Does this say anything about durability?
On June 28 - 29, 2002 five members of the Hamilton, Montana Gun Club shattered the standing ATA world record for doubles trap targets shot at in 24 hours. Three of the shooters used DeHaan shotguns. Immediately after finishing the gruelling task of each firing nearly 7,000 rounds over 24 hours, the shooters turned and said "You ought to be dang proud of your guns!"
Durable? How about 6,950 rounds in 24 hours without a single problem?
When the final horn sounded, the squad had shot at 34,750 registered doubles targets with an astounding 82.06 % overall accuracy.
Other Statistics:
- 1,390 boxes of shells
- 2,200 pounds of lead
- 257 cases of targets
- Ammunition: Rio 1 oz loads donated at cost by manufacturer (Larry Ward shot 1 1/8 oz load throughout)
- Guns used: DeHaan, Perazzi, Browning, and Remington
- Targets: White Flyers (orange and white)
- Traps: Pat-Traps (no failures) with Canterbury Voice Releases
Trap World Record Challenge
The challenge started when Darien Sporting Goods gun club, located in Wisconsin, sent former members Al and Mary Gehl a news clipping that five of their club members broke the doubles world record with 30,000 targets. Members of the Hamilton Gun Club quickly decided they could beat that record and plans were put in motion. They decided to put a practical beneficial twist to the effort by making it a charity shoot for Camp Mak-A-Dream. The Camp located in Montana provides a cost-free "camp experience" for kids and adults who are battling cancer.
The squad was comprised of club members Larry Ward, Ray "Shadow" McBride, Paul Harris, Bob McBride, and 14-year-old Carl Harris. Carl Harris was called up at the last moment when Al Gehl had to drop out of the squad because his wife Mary, fell ill from the exhaustion of organizing the event.
Hamilton's modest clubhouse, wedged between an airport runway and a cow pasture, swelled to overflowing with supporters. At 9:08 a.m. the first shots were fired, and for the next 24 hours came the steady "bang-bang" cadence of shots, building slowly toward the 34,750 total. A mountain of spent shells and empty target boxes grew beside the shooting area.
Observers felt that it was the steady rhythm of shots that made the team so successful. Squad leader Larry Ward early on set the pace for the team that would carry them through the ordeal. The effect was hypnotic. Fifty bangs, rippling through the stations and then Larry's command "Move", over and over again. Every two hours there was a 10 to 15 minute break, as volunteers scrambled to refill the trap house. Then back at it. The team seemed to have an unwritten pledge - no complaining. No one complained once, but things got pretty quiet sometimes. Once, Larry's "move" command met with a dull non-response. "I mean it, Move!", Larry growled. The audience chuckled understandingly, and the squad, looking then more like a prison work gang than anything else, shuffled sideways.
Shooting for 24 hours straight is grueling. From the hotels in town, one could hear the faint rhythmic "boom - boom" in the depths of the night. The toughest time was just before daybreak. A slow drizzle had started. and nearly all the helpers had fallen asleep in lawn chairs beneath the tarps. White targets were white streaks before drifting out of the lights into the mist. Larry Ward shot two 50-straights in a row, not even realizing it until a scorekeeper pointed it out. Throughout the event three of the five shooters shot multiple 50-straights, which in a marathon race is amazing in itself.
Although the crowd thinned during the dark night hours, well-wishers began to drift in about 5:00 a.m. Observers, including TV crews and newspaper reporters, stood quietly in the rain unwilling to break the silence. At 5:28 a.m., without much warning, the previous record fell. Amidst cheers, and with more than 3½ hours to go, fans and the team alike then turned to the challenge of besting the previous record by the largest possible margin, one that was sure to stand in the record books. The shooters themselves also hadn't lost sight of the fact that every shot meant more money for Camp Mak-A-Dream. With the record-breaking shot, the team woke up, the fans woke up, and a festival atmosphere returned.
Time ran out at 9:07 a.m. just as a heavy rain commenced. The exhausted squad managed a grin, then took account of the toll: blistered and bloody hands/fingers, bruises, cramps, swollen faces and shoulders, stiff joints, etc. The team wearily stood together in the rain for photos. They wincingly accepted handshakes from congratulators who seemed to have forgotten the punishment those hands had just taken. The entire squad avowed that they would never try such a thing again, and then they went home to bed. It had truly been a "once in a lifetime experience" that raised over $15,000 for a very worthwhile charity and put 5 men and a small gun club in the books.
World Record Team (left to Right) - Ray "Shadow" McBride, Paul Harris, Bob McBride, Carl Harris, Larry Ward