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Shooting Sports

Matt L

Site Benefactor
I was an avid hunter in my younger years, brought up with it from my Father. He loved hunting but quite frankly he would get so excited he rarely hit anything! Hard to believe this was a guy who climbed out of a Higgins Boat and stormed Omaha Beach.

Anyway, My grandparents had 100+ acres of wooded land in the Catskill Mountains of NY where we hunted. After my Dad's and Grandparent's passing my interest in hunting faded. I was for quite some time an avid reenactor, doing American revolutionary War, U.S. Civil War and WWII. I still have a Charleville Cavalry Carbine (repro), a pair of "Tower" pistols (repro) a Springfield Rifle (repro) a Sharpes Carbine (repro) a couple Remington Army revolvers (one repro, one original) and a M-1 carbine. I still will dust them off and shoot some targets with them now and then.

Recently I was exposed to trap shooting and had a blast. Our lodge had our summer picnic at a local gun club with a trap range and we had a great time. One of the brothers is a member there and I am thinking of joining come spring. Of course, the Mrs. is none too thrilled at the prospect of me buying a Trap gun, but I am sure she will find something SHE wants to offset it!

Shooting clay's can be addictive. I'd start with a sporting model shotgun. It will shoot trap, skeet, sporting clay's and wing. If you decide you're all in, then you can pickup a very nice trap, or skeet specific gun used.
 

MarkR

Premium Member
After 25 years as a police officer, and 22 years Army/Army Reserve, I wanted to stay in shooting in some way, but something different. So, I got involved in Cowboy Action Shooting. I did that for several years, but stopped for a couple of reasons:
1. Ammunition got too damned expensive. I shoot .45 Long Colt in my revolvers and rifle, and it got be nearly "a buck a bang" to shoot that. Since we used two boxes of revolver/rifle ammo (plus a box of shotgun) in each match, with entry fees it was getting to be a $150 day to shoot. I had zero interest in getting into reloading ammo.
2. The super-competitive guys took all the fun out of the stages. They didn't want any of the "fun" stuff done on the clock. It became a situation of just standing in one place shooting as fast as you could. Any "cowboy action" had to be done before the timer started. The fun stages used to give a chance to some of the less-fast shooters (the super-fast shooters might take four or five tries to lasso the wooden horse, and they didn't like it.)

So, I still go to the range from time to time, but I've been thinking lately that I ought to sell my cowboy guns, because I never use them.
 

MWS

Registered User
I'd like to consider myself a shooting sports enthusiast...but still need a lot of work.

When I went deer hunting, I saw a few squirrels.
When I went turkey hunting, I saw a few...deer.
When I spent the day at the range with my .45 my friend saw my target paper and said, "Oh, sighting in your shotgun, eh?" :rolleyes:

Regardless, I still enjoy getting out...I do a little better at skeet and trap.
 

Matt L

Site Benefactor
After 25 years as a police officer, and 22 years Army/Army Reserve, I wanted to stay in shooting in some way, but something different. So, I got involved in Cowboy Action Shooting. I did that for several years, but stopped for a couple of reasons:
1. Ammunition got too damned expensive. I shoot .45 Long Colt in my revolvers and rifle, and it got be nearly "a buck a bang" to shoot that. Since we used two boxes of revolver/rifle ammo (plus a box of shotgun) in each match, with entry fees it was getting to be a $150 day to shoot. I had zero interest in getting into reloading ammo.
2. The super-competitive guys took all the fun out of the stages. They didn't want any of the "fun" stuff done on the clock. It became a situation of just standing in one place shooting as fast as you could. Any "cowboy action" had to be done before the timer started. The fun stages used to give a chance to some of the less-fast shooters (the super-fast shooters might take four or five tries to lasso the wooden horse, and they didn't like it.)

So, I still go to the range from time to time, but I've been thinking lately that I ought to sell my cowboy guns, because I never use them.

30 years on the job here. I've shot PPC, IPSC, Bianchi Cup, 3 gun, IDPA, Steel challenge, etc. and was a Marine Corps distinguished rifle and pistol marksman. I seem to lose interest when the gadgets and race guns come out and the RSO's have there head up their bum.

I now concentrate on vintage sniper matches, and trap. My real love is coaching. I'm a level 2 national rife, pistol and shotgun coach. I can coach on the trap field until the cows come home.
 

melinda

Registered User
I grew up with a gun shop in my living room aka store front in Green Bay, WI. It was a "significant" day when you had the arm strength to pull down the re-loader hammer and reload bullets on your own. We'd look for Easter Eggs in the ammo boxes and move the rack of machine guns & 22s to put up the Christmas tree.

I Would like to get a Rugger 22 LR - Rimfire Pistol because my dad's collection was given away to my step-monster's friends and family and not us. I haven't gotten to shoot since I lived in AZ in the white tanks desert!
 

Matt L

Site Benefactor
Melinda, Ruger is a fine firearm (I have a few Rugers) and I understand the sentimental value attached. I'd look at the new Smith & Wesson Victory in .22LR. They got it right.
 
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