The "Flyersarebest" Pin

A little history on the origin of the Flyer pin-back resembling the avatar used by Flyersarebest.

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Enjoy Our History !

 

HistoryBuff,
Thanks for sharing this info. Two of my friends have more than one 25 straight to their credit. I'm sure it is no coincidence that both men were also fantastic ATA registered shooters, reaching ATA All American status. Is there a list of shooters that were awarded the 25 straight pins?

 

Don,

I've never come across any reports showing who achieved these pins. As you may know, Trap & Field (as well as Sportsmen's Review) reported on live bird championships held in different parts of the country.

Most states passed legislation prohibiting live-bird shooting many, many decades (a century) ago. Rhode Island passed laws against shooting live birds for amusement in 1880; New York banned the sport right around 1902 and New Jersey followed in 1904. I learned through my research that New Jersey continued to hold live-bird State Championships but shooters traveled over to Pennsylvania who hosted these shoots.

If I ever come across articles regarding a pin presentation or list of names, I'll be sure to post it. I do have a listing of about the first 1000 ATA Life Members though, as well as a story about the person who held No. 1.

Enjoy Our History !

 

HistoryBuff
I have two paper back books that you may be interested in. The Official Rules of The Pennsylvania Flyers Association and Hegins Labor Day Shoot 50th Anniversary 1934-1984. The Hegins book is 191 pages of results from 1934 to 1984 plus other articles. I will send them to you if you are interested and hopefully they will be of use to you in your research. Let me know.

Jeff Bailey

 

HB,
Thank you for posting that bit of history. I was fortunate enough to win some silverware my first year at VANDALIA, the home of the GRAND AMERICAN, and will always be proud of that but to kill the only straight that day and win that pin will always be the "best"

BTW, according to one of the HEAD LOUDMOUTHS on that old worn out site you can buy these pins on EBay.

Of course this nit wit was just showing how stupid he and all the morons that "thanked" him really are over there.

 

I should have added that the pressure of that shoot off in front of the grandstands at VANDALIA wasn't even close to the pressure walking up to the 35 yard stake in that last ring.

 

Flyersarebest, my 25 pin is the one I'm proudest of. As great a shooter as Leo was he never killed a 25 straight. One time he called me and said Brad I finally got my 25 at pigeons. I told him congratulations, he told me the only thing was is it was in a 50 bird race. Brad

 

I've got to 23 and even 24, twice, but never enough to earn the pin. Now, I'm just happy to know a couple of fellas that did get their pin!

 

Shot in an event once... won the crying towel money. Do have one of the pins in the collection... Not sure who earned the honor.

Trap3

 

Flyersarebest, what type of shotgun did you use back then, and would you happen to have any pictures to share that you may have from those great days ??

 

I started at the small local shoot just outside Uniontown PA around 1978 when birds were $3.00 and used a few different guns since then. Shot my 3200 Trap for a while, then a Citori Sporting with 28" barrels for a few years. That one got me my first $1,000.00 payday at a small shoot with the only 23 that day. Had to kill the last 13 for high. Still use the engraved money clip that the ten bills were in. Birds were $6.00 then.

After I quit shooting "registered" targets I bought a used type 3, 30" MX8, (32/45 on the constriction) around the mid 90's and still have that today. That one got me the 25 straight pin and a little over 3K at Valley View. When you had to stop one driving out the back that top barrel and a Fed P154 usually did it.

When the pigeons went to $10.00 each and the shoots died in PA I sent it to Briley and had them fit it with Gen 1 series thin walls. I shoot that for everything now a days. Works pretty well on the SC courses and for Annies. We held a couple of small 15 bird races at my buddys farm and the Full and FULLER choke tubes work almost as well as the factory barrels. No graph to prove this!

Sorry but I don't have any pictures. As you can imagine having a camera was frowned upon at most of the shoots. I did try to buy a video tape from one of the protesters at Hegins one year. A public park so they couldn't stop people from taking pictures. I think I posted the story here before about how I really hammered one in the last ring coming out of box 5. Both barrels about a quarter second apart, and when I turned around this girl was filming me. I offered her $50.00 for the tape but she wouldn't sell it.

Thanks for asking, it's nice to remember the fun days AND the characters that went to the shoots. That is a WHOLE OTHER story in itself.

 

I forgot about the issues that could come up with cameras/protestors. But those were some great old days, even though it really wasn't that many years ago. I still miss the times back in 1973/74 when I still couldn't afford to buy a trap/hunting gun yet, and used to visit the old gun club that his no longer there, and watching some of the local farmers who were very active trap shooters. 4 of them shot Model 12's, and one shot a Rem. 1100 trap with beautiful wood. I used to stand and admire all 5 guns when they sat in rack between rounds.
Funny the stuff we remember , huh ? Back then hardly anyone reloaded their shells, and these guys always bought factory fresh cases of AA trap loads, back when there was 20 boxes in a case too !!! They wore John Deere hats, Dekalb hats, and bib coveralls, and had an absolute hoot !!!!!!
Thanks for sharing Fyersarebest. I think its really cool you still have the MX8 you bought back in the '90's too. All the best my friend !!!