Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1918-09-21
Trap, Gun and Rod

The Sport Alluring! Trapshooting Ia
the king OF outdoor sports. Not only
IA diversion but q first class tonic, How
would I advise the beginner to learn
the art Of trapshooting? Listen. This
line of sport can not be acquired thru
a correspondence school. There Is n
transitory stage, between the time you
break your first target, and the time
you are able to average 80 per cent,
which will seem slow and at times dis
couraging. Remember that every man
who Is now setting the pace for you
has met with many disbursements.
but has had the tenacity to stick. If
you have the blood in your veins which
is the proper color. disappointments
will make you only the more ambitious.
AS first and most important prop
osition. Your gun must fit. What do
mean by fitting a gun? Very few
people are built on the same lines, as
your tailor will tell you. Difference in
length of neck. arms. avoirdupois cut
a material figure. You must be fitted
by a gun tailor" who is an expert
in the line. Go 20 some reputable
sporting goods store, or ask q pro-
fessional who will wave trade issues
and give you the benefit of his ex-
perience and knowledge. Have him
look YOU over with reference to make
up of gun. drop. length of stock. heel.
toe. comb very important on account
of cross firing), length of barrel, trigger
pull, and alignment Of sights.
Your Gun Must Fit You.
,oh 50 will chnpf
high, which is the logical idea for
trap or field shooting. For shooting
over decoys a crooked stocked gun is
sometimes useful. Targets il shot at
the proper time are always shot on
the ascent unless freak targets are
being thrown. Time is the essence of
success. coupled with accuracy. a
straight stock gun enables you TO keep
your target in sight. where YOU can
cater to their jumps and dips When
your. gun is thrown to your shoulder
your eye must be aligned along the
center of your barrel. You will never
succeed fitting yourself to the gun.
Too much time is consumed locating
your target. The fractional part of
second wasted means many feet of
added distance. And also a target
right after it leaves the trap, is ro-
tating rapidly and a few shot will
break it. but these same shot will
only dust" ii few feet farther. Re-
member, that the sooner you shoot
target after it leaves the trap, the
more even will be the pattern your
gun makes. In addition. there will be
less lead, which means less guess
work and higher scores. Affiliate
yourself with gun club, where they
are shooting frequently. Watch and
make a study of the game. Confess
that you are a novice in search of
information Members will take more
interest in your progress. Acquire an
easy position at the score. which will
enable you to swing readily upon the
angles. You will become infatuated
with the sport, but don't over play.
let observation go hand in hand with
your patience. When you arrive at
the shooting park. get your head in
action, get line on the wind and the
quarter it is coming from. If the wind
is blowing directly toward the traps.
targets will go high. with tendency
to jump or tower. If the wind blows
from the score towards the trap house,
the targets will be low. forced down
by the wind, with probability of
their ducking. Note the distance and
velocity with which the targets are
thrown. Observe the lay of the
grounds. If you are shooting down
hill, you must hold low. If there is
a hill in the immediate background,
hold little high. In selecting your
loads. use drains Of bulk or "a grains
of dense powder. ~ ounces No. tx
chilled shot, in n IL gauge gun. It is a
mistake to attempt to use a small bore
gun at the trap. or to limit your load
to ! X ounces of shot. when your COM
petitors are using IL gauge. with / Il
ounces of shot. There would be a per-
centage running against you. which
would be the means of your defeat in
all close contests. Always hold your
gun firmly to your shoulder. thus meas
urably avoiding the kick and substitute
ing a push or shove against the Shout
der Learn to shoot with both eyes