I wanted to know all the ins & outs of the Sport, Targets, Shell performance and how to get the very best patterns. The best patterns were by the Winchester Model 12s in the early years, Along with the Remington 870 TC was my favorite, that 870 TC put 39 pellets of #8s in those card shoots, I could not believe the performance of that gun, won a lot of Turkeys and Hams with it. It was a flst shooter and did not suit me for Trapshooting. I spent endless Hours at my own Pattern Board, a distance of 35 yards, Why 35 yards, it was my average target breaking distances, Over the years companies came out w/ choke tubes, I frowned on them, kept to my fixed Full Choke Winchester Model 12s, And Perazzi TM-1 Special w/ .040 full choke. I had Model 12s w// very tight chokes with .690 choke and .724 bores=an avg. .035. The reason I went to a release was a flinch in the 1970s, and I built my own copy of a Herb Orre Release/Pull by using the Safety, safety off was a release, on/ it was a pull which I never Used, I built it in my fathers garage in about a week, machining , and silver soldering my hook to the trigger the trigger housing, I had to file fit that hook to the trigger so it could be silver soldered, and then fitted to the new Trigger Housing Opening. I broke a 50 straight with it the first time out, It made me concentrate more on the target. Why is that, a pull trigger is an in-voluntary actiion, and pointing your finger at the Target is a Voluntary Action, a natural. More to come later. GB.....................................DLS
That Ain't backwards, when you say look at that Deer you point at it, you don't pull your finger back, that is an in-voluntary action. GB......................................DLS
My 1st trapshoot was at New Albany Gun Club across the road from Frank Banish's Bar on US Route 62 in 1967, we shot for shooting supplies, shot, wads, & primers, I used my Friends Browning Broadway, My 1st trapgun I bought at Smith Bros. Hardware downtown Columbus Ohio on North Fourth st, it was A Remington 1100 Trap. I shot it for a year before joining the ATA in late 1968, I shot 100 registered targets at Lancaster Gun Club managed by Paul Butterbaugh, That 100 targets cost me the Rookie Of The Year in 1969. GB.........................................DLS
I shot 400 singles in 1968, that 100 was a 100 hdcp I broke 70 targets, that was the 100 that cost me Rookie of the year in 1969. My hdcp Avg in 1969 was .8994 on 1800 hdcp. targets. To my knowledge that average has never been duplicated by a new shooter his 1st year. Dr.longshot GB...........................................DLS
During my early career I watched all the top trapshooters that I could, I concentrated on their style, and I took the best of their styles and developed my own Style. I say that I am a Spot Shooter, I never Rode a target, Why, Because I did not want the wind to take control of the targets and move it up or down. Remember 7.5 shot moves the same amount as the Target in the wind., Most top shooters above the rest use 7.5s on Handicap Targets. I break all my targets on the rise, as soon as I get on it, and that is what a spot shooter does, I want all the control I can get in my favor. And that is why I am a Spot Shooter, that is just the style I developed for me and my Ability. I really like Handicap Shooting over singles, I have my share of 200 singles over the years, but the Money is in the Handicaps. In the 70s I won the Kentucky Colonel Championship at the Ohio Route 68 Gun Club, it was a follow the leader Kentucky style miss & Out, it was a really tough Miss & Out Shoot, and I was the Winner. I won over $300 on this. That same week I won the 10 from the porch at the Route 68 Gun Club using 1 1/8th oz #6s w/7625 powder, Don/'t remember the amount of powder but they were fast. I won over $125.00 on it. I used Winchester Handicap shells on ALL my Handicaps except the Grudge Match at the Cardinal. I used the Remington 1200 fps on the 1st shorter hdcp, and Winchester Super Handicaps on the 30 yard targets, I was told we had to use the 1200 fps shells on that event. It did not Happen. Later I was told we had our Choice of the shells, that was not true, I was not told that as I had purchased the Remington 1200fps shells, My good friends asked me why I did not use the Winchester Super Handicaps on the First event. Those Winchester Super Handicaps were the shells to use, They absolutely Smoked those Targets. More later on my experiments with shells and powders that i liked. GB.............................................DLS
Doc, You should write a book, go on tour and make it a best seller at Trap shoots all across the country ... You can do clinics and give away all of the secrets you have learned over the years and make it all part of the DLS Legacy Tour, then sell the books and Videos for their future reference ... That would give you a good reason to get out of the house and stay active ... Let me know when your going to be in Arizona ... Good Luck ... WPT ... (YAC) ...
A shotgun Powder I really liked, I broke a 99 in Handicap at the Ohio State Shoot was SOLO 1250 I think they quit making it and concentrated on SOLO 1000, SOLO 1250 was the best Handicap Powder I ever loaded, Some were consificated and checked by Neil Winston and Neil sent me a letter letting me know personally they were Very Legal, Those shells turned Targets into SOOTBALLS they felt like 2 3/4 dram loads @ 1200 fps, I bought all the SOLO 1250 I could find at that time, I won the Brittain Motors Chevrolet Handicap with that SOLO 1250 Loaded in Remington Nitro 27 shells. I was shooting a Silver Seitz at that time, same one I used in the Grudge Match. That Silver Seitz got damaged when I totalled my Chev HHR going to the Cardinal State Shoot, My son had to scratch a shoot to meet me at St.Annes Hospital in Westerville, Ritchie Phillips Repaired the Gun, I remember the Stock was Broken, Americase was damaged, I was not Hurt in the Wreck. But was Stoved up, sprained and pain only, spent a couple days in the Hospital getting checked out. More to come GB.......................................DLS
I Got all the Free Federal top gun Hulls from the Trap boys at the cardinal, loading them in my car, and me getting them out of the Dumpster at the Cardinal, The Rio Hulls were also free for the asking, And dumpster diving for Nitro 27s and New once fired AA super hdcps also from the Cardinal dumpster, My line loads for buddy shoots was 19 Grs Promo, Rio Primers,Blue Windjammer wads 1 1/8th oz Mag 7.5s, load once throw away, my line buddy back up shells were Rio Hulls, Windjammer wads 1 1/4 oz #6s 26 grs 800-X and medium distance shoot off targets 1st and 2nd shot, Long distance shootoff shells were Nitro-27 hulls & Win Super Hdcp Hulls, Windjammer wads, Rio Primer, 33 Grs Longshot, very seldom anything bigger no shells exceeded 10,000psi, I never exceeded 10,000psi, I have one secret shell for long shootoffs and gave some to Stormin-Norman in Ks, he knows what they will do, and to Motor-Doc In Cleveland on his request for them. Hulls were never a problem for me, Those Straight-Wall Hulls are low pressure, softer recoil hulls. Even got some Remington Cheap hulls, Along with some Estates, in1250fps 1 1/8th oz 7.5s @ Walmart I still got a couple a hundred. A few years ago Louie Morgan and I broke 98s at Las Vegas Handicap and split$4,000+ Dollars. More to come GB............................................DLS
Doc, You should change the name of the post to "The Life and Times of Gary Bryant ( DLS) " so it would draw a much bigger crowd once people realized it was going to be a tell all compiled with and combined with the Legacy of DLS ... Something of this nature could and might make you a Celebrity of sorts in the Clay Target world ... I could just see your Buddy "N W" turning over in his grave when you get this thing going and on a roll .... Let me know when you are going to be in Arizona .... Hall of Fame here you come ... WPT ... (YAC) ...
Since we are "The Dard Side" I must inform you all that there is a powerful disruption being felt on the planet ataBOY. When the droids of that planet heard that Gary, AKA DLS, AKA "Oh-Beat-BigDon", was writing his memoirs they immediately went into self destruct mode. It has not been confirmed but there was a report that some of them were seen throwing themselves under a moving green tractor.
Which are you saying is the involuntary action; the pointing at the deer or the curling the finger back?
WPT I will be writing a book, publishing it is going to be a job in it's self, properly GB........................................DLS