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Jimmy Heller
American
Trapshooting Association
Hall of Fame
9 Time All-
12 Grand American Trophies
45 California State Trophies
California
State Singles Champion
California State Handicap Champion
California State Doubles
Champion
California State High All-
California State High Overall Champion
Western
Zone Handicap Champion
Western Zone Doubles Champion
Western Zone High Overall Champion
Golden
West Grand Handicap Champion
Golden West Grand Doubles Champion
Autumn Grand Handicap
Champion
Spring Grand High All-
24 200 x 200 in Singles
24 100 x 100
in Handicap from the 27
108 100 x 100 in Doubles
148,650 Singles
314,950 Handicap
129,300
Doubles
(ATA Hall of Fame Induction Program Book)
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“... the second target would dip and jump with the swirling winds which would make the scores from…Jimmy Heller (CA) even more impressive.”
– Clark County Nevada Shoot Report
“Jimmy Heller was the third California shooter to take all five…”
-
Hall of Fame Jimmy Heller
An iTrapshooter.com interview
Copyright 2012
All Rights Reserved.
A special guest panel talked trap with 9 Time All-
Steve W: Thanks for taking my question Jimmy . . . You have 24 100’s from the 27. How long did it take you to get your first, once you reached the 27? While on that journey, is there any one thing that stands out in your handicap game that made you successful at it?
Jimmy: I started shooting in 1968 when I was 14 years old. I made it to the 27 in Reno in May of 1977, and it took me five years to break my first 100 handicap in ANY handicap race. Like in anything, to be successful, you have to enjoy what you’re doing. It’s the challenge within the game to break 100 targets. To do that you first have to study the game of trapshooting, the different angles, the speed of the gun, the speed of the targets. Back then, we didn’t have radar guns so you had to learn how to speed up and slow down the gun to match the targets on any given field.
Gene Hapney: Beginning in 1981, you’ve averaged a 92% plus in your handicap shooting. That began a trend of 92 plus handicap averages that continues through today. What lit your handicap fire with that date?
Jimmy: Somewhere in that timeline, I learned to adjust the gun to shoot where I’m looking, rather than adjusting me to the gun. What I mean by that is with a consistent mount and a consistent move to the target, you can analyze how you are breaking the targets and make adjustments. For example, I was in Las Vegas at a shoot and noticed that I was consistently on the front side of my left hand targets. When I got on posts 4 or 5, I was way behind everything to the right. This had been going on for a while.
Returning home, I spoke with a gun club manager, Gerald Eubanks, and he said I was not directly in behind the gun, meaning my right eye was down the left side of the rib, subconsciously. So we took off roughly an 8th of an inch off the comb of my stock to allow me to get in behind the gun and from there it improved. Analyze your breaks, study your breaks, and adjust the gun to accommodate better breaks.
Same scenario would be when you shoot below the targets, don’t be afraid to raise
your point of impact up. Another example, I see roughly three-
Jimmy at the last Fall Handicap at the Las Vegas Gun Club 1949-
Copyright 2012