Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1919-02-18
Old Shooter Tells
About Trapshooting
For The Beginner
(By an Old-Tfme shooter.)

You read the day before yesterday
how Sam Jones. at the Spotless Town
club, broke a straight" You
are interested. You know he hot at
burned powder and threw lead, but
the details as to just what was broken
and the kind Of gun used are not
clear.
1t seems mysterious and compli-
Gated. 1t isn't at all. He used a
shotgun which has a bore. or a hole.
through it three-quarters of an inch
in diameter, which is known as a
"12-gauge:" In this gun are used
are loaded with about three drains
of smokeless powder n one and
one-eighth ounce of shot.
The targets, or "clay pigeons" as
they are called. are saucers made of
a coal-tar composition. whichfis quite
brittle. They are about four inches
in diameter. The trap is really a
of a mechanical arm. sails these
|saucers, bottom-side up, through the
air about SO yards.
Five Shooting Points.
There are five shooting points
ranged in a semicircle back Of the
trap" to accommodate the five
shooters who make up a squad. Be-
ginning with No. l. which is the ex-
treme left position facing the traps,
the shooters take turns. Each man,
when his turn to shoot comes, as
sumes the shooting position, with
the gun at his shoulder. and calls
PULL"
The trapper, who stands back of
the shooters Inc has a lever connect
ed with h trap, releases a spring
army which sails the target into the
air. The shooter fires. and if he
breaks the target the scorer calls
dead" and marks l on the score
board. If he does not hit. he calls
lost" and marks a zero on the score
board.
Squads usually shoot 25 shots for
each man. and If a man breaks all
! his rs targets he has broken a
straight. 5
You will probably ask why they
call the throwing machine a trap"
The word trap is used because trap
shooting. as practiced at present with
a throwing machine and clay saucers,
is a development Of the old game Of
shooting at live birds. which were
released from a trap. The throwing
machine took the place of h live
pigeons.
Clay pigeon shooting has many ad-
vantages over live-bird shooting. For
one thing, it is very much less expen-
sive and a great deal less trouble.
You a buy clay pigeons in a barrel
and store them away in you shoot
ing house. whereas live birds would
require considerable care. /
Organize . Club.
If you want to try this intensely
interesting sport. find out where the
nearest trapshooting club is. and
show up at one Of their practice
shoots. II o are a long way from
trapshooting club. you can secure
la hand-trap and. a barrel Of clay
targets, gather some friends together,
and try 1t for yourself.
You will find trapshooters a cor
dial bunch. and after watching them
awhile and talking the matter lover
with some Of the shooters you will
be able 10 decide just what kind Of a
fshotgun you want.
There are new men starting the
game all the time. a. there always
must be with any sport which 10 rap
idly growing, and you needn't be Q bit
afraid to display ignorance on any
point connected with the game.
The other shooters were In the
same boat themselves once, and VIII
take great pleasure In coaching Jon
lin every way possible.