split the ball

[Michigan Flinter]

We had our monthly shoot today at Looking Glass River Long Rifles near Eagle Mi. it was a woodswalk and one of the stations is split the ball . Well one of the members(Stickie) shoots a .25 cal flinter and he cut that .gleana pill into and broke both clay birds . We have about twentyfive members and  get around twenty shooters, each month to shoot. Great club to belong to.

[Candle Snuffer]

That's darn good, .25 caliber! Haven't shot ax & clay for years but I remember (at least it seemed like) when ever that contest came up, many shooters headed to get their .54's and up. It was good fun, and I'm sure it still is to this day. Kind of like to do it again.

[oldtravler61]

That's excellent shooting. We do a egg shoot with fishing line. Cut the line drop the egg. It's fun.

[smylee grouch]

Got into a shoot off splitting the ball with a guy shooting a 32 that I sold to him, after three hits each, he beat me, I was shooting a 58 and him the 32.   

[Daryl]

Splitting the ball off a real double bit axe sunk into a chunk is what we used to do at Chilliwack Buffalo shoot. It was called the "Buffalo Shoot" as the prizes were various cuts of buffalo meat.

When I was dating my current wife (just celebrated our 40th anniversary) I won 40 pounds of meat at one of them. 10# for a first, 6# second IIRC and 2 or 3# for a third. I was shooting a Bauska Barrel, a .50 with 38" twist .008" rifling and 80gr. 2F with .022" 'brushed denim patch and a .495" pure lead ball. WOW - all coming back to me.  I used the same 80gr. charge with 350 to 450gr. slugs for bench shooting and turkey shoots at the Burnaby range.
Taylor was shooting his .62 Hawken, a lovely rifle, with 10 lines to the inch fiddle-back Eastern Maple.  The hole the screw-head (welded to the axe head-not a Double Bit axe) got loose in the chunk and they had Taylor bore them a new hole with his rifle for the 5/8" bolt! I think he was using about 180gr. 2F then. Good shooting load. He also won the 250yard buffalo match on a steel gong target. 42 years ago. Don't ask me what I had for lunch yesterday, though.

Splitting a ball to break 2 clay birds, is easier than splitting cards as any part of the ball will split off and can break the other bird, however, if not almost perfectly centered on the card, the ball's edge will bend the card and only cut a snip, or part way through. Only completely cut cards count.

[Squirrel pizza]

Splitting a ball with a double bit axe and breaking 2 clays is child's play. Drive a Phillips head screw driver backwards into a log, shoot with a .22 and break 4 clays. That's sporting clays!

[Squirrel pizza]

Still mastering hex bit. I'll keep ya'll posted.

[Tim Crosby]

 Thirty some years ago up at the Daniel Morgan Apple Blossom Rifle Frolic, I saw a guy shoot at a Ham on a string, object to cut the string, the Ham falls you win the Ham. A guy stepped up to shoot, fizzbang, you could see the Ham shake all of a sudden it fell to the ground, he was shooting a .25. If I remember right it was a 60 yard shot.
 Used to be a really fun shoot, always looked forward to it coming out of Winter.

  Tim C.   

[Daryl]

That's shooting with any rifle, Tim - even a scoped one.

[Squirrel pizza]

We had much the same "prize shoots" with the Southern Shooting Heritage Association at a gun club outside Conyers Ga. 2 problems. The first was the use of braided twine which didn't seem to want to part unless you hit it with a 40mm Bofers gun. The second problem was that some of the, for kindness sake, I will call uninitiated, didn't grasp the concept of "cut the string" and shot the prizes to pieces. I won't name names, but you know who you are. But still great fun and many laughs.

[Squirrel pizza]

It's amazing how useless a cast iron tray for casting lead ingots, or a powder measure is when repeatedly shot with a .50 cal.

[oldtravler61]

We had a ham shoot on a string. Cut string win ham. But some rascal (me) Weaved piano wire down the string. Was a humbling experience for the crack shots. They just couldn't figure out why that string wouldn't break. They could see the hit but it would just move. All had a good laugh when they found out.

[Squirrel pizza]

That's half the fun. We set up a woods walk once. Plenty of folks so had a morning and afternoon walk. But we went out at lunch and took down all the targets before the afternoon group went out. Much confusion. People shooting at shadows. Dark leaves. Etc. Of course being the range officer helped in our little game. I learned many colorful words that day. Or at least the way they were strung together. Poetic.

[Hungry Horse]

 Every New Year's Day I have a shoot, for those that dodged the hangover, and/or hate football. It's called the Shootwhatchabrung match. The grand fanale is always either a rope cut, or a stake shoot. One year I couldn't find an old piece of rope to hang the prize from, and stopped by the feed store, and bought a piece of rope they use for hackamores. That is the toughest stuff in the world to cut off with a reasonable number of bullets. I was instructed never to use it again.

 Hungry Horse

[Mike Brooks]

"Back in the day" I used to be able to split the ball with a .32 flintlock holding the gun upside down on top of my head, several other of my buds could easily do the same. Good mojo is the key. I suspect my mojo isn't quite what it used to be.....

[Squirrel pizza]

Mike, I've seen some of your work so I know your a talented individual. And normally I take things with a grain if salt. But I'm gonna go ahead and call B.S. On your last post. Of course I may be wrong or premature in bushing the B.S. button, but I'd pay to be proven wrong. But I like your style! By god son you got style!

[Squirrel pizza]

Mr. Brooks. Let me ask you. How many shots did you take upside down, over your head, yada yada, before you cut that string? 1. 2. 3000? I know about the blind pig and the acorn.

[Squirrel pizza]

Mr. Hungry Horse I would love to be a part of your shoot. But with my luck you hold it in Northern Jabip. Just where is your shindig and can folks like me attend?

[Squirrel pizza]

Unless of course Georgia is playing in the Sugar Bowl.

[Dewey]

Go DAWGS !!!   

[Mike Brooks]

Mr. Brooks. Let me ask you. How many shots did you take upside down, over your head, yada yada, before you cut that string? 1. 2. 3000? I know about the blind pig and the acorn.

Wasn't cutting strings. Was splitting the ball on the axe. We generally used the upside down shot to break ties because if we shot it right side up we'd be there all day. Had some extraordinary shots in our club back in the day.
If the ax was vertical it it wasn't a bad shot. If the axe was horizontal it was much harder.

[Old Ford2]

If the ax was vertical it it wasn't a bad shot. If the axe was horizontal it was much harder.
[/quote]

Easy shot!
Just hold the rifle sideways ( horizontal )
Fred

[Squirrel pizza]

Still, a fine feat of marksmanship! I'd miss the ax and set my hair of fire. Or I'd hit the ax, it would ricochet and go through the windshield of my truck and then set my hair on fire.

[EC121]

Over in Columbus Georgia they have a turkey shoot with all the above.  Ball split-string cut and feather cut.  Plus they have clay pigeons at about 80yds. with a motor that rotates them over a log and back down.  You have to sight on the log and shoot when the turkey(clay pigeon) pops his head up.  It is slow enough to get a good sight picture but since it is moving, you can't wait.  Before you get the timing down, you almost most jerk the trigger guard off the stock trying to get the shot off.  Lots of fun.

[Squirrel pizza]

Was in a hunting club south of Columbus. Cuthbert Ga. A couple of miles from the river. Deer thick as fleas. I sure miss it!