalance by managing the processes. That’s why it is called Mental Management® Ideally, you should try to increase the effectiveness of all of the processes while keeping them in balance.

Let’s look at some examples. If you look like Fig. 1 you are in balance. I call this the TRIAD

ARE YOU MISSING SOME ESSENTIAL INGREDIENTS IN YOUR MENTAL SYSTEM?

ASKS LANNY BASSHAM

aSTATE. When I won my Gold Medal in the Olympics I was in the Triad State. Consciously I was focused on the process of shooting each shot. My Subconscious skill level was good enough to allow me to have a winning performance and I had the Self Image attitude that it was like me to win the Gold Medal. When we begin shooting it is likely that we will look like Fig. 2. We have to think about everything Consciously because we have little Subconscious skill. Our Self Image tells us that we are ‘beginners’ and we do not have a high expectation of success. Shooting may seem difficult. Remember those first days when you had to think about all of the elements of form because few, if any, were automated by your Subconscious mind. Coaches often bring shooters into balance by taking ‘baby steps’ in form acquisition, learning one form process at a time and then when it is subconsciously automated move on to the next. If we practice

bproperly, the Subconscious circle will grow.

c dto your discipline in avoiding negative imprinting. Think only about what you wish to see happen. Avoid any non-hit imprinting and your Self Image grows. Otherwise, you sabotage yourself, your Self Image shrinks and your scores suffer.

In my experience most imbalanced shooters look like Fig. 3. The Subconscious circle has balanced out with the Conscious because the shooter is training the Subconscious through practice. Have you ever had this thought? “I know my form is good. My training scores are high but they drop in competition. I’m, losing too many targets to mental inconsistency.” If so, chances are good that you look like Fig. 3. You are not managing the growth of your Self-Image. The Self Image grows through positive imprinting and shooting a lot can cause it to shrink if we are getting or picturing a lot of nonhits. Every time we think about, talk about or write about breaking a target our Self Image grows. BUT, every time we think about, talk about or write about a non-hit our Self Image shrinks. Your ability to control the growth of your Self Image is directly related n

Fig. 4 illustrates a loss of Conscious focus. Have you ever felt distracted while shooting? If so, you might draw your circles this way. The loss of focus is a common mental error and your mental system must include elements to hold your focus on performance while shooting. A common error is to think about your score while on the station. One solution for this problem is to run a mental program. A mental program is a planned, practiced sequence of mental activity that controls the Conscious mind while shooting. We will look at that technique in detail in a future article.

Looking at Fig. 5 we see a Self Image circle that is too large. This

eshooter is overconfident. The shooter stops learning and is susceptible to the false idea that he need not continue to grow as a shooter. Normally this shooter is taken to the cleaners by a junior in a big competition. That usually gets their attention. The best solution is not to reduce the Self Image but to grow the Conscious and Subconscious circles by returning to a learning mode.

The key point is to learn to balance your mental processes. If you can determine that one process is smaller than the others you know where to put your future efforts. If you are frustrated, YOU ARE OUT OF BALANCE.

Remember, no one can defeat a shooter who has his mental processes in balance UNLESS they face a shooter who has larger circles and is also in balance. In future articles we will look at specific ways to build these mental processes and increase the size of your circles.

You can reach him at 972-899-9640 or at www.mentalmanagement.com.

It is a violation of Federal law to use the term in any form

Lanny Bassham is an Olympic Coach and an Olympic Gold Medalist. He is a member of the Olympic Shooting Hall of Fame, ranks third among all shooters in total international medal count for the USA and one of the most respected mental trainers in the world. His book ‘With Winning in Mind’ and his Mental Management® concepts are used and endorsed by Olympian and World Champion shooters.

Mental Management® is a registered term, owned by Lanny Bassham.

without permission from the owner. All rights are reserved.

THE

BOSS OVER AND UNDER

A few years ago I spent some time in London with one of the most famous names in the Italian gun trade, a man highly regarded by his peers as one of the most inventive practical gunmakers of his era. It was his first visit to London and unlike most tourists he was not bothered to see Buckingham Palace, Big Ben or the Tower. There was only one name on his list of ‘must see’ sights – the Piccadilly premises of Boss & Co.

Paying homage in this way to such a small firm, the total output of which over two centuries is but a drop in the ocean to the Italian trade, tells you much about the regard today’s gunmakers have for Boss. The modern Italian trade is centered on the over-and-under concept and before Boss there was no viable over-and-under shotgun.

Nor would there have needed to be one except that by the end of the 19th century the British gun trade had painted itself into a corner. The previous 50 years had been good times. Constant innovation had meant that the famous gunmaking

names had been able to sell their customers something new roughly every ten years or so. Breechloaders replaced muzzleloaders, centre fire replaced pin fire. Then the hammerless revolution made another generation of guns obsolete and so the wheel kept on turning.

Except by the year 1900 there were no more revolutions left. The trade had perfected the sporting shotgun. For the affluent it was a hammerless sidelock from a prestigious address in Mayfair,

London, elegant and efficient and the finest that skilled hands could fashion. The less wealthy shopped in Birmingham for their Anson and Deeley boxlocks, less stylish but no less effective. So well were they made that they would last the average sportsman several lifetimes.

And here was the dilemma. The trade had created a product that was too good, guns that were almost impossible to wear out and stylistically so alike that only the most obsessive could tell a Purdey

from a Woodward or a Boss at five paces. Shooting’s rapid explosion in popularity was slowing, so the number of new customers was dwindling and why should the existing owners bother to change when they already had perfection?

This was the challenge facing John Robertson, the gifted gunmaker and inventor who had taken over the famous old firm of Boss & Co in 1891. He decided to tackle it by returning to a much earlier form of gun design in which

RICHARD RAWLINGSON LOOKS AT A GUN THAT INSPIRED A WHOLE GENERATION OF MAKERS

the barrels were stacked one on top of the other, rather than side by side as convention now demanded.

The concept of superposed barrels had been known for centuries but had largely faded away with the arrival of breechloading guns, which were difficult to build in this configuration. A few German makers persisted with the idea but their efforts were heavy and ugly with poor handling. Robertson envisaged a gun that reproduced the slim elegance and grace of the

best London side-by-sides and offered similar handling characteristics.

He quickly came up against the problem that had plagued all attempts to create a breechloading o/u – what to do with the barrel lumps. If they were hung under the bottom barrel as on a conventional side-by-side, a deep slab-sided action results, the antithesis of the London ‘Best’. In a wonderful piece of sideways thinking, the Boss patent effectively splits the lumps in two and sticks them either side of the bottom barrel – the famous ‘bifurcated’ lumps. These mate with projections in the action walls to provide a solid and very strong lock up. The barrels pivot on stub pins, not a full width hinge pin and consequently sit very low in the action frame.

Robertson’s name alone appears

concept – usual to us now that is, but new to the audience of 90 years ago. Advertisements highlighted the benefits of the single sighting plane – ‘like pointing with one finger instead of three’ – and the advantages of a deeper fore arm for a more comfortable grip. Reviews made much of the fine balance and handling built into the gun, while Boss were so confident of the strength of the action that they claimed 100,000 shots could be fired ‘without the least danger of the action being loosened.’

The new concept might have swept the world had Boss not indeed been builders of ‘best guns only’. Hand crafting the new gun and the resulting high prices, kept output low. By 1950 only 396 overand-unders had been built.

Although the Boss concept would be adopted by others,

range, the MX8 was developed for the Mexico Olympics of 1968. Since then it has found success wherever clay targets are shot, including Sporting Clays.

The great achievement of Perazzi has been not only to build guns that stay true to the fine handling of the original and are totally focused on the business of winning competitions, but are affordable to the average shooter. Modern production methods use machines to replace hundreds of hours of painstaking filing of metal and wood. Trigger plate lockwork is used instead of complex sidelocks that require extensive hand fitting. Stocks are machine milled and interchangeable.

They are by no means the cheapest competition guns, but Perazzi ownership is certainly within the reach of most, unlike the marketing hyperbole about them,

DANIELE PERAZZI HAS DONE THE MOST TO UNLOCK THE POTENTIAL OF THE BOSS ACTION FOR COMPETITION USE, PARTICULARLY WITH THE MX8 FIRST DEVELOPED FOR THE 1968 MEXICO OLYMPICS. n

Of all the great guns that we have featured in this series none, I would be prepared to wager, has ever broken more clays than the subject of this month’s profile. Over the last 40 years the Remington 1100 and the 11-87 that evolved from it, has been a fixture wherever targets are thrown, on Trap and Skeet fields or Sporting Clays courses alike. Furthermore it remains the only autoloader ever to win a World Championship – twice in fact in the hands of England’s Duncan Lawton. Not bad for a gun that has always been priced very much at the budget end of the market compared to the more prestigious overand-under.

The sheer affordability of the 1100, coupled with an innate ‘shootability’, has always been at the root of its popularity. When it was launched in 1963 it put championship winning potential in the hands of anyone with around $200 to spare. That was less than half the price of Browning’s Superposed, the most

popular o/u. Even today a used 1100 remains one of the least expensive ways to make a start in clay target shooting.

Remington of course had plenty of experience with the autoloader concept before the 1100. Having bought the rights to make Browning’s original Auto-5 design, designated the Remington Model 11, it became a mainstay of their catalog for half a century, reappearing after the Second World War as the 11-48. This largely cosmetic revamp however only glossed over the fact that the Browning ‘long recoil’ design was looking distinctly long in the tooth by the 1950s, the distinctive ‘double shuffle’ of the rearward traveling barrel off-putting to many. Several attempts were made to develop alternative self loading systems, in particular by harnessing the gases produced as a waste product of powder combustion, a concept already established in other areas of firearm design.

Remington were beaten to the market with a gas auto by the J.C. Higgins Model 60 which therefore

claims the prize as the first commercially available gun of its type. The Remington Model 58 followed soon after, in 1956, and won plaudits for its handling if not its ease of maintenance. It was joined in 1959 by the Model 878 ‘Automaster’ which featured a selfadjusting ‘Power-Piston’ to allow the use of different loads without adjustment.

Although undoubtedly softshooting and popular with hunters for their light weight, neither gun was the answer for the more demanding target shooting market and the huge popularity of Trap and Skeet shooting made this a vital sector. The Remington design team, led by engineer Wayne Leek, continued to search for the perfect all round gun.

By late 1962 Leek and his team felt that they had cracked the problem. Historian Roy Murcot records that the new gun was unveiled to the company’s advertising agency with the words “Gentlemen, this is our new Model and it’s going to revolutionize shotgun shooting.” Given the numbers that would be sold, even this apparent hyperbole looks mild in retrospect.

Unlike the earlier guns, which buried their key parts within the magazine and made maintenance a chore and reliability suspect, the 1100’s key feature was the positioning of the operating piston outside the magazine tube, giving much easier access for routine cleaning. Barrels could be interchanged without adjustment and the gun could be stripped down without tools or specialist skills.

Two things however really endeared the shooting public to the Model 1100. Firstly it was the softest shooting automatic yet produced – and by definition therefore the softest shooting gun, period. The operating system flattened out the recoil curve in a

way that significantly reduced the shooter’s perception of recoil.

The company made much of this in its early advertising. I have in front of me a 1965 catalogue (right) which claims up to 55% less recoil than fixed-action guns. “My boy says the kick doesn’t bother him at all – and it doesn’t. He’s shooting better than ever”, wrote a happy customer.

Secondly, from the beginning the gun handled really well. The designers paid enormous attention to issues such as the stock design and balance to make the 1100 appeal to the greatest number of people, putting the prototypes into real world situations and listening carefully to feedback from users. And appeal it did. It took just nine years for Remington to sell the first million guns and by 1983 three million had been produced – a staggering number in such a short period. Interestingly, the late Don Zutz advanced a theory why this might be so, showing that the 1100’s receiver height of 2.4 inches was less than many so-called ‘low profile’ over-and-unders. He also noted that while the typically bulky fore arm wins few prizes for aesthetics, it does have the virtue of keeping both hands in the same plane and in line with the bore axis. That ‘shootability’ may indeed have some scientific base, whether by intention or happy accident.

The 1100 was the gun that finally cracked the Trap shooting market

HISTORYLESSON

and Skeet shooters adopted them in droves, the gun being available in all four competition gauges from 1969 onwards and setting many records along the way. Murcot records that the gun regularly accounted for 60-70% of guns in use at major Skeet tournaments throughout the 1970s and 80s. ‘Perfect balance, excellent pointing and fast swinging qualities make this gun a target buster wherever it is used’ enthused the copywriters about the original Skeet model.

It was not just domestic Skeet either, the company produced a special edition commemorating Dan Carlisle’s feat of shooting 200 straight in a major Olympic Skeet

tournament with an 1100. It was only natural then that enthusiasts discovering the new game of Sporting Clays would take their trusty Remingtons with them, establishing a place for autos that shows no sign of diminishing today.

In 1987 the first major change to the design appeared with the introduction of the Model 11-87. Identical on the outside, there are important differences under the skin, not least a self-metering relief valve that allows a wider range of loads to be used. The 1100 continued however in small gauges and has recently made a comeback in 12-gauge, proving just how good the original concept was.

has been built in a bewildering number of model variations. A whole industry has grown up around the gun offering modifications and replacement parts. While it is true that there are plenty of bits on an 1100 that can –and do – break, the cost of replacement is low in terms of both parts and labor. Collectors in the future will have an almost endless array of high grade, limited edition and special models to pursue and already the rarer examples are starting to attract values that seem outrageous for a gun that started out at under $200. Buy them to lay down now if you can bear not to shoot them!

Not surprisingly the success of the 1100 has drawn many competitors into the market. Who wouldn’t be attracted by the thought of 3 million guns in 25 years? Today it is Beretta who have the cutting edge designs, with Browning’s new generation guns hard on their heels. All these rivals though are using the market Remington created as their launch pad, making the 1100 truly one of the most significant guns of the 20th century.

IF YOU ARE PRESENTLY CONTENT AND HAVE NO INTENTION OF CHANGING ANY ASPECT OF YOUR PHYSICAL OR MENTAL APPROACH TO SHOOTING YOU MIGHT AS WELL STOP READING THIS ARTICLE AND ENJOY THE REST OF THE MAGAZINE! This article is directed specifically toward those in classes E through B who enjoy Sporting Clays tournaments and would like to advance to the next class in approximately 6 months.

We will proceed on the premise you want to move to a higher class,

ANYONE CAN IMPROVE HIS OR HER SHOOTING SKILL AND PERFORMANCE. THE QUESTION IS, IF YOU WANT TO IMPROVE, HOW AND WHAT DO YOU DO? MARK BROWNLEE HAS THE ANSWER.

THE IMPROVEMENT EQUATION

NOTHING IS PARTICULARLY HARD IF YOU DIVIDE IT INTO SMALL ENOUGH JOBS. HENRY FORD

your shooting time is limited and you are willing to reallocate your time and resources for 6 months to achieve your goal. You must also be willing to consider what may be new ways of thinking regarding instruction and the fundamental way you approach Sporting Clays.

Follow these proven training principles to the letter and you will most likely achieve your goal. Skip steps or take shortcuts and you will likely return to the old level of skill and performance quite quickly. To

reach this new level you must engage in a 4-step process of commitment, learning, practice and maintaining your commitment. Here are specific steps that will lead you to a new level of shooting skill and performance.

HOW TO COMMIT

MAKE THE DECISION! Are you going to commit to becoming a better shooter, yes or no? If you answered yes, congratulations, you now have

a mission. Get a training notebook and write on the first page. “I will improve and do everything in my power to follow my improvement plan.”

SET GOALS AND BUILD A PLAN. What will you do, when, where and how? Be sure goals are specific, realistic, measurable, time oriented, under your control and positively stated. Avoid outcome goals like, “my goal is to win the State Championship.” You need to create an end goal, such as, “my goal is to achieve class

B by June 2004.” Now create process goals that promote the development of skills necessary to reach the end goal. Use a pen (no computer!) and write the goals in a notebook. The more you write them the more powerful they become.

VALUE TIME. Your shooting time is precious. Limit your focus and remove distractions. Take 5 full minutes and ponder the question, what is really important for shooting well? With honest reflection you will realize that the essentials are movement control and mental focus. The rest is trivia. Now that you realize this truth, apply it. Become objective and surrender your biases about equipment and gadgets. Stop listening to every opinion on how to hit a target and clear your mind. EQUIPMENT. There are initially only five equipment concerns at this time: 1 Test and prove that your shotgun has no gross problem with barrel point of impact. 2 With a coach, or gunfitter, ensure you have a good gun fit. Since your movement skills are going to change, this is not the time for a custom stock or expensive gun. 3 Select a choke between .010 and .015 constriction. Take it out only to clean it. 4 Shoot only one cartridge: 28 gram, 71/2 shot, light to moderate speed. 5 Use only two pairs of lenses – one lighter tint, the other darker.

PREVENT INTERFACE. Keep your plan private or reveal it only to close allies who will support your effort 100% and honor your trust. Your mind is now ready to learn.

HOW TO LEARN

Learning is the relatively permanent change in performance as a result of practice or past experience. There is no guarantee that a lot of experience or practice will result in positive learning. Wrong experience or practice

creates negative learning and from now on do everything in your power to prevent it. After 20 years of studying and using human performance enhancement principles from sport science research around the world, I have developed this magical improvement equation:

S = SS x PS x MC (Success = Small Steps x Proper Sequence x Mental Commitment). Here’s how to use the equation to become a better shooter in the quickest time possible.

TO INCREASE SKILL, SIMPLIFY MOVEMENT. Removing basic flaws and unnecessary motion will literally make shooting easier. Gain an understanding for the precise movement necessary to control the tip of the muzzle in relation to the target.

Improvement has nothing to do with a method of ‘leading’ the target and everything to do with learning to move efficiently.

LISTEN TO YOUR COACH. To learn efficiently you must use the principles of whole-part-whole learning – periodization, reminiscence, latency, modeling (the 4 steps of motor skill instruction) and the association of the central nervous system with skill development. Sound complicated? It is. But you don’t have to understand any of it. A good coach will analyze your biomechanics and skillfully translate the analysis into simple drills, exercises, movement cues, and practice programs that will facilitate your improvement. If you want to be a great performer, find the teacher who is genuinely committed to your success, understands these principles, then leave the analysis to them and commit to the plan they create.

CHANGE YOUR FUNDAMENTAL APPROACH. Rather than forcing your untrained movements on the game, develop movement skills

IMPROVEMENTEQUATION

that meet the requirements of the game.

ELIMINATE IRRATIONAL THOUGHTS. Positive learning is never continuous. If the outlined principles are being followed the nature of learning is: improve, plateau, regress…improve, plateau, regress…in a continuous cycle with more skill acquired after each improvement. It is irrational to believe you will improve continually and if the learning process is haphazard and unstructured the plateau and regression stages will predominate.

HOW TO PRACTICE

Anything done differently initially feels awkward. Never succumb to the temptation to return to old habits. Exercise mental discipline because this desire will be overwhelming during the plateau and regression phases when your

effort will not immediately result in better scores. Other people and your own mind will question your resolve, mock your efforts and demand a return to your old patterns. Resolutely refuse and remember improvement is a process of sacrificing your present game for a better future game.

TRUST THE COACH. They are responsible for structuring effective practice sessions and will determine the schedule based on your time allotment. The schedule must utilize the concept of periodization.

PREPARE FOR PRACTICE. Determine what you will accomplish. Have only 1-3 goals per session. Physically warm-up and stretch before practice. Incorporate 5-7 minute rest periods for every 20 minutes shooting practice. Never shoot more than 200 shells in a session. Shoot three 2-hour practice sessions for every 100 target round

IMPROVING YOUR COMPETITION GAME ONLY COMES WITH COMMITMENT.

on a course and six 2-hour sessions and two 100-target rounds for each tournament. Never practice the two days before a tournament.

MASTER THE THREE BASIC PRESENTATIONS. Every target is a variation of going away, crossing, and incoming. You must substitute shooting rounds on a course for structured practice to create the opportunity to master the basic shots of the game. If you only shoot rounds it is unlikely you will ever master the basic

presentations, regardless of how many years you shoot.

FOLLOW A SEQUENCE. Begin with presentation 1 progressing through 6 (as listed). Devote three 2-hour sessions to each, (i.e. shoot going away for three 2-hour sessions progressively adding the variables, then move on to sessions with quartering targets adding the variables, etc.). Repeat the 1-6 sequence. Add Steps 7 and 8 when your coach determines appropriate.

MAINTAIN COMMITMENT

Always remember what is really important – write your goals in a notebook and review them often. It is important that you maintain absolute belief in yourself, you are a competent person with a smart plan and you will improve. Other helpful tips include:

• Put up photos of yourself in previous successful situations and look at them often.

• Remember the natural learning

THROUGH VICTORY SHOOTING SCHOOL, MARK BROWNLEE TEACHES PHYSICAL AND MENTAL SKILLS DEVELOPMENT FOR WING AND CLAY SHOOTING. PRIVATE AND GROUP SESSIONS FOR ALL SKILL LEVELS ARE AVAILABLE IN COLUMBIA, MISSOURI AND WORLDWIDE. IN ADDITION, CYBER COACHING PROGRAMS THROUGH TELEPHONE, EMAIL AND AUDIO CONSULTATION ARE AVAILABLE. TO DISCOVER HOW TO ENHANCE YOUR SHOOTING SKILL, PERFORMANCE, AND ENJOYMENT CONTACT MARK AT, TEL. 816.489.5855, EMAIL: MB.SPORTPSYCH@AOL.COM

cycle of improve, plateau, regress, improve – and persist through the regression.

• Enjoy your small successes and reward yourself often.

• Create a graduation “diploma” with a special reward for when you achieve major goals. You now have a choice. With new awareness of how to realize your shooting dreams, will you invest wisely in yourself, take action and implement a smart plan, or will you continue squandering precious time and resources doing what hasn’t worked and is unlikely to ever work? I think most shooters would consider themselves ‘no nonsense’ type of people. You decide which approach to shooting improvement is nonsense. n

We are passionate about the shooting sports and are driven to help women become involved in the great outdoors. Our goal is to provide the equipment and knowledge that make the experience more enjoyable and less stressful. This is our mission.

RICHARD RAWLINGSON BEN BRUNTON

Damned if they do and damned if they don’t – that seems to be the position most Championship target setters are in right now. Set them tough and the customer will rebel.

‘Mr Average’, ego bruised beyond repair, will go hunting for his golf clubs and commercial ruin will surely follow. But woe betide anyone who sets a ‘soft’ course, for hell hath no fury like a shooter who feels patronized by targets set beneath his ability.

This is the position that numerous Championship target setters have found themselves in this season. There’s been a torrent of criticism on the internet discussion boards claiming courses were too easy and not worthy of the status of the event in question, or adverse comment because the targets were seen as unduly difficult. It begins to look like a lose-lose situation.

However, those shooters that are so quick to complain rarely differentiate between bad targets and difficult targets. Bad targets

usually result from lack of thought or a target setter running out of ideas – poor backgrounds that make targets an eye test, too small a shooting window or a target that is difficult to address due to station restrictions. Naturally, such targets have no place on any Club or National course – that’s a given. But ‘difficult’ or ‘technical’ targets are a different matter and certainly do have a place in our major Championships – as our roundtable discussion confirms.

CLUB FUN

Though the target quality debate has been particularly vocal this year, it should be pointed out that it mainly relates to ‘Big Blasts’ and Championships. As a sport, we would all echo the same thoughts that at Club, Corporate and newcomer levels, ‘hitting targets and entertainment’ is paramount. The same sentiment applies to the many thousands of NSCA

members (and many more nonNSCA members) who shoot regularly – probably at more than one club – but have no interest in the competitive side of the sport.

Because there is no Pro-tour in shooting, the regular weekend circuit is a largely amateur affair. If that means a Cherry or a Duffy comes along and wins a minor registered event with 96 or 98 and mostly everyone shoots their average or more, there’s no problem with that – the cream always rises to the top.

However, range owners also have a duty to their customers and club members to offer the opportunity for improvement to those that want to improve. Staying in the ‘comfort zone’ with soft targets is not everybody's idea of a progressive sport. Sporting Clays is fun but it is even more fun when shooters start to master the tougher shots. Even at club level the target setter should be encouraged to occasionally push the envelope on

STUCK BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE

TARGETDEBATE

one or two stations of a course. Get some crossing targets out at 35 yards and let the shooter get used to seeing the kind of sight picture needed to break them. Wind the springs up on one or two machines so the target flies 100 yards rather than all flopping to the ground at 50 yards. Only by doing this will

TARGETDEBATE

they stand. Similarly, if it is intended as a ‘fun for all shoot’, I doubt you will lose too many customers by advertising the fact!

COMPETITIVE NATURE

The simplest of surveys shows that at grass roots, Club and Corporate

that there are two separate worlds colliding – two quite disparate groups of people travelling the same road but hoping to reach different destinations. On the one hand we have those that believe a top Championship should be ‘fun for all’ and on the other we have those who say that top level competition

Cherry, Jon Kruger or Andy Duffy on the same squad at the next major Championship – just by being eligible to enter and coming up with the entry fee (and long may that continue to be the case!).

For any ‘Big Blast’ the target setter must also contend with the fact that, unlike Trap and Skeet,

FITASC COMPETITORS HAVE NO FEAR OF DIFFICULT TARGETS –AND COMPETITION COURSES ARE GETTING EVER TOUGHER.

ground owners help the shooter bridge the gap between ‘home turf’ and competition shooting.

And as a shooter, if faults are exposed, do something about it by getting expert help. The brutal truth is that most lower class shooters are down there (and likely to remain so) because of basic flaws in technique that are repeated over and over again, weekend after weekend. In any other sport it is accepted that improvement comes with coaching and practice. But in shooting we are more likely to accept advice from a fellow shooter – or complain about the targets we missed.

Maybe there is a lesson for shoot promoters to learn too. Why not be honest up front with your paying public? If you intend to set a couple of tough stations on your next 100 target course why not say so and let everyone know where

levels, the sport is in good heart and continues to attract ever increasing numbers of participants – hittable targets and the entertainment value of our sport is self evident.

But for others, the competitive nature of the sport starts to kick in with the shooting of registered events and a wish to improve their classification – with attendance at a State Championship perhaps being their ultimate goal.

Next up comes the truly competitive shooter, a group of probably only 2,000 competitors that regularly attend Zone, National, International or World Championships – and it is amongst this group that a small minority continue to fuel the ‘target quality’ debate.

Reading internet postings and various recent magazine articles you could be forgiven for believing

should be a true challenge with targets that test everyone.

OPEN TO ALL

Why should this debate surround top Sporting Clays Championships when it is unheard of in most other sports? The root is in the game's unique feature, the one thing that sets shooting apart from other sporting activities – no qualifiers, quarter-finals or semi-finals.

Basically, there is no other sport in which Joe Shooter gets to play at the same time as the big boys. You can’t tee off with Tiger Woods at Pebble Beach unless you’ve qualified to be a member of the elite PJA Tour, nor can you be on the same team as Roger Clemens unless you’re good enough to play in the Major League. But you can join Wendell

there are no ‘regulation’ targets. Different targets, different levels of difficulty from station to station and venue to venue is the true attraction of Sporting Clays – and at the top level of competition those in B, C, D and E classes have to accept that they will find this more of a challenge to their technique and ability than A, AA and Master class shooters.

There are three ‘weapons’ that a target setter has available to him to try and make the shooter miss the target – speed, angle and distance. Most target setters know that combining any two of these factors makes for an ‘entertaining’ course – typified by a State or Zone shoot. Even when using distance, provided plenty of dome or belly is on show, the target is still very hittable.

But at ‘big money shoots’ and at top Championship level, the target

FOR MOST COMPETITORS THERE IS NO DEBATE. THEY WANT TARGETS THAT FORCE THEM TO MAKE THE SHOT RATHER THAN HAVING TARGETS THAT THEY CAN’T AFFORD TO MISS – AND TO A TRUE COMPETITION SHOOTER THERE IS A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO.

setter may turn the screw up a little further and will introduce difficult true pairs, ensure the ‘easier’ target is the second report target, force you to rush the shot, make you move your feet between shots and may on every second or third station, start combining speed, angle AND distance into one target. Spread over 24 or 28

stations on two 100 target courses where targets are easily lost, this is the ultimate test of how good you really are. While for many this is a good enough reason in itself to enter the Championship, others are not prepared to be challenged and certainly don’t seem to learn from the experience. Having been challenged and found wanting,

they tend to do little to put things right before re-appearing at the next ‘Big Blast’ – other than compain about the targets that they consider were unhittable or unfair.

Going back to the golf analogy, lets imagine that you do get to go head to head with Tiger Woods next week. Having paid your green fee do you then have the right to complain that it was not fair because he hits the ball further than you do – or the greens had more of a slope than on your course at home? Certainly not. You would have been humbled by both course and opposition, but you would come away with a fair idea of just how far you are away from the very top level. The choice is then yours – stay where you are or set about improving your game.

And is this not the same as the shooter venturing out to shoot a top Championship? As you move up through Zone and National events, this is where things go beyond entertainment and enter the realm of serious athletic competition. Enter by all means, but whatever your class, expect to have your skills examined in a way that might not be altogether comfortable. To sanitize the top Championships just to enhance the entertainment devalues the kudos of the event – particularly to the HOA and class winners.

For most competitors there is no debate. They want targets that force them to make the shot rather than having targets that they can’t afford to miss – and to a true competition shooter there is a world of difference between the two. As they progress from Club to the competitive Championship

circuit they expect the ride to get tougher as they seek that elusive title or class win.

Sadly, we can only conclude that as always, the most vocal group to complain about target quality are those few just outside the top flight (in whatever class) whose technique, ability, lack of practice and minimal commitment meant they had no chance of winning anyway – and are searching for yet another excuse.

But when it comes to the major Championships that are expensive to enter (not to mention travel and hotel costs) perhaps the biggest mistake the sport is making is trying to please “all of the people all of the time”. This was the criticism most heard regarding the US Open and World FITASC. More than a few competitors expressed the view that targets were far short of challenging for a major and World level competition. One size clearly does not fit all and it is futile to expect that it ever will.

The target debate will continue, year upon year, until the shooters that enter such events inject a little honesty and realism into the way they approach such Championships and subsequently analyze their performance.

But let no-one forget that each year there are many hundreds of registered shoots across the country – Club events, State, Zone and Nationals. It’s not on many occasions that the target setters get it wildly wrong – and those competitors that vent their anger on the intent, rather than reevaluating and then improving their own ability, are the same few that are rarely on the podium! n

NOTHING COULD BE MORE TEMPTING FOR A TARGET SETTER THAN SOME OF THE SUPERB TERRAIN FOUND AT MOST CHAMPIONSHIP VENUES.

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YOU MAKE IT LOOK SO EASY

I recently came across a pair of high incoming targets— directly overhead—and missed them all. Any tips for next time?

High incoming targets directly over-head usually don’t take much lead (depending on the speed). However, if you are talking about a driven target, those do require some lead. For a driven target you can only focus on the target, otherwise the gun blocks the target out. When you are really focused on the bird, the gun seems to become invisible. Then you judge the lead, and move with the bird to a comfortable kill point and squeeze the trigger.

I often have difficulty seeing orange targets against clear blue sky (particularly edge on crossers) or against green backgrounds. What types and colours of lenses do you use or recommend?

I only use one color of shooting lenses for everything. The Oakley Hi-Intensity orange lenses work great for me. If you are having difficulty seeing all orange targets against a blue sky background, your best bet would be to just borrow a few different lenses and see which ones work best for you. I could say that a darker lens might help you, but everyone’s eyes are different.

I use a semi-auto and make my choke selection based on the hardest of the two targets on any particular station—but that sometimes puts me at a disadvantage with the easier target. How much more of an advantage is it to use an over & under choked specifically for each target—what gun and shell combination do you use?

I also shoot a semi-auto. It happens to be a Browning Gold Sporting Clays. I shoot Armusa Super 12 7½s at everything. Shooting an auto does leave you at a disadvantage for choke selection, however, autos have a faster feel and it’s also easier to see through one barrel

CORY KRUSE

two. How much of a disadvantage is it? Well it depends. If you have a belly up target 10 yards away and a 50 yd crosser in the pair, then an O/U would obviously offer an advantage. You’re right – with an auto you should always choke to the longest target. This of course is dependent upon the skill level and mechanics of the shooter.

What technique do you use to shoot a standard teal and would you use the same technique if it was in a true pair?

As a single or true pair, the way I shoot this particular target is to start off with the gun out of my shoulder. When I call pull, I intersect the target at about threequarters of its peak point, at which time I run with the bird, or some may say ‘ride it’, for a comfortable distance so I get that feeling of control with the clay. I then stretch the lead out as the bird gets further away and pull the trigger. However, if the target is falling at a reasonable distance, I intersect it as it starts to fall and stretch the lead out, just as I would if it was rising.

How do you prepare for a shoot-off—and what do you do during the shoot-off to keep concentrating on the targets rather than thinking about the outcome?

When I am in a shoot-off, I try and stay relaxed—no matter what my mind is on. It is almost impossible to try and not think about the outcome of a shoot-off, so the way I try and stay relaxed is to either just analyze the target a little more than I normally would, and try to concentrate on the pairs more than the actual shoot-off. If your mind is on the targets and not on winning or losing, you will stay relaxed and stay in the present, not in the future.

A quartering steeply rising target from left to right catches me out every time. I shoot sustained lead and can see the right lead but never get the line. How do you shoot such targets? For targets like that, your hold point is critical. If you’re in too close, it beats you. If you’re too far out, you waste time that you could be using to be moving with the target. First get a good hold point. Second, make a precise intersection point, move with the target, and stretch out the lead. For more tips contact Dan Carlisle!

A no bird often upsets my concentration. Why does this happen and what routine do you use to ensure it does not upset you during competition? In some cases like FITASC, you aren’t allowed to shoot at a ‘no-bird’ call. Whenever allowed, I shoot the no-birds, and use them as practice! Immediately after a ‘No Bird’ you can easily lose a target if you are not concentrating. Take nothing for granted. Go back to the fundamentals of the pair, and re-focus.

As a Master Class shooter do you still have the occasional coaching session to sharpen up your game—or do you rely solely on regular practice? How much practice do you think is necessary to maintain form? Of course I do! My coach is Dan Carlisle, and everyone sometimes goes into a slump or just needs retuning. It is also important to make sure your gun fits you. You may not notice it, but if you’re still growing like I am, you need to have it checked every now and then. Master Gunfitter Anthony Matarese Jr. fitted my gun for me. He likes to use the moleskin approach to raise the comb, which he saw that I needed. Moleskin is also a very helpful medical supply that you can pick up at any local pharmacy.

Yes, a good practice routine helps also. That is the best time to find out whether you need a good sharpening! I try to practice at least one time a week, and a lesson with Dan once a month. I concentrate solely on the birds that have been giving me trouble. When I practice, I try to shoot about 200-300 targets or just until I feel comfortable.

Floating crossers are a nightmare. They are so slow that there’s no gun swing and half way through their flight they start dropping. How do you shoot such targets? Any slow floating target, with the method I shoot, you have to square the target off on the front edge, hold it for that split second to get that feel of control and then stretch as it starts to fall—making sure you don’t shoot over the top.

Shooting crossers, loopers and quartering targets that are set to fly behind trees and or bushes invariably causes problems with my pick up point or break point—which is obviously the target setters intention. Any tips? Any targets that have obstacles in their path (trees, bushes, fences) are always difficult to see. I attempt to select a ‘spot’ where I can first see the flash. Specifically, I will select the tree limb or the rock, or part of the bush the target came from. A lot of times the tree or bush is exactly in the middle of the breakpoint. In this case, I try to mount more in front of the clay, hold and then stretch to fire. This allows me to shoot the target sooner, with less barrel motion and still maintain control.

With the spread of a shotgun, why is it so easy to miss a crossing rabbit that is only 510 yards away? I tighten up every time I see such a target –Help!

2003 ACHIEVEMENTS

• National Sporting Champion

• World FITASC Junior Champion

•Freedom Cup Champion

•Masters Cup Champion

• Zone 6 Main Event, 5-Stand and Prelim Champion

• US-UK Masters FITASC and Sporting RU

•Texas State Shoot M1

• Browning Briley World Open 5-Stand Champion

•Southwest FITASC Champion

• Angle Port Open Main Event and 5-Stand RU

What people don’t realize about close rabbits is that it is the target setter’s intention to make you be precise. At that range, even with a cylinder choke, you are shooting a softball size pattern. That is why so many people miss that particular target. A Briley Diffusion Choke may help you with your problem.

The combination of crosser and a going away trap shot often results in the second target lost. On their own, trap shots are easy enough, but after a crosser I’m either over the top or up the side. Any advice on how to keep better control of the muzzle would be welcome. On any pair where the move is either horizontal then vertical or visa versa, you will have to reposition the barrel to the right hold point before the trapper can launch the second clay. Otherwise, you tend to throw the gun at the second target. So the tip is, on any pair, but mostly this scenario, reposition the barrel after your first shot. This allows you to shoot each target as a single, instead of a quick moving pair. Remember, the trapper pulls the second clay when he hears you take the first shot. You know when you shoot, so you have about 1/10 of a second to reposition your barrel to the new hold point before the trapper can pull the second clay. 

BERETTA SO

Indeed Beretta did not discontinue hammer gun production until 1964 and they would still happily build you a pin fire gun as late as 1938!

This was the context therefore for the development process that produced the Beretta SO over-andunder (or Sovrapposto). But attitudes were changing. Under the leadership of Pietro Beretta the company was becoming an international force, not just a leader in its domestic market. He would have been acutely aware of changes happening in Britain or Belgium and that would have included the emergence of the over-and-under shotgun, first in England from Boss and Woodward and then Browning’s Superposed built by Fabrique Nationale of Herstal in Belgium.

Weassociate the Italian gun trade today very firmly with innovation and progressive design but things were not always that way. Look back to the early years of the 20th century and you will be struck by how very conservative the offerings of the Brescia makers actually were. Not only did the side-by-side rule, but every maker still had a full selection of hammer models long after they had been declared passé in Western Europe.

The Browning would have been of far greater interest. The English guns were low volume, high price, technically superb but of little interest to a man with a large factory to keep in work. The Superposed however was intended to sell in a different market sector entirely, one that Beretta saw as a legitimate target.

The development work began soon after the Browning was

IN THIS LATEST INSTALLMENT RICHARD RAWLINGSON LOOKS AT THE GUN THAT PIONEERED THE ITALIAN OBSESSION WITH THE OVER-AND-UNDER FORMAT

unveiled and was entrusted to Beretta’s in-house designer Tullio Marengoni who worked at the Gardone factory all his life, starting as an apprentice in 1894 and continuing until his death in 1965. So important was he to the company that he lived in an apartment provided by his employers just a few yards from the factory and his contribution to the development of the modern Beretta was vast, if largely unsung.

Marengoni was not impressed by Browning’s design, finding its underslung lumps clumsy and inelegant. In an oblique reference to the competition in a catalog description of the SO, the Browning is described as ‘very high, heavy and ugly’. Instead he went to a locking system widely used on side-by-side guns, mounting the barrels low in the action body on stub pins and locking them by means of a cross bolt that emerged from the upper left side of the receiver.

His idea was considered radical and risky, but he rightly believed that it would hold the gun securely together because it dealt directly with the main directional forces which are up and away from the breech face and did not require any additional lock up. We can of course see the system still in use today, not only in the latest SO models but also the company’s very latest competition gun, the DT10 Trident.

The SO, as it became known, was first seen around 1932, but not commercially available until the 1935 year catalog. The other distinguishing feature is that it was designed from the outset as a true sidelock – Beretta recognizing early on that this would be an expensive gun to build and therefore going for a premium specification. A boxlock based on the same locking system, the ASE, was introduced in 1949, but it would be several more years

Other distinctive features of the new gun included the use of the monobloc system for making the barrels, ideally suited to the low profile design, and the novel ejector system located entirely within the monobloc – both concepts have stood the test of time in countless thousands of guns since.

The SO was intended from the very beginning to be a gun for both hunting and competition use, Italy’s passion for Trapshooting being firmly established by this stage.

The 1935 catalog lists a model called the S.03 Super Tiro, in 12gauge only, with double triggers

before Beretta found a way of getting production costs down sufficiently to make the dream of a truly affordable over-and-under a reality. That though is a story for another time…

† THE MONOBLOC BARREL WITH INTEGRATED EJECTORS HAS REMAINED A PATTERN FOR BERETTA GUNS FOR 70 YEARS.

√ MARENGONI’S SOLUTION TO THE LOCKING PROBLEM WAS THIS CROSS BOLT THAT ENGAGES WITH LUGS ON THE MONOBLOC.

MARENGONI WAS NOT IMPRESSED BY BROWNING’S DESIGN, FINDING ITS UNDERSLUNG LUMPS CLUMSY AND INELEGANT

…HIS IDEA WAS CONSIDERED RADICAL AND RISKY, BUT HE RIGHTLY BELIEVED THAT IT WOULD HOLD THE GUN SECURELY TOGETHER…

and automatic ejectors. Further details of the pre-war period are sketchy and production is likely to have been limited as war clouds gathered over Europe. The guns reappear immediately after the war largely unchanged but with the addition of a higher grade EL (Extra Lusso), to be joined later by even more lavish EELL grades.

Model descriptions and numbering for SO series guns can get complicated, but the SO3 designation always indicated a competition model. The SO4 joined the range in 1968 and the SO4 Trap was introduced in 1971 and was described as ‘derived from the SO3 EL’. It featured hand detachable locks, a new and improved single trigger and Monte Carlo stock. A specialist Skeet gun was also launched at the same time.

Sporting Clays guns began to appear in the early 1980s, largely for sale in Britain, France and Belgium where the sporting disciplines were most popular. In 1989 the SO5 became the standard competition grade and this has remained the case ever since, with Trap, Skeet and Sporting models continuing in production to the current time. Sporting models have also been produced in SO6 and SO6EELL grades during the last decade. As with all hand made guns however, there are lots of unique specifications around on guns made to special order.

The final chapter of the SO story to date opened in 1990, with the introduction of a 20-gauge version, the SO9. These exquisite small gauge guns have always been sold at a considerable premium to their 12-gauge big brothers and remain the rarest of the SOs.

I mentioned that the Sovrapposto was always intended to be a competition gun. The Beretta family were heavily involved in the sport, with Pietro Beretta’s nephew Carlo a regular at major tournaments. He played a key role in the development of the competition guns, bringing back to the factory the first hand experience of using them in the heat of competition. For Italian gunmakers, the Olympics have always been considered the pinnacle of the sport and medals are the fuel that powers sales. The first medal –gold – to fall to a Beretta SO shooter came in Melbourne in 1956 when Liano Rossini won the Trap competition with his SO3EELL. The guns continued to be the focus of Beretta’s Olympic activities until the emergence of the 680 series, although even today the SO5 continues to win medals in the hands of top Australian Russell Mark.

Judging the impact of the Beretta SO is not however all about numbers of guns sold or medals won, it is about its effect on attitudes. Beretta’s first o/u was

one of the most important guns in the process of establishing the superposed format as the unrivalled choice for competition use. It would not be an overstatement to suggest that virtually all of the current Italian trade has sprung from this one gun. n

RARE BEAST – THE SHORT LIVED SO5 GOLD.

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JUDGING THE IMPACT OF THE BERETTA SO IS NOT HOWEVER ALL ABOUT NUMBERS OF GUNS SOLD OR MEDALS WON, IT IS ABOUT ITS EFFECT ON ATTITUDES. BERETTA’S FIRST O/U WAS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT GUNS… IT WOULD NOT BE AN OVERSTATEMENT TO SUGGEST THAT VIRTUALLY ALL OF THE CURRENT ITALIAN TRADE HAS SPRUNG FROM THIS ONE GUN.

Beware of Jezebel!

I CAN PINPOINT THE EXACT DAY MY SHOOTING LIFE CHANGED. IN FACT I COULD, IF PRESSED, GIVE YOU THE EXACT HOUR.

Finding myself between appointments, with time to kill, I wandered into my local gun shop. Neville, the shop owner, was standing behind the counter removing the wrapping from a box. As I moved closer he stopped unwrapping and looked up. “This one’s a bit special Al ” he said by way of greeting, nodding toward the box he was working on. I moved closer to try to glimpse the item he was referring to. I came to

a sudden halt, unable to speak, seemingly incapable of anything other than staring at the vision of beauty lying there before my eyes. My brain slowly took in her deep sheen, softly reflecting the dull overhead lighting. As I stared, I drank in her shape, her long length, her profile and her promise of lithe athleticism, accentuated by a slight widening of the shoulders. I noticed my hands shaking. “My God, she’s beautiful,” I stammered,

“she’s perfect, just look at that figure”.

Neville was looking at me with a half smile on his face. “She’s certainly the best looking Beretta 682EELL I’ve seen in ages” he said. “Try her for size”. As I took her into my hands I felt a tingle, as if a small charge of electricity had passed between us. From that first moment she felt good in my hands, as if she had been waiting just for me. As she snuggled into my shoulder and my eyes focused on her slender rib, I was filled with a premonition of many great days ahead. Little did I know!

As I moved, she moved also –both of us in perfect unison. “Not only a great looker” I thought, “she’s a wicked mover as well, a real Jezebel!” I was hooked. I knew it, Neville knew it, in fact, he was already writing out the order! The only cloud on my horizon was that I already had a partner – a solid, dependable Lanber waiting for me at home. We’d been together for many years and although we’d had some very good times, none were what you’d call exceptional. In short, we were just comfortable with each other.

I’d already arranged that Lanber and I were going to an important competition at the weekend and I was now undecided as to who to take with me. Would it be fair of me to expect Jezebel to perform well straight away? Should I depend on Lanber one more

time? In the end I decided to take Lanber as usual. With the benefit of hindsight I have to say that my decision was a mistake. The whole weekend was a disaster. We performed like total strangers, as if Lanber realized that this was our last shoot together. On the following Monday I took Lanber into Neville and left her at the shop. I didn’t haggle over the price – I just turned my back and walked away.

At this point some readers might say that I was being cruel or foolish, but all I can say in my defence is that I had Jezebel. I was infatuated and that was all I could think about. From that point on I only had eyes for Jezebel, even though she was a hard mistress. She could reward me with some soaring performances, or send me to the depths of despair with behavior so sullen that I found it hard to believe that it could be the same Beretta.

It may just be coincidence that when she was giving me such a hard time she would perform miracles for total strangers. So attractive was she, that if left in a gun rack she would become the center of attraction. Just being there amongst the boxy Krieghoffs and the thick waisted matrons from Browning, she would stand out so beautifully. The plain-Jane Perazzi’s never got a second look when Jezebel was around, and because she was so eye catching, everyone wanted to hold her. I would just grit my teeth and nod whenever my permission was sought. Grit my teeth? Oh yes, because I knew what was going to happen next. Jezebel would be taken to the nearest practice station and reward her admirer with his only straight of the day! Jezebel always performed well for strangers.

As the months went by I noticed that our performances were deteriorating and that I was no longer getting any ‘vibes’ from Jezebel. What I was getting was a large bruise on my cheek. “Have her altered,” said fellow shooters. I used to recoil in horror! How could anyone suggest such radical surgery on something so perfect? “Oh no,” I would say, “It’s not Jezebel, it’s me. I’m not holding her properly”. At that, people would give me an odd look, shake their heads and walk away. Things went from bad to worse to the extent that I stayed away from regular competitions and eventually didn’t want to

go out at all – but Jezebel was always there, insisting that we go, humiliating me when we did. Something had to give.

As I lay in bed one Sunday morning I decided to force the issue, I would take Jezebel out and subject her to an experience that would make or break our relationship. I suppose it was unforgivable to subject her to something so patently beneath her sporting pedigree, so hideously boring, but it had to be done. Yes! You’ve guessed – I subjected her to a round of skeet! She hated it with a vengeance, canting and muzzle flipping in indignation.

I suppose that it was inevitable that our relationship would collapse after such humiliation and it was with mixed feelings that together we made the journey back to Neville’s for the last time. He seemed to understand and gave me a good price for Jezebel, but it wasn’t really the money I wanted settled, it was the conflict within me. How could something that looked so good treat me so bad?

I refused Neville’s offer to loan me another gun as I was determined never to shoot again, but I’m afraid my desire to shoot was too strong. Trouble was, every gun I tried just didn’t feel right for one reason or another. No matter how hard I tried I just couldn’t give the damned sport up. I still shoot – and have learned to be content to just be one of the crowd, competitions mean nothing now.

Oh, by the way, did I tell you that I’m back with Lanber? Neville phoned to say that she had come back in to the shop and he would hold her for me. It was all very tentative at first but gradually we have settled into the old comfortable routine, and as I’ve already said, I’m content with that and will stray no more.

And Jezebel? It’s all right. Honestly! I don’t mind you asking. At my weekly counseling sessions I hardly flinch now when she is mentioned. She lives with a taxi driver. I see them now and then and I’ve seen the telltale signs – pride and happiness followed by confusion and, no doubt, in time, frustration followed by humiliation. I suppose he will wake up one morning, feel the same as I did and Jezebel will find herself back on the rack in the gun shop.

So if you’re unhappy with your present gun and think you could do with a change, just remember, Jezebel may still be out there waiting. You’ve been warned! n

THE NATIONAL FIREARMS MUSEUM IS A VIRTUAL MICROCOSM OF AMERICAN HISTORY – A HAVEN FOR THE GUN COLLECTOR, HUNTER, HISTORIAN, SPORTING CLAYS ENTHUSIAST AND AMERICAN CITIZEN. THE MUSEUM, APPROPRIATELY LOCATED IN VIRGINIA WHOSE ‘HISTORY IS AMERICA’S HISTORY,’ DISPLAYS OVER 2,000 GUNS WITH AN EMPHASIS ON THEIR PARTICULAR ROLE IN AMERICA’S HERITAGE.

THE NATIONAL FIREARMS MUSEUM

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REPORT BY CAROL WALTER

Among the museum’s exhibits are firearms that belonged to generals and movie stars, to crown princes and Presidents. Two guns, owned by the Rough Rider himself, President Theodore Roosevelt, are shown here. One is a richly decorated .32 caliber FN-Browning, Model 1900 pistol, which Roosevelt is said to have kept for personal protection. The other is a .45 caliber, double-barrel hunting rifle made for him by Fred Adolph, a custom gun builder located in Genoa, New York. Engraving on the Adolph rifle includes game scenes on the gun’s frame and presidential seals, carved into the breech end of each barrel.

q In the 1840s, westward expansion took gunmakers to the edge of civilization – and their wares, beyond it. Operating from a shop in St. Louis, MO, brothers Jacob and Samuel Hawken built the Plains Rifles that, in the hands of legendary mountain men like Jim Bridger and Kit Carson, opened the west. The brothers’ rifles earned such a reputation that – to this day – the generic term ‘hawken’ refers to rifles of the type they helped develop.

With 15 well-thought-out, carefully crafted galleries, some four hundred years of American history is chronicled – from guns carried ‘across the pond’ by John Alden aboard The Mayflower and a Jamestown matchlock musket (‘Old Guns in a New World’) to guns used in twentieth-century warfare in a gallery entitled ‘Ever Vigilant,’ which also includes guns of several U.S. Presidents. The bravery of American settlers, the fight for independence, westward expansion, and the wars and

conflicts fought by Americans to maintain their hardwon freedom are highlighted.

Each gallery captures the spirit of its specific time. Stepping into ‘Road to American Liberty,’ a recreated colonial home setting, one immediately expects to find guns owned by George Washington, and, indeed, there are replicas of his pistols as well as Brown Bess muskets, Cookson repeating flintlock by John Shaw of Boston, and miniature pocket pistol, among others. In ‘Seeds of

q Guns of the old west are a big part of the museum’s displays. This youthful visitor, one of more than 30,000 people who visit the National Firearms Museum annually, looks over a sampling of firearms closely identified with America’s frontier of the late 19th century – lever-action rifles by Winchester and revolvers by Colt.

Greatness,’ the progression of the Second Amendment is explored, where you can almost ‘hear’ the voices of Patrick Henry, George Mason, James Madison and Richard Henry Lee as the resolution is traced to its final version: “A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people

to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.”

Careful attention to detail enhances each era. The front of the showcase ‘The Prospering New Republic’ is framed with blocks replicating the White House. ‘A Nation Asunder’ starkly portrays the division of the Civil War (War between the States, War of Northern

HISTORYLESSON

Aggression, War for Southern Independence, or, officially, War of the Rebellion). On one side is a brick-front showcase of a Springfield, Massachusetts arms factory, while across the aisle is a white-columned gallery front of a sitting room, depicting a genteel, agrarian society with a military tradition.

Guns that ‘won’ the West are featured in ‘The American West,’ which contains such arms as Sharps

buffalo hunters, Colt revolvers, Burgess folding shotgun and memorabilia of legends such as ‘Buffalo Bill’ Cody, Annie Oakley, and Nat ‘Deadwood Dick’ Love.

The Beretta Gallery, ‘An Age of Elegance,’ is a splendid recreation of President Theodore Roosevelt’s North Room at his Sagamore Hill estate in New York and exhibits guns owned by this personification of the American sportsman, an advocate of the healthy, vigorous,

s Another niche memorializes another American war for independence – the struggle of Texas for freedom from Mexico. The guns are British (used by the Mexican Army) and American military arms of the mid-1830s – the time of Texas’s revolution. The artwork portrays the struggle – R.J. Onderdonk’s Fall of the Alamo and W.H. Huddle’s The Surrender of Santa Ana. Photos are of Texan heroes – Sam Houston (center), the hero of San Jacinto and later President of the Republic and Captain Samuel H. Walker of the Texas Rangers and the 1st Regiment, U.S. Mounted Rifles. Walker, along with Samuel Colt, a co-developer of the Colt Whitneyville-Walker Model revolver, was killed in action at Huamantla, near Vera Cruz, in October 1847.

q ED McGivern/ Sporting .22s

In the 1930s and ‘40s, Ed McGivern, of Montana, was one of America’s bestknown and most skillful exhibition shooters. His twin fortes were hitting aerial targets using handguns and shooting for speed and accuracy. The lead slugs in the center of the display are typical aerial targets. His rapidfire legacy is a fiveshot group, fired from a revolver in approximately 2/5 seconds that could be covered by a half-dollar coin. In the case to the right are 30 rifles and shotguns of the type popular with recreational shooters in the decades between the 1880s and 1980s. Many are from familiar makers such as Winchester, Remington and Savage. Among the more interesting are numbers 38 and 47, a Hamilton .22 made by the man who invented the Daisy BB Gun and a Daisy .22, a product introduced in 1988. The Quackenbusch ‘Bicycle Rifle,’ (number 43) made in Herkimer, NY, was a low-cost arm, and popular, as the name implies, with bicyclists of the late 19th century.

sporting life – Adolph double rifle, Parker shotguns, Holland & Holland rook rifle and a Colt Single Action Army revolver carried up Kettle and San Juan Hills by one of Teddy’s Rough Riders.

Of special interest to the competitive shooter is ‘Firearms Traditions for Today,’ which displays modern shotgun technology and firearms used in Olympic, National and International competition and upland bird hunting.

‘For the Fun of It’ is, as the name says, fun! A scene depicting a 1950’s boy’s bedroom brought many “I had one of those” comments from my husband. Maple furniture, ‘western, ranch-style’ chenille bedspread and wallpaper, Davy Crockett coonskin cap, Daisy air rifle, Boy Scout marksmanship merit badges – all contributed to the authenticity of the room. Across from this is another memory-jogger, a restored Coney Island shooting gallery that comes to

q Before there were video games, shooting galleries were standard attractions at amusement parks across the nation. Iron targets rang like bells and some toppled when hit. Both Winchester and Remington made specially adapted .22 rifles for gallery use and ammunition companies loaded special ammunition that ensured safety. This gallery operated on the boardwalk at Coney Island, New York, beginning about 1900. Dismantled following World War II, it was reassembled here for display in 1998. All of the 33 ‘gallery’ rifles displayed here are Winchesters and 30 of them are John Browning-designed Model 1890s or variants. The other three are Model 61s, a development of the 1930s, designed by T.C. Johnson.

w The museum’s 14 specially designed galleries depict periods of America’s history in terms of the firearms and activities that made this country great. Our Revolutionary War, and the influence of our Founding Fathers on the development of American democracy are depicted in this tableau. The arms are French – various models imported to supply Continental forces. The men are patriots – Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence; Benjamin Franklin, diplomat whose work at the court of Louis XVI brought France into our War for Independence; and the Marquis de Lafayette, the French aristocrat who fought gallantly to help win America’s independence.

life as you approach it.

In addition to the permanent collections, there are special exhibits including the exquisite ‘Exceptional Arms,’ loaned by the members of the American Society of Arms Collectors, shown in the William B. Ruger Gallery.

Want to know more about a specific gun? Computers, placed throughout the Museum conveniently provide that opportunity. Enter the numbers of the showcase and firearm and read all about it – dates, manufacturer, owner and other details. For example: Case 71, #15: “Browning (Ogden, VT) Superposed shotgun (12 gauge). This shotgun was owned

by singer, actor, comedian and sportsman Tennessee Ernie Ford, donated by Mrs. Ernie Ford.” Or #83 in Case 77, “Miniature Martial Flintlock Pistol. This miniature pistol, built by Harvey Liebowitz, is made to exacting standards and can actually be fired.” And, Case 70, #3, “Colt (Hartford, CT) officer’s model match Double Action Revolver — .38 caliber. This revolver was used by American pistol wizard A. P. Lane in winning 5 Olympic Gold Medals in the 1912 and 1920 Olympic Games.” This research tool is a gem – I wanted to stay for hours (days?), acquiring information for future reference.

The National Firearms Museum

Shotgun competition has been a part of the American scene for more than a century and a half and has attracted sportsmen and women from all walks of life and strata of society. The guns shown here represent the spectrum of firearms used competitively for both trap and skeet. They are the products of major gun makers from home and abroad, both extant – Remington and Winchester, Ithaca, Browning, Ruger and Germany’s Krieghoff – as well as those no longer in business – L.C. Smith, Parker Bros. and A.H. Fox. The case contains memorabilia, too, including team photos and a commemorative poster announcing 1999’s Centennial Grand American Trapshooting Tournament, handbooks by powder manufacturers and ammunition companies, targets – from glass balls of the1870s to modern clay targets – and patches attesting to attendance at tournaments or skill at the game.

was opened to the public in May 1998, the culmination of a journey that began with ‘one prize rifle’ in 1873, only two years after the National Rifle Association’s founding. In an 1874 International Rifle Match, a member of the NRA’s team won the Remington Rolling Block rifle, which was subsequently donated to the Association – the first firearm in what is now a collection of nearly four thousand firearms and thousands more related artifacts and books. In 1908, NRA relocated from New York to Washington, D.C. and the small assortment of firearms, awards and trophies was periodically displayed in the Association’s headquarters in the Barr Building on Farragut Square.

When American Rifleman began publication on a bi-weekly basis in 1923, various firearms and products of interest to the shooting community were tested as part of regular reviews and evaluations. The firearms industry began to send the publishers test guns to be used in the battery of rigorous trials. In 1937 NRA formally displayed the test guns, as well as those donated by both former officers and members of the Association, in a museum.

For the next 30 years the collection was “little more than window dressing in the offices of the Association’s headquarters.” Although glass cases were designed

and constructed in the 1960s to display the burgeoning inventory, still the museum had no true curators. An effort to become a recognized museum continued throughout the 1980s, as NRA maintained a director and hired a professional curator and curator’s assistant – a tax-exempt charitable organization status was established as the National Firearms Museum Fund.

When NRA’s headquarters moved from D.C. to Fairfax, a museum was proposed for the south tower of the headquarters building. Then NRA President, Marion P. Hammer, assumed the leadership role in the Museum’s fundraising campaign which successfully secured an initial personal donation of $1 million from legendary gunmaker William B. Ruger Sr. Other generous donations followed, and construction began over the Christmas holiday of 1997.

Amazingly, within five months the first floor of the south tower had “been transformed from a computer center into the National Firearms Museum.” From a small accumulation of test guns, the Museum had grown “into a fullscale, world-class museum representing how the American history of firearms is so intimately intertwined with the freedom

Information on the exhibits and on firearms that are part of each exhibit is stored in a database that is readily available to museum visitors. Input devices and monitors located throughout the museum enable the visitor to call up a case number and specimen number and learn, among other things, the maker and approximate date of manufacture, the location of the maker, the caliber, and any special information pertinent to a particular firearm.

ANOTHER VIEW OF THE COMPETITIVE SHOTGUNNING CASE FEATURES GUNS THAT BELONGED TO SOME OF THIS COUNTRY’S BEST-KNOWN CITIZENS AND SHOTGUN COMPETITORS. IN THE CENTER, ALONG WITH A COLLECTION OF PERFECT SCORE PATCHES, IS AN ITHACA SINGLE BARREL TRAP GUN, POPULARLY KNOWN AS THE ‘KNICKERBOCKERS’ MODEL, OR ‘KNICK.’ THIS PARTICULAR KNICK IS A SOUSA GRADE, NAMED FOR THE WORLDFAMOUS BAND LEADER JOHN PHILLIP SOUSA. LAVISHLY ENGRAVED, IT IS PROBABLY THE FIRST SOUSA GRADE, SINCE THIS GUN BELONGED TO SOUSA HIMSELF. ELSEWHERE IN THE EXHIBIT IS A SHOOTING COAT BEARING THE COLLECTION OF SHOOTING BADGES AND PINS PUT TOGETHER BY ONE OF AMERICA’S PREMIER SHOTGUN

guaranteed by the Constitution in the United States.”

Among the over 2,000 firearms showcased, there are muskets, fowlers, revolvers, matchlocks, cane guns, carbines, pistols, shotguns –made of steel, maple, bronze, cherry, silver, rosewood, brass, walnut, ivory, iron and gold – manufactured by Beretta, Charter Arms, Semmerling, Colt, Remington, Browning, Sturm Ruger, Enfield, Winchester, Calico, Heckler and Koch, Purdey, Springfield, Weatherby, Savage, SIG and Mauser. And this list is by no means a comprehensive or complete one. There are miniature guns, guns of the ‘Long Arm of the Law’ (e.g., a police officer’s gun from the World Trade Center), sawed-off double

A veritable treasure trove of history, the Museum proudly portrays America’s heritage and accurately and inspiringly celebrates “America’s liberty, history, artistry, and technology.” The National Firearms Museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (closed only on major holidays). Admission is free (donations encouraged) and children are welcome (education is an important part of the museum’s mission). It is located on the first floor of the NRA Headquarters Building, 11250 Waples Mill Road, Fairfax, Virginia 22030. Allow plenty of time! n

With sincere thanks, for input and photography, to Jorge Amselle, NRA Media Relations Co-ordinator and Doug Wicklund, Senior

IN A RECENT

ISSUE OF ClayShootingUSA

I PROMISED ONE OF OUR READERS THAT I WOULD REPORT ON THE RECOIL FOR AN 8 POUND GUN AT VARIOUS SHELL VELOCITIES AND CHARGE WEIGHTS. IF I ONLY REPORTED THAT DATA, I WOULD BE REMISS BECAUSE THERE ARE OTHER FACTORS TO CONSIDER SAYS TOM CERETTO

BALLISTICCOMMENT

momentum will be given to the two bodies.” Simply stated, this says that for every action there is an equal and opposite (in direction) reaction.

can be varied and is described as what the shooter actually feels.

The best description of recoil, free and perceived, I have ever read is the one sent to me by Ken Green, Director of Technical Affairs of the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers Institute (SAAMI). There are two parts to it. The first is the technical description of free recoil and the second part is the general description of recoil.

GUN RECOIL – TECHNICAL

Recoil can be described mathematically by the law of the Conservation of Momentum. The law states; “if a force and its reaction act between two bodies, and no other forces are present, equal and opposite changes in

The momentum, therefore, of a free recoiling firearm is equal and opposite in the direction to the momentum of the shot charge, wad, column and the propellant gases. Because the propellant gases are extremely difficult to weigh, for purposes of the application, the propellant gas weight will be equated to the powder charge weight.

GUN RECOIL – GENERAL

The gases generated by the burning of powder in a gun exert a force which not only pushes the bullet or shot charge forward out of the barrel, but also drives the gun back against the shooter. From the shooters standpoint, there are two aspects to recoil. One, absolute recoil, the other recoil sensation. Absolute recoil is described by invariable laws of physics while the recoil sensation

Absolute recoil or recoil momentum (mass X velocity) of the gun is only roughly equivalent to momentum of the shot charge, since the wad and propellant gases, which are discharged at the muzzle, also make a contribution to the total weight which is ejected.

The most practical method of determining recoil momentum is in a gun which is free to move, as for example, when it is suspended in a pendulum. This permits calculation of recoil velocity and recoil energy. The latter, usually expressed in foot pounds, is a conventional way of recording and comparing recoil. Recoil sensation may be lessened by increasing gun weight or by the use of compensating devices.

Tables of recoil are by no means infallible as a guide to the actual sensations that are experienced by the shooter. This is particularly true when comparing autoloading and manual loading firearms. Recoil sensation may also be influenced to some extent by other aspects of gun construction and fit, e.g. stock length, drop and pitch.

From a practical standpoint, perhaps the most significant variables in recoil sensation are those which are involved in gun holding. The recoil effect of a shotgun fired while held just slightly away from the shoulder is very noticeable. On the other hand, when the same gun is held firmly against relaxed shoulder muscles, the gun reacts as though it were part of the shooter and recoil sensation is considerably reduced.

Free recoil can only be reduced by shooting a heavier gun, reducing the weight of the ejecta or both. But we can reduce what SAAMI called the sensation (what I have always referred to as perceived or felt recoil) through various means.

REDUCING THE SENSATION

Already mentioned in the SAAMI description of general recoil is using an autoloading shotgun. An autoloader does not reduce free recoil but through its gas or kinetically operated mechanism inherent to autoloading shotguns, it reduces felt or perceived recoil by distributing the force over a longer period of time.

The disadvantage to an autoloader is, of course, the availability of only one choke. This does not play a part while shooting trap or skeet, but does play a part when hunting or shooting sporting clays where two birds or targets are encountered that may require two different chokes. This problem can be mitigated somewhat by using spreader loads in a tightly choked barrel.

Fixed breach guns such as side-by-sides, pumps and over and unders can be modified to deliver less felt recoil by several methods. Prominently mentioned in the SAAMI general recoil section is gun fit. Length of pull, drop at comb and heel and butt pitch all play a significant part in reducing felt or perceived recoil.

A few years ago I called Bryan Bilinski of Fieldsport in Traverse City, Michigan about testing a Kemen over and under target gun. As I live only a few hours away from Traverse City, my wife and I combined a trip to Fieldsport with a tourist trip to Mackinac Island. To my surprise, when I got there, Bryan told me he would not give me a Kemen to test until he fashioned a stock for me. He measured me up and three months later called and said my gun was ready. I shot that gun very well, right out of the box, and was very reluctant to send it back. I had always known that gun fit was important, but not how much.

Later that same year I attended a Remington Writer’s Seminar at

which they introduced their Model 300 over and under. I was surprised at how well I shot the gun and asked that one be sent to me so I could thoroughly test it and write an article about it. Again, I shot it very well right out of the box. The bottom line is that when I measured the 300 it had almost the exact dimensions Bryan said I should have. I purchased the gun and have never looked back.

EFFECTIVE OPTIONS

The least expensive way to reduce recoil is by using a good recoil pad. There are many new space age types of recoil pads on the market. I happen to like the new gel filled pads. Recoil stocks, be they spring loaded, air or oil filled, are also effective in reducing felt recoil. While a bit pricey, they do sometimes produce dramatic results.

Another inexpensive but effective way to reduce free recoil is to add a barrel or butt stock weight or both. For autoloaders you can purchase a weighted fore end nut of up to 10.5 ounces. If it does not upset the balance of your gun, it can be quite effective in reducing felt recoil. There are also clamp-on weights for over-and-unders available from several suppliers.

A big factor in perceived recoil is muzzle blast. Loads that produce a loud muzzle blast increase the shooters perception of recoil. This is especially true for new shooters. Fast burning powders seem to have a lower level of muzzle blast than slower burning powders. A long held bit of lore is that loads with low chamber pressures have less recoil than loads with high chamber pressures – but chamber pressure is not factored into any formula I have ever seen for computing free recoil.

Another myth is that slow burning powders have a lower felt recoil than fast burning powders. If

you believe this you are mistaken. The difference in pressure curve between a slow and fast burning powder is but a few milliseconds. I doubt that there is anyone out there whose body can perceive a few milliseconds difference in burn rat—for sure, I can’t.

The free recoil chart shown below is for an 8 pound gun with an average powder charge and wad weight. If you use a shotshell with a heavier wad and powder charge you will raise free recoil by perhaps ½ ft/lbs. If your gun is slightly heavier, free recoil will be a bit less—if it is slightly lighter, it will be a bit more. I think 8 pounds is about average for a sporting clays gun. That is also the gun weight the reader of my column asked me to use in the chart. So I did.

You can use the free recoil chart to compare the recoil and energy of different weight loads. Let us say that you can take the recoil of a 1,200 fps 11 8 ounce load and not any more than that – but you also want to increase velocity. If you check the chart you will see that a 1,200 fps 11 8 ounce load has 21.05 ft/lbs of free recoil and that a 1 ounce load at 1,300 fps has a free recoil of 19.89 ft/lbs. Very close in recoil. The question is how much pellet energy do you lose by switching to the 1 ounce load? Not really very much.

FREE RECOIL CHART

12 GA. 8.0 LB SHOTGUN

11⁄8 OZ. SHOT CHARGE

Velocity fps Free Recoil ft/lb 1,100 18.12 1,150 19.56 1,200 21.05 1,250 22.59 1,300 24.19 1,350 25.55 1,400 27.55

1 OZ. SHOT CHARGE

1,100 14.97 1,150 16.13 1,200 17.34 1,250 18.59 1,300 19.89 1,350 21.23 1,400 22.61

7⁄8 OZ. SHOT CHARGE

1,100 12.12 1,150 13.04 1,200 14.00 1,250 14.99 1,300 14.99 1,350 16.01 1,400 18.16

A 11 8 ounce 1,200 fps 70% shot charge of number 8 shot delivers 285 lb/ft of energy at 40 yards. A 1 ounce 1,300 fps 70% shot charge of number 8 shot delivers 274 lb/ft of energy at 40 yards. A difference of only 11 lb/ft. You can have the higher velocity load you want with very little energy loss at ever so slightly less free recoil.

Recoil has destroyed more shooting careers than anything else. I cringe when I see shooters flinching. That is one of the reasons I wish the NSCA would go to a one ounce load as the Brits have done. We cannot continue to lose shooters year after year because of an arbitrary shot charge rule established before most of us were born.

I think the proper place to start reducing recoil for the average shooter is gun fit and a good recoil pad. All other shotgun modifications should follow that. If it don’t fit, your the one that will get hit – not the target. It is as simple as that! n

I do enjoy getting emails and letters from ClayShootingUSA readers (at least, most of them), so if you have any questions or a subject you would like me to cover please contact me at info@clayshootingusa.com and I will try to accommodate you.

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THE BUSINESS OF ‘SPORTING CLAYS’ IS LIKE LOOKING AT AN ICEBERG – MOST OF IT IS CONCEALED BELOW THE SURFACE. THE BIG CLUBS ARE PROMINENTLY IN VIEW WITH THEIR BIG NAME SHOOTS AND ADS PUBLISHED IN MAGAZINES.

YET MOST SHOOTING IN THIS SPORT HAPPENS OUT OF SIGHT – BELOW THE SURFACE AT THE SMALL CLUBS. WHAT EXACTLY ARE THEY DOING TO GET THE SHOOTERS’ ATTENTION? OHIO’S INDIAN RIDGE LET TOM THOMPSON LOOK OVER THEIR SHOULDER FOR THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER, AS THEY WENT ABOUT THEIR BUSINESS OF MEETING SHOOTERS’ NEEDS.

ATTRACTING ATTENTION

Located in Western Ohio, halfway between Dayton and Toledo near Indian Lake, Indian Ridge is a small club that attracts shooters the old fashioned way, they work at it. After five years in business, the club’s mailing list holds 950 names and continues to grow. It is a proprietary enterprise, owned and operated by Brian and Rita Thompson. Much of their growth has occurred through the development of new shooters or by

attracting occasional shooters into regular participation.

“Our Ducks Unlimited shoot is a good example of developing an event and seeing it grow,” says Brian. “DU was looking for a meeting place near the lake after the duck blind drawing. We made an offer to them to turn it into an extended event including a round

INDIAN RIDGE REGULAR, BOB MOORMAN, SHOOTS FROM A BOAT MOUNTED ON CHAINS TO GIVE IT A FLUID MOTION. BOB JOINED THE DUCK HUNTERS FOR THE SPECIAL SHOOT, BECAUSE HE WAS SURE THE NEW TWISTS WOULD ADD FUN.

of clays. We set up some special fun shooting stations that are no longer allowed in NSCA shooting – poison birds, shooting from a boat, reload station, sitting in a duck blind.

“It has continued to grow over the three years. Shooters look forward to it, and the club picked up some duck hunters who come back often,” Brian said. “With their

DAVE BELL SHOOTS STATION THREE. DAVE AND HIS UNCLE (JACK) TRAVEL THE CIRCUIT EVERY WEEK.

raffle tickets, silent auctions and side games, DU claims this year’s shoot turned a bigger profit than some chapters have netted with shoot fees fixed at three times the cost.”

The ‘duck shoot’, as Rita calls it, headed the busy autumn season. Indian Ridge also offers a once a month fifty bird fun shoot on the fourth Sunday of each month – part of a rotating schedule worked out in co-operation with three other clubs. These fourth Sunday events usually draw more than a hundred participants. “We don’t schedule events for the Sundays when other clubs on our shooting circuit are shooting,” Rita points out – leaving the club with a calendar of busy Saturdays.

The third Saturday in September was reserved for a charity event, the Coomer-Bailey

Shoot, staged in the memory of sportsmen buddies Mark Coomer and Brent Bailey who were afflicted with cancer. Mark and Brent’s friends organize the shoot and proceeds go to health related charities in Auglaize County. This shoot draws its own crowd of once a year shooters. “It’s amazing that they can bring in so many new shooters each year,” says Rita. “They always bring lots of kids. They generate good money from raffles and shooting station sponsorships. I don’t have exact figures about their final donation, but it’s the biggest charity event we work with.”

INDIAN RIDGE'S CREW OF TRAPPERS HIT THE CHOW LINE DURING A BREAK IN THE ACTION AT ONE OF THE AUTUMN FUNDRAISERS.

The Western Ohio Classic is Indian Ridge’s centerpiece shoot of the year. Held over two days, September 25 and 26, the shoot features competitions in small gauges, pump guns and side by sides on Saturday, and a 100 bird Classic on Sunday. One hundred and thirty entries were generated for the multi-gun events on Saturday. Jim Bowers won the small gauge HOA with 136/150 – he won .410 with 46 and 20 gauge with 48.

The 100 bird Classic on Sunday drew over 100 shooters – Ohio sporting clays Champion Robert Harford (an Indian Ridge regular) and Indiana club owner Mike Hafley tied for high score on 92.

MARK THOMPSON DOUBLE CHECKS SCORES FOR ACCURACY BEFORE TURNING OVER THE PAPERWORK FOR THE SHOOT REPORT THAT GOES TO EVERY SHOOTER WHO PLAYS THE MONEY (LEWIS CLASS). INDIAN RIDGE BUILT ITS REPUTATION ON GOOD SERVICE. GETTING THE SHOOT RESULTS RIGHT IS MANDATORY.

BRIAN AND JIM RESET A TRAP MAKING A QUICK CHANGE ON THE INDIAN RIDGE COURSE FOLLOWING THE SMALL GAUGE EVENT. MORE THAN ONE HUNDRED TURNED OUT FOR THE WESTERN OHIO CLASSIC'S 100 BIRD EVENT.

Dave Hudgins was the only other shooter in the nineties (90). A favorite side bet at Indian Ridge is a one-dollar draw pot – one score is selected at random, and the shooter with that score gets the pot. Three shooters with 65 shared the $90 draw pot.

Logistically, carrying off a twoday event stretches the resources of this small club. The small gauge course was completely new, set in place on Friday evening. After the shooting ended on Saturday, the course was rebuilt for Sunday’s hundred-bird shoot. “Friends and family have played a major role in our success,” Brian says. “Truth is, we have fun setting up the course. Usually two of my brothers and one or two nephews join us along with one or two friends – it’s always good for a few laughs. We have a great pool of creative and talented target setters.”

Brian has the final word on course design. He’s conscious of the skill level of his shooting clientele. The charity shoots are usually set pretty soft. His intent is to let shooters break some targets and have fun. “We’ll set up something that looks more like a small gauge course for the fund raisers,” Brian says. “Our competition courses require a step up in skills. We factor a lot of gun safety concepts in when we are hosting shooters of limited experience.”

Rita takes care of recruiting trappers – the club uses a mixture of manual and automatic traps. Eleven trappers were ordered for the 100 bird Classic, meaning nobody had to wait long for their turn to shoot. The club is very ‘customer service’ oriented, trappers work for tips. Trappers are the ‘oil’ that makes the machine run efficiently – generous tips

assure an abundant supply of trappers. Rita says, “If the kids can’t make good money, it’s hard to get them to come back. Ours are well trained and efficient. Shooters treat them pretty well.”

When asked to compare running a small club to a big club, Rita says, “It’s probably much the same – we all have equipment issues and personnel issues, we’re all dependent upon the weather and we all have to keep our shooter base informed. The biggest difference is how we measure success. A hundred and thirty shooters coming to our fifty bird fun shoot is a big deal. A charity event that nets three or four thousand dollars is rewarding for us.”

Brian added, “ Big clubs don’t likely get excited about such numbers, but the Bath High School Wrestlers couldn’t attract their fund-raiser crowd to Detroit

or Quail Ridge. We serve a different role than the big clubs, and do not view them as competition. We cover our little corner of the world, and nobody else even knows we exist.” n

SPORTING TRIPLE CLASSIC

Securing meaningful sponsorship for sporting clays tournaments has long been considered an almost impossible task – but now comes news of a $2.5 million US investment and sponsorship package for a new ‘World Series’. With the support of Andy Castle of UK-based West London Sporting Targets, Michael Brunton, publisher of ClayShootingUSA, has been able to bring together a consortium that have committed to an investment and sponsorship package of $2.5 million over the next couple of years. Top line sponsor is Vladimir

Lisin, proprietor of Fox Lodge Shooting School in Russia and current President of the Russian Shooting Union. Passionate about his hunting and sporting clays he comments, “Heading a consortium of sponsors and investors that are truly interested in growing the sport world-wide is an exciting project. Several well-known companies have already committed to join the project and we expect additional sponsors to

be confirmed in the coming months.”

The concept is simple. To be promoted as the ‘World Sporting Triple Classic’, a series of three major Festivals are planned over the next 18 months. The first will be held in the UK during June 2005, followed by similar Festivals at Fox Lodge in Russia during the Autumn of 2005 and in the USA during the Spring of 2006. Each Festival that makes up the series will include a 200 target Sporting Classic and a 150 target Parcours de Chasse Championship, Compak, Make-A-Break, pool shoots and a Friday evening banquet.

MICHAEL BRUNTON REPORTS ON THE LAUNCH OF A NEW WORLD SERIES –THE TRIPLE CLASSIC. BACKED BY A SPONSORSHIP PACKAGE OF $2.5 MILLION OVER THREE YEARS, FESTIVALS WILL BE STAGED IN THE UK, RUSSIA AND USA.

Key to the success of each individual event will be the venue and facilities for shooters (and spouses), vendors and manufacturers. The services of various nationalities of target setters and cash prize funds that exceed anything seen before in the sport will ensure that entries for the Festivals will fill quickly. Those shooters that compete in all three Festivals will additionally accumulate points (in each class and concurrent) with the potential to win further cash and product bonus prizes.

The first series of three ‘World Sporting Classic Festivals’ has sponsorship funds of $1.25 million already in place. “And when the first series of three shoots is complete, we will do it again,” says Andy Castle, “taking the whole package to a $2.5 million investment over three years.”

WORLDSERIES

For ClayShootingUSA, Michael Brunton said, “this truly is a very exciting project and I’m thrilled to be working with Vladimir and Andy to bring this independent and Open ‘World Series’ to market. As each day passes, additional private and trade sponsors are stepping forward — and whilst Vladimir’s investment has got the project off to a flying start, the sponsorship door is closed to no-one.”

DATES AND VENUE

The first Festival will be held at Highclere Castle in England from Monday 13th to Saturday 18th June 2005. Then it’s on to Fox Lodge on the outskirts of Moscow, Russia, during the week of 27th September to 2nd October with the third leg to be held in the Spring of 2006 in the USA – the venue for which is still being negotiated but will be confirmed shortly.

Highclere Castle is one of England’s most beautiful Victorian castles set amidst spectacular parkland and is famous for its hunting. Within a 45 minute drive west of London Heathrow airport, Highclere is the home of Lord and Lady Carnarvon.

It was the 5th Earl of Carnarvon that participated in and funded

excavations in Egypt from 1907 that led, eventually, to the now famous expedition of 1922 when, together with Howard Carter, they discovered the Tomb of Tutankhamun – the Boy King. Now housed in part of the old castle cellars is an impressive private exhibition of ancient Egyptian finds accumulated from excavations in Thebes and Balamun. An additional gallery of photographs recalls their discovery of the Tomb of Tutankhamun.

Competitors attending the first of the Triple Classics – and their spouses – will have the opportunity to visit the exhibition and tour the castle and enjoy the architecture, paintings, state rooms and exquisite furniture of centuries past. Also on site during the weekend of 17th-19th June is an open air ‘Homes and Gardens’ exhibition – so there’s plenty to keep you busy.

CHAMPIONSHIP EVENTS

Each of the three Festivals will include two major Championships – a 200 target Sporting Classic and the 150 target Parcours de Chasse Krieghoff Classic. These will be complemented with Compak, Make-A-Break and side games.

Sporting Classic: This Championship runs each day from Monday 13th June through to Saturday 18th June and will be shot over two 100 target courses, each of 15 stations, with competitors in squads of six. Competitors will shoot in class and concurrents. As this is a truly ‘Open’ championship, those competitors that have no classification will be classified based on their first 100 targets. At the time of entry, competitors will have the choice of shooting all 200 targets on one day or to shoot 100 targets each day over two days.

Krieghoff Classic: This is a 150 target Parcours de Chasse

Championship, shot in class and concurrents to International FITASC rules. The Championship runs Friday 17th-Saturday 18th June, 75 targets per day, shot over six new style Parcours each of 25 targets. After 150 targets, competitors with the top six scores (after any required 10 target tiebreakers) will shoot a further 25 target Super-Final – carrying scores out of 150 forward – to establish HOA and Runner-up. The remaining four finalists will then fall back into their classes with their original score out of 150.

Competitors wishing to shoot both the Sporting Classic and Krieghoff Classic should note that they must have shot the Sporting Classic during Monday-Thursday as there are no rotations between the two events once the Krieghoff Classic begins on Friday morning.

TOP LINE SPONSOR IS VLADIMIR LISIN, PROPRIETOR OF FOX LODGE SHOOTING SCHOOL IN RUSSIA AND CURRENT PRESIDENT OF THE RUSSIAN SHOOTING UNION.

THE ‘WORLD SERIES’ STARTS AT HIGHCLERE CASTLE, ONE OF ENGLAND’S MOST BEAUTIFUL VICTORIAN CASTLES SET AMIDST SPECTACULAR PARKLAND AND FAMOUS FOR ITS HUNTING. WITHIN A 45 MINUTE DRIVE OF LONDON HEATHROW AIRPORT, HIGHCLERE IS THE HOME OF LORD AND LADY CARNARVON.

WORLDSERIES

COMPAK AND GAMES

During each day of the Championships there will be Compak and Make-A-Break. Two 30 target Compak layouts will be available for squads of six – so that competitors can keep their same squads from the Sporting Classic or Krieghoff Classic. Layout 1 will be set to Master, AA and A class standard while Layout 2 will be set for B-E class. Entry will be by booking on the day.

Competitors can shoot the appropriate layout as many times as they like – each day or every day –using it for practice or competition. Competition entry will be a little more expensive than practice, but there will be cash prizes for HOA and Runner-up each day.

Make-A-Break will be available each day of the Festival with a payout each day. Additional games and practice stands will also be available.

FRIDAY NIGHT BANQUET

Friday evening will be party time for all! At 5pm, after shooting, everything kicks off with a military band that will ‘Beat the Retreat ’– a 20 minute marching and music display by one of the British Army’s leading regimental bands, culminating in a drum display and Last Post that will signal the start of the Festival Banquet.

During the banquet, there will be a unique ProAm Make-A-Break competition for all to watch. Six top shots will be invited to partner a ‘celebrity’ in a two-man team competition. The winning team takes the $7,500 pot. $1,000 goes to the shooter while $6,500 is donated to the charity of choice of the celebrity. It will be fun to watch and should attract great publicity for the sport. The evening will close out with door prize drawings and raffle.

PRIZES AND BONUSES

While much of the sponsorship and investment for this ‘World Series’ is being used to promote the events worldwide and to provide the highest standard of facilities and shooting, a big bonus is the significantly subsidized entry fees for the first Festival. The entry fee for the 200 target Sporting Classic has been set at $185 and for the Krieghoff Classic $195 – and in view of the venue and guaranteed prize fund this represents great value for money – for every competitor!

The prize fund is also one of the richest in the sport at almost $450,000 over the three event series. Each of the three Festivals will guarantee $10,000 to the winner of the Sporting Classic, $5,000 to the Runnerup and $2,500 to the winner of each class. Payouts will then be made to a minimum of 10th place and maximum of 15th place (depending on class entries in each class). Concurrents will also have their own prize funds and be able to double dip in both class and concurrent.

For the Krieghoff Classic, each Festival will guarantee $5,000 to the HOA, $2,500 to the Runner-up and $1,250 to each class winner. Thereafter cash prizes will be paid down to 6th place in each class and there will be a separate concurrent prize fund – and again, competitors can double dip in both class and concurrent.

Prize funds for these two Classic Championships will be further supplemented with sponsored product prizes.

After each Festival, competitor’s results in the Sporting Classic and Krieghoff Classic will attract bonus points based on class and performance. These bonus points will be added across the Festivals (whether you compete in one, two or all three) with additional cash and product prizes being awarded at the end of the three Festivals. (Once you register for the first Festival you keep the same class throughout until the Spring of ’06). Bonus points will be published on the Triple Classic web site after each Festival.

MAKE THE COMMITMENT

This new ‘World Series’ is one of the most ambitious independent projects ever undertaken in the sport – backed by a consortium of investors that have only the interests of improving the profile of ‘international’ sporting clays at heart. For too long competitors have grumbled about poor facilities, inadequate prize funds, expensive entry fees and the inability to ‘promote’ the sport nationally and internationally. Now there’s a unique opportunity to

ALL SO EASY

The organizers of the Triple Classic intend to make participation at each event as easy as possible. Central to this effort will be a Triple Classic web site outlining all details for each Festival. Travel and accommodation options will be extensive, all the necessary documents for travel visas and gun permits can be downloaded and will be processed centrally and entry forms can be completed online or by mail. A complete team of administrators will be available to ensure everything is made as easy as possible for you to participate.

support a major new initiative – but its success, regardless of the massive investment and sponsorship, depends on you, the competitor, supporting these Festivals. Let’s make it happen! www.tripleclassicsporting.com n

EACH OF THE THREE FESTIVALS WILL GUARANTEE $10,000 TO THE WINNER OF THE SPORTING CLASSIC, $5,000 TO THE RUNNERUP AND $2,500 TO THE WINNER OF EACH CLASS. PAYOUTS WILL THEN BE MADE TO A MINIMUM OF 10TH PLACE AND MAXIMUM OF 15TH PLACE.

HIGHCLERE CASTLE – BACKDROP TO THE FIRST OF THE TRIPLE CLASSIC FESTIVALS

TRIPLE CLASSIC

THE FIRST LEG OF THE TRIPLE CLASSIC WORLD SERIES TOOK PLACE AT HIGHCLERE CASTLE IN ENGLAND ON 13-18TH JUNE. RICHARD FAULDS TOOK HOA IN THE MAIN EVENT AND GEORGE DIGWEED WON THE KRIEGHOFF PARCOURS DE CHASSE CLASSIC. WHAT A WEEK!

MICHAEL BRUNTON REPORTS FROM HIGHCLERE CASTLE, ENGLAND

SHOOTREPORT

The Triple Classic World Series is based on three events held in the UK, Russia and USA – though each event is independent of the others.

The first leg was held in mid-June at Highclere Castle in England and is to be followed by Classics at Fox Lodge in Russia in early October and The Meadows in Georgia in March 2006.

On the menu at Highclere Castle was a 200 target Main Event over two courses, a six layout 150 target Parcours de Chasse shot to international FITASC rules, a daily 5-stand competition and Clay Snooker – the European version of Make-A-Break. The Main Event attracted 1100 entries while the Parcours de Chasse entry was full at 386 (66 squads). Competitors from the USA, Sweden, Russia, Estonia, Belgium, Holland, France, Portugal, Spain and the UK ensured that this was truly an international event.

MAIN EVENT

Graham Brown of Purbeck Shooting School and Ben Brunton – together with their hard working crews – turned this greenfield site into a world-class sporting venue in just three weeks. Eley Red course

Competitors from 10 nations attended, including some 30 shooters from USA.

Main picture and Left: Eley Red Course was set high up on the downland with magnificent panoramic views. Below: Friday evening party celebrations.

was set on high ground overlooking Highclere Castle. Stations one through six were in woodland and seven through fifteen were overlooking miles and miles of open downland. With such a spectacular panoramic view, the distances of battues, teal and standard crossers were difficult to judge, for most, with no reference points. Rain, drizzle and dull conditions on the third and fourth day of this six day competition made it even more difficult to build good scores on this exposed part of the course. As a result, Eley Red shot some 7-8 targets tougher than Eley Blue. Richard Faulds, who shot in perfect conditions on the first day, recorded the highest Red course score of 88. It was tough – very tough!

Eley Blue was far less exposed, offering a wide variety of targets including tower shots, high hanging crows over the tree line, driven targets, battues, chandelles and a tricky combination under the shooting position from a raised platform. Eley Blue mirrored Eley Red in that most of the straightforward targets were never straightforward! There

Above and Below: On the open downland, judging target distances – with few reference points – was difficult for most competitors.

STATIONS ONE THROUGH SIX WERE IN WOODLAND AND SEVEN THROUGH FIFTEEN WERE OVERLOOKING MILES AND MILES OF OPEN DOWNLAND…

were plenty of angles, curves and speed variations – set to ensure the shooter had to stay focused and alert to the tricks of the target setter. Faulds had posted a 90 on Eley Blue on day one, but in perfect weather on the sixth day Phil Smith (UK) recorded a superb 93 – sadly his 74 on Eley Red saw him drop to 4th= overall with 167/200.

After six days, Faulds had still not been toppled from his leading position – over a hundred top names in Master class such as George Digweed, Arnie Palmer, John Dunne, Will Fennell, Steve Nutbeam, Kevin Mayor, Doug Vine, Carl Bloxham, AJ Smith, Gary Phillips and Cory Kruse came and left making no impression on the first day score of Faulds. Only

Ben Husthwaite put up a strong challenge, coming up three targets light at 175/200. Full results are shown in the results panel.

SIX LAYOUTS

The Krieghoff Parcours de Chasse Classic was shot on Friday and Saturday over six layouts – Hull, K80, Fox Lodge, The Meadows, Promatic and Clay Shooting. The variety of the layouts was spectacular – in woodland, open fields and across parkland. Several of the layouts had a unique peg. K80 and The Meadows had 30ft high shooting position platforms, Fox Lodge peg 3 was in a chalk pit that featured a gravity rabbit, while other shooting positions were right under the Castle or high up on the downland with the Castle as the backdrop.

Difficult, tough, unrelenting, tricky, fast and awkward pairs were comments often used to describe the layouts. And when Richard

SHOOTREPORT

Left: A tricky gravity rabbit along the bank on Fox Lodge layout raised a smile or two. Below: Other layouts were shot just under the castle.

Faulds came back with 18/25 off his first layout, many an eyebrow was raised – especially as he was in such good form having shot 100 straight on his first four layouts at the recent European FITASC Championship in Cyprus. “Not concentrating” was his comment. He followed up with 24 and 20 to finish day one on 62, three targets behind George Digweed.

Expecting that his Main Event score would not be beaten while he was shooting the Krieghoff Classic, Faulds set about ripping up his last three Parcours de Chasse layouts in an attempt to clinch the double – 23, 23, 25 put him right up there with 133/150.

Krieghoff Classic layouts were each very different – using woodland, open pasture and parkland.

FOX LODGE PEG 3 WAS IN A CHALK PIT THAT FEATURED A GRAVITY RABBIT, WHILE OTHER SHOOTING POSITIONS WERE RIGHT UNDER THE CASTLE…

After two days of tough competition, Faulds headed the scoreboard followed by Digweed (130), Martin Myers (125), Ben Husthwaite (124), Mark Marshall (123) and Steve Brightwell (122). Now it was time for the 25

SHOOTREPORT

(16/25), Richard Faulds (13/25) and Martin Myers (12/25). Faulds had come under heavy pressure to do the double and Digweed saw his advantage – noone is more competitive than GD when he comes from behind with an audience! To gain six targets over Faulds in the Super Final was a truly magnificent performance. Faulds took Runner-up, followed home by Husthwaite. (Full results in the results panel).

PARTY NIGHT

With over 300 competitors shooting the Main Event on Friday, and 386 competitors having completed their first day of Parcours de Chasse, now was the time to party – and over 600 stayed to celebrate this Festival of Shooting.

A marching military band kicked off the proceedings at about 5.30pm culminating in ‘Sunset’ and the lowering of the national flags. Then it was over to the Clay Snooker for a Pro/Celeb event that raised $12,000 for a children’s charity in just 30 minutes. The Pros included George Digweed, John Bidwell,

target old system Super Final. Watched by hundreds, this was a shooting display of the highest order. Ben Husthwaite shot a superb 21/25 moving up the leader board. Digweed finished on 19/25 followed by Mark Marshall

L to R: George Digweed HOA and Runner-up Richard Faulds.

Friday evening included a marching band, Pro-Celeb shoot and Pig Roast dinner for 600.

Below: The Parcours de Chasse Super Final was shot over 25 targets old system, with the second peg shot from this elevated platform.

SHOOTREPORT

Kate Brown, Eric Manshoven, Ben Husthwaite and Will Fenell. Shooting with TV celebrities, actors and sports personalities it was the high spot of the evening –Digweed and Bernard Cribbins (the voice of the Wombles) took

Then it was party time – a two course pig roast dinner and bar saw the last competitors leaving the ground at about 10.30pm. Not too late – especially as the final day of competition was looming!

TRUE FESTIVAL

The first leg of the Triple Classic was spectacular! From the luxurious shoot headquarters and tentage for 40 vendors through to the logistics and transport to the various layouts, the administration was faultless.

For six days shooting started promptly at 9am and was

finished by 5.15 pm with scores on the internet that evening. Catering – provided by the Castle catering staff – was top draw, the venue was unique and the atmosphere was a true reflection of a Festival. The credit for such an event lies heavily with the sponsors. Promatic, Krieghoff, Eley, Beechwood Equipment, Essex Gun, Green Leopard and Hull were particularly generous – though the top line sponsorship of Mr Vladimir Lisin of Fox Lodge, Russia,

guaranteed that no expense was spared to ensure this was the first of many high profile international sporting clays events. Without that support, it just would not have happened.

Attention now turns to the second leg at Fox Lodge in Russia (October 2005) and the third leg at The Meadows (March 2006). Full details and results for the first leg of the Triple Classic are on the internet at www.tripleclassicsporting.com. n

THE CREDIT FOR SUCH AN EVENT LIES HEAVILY WITH THE SPONSORS. PROMATIC, KRIEGHOFF, ELEY, BEECHWOOD EQUIPMENT, ESSEX GUN, GREEN LEOPARD AND HULL WERE PARTICULARLY GENEROUS – THOUGH THE TOP LINE SPONSORSHIP OF MR. VLADIMIR LISIN OF FOX LODGE, RUSSIA, GUARANTEED THAT NO EXPENSE WAS SPARED…

Topline sponsor Vladimir Lisin

The Triple Classic bandwagon moved east early in October, pausing for the second leg of the World Series staged at Fox Lodge on the outskirts of Moscow. Some 100 Europeans and Americans were welcomed by Russian shooters for three days of competition that included the 200 target Main Event and 150 targets of Parcours de Chasse.

Roger Barilani from Pennsylvania had made the trip to Highclere Castle for the first leg of this series and wasn’t going to miss Russia! Connecticut-based John Gunn had visited Russia some 40

years ago and used the trip to see how things had changed over the decades. Randy Travalia and John Marsh, both of Minnesota, took

the time to extend their trip, meet with new-found friends and take the opportunity for some hunting. Michael Mannion of Florida was clearly excited at having been squadded with Richard Faulds in the sporting event –particularly when he ran the first station of the first day and then watched Faulds drop the last bird out –“sadly it was all downhill for me after that,” said Manion “but it was a thoroughly enjoyable four days.” The Ladies were well represented by Jamie and Jennifer Walton from California and Shami Biffle from Nevada, up against Kate Brown from England and Inna Alexandrova of Russia. Georgiabased Ben Noble particularly enjoyed the sporting, “and I’m definitely up for the Meadows next year.” Will Fennell, Cory Kruse,

TRIPLE CLASSIC

LEFT TO RIGHT: ANDY CASTLE IN CONVERSATION WITH THE TRIPLE CLASSIC HEADLINE SPONSOR, MR VLADIMIR LISIN.

MASTER SQUAD! LEFT TO RIGHT: DAVID ISHERWOOD, BEN BRUNTON, STEVE FISCHER, WILL FENNELL, BUCK HEATH AND CORY KRUSE.

BEN HUSTHWAITE WINS THE PARCOURS DE CHASSE AND RICHARD FAULDS TAKES THE SPORTING.

A REPORT FROM FOX LODGE, RUSSIA, BY MICHAEL BRUNTON.

Buck Heath and Steve Fischer joined up with our assistant publisher, Ben Brunton, and David Isherwood to form a formidable squad up against some of the finest European and Russian shooters.

IMPRESSIVE FACILITIES

The facilities at Fox Lodge are outstanding – having improved since November of last year when some of the same competitors attended the Penguin Cup. A 300 meter underground Rifle Range nears completion and two new sporting courses have been added to the east of the ground. These new sporting layouts became home to the Red course (66 targets) and Green course (66 targets) while the Blue course (68 targets) was set up toward the rear of the Clubhouse and behind the skeet ranges.

Ground staff at Fox Lodge, under the direction of Valery Konshin, had set the targets – for both the sporting and Parcours de Chasse – with the Red and Green courses fine-tuned by Andy Castle

and the Blue course and Parcours de Chasse targets overseen by Michael Brunton.

The combination of the varying terrain surrounding Fox Lodge ensured that each of the three sporting courses were very different – incorporating open pastureland, woodland, ravines with targets below your feet and steep quarry sides from which targets were thrown from more than 200ft. above the shooter.

But before competition began, Great Britain’s Chief Referee,

each given a Certificate of Competancy. During the three days of competition, assisted by four referees from Great Britain, they proved their worth – their efforts were much appreciated by domestic and overseas shooters.

MICHAEL MANION (RIGHT) WAS SURPRISED TO FIND HIMSELF SQUADDED WITH RICHARD FAULDS AND TANYA GOODMAN.

CORY KRUSE IN AMONGST THE SUPER FINAL ACTION.

THE ENORMITY OF FOX LODGE IS TRULY IMPRESSIVE. THIS IS BUT A SMALL PORTION OF THE GROUNDS.

THE VARIETY OF THE SIX PARCOURS MADE THIS ONE OF THE MOST INTERESTING EVENTS, SHOOTING ACROSS MARSHLAND, WOODLAND, SHRUBLAND AND AMONG QUARRY EXCAVATIONS…

MADE EASIER

Traveling to Russia with a gun is, at the best of times, no easy task and so the administrative team of the Triple Classic put together a fourday travel package so that competitors could travel on the same flight and ensure that dealing with Customs for the import and export of shotguns was made easier.

With guns having cleared Customs in Moscow, they were despatched to the Fox Lodge Armoury ready for the start of competition the following morning at 10am.

In the meantime, competitors arrived early evening at the National Hotel in Moscow, overlooking the Kremlin and Red Square, with high expectations for a challenging three days of competition.

Whilst the Fox Lodge offices, bar and restaurant were available to all, the competitors made for the Summer Café Marquee for registration, light refreshment and the purchasing of cartridges. As might be expected with a language

barrier and a virgin site for many, the start of competition was a little chaotic until competitors got the hang of the various rotations and shooting locations.

It soon became evident that the Blue course on the steep sides of the quarries behind the skeet ranges was the more difficult of the three sporting layouts, with Ben Brunton (63) and Cory Kruse (60) the only competitors able to score 60 or more on this 68 target course. Red and Green were relatively equally balanced with Richard Faulds taking the high score on Green and Ben Husthwaite the highest on Red.

The scoreboard indicated just how tight the competition was, with the sporting Main Event not clearly won until the third day when Faulds shot an uncharacteristic 52/68 on Blue and left the door open enough for Husthwaite to tie him on 172 – creating the prospect of an interesting shoot-off.

SPORTING RESULTS

CH RICHARD FAULDS 172+16

RU BEN HUSTHWAITE 172+15

AAA1 GEORGE DIGWEED 165

AAA2 KEVIN JOBLING 162

AAA3 CORY KRUSE 161

AA1 ERIC MANSHOVEN 152+4

AA2 GLENN HUNT 152+3

AA3 JOHN BIDWELL 148

A1 MICHAEL SIMPSON 154

A2 SERGEY ALEXANDROV 150

A3 KATE BROWN 146

B1 OLEG NOSKOV 137

B2 INNA ALEXANDROVA 134+4

B3 BRIAN JARDINE 134+3

C1 SABIR KALIMULIN 132

C2 VLADIMIR ROMANOVSKY 129

C3 RAHIMDZHAN KALIMULIN 128

D1 VADIM MAZUR 139

D2 ANDREY AGAEV 136

D3 ANATOLIY KORPUSOV 133

L1 KATE BROWN 146

L2 INNA ALEXANDROVA 134

L3 EKATERINA TITOVA 118

J1 MICHAEL SIMPSON 154

J2 ALEXANDER BONDAR 140

J3 SERGEY TORMISHEV 139

V1 JOHN BIDWELL 148

V2 VLADIMIR CISLYAK 140

V3 STEVE FISCHER 139

SV1 MIKE JENNINGS 111

COLT 1 BRETT WINSTANLEY 137

COLT 2 CHRIS PAPWORTH 132

PARCOURS DE CHASSE

CH BEN HUSTHWAITE 134+19

RU RICHARD FAULDS 131+16

A1 CORY KRUSE 132+15

A2 MARK MARSHALL 128+18

A3 MARTIN PAPWORTH 130+15

B1 SERGEY ALEXANDROV 119

B2 ALEXANDER BONDAR 117

B3 ANDREY DANILOV 115

C1 BRETT WINSTANLEY 116

C2 KATE BROWN 110

C3 ALDIS KARTOCIUS 109

D1 ALEXANDER LEBEDEV 116

D2 CHRIS PAPWORTH 111

D3 JAMES DUNNE 105

L1 KATE BROWN 110

L2 INNA ALEXANDROVA 104

L3 ANZHELIKA MESHERYAKOVA 98

J1 ALEXANDER BONDAR 117

J2 MICHAEL SIMPSON 112

J3 SERGEY TORMISHEV 102

V1 JOHN BIDWELL 117

V2 VLADIMIR CISLYAK 115

V3 GRIGORIY SHLAPAKOV 108

COLT 1 BRETT WINSTANLEY 116

COLT 2 CHRIS PAPWORTH 111

COLT 3 ARTEM VLADIKIN 66 SV MIKE JENNINGS 87

MR VLADIMIR LISIN (RIGHT) PRESENTS BEN HUSTHWAITE WITH HIS KRIEGHOFF PARCOURS DE CHASSE CLASSIC TROPHY.

MR LISIN PRESENTS GEORGE DIGWEED WITH HIS AAA SPORTING CHAMPION’S TROPHY.

PARCOURS DE CHASSE

The Parcours de Chasse 150 target event was shot over six layouts new system with the majority of the parcours close to the Clubhouse. The variety of the six parcours made this one of the most interesting events, shooting across marshland, woodland, shrubland and among quarry excavations. All layouts proved eminently shootable providing multiple scores of 23 and 24. Glavpatron was perhaps the easiest layout with one straight and five 24s. On the other hand, Canyon was undoubtedly the hardest, with only

three scores of 20, 21 and 23.

England-based Paul Simpson had an outstanding first four layouts and was heading the pack after 100 targets, having shot 22, 23, 25 and 23. However, he had Lake and the hard Canyon layouts to finish on the last day – with his score slipping to 128 – but it was enough to beat George Digweed by one target and become the last man into the six-man Super Final.

Simpson’s fellow finalists were Martin Papworth (130), Mark Marshall (128), Cory Kruse (132), Richard Faulds (131) and Ben Husthwaite (134). The Super Final was held in the Quarry Stadium with 25 targets shot from four hoops. While Mark Marshall pulled himself up to A class 2nd, the battle of the titans was between

Husthwaite, Faulds and Kruse. Husthwaite was on outstanding form. His 19 in the Super Final taking him well clear of the opposition, claiming the title of Krieghoff Parcours de Chasse Classic Champion – fitting in that he is a Krieghoff-sponsored shooter. A further hoop shoot-off was required to split Faulds and Kruse, which finally went to Faulds by one target, leaving Kruse to take A class.

GETTING DARK

So enthralling was the Super Final, watched by all, time was slipping away fast as the sun dropped behind the hillsides surrounding the ground. From the same Stadium there was a need to

complete a 20-bird shoot-off for the sporting title. So poor were the light conditions that the target combinations had to be changed for all to see. Faulds added to his Highclere Triple Classic Sporting title with the Fox Lodge title by just one target. The scores of 16 and 15 ex-20 were remarkable in those light conditions – even the spectators had difficulty seeing the targets – but Hugh Smith, Chief Referee, and the four supporting referees handling the finals were well able to see the breaks of each flash target.

As the light faded completely, everyone made their way back to the Clubhouse for well-earned celebrations in the bar. Prize giving was presided over by the generous Mr Vladimir Lisin, main sponsor of the Triple Classic World Series. Fittingly, the completion of this ‘Festival of Shooting’ was signaled by a firework display.

Results of each competition are shown in the accompanying results panel. The Triple Classic bandwagon now rolls west for the third and final leg of this World Series to be held at The Meadows National Gun Club, Atlanta, Georgia, on the 9-12 March 2006. All details are available on the shoot website at www.tripleclassicsporting.com

LEFT TO RIGHT: MIKE FARQUHAR, NIGEL BOUGH, HUGH SMITH, FRAZER KEAY AND BRIAN FROST. THEY TRAVELLED TO RUSSIA FROM ENGLAND TO ASSIST THE RUSSIAN REFEREES. HUGH SMITH ADDITIONALLY SPENT THREE DAYS TRAINING OVER 50 RUSSIAN REFEREES WHO ARE NOW QUALIFIED SPORTING AND FITASC REFEREES.

CORY KRUSE SMILES FOR THE CAMERA AFTER WINNING A CLASS IN THE PARCOURS DE CHASSE.

THE TROPHIES WERE SPECTACULAR AND THE LAND ROVER WAITS TO SEE IF THE SPORTING HOA CAN DRAW BOTH TICKETS NEEDED TO WIN THIS BEAUTIFUL CAR!

take the top honors

MEADOWS

CLASSIC

Bill McGuire and George Digweed

TOP: BILL McGUIRE ON DOGWOOD, HEADING FOR A MAJOR WIN INSET: THE KRIEGHOFF PARCOURS DE CHASSE SUPER FINALISTS (FROM LEFT) GEORGE DIGWEED, JOHN BIDWELL, MARK MARSHALL, DOUG VINE, BEN HUSTHWAITE AND RICHARD FAULDS

A REPORT BY MICHAEL BRUNTON with pictures by Tom Thompson, Derek Moore, Steve Fischer and Michael Brunton

Not since the US Open of 1998 has The Meadows National Gun Club hosted such a major championship. The 3rd Leg of the Triple Classic World Series attracted 820 competitors for the 200 target Peter Crabtree Memorial Main Event and 360 competitors for the Krieghoff Parcours de Chasse. In all, competitors came from 42 States of

Mr Vladimir Lisin and Fox Lodge of Moscow, Russia. Mr Lisin, who attended each event, was delighted with the success of the series. “While clay target shooting is growing in popularity, the international dimension of the sport needs to be encouraged” he said. “The Triple Classic achieved just that and I believe was a great success. I have therefore asked

SHOOTREPORT

GREAT TEAMWORK

With the high standards set at Highclere Castle in England (June ’05) and Fox Lodge, Russia (October ’05) it fell to The Meadows National Gun Club to host the third leg in March – and what a fantastic job they did. The ground was in tip-top condition and despite a stiff easterly breeze at lunchtime each day, the four days

Krieghoff Parcours de Chasse 150 target event were set on land adjacent to The Meadows by Ben Brunton (ClayShootingUSA) and Graham Brown of Purbeck Shooting School in England. General consensus was that these were world-class targets complemented by terrain that included woodland, open fields and ponds.

MAIN EVENT

With Lois Lessing on hand to help Wendy Crabtree and her administration team, registration was a breeze as each competitor picked up their paperwork, Triple Classic pin badge and free box of Baschieri & Pellagri ammunition. Shooting started each day at 8.30 and finished promptly at 4.30 with scores posted on the internet by early evening.

The rotation system used for the Triple Classic saw competitors shoot sporting clays over two days (Thursday/Friday or Saturday/ Sunday) and Parcours de Chasse over two days (Thursday/Friday or Saturday/Sunday). This added

America and 10 countries –including 120 from Great Britain.

The concept of a series of championships held over 12 months across several continents to promote the international appeal of sporting clays was no easy task. The fact that it was a success, attracting over 3,500 entries across all championships, was down to the enthusiasm and generous support of the top-line sponsor –

of competition took place in almost perfect shooting conditions – with the weekend recording temperatures of 80°.

Targets for the Main Event were set by Deck and Cliff Jr. Evans. The two 100 target courses complemented each other perfectly. As befits an international event, Dogwood had a distinct American style while Azalea was more European.

The six layouts for the

ANDY CASTLE (LEFT), REPRESENTING MR LISIN AND FOX LODGE, LOSES HIS BET TO DECK EVANS WHO CORRECTLY PREDICTED THE TOP SCORE ON THE DOGWOOD AND AZALEA SPORTING CLAYS COURSES

ClayShootingUSA, together with Andy Castle of West London Sporting Targets, to start planning a second series. Now that the first World Series is complete, I hope that other industry sponsors will recognize its success and step forward to join with me in ensuring that this concept can become an established event in the international calendar.”

of each event did not become clear until late on the last day.

The 15 stations of the Dogwood course stretched across open pastures and back toward the club house amongst woodland. A good balance of true pairs and report targets saw the course shot in about two hours with no hold-ups. A strong mix of rabbits, midis and chandelles with traditional standard quartering, incoming and crossers added to the entertainment value of this course that saw some 16 shooters record scores of 90 and over. Making a rare visit to the US before traveling to the Commonwealth Games in Australia, Richard Faulds of England set the pace on Dogwood on day one with a score of 95.

Over on Azalea the targets were more challenging with birds thrown over water, under the shooting position and high in the sky. Azalea also featured two of the toughest stations in the whole championship. Station 9 included a fast low left to right quartering bird and a right to left 40 yard high chandelle shot as a true pair. If you were slow on the crosser the chandelle was well on its way down

to the ground – if you shot the chandelle first the crosser had gone!

Station 15 included a high and fast going away midi from a tower and a 50 yard plus right to left battue high in the sky – often further out due to the breeze. Both stations were run numerous times, but for most competitors these were costly stations.

By the end of Friday, scores of 89 from Faulds and 88 from Mark Marshall indicated that Azalea was shooting 6-7 targets harder than Dogwood – but there was still 540 shooters to complete this Main Event on Saturday and Sunday under blue skies and better

shooting conditions.

Conversation at the Shooter’s Welcome Party on Friday evening, held in Forsyth and hosted by the Holiday Inn, was of whether Faulds had done enough with 184/200 and which big names were still to shoot.

Of those on the Saturday and Sunday rotation, all eyes were on Digweed, who managed to squeeze another target out of Azalea for a round of 90 leaving him in the position of needing 95 on Dogwood to take the lead. Reaching his last couple of stations for 97, he dropped four targets on station one for a score of 93. Not quite good enough.

Saturday proved to be a special day for Bill McGuire – his 95/100 on the tough Azalea course was a delight and surprise to most. It was an outstanding round – putting him five ahead of an international class field. What would his Sunday round on Dogwood bring?

If McGuire’s 95 on Azalea wasn’t enough to talk about, the Make-A-Break super final after the Saturday shoot party was. Shot under lights, the top 16 went head to head. Star of the show was Christa Littlefield, an AA shooter from Arkansas. In the semi-final she drew George Digweed – no contest! Wrong. Digweed had forced her into having to take the 7 bird to win by one. The 350-strong crowd held their breath and broke into rapturous applause and cheers as she smoked her last target. Game over for GD. Littlefield then

moved on to the final against Gregg Wolf who took top spot and the cash. But this night clearly belonged to Littlefield – what a story she has to tell for many years to come.

Sunday dawned with blue skies and very little breeze. McGuire had done his waiting and at 11.30 joined the Dogwood course. Six stations later he was only a couple down. After 11 stations targets were slipping away faster than he’d like. “I felt the nerves getting to me”, said McGuire, who was delighted to finish the course with

LITTLEFIELD DOES THE BUSINESS!

AZALEA COURSE INCLUDED TARGETS UNDER THE SHOOTING POSITION AND OVER WATER

91 and a total score of 186, two ahead of Faulds and three ahead of Digweed.

You couldn’t wish for a better result. A 200 target championship across two very different courses, both of which recorded high scores of 95, and won overall by a true American gentleman in the face of fierce competition from the best Europe has to offer. Perfect.

In the classes, Digweed held on to M1 with Gregg Wolf (183) second on the same score. Jeff Davis (166) won AA and Alex Clark (160) took A class. Justin Johnson (159) stamped his authority on B class, four ahead of Art Harris while C, D and E class were won by Mark Wood (154), Jason Howard (143) and Larry Lewis (129) respectively.

In the concurrents, honors went to Casey Lynch (SJ – 162), Brandon Powell (J – 171), Kate Brown (L – 160), Paddy Howe (SV – 158) and Jeff Massey (H – 155). The Veterans concurrent was particularly competitive with some 185 entries – almost larger than Master class! With a score of 90 on Dogwood and 80 on Azalea, top spot went to John Bidwell, just one ahead of Bruce Ney.

PARCOURS DE CHASSE

The Krieghoff Parcours de Chasse over 150 targets and six layouts was a different story – the Europeans fielded a strong team of top internationals that dominated the event.

The six layouts of America, Mexico, Russia, Jamaica, Canada and Europe were shot over spectacular terrain that included open pasture, woodland and ponds. Target variety was entertaining – from crossers and loopers over water; fast quartering targets, teal and rabbits under the shooter’s position in the woods; to long incomers, crossers, chandelles and battues in the open. Tricky doubles, forcing the shooter to move their foot position, stole targets like a professional pick-pocket.

In terms of scores and degree of difficulty all six layouts were well balanced. Twenty-five straights were achieved on America, Canada (2), Mexico (3) and Europe with each layout boasting a host of 24s and 23s. Special mention must go to Craig Simpson of D class for his twenty-five straight on Canada – no doubt the reason he won his class by nine targets.

THE WALTON SISTERS ENJOYED THE FITASC, HAVING COMPETED AT EACH OF THE EVENTS IN UK, RUSSIA AND USA

SHOOTING OVER WATER ON PARCOUR RUSSIA

IS THAT A STANDARD OR A MIDI?

Digweed (137), Wendell Cherry (134) and Brandon Powell (134) set the pace on Thursday and Friday – with Cherry knowing that his first layout score of 19/25 would be costly. The Saturday and Sunday rotations kicked off with a bang – Faulds and Doug Vine both recording 25s. Vine continued to apply the pressure on Sunday finishing two ahead of Digweed. The top six to make the Super Final on Sunday were Vine (139), Digweed (137), Faulds (137), John Bidwell (136), Ben Husthwaite (135) and Mark Marshall (135) –all British. And what a display it was!

Fast quartering targets, a rabbit, 40 yard chandelle and 50 yard battue made up the menu for 25 targets old system shot from two hoops at ground level and one hoop on a platform. Four hundred watched as the gladiators entered the arena at 5.30 sharp. Four of the finalists had faltered by the time they got to the third hoop. It had become a head-to-head between

Faulds and Digweed. Faulds (24/25) blinked first while the 14 times World Champion went on to shoot a magnificent 25/25 and take the honors. It was a fantastic climax to the Championship. With Digweed and Faulds having secured the top two spots, the remaining Super Finalists moved back into Master class taking the top four spots – Vine (M1 - 139+19), Bidwell (M2 –136+22), Husthwaite (M3 –135+21) and Marshall (135+20) followed home by Michael Simpson (M5 – 134) and Wendell Cherry (M6 – 134). Elsewhere in the classes and concurrents honors went to Casey Atkinson (AA and Ladies – 127), John Newman (A – 124), John de la Haye (B – 132), Iain Beck (C –114), Craig Simpson (D – 114), Duane Hearn (E – 103), Michael Simpson (J – 134), John Bidwell (V – 136) and Brian Brewton (SV –125).

The top seven competitors at each of the Krieghoff sponsored

prize of a Krieghoff K80 and sponsorship package. The outright winner was Richard Faulds (above left) who accepted his bonus at prize-giving from Steve Phillips, Krieghoff International Inc. Director of Sales (above right). Unable, for obvious reasons, to accept such a sponsorship package, Faulds will receive a cash bonus from Krieghoff.

ALL OVER

The closing ceremony was quickly under way with special thanks to Wendy Crabtree, Cliff, Deck, Cliff Jr and all the Evans family and the staff of The Meadows who had administered such a top class event. A good-humored prize giving and an announcement that Mr Lisin has agreed to the planning of a 2006/7 Triple Classic rounded off this spectacular four

day festival of shooting. Late Sunday evening, as the last competitors left the ground, it fell deathly quiet. Only the massive clear-up task remained.

Though plans for the next Triple Classic World Series have only just started, it has been confirmed that the first leg of the 2006/7 series will be held in England at E.J. Churchill Shooting Ground at High Wycombe (on the outskirts of London) on 14-17th June 2006. (See www.tripleclassicsporting.com for more details). Future legs of this championship will be in USA, Scotland and possibly Russia in 2007. n

BELOW L-R: DIANE SORANTINO (2ND), KATE BROWN (HOA) AND DEEANN MASSEY (3RD) IN THE LADIES MAIN EVENT. INSET: CASEY ATKINSON, LADY CHAMPION OF THE PARCOURS DE CHASSE

VENDORS ROW WAS CONSTANTLY BUSY – WITH PROMATIC SUPPLYING TRAPS AND ENGINEERING BACKUP TO ALL THREE EVENTS IN THE WORLD SERIES

…special thanks

“ No such championship or series of international events can be successful without major sponsorship and total commitment to organization and planning. The sport in general and those thousands of competitors who have competed in the Triple Classic World Series are indebted to the generous financial support of Mr Vladimir Lisin and Fox Lodge, without whom this World Series would not have been possible.

“ The administrative, organizational and marketing skills of ClayShootingUSA, supported by Andy Castle of West London Sporting Targets on behalf of Mr Lisin, ensured the success of this imaginative series of championships.

“ Aided by generous sponsorship from Promatic, who supplied traps and engineering backup, and Krieghoff who sponsored the Parcours de Chasse, the 3rd Leg of the series at The Meadows was an outstanding success. Well done all – and on behalf of all competitors we look forward to supporting the 2006/07 series. ”

TRIPLE CLASSIC RESULTS

MAIN EVENT

CH BILL McGUIRE 186 RU RICHARD FAULDS 184

M1 GEORGE DIGWEED 183

M2 GREGG WOLF 183 M3 MARK MARSHALL 181

AA1 JEFF DAVIS 166 AA2 DAN MULCAHY 165 AA3 JASON GLEN MOORE162

A1 ALEX RYAN CLARK 160 A2 WARREN T HITT 157 A3 MIKE MINTON 155

B1 JUSTIN I JOHNSON 159 B2 ART HARRIS 155 B3 LUKE TAYLOR 155

C1 MARK WOOD 154 C2 ROCKY MC CLUSKEY152 C3 RALPH F WHELIHAN IV152

D1 JASON HOWARD 143 D2 CHANDLER SHORT 141 D3 DAVID COPPAGE 139

E1 LARRY W LEWIS 129 E2 DUANE HEARN 128 E3 GARY RIDGEWAY 126

L1 KATIE BROWN 160 L2 DIANE M SORANTINO156 L3 DEEANN MASSEY 154

SJ1 CASEY K LYNCH 162 SJ2 SAM GREEN 157 SJ3 BRETT WINSTANLEY 153

J1 BRANDON POWELL 171 J2 RYAN KENTON 167 J3 JOHN A RAY 165

V1 JOHN BIDWELL 170 V2 BRUCE K NEY 169 V3 TOM MEGARGEE 166 SV1 PATRICK HOWE 158 SV2

KRIEGHOFF Parcour de Chasse

CH GEORGE DIGWEED 162 RU RICHARD FAULDS 161

M1 DOUG VINE 158 M2 JOHN BIDWELL 158 M3 BEN HUSTHWAITE 156 AA1 CASEY O ATKINSON 127 AA2 ROBERT L BARLOW 123 AA3 ANTHONY BALL 122

A1 JOHN NEWMAN 124 A2 ANDREW HARVISON 123

A3 WARREN T HITT 122

B1 JOHN DE LA HAYE 132

B2 BRETT WINSTANLEY 123

B3 VALERIE KONSHIN 121

C1 IAIN BECK 114

C2 ERIC WARRING 113

C3 DOUGLAS. DU QUESNAY110

D1 CRAIG SIMPSON 114

D2 TEDA L HUSKEY 105

D3 LENIN THOMPSON 98

E1 DUANE HEARN 103

E2 ALAN G ASHWORTH 94

E3 WILLIAM C MC MORRIS94

L1 CASEY O ATKINSON 127

L2 DIANE M SORANTINO124

L3 KATIE BROWN 119

J1 MICHAEL SIMPSON 134

J2 BRANDON POWELL 134

J3 MATT HOUTTEMAN 126

V1 JOHN BIDWELL 136

V2 MIKE BITTMANN 132

V3 AJ SMITH 128

SV1 BRIAN E BREWTON 125

SV2 ROBERT L BARLOW 123

SV3 ANTHONY BALL 122

RIGHT: BILL McGUIRE, A WELL DESERVED WINNER OF THE MAIN EVENT

George Digweed

MR VLADIMIR LISIN OF FOX LODGE, RUSSIA, TOPLINE SPONSOR OF THE TRIPLE CLASSIC WORLD SERIES

SIDELOCKS, BOXLOCKS AND OTHER LOCKS

RICHARD RAWLINGSON LOOKS AT THE DEVELOPMENT OF SHOTGUN LOCKS OVER THE YEARS

WHERE IT ALL BEGAN…ALL EARLY GUNS WERE FLINTLOCKS LIKE THIS PISTOL.

IN A PREVIOUS ISSUE I ANALYZED THE WAY DIFFERENT GUNMAKERS HAD SOLVED THE PROBLEM OF HOLDING A SHOTGUN’S BARREL AND ACTION TOGETHER. IN THIS SECOND PART I LOOK AT THE HEART OF THE GUN – THE TRIGGER AND LOCKWORK.

Those of you not versed in the arcane language of gunmaking are probably confused already – if we studied locking mechanisms last time how come it is locks this time round? It runs contrary to logic I know, but in gunmaker’s terminology the word lock means quite different things when used as a verb or a noun. A ‘lock’(noun) is the name given to the mechanism that translates the pulling of the trigger into the fall of the firing pin on the primer. It is quite separate from the mechanism that locks (verb) a break-action gun together.

In the beginning, of course, there was no confusion. All guns were muzzle loaders, so no locking

mechanism was needed. The three main parts of the gun were neatly summed up in the phrase ‘lock, stock and barrel’. If you had all three you had a complete gun. As the only one of the three that involves moving parts, the lock has always been the most complex. It has to store sufficient energy in its spring to ignite the powder charge, while being ready for instant use. It should be totally reliable and

predictable in use. Furthermore, because the lock is the direct link between the shooter’s brain and the gun, its function directly affects the perception of how the gun performs.

In the beginning, when a shooting man talked of the lock, he meant a flintlock. On firing, the exposed hammer fell forward, striking a piece of flint. The spark of steel on stone ignited (he

WHEN YOU LOOK AT A PLAIN ANSON AND DEELEY TYPE GUN IT IS NOT HARD TO SEE WHERE THE ‘BOXLOCK’ NAME CAME FROM.

hoped) the gunpowder held in the pan, which in turn set off the main powder charge in the barrel. Guns of this era have given us many phrases that have stayed in the language although their original meaning has passed into obscurity. The hammer had two positions, half way back, or ‘half cock’, and all the way back and ready to fire (‘full cock’), the first to allow priming of the pan with powder. ‘Going off half cock’ was the term for involuntary firing from this intermediate position, but passed into general usage to mean any enterprise that is under-prepared or poorly planned. Similarly, if the powder in the pan ignited without setting off the main charge it was described as a ‘flash in the pan’ –visually exciting, but totally ineffective!

Flintlocks were intrinsically unreliable and inconvenient, even from the best of makers and the development of percussion detonators was a huge leap forward in the early 19th century. This is the system we still use today; the early percussion caps correspond directly with the primer in a modern cartridge. Both contain a compound that explodes when struck with force – the blow from the hammer, or more likely on modern guns, from the hammer via the firing pin or striker.

Even after the development of

percussion guns, the basic layout of external hammers, just like the early flintlocks, remained. All guns of this period were essentially sidelocks, that is, each barrel had its own separate lockwork, mounted on the side of the gun and with its own trigger. You will also hear the terms ‘back action’ and ‘bar action’ applied to sidelocks and I will mention the differences here for completeness. Back action locks have the whole mechanism behind the hammer.

Bar action locks have the main spring ahead of the hammer, let into the ‘flat’, or bar of the action.

The great change of the second half of the 19th century was the appearance and rapid development of the ‘hammerless’ gun that did away with external hammers to produce the style that stays with us today. In some ways it is surprising that it took so long for someone to realize that external hammers were not necessary on a percussion gun, but it was not until

ABOVE: A TYPICAL BACK ACTION SIDELOCK OF THE TYPE COMMON ON BREECHLOADING HAMMER GUNS OF THE 19TH CENTURY. NOTE THE MAINSPRING TO THE REAR OF THE LOCK… BELOW: …CONTRAST THIS WITH THE BAR ACTION LOCK FOUND ON VIRTUALLY ALL HAMMERLESS SIDELOCKS . THE SPRING IN THIS CASE LIES TO THE FRONT IN THE ACTION ‘BAR’.

SIDELOCKS ARE INTRINSICALLY COSTLY TO BUILD. THEY NEED EXTENSIVE FINISHING AND FITTING OF THE COMPONENT PARTS AND EACH LOCK HAS TO BE CAREFULLY LET IN TO THE HEAD OF THE STOCK. THEY DO NOT ADAPT WELL TO MASS PRODUCTION.

1871 that Theophilus Murcott of London produced the first hammerless gun to, initially at least, a mixed reception. ‘Spaniels without ears’ was one famous and damning description of the newfangled weapons. The traditionalists, however, were fighting a losing battle.

From the viewpoint of shooting as an affordable sport for everyone, I would venture that the most significant invention of the early hammerless period arrived in 1875, when the Birmingham firm of Westley Richards lodged a patent in the names of the firm’s managing director, John Deeley and the foreman of the machine shop, William Anson. Their gun, soon known everywhere as the Anson and Deeley boxlock, is one of the landmarks of shotgun design and variations on this basic theme continue to be made in millions around the world.

Sidelocks are intrinsically costly to build. They need extensive finishing and fitting of the component parts and each lock has to be carefully let in to the head of the stock. They do not

adapt well to mass production. The boxlock, like many great ideas, is both effective and simple. Essentially it reduced the lockwork to three main parts, the cocking lever, mainspring and tumbler (the part which corresponds to the hammer on earlier guns). What is more, these three parts could be made by machines with much less need for skilled fitting. The term ‘boxlock’ came from the rather square boxy shape imposed on the gun by the design. With no lockwork to house at the rear, the action body could be squared off, again greatly reducing manufacturing costs.

And there you have the roots of the sidelock versus boxlock snobbery that persists to this day. Purists consider the boxlock plain and cheap, the sidelock on the other hand embodies hand built craftsmanship and elegance. You will hear that the trigger pulls on a sidelock are superior to a boxlock, but that is a generalization that does not hold up under close scrutiny. There are good and bad examples of each and the best boxlock triggers match, in my view at least, all but the very finest

d A RARE AND DESIRABLE WESTLEY RICHARDS ‘DROPLOCK’ SHOWING NOT ONLY THE INSPIRED SIMPLICITY BUT ALSO WHY THE BOXY SHAPE IS NECESSARY TO HOUSE THE LOCK PARTS.

b SIDELOCK PERFECTION? THE BESPOKE ITALIAN TRADE STILL MAKES EXQUISITE SIDELOCK OVER-AND-UNDERS, AND NONE BETTER THAN BERTUZZI’S FAMOUS ‘GULL WING’ GUN WITH THE TRADEMARK OPENING SIDEPLATES.

…THE BOXLOCK PRINCIPLE WORKS VERY WELL IN OVER-AND-UNDER GUNS, TO THE EXTENT THAT VIRTUALLY ALL CURRENT PRODUCTION IN THE LOW TO MIDDLE SECTORS OF THE MARKET FALLS INTO THE BOXLOCK CATEGORY…

sidelocks and for 99% of us the argument is largely academic. Sidelocks will always be more expensive and in a world dominated by marketing hype and ‘labels’, there will always be those who see ‘expensive’ as a synonym for better. Which is not to say that a good sidelock gun will not be a very fine thing, but in terms of function it is hard to justify the price premium it will command over the humble boxlock.

In terms of competition guns,

there are very few sidelocks currently available. The most common will certainly be the Beretta SO series guns which have enjoyed great success, particularly in the Olympic disciplines. Merkel of Germany have also built many top quality sidelock guns but few are used on the competition scene. The bespoke Italian trade also makes fine competition models in very small numbers at very high prices. The guns of Ivo Fabbri would be considered by many to

be the ultimate for those with very deep pockets.

Luckily for the rest of us, the boxlock principle works very well in over-and-under guns, to the extent that virtually all current production in the low to middle sectors of the market falls into the boxlock category, using the fall of the barrels on opening to cock the mechanism ready for the next shot. Although there have been many variations on the theme, as gunmakers have added their own refinements to the basic design, Anson and Deeley’s basic principles remain. Strip away the additional parts for safety catches and single trigger mechanisms from a modern gun and you will see an essentially simple concept of very few moving parts. We should all be very grateful to those two gentleman, for without them shooting might still be a rich man’s sport.

There is, however, one other distinctive style of lock making, of particular importance in terms of current guns, that does not fit neatly into either category. A number of today’s most influential competition guns feature

a detachable trigger mechanism, including many Perazzi models, Gamba and Kemen. On such guns the whole unit, including trigger blade and guard, can be dropped out of the underside of the action, leaving the lockwork clearly visible and accessible for cleaning and maintenance. The concept is not new – Westley Richards produced a ‘droplock’ version of the Anson and Deeley action over 100 years ago – but in construction, the lockwork owes much more to the ‘trigger plate’ actions pioneered by MacNaughton of Edinburgh in 1879. Imagine the trigger plate (the flat surface from which the trigger itself hangs and which gives the style its name) as the foundation stone, with the lock built upwards from this base giving a very compact unit. Although largely irrelevant on a competition gun, this neat construction does allow the maker to produce an especially elegant profile, epitomized by another Scottish firm, Dickson, and their classic ‘round action’ that is still made today.

Whatever style of lock is fitted, what is indisputable is that the gun trade has, over two centuries, brought their design to an exceptionally high level of refinement and reliability. Failures and problems are remarkably rare given the vast numbers of shots fired at clay targets each year. Those that do occur are normally minor, entailing the replacement of simple parts such as springs or firing pins. We even take for granted reliable single trigger operation, a concept that had many of the finest brains in the trade baffled for many years. And yet this reliability does not carry a hefty price tag, for we expect it (and get it) on even the most basic gun. In fact you could say that for most of the time, it all runs like lockwork!

Buying second-hand can make a lot of sense. A modern over-and-under is designed to take more use than the average owner will give it in a lifetime – and the savings against the same gun new can be significant. Just like buying a used car though, problems can arise and some careful checks and attention to detail can help prevent expensive mistakes. Follow our tips and leave the lemons on the dealer’s rack!

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

A general check over can tell you much about a gun and save you wasted time on a more detailed examination. When you first pick up a prospective purchase these are the first things to look for:

• Check the serial numbers on each of the main parts (receiver, barrels and fore arm). Do they match? If not, it means something has been replaced, or worse, the gun has been assembled from a collection of parts.

• Look for general signs of wear and heavy use. Is the woodwork scratched or dented or the surface finish damaged? Is the barrel blacking rubbed off (and

also the black finish on the receiver) through use? The gold plating rubs off triggers with time and is a good guide to the amount of use – as is checkering worn smooth.

• Check the top rib in profile and check for any dents or signs of repair.

• If multichokes are fitted do they come out easily? Are there any signs of damage to the threads or around the muzzles, or any surface corrosion?

• Hold the barrels up to the light and look along the outside for signs of dents or bulges. If there is anything obvious here move on – the cost of repair is generally prohibitive and there

are plenty more fish in the sea.

• Look down the bores, again against the light, checking for any signs of pitting and corrosion. Modern chromed bores are less prone to problems but not all makers use chrome lining (Perazzi and the Browning Superposed are two that don’t have this feature). Remember to examine the chambers too, this is a favorite area for corrosion to take hold.

• Has the gun been altered in any way? If the gun has fixed chokes ask the dealer to measure them to see if they have been opened out from the factory specification. Similar checks should be made of the stock dimensions against the manufacturer’s standard (if you don’t know the factory specs check on the maker’s web site –most have comprehensive fact sheets for all their guns). There is nothing intrinsically wrong with an altered gun – it may even make it more attractive to you; it is however a useful bargaining tool and knowledge is power whenever there is a deal to be done.

• Look for evidence of clumsy maintenance, such as damaged screw heads.

IN DETAIL

If the gun passes its first phase examination it is time to get serious. Take the gun apart and look at each component in detail.

ACTION

• Look for signs of marking, scoring or other damage on the hinge pin (where fitted) or the trunnions on which the barrels pivot. Signs here should be checked against the corresponding surfaces on the barrel lumps and bearing surfaces.

• Check the jointing by removing the fore arm and trying to move the barrels against the breech face, both up and down and from side to side. On guns with spring-loaded ejector systems it is best to remove these first. Guns with appreciable movement are said to be ‘off the face’ and could need an expensive rejointing job.

• Check the condition of the firing

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

• IF MULTICHOKES ARE FITTED DO THEY COME OUT EASILY?

OWNED

pins. Some guns are well known for wear and pitting on the nose of the pins. It is not expensive to fix but something to get done before the sale is completed.

• Look also at the area of the breech face around the striker holes for pitting and damage.

• With snap caps loaded, check the trigger pulls. Are they crisp or is there excessive drag? Check also the pull weights with a spring gauge (every dealer should have one). Both light and heavy pulls are to be avoided. Heavy pulls wreck your timing and very light pulls are just plain dangerous. Around 3.5-4.5 lbs is probably about right.

• The top lever action should be firm and not floppy. On most guns it lies slightly offset to the right. If it is straight back or off to the left it could indicate a worn spring or top lever spindle which the seller should replace.

• Check the operation of the safety catch and barrel selector. Check the gun operates correctly with both top and bottom barrel

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

• LOOK DOWN THE BORES, AGAINST THE LIGHT, CHECKING FOR ANY SIGNS OF PITTING AND CORROSION.

ACTION

• LOOK FOR SIGNS OF MARKING, SCORING OR OTHER DAMAGE ON THE HINGE PIN.

ACTION

• THE TOP LEVER ACTION SHOULD BE FIRM AND NOT FLOPPY.

• CHECK THE OPERATION OF THE SAFETY CATCH AND BARREL SELECTOR.

BARRELS

• Our initial checks covered most of the obvious points but look all around the breech end and/or monobloc for damage and signs of careless handling.

• Examine the ejectors carefully for hairline cracks and see that they move freely in their guides. Spring-loaded types (like Beretta) should compress with thumb pressure and spring back into position easily.

• Check both ventilated top and mid ribs (where fitted) for corrosion. This is a favorite place for moisture to linger if cleaning has been less than thorough.

• Check for a loose rib by suspending the barrels from the fore arm loop and tapping them

with a pen. You should hear a clear ringing tone, not a dull note.

WOODWORK

• Woodwork problems are among the most common faults on used guns and can be very expensive to put right.

• With the stock off, look for oil staining around the head of the stock. Over enthusiastic use of gun oil can cause problems with it soaking into the head and eventually rotting the wood.

• Cracks in the stock are very costly. Look carefully at the grip area both for cracks running between the top and bottom straps (especially serious) or running directly backwards with the grain from the straps. Guns with detachable trigger groups

LOCKWORK

• IT IS ALWAYS WORTH REMOVING THE STOCK TO LOOK AT THE LOCKWORK.

are particularly vulnerable here because more wood is removed to accommodate the unit.

• Check the toe of the stock for damage which could indicate it has been dropped.

• If a recoil pad has been fitted is it properly finished and a good fit?

• Cracked fore arms are common. Most vulnerable are the areas where the wood is thinnest, usually the upper edge where it meets the barrel shoulders. Other danger points are around the front, especially on Schnabel types and along the grain where the fore arm metalwork is fitted.

• Make a general inspection of all areas where wood joins metal for damage or signs of repair.

• CRACKED FORE ARMS ARE COMMON. MOST VULNERABLE ARE THE AREAS

THE WORLD OF ENTERTAINMENT

There is an enTire parallel universe To The series of nsCa TournamenTs and shooTing Club fun shooTs. iT is a plaCe wiTh iTs own heroes and a sTeady ConduiT of parTiCipanTs inTo The sporTing

The most visible entertainment shooting is the celebrity shoot. These are usually charity fundraisers, and command $1000 entry fees (and up) for a team of four. Included in the shooting package is an opportunity to ‘shoot with the stars’. The Hollywood Celebrity Shoot is currently the best known of these shoots. They draw as many as 100 actors, directors, producers, Hollywood insiders and stars from the professional sports world to participate in a variety of events.

Since the beginning of sporting’s popularity in the United States, several celebrity events, large and small, have surfaced to raise funds for worthwhile causes. In the early 90s, the Schwartzkopf Cup (named after General Norman Schwartzkopf) was the heavy hitter, raising nearly $3 million during the first seven years of the decade for scientific research to fight paralysis.

IT’S A PRIVILEGE

Louise Mandrell attracted many Nashville celebrities to her Boy Scout fundraisers during the mid 90s. She generated more than a

Clays game. iT is The TriparTiTe world of enTerTainmenT shooTing. This is The world of CelebriTy shooTs, CorporaTe ouTings and benefiT fundraisers. These evenTs ConsTiTuTe a small porTion of all sporTing Clays aCTiviTy, yeT They dominaTe The aTTenTion of Tv Cameras and geT The

press Coverage ThaT major big blasT evenTs Can only dream of says tom thompson

million dollars for the cause. Says Mandrell, “It is such a privilege to see how the many long hours of work and contributions from friends and family have changed people’s lives. God has blessed me with a second family – The Boy Scouts of America.”

Even the smaller scaled Sugarbugs Celebrity Shoots, which are regional favorites in the south to raise support funds for families dealing with juvenile diabetes, get help from celebrities who share a concern for the cause. “Our celebrities are not used to draw spectators,” says Diane Roettger, Sugarbugs Founder, “these are friends of ours – they attend because they share a commitment with the rest of us. We’re a big special family who support each other.”

Sugarbugs is in their eleventh year in Nashville. They also stage events in San Antonio and Birmingham, Alabama. Their list of celebrities is as impressive as their list of media scores that include big news magazines and most big city newspapers in the south, plus NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America and ESPN Outdoors. “We have introduced so many people to shooting,” Roettger says, “I can’t begin to tell you!

ENTERTAINMENT SHOOTING IS A NAME APPLIED TO SEVERAL EVENTS SUCH AS CELEBRITY SHOOTS, BENEFIT SHOOTS, LEAGUE TEAMS AND CORPORATE OUTINGS. THESE EVENTS INTRODUCE THOUSANDS OF NEW PEOPLE FROM THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC MARKET NICHE MOST LIKELY TO TAKE UP SHOOTING – THOSE BETWEEN 35-50 YEARS OLD.

Sponsors will send a team of inexperienced people to represent them, and they’ll have such a good time they can’t wait to come back. Many have gone on to become regular shooters.”

CLUB AWARENESS

The growth potential for new shooters through entertainment shooting is well worth nurturing and developing. Gun clubs have long been aware of the value of corporate outings as an opportunity to acquire new customers. Events are a little different all across the country. A small club in the Midwest works with labor unions, volunteer fire departments and church fellowship groups to provide outings that introduce new shooters throughout the year. On the Gulf Coast of Louisiana and Texas, they call ‘em Oilman Shoots, large outings that bring in hundreds of oil company customers, employees, support businesses and stockholders.

Shooting leagues are another concept of “entertainment shooting” because they are often organized around a team concept –and team members are frequently recruited from outside the regular shooting fraternity.

In Rhode Island, Richie Frisella’s Peace Dale Club sees an infusion of new shooters in his shooting leagues every year. The winter league runs for 20 weeks and boasts more than a hundred shooters. “We are blessed with a great bunch of shooters who love the game,” says Richie. “Leagues dominate our calendar. Eighty to ninety percent of our business comes from leagues. We don’t have time to shoot tournaments.”

Minnesota’s Horse and Hunt Club claims the largest league program in the nation. More than

ANOTHERWORLD

T J KLAY, SHOWN HERE WITH LOUISE MANDRELL, IS A NASHVILLE RECORDING ARTIST WHOSE FIRST INTRODUCTION TO SPORTING CLAYS CAME WHEN HE AND FELLOW MUSICIANS WERE PERSUADED TO ENTER A TEAM IN MANDRELL’S CELEBRITY SHOOT IN NASHVILLE.

900 signed up for the most recent spring league. They conduct two leagues annually, each twelve weeks long. This club was one of the first in the country to offer sporting clays and they have consistently led the industry in advancement of the game.

BENEFITING CHARITY

Halliburton Corporation is a major sponsor of the Huston Oilman Invitational Shooting Tournament (HOIST). In its ninth year, the event has evolved into Houston’s premier oilfield sporting clays tournament – offering participants two days of shooting, socializing, food, fun and prizes. Funds raised go to an agency (Children’s Assessment Center) to address the needs of sexually abused children and their families.

Charity benefit shoots are

another part of the normal landscape. We find these events advertised at clubs all across the country. They are as diverse as our culture is diverse. Such events rise to the occasion – providing a fix for whatever needs fixing. Wildlife organizations such as Ducks Unlimited, Wild Turkey Federation and Quail Unlimited regularly use the opportunity of sporting clays events to raise money for their focus of concern. The latest development in benefit events, of course, are shoots for tsunami relief – these are local responses to an international disaster.

Boomer Esiason’s shoots to benefit Cystic Fibrosis research is another good example of a local charity shoot that has emerged into an impressive national event. Their quarter million dollar net during the 2004 event at Elk Creek in June puts them within reach of the million-dollar milestone they expect to surpass in 2005.

Entertainment shooting adds to the overall number of people who know about and experience the sport – and have some real potential to come back as regular participants. The great growth potential for sporting clays is in the market niche that is targeted by

LU PARKER, MISS USA 1994, POSES DURING A RECENT SUGARBUGS CELEBRITY SHOOT. MS. PARKER IS MORE THAN A PRETTY FACE AT CELEBRITY COMPETITIONS…SHE IS A SHOOTING FORCE TO RECKON WITH. SHE OFTEN TAKES HOME THE TOP FEMALE CELEBRITY TROPHY WHEN SHE ENTERS AN EVENT. (PHOTO BY RUBEN CARLOS)

WITH MORE THAN A HUNDRED SHOOTERS IN HIS TWENTY WEEK WINTER LEAGUE, PEACE DALE’S RICHIE FRISELLA SAYS, “EIGHTY TO NINETY PERCENT OF OUR BUSINESS COMES FROM LEAGUES. WE DON’T HAVE TIME TO SHOOT TOURNAMENTS.” HE ESTIMATES ONE IN FOUR OF THIS WINTER’S SHOOTERS ARE NEW TO THE SPORT.

THE NEW YORK TIMES REPORTS THAT MORE THAN 40 MILLION AMERICANS PARTICIPATE AT LEAST ONCE A YEAR IN HUNTING OR RECREATIONAL SHOOTING.

the providers of entertainment shooting opportunities. It is the age 35 – 50 group that is stabilized in our society, who has disposable income, who enjoys the outdoors and likes the sort of challenge offered by sporting clays.

The New York Times reports that more than 40 million Americans participate at least once a year in hunting or recreational shooting. By comparison, 26 million play golf and 9.6 million play tennis at least once a year. The National Shooting Sports Foundation claims that 23 million of us are target shooters – and estimate that 9 million take part in sporting clays. Our game has tremendous growth potential.

HIGH PROFILE

Entertainment shooting has an added bonus in being able to command media attention. It provides the soft sell to the public about the fun offered by participation in shooting sports. The publicity is a great foil to the anti-gun crowd. Actor John Laughlin, founder of the Hollywood Celebrity Shoot, says, “We reached an audience of more than 80 million each of the past two years with the twenty-one magazines and four television programs that covered us.”

“We have made amazing strides in the past three years,” Laughlin stated. “We’re reaching out to celebrities in other areas: NFL, NASCAR and Nashville. We will continue to raise a voice of reason that says hunting, shooting and outdoor recreation are important family activities – and we need to cultivate new generations of enthusiasts to ensure the preservation of the sport.”

Laughlin is fully aware that his organization casts a very high

profile in the shooting sports. He brings a professional’s trained eye to management of HCS’s message. He has moved the shooting event to the Las Vegas area’s Desert Lake Country Club, and is promoting the June 9th-11th event as never before. It’s a safe bet that this will be the largest charityshooting event ever staged in the country.

As spring breaks, first in the south and moves north, many new shooters will be exposed to our sport through entertainment shooting opportunities. Even more will become aware of our sport through the positive media coverage of these events. Steady growth of our ranks is certain to come from those who transition from their first ‘fun outing’ into regular participation. Make them feel welcome at your club. n

AMBIANCE PHOTO OF THE CLUBHOUSE AT DESERT LAKES COUNTRY CLUB, NEAR LAS VEGAS, SITE OF THE HOLLYWOOD CELEBRITY SHOOT.

DUCKS UNLIMITED AND OTHER WILDLIFE SUPPORT ORGANIZATIONS STAGE REGULAR SHOOTING EVENTS THAT DRAW A SPECIAL CROWD TO SHOOTING RANGES ALL ACROSS THE COUNTRY.

PERSONALVIEW

Picture this scenario. For some reason, you begin having serious trouble with low, fast, edgy quartering-away targets. You don’t know if you’re misreading the speed, not concentrating on the target, or ‘peeking’ to see the kill –or what. You just know that you’re missing more of them than you had before. And that just doesn’t cut it.

So, you get on the ’phone with the coach who has helped bring you from a tentative, no-nothing novice to where you’re now knocking on the door of the top classes. Lucky enough, he has some free time so you set up a session at a nearby shooting ground. You meet at the ground a couple of days later, and then

spend the first ten to fifteen minutes of the expensive session hunting through the stations looking for the type of target that’s been hurting you. When you find what you need, you have to wait a few more minutes for a squad of the ground’s regular customers to finish shooting. The session then proceeds, with your coach detecting a hitch in your set-up, and applying a ‘fix’ that alters the insertion point of the gun.

When you have the target wired from the stand, you take a few steps back in order to add some distance to the target. However, you can go no more than a dozen paces before you’re halfway across the adjacent cart path. Moving to the left and right is also limited because of potential shot fall on adjoining stations. And

TRAINING AND PRACTICE

AND PRACTICE

then, just as you’re about ready to wrap it up on the stand, you have to step aside again as another pair of shooters work their way around the course.

The delays, angle and distance limitations are nobody’s fault, and you’re not blaming anyone for them. You know the ground owner is obligated to keep his regular customers happy, but it is annoying, especially when you’re paying serious money for the coach’s time.

Okay, now picture this second scenario. You’ve put in a pile of time, effort, and money, and you’ve finally made Team USA and a chance to represent your country in international competition. You want to be fully prepared, and you know that one of the most potentially deceptive and score destroying presentations employed

WILL FENNELL WORKING WITH STUDENT DARBY BERRY

GEORGE

WILL FENNELL WORKING WITH STUDENT DARBY BERRY

by the world’s top target setters are chandelles. And, to add insult to injury, chandelles have cost you dearly in the past.

So you call your coach, someone who also happens to be a member of Team USA, and you tell him that you really need to work on chandelles. He says, “come on up tomorrow afternoon,” so you organize your gear and get ready to go. When you arrive at his place early the next afternoon, you drop off your personal stuff at the rustic cabin and then head a couple of hundred yards to the specially designed layout carved neatly out of the woods. There you find five, count ‘em, five different chandelle presentations already set up and waiting for you – not the one, maybe two if you’re lucky, that you’d find at a typical sporting clays course. All five are on Long Range remote control, and there are no angle or distance

‘limitations’ from where you can shoot any or all of them.

Two hours later, after some very intense and thorough “one-onone” instruction about reading the subtleties of the presentations’ line, speed and angle, your confidence level on chandelles has gone from shaky to rock solid.

Now, considering that both of the above scenarios are real, which one would you choose for yourself? If your goal is to maximize your shooting skills with the least possible distraction, then, hands down, it has to be number two.

BACKGROUND

It would serve no purpose to name the shooting ground or the coach in the first scenario because that type of incident is more commonplace than most people realize. The second scenario, however, deserves further explanation. The coach is All-

American Team USA member, and 2004 World FITASC Championship bronze medalist, Will Fennell – and the training facility is his new ‘North American Promatic Training Center of Excellence.’ The name may be a mouthful, but the fundamental concept behind it is as straightforward and logical as the title may be long. First though, some necessary background.

Obviously best known for his achievements in FITASC and sporting clays, Fennell actually was an accomplished rifle and pistol shooter before gravitating to the clay target sports. A key factor in his climb up the competitive ladder was realizing early on that comprehensive lessons from a proven instructor would minimize the false steps that are common when starting out. So, back in ’96,

he took his first lesson from probably the most ‘proven’ instructor in America, Dan Carlisle. The all-important chemistry between coach and student immediately clicked, and Fennell has ever since remained an adherent to Carlisle’s successful clay shooting methodology. And Dan, for his part, became as much a mentor to Will as a teacher.

After observing Fennell’s advancement through the ranks to the top level of the game, and more importantly, recognizing his ability to quickly grasp a shooting concept and then communicate it equally as well, Carlisle subsequently urged him to begin teaching. Will first dipped his toe in the coaching waters on a part time basis five years ago before finally going fulltime in June last year. Today, he is one of only four instructors authorized by Dan to coach under the ‘Carlisle Academy’ banner.

PRACTICE AND TRAINING, AT FIRST GLANCE, MAY APPEAR TO BE THE SAME THING. THEY'RE NOT. PUT SIMPLY, PRACTICE GOING OUT AND REPETITIVELY DOING WHAT YOU ALREADY KNOW HOW TO DO. TRAINING, ON THE OTHER HAND, IS THE PROCESS OF FIRST ESTABLISHING AND THEN REFINING TECHNIQUE ON, FIRST, A BROAD CATEGORY OF TARGET PREENTATIONS, AND THEN, SECOND, ON VARIATIONS WITHIN THOSE CATEGORIES.

PRACTICE AND TRAINING, AT FIRST GLANCE, MAY APPEAR TO BE THE SAME THING. THEY’RE NOT. PUT SIMPLY, PRACTICE IS GOING OUT AND REPETITIVELY DOING WHAT YOU ALREADY KNOW HOW TO DO.TRAINING, ON THE OTHER HAND, IS THE PROCESS OF FIRST ESTABLISHING AND THEN REFINING TECHNIQUE ON, FIRST, A BROAD CATEGORY OF TARGET PRESENTATIONS, AND THEN, SECOND, ON VARIATIONS WITHIN THOSE CATEGORIES.

WILL FENNELL OVER THE SHOULDER OF A STUDENT ATTEMPTING A LOW, QUARTERING INCOMER

PERSONAL

Those first teaching years were spent traveling around the country to different grounds; something he still does. However, while in England between the World FITASC Championship and the Clay Shooting Classic, a visit to the Roundwood training ground brought about a radical change of direction.

TRAINING VERSUS PRACTICE

Practice and training, at first glance, may appear to be the same thing. They’re not. The same goes for the difference between a practice ground and a training facility. Put simply, practice is going out and repetitively doing what you already know how to do. And the colloquial definition of a practice ground is a traditional sporting clays range with its set series of stands and target presentations. Training, on the other hand, is the process of first establishing and then refining technique on, first, a broad category of target presentations, and then, second, on variations within those categories. A training facility also doesn’t follow the sequential setup of a clays course. Instead, it’s a totally fluid entity, enabling you to master specific skill sets from virtually any angle or distance. And, finally, a training ground is absent of any and all distractions and interruptions except those you yourself initiate.

Roundwood Shooting School for example, is the prototypical example of just such a facility. Overseen by world class coach Brian Hebditch, it has a wideranging reputation as the premier training facility in England, if not all of Europe. Most noted for the awesome targets thrown off of its infamous 155-foot tower,

Roundwoods’ real key, however, lies with its roughly 40 traps spread over 20 odd acres of English countryside. Every kind of target imaginable can be presented unhindered, and a number of top shooters make use of the facility to hone their technique.

Fennell recognized the immense practicality and logic of the set-up, and immediately set about developing a similar type of facility, albeit on a much smaller initial scale, back home in South Carolina.

THE GROUND AND THE PROGRAM

Located outside of the tiny crossroads of McConnell’s in the rolling hills of the Piedmont region of north central South Carolina, Fennell’s training facility is an easy forty-five minute ride south of the Charlotte airport. The four actual ‘shooting’ acres, carved out of a corner of their 400 acres of familyowned woodland, puts to good use the natural contour of the terrain. And, looking down the road, there is more than a little bit of room for

future expansion. With an 84 foot tower, ten traps (soon to be fourteen), all on Long Range Remote release systems and all on wheeled carts, the target presentations can be tailored to each student, based on their current individual skill level. As Fennell says, “We can work on whatever a student needs to work on, no matter what it is. And if it’s not currently here, it can be, in ten minutes!”

Bottom line – skill development is what a training ground is all about, and that is the central emphasis here. Generally, the program consists of a morning or afternoon session dedicated to a particular component of the overall picture. Some students book double sessions, like an afternoon followed by a morning, and spend the night at the comfortable hunting cabin that serves as the ground’s headquarters. In all cases, however, before or after a session, additional time is devoted solely to the mental aspects of the game, particularly the all-important mindset and preparation required before each and every shot. And,

surprisingly, the costs for this firstclass program are akin to what you’d pay for lessons with far less proven instructors.

DOES IT MAKE A DIFFERENCE?

Said Super-Veteran Dick Phillips, one of two Team USA FITASC shooters coached by Fennell, “I never would have realized how valuable a dedicated training ground could be both to the instructor and the student. There’s no time wasted, and there’s no outside interference. Just you, him and the targets. And when you consider how much you’d spend trying to learn things the hard way, it’s also cost effective.”

At the other end of the spectrum, Jim Todd from Rock Hill, SC describes himself as a ‘struggling rookie trying to improve.’ In the year that he’s worked with Fennell he’s not only learned the mechanical elements of how to set up and prepare to take each shot, he’s also learned the critical importance of ‘operating in the present and developing the proper mindset to be successful.’

Finally, according to Dan Carlisle, whose been at the coaching game for twenty-one years, “Will is dedicated to teaching. He’s as hard a worker at it as you’ll ever find and he has a definite advantage with his training ground. When someone takes a lesson from him, they’ll definitely get their money’s worth.”

There is an adage in clay shooting that goes, “The enemy of being good is trying to be perfect.” However, when it comes to training and preparation, no matter how you slice it, there simply is no substitute for excellence. n For more information, contact Fennell Shooting School at: 803-517-4216. Email: will@fennellshootingschool.com www.fennellshootingschool.com

In preparation for the upland hunting season last fall, two friends finally convinced Mr. A to try sporting clays. After all, they kept telling him, sporting clays simulates hunting and “everyone knows you are the best quail and pheasant shot around. You’ll have a great time.”

Although he had been an avid upland hunter for nearly twenty years and enjoyed an occasional round of trapshooting with his friends – he was apprehensive to try sporting clays. He often told stories of his many years hunting and what a great bird shooter he was. How would he shoot sporting clays compared to his friends? What would others think if he shot a poor score? He would be embarrassed if someone found out that he was not the great shooter everyone believed him to be. But his friends persisted – and they agreed to meet Sunday morning.

GREAT START

It was a good day for Mr. A. The course had hosted a fundraising event Saturday and the presentations were unchanged for Sunday. The traps were positioned in front of most stands with outgoing targets, slightly rising –very familiar shooting for him. Other stands had traps to the side, with targets quartering from the right, others from the left. The last stand was a pair of crossing teals, though to Mr. A they looked like the many startled pheasants he had seen

of his dogs. Here he hit both targets with one shot – four times. Neither of his friends did that! There were congratulations, backslaps, and praise from his friends. He had, on his first round, shot the same score as one friend and the other was only four targets better. Mr. A was ecstatic. When the suggestion was made to shoot again on Wednesday, before the weekend opening of bird season, he happily accepted.

The course was the same on Wednesday. This time Mr. A scored one target better than the friend he previously tied, with the other only a couple of targets ahead. The upland season began with Mr. A very happy with his sporting clays experience. He promised his friends to continue shooting with them after the upland season ended. He began to think, “I’m pretty good at this, and with some practice I could probably beat a lot of those guys.”

SOON CONFUSED

As the bird season ended Mr. A found himself again thinking about the fun of sporting clays. He had kept his promise to begin shooting again and was stepping out of the final stand of his first round of sporting clays since last fall. His friends were quiet. Mr. A was confused and somewhat embarrassed. Later, as he packed his gear away he felt the powerful dizzying swirl of depression, and a tinge of anger mixed with confusion and embarrassment.

What had happened? He had tried to shoot like the last time, but the targets were quite different! On the first stand, a midi and standard from behind and over his head, he only hit two. At stand two he hit one crosser and two of the long incoming targets. On the next three stands of battues, rabbits and the tower he missed every target! His friends were not shooting as well as last time either, but they were desperate to help him. They advised, pleaded, admonished:

don’t raise your head; that’s a real fast target; don’t shoot behind; swing faster; swing through; don’t stop your gun; shoot the first one quicker then get on the second fast; lead it three feet, pull away and shoot; you’re over the top; don’t stop your gun; switch to a modified choke; use 8s for these targets; that’s O.K. just don’t think about it; if you had some purple lenses you’d see this target better. It seemed a long, incomprehensible list!

He was lost and unable to do what his friends told him. The targets were blurs, he was straining, lunging, lurching, his neck and shoulders ached and often felt awkward and off balance.

Over the next few months Mr. A shot often. Determined to get better, he read about shooting methods and leading the target, guns, stocks, ballistics, shot sizes, powders, wads, shooting glasses, lens colors, chokes, forcing cones, barrel porting, hearing protection and brightly colored front sights. He bought a lot of new equipment

and was eager to demonstrate his knowledge. He joined the repetitive clubhouse discussions about which gun, choke or shot size was the key to a better score. The more time and money he invested, the more important it became to show other people how well he could shoot. He desperately wanted to beat some of the other guys.

Over time, there was some early improvement that helped his average score, but now he shot about the same all the time and always struggled with certain targets. In fact, he was beginning to consider some presentations as problems – and found himself telling others during those group conversations how much he hated certain targets. Then he noticed what he was actually saying and thought, “This is odd, I’m using the word ‘hate’ to describe something I’m supposed to be enjoying.” It doesn’t matter he thought, everyone talks about targets they hate, so he gave it no more consideration.

HE WAS LOST AND UNABLE TO DO WHAT HIS FRIENDS TOLD HIM. THE TARGETS WERE BLURS, HE WAS STRAINING, LUNGING, LURCHING, HIS NECK AND SHOULDERS ACHED AND OFTEN FELT AWKWARD AND OFF BALANCE…

HELP NEEDED

Mr. A began to realize he needed help to progress. While shooting a round with his friends could be enjoyable, he was usually disappointed in his performance –so after much consideration he decided to take a lesson.

He was concerned that he might have to change the shooting habits he had honed over the years, but was relieved when the instructor assured him he would not have to change – they would ‘work with his style.’ After an introductory discussion they made a slight change to his stock and talked at length about chokes, cartridges, watching the target, swinging the gun and methods of lead. Then it was time to shoot –and shoot they did – 350 targets in two hours. The instructor wanted to be sure Mr. A got his money’s worth.

Mr. A diligently tried to follow the directions: “Push the gun with your hands and arms” – when he did the gun became separate and disconnected from his body and he couldn’t control the speed. It was too fast sometimes, too slow others. “Swing from behind, get in front and pull the trigger”; “ insert on the target and pull away”; “Begin in front, stay in front, shoot now”; “Don’t aim, you point a shotgun” – he really tried and wanted to do it, but he seemed to lack the physical skill and coordination to do what he was told. The barrel wandered in every direction around the target, he was helpless to consistently put it where he was told. He worried about missing. He tried to focus on the target, but when calling he always felt a slight panic and rushed when the target appeared.

He was constantly confused. While he heard what was being said, the words seemed abstract concepts. He was unable to

INSTRUCTION

FIRST TOURNAMENT

MR. A FELT UNEASY DURING THE SUNDAY MORNING DRIVE TO HIS FIRST TOURNAMENT. HE WAS DEAD SERIOUS ABOUT SHOOTING, HE SHOT A LOT OF TARGETS, HE HAD ALL THE LATEST EQUIPMENT, HE HAD TAKEN SEVERAL LESSONS, HE WAS TRYING HARD TO CONCENTRATE, GIVING 110 PER CENT, AND HE REALLY WANTED TO WIN. WHAT ELSE COULD HE DO?

Over the next several months Mr. A shot many targets in preparation for his first tournament. He became increasingly frustrated if he didn’t win a practice round with his friends. He groaned if a target got away, he even found time to curse and call himself an idiot between shots if he missed the first target of a pair. He hated battues and rabbits. He couldn’t believe that the course owner would throw a midi against that background. He paid attention to misses and counted each persons targets. At each stand he knew how many he was down and what his final score would be if he didn’t miss any more. When he doubted his ability to hit the targets he began to hope others would miss.

Mr. A felt uneasy during the Sunday morning drive to his first tournament. The previous Wednesday practice he had missed a lot of targets from the right and could not find those overhead midis. He didn’t think he was ready – but wasn’t he doing everything he was supposed to? He was dead serious about shooting, he shot a lot of targets, he had all the latest equipment, he had taken several lessons, he was trying hard to concentrate, giving 110 per cent, and he really wanted to win. What else could he do?

interpret and apply their meaning. The instructor continued: “You missed behind again, don’t stop your swing”; “Don’t hurry”; “Try to relax”; “You raised your head”; “Watch the target”; “You can’t win unless you concentrate – block out the distractions”.

He didn’t know how to actually do the things he was being instructed to do. It was static in his mind, the incoming verbal signals scrambled like unpaid cable television channels. The instructors constant repetition was

certainly making him aware of what he was doing wrong, although he had little understanding of how to do something better. Then something happened he had never experienced in shooting, he flinched. It happened several more times that day. After practicing several weeks he took another lesson. He was more confused and awkward than before. The instructor said, “keep practicing and muscle memory will take over”.

As he closed the tailgate, picked up his bag and started down the path to the first stand, his sporting journey began… “I hope there aren’t too many rabbits… I wish I would have shot practice yesterday… I hate to lead off… I’ve got to beat that guy… I hope the targets aren’t too hard… what will everyone think if I have a terrible score?... What if I finish last?... Don’t forget to swing through… Great, now we get the sun on the first stand – I’ll never be able to see that battue…”

INSTRUCTION

ALTERNATIVE APPROACH

Meanwhile, at a tournament in another State, Mr. Z was sitting in his car and thinking back to his first lesson seven months earlier. He had been shooting at least twice a week for eighteen months before that day, but despite regular practice, he had struggled to improve. Trying to sort out all the conflicting articles, videos and

Now he had learned what he really wanted from shooting – and how to give himself the best chance to achieve it. He discovered that his obsession with guns, shells, accessories and gadgets didn’t seem to help his score. Real progress began when he learned how his mind and body interaction affected his shooting. The drills and exercises he used to improve his balance, posture, rhythm and

movement, no matter how small. You could learn to move efficiently in a manner that consistently produced the desired results or move inefficiently and accept the frustration of inconsistency. He learned that making a shot is skill with a series of steps – with a beginning and an end – and that his problems with any shot could be identified by how well he followed the steps of the skill. He

then picked up his shooting bag. As he crossed the rough gravel approaching his first station, he wondered – what would be the test today? Feeling the bag’s weight on his shoulder he thought of the one hundred (cartridges) opportunities that would test how well he could follow his plan. He breathed fully and deeply as he walked – and then a Latin phrase he learned some time ago came to

clubhouse instruction had become more confusing than helpful. He sincerely wanted to improve – it just wasn’t happening and he didn’t know what to do about it.

His first and subsequent lessons had been a revelation. He learned that there are no good or bad shooters, just shooters at different levels of development. It was his responsibility to make the correct mental and physical choices to improve his skill. He learned to understand the essential nature of the task he was learning and what was required for positive learning. He was surprised when he realized most of his learning, prior to taking lessons, had actually been negative.

REAL PROGRESS BEGAN WHEN HE LEARNED HOW HIS MIND AND BODY INTERACTION AFFECTED HIS SHOOTING.

visual skills made his shooting movement simpler and more efficient. He now had goals and structured practice sessions in logical, sequential steps and was progressively mastering the basic target presentations.

Understanding the affect of thoughts on his emotions and behavior improved his concentration, confidence and motivation. Shooting was fun and he enjoyed it all the time now. He learned that a target presentation was just a problem to be solved, like solving an equation – you simply needed the right variables. He understood that you could shoot any way you wanted, but there was a consequence for every

understood the greatest performers in any sport make it look easy because they eliminate exaggerated postures and unnecessary movements and use only the muscle tension needed to perform the skill.

He was gaining an understanding of the mysterious ‘zone’ everyone talked about. It really wasn’t a mystery at all, but rather a predictable result of choosing to think and perceive events in a certain way. It was a mental state, with known components, that could be learned like any other skill.

Mr. Z looked at his watch – 30 minutes until the start of competition. He stepped out of the car, stretched for five minutes,

mind – his goals would not be winning, beating anybody or worrying about what anyone thought. Rather he would, choose to excel – Opta Praestarae.

His only concern would be the process of making a good shot, over and over until stepping off the final stand. Then he would see the results of his effort. After all, what more could he do? He put his gun in the rack, his mind filled with, I’m going to enjoy this. He was well on the way to his first important victory – over himself. n

FOR

THANK YOU FOR YEARS!

”

Engineered for high level performance. The F3 is reliable through tens of thous ands of rounds each year without fail.“

Cory Kruse, 2019 World English Sporting Champion

Blaser Group

403 East Ramsey • Suite 301 San Antonio, TX 78216

100% MADE IN ITALY. SINCE 1900

TRAP SKEET SPORTING CLAYS TRAP SKEET SPORTING CLAYS

MSRP

ALL DISCIPLINES – ALL PASSION – ALLSPORT. The Fabarm Elos N2 Allsport is the most versatile target shotgun ever created. This impressive model is able to convert into a high rib trap gun, a low rib sporting clays gun and a skeet gun in a matter of minutes. The revolutionary interchangeable rib system, that includes two QRR (Quick Release Ribs) one 50/50 and one 65/35 and the Micro-Metric adjustable stock allow you to fine tune the gun to your own measurements resulting in a better fit. The stock on our standard Allsport is designed to fit the high school and collegiate competitors and some adult shooters with the 14” LOP and slightly reduced pistol grip. While our new XL model features our full-sized stock dimensions and a 14.75” LOP. You can be confident the Fabarm Elos N2 Allsport will provide you with continuous clay crushing performance through all disciplines and bring you to the next level of shooting in All sports.