doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Manners cost $150.00 per lesson.

My oldest son was out visiting this weekend and wanted to shoot the Krieghoff his grandfather, my father, just gave him. A mint condition K-32 Crown grade trap gun. Seems my father shot it one time and decided Trap was not for him. It has been unused for almost 50 years. Stored under his bed or in the closet. Never even knew dad had a Krieghoff, much less a Crown grade. Think he bought it from Hal duPont back when Johnson was still president.

So I took my son out to my local trap and skeet club. I mostly shoot skeet there and know few on the "other" side of the wall. So we get put onto a squad and shoot a round. I thought my son shot well. Broke 19 birds and has not shot much trap in 20 years. Starting a family does that to your shooting. I shot 23 with a 11/87 trap gun, which is decent in my book for a mostly skeet shooter playing at trap. Doubt my son has shot much skeet either in the last ten years but he does know how to shoot fairly well and he shot a lot as a kid.

What pissed me off was a "regular" griping that he was distracted by seeing so many misses on the squad. I think he missed four bird. Made my son decide he did not want to shoot anymore. I asked the "regular" why he let misses by others distract him at all. Typical "high grade K-80" shooter complained he shot "serious" practice and was always working for that straight round. I've heard that before, mostly by fellows after missing birds. Its the scorers, the traps, the squad, the wind, the whatever. Pisses me off to blame others for what you do.

Asked him if he ever shot for money? Yes at all the big trap shoots was his response. How about practice I asked? Sometimes he said. Pity I said all I have left are .410 shells or I'd shoot him for money. .410 at trap, from the 16 yard line, is not impossible but it is fairly hard I said. I'd be willing to shoot against him and his 12 gauge gun if I could get a few birds spot. I suggested five, he decided three. How much I asked? You name it hotshot he said. Fifty bucks a bird I said. He froze for a second, then said 12 against .410 yeah I'll take your money.

First bird out of the house, on station one, I missed like you would not believe. Must have flown for ten seconds before it hit the ground. Heard a snicker from him. By the end of the first peg we were both down a bird but I was starting to hit them well and I was pissed. By the end of the round I had missed three and he had missed two. So with my three bird spot he was down five birds to my three or plus two for the money. Want to go again I said? Not with a spot he said. Even up then I replied. Ok. I shot 23 that round and he shot 22. He had two birds which the wind just played games with and one he just missed. His manners lesson cost him $150.00, which he paid in cash. Said he just knew that a 12 would clean up against a .410. It isn't the gun I said. Gave the money to my son on the way home to take his wife out to dinner.

Now two disclaimers. First I was shooting 3" .410 shells with hard 8's that I had loaded up for hunting, so I was shooting 11/16 ounce instead of 1/2 ounce out of my Winchester 42 with full choke. Most rounds at skeet with that gun are 23, 24 or 25. I love that gun almost as much as my 28 gauge model 12. Second, for almost four years the only thing I could shoot was .410 due to a extremely nasty flinch. It was so bad I looked like a drunk recruit taking bayonet practice in the air. Almost falling off the station about 1/4 of the time. I even shot left handed for six months trying to get rid of the flinch. 40,000-50,000 .410 shells cured the flinch in the end. Perhaps 10,000 of those shells were at trap, so shooting from the 16 yard line is no big deal. I suspect most could quickly hit 15-20 from there with a little practice. Manners lessons cost more.

KY John,

I wish you had bet him $10,000.00. The worst thing that can happen to a sport is when shooters turn it into work. It's supposed to be fun.

Shooters in all types of shooting sports should be encouraging and inviting to each other, especially the new and inexperienced. I can't count the new shooters who never got started because of grumpy old timers.

Tis' better to have no money than no manners.

Jon,

That's just a great story all round, from the unsuspected family treasure to the well deserved comuppance! Thanks for posting it.

Bill

Well done. A good lesson for those that take our fun hobby too seriously.

Yeee Hawww
Great story
Thanks
Mike

Great story for you to tell. not so great a story for him to tell. Hopefully he had friends there to share in your good fortune. jw

The problem with your past shooting may have been a flinch. The misses by the high grade K-80 were caused by a jerk. I hope every time you see this guy you remind him of his bad manners by taking more money from him. Gil

That warms the cockles of my heart. Mostly because I have sons, too, and it would have infuriated me as well. You maintained your composure well enough to pull it off ...........I would have probably let it fluster me too much to shoot well. I don't mind people taking their shooting seriously. I do, too, at times. But, being inconsiderate and hurtful of others around you is inexcusable. It doesn't hurt my feelings any that you smoked him with a .410, either.

You would make Capt. Woodrow Call proud.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJZyRXN9ufE

Well done. SRH

A better bet (in hindsight only. ) would have been a "stakes" shoot, winner takes the other's gun. There's an old saying about blaming others for their troubles: "To err is human; to blame someone else, more human." Gil

LOL. Atta boy! ... to quote George Hickox.

Reminded me of the first time I shot that gussied up 410 Nitro Special. I went to the trap side with a box 1/2 oz #8 Estate shells. I was squaded up with 4 people with blinders and some had one dark lens, all had vests with patches. Their guns were all 12 ga 32� or 34� barreled, most were adjustable comb and/or rib guns. I asked them for forgiveness for shooting this little 26� 410 with them and asked that they go easy on me. They were cordial enough, just some snickers from the young oriental squad when they looked at the gun. I think I shot 23 or 24 from the 16 yd line. High score for that squad. They were respectful when I thanked them for the shoot.