Sad Note - Austin Hill has passed away.

I saw that Austin Hill age 99 had passed away. Many years ago Austin and wife Mary lived in the Ft Wayne Ind. area and they attended many shoots at the Moulton Gun Club and in our area. They were always attending the Indiana State Shoot in those days. I believe Austin is in the Indiana Hall of Fame.

Maybe Brad will explain the gun trade that he and Austin made back in those days. I just thought that maybe some of you viewers might remember Austin and wife of 78 years Mary who still resides in Texas.

Dave Berlet

 

Austin, Bill Cooley, and I attended many shoots together before Austin and Mary moved to Texas. Fine people. Sad indeed, RIP.

 

I had the opportunity to shoot with Austin years ago. Mary was always with him and helped
anyway she could. They sponsored the AIM doubles for the last several years at our State
Shoot. They also donated $$ to several Indiana Gun Clubs. RIP Sir.

 

I first met Austin under strange circumstances, at least to me back then. The year was 1974 and the place was the Ft. Wayne Winchester club. It was a very cold cold February night and as new shooter I was burning up wanting to shoot trap so the cold wasn't stopping me even if it did the bunch of men playing cards.

Even though my cousin and I were the only two shooting the card players all had their guns in the rack, just in-case I guess. In between rounds Dana and would warm up and just before the last round of the night the card game broke up, all the extra guns left the rack and it was just Dana, me, and our guns left. It was only the second time that I had been trap shooting and I was using my dad's Model 12 trap gun. I didn't own one of my own yet.

I was breaking in the twenty plus range but that last round I shot in the teens and was really jumpy, cold and recoil I figured had gotten to me.

We packed up our stuff, cased out guns and went home. The next day while I was at work my mom, I was still living at home then, got a phone call from the Winchester Club Manager. Dana and I had joined the ATA that night so I guess that's how he tracked me down. He told my mom that a man named Austin Hill had taken the wrong gun home from the club and wondered if I had his gun. The problem in this story is that Austin's gun had a release trigger in it and I had shot a whole 25 bird round and never knew the difference. So that is how I met Austin.

Mary I'm sad for your loss Ann and I are praying for you.