Are shotgunners arrogant??

[Oldnamvet]

A vocal member of the gun club where I am a member claims that shotgunners are the ones who most frequently cause gun clubs to fail. He says they are elitist, arrogant, SOBs who look down on everyone else while polishing their $3K over/under shotguns. This drives away other members until the club no longer has a critical mass to keep functioning. He also claims that most pictures of NRA admin people shows them holding an O/U shotgun rather than rifles or pistols. I don't know since I don't pay much attention much less keep score.

I heard about this while I was shooting skeet with my JC Higgins pump and having fun with the others I shoot with. We never have criticized anyone because of their gear or skill level. Safety comes first then fun with us. That includes one guy who shoot a kreighoff (around $12K worth with all the barrels and stuff).

Are shotgunners overall people who think they are better than the other shooting disciplines? It seems a lot of people believe that. Why?

[BozemanMT]

Hell yes, now get out of my way, you are touching my hummer. :p

I don't think so
I think what most non-shotgunners don't realize is that shotgunners support most gun clubs.
Everyone pays a membership, but shotgunners pay a fee each and every time (clays) they come.
That's not true for anyone else.
Shotgunners are profitable, rifle/pistols are a cost center.

I have found that almost all shooters are very generous, however, get any group of anyone in a club/group/work situation and politics will result.

I do think shotgunners tend to look down on rifle pistol, but some rifle/pistol people do just the same. IMO, we are all shooters and we better stick together. (and I like all 3 disciplines)

[Mannlicher]

Some of the biggest horses's patoots I have seen were Sporting Clays guys. Then I have seen some real bozos on the hand gun range too. :D
Me? Heck, I shoot both!

[PJR]

He says they are elitist, arrogant, SOBs who look down on everyone else while polishing their $3K over/under shotguns.
No. You don't get to look down on everyone else until your shotgun costs $30K;)

A century ago trap shooting was an elite sport. It along with tennis and golf were considered the idle games of the well off. Times change.

I know arrogant and elitist shotgunners, rifle shooters, handgunners, archers. Being a jerk is not the exclusive preserve of any one segment of the shooting sports.:rolleyes:

[Cosmoline]

The hard-core shotgunners tend to inhabit their own subculture. There is some cross over of course, but then again there seem to be quite a few shotgunners who only shoot a rifle when hunting and virtually never touch a handgun. There is a sense that shotgunning is the sport of landed gentry, though as pointed out this is fading. I have been told many times that shotgunners are supporting the rest of us, but I view this as just a new manifestation of their same old arrogance.

All I know is, my shotguns have RIFLE SIGHTS on them and that's how it's gonna stay :neener: I ain't wearin' them funny clothes nor getting fitted for my iron like some bride gettin' fitted for her fancy dress.

[hillbilly]

It's a stereotype.

But, just like every other stereotype, it's a stereotype that exists because there is truth to it and in it.

But, just like every other stereotype, the problem comes when you unthinkingly and uncritically apply it every person that seems to superficially fit it.

I am a white Southern male from rural Arkansas. I belong to one of the few groups that it is still very PC to make stereotypical assumptions about.

Among these stereotypical expectations are that I will have only a few teeth, not wear shoes unless absolutely forced to, drive a pickup with a Confederate Flag license plate, have a KKK membership, pick a banjo, dip Skoal, and fit a whole host of other characteristics that fit the stereotype.

I poke fun at this set of stereotypes by having the THR handle "hillbilly."

However, if you poke around rural Arkansas, you can, without fail, find some white males who do fit a certain hillbilly-redneck stereotype almost completely. In fact, you might even find some of my relatives fitting that stereotype 90% or more.

That all being said, I will say that I think there are certain (ahem) shotgunners who do perpetuate certain stereotypes.

For example, there is, within 25 miles of where I sit right now keyboarding these words, a "gun club" that is exclusively shotguns only.

Typically, the membership of this shotguns-only club does fit within a certain social and economic class.

Members of this particular club have been known to make disparaging comments about the "hoi-polloi" with their silly notions of owning semi-auto rifles and pistols and whatnot.

Now, applying the above stereotype unthinking and uncritically to every single person who shoots shotgun at this particular club would not be intellectually honest. There are plenty of shotgunners at this club who do not come close in the slightest to fitting that stereotype.

However, I do know for a fact that if you poke around a bit, you will find shotgunners at this club that do fit, to a tee, a certain stereotype.

hillbilly

[Dave McCracken]

Heck, no....

Most of the people I shoot with are fine folks and NOT just shotgunners. Most of us own and operate other firearms. That's irrespective of game and weapon of choice. IOW, the Purdey-ites have no more or less jerks than the K-gunners or those happy folks with well worn Ted Williams/Ranger shotguns.

Casa McC has a number of non shotguns and I'll just leave it at that.

I do note that "Practical" shooting draws more uh, uptight folks than clay games do and benchrest has more detail oriented folks, but there's lots of overlap.

By and large, shooters of all genres are good folks and certainly not arrogant.

In fact, I'll wager the usual flagon that a lot of elitest, uptight jerks would benefit from a few rounds of ANY clay game.

Regardless of equipment, it comes down to the shooter. Score cards and clays are not impressed by the engraving on a Piotti or the numbers on the price tag, just how it breaks birds in the hands of a given shooter.....

[Kingcreek]

I haven't seen it.
I shoot quite a bit on 3 different ranges/clubs and most folks are just regular folks. Last time I shot sporting clays it was me (Beretta 390), a radiologist (Perazzi), a tree trimmer (Rem 1100), and a retired school principal (Citori). Some nice cars in the lot next to the trucks and jeeps, etc but I never experience elitism or arrogance. The snotty ones usually get a quick humblin' from somebody of lower socio-economic class with a plain ol shotgun.
Worst place I ever shot was a hunt club where virtually all of the birds were planted and most of the "hunters" came down from Chicago and hired a dog-handler/bird cleaner/guide. Worst sportsmanship, worst shooting ability, worst manners. But not because they're shotgunners ('cause they ain't)

[bad LT]

I like arrogant shotgunners...

I use to make a little spending money shooting trap against arragant shotgunners when I was a kid.

A 10 year old with a 20 gauge youth 870 against a 45+ year old with a really expensive O/U.

Easy $$$ :D

[Scoupe]

I've dabbled in a few different disciplines over the years. Overall I've found that competitive shooters tend to be good folks all around. I've seen shooters lend competitors ammo, guns, parts to fix guns at a match, etc.

I've felt welcome at IDPA, IPSC, NRA Action, Skeet, and Sporting Clays. Some more than others, but no one ever snubbed my gun choice or discouraged me from competing. Quite the opposite actually.

Where I see the most snobbery is right here on the internet on gun oriented boards. And it's ALWAYS somebody talking about snobs with expensive shotguns looking down at the poster's 870/Mossberg 500/Spartan/Huglu. Often it is accompanied by an anecdote relating how the poster, or the poster's buddy/brother/dad, beat the pants off those Krieghoff/Perazzi snobs with his 870/Mossberg/Spartan/Huglu, and boy were those snobs unhappy about it. It's become so regular, I'm almost disappointed when the story ISN'T retold in a thread like this.

Funny, I've never heard a guy shooting a K80 talk about how he put some pump-gun yay-hoo in his place. Always the other way around. Makes me wonder. I shoot on a squad of K80 owners. You wanna bring your 870 express and shoot some practice targets with us? Great! Glad to have you. You're gonna get the same encouragement we give each other - "Work hard, now" - "Big eyes. All you got" - "One shot now". We don't care about your iron, just that you have fun and are safe.

[PJR]

Often it is accompanied by an anecdote relating how the poster, or the poster's buddy/brother/dad, beat the pants off those Krieghoff/Perazzi snobs with his 870/Mossberg/Spartan/Huglu, and boy were those snobs unhappy about it. It's become so regular, I'm almost disappointed when the story ISN'T retold in a thread like this.

You spoke too soon....look up one post.

I like arrogant shotgunners...

I use to make a little spending money shooting trap against arragant shotgunners when I was a kid.

A 10 year old with a 20 gauge youth 870 against a 45+ year old with a really expensive O/U.

Easy $$$

(Yawn...)

[Scoupe]

I type too slow. :D

[HSMITH]

One of the reasons I no longer shoot trap and sporting clays more than a couple times a year are some of the people that are part of those activities. They are a minority, though at some clubs they are barely a minority......

I have been literally cussed for shooting an 870 before. That is a fact. I was told, in a nutshell, if I couldn't get suitable equipment I should just go home. Then I beat him and his K80 in a 100 bird sporting event, and told him about it, repeatedly while actively keeping score over the entire course. I wanted to stomp his XXX and was looking for a reason but HE went home.

That sort of angst just isn't worth it, I am getting too old for that sort of school yard crap. I moved on.

[HSMITH]

Sorry PJR, I just had to relate one of the biggest reasons I no longer shoot shotguns much.

I will give a nearly wholesale pardon to skeet shooters. Skeet shooters seem to be wired a bit differently:neener: For the most part their main claim to fame seems to he harassing each other WHILE shooting for sport with the shooting being only one component of the experience.

I have seen two action shooting (handgun clubs) shut down by shotgunners on club boards too, even though the action shooting was quite profitable to the club. Whose fault is that? It could be argued for ever, with both sides having strong positions.

[RNB65]

$3K is pretty cheap for an O/U. You don't get the big head until you buy the $10K+ model.

['Card]

Remember that every sale is a two-part process. First you have to convince yourself that the item is worth the money, then you have to convince others that it was worth the money.

In order for a person to enjoy owning (in this example) a $10K+ shotgun, they have to convince themselves that it's superior to (for example) a $500 shotgun. Unfortunately, it's an integral part of human nature that the same person will often end up thinking that they are superior to the guy carrying that $500 shotgun. That's where elitism comes from.

Are shotgunners more elitist than other shooters? I don't think so, but I do think they're more obvious about it.

[PJR]

HSmith, no apologies necessary. I've had the reverse experience however. The first club I joined was dominated by a group of IPSC shooters who thought their poop didn't stink. Their attitudes were enough to cause me to pull up stakes and find another club even though it was a much further drive.

The club where I shoot now is multi-disciplinary. One night not long after I joined I was shooting skeet when some of the IDPA gang wandered over clad in tactical web gear, toting short-barrelled shotguns and signed up for a few rounds.

One of the skeet shooters grumbled something to the range manager about them. The manager looked up and said "They are guns are legal. They are shooting safely. They paid the same price for the targets that you did. They are members of this club. Now shut up."

I knew at that instant I'd found the right club for me.

[270Win]

At my local range, it's not particularly uncommon to find that the most arrogant- and superior-acting members are shotgunners. That comment about "looking down at people while polishing their $XX,XXX O/Us" brought back specific memories.

But I think for them it boils down to having been shooting as a group for a long, long time, and having evolved together. There are definite "cliques" now, difficult to bust into, but possible nonetheness.

They can easily be taken for being elitist, when I think it might be something different altogether.

[TrapperReady]

Are shotgunners overall people who think they are better than the other shooting disciplines? It seems a lot of people believe that. Why?


:rolleyes:

stereotype: A conventional, formulaic, and oversimplified conception, opinion, or image.

[HSMITH]

I guess I should also mention that while packing that same ratty 870 around the sporting clays course I have been handed shotguns that cost as much as my first house to take a couple shots with, and that it was offered to shoot after just a simple comment like 'wow, that is a gorgeous shotgun'. I have met a lot of guys with uber expensive shotguns that have money and a love of fine art. Rather than hang it on the wall of the house they buy a shotgun that they can carry around the competition field, shoot, clean, and generally enjoy the way most art cannot be enjoyed.

One fella was shooting an MX10, don't know what it was worth but somewhere between a nice used car and a pretty serious pile of cash..... He was wanting a new bird gun, to carry out in the field and not worry about rain and things like that. I was shooting a Red Label SC, and offered the gun to him to see if it might fit his needs. He DEMANDED that I shoot his gun, well I guess I could shoot a few with it. No, the WHOLE round, he shot my gun and I shot his. ALL of my guns AND my car couldn't have paid for his shotgun, but he really didn't care. He just wanted to share the experience, and he often did with anyone he could strike up a conversation with.

Re-reading my earlier posts left me thinking I might have come off as being against shotgunners and especially so the guys with really expensive guns. That isn't true. I have met some really fantastic people shooting shotguns.

[redneck2]

I met a lot of jerks in my lifetime. Some happened to be carrying shotguns. Some weren't

[ArmedBear]

I have never felt more welcome in any group of people, than in the clique of shotgunners who have been shooting together for years, some decades. Friendly, open to newcomers, helpful.

Competitive bunch, but it's in good fun. Shooters are knowledgable, too, and many have substantial gun collections, not of Krieghoffs and Perazzis, but of original Broomhandle Mausers and express rifles from Hemingway's day. By and large they've all shot rifles and pistols, and gotten bored. That's why they shoot shotguns most of the time, now. That can come off as arrogance, but it's not, in my experience.

Frankly, there is a little bit of snobbery. When some potbellied 20-something shows up with a speedmetal t-shirt and tacticool guns he probably can't shoot worth a hill of crap, and walks over to the rifle/pistol part of the range, we might roll our eyes. But really, does anybody like slovenly subscribers to Soldier of Fortune?

But if he comes to the shotgun range with a shotgun, people will welcome him and help him out. With a smile. For real.

The only incident where there was any hostility is still legendary. Some neo-Nazi kid showed up with a t-shirt that said Zyklon-B on it. Someone asked what the shirt was about. He said something about gettin' rid of the Jooz. He was told that it was time for him to leave; he said that he had the same right to be there as anyone else. By then, a rather large number of shotgun barrels pointed his way to indicate otherwise, and he decided it was best to leave.

That's the kind of snobbery I like to see!:)

[Dave McCracken]

I've stood there unshaven in a black T shirt and worn jeans and been handed shotguns worth more than any vehicle I've ever owned by total strangers.

I've fired a few shots from dozens, yes, dozens of shotguns and enjoyed it no end.

Some of these were working, commonplace shotguns and some were Art that shoots.

Parker A-1 Special, only 1500 or so made.This was the ONLY A-1 SBT ever made.

Purdey "Best". A couple of these.

A side lever Grant.

A Lang hammer gun.

A Woodward O/U, one of 15 made.

And Kolars, Kreighoffs, Berettas, more Parkers, Merkels, Brownings, Fox, and so on. Plenty of Remingtons, Winchesters and Mossies.

12s,16s, 20s, 28s and a couple fine 410s.

Owned by a bunch of folks who didn't have an arrogant moment among them.

[TrapperReady]

My experiences have been much like Dave's. My answer is not only "No.", but "Hell no!".

[Oldnamvet]

Maybe that is the difference. People who earned/have/inherited lots of money don't regard the status of a shotgun/rifle/pistol or any item as a big deal. They have some really nice ones because they like them and want to share that joy with others. They have long ago learned that there is always someone better, faster, richer than you are so just enjoy what you have. Big fish in a big pond.
In some places (where I live), a high end shotgun is a Browning O/U. And some people like to match their status based on what they shoot. Big fish in a little pond. Fortunately, they are in the very tiny minority. They just seem to make a lot of noise. Eventually they go away. One individual like that (brags about his house with its 7 bathrooms. I asked if he was that incontinent that he needed to be close:evil: ) would announce he would be coming to shoot at 2. Most of us would then show up at 10 and be leaving when he arrived. Without anyone to shoot with (and belittle), he soon drifted to another club.

[fordman650]

IF YOU TAKE THE SHOTGUN OUT OF THERE HANDS THEY WOULD STILL BE ARROGANT IT IS NOT THE SHOT GUN THAT MAKES THEM THAT WAY.I HAVE BELONGED TO A SHOTGUN ONLY CLUB FOR 6 MONTHS NOW AND NEVER SHOT ONE BEFORE. THE PEOPLE THERE HAVE BEEN GREAT .AND YOU WILL FIND A GRUMBY OLD SOB ANYWHERE

LARRY

[sm]

No.

Shotgunner's smell like hulls, primers, powder, wads, shot and MECs.

Ain't nothing sexier than a lady sweating in the sun - with a shotgun.

We older ones can see clays - just need our bifocals to read the scorecards.

Shotgunner's have "racoon" eyes when shooting glasses removed, usually caused by the sun, wind, or dusted clays.

Shotgunner's tend to drag home more hulls and shotgun shell boxes they arrived with...
...and the smiles , grins, and memories drug home are priceless.

Arrogant?

No.

[Oldnamvet]

sm

Did you ever realize that you are a poet?

[Dr.Rob]

I once said that despite the Nissan Thermos, Perazzi shotgun and SUV that cost more than my house, some of those guys stillshoot pretty well.

I was told by a Portfoilio Manager at a Mutual Fund Co that sporting clays has indeed become an 'in' sport like golf used to be.

There are still plenty of people out there buying waterfowl stamps and buckshot... can't we all get along?

[sm]

can't we all get along?

Post a picture of that Pedersoli BP Shotgun of yours - and I'll think about it? ;)

[PJR]

No.

Shotgunner's smell like hulls, primers, powder, wads, shot and MECs.

Ain't nothing sexier than a lady sweating in the sun - with a shotgun.

We older ones can see clays - just need our bifocals to seen the scorecards.

Shotgunner's have "racoon" eyes when shooting glasses removed, usually caused by the sun, wind, or dusted clays.

Shotgunner's tend to drag home more hulls and shotgun shell boxes they arrived with...
...and the smiles , grins, and memories drug home are priceless.

Arrogant?

No.

Damn fine post.

In my little corner of the world this very day I saw a lady sweating in the sun with a shotgun, lifted up my shooting glasses to read the score card because they aren't bifocals, have a set of racoon eyes after two days of shooting and found lots of AA hulls around the stations.;)

Steve, you get it what it's all about. Thanks.

[ryan56507@msn.com]

"...been literally cussed for shooting an 870 before. That is a fact. I was told, in a nutshell, if I couldn't get suitable equipment I should just go home. Then I beat him and his K80 in a 100 bird sporting event" lol nice, good proof its the shooter not the shot, to a point of course, lol. I love the 870 :)

And to the person who talked about how an exclusivly shotgun club was in itself a snobbish institution. and insinuated that only a certain socioeconomic class would attend one... I attend one, I shoot a Remington 870 Super mag, I dont have a job and I can usually only buy one to three rounds, I notice some ppl with nice guns there but i dont beleive for a second that it is snobbish or exclusve. I live next to the manager of the club, he shoots a semi-auto medium priced gun.

[Blacklabman]

Some of the biggest horses's patoots I have seen were Sporting Clays guys.


I've shot many a SC Tournament in several states.
The SC guys and gals have all been great.
It's the geezers shooting Trap, who have the attitude. :D

[Scoupe]

Quote:
No.

Shotgunner's smell like hulls, primers, powder, wads, shot and MECs.

Ain't nothing sexier than a lady sweating in the sun - with a shotgun.

We older ones can see clays - just need our bifocals to seen the scorecards.

Shotgunner's have "racoon" eyes when shooting glasses removed, usually caused by the sun, wind, or dusted clays.

Shotgunner's tend to drag home more hulls and shotgun shell boxes they arrived with...
...and the smiles , grins, and memories drug home are priceless.

Arrogant?

No.


Damn fine post.

In my little corner of the world this very day I saw a lady sweating in the sun with a shotgun, lifted up my shooting glasses to read the score card because they aren't bifocals, have a set of racoon eyes after two days of shooting and found lots of AA hulls around the stations.

Steve, you get it what it's all about. Thanks.


Agreed!

In fact I shot with three "delicately perspiring" women this morning, one of which is an mulitple-time All-American and kicks my butt regularly! :eek: GF sports "racoon eyes" and I'm damn proud of it and of her. Reloading for two gets a little hairy at times, but I wouldn't have it any other way if I ordered it up from the catalogue.

[sm]

Thanks for the kind words...


The "orange highlights" in a ladies hair...
I mean I don't care how good a hair stylist is - some stuff is best done natural.

I was assisting some kids, boys and girls. Kids have a smell that words cannot describe. They also have a look about them as they fall asleep on the way home...with shotgun hulls in a bag they policed, and ...once home, awake, just bursting with energy sharing with other adults.

Some stuff one cannot buy - no amount of money can buy it.

"Grandpa/ Grandpa I got to hold a Krieghoff/ Perazzi/ Citori/ Beretta....
...and that Grandpa gave his grandson a gun he had has a little boy, it is a lot like mine and I got to shoot it and I let him shoot my gun and...I helped the ladies fill the trap thingies, and one lady gave me a hug, for helping <little boy blushes red>....

..."Honey, where did you get a box of new Peter's .410s?"
'Mom, is was so cool I got to help Uncle Steve Pull targets and the ladies were really nice, one gave me this new box of .410s for pulling targets another one gave me a box of .22 shells , and the other one said I could have anything in her ice chest I wanted, I got the neat water with the cool top and...

"Did Steve shoot today"
"No mom, he helped us kids, and pulled targets for the ladies, and that grandpa came out and I got to help with a old reloader he is fixing up.

"Well how come you have a new hat and your shirt got dirty on the back?"

Oh...Steve and HBR held me by my feet and I went headfirst into the trash can to get these .410 boxes ,<dumps boxes onto kitchen floor> ...that grandpa gave me a hat and said when I run my first straight , to shoot this hat..."

Hey, she jumped up and about halfway in to the barrel , HBR and I just figured to assit a bit more was all. :)

Arrogant?

No.

The deal is, there are bad representives of any and everything. We are Ambassadors and our job to carry on no matter how others may act. The bad get sorted out and alleviated by the good - so we must always lead by example.

I like this Mentor stuff, I may not shoot as much as I once did, who cares? I always liked seening new folks get started right and seasoned folks doing well and the elders out passing forward and sharing with us all.

Did ya'll know you can tump a barrel over and have the shell boxes easier to get? Yeah a mom shared that with ME [not HBR mind you for some reason] ....

"...but MooOOM, it was fun hanging upside by my feet...".:D

Mom <snickering> pretty much lost that fun debate. See, having these kids trained, spoiled as shooting pards is a good thing for an Adopted Uncle. ;)

[EddieCoyle]

I tried shooting clays for the first time this year. Pretty much all of the guys at my club were pretty patient with me and let me try their guns. I found that the the guys with the most expensive guns were the best teachers and very generous with their time and use of their guns.

It's pretty funny in hindsight but I showed up the first time to shoot trap with an 18" cylinder bore, magazine-fed Saiga autoloader. I found out quick that those expensive O/U guns work way better for trap. Everybody wanted to try my Saiga though.

I think arrogance goes both ways. If you're respectful, you get respect. If you come in with a "you-rich-guys-with-your-fancy-guns-better-watch-out-for-me-and-my-870" hair across your a$$ then people may come off as arrogant. Not because they are, but because they're reacting to your attitude.

[ArmedBear]

Shotgunner's tend to drag home more hulls and shotgun shell boxes they arrived with...
...and the smiles , grins, and memories drug home are priceless.

LOL

It's hard to be arrogant while I'm filling my hull bag from the trash buckets.:D

[sm]

...I'm filling my hull bag from the trash buckets

Hey Ya'll !!

I just found out Armed Bear has a title like some of the rest of us do.

Armed Bear, BRC Dang, don't he look all "dignified" ?

Dave McCracken BRC

JohnBT BRC

Spinner BRC
.
.
.



Barrel Rooting Club

:neener:

[Zundfolge]

I've always heard this stereotype of the elitis trap shooters, and I've seen the multi thousand dollar Italian shotguns advertised on Gunbroker and other places.


But absolutely everyone I've known who shot clay pigeons was of working class stock with sub $1000 shotguns (usually inexpensive pump or O/U shotties).


At any rate, I just ordered a Tromix converted "EBR" style Saiga 12 ... will be fun to show up with that at the skeet range.

[ArmedBear]

But absolutely everyone I've known who shot clay pigeons was of working class stock with sub $1000 shotguns (usually inexpensive pump or O/U shotties).

And many of those I know with Ljutics, Perazzis, etc., are not rich, they're just REALLY into shotgun competition and worked their way up from rusted 870s, to used Brownings, until they found themselves getting a higher-end gun (not ornate, just a top-notch competition gun). They might drive an old car/truck instead of a new one, avoid spending money on "home theater systems" and other such crap that many other middle-class people go into debt for, etc.

[Dave McCracken]

I know lots of working folks with high end shotguns like Ljutics. Shotgnning is where they've concentrated their resources.

And Steve, it's not BRC, it's CR.

Component Recycler.....

[sm]

And Steve, it's not BRC, it's CR.

Oh Dave!!!!

One get confused with the Curio & Relic Folks...:neener:

[Dave McCracken]

OK, then, how about Hull Gulls?....

[sm]

No, sorry that conjures up memories of 'Hilda' eating the All you can eat Buffett just as we shotgunners arrived . We had to run down the road to find somewhere 'Hilda' had not wiped out...

Umm...all the good names are taken...

Tightwad
BrassFetcher
Hull Elf [ yeah I got one or two around here too, good folks]
Barrel Busters [ rodeo]
Box Girl/ Boy [ I know 2 kids that are into boxes, right now the Peter's boxes are the "coolest"
Fiocchi Kid [ Yeah, I know him too]
.
.
.
We need to work on this, I feel a Acronym and possible T shirt idea brewing :D

Arrogant? Heck No!

Ya don't see Brady & Company having this much fun now do ya? :p

[Deathrider1579]

Never had a bad experiance with shotgunners, bench rest shooters yes, shotgunners no.

-DR

[benEzra]

shows up with a speedmetal t-shirt and tacticool guns he probably can't shoot worth a hill of crap
What about the thirtysomething guy with T-shirt and a goatee, with an "AK-47"? That would be me.

That twentysomething guy with the speedmetal T-shirt and tacticool AR might be a noob, or he might be an expert. You have no way of knowing, and no basis for assuming he's a noob just because he's Gen-X or Gen-Y. I'm not taking offense at all, just pointing out that the assumption that a young guy with an AR is a Soldier of Fortune wannabe is itself an unjustified stereotype.

FWIW, I've never met an arrogant shotgunner in person, but I met one online on a couple of gun forums, an avid wingshooter and clays guy who essentially advocated RKBA for hunters and clays shooters only, and was always stumping for bans on those evil tacticool guns and "sniper rifles." Of course, guys like him are always the ones the media likes to put on TV when the gun ban du jour is being debated, which could possibly contribute to the "shotgunners are elitists" stereotype.

[NineseveN]

Trying to nail down a stereotype into absolute claims to the positive or the negative is a rather silly pursuit...anyone that says equivocally yes or equivocally no is wrong...unless they know the majority of the class in question and also know their reactions to all other people...which is completely impossible.

Are shotgunners arrogant? Sure are.
Are shotgunners nice folks? Absolutely.
Are benchrest shooters arrogant? Without question.
Are benchrest shooters super cool cats? Yeppers.
Are IDPA/Comp folks arrogant? Oh yeah, definitely.
Are IDPA/Comp folks all soft and fuzzy on the underbelly? Of course.
Are the hunting-only folks arrogant? Oh, why of course they are.
Are the hunting-only folks kind and generous? Yup.


In my neck of the weeds, the competition folks are very friendly, but they get a little scared of the EBR folks (even when they have EBRs themselves). in this case, it's not the EBR, it's that the comp folks form such a tight knit clique, that they're just put off by outsiders as a natural side effect. It's not intentional and if y9u break them down a bit and demand the respect you give, you'll find them to be super nice on average. In more rural areas here, it's just the opposite.

In my area, the shotgunner is non-existent...but in the higher society areas, they're there and they're arrogant....head out to Pittsburgh and you'll find a decent mix, mostly pleasant.

Here, the hunting only folks are the majority, but they're all pretty damn down to earth and don't really bother no one. They don't usually use the ranges, they sight in on their own property, which is nice. Head out towards Pittsburgh and fire your FAL at a range and watch as you get sneers from all of the metro-hillbillies trying to sight in their ought-sixes and 30-30's. Head into Pittsburgh, and these folks subside and you get a slightly better mix of folks who won't give you a hard time because of your discipline, they'll just sling poo based on how you look or where you worship.

Benchrest? Out here, they're a nasty snobbish bunch on average, but that's not so if you go a little to the east or west...in those area's, they'll sit down and tell you more than you ever wanted to know about ballistics, technique and whatnot...closer to center brings out the knobs that will just complain to the range master about the "idiot with the machine gun in aisle three".

That's the thing about people, they're not fast-food chains; each one isn't meant to give you the same exact experience no matter where you go.

[sm]

I'm Weady!

Something about a kid with a Tie-Dyed T shirt, one yellow tennis shoe, the other one blue, with this... Kid sized Single Shot .410, Tie-Dyed, on a YELLOW background ready for shotgun lessons. :D

Now add one teenage girl , who looks like a sweet innocent HS cheerleader, that can run a 1911 blinding fast [IDPA/ IPSC] - one Teenage boy with his Cowboy hat and "Country come to city" look, that can run and gun with a shotgun at 3 gun , Grandma that shot benchrest, and trap in younger days, and Grandpa who shot Bulls-Eye and Skeet. 'How come we stayed together so long, we didn't shoot the same games" :p

Now this mis-matched shoed little gal has everyone one of us wrapped around her little finger. Getting to shoot with assistance the STI 'race gun' and she cannot shoot her .410 with the young man's cowboy hat...comes down to her nose - can't see. :p

No arrogance, just all these disciplines sharing and learning, and having a good time.

Funny is....where in the world Grandpa found Red and Yellow tennis shoes to fit his big feet is beyond me.

He showed up wearing one of each color..."I'm Weady!"

Grandma swears she has no idea who this guy is claiming to be her husband.

"Ya know, wearing two different colors of shoes does get a fella to shoot better...?"

Well I really did not want to drink that coffee anyway...I just poured it to spew it - really.

Young lady is seriously into a 'giggle fit'.

Arrogant?

NO.

Tears in eyes from laughing, sides hurt from laughing, can't seem to get a straight face...too busy with all this to be Arrogant.

:D

[Justin]

Having been present at one of the Olympic trials for shotgun a couple of years ago, and getting to rub elbows with the best shotgunners in the United States, I'm going to have to say that the answer to the question is "no."

(No, I wasn't shooting. Just watching. I still have trouble differentiating between Trap and Skeet.)

[sm]

Justin-

Since you shoot Bulls-Eye...
...try that mis-matched tennis shoe idea.

Get back to us on your scores. :p

[Snake Eyes]

It's pretty funny in hindsight but I showed up the first time to shoot trap with an 18" cylinder bore, magazine-fed Saiga autoloader. I found out quick that those expensive O/U guns work way better for trap.

Me, with my Winchester Defender at my first clays lesson: "This gun won't work for this! Let me try yours!"

Coach: Breaks each clay. Twice. With my Winchester. Urges me to vary the throws.

Me: Missing with his SKB O/U.

It's not that they're arrogant....they're just so dang much better at it than me.

[Nickle]

Saw this thread and just had to join in order to reply.

I've shot several disciplines both for fun and competition.

Are shotgunners arrogant? Yup, some are real snobs. They're snobs with or without the shotgun. I love seeing them put in their place.

That being said, some of the BEST folks I've met shooting were shotgunners. They'll let you shoot their gun in competition and congratulate you when you beat them with it. Or, they'll show you what you're doing wrong and try to help you fix it.

Most Bench Rest shooters are the same way. As well as the pistol shooters and high power shooters. I've broken a rifle in the middle of a match (broken extractor), and finished my target with the gun of the guy next to me. He was spotting for me, and helped me figure where to hold.

A local club I've been a member of would be "out of business", if it wasn't for the shotgunners. On "Clean Up" days, I've seen 2 (me and one other) rifle shooters come, the rest shotgunners, and maybe one bow shooter. At that club, they're carrying the slack.

[NineseveN]

Welcome to THR! :D

[stiletto raggio]

While in school I shot on the skeet and trap team. The members were invited to shoot at a lot of civilian clubs all over the northeast, the members of which varied from Remington plant employees in Ithaca (a great shoot) to the very wealthy patrons of exclusive country clubs. All of them treated us well, dined with us, were mixed into our squads and generally shared a good time together.

The wealthy guys and gals did have nice shotguns, but they also had nice cars and nice watches. None of this made them better shooters than us, and they knew it. They didn't care. They enjoyed the sport and camaraderie because of what it was, not because it gave them a venue to show off their wealth. Heck, a man who made $180m off one of his businesses in 2003 alone was shooting a very modest thousand dollar Beretta that he had bought USED.

One of the beautfiul things about shooting fo all kinds is that it brings together people of all ages, backgrounds and income levels, and the small differences that their equipment makes (with shotguns especially) is overshadowed by individual ability and passion.

[45R]

Are Shotgunners arrogant.....:confused:

Just the 870 owners on this board :neener:

[sm]

45R,
Oh you're just upset you don't know which barrel fires first on a O/U or SxS...
...oh good grief...
Somebody show 45R how to open a two barrel will ya?
Embarrassing, just embarrassing I tell ya...what you not raised with a Single Shot shotgun?

oh...my.

"Hey kids, we gotta feller here needs some basic shotgun lessons - ya'll up to the task?"

Yeah!! Fresh Meat!! - kids

:neener:

[RNB65]

Only when the Redskins win! :neener:

[Kelem]

None of the guys i shoot with are arrogant, they all reckon i am, i have never seen any evidence of that:) :)

K

[Metapotent]

I am a shotgunner...

I am the master of the universe and all pistol/rifle shooters are nothing but ants in comparison to me and my majesty.

In seriousness though. I Shotgun, shoot rifles, pistols, and I do archery regularly. I don't notice any difference in the attitude and personality of shotgunners vs. any other segment of the outdoor sports.

[sterling180]

In the UK,some shotgunners(those who opt for the traditional types.) display such a high level of arrogence,towards shotgunners,who use semi-autos and pump-actions.I tend to associate with the target-shooting crowd and I use what ever shotgun,that I can afford and what one I feel comfortable with.

It was those types of shooters and their associations that let down the target-shooting crowd after the Hungerford and Dunblane massacres,by not helping to preserve the British target-shooters,activities.:mad: :fire: :banghead:

I just hate any shooter who is arrogent and is only concerned about their sport and nobody elses.I think that the GCN's proposals,came as a wake up call to them,though.:neener: :)

[Terrierman]

If you think shotgunners are arrogant, start riding a bicycle regularly, read a few of the cycling forums and see what self importance can look and sound like.

[Oldnamvet]

I'd never fit in. Spandex would make me look like a beached whale. What it sounds like to me is that anyone who takes their own particular sport too seriously tends to look down on those who are a little more relaxed about their pursuits and actually enjoy themselves, be it golf, tennis, benchrest, shotguns, etc.

[sm]

What it sounds like to me is that anyone who takes their own particular sport too seriously tends to look down on those who are a little more relaxed about their pursuits and actually enjoy themselves, be it golf, tennis, benchrest, shotguns, etc.

Tamara once posted : Silly Little Tribes...

I think age comes into play as well. Live long enough and one begins to understand what is important and what is not that big of a deal.

[mec]

A few decades ago the local clubs catered mainly to skeep and trap shooters, They brought in the money and they made all the rules. I remember a friend who wanted the club to do a little improvement on the pistol range and was told " No. the shotgun shooters would never allow that." Times change and t he big draw and the big money has been IPSC. Our local range got rid of its skeet towers and converted the trap range into an IPSC course.

One natural law seems to be (may have come from Jeff Cooper), " Shotgun shooters = rich. Rifle and Pistol shooters= broke." We have a big invitational shoot here - The Bradshaw Memorial" and rich shotguns guys come in from all over the country. they have motor homes and busses and little alligators on their shirt pockets. they lay out a buffet behind the firing lines and don't seem to mind if the poor people brouse through it. They seem to be ok people and for all I know there are Alligators in Florida with little skeet shooters on their shirt pockets.

[NineseveN]

and for all I know there are Alligators in Florida with little skeet shooters on their shirt pockets.

LMAO! :D

[Eightball]

It seems that the elitist snobs go for shotguns, because they're more politically correct than the fun stuff. I don't think it's "shotgunners" who are becoming the snobs, I think it's the snobs who pick up shotguns who give the rest of us a bad name (Kerry, anyone?)

The good shotguns just cost more, so the people who can afford them are of course, richer than I, and usually much more arrogant (why is it that wealthy people tend to be snobs, should be the better question)--pistols and rifles are more about function than looks; shotguns are metal pipes that go boom (at the base of it all), so it's more about quality. And you have to pay more for quality, so those "arrogant" shotgunners probably just don't see those of us with a $500 revolver or $700 rifle in the same "bracket" as people with $5K shotguns.

Just my .02

[TrapperReady]

:rolleyes:

It's official. This thread now contains some of the silliest (since this is THR, I'll avoid more accurate adjectives) stuff I've ever read around here.

[sm]

and for all I know there are Alligators in Florida with little skeet shooters on their shirt pockets.:D

Rumor is the Trap Shooters are trying to get Croc's to wear wittle Trap Shooters on their shirts...:neener:

5 stand and Sporting Clay folks - being so unpredictable and all - no critters will even consider these two groups as logos for shirts...:neener:


Quail do have "Crazy Shotgunner" Licensed Gear, yep, sure do. Based on Shotgunners attempting to shoot "Crazy Quail" ...

Wittle T shirts and hats and...with-

Folks trying to shoot with actions still open on two barrel guns, Folks dropping shells, Folks walking funny, frustrated, looking one way and "quail" going the other...

Shotgunners ain't arrogant - we just a fun bunch is all. :D

[PCGS65]

by BadLt, I like arrogant shotgunners...

I use to make a little spending money shooting trap against arragant shotgunners when I was a kid.

A 10 year old with a 20 gauge youth 870 against a 45+ year old with a really expensive O/U.

Easy $$$
The difference between men and boys is the price of their toys.

Everyone is arrogant to some extent. It a way to build self esteem, for insecure people.

[weregunner]

Trapshooting? Is that with a fox or coyote in it? Ain't that hard on the trap? Skeetshooting? I use Yardguard on skeets. Didn't know a load of seven and a half load would kill many skeets.:what: :D All kidding aside, I have shot skeet and had a gent hand over his Perazzi and let me have couple of shots.At the Mcmiller shooting center another gent gave me crack with his Winchester side by side and my buddies and I talked about clays shooting.That isn't being arrogant to me.At the time I had a Stevens 69VR.:eek: The sit down comedian strikes again.Sitting down makes me a smaller target.Doh!:banghead:

[Wags]

Wow, does this bring back memories! In 1986 yes, the shotgunners of my then defunct gun club were arrogant, snooty, and down right nasty to anyone that owned anything (especially the "military" style firearm owners) other than a sporting shotgun i.e over/under. Then came along the 1994 firearms act and we fell apart as a club with everyone pointing fingers on why we failed as a whole (long story) and the club closed due to close neighbors with new built homes.

20 years later to 2006 at my new club all firearms are pretty much tolerated and you don't hear much blasaphemies as then. Seems the 1994 gun bill pretty much let everyone know were all in the same boat and we must stick together on all gun issues if as a club we are to survive.

Just my observations and opinons.

[45auto]

Shotgunners can't be arrogant, that would probably mean every shooter in the US.

Is there a household that doesn't contain at least one "shotgun"? The most versatile "firearm" known to mankind....;)

[Tijeras_Slim]

The clay birds don't care which gun I'm using, a Baretta O/U or an ancient Winchester M-12, so why should anyone else?

My experience with shotgunners has been pretty good.

[hawgbosstx]

In my opinion, shotgunners are what support a gun club. I have met a few people who were a posterius maximus who shot rifles/pistols. I don't think that anyone should be looked down on at any time. We are all shooters, and I think that is what we should focus on. Besides, the anti-gun idiots will find anything they can to use against us.

Personally, I shoot a Benelli Ultra light, a Remington 870, 1100 and an 11-87. I don't look down on anyone who shoots the Baikals or the $140 Mossberg Maverick. If that is what a person can afford, and it suits them, that is what I think matters. But again I also respect the guys who own the Merkels and $10K+ guns. There again, if that is what they can affordm and it suits them, that is what matters.