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Show You Got to Get All Your Ducks in a Row & Kaysville resident Bill Hint likes to shoot chickens, pigs, and turkeys. He even shoots at rams. He doesnt kill them though, he just knocks them down. In fact, he usually knocks over all 40 of the. targets he shoots at. Flint, an international class silhouette shooter, said that, somebody who can shoot 4040 has all their ducks in a row. And Flint usually has all of his ducks in a row. With the help of a spotter, usually his wife Jane, Flint wins most of the competitions he enters in this fast growing shooting sport. Silhouette shooting is not like regular, or bulls eye, shooting. Instead of a paper target that is pierced by the bullet these targets are plate of the four anisteel mal shapes that get knocked over by the impact of the bul' let. cut-ou- ts The first target Flint aims at is a chicken placed SO me-- 1 ters away. I havent missed a chicken in a long time, says Flint. Even at 100 meters he doesnt miss any pigs or as is their Spanish name. The most difficult target to drop, however, is the turkey 50 meters away. Ive heard the bullet hit and watched it spin ninety degrees and never fall over,' Mrs. Flint said. Flint agrees, Its a stupid target. It has a silly shape ' with a head and tail that stick out from nowhere. Also, the center of gravity is in front of the leg tending to help it spin instead of falling over. The last shape in the series is the ram placed 200 meters, 210 yards, away. Pressure, said Flint, is having to hit IS rams in a row." In major competitions the shooters try for 15 of each target instead of the usual 10 of each target. In a 60 round 1 shoot the last five are hard. And when Flint does miss a target it is usually one of those last two or three stand- Then the elbow is planted firmly on the ground. This gives a solid three point stance needed to hold the tight balance for aiming. ing rams. Both of the Flints agreed that having a spotter helps pick up targets. People who get good scores often have good spotters, said Mrs. Flint. Sharing their interest in shooting, they' often go to competitions where they, shoot and spot for each, other and bring home the awards for their classes. .After careful aiming through the iron sights, as 'no scopes are allowed, the trigger is gently squeezed. When the boom and recoil are softened a distinct clink of metal impacting metal can be heard. Any pistol can be used for silhouette shooting but, one of the most widely used is the ThompsonCenter, Flint. The The obvious most characteristic in silhouette shooting is in the posture the TC, as it is unquestionably said known, is the most widely used pistol for silhouette shooting. It is a single shot pistol with interchangeable barrels, from .22 to any of the larger, big bore sizes. It is also one of the least expen- shooters take. The preferred posture is to lay supine with the knees together, heels pulled back. The left hand supports the head while the right hand holds the gun. The pistol is then pushed into the right calf while the wrist is tightened against the thigh. sive precision weapons, starting near $250. One advantage of the TC is that it can be adapted to shoot in either the big bore or the .22 class. Other than the sizes of the shells used, the differences between classes is in the smaller animal shapes used and the closer range for the .22 class. The chicken for instance is only 25 yards out with the ram 100 yards away. In the big bore class the caliber of the shells range from a minimum .357 magnum up to a .270, which is a size many use for deer hunting. . Even though these guns have the capability of killing the only use they get is knocking over targets. It does take that large of a bullet because the ram target weighs nearly 50 pounds and is far away. There are several categories of pistols in the big bore class. There is the revolver category where high scores are harder to get because of the slight differences in the individual chambers. Then there is the production category using off the shelf guns. But perhaps the most interesting category is the unlimited category. In this category guns can be modified in any way that fall within the parameters set forth by the ruling and gov erning body, the International Handgun Metallic Silhouette Association or IHMSA. Those parameters only define the maximum barrel length, 15 inches, and a maximum weight of 4 'h pounds. Any other changes can be made by the shooter. The changes can be great. There are carved grips and forends (the piece of wood under the barrel) in every imaginable wood and material. They have modified chambers to hold shells that shoot small bullets while burning a very large charge of powder. And they can come with the finest in adjustable sights. There are more perfect scores with unlimited guns than in any other category said Flint. And guns are getting better. They (gun manufacturers) are listening to good shooters in the design and construction of the pis- tols. Theyve made a killing on us, Flint added. Most of the shooters are so excited about their sport they own several pistols. It gets under your skin, Mrs. Flint replies. The sport has changed a great deal since it started in Mexico about 1914. Then, as the story goes, Pancho Villas men used tethered live animals in a rifle shooting contest. The sport spread northward and in 1948 the first metallic silhouettes were used in Mexico City. The first handgun match was held on September 1975 in Tucson, Arizona. And all it took to win first place was a score of 25 out of 40. Now, with the new guns and better shooters, scores of 80 out of 80 are not uncommon. 20-2- 1, Photos And Story By Robert Regan v Q W |