Once popular shooting sports?

[CountryGent]

What shooting sports do you think of that used to be very popular, but, for whatever reason, have slowly faded away? Why do you think it happened? Any attempts to revitalize them? Any fond memories to share? Thanks!

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[Andy54Hawken]

The pastime of "Shooting at a Mark"...
It was done as a informal shooting contest...a target was agreed upon ...such as a mark or blaze on a tree , a odd colored leaf or rock etc...
One shot to hit or miss....
I still do this when safe to do so...never at a mark on a tree...but many times at a odd colored rock , spent shell casing , that little bit of left over clay bird..etc...

Also "blanket shoots"...
So everyone who wants to play , places a prize on a trade blanket....
And everyone who shoots gets to pick from the prizes, in order of placement...so 1st place shooter picks first, 2nd place shooter picks second...etc...
At rendezvous , many "blanket shoots " still take place....

Candle shoots...
At dusk light a candle....
The object being to "snuff" the flame with your shot , but miss the candle...
Again a rendezvous favorite...
Andy

 

[Ura-Ki]

We used to have .22 matches in my A.O. most were between team members but some times against another team! My personal fav was "Running game" where your shooting off hand at running and some times bouncing targets! The targets were at 10 to 75 yards, small steel game animals pulled along on basically a roller skate and string! The prizes were usually a root beer float, or a hot dog dinner at the local A&W I'm lucky I didn' get fat!
My Brother and my Cousins and I would sit out by one of the beaver dams and we would shoot Dragon flies buzzing around, and some times the many garden spiders in the middle of their webs! We always had a ton of fun, usually betting a .22 shell on a particularly difficult shot, if you made the shot, every one had to "Pay up" and pass over a .22! We even had a pot going, every one put a small in the pot, and every miss cost you A shell, when the time came for the best shot of the day, if you made it, you colleced, if you missed you had to pay an entire box of .22, then the next shooter got his turn! Those were really fun days!

 

[bbbass]

Dueling... ah, those were the days. Winner take all!!!

Follow The Leader at the Trap/Skeet club. Everybody put in a box of shotshells or sometimes it would be $5. All the shooters would gather up, and the first shooter would make whatever trick shot he could think of: wrong hand, behind the head, over the shoulder, between the knees bent over. Only imagination and safety were the boundaries. Miss, and you were eliminated. Last man standing took the pot.

 

[Ura-Ki]

Oh yea! Shot gunner challenges! Those were always super fun! I think i had more fun hand throwing trick shots then shooting them! I used to be able to toss a jumper that no one could hit, it would just skim across the lane and then jump up 50, 60 feet, then run out of steam and fall back down!

 

[cigars]

Full contact skeet golf. (It's a dream...)

 

[po18guy]

Parlor shooting, common around the turn of the century. Calibers got bigger, wars intervened, cities grew into the country and it just faded away.

 

[nammac]

Parlor shooting, common around the turn of the century. Calibers got bigger, wars intervened, cities grew into the country and it just faded away.

And noise suppression devices became heavily regulated by the ATFE

 

[Geardo]

We used to have .22 matches in my A.O. most were between team members but some times against another team! My personal fav was "Running game" where your shooting off hand at running and some times bouncing targets! The targets were at 10 to 75 yards, small steel game animals pulled along on basically a roller skate and string! The prizes were usually a root beer float, or a hot dog dinner at the local A&W I'm lucky I didn' get fat!
My Brother and my Cousins and I would sit out by one of the beaver dams and we would shoot Dragon flies buzzing around, and some times the many garden spiders in the middle of their webs! We always had a ton of fun, usually betting a .22 shell on a particularly difficult shot, if you made the shot, every one had to "Pay up" and pass over a .22! We even had a pot going, every one put a small in the pot, and every miss cost you A shell, when the time came for the best shot of the day, if you made it, you colleced, if you missed you had to pay an entire box of .22, then the next shooter got his turn! Those were really fun days!

I have shot at so many dragonflies on a slow day of dove hunting. I think they are magical. Shot seems to go right around them!

 

[41mag]

Circa 1978 IHMSA range match caught my interest.

Prior to that, I had absolutely no idea that handguns, from a standing position, was capable of hitting much on purpose, at 200 yards.

So the steel chickens/pigs/turkeys/rams at 50/100/150/200 yards became quite a challenge for several years.

I used 44 mag Super Blackhawk (borrowed at first), moved to a clutch of Redhawk/Smith 29 models, eventually built a custom XP100 in full length 308. At the peak of my career, and with careful load development, I could put 5 shots at 100 yards into a thumbnail sized group, standing, with iron sights. And my 22LR T/C barrel got plenty of action as well.

It was a growing sport with international clubs and wide spread regional championships.

You don't see much IHMSA match action these days.

 

[Ura-Ki]

Bowling pin pistol was always a fun game! We saw some T.V. show about it, and just had to try it! Takes a big bullet to knock a pin over or off the table! My grand dad hit one once with his .45 Colt, it exploded! Never really got good at it, but non of us had any thing bigger then a .22 until i got a 1911 .45, then it was fun, but costs made it a quick sport, then back to the .22s!

Side note, it was at the local gun club I saw a custom 1911 chamberd in .45 Colt, must have been a hand made pistol from the ground up, but man, that sucker was the coolest thng ever to a 14 year old! Don't know any thing about it though, sure wish I did!

 

[RVTECH]

I have a great idea for a shooting 'game' and all my friends are in! Ok - so its a clay match with a particular gun category at X amount of yards - for example lever action, open irons at 100 yards, open iron revolver at 25 yards, and maybe .22 pistol and rifle at 50. The game will be a buy in at a dollar a clay at say 25 clays. All participants take 25 shots at the clays with high score taking all. OK maybe .50 a clay and reduced numbers but you get the idea. The trick would be to get a range to accept this and allow it.

 

[41mag]

great, sign me up....

 

[TeacherSmurf]

It is probably not a wide spread thing and I never played, but a former co-worker of mine would scatter colored Easter Eggs on a hillside. She then sent the kids on an Easter Egg hunt with their rifles, one shot at a time. The kid that hit the most eggs, won a special Easter basket.

 

[Ura-Ki]

It is probably not a wide spread thing and I never played, but a former co-worker of mine would scatter colored Easter Eggs on a hillside. She then sent the kids on an Easter Egg hunt with their rifles, one shot at a time. The kid that hit the most eggs, won a special Easter basket.

Now THAT would be fun!
It COULD also be a good adult shooting game too!

 

[Legs]

It is sad how the Olympics shooting sports have been swept under the proverbial MM rug. Both Summer and Winter Olympic programs have firearms competitions, but we never hear about them, unless it's gold for us.

ISSF - International Shooting Sport Federation - issf-sports.org

 

[DirectDrive]

Bullet Dance

 

[MountainBear]

If you fancy a test of skill, take the IronsMan Challenge.

Ironsman Qualifier

The challenge is (with centerfire rifle, no optics, obviously) from a low ready, with a loaded rifle, assume a firing position and make a hit on a 6" round target at 100 yards within 5 seconds flat.
I've seen a lot of good shooters who've been called out cold and couldn't make the shot. I've only seen a few guys who could get to prone and get the shot off in time.
There are also challenges for pistol, rimfire, shotgun, and even air rifle.

Give it a go. Easiest to do with a 6" steel plate.

Disclaimer: the guy who came up with this is a friend of mine.

@tdb59

 

[Ura-Ki]

If you fancy a test of skill, take the IronsMan Challenge.

Ironsman Qualifier

The challenge is (with centerfire rifle, no optics, obviously) from a low ready, with a loaded rifle, assume a firing position and make a hit on a 6" round target at 100 yards within 5 seconds flat.
I've seen a lot of good shooters who've been called out cold and couldn't make the shot. I've only seen a few guys who could get to prone and get the shot off in time.
There are also challenges for pistol, rimfire, shotgun, and even air rifle.

Give it a go. Easiest to do with a 6" steel plate.

Disclaimer: the guy who came up with this is a friend of mine.

@tdb59

Sounds an aweful lot like a training for 'Muricans about to deploy to France circa 1918 for "The Great War"
So in honor of those greatest of men, I say we break out some 1903 Springfield Rifles and 1911s and see how we stack up! It's these types of challenges I get excited about! Something about using "Old" shootin irons really put a a smile on my face!

 

[MountainBear]

Sounds an aweful lot like a training for 'Muricans about to deploy to France circa 1918 for "The Great War"
So in honor of those greatest of men, I say we break out some 1903 Springfield Rifles and 1911s and see how we stack up! It's these types of challenges I get excited about! Something about using "Old" shootin irons really put a a smile on my face!

I'm sure I can find the vintage Springfield rifles and ammo if you can find the vintage 1911's...