Tribute to the past

I This is hanging on the wall at my local range, and just part of my inspiration to get into bullseye. I am new to the sport and a young guy in this sport being 37 years old. I have shot action pistol but the lure of accuracy is just in me. Anyway here is some history from one of the greats. I hope I done this right, this is my first post.



 
Richard Eller

Welcome to the forum....Herschel can shoot! At nearly eighty he can still out shoot most of us! What range is that posted at?

Thanks for sharing. I don't think he won the nationals that year so I guess he felt like setting a national record. That was right after the nationals, July 20, 1975.

This is at Kettlefoot Rob and Gun Club in Bristol,VA. This is where I shoot, but they no longer have bullseye matches there. It's a great range to shoot at anyway.

zoom it to about 150% and you can almost read it! Great history, thanks for posting.

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A lot of good shooters shot on that Range and they still remember it fondly.

Yep, Kettlefoot used to have a great regional, even through the late 1990's and early 2000's when I started bullseye.  Even met some long - haired young guy sleeping in a tent on the upper level around the clubhouse with all the copperhead snakes!  His name was John, something?  Seems to me we were about the only shooters with open sights then. 

They used to have a great dinner on Saturday with lots of food and lots of shooters.  You could chuck a .45 bass case in about any direction and hit a Master or High Master, or former 2650 shooter.  I really listened a lot to all the conversations going on.   Got my first distinguished points there as well, that was a great year.  

I really miss bullseye at Kettlefoot.   Not many ranges use the 2-range system (separate 50 and 25 yard ranges) with a small mountain as the backstop. And Bristol even had a Krispy - Kreme franchise too!  Of course if the match overlapped one of the races, you could also watch a bunch of NASCAR fans turn a 4 star hotel into a 1/2 star hotel overnight. A true spectacle that cannot be described, only experienced.

Lots of interesting stuff on the walls at a lot of old ranges.  Shame to think of all the history that's just going to fade away....

Sigh...

Cecil

Thank you for sharing!!

CR10X wrote:Yep, Kettlefoot used to have a great regional, even through the late 1990's and early 2000's when I started bullseye.  Even met some long - haired young guy sleeping in a tent on the upper level around the clubhouse with all the copperhead snakes!  His name was John, something?  Seems to me we were about the only shooters with open sights then. 

I really miss bullseye at Kettlefoot.   Not many ranges use the 2-range system (separate 50 and 25 yard ranges) with a small mountain as the backstop. And Bristol even had a Krispy - Kreme franchise too!  Of course if the match overlapped one of the races, you could also watch a bunch of NASCAR fans turn a 4 star hotel into a 1/2 star hotel overnight. A true spectacle that cannot be described, only experienced.

That guy's long hair was brown, too - not grey like it is now!

Shot there and at Asheville with my dad and uncle in 1990 (although my uncle may have only shot Asheville that year), and again at Kettlefoot in '96 and '99. 

Disappointed to hear they're no longer shooting matches at Kettlefoot. I still have a Kettlefoot Regional sticker on my gun-cleaning-gear tackle box. Great place to shoot.

Actually, LOL, that guy's long hair was probably bleached blond in '99, a result of the red-white-and-blue hair-dyeing-gin-and-tonic-drinking escapade of 1998 with Jason Turner and Hank Gray

Kettlefoot still has the 25, and 50 yard ranges side by side, and is a great place to shoot with little wind and decent shade, with covered shooting tables. I know a few of the greats that still shoot there, (one is in the 2650 club) but they have all retired from bullseye, but have helped me get in to it. I know this is off topic, but is there anyone in that shoots bullseye close to me? I plan on going to Ashville to shoot, because that's the closest place I've found.

You should be able to meet some folks from nearby TN, NC, VA at the Asheville match. They have a full line this weekend.  It only takes a couple of motivated people to get a bullseye program running.

Oak Ridge  has matches but it may be farther than you want to drive. The  people that I know who shot In Bristol are from the Northern Part of the Shenandoah, Charlottesville, and a Richmond.

I shot there for many years. 1982 till the last match.
I shot team with Herschel when he came back a few years ago. He couldn't believe they had that on the wall. Frank Thomas and crew ran a great match. 5 relays on a regional. Frank had a big wire cage tumbler for tickets, every so often he will spin, pull a ticket and give away a 100 bill . Marines, army every one attended. I shot a lot of 2630-40 scores there. On the monthly matches, at the end coke cans full, were placed at 50 yards, winner take all pot, Dave Salyer hit the cans every time, beat me every match. He could shoot some coke cans. We shot Asheville on Saturday, then Bristol on Sunday, top gun match in November at Asheville. Invitational, of best in each class , from the season at both ranges. extra cash prizes. Match still in Asheville, not invitational any longer.
Great times. Some us old guys still shoot asheville. Be there this weekend.
Eddy and Delores Williams , Herman Sage, many other Virginia shooters attended. 
Used come home with a big sack of brass after the regional. Marines didn't pick up brass, if you Reloaded they would give their brass.  Today's bullseye history lesson.