Abilene Clay Sports

06/03/2026

Like a lot of soldiers returning from the Korean war Marvin Hambrick developed a strong love for the sport of s***t. After his return from Korea, Marvin developed his skills as a world-class s***t shooter eventually winning the prestigious World's All-Around S***t Shooting Championship in 1963. Born in 1931, and based in San Pablo, California, he was one of the sport's most prolific shooters from that era.

Marvin was named co-captain of Jimmy Robinson’s prestigious All-America S***t-Shooting Team in 1964. Hambrick trained at the Richmond Gun Club in Richmond, California, attributing much of his success from encouragement from fellow teammates Jim Bellows, and Bob Shuley After his stint in the U.S. Navy, he studied restaurant management at UC Berkeley and co-founded Hambrick's 1/4 lb. Giant Burgers, a landmark chain in California's East Bay region. Marvin Hambrick passed away in August 2004. He is shown here in 1964 with his Re*****on 1100.

Steve Ellinger

06/02/2026

No Fight Club this week in preparation for Back the Badge this weekend.
If you haven’t signed up yet, it’s not too late! Get the details on the link below.

Saturday, June 6, 2026 Get your raffle tickets today and WIN BIG! Stop by Abilene Gun Works located at 802 Hickory to purchase tickets (10am-6pm, Tues-Fri), or stop by Abilene Martial Art Center located at 2401 S. 7th St (Mon-Fri, 2pm-8pm). Thanks for supporting our first responders! Our largest fun...

06/02/2026

Rhode Island’s Jack Horton stepped onto the s***t field at a very early age. Coming from a family of significant financial means, the Horton family was able to fund Jacks shooting. Horton became a child prodigy at the age of 13. In the 1930s, competitive s***t shooting was an expensive, upper-class pastime requiring costly specialized shotguns, high-volume ammunition, club memberships, and extensive travel. At the 11th annual Great Eastern S***t Championship in Stratford, Connecticut, Horton paced the Holliston, Massachusetts "Hilltops" team to victory by shooting a perfect score of 100 out of 100. He regularly competed alongside other legendary era icons like Dick Shaughnessy. His specialized skill quickly caught the attention of the broader New England shooting circuit. He was recruited to join "those wild kids" from the Hilltop S***t Club of Holliston, Massachusetts. News coverage of Horton faded during World War Two. The last major national press mentions of his competitive shooting career appear around 1940, when he was roughly 16 years old. Like most young athletic men of his generation (born around 1924), his budding sports career aligned with the outbreak of World War II, which put a temporary halt to national civilian s***t championships as resources and ammunition were diverted to the war effort. Not much is recorded about Horton post-war, but during the 1930, this young shooter was among the very best the sport had to offer. Jack Horton is shown here in 1938.

Steve Ellinger

06/01/2026

Although I have previously written about Julia Armour, the more I research and study this Clay Target Legend, the more I become impressed with her shooting and determination. Julia, with her class, elegance and style was the first woman to break a perfect 250x250 score in the 12-gauge event at the World S***t Shooting Championships.

She is shown here on August 4th, 1950. Julia was inducted into the National S***t Shooting Association Hall of Fame in 1976. She served as the co-captain of the NSSA Women's All-American Team. She started her shooting using a Wi******er Model 12, then moving to a Re*****on 1100 in the mid-1960’s. Julia was an avid sportsman and dog handler prior to her competitive s***t shooting.

Julia was married to Philip D. Armour Jr., of the Chicago-based Armour meatpacking company. Phillip passed in 1964, at which time she relocated to Miami, Florida, where she enhanced and increased her international shooting career. Julia passed away at the age of 90 on June 27, 2009.

Steve Ellinger

05/30/2026

Shown here is Clay Target Legend Roberto Castrillo with his Re*****on 1100 participating in the 1970 Central American and Caribbean Games in Panama, where he bested the current champion Nura Ortiz with a score of 192. Castrillo was a legendary Cuban sport shooter who made history as the first Cuban to win an Olympic medal in sport shooting. Competing primarily in the s***t shooting event, he earned a bronze medal at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow.

He participated in three consecutive Olympic Games: Munich 1972 (where he finished 5th), Montreal 1976, and Moscow 1980. His historic 1980 bronze medal remained Cuba's only Olympic shooting medal for 24 years until the 2004 Games. Following his retirement from active competition, Castrillo worked as a coach and earning credentials as an international shooting referee. Castrillo passed away earlier this year at the age of 84 in Cuba.

Steve Ellinger

05/29/2026

How many s***t ranges had a natural mineral bath as part of its offerings. Enjoying such an activity after a day on the s***t field might be just the ticket for unwinding after a day of shooting. That existed at the Stovall Hot Well S***t Range, South Bend in Cypress, Texas. The site featured a s***t range alongside natural hot sulfuric water wells that drew large groups of shooters.

The facility originally opened as an entertainment destination in the 1925 following the local oil boom. The Stovall family added a s***t shooting range to the property in 1930, soon after s***t was “invented”. The original resort and range ceased operations in the late 20th century, with a fire eventually consuming most of the buildings. While physical traces of the original range and bathhouse have disappeared into the landscape. The photo shown here is of the Stovall family enjoying a day of s***t in 1935.

Steve Ellinger

05/28/2026

Some photos just show history like no others. In this photo, the second man from the left designed three of the shotguns shown. That man? John Moses Browning, one of the most significant names in fi****ms design. These four would routinely gather to shoot trap, calling themselves the “4 B’s”. These four were looking over their scoresheets.

The men were, from left: G.L. Becker with his 1887 level action, John Moses Browning with his Wi******er 1897, A.P. Bigelow with his side by side that I cannot identify and Matt Browning (John’s brother) with another Wi******er 1897. Bigelow founded the 4 B’s who became prominent fixtures in the early days of competitive trap shooting.

The team traveled and competed together, and John Browning often utilized the group as a testing squad to evaluate early shotgun prototypes and refine the ergonomics of his famous fi****ms. The photo was taken circa 1900. Special thanks to Oscar Acaron for making me aware of this historic photo!

Steve Ellinger

05/27/2026

05/27/2026

Coming June 3rd!

05/26/2026

Here is 12 year old Shep Levine. Levine dominated the junior and men's competitive s***t shooting circuits during the late 1960s and 1970s. Shep got his start at 12 years old in competitive s***t shooting as a child in 1967 at the Wateree Gun Club in South Carolina. By the time he was a teenager in 1969, he had become a local club prodigy and one of the most top-ranked junior s***t shooters in the United States.

In 1969, Levine led the entire United States in high average standings for his division, breaking 4,543 out of 4,900 total targets to achieve a staggering .9239 overall shooting percentage. He was selected as the Captain of the Junior Men's National S***t Shooting Association All-American Team.

While Shep was celebrated in his youth as a junior and advanced-level s***t shooting champion, he later transitioned his sharp analytical eye to a completely different sport. He became highly regarded as the owner and operator of Shep Levine’s Clover Report Basketball Scouting Service. He ran Girls All-Stars Camps, and his player evaluations were deeply trusted by NCAA, NAIA, and Junior College coaches across the country. Levine passed away in July 2011 in Columbia, South Carolina, at 54 years old leaving behind a lasting legacy.

Steve Ellinger