TB getting a break

Everybody knows of my dedication to old Tibbie, my 1975 Remington 870TB which has been my weekly trap gun for fourty four years. Most parts have been replaced due to wear or breakage, most recently the receiver which had cracked some time back. The only original parts are the butt stock, barrel and bolt body. Last Sunday at my club shoot what should appear on the "drool" table but a pristine BT99. 34", full. I bought it for $650 on the spot. Turns out it is a 1974 model and could easily go 98+%. I'm going to shoot it for a while and give the Remington a rest. Main goal, however, is for my granddaughter to have it if she stays with her youth trap league progress. She is using my 1100 20 gauge now but will transition to my 1100 12 this year and her cousin will start with the 20. Grandparenting and coaching are the two best jobs I've had in my 74 plus years

Two leagues start in the next couple weeks. I have teams in both. Home club we won last year, big club second in top division. Want both this year. Only problem is getting a couple new shooters comfortable at yardage. We'll probably be at 25 yards for the caps portion of the big one.

Well, the weather shafted us again. Shoot day yesterday, five plus inches of wet, sloppy, blowing snow curtailed the start of league. We'll get it together on the fourth Sunday shoot and, unlike most years, shoot backwards (shoot last month's match). Peoria league starts this Thursday. Supposed to be really wet. Good thing Remingtons are easy to detail strip.

O.K. Finally. Thursday night was first night of Peoria summer league. Cold. Did I say cold? My back about locked up. I think the rods and bolts in my spine made it more sensitive to cold. Anyway, we started right where we left off last year. One new team member. Me, my son, friend Mike all shooting some version of 870s, and Bill and Randy shooting 725 combos with all the bells and whistles. We were handicapped at 25 yards for the second half. Results: 22, 25, 23, 22, 21 at 16. Birds hopping, dropping and dancing. 25 yard results, 22, 18, 22, 15, 17 at 25. Wait til next week.

Week two was 180 degrees different in conditions. Our lousy 207 got us moved up to 22 yards for the handicap portion. Results were five 24s from 16, 24, 23, 22, 23, 24 from 22. 236 for the night. Average for two weeks will bump us back to 26 next week.
Interesting side note, the three 870s outshot the two 725 all the bells and whistles combos.

George P said:

The guns didn't outshoot the others, the shooters did.

Click to expand...

I know that, you know that, but I've been trying for years to educate and demonstrate that you can't "buy" birds. Get a decent gun and learn to use it. I shot an eight week combo trap/skeet league two years ago and had high average--using a different gun, or barrel, each week. 24 trap, 23 skeet. Not a single "skeet" gun in the lot. Some friends are putting off getting that "real" good gun a while. Had a guy looking down on my TB a few years ago and telling me I could be really good if I got a real gun. Beat him all year, him and his Perazzi. Running joke.

If I was financially where I am now back when I was starting out I'd probably buy a P, K, L or other fine fittable gun. At my age I play with something each year but when it is time for money, meat or bragging rights I have to pull out the TB because I have shot it for so long and for so many rounds there is no thinking, schrunching, or worrying to do. Either it fits me or I have grown around it in 45 years. I've put the barrel on other B,C grade 870s but it isn't the same.

Three weeks down and we are holding on to first by 7 birds in A class. Also the only team handicapped to 25 yards.

I have a 1974 BT99 as backup to my 1975 870 TB, my main gun with only the butt, barrel and bolt left from original. No problem holding 96+% average yearly.

Week four of Peoria summer league. I had a plumbing emergency and had to take a sub score. Son 1 carried the day with a 25-23, 25 yard handicap. My sub score beat one and tied another team members scores. Fun stuff. Son one is going to be kicking his old man's butt soon.

Two of my granddaughters are using my 1100s. The taller one, a full size 12, the smaller, a shortened 20. Mod in each, but have barrels for anything from skeet to full.

What an up and down week. Two leagues, four rounds of fifty. Thursday league, 20! @ 16, 25@25. 23@16, 22@25. Today, for June, 23@16, 24@20, for July (shooting ahead as I'm getting a new knee 6/24), 25@16, 25@20. Hard to walk between stations but won't quit.

Tonight, in the wind, 25@16, 23@ 25. I'm happy. Team got 221. Still solid third, maybe second in top class so far.

I got the knee done on 6/24, was home 24 hours later. My guess today is it will be two weeks before I feel up to shooting.

Follow up on day nine after surgery. Freaking hurts. Sitting, walking, therapy. Got the ice water pump and use it four or five times a day. Cold gel pack if sitting. Elevate for 30 min four or five times a day. Take the mind numbing drugs on schedule. Can't have nsaids. This is almost as bad ad the L2-L5 fusion in 2011. As the college Dean tells the m.d.s as they get their diploma, "tell em it's going around, it'll go away.". Three or four weeks?

First day of post surgery week three. Revising my estimated return to the field out at least two more weeks. P.T. told me I was doing great today. I thought I was pulling hind teat. Way worse than I expected. Maybe I can clean the guns, tweak the stock screws, polish the beads, anything to do something.
When my wife was gone earlier, I hobbled my walker out to the garage and fired a three shot group with a pellet gun someone dumped at the shop a few weeks back.

Thursday might be the day. Knee seems stable enough to go shoot league. Pulled TB out of the safe and found the Bradley front sight knocked askew. Pulled it, threads a little buggered. Carefully reinstalled with a dab of epoxy. Like me, getting kind of busted up over the years.