CHAPTER 1 
     
     GENESIS 
     
    
   
   
    
     The development of gunpowder a few centuries ago 
     
     as a propellant for projectiles, and in particular a 
     
     cluster of projectiles that has evolved into what we 
     
     know today as the shotshell, initiated and gave man 
     
     the challenge of shooting at a moving target. Until 
     
     the nineteenth century a moving target was epitomized 
     
     by a fast flying bird on the wing, but time would 
     
     dictate change and late in the eighteenth century in 
     
     Great Britian change was already taking place. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Early records indicate that, during the 1790's, 
     
     in England, shooting enthusiasts were trying a 
     
     diversification of their wingshooting. Something that 
     
     would give them a challenging "shoot" without having 
     
     to face the elements, or walk miles on marsh and moor. 
     
     They started to experiment with the idea of shooting 
     
     birds in a controlled manner, from a confined point of 
     
     release. Contests were held utilizing a very basic 
     
     procedure...A small hole was dug in the ground and the 
     
     gunner stood directly behind it. A live bird (pigeons 
     
     were the most readily available) was placed in the 
     
     hole and the shooter covered it with his hat. When he 
     
     was ready for the challenge of a wingshot, the anxious 
     
     gunner would simply kick his hat and the bird would 
     
     flush into the open. An alternative of this sport was 
     
     also used called "high hat," in which the shooter was 
     
     required to pick up the hat and place it on his head, 
     
     before he could shoot at the bird. With the slow 
     
     reloading procedures of the day and the inconsistent 
     
     patterns obtained, it was, to say the least, a 
     
     formidable challenge, and not really too hard on the 
     
     local bird population. 
     
    
   
   
    
     By the year 1805, the contest of man against a 
     
     "contained" bird had progressed to the use of an 
     
     actual wooden box or "trap," as they called it, that 
     
     had a sliding top which was remotely "pulled" by 
     
     either the shooter or a "trapboy," using a length of 
     
     string. 
     
    
   
   
    
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