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Many years ago we used to shoot muzzle loading shotguns on the weekends using the number 7 trap on the Unmentionable range at Bankstown (NSW) airport. No 7 was seldom required for the host clubs use.
This particular afternoon a couple of shooters wandered down from the host’s end and “…wanted to look at these quaint old guns”.
Both were dressed in new shooting vests, cartridge belts and carrying new Browning u/o doubles.
They specificaly wanted to see how far the muzzle loaders would shoot.
The late John Kell was Range Officer and a very obliging bloke, so he asked Frank D’Astolli if he’d load up and give the gentlemen a demo, Frank duly loaded his double percussion and asked how far back he could shoot.
John said that he supposed that it was OK to fire from right in front of the fence which was the back limit of the firing area.
John cleared the area and Frank stood against the low fence, then he turned to John and asked if it would be alright if he stood on the fence.
Permission was given, so onto the fence, called “PULL” and Frank busted the double rise clays to two puffs of dust.
The two ‘newbies’, chastened, thanked us and left.
What they didn’t know was that Frank’s “quaint old gun“ was made, in Belgium, about the mid 1920s and was full choked in both barrels.
This particular afternoon a couple of shooters wandered down from the host’s end and “…wanted to look at these quaint old guns”.
Both were dressed in new shooting vests, cartridge belts and carrying new Browning u/o doubles.
They specificaly wanted to see how far the muzzle loaders would shoot.
The late John Kell was Range Officer and a very obliging bloke, so he asked Frank D’Astolli if he’d load up and give the gentlemen a demo, Frank duly loaded his double percussion and asked how far back he could shoot.
John said that he supposed that it was OK to fire from right in front of the fence which was the back limit of the firing area.
John cleared the area and Frank stood against the low fence, then he turned to John and asked if it would be alright if he stood on the fence.
Permission was given, so onto the fence, called “PULL” and Frank busted the double rise clays to two puffs of dust.
The two ‘newbies’, chastened, thanked us and left.
What they didn’t know was that Frank’s “quaint old gun“ was made, in Belgium, about the mid 1920s and was full choked in both barrels.
