Howell businessman defends pumpkin-hurling record
11/1/2004, 1:59 a.m. ET
The Associated Press
HOWELL, Mich. (AP) — A Michigan businessman is preparing to defend the title he won by building a gun that fired a pumpkin 4,594 feet through the air.
Bruce Bradford, 57, is tightlipped about the specifics of his entry in the World Championship Punkin Chunkin. Since 1986, the event has been held on a farm in Delaware's Sussex County.
The event begins Friday and is expected to draw 100 contestants and 40,000 spectators.
"It's classified," Bradford, owner of S&G Steel Erectors in Howell, told the Detroit Free Press. "All the guys at Punkin Chunkin are great guys, but when it comes to shooting, things get serious.
"This year, everyone will be gunning for me. They're not too happy that the trophy's left Delaware two years in a row now. Can't say I blame them."
Bradford became interested in the sport in 1998 when he read an article about Punkin Chunkin and decided to fly to Delaware to watch the competition.
A steel fabricator and member of the National Rifle Association, Bradford said he wanted to get a closer look at the machines, but security would not let him into the pits.
Pretending to be a reporter, he was allowed to enter.
"We drank beer, saw the machines, shucked oysters. It was one big tailgate party. When we got back, we decided to build one," Branford said.
The gun, made of aluminum, weighs 18,000 pounds, and its barrel extends 100 feet, sporting a 210-millimeter bore. With its matte black paint, Second Amendment looks menacing, an impression confirmed by the bright yellow lettering that reads: "Baddest Punkin Gun on the Planet."
In 1999, Bradford entered Second Amendment into competition and finished fifth, with a shot of 3,059 feet. He made improvements yearly, and in 2002 he was victorious with a ride of 3,882 feet.
This year, though, his confidence is waning.
On Sunday, Bradford and his eight-man team tinkered at a friend's Howell farm, making final adjustments and taking a last round of practice shots. They then planned to dismantle it and head to Delaware.
The team is nervous because this year, Delaware is requiring all competing machines to have certification by the American Association of Mechanical Engineers. That meant Bradford had to install new tanks on Second Amendment.
"We're a little apprehensive that there are some unknowns, and we don't have the gun firing the way we want it to," he said. "Plus, punkins are strange animals. They're like snowflakes — they're all different."
Notice that Bradford said "punkin," not pumpkin.
Those in the sport call the 8- to 10- pound gourds they chuck punkins, not pumpkins. As they will quickly explain, "pumpkins are for carving, punkins are for chunkin."
http://www.mlive.com/newsflash/mich...0/1099293870166510.xml&storylist=newsmichigan
http://www.punkinchunkin.com
11/1/2004, 1:59 a.m. ET
The Associated Press
HOWELL, Mich. (AP) — A Michigan businessman is preparing to defend the title he won by building a gun that fired a pumpkin 4,594 feet through the air.
Bruce Bradford, 57, is tightlipped about the specifics of his entry in the World Championship Punkin Chunkin. Since 1986, the event has been held on a farm in Delaware's Sussex County.
The event begins Friday and is expected to draw 100 contestants and 40,000 spectators.
"It's classified," Bradford, owner of S&G Steel Erectors in Howell, told the Detroit Free Press. "All the guys at Punkin Chunkin are great guys, but when it comes to shooting, things get serious.
"This year, everyone will be gunning for me. They're not too happy that the trophy's left Delaware two years in a row now. Can't say I blame them."
Bradford became interested in the sport in 1998 when he read an article about Punkin Chunkin and decided to fly to Delaware to watch the competition.
A steel fabricator and member of the National Rifle Association, Bradford said he wanted to get a closer look at the machines, but security would not let him into the pits.
Pretending to be a reporter, he was allowed to enter.
"We drank beer, saw the machines, shucked oysters. It was one big tailgate party. When we got back, we decided to build one," Branford said.
The gun, made of aluminum, weighs 18,000 pounds, and its barrel extends 100 feet, sporting a 210-millimeter bore. With its matte black paint, Second Amendment looks menacing, an impression confirmed by the bright yellow lettering that reads: "Baddest Punkin Gun on the Planet."
In 1999, Bradford entered Second Amendment into competition and finished fifth, with a shot of 3,059 feet. He made improvements yearly, and in 2002 he was victorious with a ride of 3,882 feet.
This year, though, his confidence is waning.
On Sunday, Bradford and his eight-man team tinkered at a friend's Howell farm, making final adjustments and taking a last round of practice shots. They then planned to dismantle it and head to Delaware.
The team is nervous because this year, Delaware is requiring all competing machines to have certification by the American Association of Mechanical Engineers. That meant Bradford had to install new tanks on Second Amendment.
"We're a little apprehensive that there are some unknowns, and we don't have the gun firing the way we want it to," he said. "Plus, punkins are strange animals. They're like snowflakes — they're all different."
Notice that Bradford said "punkin," not pumpkin.
Those in the sport call the 8- to 10- pound gourds they chuck punkins, not pumpkins. As they will quickly explain, "pumpkins are for carving, punkins are for chunkin."
http://www.mlive.com/newsflash/mich...0/1099293870166510.xml&storylist=newsmichigan
http://www.punkinchunkin.com
