Clay Target Legends

Clay Target Legends Recalling the history of past and present champions and influencers of the clay target sports.

Repost from •Rhode Island’s Jack Horton stepped onto the s***t field at a very early age. Coming from a family of signi...
06/02/2026

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Rhode Island’s Jack Horton stepped onto the s***t field at a very early age. Coming from a family of significant financial means, the Horton family was able to fund Jacks shooting. Horton became a child prodigy at the age of 13. In the 1930s, competitive s***t shooting was an expensive, upper-class pastime requiring costly specialized shotguns, high-volume ammunition, club memberships, and extensive travel. At the 11th annual Great Eastern S***t Championship in Stratford, Connecticut, Horton paced the Holliston, Massachusetts “Hilltops” team to victory by shooting a perfect score of 100 out of 100. He regularly competed alongside other legendary era icons like Dick Shaughnessy. His specialized skill quickly caught the attention of the broader New England shooting circuit. He was recruited to join “those wild kids” from the Hilltop S***t Club of Holliston, Massachusetts. News coverage of Horton faded during World War Two. The last major national press mentions of his competitive shooting career appear around 1940, when he was roughly 16 years old. Like most young athletic men of his generation (born around 1924), his budding sports career aligned with the outbreak of World War II, which put a temporary halt to national civilian s***t championships as resources and ammunition were diverted to the war effort. Not much is recorded about Horton post-war, but during the 1930, this young shooter was among the very best the sport had to offer. Jack Horton is shown here in 1938.

******er ******ers re*****on federalammuntion krieghofft krieghoffk80 krieghoffinternational perazzi sportingclays sportingclayshooting ttsca nssanationals s***tshooting fiocchi fiocchinascita bornaghi cheddite cheddite_italy chedditecartridges abileneclaysports baschieriandpellagri barepeltproteam

Repost from •Although I have previously written about Julia Armour, the more I research and study this Clay Target Legen...
06/01/2026

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Although I have previously written about Julia Armour, the more I research and study this Clay Target Legend, the more I become impressed with her shooting and determination. Julia, with her class, elegance and style was the first woman to break a perfect 250x250 score in the 12-gauge event at the World S***t Shooting Championships.

She is shown here on August 4th, 1950. Julia was inducted into the National S***t Shooting Association Hall of Fame in 1976. She served as the co-captain of the NSSA Women’s All-American Team. She started her shooting using a Re*****on 870, then moving to a Re*****on 1100 in the mid-1960’s. Julia was an avid sportsman and dog handler prior to her competitive s***t shooting.

Julia was married to Philip D. Armour Jr., of the Chicago-based Armour meatpacking company. Phillip passed in 1964, at which time she relocated to Miami, Florida, where she enhanced and increased her international shooting career. Julia passed away at the age of 90 on June 27, 2009.
******er ******ers re*****on federalammuntion krieghofft krieghoffk80 krieghoffinternational perazzi sportingclays sportingclayshooting ttsca nssanationals s***tshooting fiocchi fiocchinascita bornaghi cheddite cheddite_italy chedditecartridges abileneclaysports baschieriandpellagri barepeltproteam

Repost from •Clay Target Legends: (back row): Joe Frost Jr., Ed Buckley, Grant Ilseng. (front row): Titus Harris Jr., Jo...
05/31/2026

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Clay Target Legends: (back row): Joe Frost Jr., Ed Buckley, Grant Ilseng. (front row): Titus Harris Jr., Joe Frost III. From 1958, Texas State S***t Shoot at the San Antonio Gun Club.

******er ******ers re*****on federalammuntion krieghoff krieghoffk80 krieghoffinternational perazzi sportingclays sportingclayshooting ttsca nssanationals s***tshooting fiocchi fiocchinascita bornaghi cheddite cheddite_italy chedditecartridges abileneclaysports baschieriandpellagri barepeltproteam

Repost from •Shown here is Clay Target Legend Roberto Castrillo, participating in the 1970 Central American and Caribbea...
05/30/2026

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Shown here is Clay Target Legend Roberto Castrillo, participating in the 1970 Central American and Caribbean Games in Panama, where he bested the current champion Nura Ortiz with a score of 192. Castrillo was a legendary Cuban sport shooter who made history as the first Cuban to win an Olympic medal in sport shooting. Competing primarily in the s***t shooting event, he earned a bronze medal at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow.

He participated in three consecutive Olympic Games: Munich 1972 (where he finished 5th), Montreal 1976, and Moscow 1980. His historic 1980 bronze medal remained Cuba’s only Olympic shooting medal for 24 years until the 2004 Games. Following his retirement from active competition, Castrillo worked as a coach and earning credentials as an international shooting referee. Castrillo passed away earlier this year at the age of 84 in Cuba.
******er ******ers re*****on federalammuntion krieghoff krieghoffk80 krieghoffinternationalr perazzi sportingclays sportingclayshooting tsca nssanationals s***tshooting fiocchi fiocchinascita bornaghi cheddite cheddite_italy chedditecartridges abileneclaysports baschieriandpellagri barepeltproteam txclayshooters txclays

Repost from •How many s***t ranges had a natural mineral bath as part of its offerings. Enjoying such an activity after...
05/29/2026

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How many s***t ranges had a natural mineral bath as part of its offerings. Enjoying such an activity after a day on the s***t field might be just the ticket for unwinding after a day of shooting. That existed at the Stovall Hot Well S***t Range, South Bend in Cypress, Texas. The site featured a s***t range alongside natural hot sulfuric water wells that drew large groups of shooters.

The facility originally opened as an entertainment destination in the 1925 following the local oil boom. The Stovall family added a s***t shooting range to the property in 1930, soon after s***t was “invented”. The original resort and range ceased operations in the late 20th century, with a fire eventually consuming most of the buildings. While physical traces of the original range and bathhouse have disappeared into the landscape. The photo shown here is of the Stovall family enjoying a day of s***t in 1935. .
******er ******ers re*****on federalammuntion krieghoff krieghoffk80 krieghoffinternationalr perazzi sportingclays sportingclayshooting tsca nssanationals s***tshooting fiocchi fiocchinascita bornaghi cheddite cheddite_italy chedditecartridges abileneclaysports baschieriandpellagri barepeltproteam txclayshooters txclays

Repost from •Some photos just show history like no others. In this photo, the second man from the left designed three o...
05/28/2026

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Some photos just show history like no others. In this photo, the second man from the left designed three of the shotguns shown. That man? John Moses Browning, one of the most significant names in fi****ms design. These four would routinely gather to shoot trap, calling themselves the “4 B’s”. These four were looking over their scoresheets.

The men were, from left: G.L. Becker with his 1887 level action, John Moses Browning with his Wi******er 1897, A.P. Bigelow with his side by side that I cannot identify and Matt Browning (John’s brother) with another Wi******er 1897. Bigelow founded the 4 B’s who became prominent fixtures in the early days of competitive trap shooting.

The team traveled and competed together, and John Browning often utilized the group as a testing squad to evaluate early shotgun prototypes and refine the ergonomics of his famous fi****ms. The photo was taken circa 1900. Special thanks to Oscar Acaron for making me aware of this historic photo!.
******er ******ers re*****on federalammuntion krieghoff krieghoffk80 krieghoffinternationalr perazzi sportingclays sportingclayshooting tsca nssanationals s***tshooting fiocchi fiocchinascita bornaghi cheddite cheddite_italy chedditecartridges abileneclaysports baschieriandpellagri barepeltproteam txclayshooters txclays

Repost from •Here is 12 year old Shep Levine. Levine dominated the junior and men’s competitive s***t shooting circuits...
05/26/2026

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Here is 12 year old Shep Levine. Levine dominated the junior and men’s competitive s***t shooting circuits during the late 1960s and 1970s. Shep got his start at 12 years old in competitive s***t shooting as a child in 1967 at the Wateree Gun Club in South Carolina. By the time he was a teenager in 1969, he had become a local club prodigy and one of the most top-ranked junior s***t shooters in the United States.

In 1969, Levine led the entire United States in high average standings for his division, breaking 4,543 out of 4,900 total targets to achieve a staggering .9239 overall shooting percentage. He was selected as the Captain of the Junior Men’s National S***t Shooting Association All-American Team.

While Shep was celebrated in his youth as a junior and advanced-level s***t shooting champion, he later transitioned his sharp analytical eye to a completely different sport. He became highly regarded as the owner and operator of Shep Levine’s Clover Report Basketball Scouting Service. He ran Girls All-Stars Camps, and his player evaluations were deeply trusted by NCAA, NAIA, and Junior College coaches across the country. Levine passed away in July 2011 in Columbia, South Carolina, at 54 years old leaving behind a lasting legacy.

******er ******ers re*****on federalammuntion krieghoff krieghoffk80 krieghoffinternationalr perazzi sportingclays sportingclayshooting tsca nssanationals s***tshooting fiocchi fiocchinascita bornaghi cheddite cheddite_italy chedditecartridges abileneclaysports baschieriandpellagri barepeltproteam txclayshooters txclays

Repost from •Here is a very rare photograph from 1962 showing Clay Target Legends from left: Barney Hartman (1916-2016),...
05/25/2026

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Here is a very rare photograph from 1962 showing Clay Target Legends from left: Barney Hartman (1916-2016), author Jimmy Robinson (1897–1986), Claude Purbaugh (1905-1989), and Harry Willsie (1928-2003). Here, Purbaugh is demonstrating his very first set of sub-gauge tubes that he developed. Sub-gauge tubes revolutionized s***t shooting. His innovative design paved the way for modern competitive target shooting, allowing the use of one gun to be used in 12ga, 20ga, 28ga, and .410.

Claude Purbaugh’s custom tube sets have been out of production for decades. His foundational concepts were later refined and commercialized on a massive scale by modern manufacturers like Briley Manufacturing (who eventually acquired his tooling) and Kolar Arms. Today, vintage Purbaugh tube sets are highly regarded by collectors.

Canadian Barney Hartman was a world champion Canadian s***t shooter. He is widely regarded by his peers as one of the greatest s***t shooters who ever lived. Over a career spanning several decades, he claimed nearly 30 world records, authored one of the best-selling books on s***t, and is an inductee in Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame.

Jimmy Robinson was the longtime Director of Sales and Marketing for Sports Afield Magazine and a prominent figure in North American hunting and conservation. Reed was an internationally recognized hunter, conservationist, and outdoor writer. Known as the “Sportsman of the Century”. He is the only person inducted into five distinct sports Halls of Fame. He famously hosted celebrities like Ernest Hemingway and Clark Gable at his lodge.

Harry Willsie was an elite, dual-discipline Canadian competitive marksman who achieved widespread acclaim in both s***t shooting and trapshooting. Born in Missouri, he moved to Canada in 1953 where he established himself as one of the country’s premier sports shooters, eventually earning induction into both the Trap and S***t Shooting Halls of Fame. Willsie significantly impacted the sport from the administrative side, serving as the National S***t Shooting Association International Chairman and managing the Canadian shotgun squad at the same time.

Repost from •Well this is cool. Fantastic period graphics on this original 1937 Bluegrass Invitational S***t Tournament ...
05/24/2026

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Well this is cool. Fantastic period graphics on this original 1937 Bluegrass Invitational S***t Tournament at the Fayette S***t Club in Lexington, Kentucky. What a great history piece of clay shoot history.

******er ******ers re*****on federalammuntion krieghoff krieghoffk80 krieghoffinternational perazzi sportingclays sportingclayshooting tsca nssanationals s***tshooting fiocchi fiocchinascita bornaghi cheddite cheddite_italy chedditecartridges abileneclaysports baschieriandpellagri barepeltproteam txclayshooters txclays

Repost from •Regular readers of my clay target history know that I have written numerous articles about Pat Laursen. La...
05/23/2026

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Regular readers of my clay target history know that I have written numerous articles about Pat Laursen. Laursen dominated the sport of s***t in the late 1930s. Known both for her incredible with her Cutts (aluminum version) equipped Wi******er Model 12 and her striking looks. LIFE magazine famously called her the “most beautiful athlete in the world during her competitive prime. Laursen won the NSSA National Championship in 1938. She was inducted into the National S***t Shooting Association Hall of Fame in 1972.

Pat grew up in Akron, Ohio, and learned to shoot a .22 rifle at age 8 to spend time hunting with her father. At 16, she transitioned to a 16-gauge shotgun. She trained and practiced at the elite Firestone S***t Club in Akron, Ohio, a premiere shooting park built by tire magnate Harvey Firestone. Unfortunately, the club is now the Firestone Country Club, and the former s***t fields are now part of the golf course. While attending Rollins College in Florida, she won the NSSA National Women’s S***t Shooting Championship three consecutive times (1938, 1939, and 1940). She secured her first title at just 19 years old.

At a major national event, she shot a near-perfect 199 out of 200 targets using her Model 12 pump gun. This extraordinary performance put her in a direct tie with top male shooters going into the final rounds. Unlike many modern s***t shooters, Pat competed during the “low gun” era, with non-modern paper cartridges. Very impressive skills indeed. She successfully defended her crown over the following two years, securing three consecutive national titles. With her success, Laursen became a major sports celebrity of her era. Her athletic success, popularity, and appearance also made her a sought-after commercial icon, famously appearing in 1930s national print advertisements for numerous commercial national products. Laursen passed away in 1976 at the age of 55.

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