I was 46 years old when I joined the Buncomb County Wildlife Association, a trap and 5 stand club near Asheville. My landlord had taken me out to another club not long before where I tried trap shooting for the first time, using his Uncle's Browning under and over. I shot a 19 my first round and never shot anything less from that point on. I was lucky, many there told me I had what it takes to shoot competition and do well.
So I joined BCWA that was just a few miles from where I lived at the time. I bought myself a brand new Remington 1100 Competition, a gas gun. Well, many of the old farts there turned their noses up at my gas gun and many more openly gave me shiz about it. Well, if you know me you would expect I would not take said shiz for long.
One Sunday a particularly mouthy home builder from Asheville was ragging me pretty hard about my gas gun while showing off his $15K Perrazzi trap gun. So, in front of the clubhouse, lined up with a couple dozen "shooters", shooting more BS than clays, I challenged him. I challenged him to one round, his choice and I would spot him 2 clays. Winner takes the other's gun as the prize, looser shuts the hell up.
He did not step up. So I told him fine, you win, you get my gun, I win you give me a grand and shut the hell up anyway. Still he did not step up. Things were a lot different from that point on. Perhaps the fact that I had just shot 3 rounds with a score of 75 threw his 17-18 average in a dimmer light. The best part was all his cronies busting his chops non stop for weeks to come.
Heather found this article last night that sums it up rather well. It truley is an old boys club, only now I am an old boy and still shoot a gas gun.
