What makes a Live Bird gun? Whatever gun Rolla Heikes happened to be using this week
Heikes was the first industry representatives in 1885, with the
Lefever Gun Co. In 1895-96, Heikes participated in 67 tournaments (despite having malaria in the summer of 1895) and was high gun in 60 using a
Winchester 1893 slide-action. He defeated Fred Gilbert in 1896 at the 2nd "E.C." Cup "Champion Inanimate Target Shot of the World" in New York and was 4th in the GAH at Live Birds. Prior to using the Winchester, he shot a
L.C. Smith. He defeated Charles Grimm on Dec. 6 1897 for the Cast Iron Medal using a
Winchester 1897.
He defeated Fred Gilbert for the "E.C." Cup at Chicago, August 13, 1898 with a score of 140 to 137 out of 150 targets, then successfully defended the "Cast Iron Medal" against Fred Gilbert at Eau Claire, Wis., in August and W.R. Elliston in Nashville in October.
In 1899 he used a
Remington Hammerless Double to defeat E.D. Fulford for the "E.C." Cup in January and won the Sportsmen's Association Championship Trophy in the trapshooting tournament held on the roof of the Madison Square Garden in March. He used a
Parker at the 1900 GAH at Live Birds, then went back to his
Remington to win the first Grand American at Clay Targets held at Interstate Park in New York City June 12-15, 1900. In November 1900, he was using a new single trigger Remington hammerless double.
He was part of the victorious American team in the June 1901 Anglo-American Clay Bird Match using a
Parker. He started 1902 shooting the
Remington single trigger hammerless, then used a
L.C. Smith at the Ohio State shoot and to take 3rd in the last GAH at Live Birds in Kansas City.
He came back from Typhoid Fever in 1904 to take HOA at the Dominion of Canada Exhibition Shoot in Winnipeg again shooting a
Remington. In 1905 he began shooting a
Remington Autoloading Shotgun and was 2nd High Professional at the 1906 GAH.