Pleasures old and new

[Kevin]

I finally had time to rejoin a winter trap/skeet league. Shot a 94% at skeet (low gun) and an 84% at trap - first time I've shot trap in 7 years. When I stopped before, I was shooting about 96% regularly so I have some work to do.

The really fun part was what I was doing this with. My skeet gun is a a Model 12, 26 in. barrel with an improved cylinder choke. It is from about 1943. I'm the second owner of the gun and with care, it will see another two generations easily. My trap gun is a Browning XT from about 1982. I'm the third enjoyer of this gun and it will grind another hundred thousand targets before needing any major work.

New guns are fun but rescuing a classic from bygone days is even funner. There are guys with $20K guns at the club but my plain jane guns are keeping up with them and have been rescued from someone's closet to grind rocks for me and whomever I pass the guns to when I die.

Nothing against the high dollar guns - fine machines all. I just like something with a bit of history when I shoot.

[Mac]

I have my grandfather's side-by-side but it needs a little work. The safety is sloppy and it has a barrel ding. I found a place down in Houston that will take out the ding and work on it, I just haven't had the time/money to get it done. It's a decent gun, LC Smith field grade 20ga. - a good solid shooter. I used to shoot skeet informally and really enjoyed it. I used a friend's over and under, which I also used to hunt doves. I rarely missed clays or birds and there is a lot of satisfaction in shooting a moving target.

Speaking of which, I got a head shot on a guy at 523 meters as he was running across my field of fire last night. Of course that was Battlefield 4, but still pretty fun. He spent the next 20 minutes trying to kill me back.