Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1920-07-02

in late October, 1911, was the year
young man breezed into the Honey
man Hardware Emporium in Port.
land, Ore, and asked the clerk to
show him a shotgun that would kill
ducks. The young man was shown
dilapated Winchester. 1897 model
and he purchased it for the munificent
sum of $500.
For the past seven years this self
same young man has been making
trapshooting history with miniature
cannon" Trapshooting lore for the
last seven years Is full of the exploits
of Frank NJ. Troeh, for he is the fell
low who purchased the second hand
Winchester shotgun. With this gun
that no one else in the world can Shoot
Troeh has won upwards of $4,000
and up to January LIST, 1920, Troeh
has fired $4,000 shots with the gun.
Archie PARROT. the clerk in ques-
ton, when he interested Troeh in
the purchase of the gun, didn't for
moment think that Troeh or the gun
would become so famous. When
Troeh asked for a good duck gun,
Parrot picked up the old shotgun
which some one had palmed off O.,
him and said:
Frank, l have a gun that ought
to last you the remainder of this
season and if you like it you can have
it for $40. You are not investing
much money and next year you can
buy a new gun and trade this one in.
''Troeh took the gun. He has it yet.
There isn't money enough in the
world to get it away from him" :.
But the peculiar part of the thing
is that no one else can shoot this gun.
1t has an eight pound trigger pull.
The average gun has a trigger pull
of 3 "a pounds. Shooters who try
to use Troeh's gun are turned COM
pletely around when they shoot at
targets. They can sight the target
just as we'll with Troehs gun but
by the time they get the trigger in
action they are shooting in an entire
ly different direction. This heavy
pull doesn't bother Troeh. His rec
ord is the best proof of that. He
doesn't know why the pull should be
eight pounds on his gun and less
than four pounds on other guns.
!, hn
it He knows what hes can do with
his gun and when the gun falls to
pieces he will have another made
that will have the same trigger pull.
This weight pull suits him perfectly.
Troeh's fowling piece is the wonder
of all shooting irons. 1t gets rs much
attention at the shoots as Troeh him
self does. Troeh gives the barrel OF
the gun a dose of black wagon pant
once a year and it always looks as Il
little more paint wouldn't hurt it;
it is handled carelesslS; he will allow
any one O handle it or shoot it-as
long as he sees them shoot and there
is no tinkering with the trigger, which
is something that very few shooters
will do. Most shooters do not think
any more of their guns than they do
their lives.
Troeh ever since he wOrmed his
way into the trapshooting game has
appeared in a red sweater and al
ways wears a linen collar. No mat
ter how warm he day Troeh wears
the sweater and the collar and usual
ly he is the coolest person on the
grounds. remembers distinctly
when he shot in the Liberty Bond
event in Wilmington, Del, in 1918.
1t was 104 in the shade. And there
wasn't much shade. Most every one
stripped themselves of all unneces-
sary clothing, or what they thought
was unnecessary. Troeh, however,
finished with the red sweater and
there wasn't wrinkle in his collar
when he finished-a winner. We
have heard much and read much Of
the athlete who was "as cool as the
proverbial iceberg" That's Troeh all
lover No one ever saw him frustrated.
He always wears about the same
amount of clothes. so that the gun fits
him the same way all the time, and he
goes about his business Of winning
trapshooting championships just as
any one else would 60 about collect
ling their salary.
Troeh comes from family Of shoot
ers. He was raised at Waterfowl.
lowe, and about ten years ago moved
to Vancouver, Wash. He is now 81.
His father was an excellent field shot
and his three brothers are all good
|trapshooters. One of the brothers,
John B. was second to Frank in the
Washington State Championship con-