Turkey Shoot shells (thus the turkey). A carry back to the nineteenth century when they were shooting their favorite rifle at a live turkey's head. They are used for shooting matches here in the South (at small paper targets with a cross hairs (X) in the middle, thus the blowing a hole mention). You'll see Winchester 37s with a barrel half way to the target and a scope to boot. Lots of effort spent in the guns, getting the right combination. I don't know about up North, but the matches here are a big event, usually with the hunt club bringing in lots of money for a few hams, sides of bacon, shoulders, money pots, etc. As much of a social event as anything, with a little liquor thrown in.
As a funny thing I will always remember, a fellow down the road from me had removed the scope from his single barrel. But whoever tapped it had gone all the way into the chamber. He did not put plugs back into the holes and every time he shot, he blew his cap off his head. Needless to say, the hulls I would get from his gun had two holes in them.
|