Duluth Puglisi SxS Shoot

[Bruce Day]

The usual suspects headed north to visit our friend and fine Parker dealer Jack Puglisi this last weekend. Jack had a great reception at his store. Its a fascinating museum of fine firearms complete with a full suit of elephant armor, full body mount lions, and all the guns one could imagine. Row upon row of nice Parkers, from a high condition A grade hammer gun to lowly but well kept V grades. A person could develop a serious case of lust there. Jack and his crew, John, Jason and the family, were wonderful hosts and with platters of shrimp, sandwiches and cocktails, a fine time was had. Parkers ranged from over $75,000 to a couple thousand, including a 20ga DH with skeleton butt and everything right about the gun for $8700.

Then Sat morning out to the shooting range.

Photo 1 Signage for the event.

Photo 2, we parked the truck and left our keys with this fellow.

Photo 3. Dave Wunrow came in his mobile hospitality headquarters and had cocktails for all. Dave did the same at the UP Shoot. What a great fellow and a wonderful ambassador for the PGCA.

Photo 4. Our friend Brad Heidel from Pheasants Forever Headquarters in St Paul, Bill Bolyard and Dave Wunrow. Bill has a nice Llewellin setter female who was due to have pups. She finally did on Sunday night and finished with eight.

Photo 5, PGCA member and all around good guy Steve Kliest and wife Teresa, from Ely, MN. Carl and Sue Beers were also there, but I didn't get their picture taken. Drat.

[Bruce Day]

Photo 1 Charlie Herzog shooting his CH Bernard with Bernard steel vent rib, the only one known.

Photo 2 PGCA member and Pheasants Forever exec Brad Heidel, Bill Bolyard and Dr James Van Blaricum looking on.

Photo 3 Our good friend Mike Koranda shooting.

Photo 4 Dr Van at the ready.

Photo 5 Eating and talking. Brad, Ed and Liz Morgan from Galena Ill, and a couple from Ely MN whose names I forgot.

[Bruce Day]

Photo 1 Charlie aiming at the sky. Some of the target presentations were quite realistic. In this one, a small group of ducks swam by as the clay was launched. A shooter had to make the quick decision to water sluice the ducks or shoot the clay target.

Photo 2 Master single shot rifle builder Glen Fewless was there with one of his creations.

Photo 3, Glen made a die for stamping Parker like skeleton butt plates and makes them from sheet damascus or mild steel. Wow.

Photo 4. Too much food. Dave Wunrow won the pigeon ring portion of the shoot for the 2 time in three years. Quite the shooter.

[Bruce Day]

Finally, some know how much I like these 1900-1905 C's and B's with the rondel side panel engraving, and if it has has damascus barrels and a straight stock with skeleton butt, all the better.

This one a 12ga BH , 2 frame, 30" but a light gun. Lots of color on the standing breech and not shot much or honed.

[Pete Kappes]

Looks like a great time, hope to make it next year. Pete K.

[Glenn Fewless]

Mr. Day:

Thanks for posting all the great photos. It was a pleasure meeting you and all the other good folk up at the Duluth shoot. I had a grand time and made a lot of new friends.

Perhaps the most interesting and enlightening aspect of the shoot was the pleasure meeting all you Parker types. Contrary to what I have been led to believe, you are all remarkably like real people. Who'd a thought it?

The shoot was well done and most interesting. Some of the target presentations were beyond my skill level (which means that one was expected to hit them whilst they were still moving) but I enjoyed the challenge. I really enjoyed the 5 stand event, where you received birds from two of the five traps, but you don't know which two it will be. I think I had more fun missing those than I did any of the other targets in the shoot.

My thanks to Messrs. Koranda and Zahn and all the others who worked so hard to put on the event.

Best to all,

Glenn

[Bruce Day]

Hope to see you there next year Pete.

Glenn, pleased to meet you.

Charlie Herzog sent some more pictures.

1. Me watching Brad miss. Brad was using my old PHE 16ga. It was his first time shooting a side by side and I think we have turned him from the dark side. He shot well and is on the road to ruin.

2. Bill holding something in his mouth that his dog found and put a gold band around it. Ed Morgan and Doc Van getting ready to shoot.

3. Ed Morgan whacking another clay target.

4. Looking over Doc's shoulder to see how its done.

[Mike Koranda]

Hey! This is Mike. Thank you to Bruce for all the photos and comments.
We shot over 14,500 targets over the 3 days and hit the majority of them!
Everyone loves the "Parker Boys" and they really add credibility to our shoot.
The reception at Puglisi's Gun Emporium was fantastic. It was attended by 70 shooters and guests and featured not only the food and drink mentioned by Bruce but also live music to keep everyone in a mellow mood. Between Carl and Suzy Beers, Glen Fewless and the Parker Boys, this shoot is really coming into it's own. I had the pleasure of presenting three of the five $200.00 checks to the winners of the Lewis class winners that was given by Jack Puglisi. Each of the winners were astounded that they could go to a fun shoot and win $200.00! Jack was very specific with his direction that we give the $1000.00 away via Lewis Class with everyone eligible for the money.
Thank you to Jack Puglisi for his support of our shoot and a special thank you to Jason, who hauled the trailer full of fine guns including several for potential buyers to try.
Thank you, also to RST Shotshell company that gave every shooter a box of shells and had shells available to for purchase.
Come up North next summer to experience cool weather and some of the finest sporting clay presentations available anywhere!

[Mike Koranda]

Two years out of three for Dave's superiority in the Pigon Ring! The Minnesota locals have contacted Home Land Security about tightening up the border between Minnesota and Wisconsin to keep Dave at bay for next year!
This Pigeon Ring consisted of one wobble trap located, out of sight, to the left of the shooter's pegs and one trap that provided an oncomer from left to right. The shooters was expected to break the bird with enough authority to enable to ribbon, attached to the bottom of the bird, to fall inside the prescribed ring. The oncomer was a pretty common target that only required that the shooter break the bird soon enough to interupt its flight out of the ring. The left to right crosser from the wobble trap presented another challenge. Those that were just a little behind the target broke it with authority only to see the ribbon fly outside the ring. Those with the quick eyes and reflexes of a finely tunned athelete, like Dave, where able to hit the front of the bird and deposit the ribbon within the ring. It was a great demonstration of how often we shoot behind the target!
Way to go Dave and wear your well deserved championship belt buckle proudly!

[Bruce Day]

Dave put on quite the show with his shooting. In the future we will have to put up with his championship belt buckle in gold and silver while he rubs it in for the rest of us and tells us about the myriads of pigeon ring groupies that want to meet him.

[Carl Beers]

Sue and I just got home this evening from the Duluth Puglisi SxS event, (Tuesday night) yes, we took the scenic route. I just want to echo all the previous posts on what an absolutely great event this was. Kudo's to Mike Koranda and Randy Zahn for an outstanding job of planning, organization and execution. It appeared everything went like clock work. We've attended several such events and this was the best!!! Jack Puglisi and crew are also the best; the reception at the Emporium was beyond belief, what an experience. We're still talking about it; Sue was really enammered with the elephant armor. Of course the Parker and L.C. Smith guns put me into overload. Jack, I'm still not convinced those fine shrimp came out of Lake Superior. It was fun to see many old friends and acquaintences and meet many new people. We're already looking forward to next year's event with excitement. Even though I shot poorly, I had as much fun as the good shooters. Camping next to Dave Wunrow was a hoot...a class guy, an outstanding shot and glad I got to meet he and his friends. Steve Kleist and wife Teresa from Ely are the greatest. I could go on and on but will just say, "you all need to put this one" on next year's calendar and be there!!! A special thanks to Randy's wife Peggy and Bruce Smith's wife Betsy, for taking Sue golfing; that made her day. I can't say enough about Mike and Randy's attention to detail in taking care of their guests. Magnificent in every regard. Thanks so much, Carl and Sue Beers, River Falls, Wisconsin