27 yard shooters dominate Friday prelim handicap again! See statistics.

Brad being the modest fella that you are I can kinda understand you not mentioning that same day you won the Ohio handicap back in 1975 with a 98 you also won the Camp Troy handicap with a 95. When Camp Troy had their money shoots during the Ohio State and the Grand American they didn't exactly throw lollipops for targets. I would say probably closer to equivalent of 4 hole targets and probably 55yds. Anyway during their night programs if you missed a target it seemed like it was out of range of the lights before it hit the ground. By the way I believe Brads trophy for the camp Troy win was 500 silver silver dollars and a tv not to mention the purse and lewis class money he collected. More than the winnings from the Ohio State handicap. The Camp Troy shoots especially during the Grand brought out all of the big dogs, the bad dogs the money dogs, the baggers, and probably even some of the ugly dogs. Some of the hot still humid nights the grounds almost looked like a heavy fog was moving in. Just some more of the trapshooting events that our newer shooters will never be able to witness or participate in. Just some of the wonderful memories of the trapshooting past. Sorry that I get so long with my ramblings, but trapshooting has been a lifetime love of mine. So many memories, so many friends many who are not with us anymore.

Dave Berlet

 

I shot my first trap targets in 1962 or 63 on a trap machine just like History Seeker provided the pictures of. Cloverdale gun club had one trap and it only through straight away targets.

Then in 1973 I started shooting a lot and they were Cline pull traps, then in 1974 I joined the ATA and shot on mostly Winchester Traps but still some Cline Pull here in Ohio and Indiana.

Saint Henry had one old Remington trap with the big plate and brush and was a hard trap to master. The old Winchester Auto traps also would through a strange bird every once in awhile and we had a few of those around.

History Seeker thanks for the pictures of the old machines.

 

Dave I missed your comments about Camp Troy, I was posting the same time as you but you are right. I broke 95 at Troy and the prize was 500 silver Dollars and a TV. I did win more money at Troy than I got for winning the Ohio State Handicap. I'm pretty sure that it wasn't modesty that kept me form bringing up Camp Troy it was Old Age.

Troy was more fun than Vandalia back then for me. One thing for sure was you never saw Jack resetting a trap because someone was bitching.

 

I just remembered that in the early days of shooters wanting traps reset the trap setter would ask what the problem was then look at a couple of targets, walk down to the trap house squat down and in a few seconds would reappear and say shootem and walk away. Many times the change was not what you hoped for and you really didn't feel good to ask for more changes to be made.

Dave Berlet

 

Thanks for the stories guys. I didn't mean to highjack the thread, but I thought some of the new fellows would like to see what we used to use for traps.

That particular trap was in the house at our old hometown club in Canandaigua, NY. It was sold to another club to use as a tower trap for sporting clays, and then it went up for auction.

The late Dick Baldwin told me he set targets on that very trap back in 1951 when the NY State Shoot was held in Canandaigua, and his Dad Cliff was the cashier. We had a lot of fun that day talking about the old clubs. Been 14 years since Dick has passed, and we miss him and his stories. At least he wrote a book of memories for all to read, and had it published before his passing.

I bought that and the Remington Wonder Trap that I set skeet targets in the High House at the club for many years. I know the Wonder Trap was my trap because they had to weld the pipe handle into the cocking arm because one day the pipe pulled out as I cocked the trap. and I toppled out of the door in the back. Early on us pullers had to pull the skeet traps by hand, and had to listen carefully for the call "PULL" and "MARK" . Pull being the high house, and Mark being the low house. Doubles were not a problem as all singles were shot first, and then the doubles followed. Eventually they put electric trips on these machines and that took the pressure off the trap kids.

Now on a good note.

I LOVE hearing the bantering back and forth from our seasoned veterans of the sport. Without these stories being told by Brad, Dave, Roger, History Buff, and the others, we would never know some of this fine history.

Thank you guys for these stories, and please continue to tell us more.

Wonder Skeet Trap.

 

Roger the Super Star is what we have at the Moulton Gun Club. (6 of them) The adjustments are very similar to the 1524 adjustments. Quite a few years, very few problems except for some motor problems caused by highwater.

Dave Berlet

 

David, My Company sold the Super Star machines. When I sold one that I first brought into my shop, I would set it in my doorway and throw doubles with it. It did no get delivered until I could throw 9 out of ten targets into 5 galon buckets that I placed in my parking lot. You could never do that with a pat trap. I used the all black eclipse targets to set up my machines. I also made a rubber throwing arm for those machines, it threw better targets that the plastic the OEM used.
I still say one of the worst things that ever happened to our game of trap was the Pat trap machines. The purchase by the ATA was done under the table, that is the only way that machine ever gained prominance. It sure was not for its great target presentation.
Rod Shyda was the only dealer that sold more of those machines than I did. Roger C.

 

In 1970 I tied for the Singles ChaMPIONSHIP, it was 150 targets then, not 200, in the shootoff the singles were put in the 5 hole, I know But they Told Nora Martin what they did, I was lead off and I missed that first target by a bunch, they also were cranked up, Nora Martin won the Singles Championship, Beat by a GIRL.

The reason they shot 150 was, so many shooters and not enough Traps, in the 70s all Traps were on the Old side before they added more traps to the South Side where everything was new. I did it with my new to me Ljutic, I had bought at Airport Gun Club in Lancaster from Brent Umberger, Next shoot was Southern Grand, I went with the Jeweler Leighton Long, he and I went to Southern Grand a lot together.

GB......................................DLS

 

Hey Doc, you SHOULD be upset if Nora Martin beat you. She was 8 years old in 1970. Depending on her birthday, she could have been 7, lol

Just sayin......

 

are you sure, she was about 16 yrs old at the time

 

I was 29 yrs old.

 

I have to check my records

 

Hey Doc,

Where did you shoot this 150 target championship in 1970?

At first I thought you were talking about the Clay Target Championship at the Grand, but they only shot 150 targets twice in the Grand's history. The first year of the North American Clay Target Championship (1906) was at 150 targets as was the 1999 Grand. Nora won the Ladies Championship that year with 150 straight.

Nora did win the Ladies Championship with 150 straight in '99.

 

H.B. THE SIXTEEN YRD. TARGETS WERE REDUCED TO 150 TARGETS. SEVERAL YEARS AGO. I"M NOT SURE WHAT THE DATE WAS. Roger C.
PS I think it was at the last grand in Vandalia.