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Several shooting events to report on including BIG50’s at Buckhorn and Rockingham and a 300-target event at Old Hickory at Rocky Mount. A big two-day shoot at the Watauga Gun Club this weekend to honor the memory of the one and only Tommy Pitts.
Buckhorn hosted a mid-week BIG50 and it was a little hot. Jacob Gossett won the singles with a 49, doubles with a solid 50 straight and the HOA with a 144. Dan Johnson won the handicap with a solid 48 and where was Cayson Clayton? BGC will host a two-day shoot on August 2nd and 3rd and their next BIG50 is August 27th.
The Rockingham County Gun Club hosted a BIG50 Saturday and yes it was hot. Two 49’s that included Isaac McCoy and Hunter Miller. Hunter ran a 50 straight to secure top-gun honors. Lane Murray earned a half-yard after breaking out the Seitz with a 48 and Isaac McCoy broke a solid 50 to win the doubles. Isaac secured HOA with 49+47+50 for a solid 147x150. The day started out a little rough with the gate and trap 2 and three not working because of a possible lightning strike overnight. We shot on traps 1-5-6 and we could have broken out the microphones, but it worked out ok. RCGC shoots next in September for the Memorial Shoot. $100 will be awarded to the hi-gun shooters in the singles, handicap, doubles and HOA. This will be a 300 target event so please plan to attend.
Old Hickory at Rocky Mount shot Sunday and here is the report that was provided by NCTA president Marty Hill. We had 13 shooters to show up this morning in Rocky Mount to brave the heat and humidity. Allan Davis bested everyone in singles with a 97. James Fisher was top in caps with a 92. Eric Blakeney was high in doubles with an 89. Eric also took HOA with a 273. Marty would like to thank everyone that came out and everyone that pitched in to help. Old Hickory will shoot next on September 27th.
Dan Johnson has been writing again so check out his latest offerings in Tall Tales & True Stories. I have been thinking about adding some stories to the thread and I just got to find the time to whip them up.
A couple of observations from my trip to PA and here is the first one. The staff at the Ruffsdale Gun Club set targets each morning and it involved a radar gun, t-bar and a fellow standing at the 50-yard stake. They use the springs that PAT trap sells, and they are very satisfied with their performance. At least with a 50-yard stake you can see if they are going the distance.
The second was the use of the ScoresR shoot program that includes a pre-squad component that is free to the competitor. Most of us have used pre-squad.com for years and nobody balked about paying $4 per shooter to sign-up for your squad for multiple events. Then we find out that one vendor is charging $2 per event per shooter. Meaning that if you personally sign up for 13 events you pay $26 for the convenience of using the service. If you sign up for the yearly service, it might save you some money in the long run if this service is available at the shoots you attend. Also, ScoresR has a classification component that is convenient also and that is free. Not quite sure of the future of trapshooting software but one thing is for sure it isn’t getting any cheaper.
The third observation was the use of commands after the squad leader shot his last bird on a post. It alerts the other shooters that is the last 5 rounds before they move. That way you can load twenty shells in one pocket and 5 in the other and be ready to move knowing that is your last shot on that post. I heard “ready one” dead end” “lost end” and not sure what else they said. If you are the shooter on post two you will hear it before you shoot. I have heard it in VA and now PA and I’m not sure where else it is used.
The Watauga Gun Club in Boone NC will host the Tom Pitts Memorial this weekend with a two-day event. 200 handicap, 50 pairs of doubles and 200 singles on Sunday. The weather forecast looks a little iffy both days, but it will be cooler and it might be wetter. Most of you knew Tom and he is sorely missed. Back in the early days of 3S shooting software Tom was my go-to guy for help running the software. He hung around with Tom Shelley and these guys were inseparable for many years before they both got them some good women. Tom helped run the software at the Watauga GC and also the NC Homegrounds and the SC State Shoot. He worked tirelessly and I never heard him complain ever. He was one of the good guys in trapshooting and impossible to replace. Remember they start later on Sunday with sign-up at 11:30 and shooting at 1PM.
North Carolina shooter Colson Allen shot well at the Southern Zone in Berea Kentucky over the weekend. He broke a 98 Saturday in the Championship singles and followed that with a 100 straight that afternoon. He also won Junior Zone HOA with a 666. You can view all the scores at http://www.shootatazone.com
That is going to do it for this week. Hello to Scott, Ronnie, Cowboy, Tim, Bobby, Phil, Mac, John, Art, Barron, Mark C, Mark S, Dan, John W, Thea and Anne and until next week……smokem