Wives and Guns... especially Trap

My wife and I both shoot trap. A couple years ago we used to compete on a regular basis. On our last busy year, we shot over 19,000 rounds in ATA competition. My ATA 16-yard singles average that last year was 97/100 for 3,500 targets. My doubles was not that great... I think around 89 or 90 per hundred. I was struggling with my handicap scores on the 24 yard line at 92. My wife's singles scores averaged 89/100. She's pretty good. In fact, she can beat me on some days.

Anyway, last weekend we went and shot with an old friend just for kicks for the first time in about a year. I was surprised that either one of us could even see the targets leave the house, much less hit any of them. Turns out we both did ok for such a long lay-off. I hit 96 out of 100 targets and the wife smoked 85/100. It was fun. Makes me want to go buy a new gun...

Bill, I was just over at your site. I was blown away at the quality of your work. That special edition dagger is just gorgeous. I also checked out your about page. Seems to me your a pretty interesting person.

Shooting with the wife is great fun. My wife and I like to go to the range when we get the chance. My wife has a hard time with skeet since she's not familiar with shooting shotguns (only shot two or three times). A pistol, however, is a different story! All I have to say is "I pity the fool" who messes with her!

Either way, it is great having an activity that both enjoy.

Nothing feels better than plinking targets!

My family were big-time into trap in the '70s. My mom didn't shoot so much (she was a tiny, dumpling-shaped thing about the height of the trap house!), but we all did.

Some of the RIVALRIES between husbands and wives were downright bloodthirsty and, in most cases, the wives were better than their husbands. Those were the families that lived in trailer parks, drove rusty pickups, and had gun safes (his and hers, of course) full of priceless treasure!

My husband I enjoyed that too. He was also big into loading his own ammo, especially for his 270 before hunting season opened. He was a better shot with a rifle, shotgun or handgun but I could beat him at archery with a compound.
Sue

There's a woman who is associated with management at one of the local ranges (wife of the owner I think, but I could be wrong) who smokes the vast majority of serious trap shooters I've seen out there. Never make the mistake of assuming a woman can't shoot as well as a man.

That being said, my wife has sadly never gotten into the shotgun sports. I've taken her to shoot skeet and trap a couple of times and it just isn't her thing. She knows enough though to protect herself with my gun if she's home alone.

Is that krieghoff yours Bill?

I love skeet/trap! Did you load your own rounds again???

stobes21 said:

There's a woman who is associated with management at one of the local ranges (wife of the owner I think, but I could be wrong) who smokes the vast majority of serious trap shooters I've seen out there. Never make the mistake of assuming a woman can't shoot as well as a man.

That being said, my wife has sadly never gotten into the shotgun sports. I've taken her to shoot skeet and trap a couple of times and it just isn't her thing. She knows enough though to protect herself with my gun if she's home alone.

Is that krieghoff yours Bill?

Click to expand...

That's too bad your wife couldn't get into it. My wife had never been the super athlete when she was growing up like her daughter was, so when she hit the very first target she shot at, she was hooked... . No, I don't have the K80, but it's the one I'd like to have in a single. I'm not sure what doubles gun I'd choose. I don't like fussing with Perazzi triggers, so I sold mine. Too much trouble. I also had a Beretta 682 Gold E combo, but sold that one as well. I didn't care much for the dynamics. I have a Remmington 90-T now that I love for singles. I had a tricked out BT-100 also, but that one was a bruiser. I do have to say, though, that all my 100's came from the BT.

CapeCodJay said:

I love skeet/trap! Did you load your own rounds again???

Click to expand...

Absolutely. 19,000 Winchester 12GA trap shells comes to $3,800. Loading them to my own specs was only $1,750. I have two loaders. I use one for loading 1 oz loads for the first shot in doubles, and I also have a hydraulic loader for the other shells I need. These days, lead has gotten so expensive that it is almost as cheap to buy new shells, though.

My wife grew up as a "daddy's girl," and as such, knows much more about firearms than I do. I was always relegated to "cooler toting duty" when I went hunting with my brothers, which resulted in me very quickly deciding that hunting was not for me. However, my wife can claim being in a deer stand...with a bow in hand...pregnant.

CapeCodJay said:

I love skeet/trap! Did you load your own rounds again???

Click to expand...

I used to shoot skeet and trap. Began shooting skeet when I was overseas in the mid 1960s. Loved it! When I returned to the States in 1970 I got into trap, too. But skeet is my first love. I used to shoot with a couple of pro shooters, one skeet and one trap. The guy I shot trap with on occasion used to shoot for Remington. I also reloaded my shotgun shells, 12ga and 20ga with, if I remember correctly, Mec 650 Jr reloaders. Loved shooting sports. For clarity, the professionals with whom I shot were far better and more consistent than I was. Skeet and doubles trap were my best armature events. I had over and under guns, but my best sores came from single barrel guns in 12ga and 20ga. My worst scores were with the good looking o/u guns. Sold the o/u guns and kept the single-barrel clay-saucer destroyers.

I raised my kids shooting .22lr rifles. If they had any interest in other firearms, I was happy to introduce them to other options, but they can all shoot and are familiar with firearms safety.

Every Thanksgiving we'd go out shooting "turkey targets" that the kids made. My wife & I shoot together on occasion. If it's a family pastime, it makes it part of your family culture.

My wife and daughter like going to the range, but it's more about the fun of shooting. They're not into Bullseye and frankly think that whole thing is stupid.