Indeed, thanks for participating. I assume most are embarrassed by their 91% singles average over their 20+ year career. I would be too. I wouldn’t admit that haha! Hence the quiet thread... But yet, so many advocates for three hole targets... Maybe they just got tired of poor scores, and used the ATA’s move as a good reason to get out and quit wasting their money. Except for you Dysinger...
I never concerned myself with the averages, I cared about shooting good enough to win some money at each individual shoot I ever attended be it registered or not (non registered usually paid better) and was a lot more fun ... The Calcutta's at West Chicago were always a high lite and were usually well attended ... The shoots at Tipp City in Ohio was a great spot for shooting after the days shooting at the grand and paid very well if you placed in the money, but was a good time either way ... WPT ... (YAC) ...
My 92.00% PA handicap average in 1976 was bested only by the late Frank Little-92.87 and Charlie Sheckler 92.09. Rare company indeed. The only thing often better was beating 6'6" Sheckler for a few $$ in our many pool games after the shoot. He sure towered over the table.
How about a little lady just down the road from me --My inspiration to keep shooting! ----.9953 average in 2001 --Cathy Wehinger --
OR, maybe, if someone was AA27B but their 16's weren't better than Dawgs they figured why bother to post it. (Google Brian Shul and listen to his SR71 LA speed check story and you will hear what I'm talking about.) The thing with averages is the fact that all it takes is one lousy score somewhere, sometime, during the season(wind, rain, hung over?) to bring down your average or, you start out with a crappy one and it is tough to get it back to that 97+. Shamus was there one day to witness my "hair of the dog" cure. A blistering 87 on the first hundred, one vodka screwdriver, a group tightener we used to call it, and run the second. How tough do you think it is to bring up your average with that little bugger on your card. And yes the night before was worth the 87. Someone could actually break, for instance, 98's in doubles at a state Zone shoot, the last doubles event at the GRAND in VANDALIA, and the Tri State and still have a B doubles average. As far as a Caps average? I agree with WPT. Caps was only about ONE thing, MONEY. You could be carrying an 89 average on the 27 but if you had a good day (3 hole targets remember) and popped a 97 you could win enough at the GRAND in VANDALIA to pay for the week. The 2 or 3 Calcuttas a month back home and of course Tipp City during GRAND week in VANDALIA was what mattered. The last time I checked you weren't paid a cent if you made the State Team because of your average. You would have to ask one of our members that made the PA team 4 times to check on that. And OF COURSE the move made people quit. That was the whole point of the membership telling the ata NOT TO MOVE to that place. You move, we won't go there. I can only assume the ata didn't care what that questionnaire told them. ILLnews was the cart, the wsrc was the carrot, and the ata was the Jackass pulling the cart. As far as Dysinger and caps average? The "$5000.00 per caps event" answer has to be THE best line I have read on this site since it started 5 YEARS AGO.
From 1970-2014 were my best years, 44 years of very good shooting, I owe my best shooting by developing my Style of shooting, I worked on my own style, I shot a High Point Of Impmact, I shot faster than the average shooter, I was a natural in my specific style of shooting, I developed my style using a release trigger, I used mainly Ex Full Choke, whether fixed or Choke tubes. I liked to break the targets faster, their were fewer mistakes that way, Tweeking my release trigger, I cocentrated on centering all my targets, my shells were all fast 1250 fps, and no loads heavier 10,000 psi, loads closer to 10,000 psi burned better/ more efficiently and cleaner. I did a Lot of patterning my shells in the Backyard, and at 32 yards. I wanted to be on top of my targets and on the Leading edge, I had to have everything working to my advantage, on all my buddyshoot back-ups I used Magnum 6s I got the best breaks using #6s for all distant shots, and the #6s hold the Inertia Velocity to break targets. Learning your target holds and leads takes a lot of experience and practice. I learned certain powders give better patterns than others by shooting patterns and wads. I spent many, many years on the 27 yard line, Handicap was my choice of targets, I had my share of 200 straight singles, but the MONEY was on the Handicaps. The Trap Bbls of .740 area were the best performing , and all my Bbls had longer Forcing cones. I did have a few Bbls with Porting but most were not Ported, they were on used Guns I bought. None of my loads exceeded 10,000 psi, except experimental ones. GB...……………………………...DLS
LS, That is fascinating but you didn't answer the question of what was your best averages for what year. ??
Should be an All American if those averages are right, unless there were not enough targets ... ... WPT ... (YAC) ...
Brad, Will you please explain how you averaged $5000 per handicap event in 1994. You shot 7250 targets with a 94.1 average. You did not average a winning score, so presumably you must have had a couple big pay days. Keeping in mind that for every winning score, with that average, you’d shoot 1-2 scores below that did not pay. Therefore, by my way of thinking, you’d need to average about $10,000 per win. That seems like a lot of money. As does $350,000+ in one year of shooting. I’m not calling you a liar, but..
I have probably won more money in non registered shooting events than I have in registered shooting events which make what Brad said entirely possible ... Way back when, I shot a 97 in the Grand ( paid little over $1,700) in Vandalia, and won another $5,500 over at Tipp City which made my week total right at $7,200 ... The days of shooting for big money are gone unless you are one of the Big Dogs and or post a big score at some major event (Think Vernal, Utah) ... WPT ... (YAC) ...
"I’m not calling you a liar, but.. " HOLY CRAP!!! #Roll back the stone That sounds like someone that USED to post on here. I figured he would be back. It just took longer than the three days I thought it would.
For 16 yards age has noting to do with it unless you are dead. I have been shooting trap since 1972 and had my best singles average in 2018 at the age of 72, it was 98.23%
I don't know Flyers. It just sounds like math to me. Course, I kinda thought that Brad was more or less joking and didn't really mean his post literally. Then again, that was the era of pretty big Calcuttas at most big shoots. Some paid rather amazing amounts.
I would agree with you that it would have sounded like just a curious question from someone that didn't know any better. EXCEPT for that little add on, "I’m not calling you a liar, but.. " He should have finished it with, "I think you are". You are correct about the Calcuttas and compared to the "pay outs" at todays "big" shoots they seem amazing. Back then it was the norm. I don't think there are many Calcuttas in the USA now a days. Maybe in Canada or overseas? Do we have any members that live in Canada that shoot in BIG Calcutta's ?
My point was that averages didn't mean anything back in the day. I probably never won more than about 200K in any season, this would include non registered Calcutta's and live bird shoots where the real money was at. Back in the day we also shot for gold coin buckles, guns, and silver trophies, oh and cars too. ( I never won a car ) In the 70's, 80's, and 90's winning a 10 grand handicap was not that strange of a deal. Every shoot of any size had 5 grand events. Cars generally cost less than 5 grand for a nice one, Pinto's and Vegas around 2 grand so with inflation figured in we were really winning some money in those days. Easy targets have killed money shooting and money shooters are a thing of the past. I don't think they will ever return. The small 2 and 3 trap club calcutta shooters don't exist today and that is where the money shooter came from. My ATA high averages that I can remember were (I think) .9952 in singles, 95 something in caps, and 97 something in doubles. I was always more interested in events won, HOA and HAA's were important to me too. Averages just doesn't mean much because they can be manipulated by just shooting in good weather and avoiding the wind. I liked shooting a lot better in tough conditions because most shooters beat themselves before they ever shot the first target. But yea I think I'll stick with about 5 grand an event. Sounds good to me and who can say any different for sure?
"Averages just doesn't mean much because they can be manipulated by just shooting in good weather and avoiding the wind." Unless you shot at Brooke County or Washington Sportsmen back in 2014. There was a guy that broke 400x400 one 20 degree day in January. That kind of shooting got him a 99+ average for the year. Malloy's Calcutta when the shoot was still in existence? Most of the time just shy of $200,000.00 split over two days. I don't think the guys that won that money gave a rats ^*# about their 16 yrd line average. LOL
When I was young and first started shooting, I hit my very first bird, so I put the gun down and quit shooting. My avg was, and is, 100% Averages are kind of meaningless. I know guys that have avgs near 99 who turn and leave if it's windy, I also know shooters who regularly shoot high 90s, but somehow manage to stay in D class.
Heck, we didn't have global warming back when I carried those averages. Back in those days it probably snowed into late May and March winds lasted into June or July. Just goes to show ya anyone can carry a 98+ average these days with little effort-as long as your body holds up.
Brad the CADDY's at Goldenwest Grand, Bob Colegrove Won One of them, My jeweler Friend on North High St In Columbus, Ohio put his Model 12 on the wall at Goldenwest Grand, I bought a Browning 32" Broadway From Him.He had a Brand New Whizzer Motor Bike in his Garage. He lived just South of the Shopping Center north of Morse Rd. Ed Heister was his Name. GB...…………………………………...DLS
I shot the Grand for many years with Cathy. The year that she had the 9953 singles average I also shot the Great Lakes Grand with her.The squad consisted of Dirk Meckstroth, Ben Smith,Cathy, Brad Dysinger, and myself. The first day we shot Cathy was high in the squad in all 3 events breaking 100 99 98. A very nice lady and a very fine shot and a very tough competitor. Dave Berlet
Something that you probably are not aware of is that Brad was quite possibly the best bad weather 27yd shooter to ever shoot A T A targets and some of his best paydays were on days that it didn't take a huge score to have a big pay day. I don't know the Dollar value, but back in the day he had many very good pay days. I remember many times on some pretty miserable days when most shooters would be moping and moaning about the weather Brad would be smiling and saying "today looks like a money day". Dave Berlet
I watched Dan B average over $300.00 per target on every target he hit on a 100 bird event back in the day..He hit them all! He also has enough gold coin belt buckles for a tidy retirement fund. My best average was when I averaged 25 straight in the pigeon ring against the world champion Charlie Miller of PA. And yes, my nuts were rattling during the shoot off.
I shot with Joe Ljutic at one of Steve's last shoots at his club in Las Vegas, I asked how he was doing, said he had not won an event but was $37,000 ahead for the week ... Said he was shooting a new gun so it was not a big surprise, not winning an event ... Not bad for not winning an event I would say ... Steve's place was probably one of the last places where you could win any big money, besides Vernal, Utah ... WPT ... (YAC) ...
2004, shot at 2300 doubles targets, average of .9926, had 13 hundreds that year, sure would like another year like that...
Holy cow! I think I’ve had 6 100’s in doubles in 27 years of ATA shooting and you had 13 in that season alone. That’s some good shooting Sir!
I went into the reloading room, took my "PA Western Zone" doubles runner up trophy from MANY, YEARS ago, and tossed it in the trash can The most memorable thing about that shoot? There were two 98's that day. The other guy was a well known ONE EYED Pa. shooter that shot them backwards. Twenty five people saw him miss a target on the second trap but the scorer gave it to him. She was used to watching everyone shoot the straight aways first and I can only assume that is what caused the wrong call. His buds on the squad never said a word and he sure as hell wasn't going to say anything. As we walked to the line to shoot off he was talking to me. "Hey pal, great shooting, I knew you could do it. Boy if I hadn't missed those couple on traps three and four we wouldn't be having this shoot off" I missed 3 and the "winner" missed two and I learned a very valuable lesson that day. That was second year shooting and I was too new and naïve to say what I would have said a few years later. Hey, you know what? If you wouldn't have taken credit for that one you missed on trap two you cheat we REALLY wouldn't be having this shoot off would we? That was the first and LAST time I let anyone get in my head
Seems kinda silly for me to post these after seeing averages from Brad, Eric and Ciaran but since my squad mate T Jordan posted his I had to look mine up hoping I was at least close to him. Sadly these are all from my younger days and all in different years: Singles 98.19 Handicap 93.29 (27 yard) Doubles 95.29
97.17 16s (2006) 92.04 caps (2004) 96.50 doubles (2010) 94.88 is the best with a significant amount of targets (2004)
My best year was 2009 on 6600 singles: 98.97 on 8100 Hdcp 94.69 and Dbls 5500 96.47 20200 96.71 combined. Big Leo told me I was mediocre!
Looks like we need a " Only 2 repeats per thread" rule. If I get a chance I'll put up a graph to confirm my findings that it all depends on how fast you type. And of course the brand of keyboard you use. That is very important. Some people may think that it doesn't matter but in the "real world" of posting it matters very much. The reason is because I said so. It will show there is a very big difference if you are right or left handed. Also if you type with one hand or two. This is a scientific study using the newest and most reliable equipment on the market. Now, the "pecker" style of typing is a whole other ballgame. There are only a few posts that occasionally show up on this site that would fall into that category. Mainly from certain lurkers that venture here to try and do a little fishing. Mostly telling us that the place in ILLnews that holds a shoot every August is the best and biggest shoot in the world, how much they just love going there, and that if you are from OH or PA you don't know anything and should just shut up. You can easily tell from THEIR posts just how big of a "pecker" they really are. For these posters that rule will be called, The DOUble Clicked or Hit Enter twice rule. As for the original posters question on my best average for a year? I have around 2,462 posts so my average is 492.4 Of course that is for THE FIVE YEARS WE HAVE BEEN HERE and not four.
Or, it might have been on his Double averages...200 on first shot, then another 200 on second shot, hence the double post.
There ya go. More information without using scientific evaluation. This is how theories get started and posted as true facts. I checked my graph against Mudpacks posts and see that in reality he hit the enter button 4 times and not 2. As we all were taught from on high, nothing can be true without a graph.