Pigeon Ring at Yooper

[Old and Reliable]

27 yards from each shooting stand to the center of the pit where the trap is hidden- Wow-ee- thanks the max. Handicap yardage at ATA Trapshoots- so if you get a going away straight on or quartering target- it could be 40 yards out when you get off the first shot-

This was my favorite of all the events at my first Yooper Shoot-at least they were std. targets which you could see- the grouse hunters probably did best on the stations 5-8 on the SC course- but I have never seen a teal spring up like those small rockets, nor a woodcock twist and turn like those flying razor blades-

I used my Smith 2E with the 32" Nitro barrels and .040 choke in each tube-and Mark you are right, the incomers- an open choke or a spreader load, but the outgoers- Full choke for me- RST was out of spreader loads when I shot this event on Sunday- I hit 17/30 on the first ring in our squad, as did another squad member- and 19/30 on the second ring- BUT didn't win place or show because only about half of those I shattered had the ribbon land in the fenced ring- just as I have read about the real deal, if the bird drops out of the fence or the wind carries it over- LOST-

I remembered to use the second tube on about half of my shots- not a problem when shooting Tower birds with that big cannon Elsie I am rather fond of--now I know you can actually use that second tube to smash the ribbon and drive it back inside the radius of the fence- next year

I also liked the wobble traps and the pairs- didn't get to shoot 5 stand practice, always a big line waiting for that- now the two man hurry shoot- to my mind, that is like the Massachusetts Balloon Blast Sat before the fish and goose soire- fun and a lot of Bang-Bang but practical for real afield shooting conditions- Huum-- I had to use the 2E cannon there, as both my 12 GHE and 3E crapped out on me- a beavertail forearm would have been good, even with a heavy glove on my left hand, really warm barrels- I got off 51 shots in the 2.5 minute time frame and hit 37- tricky- practice with your loader/stuffer first- if the GHE and the 3E were functional I was going to try them as a "unmatched pair"- but after seeing the "Charlie-Foxtrot" number done on that peg by others trying that for the first time- well, the Keystone Kops came to mind-

The best shoot since the MI Side-by-Side in April at Lapeer- great crowd, lotsa high end doubles from some fine and friendly vendors (Steve Cobb let me handle a MINT 12 Churchill XXV) and I am about as ready to finance a gun in that quality sphere as I am to kiss Hanoi Jane Fondle at the next VFW conclave--Jon Hosford was helping all that asked with his state-of-the art barrel wall gauging set-up, Jack Jansma donated the dinner award gun- a Spanish .410 ejector gun, an Ithaca collector had a oustanding display of the guns that made Walter Snyder famous-great food, fine weather, even the Sunday freight train(s) didn't delay things too much- Outstanding!!