Most of us are well into middle age and can't see or shoot as well as we once did. Still, I'm sure every one of us has memories or targets we are very proud to mention here. So let's tell/show each other some bragging targets, shots, etc. that we remember with photos, descriptions of firearms and details of past glories. I want us to talk about guns and shooting highlights. Well, let's get started!
A couple of weeks ago I had a perfect score on the Gong shoot and even hit that chain. That helped me win first place at the Beaver Creek spring Rendezvous.
Several years back I was challenged to hit them all and you get an extra can of powder in a club match in Colorado and I did it that time too, but those are the only times I have done it so far.
I'm 74 years old and was told last year that I would probably be dealing with a catarac operation within the year but I'm still shooting ok! ;D
No pictures that I can find but they might be on one of my dead computers, which I'm not going to try and resurrect. So, going on an increasingly foggy memory but I'll share my top two.
A friend of mine had just gotten a 20 gauge Dutch, club butt fowler and invited me to come up and help test fire it. I just can't see holes in paper at any range so I had brought some of those shoot and see target stickers that splatter neon yellow around the hole when hit. At first my friend resisted so we set up a regular black and white target at 40 yards. "So far I haven't been able to really put a ball within 2 feet of the previous one" my friend said. He handed the gun to me, loaded with patched round bar which a steadied on the picnic bench we had been shooter from. I put the bead sight just under the bullseye and pulled the trigger. I had no idea where the ball had hit, same old same old. He looked at me strangely, telling me to go down range. As I walked up to the target I could see why he looked so disappointed; perfect bullseye.
Second best would be when I had gone to a shooting range about an hour away from home, meeting several fellow muzzleloaders. I brought my fast twist Great Plains Hunter barrel which had been mounted on a Cabelas Hawken stock, to see if it was still sighted in. I'd developed an accurate load previously but was at the max powder charge so I was wondering if it was repeatable. We had asked to be put at the far end of the range so the smoke wouldn't bother the youngsters shooting their plastic stocked telescopes but after a while there was no room to separate us, too many shooters. Of course, the guy with the superboominearspanking caliber rifle ended up next to me. I had put up the shoot and splatter adhesive targets that I can actually see. Before my first shot my friends had put two downrange in between Mr. Loudenboomin letting us know that he was about to touch one off at the target 200 yards away. My friend John had commented on the accuracy of my load combination so I loaded up and put one 220 grain lead conical down range right into the center of the target. While I'm swabbing the barrel a cease fire/cold range is called so we all three walked to our targets and I confirmed the bullseye. On our way back to the line we were met by Mr. Loudenboomin who said "Hey, could you let me know when you're going to shoot that thing?" Then he followed with "isn't that black powder stuff inaccurate at anything but short range?" (Or something to that effect) So, the range went hot and I loaded up, aimed and yelled "muzzleloader!!!" and pulled the trigger.
Looks like you missed! All I could see was the same hole so I swabbed and loaded the shenlarged. This time about 6 people were standing behind me while my two friends explained how muzzleloaders work, their history and some other things. I could see my shot hit about half an inch low and a quarter inch to the right but had just crossed the ring of my first shot. The next down range was called and I we t to retrieve my target. Getting back to the firing line I just had to show everyone that my second shot had just slightly enlarged the hole from the first shot!
About then my shoulder started to remind me that launching a 50 caliber lead bullet with 95 grains of 3f was hard on my joints so I put my rifle up and shot my friends rifles.
Two more things I'm proud of.
:applause: THIS BE WHAT I'M TALKING 'BOUT! hntr
😀 Wowsers Flintboomer!!!!! That's some good shootin' right there I'll tell you!