Gun Clubs Around Meriden....
 

There was at one time something called the Parker Gun Club so I've been told, there was a Meriden Rod & Gun Club, and the Silver City Gun Club. Were there any other clubs around Meriden that were sportsman related?

Destry:

I used my "call a friend" option, and reached out to someone that I knew had a good frame-of-reference for organized outdoor activities and the Meriden area.

His answer to me:

"My dad belonged to the Meriden R&G for a time I remember, we left there when I was 10. Silver City and Parker make sense as the Parker shotguns were first made there and International Silver was a big player in town, during the [Second World] war effort my mother was there as they were moved to make surgical instruments. There was also the Blue Trail rifle range in the nearby area, but not sure if it was in the city limits. It was an open range but I don't think it was a membership club although there may have been some leagues etc"

Not dispositive, by any stretch, but it may contribute to your being able to piece together a plausible answer to your question.

I see when looking online that there is a Blue Trail Rifle Range today, with a Wallingford, CT address. There may be someone there that could flesh-out some background detail for you. I know that some R & G clubs have retained their original place names after having moved to a region of less congestion.

https://www.bluetrailrange.com

Blue Trail was owned by the Lyman Gunsight Co, and is located in Middlefield CT. In my early days, My dad shot the 600 yard range there. There were 10 stations on that range. I don't believe the 600yard range exists today.

Blue Trail is still in existence it is in Wallingford Ct. There is still a Lyman shooting grounds in fact the Yale skeet and trap clubs shoot there. Not really sure of the location.

The Bristol Gun Club, about 10 miles from Meriden was a very successful club in the early 1900s. Back then, the Hartford Courant regularly covered their weekly shoots and tournaments. My great uncle was a member and I’d love to find some memorabilia from that club (now defunct).

Bristol gun club is still active as a matter of fact it it one of the largest clubs in CT

Lou, Did they change names? I can’t find them listed.

Wallingford Rod and Gun is right down the street from Blue Trail. Sporting and Trap

It is now Bristol Fish and Game club with over 2500 members and has skeet trap sporting clays, indoor pistol, outdoor pistol and archery, rifle shooting , fishing and hunting.

There was also a Winchester gun club in Hamden and of course the Remington gun club in Lordship where the great eastern trap shoot was held. Both are closed now

I've often read that Remington's Lordship was a Skeet destination of some distinction, this is the first time I've heard of it being a trap destination. Thanks Lou!





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My family was from Cheshire and they hunted at the Quinnipiac Rod and Gun Club.

Family legend states that my Grand-Uncle (the dentist) hunted there regularly with one of the Parker Brother descendants.

I'll have to talk to my Dad and see if he can remember anymore details.

I have silver ash tray won by one of my grandfather's setter pups in a Puppy Derby in 1951 at the Quinnipiac Rod and Gun Club.

Lordship was one of if not the most beautiful shooting clubs in America. Situated on a peninsula on Long Island sound in Stratford Ct. They had a huge club house / restaurant and rented guns to the public for shooting . You could rent a 3200. 1100 or 870 in either trap or skeet in any gauge you wanted. It was where I and thousands of others first learned to shoot. They even had an industrial skeet and trap league on Wednesday nights if I remember correctly. The property is still there but all the target houses are torn down. There was talk of starting back up many times in the past 25 years or so but environmentalists always loomed in the backround

Lou, what is an “industrial” league?





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They were skeet and trap teams, formed at the local manufacturing plants and offices, that competed against one another in a league format. For instance Sikorski aircraft could have had a team, Bullard Machine co and Bridgeport milling machine and other companies could all have had teams that competed until a championship would decide the 1st 2nd and 3rd place winners . I think it would last all summer until it started getting dark earlier.

Similar to Industrial Bowling leagues that used to be common. As well as softball teams here in the South.

[QUOTE=Dean Romig;342693]Lou, what is an “industrial” league?

Think Remington, Winchester, DuPont, Link (aviation). Remington filmed a lot of their D. Lee Braun instructional skeet & trap videos there.

Yeah, there were a lot of those industrial leagues in the factories around Detroit. I've got several really great patches from them, both gun and archery both.