RELOAD!

APRIL 2002 NEWSLETTER
© Bruce Buck, editor

IN MEMORIAM- CHRIS HARVEY

On March 5, 2002 I received a phone call informing me of the death of
Chris Harvey. From the incomplete information I was given, he
succumbed to injuries sustained in a skiing accident. Chris was 40
years old. He leaves a wife Kim, pregnant, and a boy of seven years.

Most of you will remember Chris to be a quiet man with a sense of
humor, who really enjoyed the Travelers. I believe he never missed an
activity in the two years plus that he was a member. He assisted
Craig Johnson with the video program. He was employed as Director of
Field Service, Boy Scouts of America.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the
children’s’ trust fund. I would solicit suggestions from all of you
for advice and direction to help his widow and children. We always
try to help a fellow sportsman and here is a time when we may be able
to do just that. The family address is: 66 Old Farms Lane, New
Milford, CT 06776. -Al Anglace

Mid-Hudson Club, New Paltz, NY

March 17, 2002

The March shoot is our first “real” shoot of the year. The January
shoot is for survivalists and February is the meeting. In March, it’s
Mike’s. Mike Maglio’s Mid Hudson club always has state of the art
targets. In the past Mike’s course was set in a figure “C”, so there
was a bit of retracing when walking from station 15 back to 1. Good
exercise and all that. This year Mike completed the circle. You can
now shoot a true “round” of sporting clays. Well done!

The shoot was managed by Vin Salvo and the course was set by Shawn
Schiba. As you’ll read, they did a heck of a job.

The weather was just under 40F with weak sunshine, but dry and no
wind. It was a great day for “the cruelest month”. The new
registration format went perfectly. Shooters simply arrived, found
their name and squad number on the posted list, and reported to their
starting station (same as squad number) at exactly 9:30 after Al’s
safety speech. Smooth. Slick. Why didn’t we always do it this way?
Latecomers found their squad already on the course and joined in.
Latecomers could not repeat the stations they missed and only shot
for fun, not score. But they didn’t hold the shoot up either. NSCA
registration was available for $4, but it was not required. 15 out of
the 154 shooters present sent their money south.

President Al commented in Reload!’s January issue that the
“Traveler’s tough” courses would be made kinder and gentler for the
upcoming year. Some Travelers breathed a sigh of relief while others
had concerns that the quality of our courses might sink to the “feel
good, skeet in the woods” level. Well, not to worry. Al isn’t the
Jefe Supremo for nothing. Shawn Schiba did a marvelous job designing
things. The course was tough all right, but one bird of each pair was
usually a bit easier than the other so a newer shooter had a good
chance of getting half of them. As an added bonus, we actually shot
102 targets, not 100.

The flavor of this course was the report quartering crosser in an “X”
pattern. It made you cross your heart as the birds criss-crossed.
Often it was a double cross, but that’s your cross to bear until the
final crossing over. These crosswords aren’t cross words, but you get
the idea.

Most of the stations were “moderately difficult”. There were no
wasted stations, meaning that none of the 15 stations was insultingly
easy or impossibly hard. Not one bird on the course could be
considered unfair.

Station #1 had a 9 o’clock to 3 o’clock crosser at about 35 yards,
followed on report by 5 o’clock to 10 o’clock higher more looping
quartering away bird. They made an “X” pattern. The second bird was
straight forward enough, but no one on our squad figured out the
first bird. It wasn’t that far away, or particularly fast. I don’t
have a clue how to hit it. I hope that Mike keeps it there for a
while so that we can come back and get even.

#5 was a gimme that became a gotcha. It was a true pair thrown like a
soft, high skeet station one high house. It was real easy to shoot
over the top of the second bird. When you see people in front of you
missing over the top, make sure to tuck your head in extra hard when
it’s your turn

#6 was another “X” pattern presentation. A rabbit slowly
hippity-hopped in from 2>7, followed by a difficult hot quartering
away 3>10 airborne standard. The rabbit died about 15 yards in front
of the shooter and was missed too often. The two birds were as
different as you could get: rabbit vs airborne, slow vs fast,
quartering in vs quartering out. Near vs far. It was the kind of
station that made you glad that you don’t shoot for a living.

Station #7 was a one machine, true pair 5>12 o’clock, low and very
easy to shoot over. If you took the first bird where you wanted to,
the second was dropping behind a brush pile 35 yards out when you got
around to it. This station was shot directly toward the low late
winter sun, but since the targets were set low, there was no problem.
On any course in a circle, there must be shots in the direction of
the sun. A good course designer will keep those shots very low as was
the case here.

#8 was a 4>10 o’clock report pair from one machine. The first bird
was a burner, hot and flat. On report was a slow, high looping
chandelle. Since both birds were off the same machine, there had been
a lot of creative arm bending.

Station #9 had crossing report pair of teal. The first bird started
20 yards in front of the stand and went straight up and away with
just a touch of angle. It was a good 40 yard shot by the time you got
to it. A 4>11 90 followed on report in a very high arc. As with all
teal, everyone has their procedure. On the first bird, a true teal, I
found it best to start the muzzle right on top of the trap and sweep
up and through the bird as quickly as possible. A mounted gun is
often useful here.

#11 had a 7>11 soft, high crosser followed by a 4>12, mostly edgy
airborne rabbit. Always look at the machine if you can to see what is
being thrown. Remember how hard rabbits are, so use some shot size.
Many shooters never realized that they were shooting a rabbit target.
Station#13, like most of the others, had a crossing report pair. This
time there was a 5>12 hard, hot, low bird followed by a nice soft
floating 7>2 chandelle. The second was sooo easy unless you were
slipping on the tears you shed on the first bird.

#14 was a two machine true pair. First there was a flat medium speed
small window 25 yard crosser from 3>9 followed by a huge high
open-belly direct incomer from a tower over 75 yards away. There was
a noticeable delay between the shot and the break on the second bird,
so it was over 40 yards. That’s the 40 yard rule. If you can notice a
delay between shot and break, the bird is over 40 yards away. The
first bird looked easier than it was, while the second looked much
harder than it proved to be. It’s a wise course designer who
occasionally gives you a difficult looking bird that is actually not
too hard to break.

A rule reminder: If you’re the first squad member on the stand, you
can look at a “view pair” only if you weren’t there in time to see
the previous squad shoot. If you know you will be first up at the
next station it makes sense to go to that station as soon as you
finish shooting your current one. That way you can watch the targets
and be ready to shoot when it’s your turn. You won’t need a view
pair. 30 squads and 15 stations means 450 view pairs. That’s 900
extra targets. When you add it up, view pairs cost us a lot of extra
time and money.

At the end of the day, everyone gathered under the pavilion marquee
for hearty luncheon in the bracing air. Brown food and plenty of it!
It was serious food and most suitable for the cool day. There was
actually some left over too, a rarity when the CTSCA locusts descend.

As is often the case at the beginning of the shooting year, the
scores were a little out of kilter vis-à-vis the classes. This soon
sorts its self out. It takes 3 points to move up in class. A class
win moves you right away, second place is two points and third is
one. Scoremeister Cyndi Dalena keeps tabs, so you can’t escape.
Sooner or later everyone will be in class one.

Prizes were Orvis/Sandanona gift certificates. They will also be
given out at another shoot before we actually go to Sandanona in
July. Then we can spend ‘em!

As you know, we often have a 50/50 raffle during the awards ceremony.
The lucky winner gets half the money and our charity gets the other
half. This time the 50/50 was dedicated to Chris Harvey’s widow and
his kids. The pot was over $520. Terry Thomas drew the lucky number,
but gallantly refused to accept his winnings. The entire amount will
go to Chris’ family. The Harveys will be the beneficiaries of the
50/50 at the next shoot also. With your help, The Travelers will
write Mrs. Harvey a helpful check after next month.

HOA PAUL FOSTINI 91
I-1 Mike Horodyski 88
I-2 Vin LaScalza 86
I-3 Douglas Moore 85
II-1 Preston Moore 90
II-2 Jim Kline 83
II-3 Bruce Buck 78
III-1 Bob Barlow 87
III-2 Bruce Hernsdorf 83
III-3 Jasen Jasensky 80
IV-1 Frank Cipolino 75*
IV-2 Dan Water 75
IV-3 Vin Fabano 71
V-1 Dennis Morgan 75
V-2 Bob Bartolomeo 67
V-3 Frank Turene 64
VI-1 Bob Pierce, Jr 42
VI-2 Judy Water 41
VI-3 Carol Thomas 40
Lady-1 Paula Moore 82
Lady-2 Anna Maria Collins 73
Lady-3 Susie Clarke 70
Vet-1 Todd Murphy 85
Vet-2 Ted Robinson 83
Vet3- Paul Cahan 80
Jr-1 Mike Carol 62
Jr-2 Luke Sproviero 57
Jr-3 Brett Munro 58
Guest Tony Olivieri 89
*Ties decided by tie-breaker station

NEW SHOOTERS CLINIC…

Traveler Jean de Lau, past member of the French National Team, has
kindly offered to do two clinics of nine shooters each for our newer
shooters. Dates to be announced. If more than nine per clinic
register, we’ll draw out of a hat. Coaching is free. Targets and ammo
are extra. This is a great chance and a generous offer. If
interested, contact Al Anglace at 860-354-9351 or <ctsca@email.com>.

TRAVELERS VESTS…

Traveler Jon Hryncewich makes “The Gun Glove” <www.thegunglove.com>.
It’s quickly become the most popular shooting glove in sporting
clays. Jon has now turned his talent to designing vests. He is
offering the Travelers a special $150 price for his simple and
elegant custom shooting vest. Contact Jon at 973-427-0499 or
<john@alexsilk.com>.

NRA SUPPORT…

In response to the memberships’ desire to support the NRA, the
Travelers have given the NRA a $1000 endowment. It was either that or
donate the money to Hillary’s presidential campaign.

CHECK ETIQUETTE…

Recently, we’ve been having some difficulty with our procedure for
mailing in checks for shoots, dues and the like. The Travelers are a
volunteer organization. Translation: someone is doing you the favor
of working for you for free. Considering the pay and benefits
package, it behooves us to make life for our volunteers as easy as
possible. Soooo…

1) Puleez get your checks and shoot registration in on time. The
witching hour is the Thursday preceding the Sunday shoot. Last shoot
we had four shooters who weren’t registered because their checks were
late. Suchamess! Planning ahead a few days really isn’t that hard,
now is it?


2) Do you remember that little line on the lower left corner of your
check that says “For:” It would be really, really helpful if you
could write the event you are signing up for in that space. Yes, we
know that your check accompanies the registration form, but they
often get separated.

3) Please make very clear for whom the check is paying. Sometimes a
check will cover the entry fees for several shooters. Please list
these. Those little sticky yellow notes are awfully handy for this.


4) You don’t have to use staples or electrical tape (no kidding!) to
hold your check and registration form together. If you need a belt
and suspenders, try a paperclip. Staple and tape your checks to the
mortgage company, phone company, electric company and the other
tyrants of life. You deserve any small measure of revenge. But please
don’t do it to the good guys.

5) It’s fun to shoot with a squad of friends. The entry form has a
line where you can list your preferences. But we can only squad you
with particular people on a best efforts basis.



WE ARE ON THE INTERNET…

The current and previous issues of Reload! are posted on the internet
at <www.ShotgunReport.com>. You will also find megs and megs of other
useless Technoidal drivel there. Great literature never dies. It just
sort of lurks around.

FACTOID…

All things being equal, a one ounce load has 19% less free recoil
than a 1-1/8 oz load. The one ounce load also has an 11% smaller
pattern. The 11% smaller pattern almost exactly equals a full degree
of choke. A one ounce load through a Modified choke ought to have the
same pellet density as a 1-1/8 oz through an IC choke.

THE TECHNOID PERFORMS A BALANCING ACT...

Norbert Nimrod hovers glassy eyed in front of the shotgun display at
the local gunshop. The proprietor enthusiastically touts the
benefits of the latest London "best" Smythington Chutneygout sidelock
or pigeon pounding Spaghettini Porcini over and under. The spiel
invariably includes the seductive, "Just feel how this fine gun
handles. See- the balance point is right over the hinge pin."

Friends, trust the Technoid when he tells you that there is more to
gun balance than Nimrod is being shown. Drawing heavily on the
assistance of G.T. Garwood (the Technoid's patron saint), the effort
required to swing a gun depends upon its moment of inertia as
measured about its point of balance. You can hang a brick on each
end of a broomstick and make it seesaw where you will, but you could
not call it properly balanced. Good gun balance is dynamic, not
static.

Look at the broomstick and brick example. If a brick were tied onto
each end of the broomstick, it would balance right in the middle, but
would be very hard to swing about due to having the weight at the
ends. This demonstrates high moment of inertia. That same
broomstick, with the bricks moved close together in the center, would
weigh exactly the same and balance in the same place. However, due
to the center weighting, the stick would have a very low moment of
inertia and would swing about with abandon.

Traditionally, the British game gun places the balance point and most
of the weight between the hands. This gives the gun a low moment of
inertia resulting in good speed and maneuverability, especially
suited for field shooting. Americans have usually opted for a
somewhat more muzzle heavy bias. This increases steadiness and is
generally thought better for clay targets, which do not change
direction suddenly.

Balance is quite subjective, but there is a range of general
preference. If you like the way that your gun feels, consider
yourself thrice blessed and stop here. If you have found the
dynamics of other guns preferable to yours, you might consider some
modest changes.

If your gun feels a little muzzle heavy and sluggish, like many of
the long barreled O/Us with screw chokes do, you can either add
weight to the rear or eliminate some from the front. Reduce nose
weight by shortening the existing barrels, substituting shorter or
lighter barrels, or by backboring the barrels. Backboring can remove
a surprising amount of weight (see Technoid, July 1994 RELOAD!) and
is the best approach. Removing wood from the forend may help for an
extremely subtle change.

Adding weight to the butt may also reduce the muzzle heavy feel, but
too much can drastically alter the moment of inertia. It is best to
add weight to the stock by stringing it out along the inside of the
stock, rather than just adding a clump at the rear. Unfortunately,
the former approach often requires the assistance of a stockmaker.
If you do not need too much weight at the rear, some lead plumbers
wool in the stock cavity would be worth a try. It does not take much
weight addition to subtly change the feel of the gun.

If your gun is too light up front, like many small gauge Continental
guns, it is difficult to aesthetically add weight to the barrels. You
can take one of three basic approaches. First, you can remove a
small amount of weight from the stock by enlarging the stock cavity.
Secondly, you can cut hollow pockets inside the forend and fill them
with lead. Thirdly, and of limited application, you can install a
set of sub-gauge tubes. Do not clamp a skeet shooter's weight onto
the barrel. It adds the weight all in one spot. You will not be
happy.

Generally, be forewarned that the balance and feel of a gun are built
in, not added on. Subtle changes in balance and moment of inertia
are practical, but it is wiser to trade the gun if a more extreme
alteration is required.

[The above is reprinted from the October 1994 issue of Reload!. In
2001 Don Amos (an engineer specializing in tire rotation) wrote a
marvelous article in Shooting Sportsman Magazine on the accurate
measurement of moment of inertia.

He built a machine combining a turntable, bob weight and stop watch.
It actually measures feel. With the gun on the turntable at rest, the
bob weight provides the constant force to rotate the table and gun.
The stopwatch times the first rotation. This time can be compared.

A gun with weight at its ends takes longer to make the first rotation
than a center weighted gun of equal weight even though both have the
same balance point.



*** 2002 CONNECTICUT TRAVELERS SHOOT SCHEDULE ***

APR 12~14 SPRING TRIP TO MARYLAND, MD-NORTH SOUTH SKIRMISH
APR 21 OLD NEWGATE COON CLUB, CT-TAX TIME REVOLT
MAY 5* EAST MOUNTAIN, NY-COURTING CLAYS
MAY 19 TAMARACK PRESERVE, NY-MAY MINUET
MY 31~JU2 PEACE DALE PRESERVE, RI-TRAVELERS FITASC CHAMPIONSHIPS
JUN 23 TAMARACK, NY-NAT’L WILD TURKEY FED CONCURRENT SHOOT
JUL 21 SANDANONA/ORVIS, NY-SUMMERTIME, SUMMERTIME
AUG 9~11 ADDIEVILLE EAST, RI-GREAT EASTERN LOBSTER CLASSIC
SEP 15 FAIRFIELD COUNTY F&G, CT-SMALL GAUGE CHAMPIONSHIPS
OCT 5~7* SITE PENDING-FALL TRIP
OCT 20 MILLBROOK ROD & GUN, NY- OKTOBERSCHUTZENFEST
NOV 17 EAST MOUNTAIN, NY-CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS
DEC 1 EAST MOUNTAIN, NY-KOEHLER SOC. FUNDRAISER THREE SHOT
DEC 15 MID-COUNTY, NY-DICK LOSEE MEMORIAL CHRISTMAS PARTY

*** OTHER SHOOTS OF INTEREST ***
ALWAYS, ALWAYS, CALL AHEAD TO CONFIRM

APR 7 WALLKILL R&G, NY (845-895-9206) SPRING TEAM SHOOT
APR 28 FAIFIELD COUNTY F&G, CT (203-426-8508) GATOR SHOOT II
APR 28 MID-COUNTY, NY (845-677-5736) NSCA REGISTERED FUN SHOOT
APR 28 WALLINGFORD R&G, CT (203-265-1012) 50 BIRD FUN SHOOT
MAY 9~12 MARK BROWN LEE (573-442-9189) VICTORY SHOOTING LESSONS
MAY 10~11 SANDANONA, NY (406-549-7335 ) NATIONAL FOREST FOUNDATION
JUN 1 FAIRFIELD COUNTY F&G (203-531-4548) WOMEN’S DAY
JUN 5 PAWLING MTN, NY (203-452-1639) D.U. NEW ENGLAND SC CH
JUL 28 WALLINGFORD R&G, CT (203-265-1012) 50 BIRD FUN SHOOT
AUG 25 WALLINGFORD R&G, CT (203-265-1012) 50 BIRD FUN SHOOT
SEP 8 MID-COUNTY, NY (845-677-5736) NSCA REGISTERED FUN SHOOT
SEP 22 WALLINGFORD R&G, CT (203-265-1012) 50 BIRD FUN SHOOT
OCT 27 WALLINGFORD R&G, CT (203-265-1012) 50 BIRD FUN SHOOT
DEC 8 WALLINGFORD R&G, CT (203-265-1012) 50 BIRD FUN SHOOT

CONTACTING THE TRAVELERS...

CTSCA Home Office: Email <ctsca @email.com> (by far the best way) or
telephone 860-354-9351 if you absolutely must.

Membership, Address Changes and Shooting Class status: Contact Cyndi
Dalena at 860-582-3142 between 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM. Or Email
shotguncyndi@prodigy.net

Guide Book questions, contact Dick Orenstein <rho@usa.com> or call
203-454-4724.

To place an ad, post a shoot date in Reload! or simply heap abuse on
the editor, contact Bruce Buck at tel: 203-454-1080, fax:
707-215-0668 or email: <bcb23@columbia.edu>.





**** THE UPCOMING TRAVELERS MONTHLY SHOOT ****

SUNDAY, APRIL 21, 2002
TAX TIME REVOLT
YE OLDE NEWGATE COON CLUB
NORFOLK, CT

We all know that your 1040 was just your opening offer, but at least
you can now have some fun until the Feds break down your door to get
whatever is left. It is time to relax and squander the meager
pittance that our noble Congress permits us to keep. Besides, what
better way to irritate the politically correct than to spend your
refund on shooting? After the shoot, go have a few glasses of port at
your cigar club. That’ll incense every single person at BATF. No
point in playing favorites.

Transfer your assets to Ye Olde Newgate Coon Club in Norfolk, CT.
There is no registration. Just show up (we suggest by 9:00 AM), note
your squad and starting station (squad # equals starting station #)
on the posted squad sheets, and be ready to go out with everyone else
after the 9:30 call-to-arms. In the meantime, you can add to your
bottom line by deducting a few donuts by Dunkin. If you arrive late,
you know the new drill. Catch up to your squad and enjoy the rest of
the birds. You are shooting just for fun. You may not make up for
missed stations. Moral: don’t send your taxes in late and don’t show
up for shoots late. We will have you presquadded because you will
have preregistered by Thursday, April 18 under pain of audit. No-show
entry fees are donated to our charity at the end of the year.
Luncheon at the club’s most excellent restaurant is included in the
shoot fee, perhaps something with pork in it to honor the government.
For all of this, you will only have to write off a gross expenditure
of $55. GUESTS ARE WELCOME AT THIS SHOOT.

For those who want to try sub-gauges in the Connecticut woods, you
shouldn’t find our usual handicap too taxing: 16 ga = +3, 20 ga =+5,
28 ga = +10, 410 bore = +20, pumps and SxS get another +5. Saner
people will use 12 gauge and the heaviest #7_s they can get their
hands on. Firepower counts with the gummint. Remember Waco.

Directions to Ye Olde Newgate Coon Club, Norfolk, CT: From the
junction of Rte 84 and Rte 8 in Waterbury, CT take Rte 8 North
approximately 28 miles to Rte 44 near Winstead, CT. Turn Right onto
Rte 44 West. Go 8.4 miles on Rte 44 West. At the Texaco station turn
hard Right onto Rte 182. Go .6 miles on Rte 182 to Club House on
Left. If lost call the Olde Newgate Coon Club at 860-542-5028.

NOTE: EYE AND EAR PROTECTION IS MANDATORY AT ALL TRAVELERS’ SHOOTS!

Internet readers: This Travelers shoot is not open to the public, but
guests of members are welcome.