Dave McCracken
October 31, 2008, 05:45 PM
It was a great day at PGC. I didn't shoot that well, but.....
A friend was there with his nephew, a pre adolescent named Ryan. Said friend shoots trap very, very well. Ryan is getting there shooting his uncle's backup Krieghoff.
Ryan weighs maybe 85 lbs fully dressed holding the K gun.His head might reach the top of my shirt pocket. Still, he hit most of them and smote them mightily.
As a rule, I think that people less than 5 ft tall and 100 lbs have lots of problems learning the shotgun. Between Ryan and the kids program on Saturday, I'm delighted to state there are exceptions.
Ryan, good job.
The other warm fuzzie came with my friend and fellow Geezer, Al.
Al is a retired Army Officer, and former national pistol champion. He likes Model 21s, GMs, and bamboo fly rods. A gentlemen of the old school, he's a contender for the nicest guy in the state award.
He's also the only guy we know that's run 25 straight at Chinese Trap.
He did it twice.
He's also in his 70s. He needs an oxygen tank when he shoots and a recent stroke has robbed him of half the vision in his right eye.
Despite this, he still shoots, though his scores continue to drop.
Being Al, he's not quitting. He recently tried a red dot scope on his rain gun, a well worn 870 Express he bought years back. The RD hasn't been much help, and it's been rough watching him struggle.
So, we were finishing up a round of Chinese trap today, and a thought struck me.
So, I asked Al to take a few shots with my B gun to see how he did.
The difference? It has a Green Worm Fiber Optic bead on it.
Al seemed skeptical, but did it because I asked him to.
He stepped up to the 16 yard line, dropped a shell in the lower barrel and closed the gun. Mounting, he called for the bird and powdered it.
Two more shells saw the same results. The old Al was back in the saddle.
When Al grins, he looks like Teddy Roosevelt. He was grinning when he handed the Beretta back.
"Whoda thought it would make that much of a difference?" said Al.
" I didn't, but it was worth a try". I racked the B gun and headed for my range box.
That Hi Viz sight came with spare worms. Al left with one of them ( all he would take) to scotch tape to his pet Model 21 and try.
I left with a grin to match Al's. I'd rather have helped him like that than run 25 at Chinese......
A friend was there with his nephew, a pre adolescent named Ryan. Said friend shoots trap very, very well. Ryan is getting there shooting his uncle's backup Krieghoff.
Ryan weighs maybe 85 lbs fully dressed holding the K gun.His head might reach the top of my shirt pocket. Still, he hit most of them and smote them mightily.
As a rule, I think that people less than 5 ft tall and 100 lbs have lots of problems learning the shotgun. Between Ryan and the kids program on Saturday, I'm delighted to state there are exceptions.
Ryan, good job.
The other warm fuzzie came with my friend and fellow Geezer, Al.
Al is a retired Army Officer, and former national pistol champion. He likes Model 21s, GMs, and bamboo fly rods. A gentlemen of the old school, he's a contender for the nicest guy in the state award.
He's also the only guy we know that's run 25 straight at Chinese Trap.
He did it twice.
He's also in his 70s. He needs an oxygen tank when he shoots and a recent stroke has robbed him of half the vision in his right eye.
Despite this, he still shoots, though his scores continue to drop.
Being Al, he's not quitting. He recently tried a red dot scope on his rain gun, a well worn 870 Express he bought years back. The RD hasn't been much help, and it's been rough watching him struggle.
So, we were finishing up a round of Chinese trap today, and a thought struck me.
So, I asked Al to take a few shots with my B gun to see how he did.
The difference? It has a Green Worm Fiber Optic bead on it.
Al seemed skeptical, but did it because I asked him to.
He stepped up to the 16 yard line, dropped a shell in the lower barrel and closed the gun. Mounting, he called for the bird and powdered it.
Two more shells saw the same results. The old Al was back in the saddle.
When Al grins, he looks like Teddy Roosevelt. He was grinning when he handed the Beretta back.
"Whoda thought it would make that much of a difference?" said Al.
" I didn't, but it was worth a try". I racked the B gun and headed for my range box.
That Hi Viz sight came with spare worms. Al left with one of them ( all he would take) to scotch tape to his pet Model 21 and try.
I left with a grin to match Al's. I'd rather have helped him like that than run 25 at Chinese......