Post a unique rifle match attended

How about posting any unique matches or exhibitions you might have attended. I have two: Dick the well digger by trade had a license for dynamite. When the range was open for shooters, (not competition) and public spectators present, Dick secretly placed a 1/2" slice of dynamite on a paper target. He was a good shot and when the public was watching how a ML worked he detonated the dynamite with his rifle. The crowd all wowed his rifle as something else.
Second was a shoot where everyone got a 5 gallon plastic bucket. You placed the bucket out to 35 or 50 yrds (can't remember) . Everyone got one shot to get their bullet in the bucket.
Flintlocklar :grin:

I did that ball in the bucket shoot once. If the bucket fell over and the ball rolled out you failed! Great fun.
We did a demonstration shoot at the Sthur Museum once and balloons were stuck to the back stop at about 20 yards. They were pinned so the wind would make them wiggle and we had to shot over the shoulder backwards using a mirror. Miss and you're out, hit and you got in the next round. Took a lot of shots to finish that game.

I dont understand the bucket shoot.

more info please

thanks

fleener

At the one we did a 5 gallon bucket was placed down range at a random distance. Shooter order was drawn and everyone watched as he loaded and made his shot. The goal was to pierce one side of the bucket leaving the ball in the bucket. Simple right! If the ball went threw, bounced out the top or bounced off with out going in you might try again in turn till some one did it. Watching didn’t really help that much as caliber, barrel length and every thing changed the results but we all had fun trying to hide our “skillfull” attempts and catcalling the shooter. In the end it was done.

sounds like you could use quite a few buckets.
did any go all the way through?

Fleener

more info please

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It is a hoot, anyway you can get a bullet in the plastic bucket will get you a score. A light charge is needed to go through only one side, but it may also drop to the ground in front as not enough trajectory. May have to aim above bucket. It varies with each different rifle. Too much powder and you go right through.
Flintlocklar :wink:

At a shoot of my local ML club many years ago we shot an unusual target. Each shooter was given a numbered 6"x 6" section of board with a 1" hole drilled in the center and a wooden match glued across the hole on the back side. The game was to shoot through the hole and break the match without touching the sides of the hole, 25 yards, offhand. A fun shoot.

At another time they came up with the toughest target I ever shot. It was a board with two holes drilled in it at about 45 degrees and 1/4" dowel rods stuck in them to make a V. Two shots, offhand, must break both dowels to score. It meant you had to at least clip the edge of a 1/4" square target, Twice in a row.

Spence

What did you win? That sounds about as hard as anything!

Shooting MLs is somewhat unique in itself.

Some things we did probably many others have done but some may not have.

Shooting at a double bladed axe driven into a log as to split the RB. Paper would be stapled on each side to show it was done successful. It was done up close because it is hard enough to do.

We did a relay with two people and had a 2x2 hanging from a string. Object was to shoot the 2x2 into two pieces so the faster the two of you can shoot and reload, the more chance you have to win. This is a fun one because someone always forgets the powder in their haste.

Also shooting and breaking the string attached to the 2x2.

Putting your hat on a post with a target just below it for best shot. (without hiting your hat of coarse)

Shooting at a playing card sideways cutting the card in two.

These were just a few that I remember.

At a small ronny my club put on years ago the landowner let us use a spot where he dumped dead cattle. Fortunately, no stinkys at the time. But many bones were scattered around. I built a frame, got some string and hung bones as targets. Vertebrae, being small were difficult. But most challenging were the ribs. Being flat and curved the swayed and twisted in the breeze. Very difficult to hit. I heard some new words from some of the competitors that day. :grin:

Spectators and shooters love to bust things. At our club we shoot potatoes and carrots at 35 yards, clay birds at 50, and for the super accurate shooters we shoot at necco wafers at 25 yards. You would be surprised at how much fun it is, and new shooters are recruited at almost every shoot we have had.

Said on another thread, splitting the ball on an axe was one that got me going.
Oh yeah, the cutting playing cards on edge. That's back when I used .440 round ball instead of .595!

Mooman76 said:

Shooting at a double bladed axe driven into a log as to split the RB. Paper would be stapled on each side to show it was done successful.

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My club put clay pigeons on each side, you had to bust them both to score.

Spence

azmntman said:

What did you win? That sounds about as hard as anything!

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I never won much, some of our shooters were very tough. One of them was the Kentucky state offhand muzzleloader champion for several years.

I failed to score on the match behind the hole, broke the match but clipped a tiny chip from inside the hole. I did score on the V-rods, broke them both.

A fun variation on the 'match behind the hole' target was a pretty regular one in our matches. A steel plate was fixed upright so it couldn't be knocked over. A 1" hole was drilled near the top. On the back side a small shelf was welded just below the hole. A cupcake paper full of flour was put on the shelf. You had one shot, 25 yards offhand. If any part of your ball went through the hole it made an impressive cloud of flour.

Spence

Here we go ,this was favorite shoot of the year.The first of November we had a turkey shoot and we used live birds.Their was a local turkey farm and we would get a trailer load of turkey at 75 yds we had a stack of railroad ties the turkey head would be just above the ties,everybody took turns one at a time.Once you got your bird we had a big cast iron kettle to boil and pluck your birds.If I recall this was probably around 1975 or so we always had a huge crowd and a good time by all.I was told that some non member of the club had a fit about it and they went to frozen birds.

Our had a group had a turkey shoot also which I never got to participate in but being live turkeys are not always practical, they had a frozen turkey hanging from a string.

A live turkey hanging from a string would be more challenging :rotf:

:slap:

One more: A yucky shootin match, but only if you are a poor shot. :rotf: Chip in your dollar and shoot at a raw egg placed on the 25 yard line. Hit the egg and get a prize. Miss the egg and you have two choices........ eat the "raw" egg or put in another dollar. Today with the Salmonella outbreaks it would not be too advisable.
Flintlocklar :grin:

I won a turkey shoot once and got a live white turkey hen as the prize. It was in a croker sack with its head stuck out through a hole. I was visiting the area and had to sneak it into the motel that night and put it in the tub so I could clean up the mess easily when I left.

Most have already been mentioned,, cutting strings and cards.
Shooting at fruit or vegetables, try Oranges, they explode.
Turtle shoot. It was a 2x4 supported about 4',, horizontal,, lay a clay pigeon flat on the 2x4, shoot the clay pigeon off the 2x4 without hitting the board.
Candle shoot; actually extinguishing the flame off a candle at 20-25yrds, dusk or full dark of course. You can use wood lanterns with the glass removed or a 1/2gal milk/juice jug with two sides cut out and some gravel in the bottom,, if you hit the candle your out.
Take a standard bullseye target and fold it twice with the marking on the inside, staple the target like a diamond, three shots, high score after unfolding the target. Winners need to hit the very corner of the target to punch holes in the bull or 9 ring,, kinda the opposite of an Alvin York shoot.
Couples shoot, or partner shoot. Shooter 1 holds the rifle and works the trigger, but shooter 2 has to look over his shoulder and sight the target.