Sub-Gauge "sporting" is another term for shooting events that dates way back, and it seems has been lost in context, or time.
I am going to back to when I was coming up and I am over age 50.
Keep in mind we had Veterans of Wars, Vietnam, and folks would be limited in some way , be this detached retina, neck, back, shoulder surgeries, age, arthritis - and those shooters due to high round counts, that had injuries...
NO Recoil orders by doctors were issued back in the day as they are now.
In time, and healing, some were allowed to shoot .410, and hopefully later on 28 gauge.
Skeet allowed these folks to shoot.
Trap Folks, did take up skeet, still Trap folks have a right to shoot their game.
Short Trap was set up to allow .410 use.
Times were different if you will, and before all the non-tox came to be , many times hunting spots, including ducks, was restricted by property owners to guns no larger than 28 ga, and even to only .410.
Part of this reason was habitat respect and mgmt and quite a bit was common courtesy and respect for Veterans and others with physical limits.
Same idea followed with 5 stand and Sporting clays.
I am aware of some private shooting places, with skeet, trap, 5 stand, and sporting clays - plus hunting, that was invite only and kept private.
I'll be blunt, some persons were disfigured from burns or severe scars and other things. Back in the day, society was more receptive of this, just as they were Polio Victims.
Vietnam Vets, were not well received. Private Folks familiar with all this sub-gauge shotgunning , assisted in these folks and families having a place to shoot, and have quality time.
Others were invited, such as other Vets from other conflicts, physically limited persons , some disfigured from burns, or other trauma, some that were going through recovering stages of detached retina, neck, back, shoulder surgery.
I guess it was time this came out, as many today are obviously not aware of it.
I know about this, as I was part of this, being as I how I was mentored.
My earlies memory is age 3, so that would around 1958.
One pulled off the blacktop out in the country, farm country, and went down a dirt road, muddy when wet, and kept on going, down and around past clumps of trees.
It was beautiful. Still being built, with private money, by private folks.
Farm pond built, and built to be accessed by wheel chairs.
The Trap field, was only 3 stations, and the shooters could sit in wheelchairs under a tin roof for shade. I do not recall the yardage, but it allowed for a .410 shotgun to break clays.
These Veterans, and others could shoot, picnic, be with families, and interact.
As time went on 5 stations.
Skeet field.
Pistol range and rifle range.
I guess what we did was 5 stand and Sporting Clays, with some things we set up and built back in the day...we just wanted folks to be able to shoot, interact, and replicate hunting...
Areas in woods cleared and benches where these folks could sit and pop squirrels and other game.
It was about them, not us, it always about others.
These same ideas, with private folks and private money continued over time, even when 5 stand, and Sporting Clays came to be.
These private places were the setting for lessons, later on folks would come up with 3 gun, and we were doing this before 3 gun come to be.
We had "indoor" shoot houses, so these folks could do lessons on staying safe with a shotgun, that .410 or 28ga, or pistol, or rifle.
This might explain a bit my take on some things, like shooting, passing forward, getting out of self, kids and .410 and 28 ga shotguns.
Sporting is not really the correct term, still it was used in a different context for me and mine coming up.
