Distinctly Montana Magazine

41 w w w. d i s t i n c t l y m o n t a n a . c o m this day, as well as the medallions and shell casings. We shook hands again and bade him farewell, telling him that we would see him at 2:00. We arrived at the parking lot up in the Billings Heights area in plenty of time for the marksmanship exhibition. Tom was getting ready for his show by placing his equip- ment in just the right places that he needed them. There was an odd-looking device that looked like a giant curved solid iron funnel or a curved blunderbuss that was attached to a metal stand. Tom would shoot through this device, a good distance away, from the side and the bullet would travel down the tube and hit a balloon bursting it. He recognized my wife and me, and suggested the best place for photographs. A good-sized crowd began to fill the area of the parking lot. He made final adjustments with his equipment. Then at precisely 2:00 he began his speech. He was holding a Remington Nylon 66 semi-automatic rifle in his hand with the barrel pointing down. Then he told how he became a marksman. He said that if you too wanted to be a superior rifle shot, you would have to go into a store like this one (Gibson's) and buy a boxcar load of .22 rifle ammunition. Then, prac- tice every chance you get. He gestured with his hand how high he was when he began shooting. The crowd chuckled at his humor. There were a lot of what is now called "se- niors" in the audience, and they all seemed to know him personally or know of him, as was the case with me. With that introduction out of the way, Tom Frye made sure that the audience was safely behind him and then he began his shooting exhibition. Tom would take a break now and then to explain what he was "attempting" to do, know- ing full well that he would not miss a shot. The little Nylon 66 barked when he fired and the spent .22 short cartridges flew through the air and landed on the ground, where they were promptly gathered up by the children of all ages in the audience. Tom gasped several times through the exhibition, and he would have to take a small break and place his oxygen mask on his face to catch his breath. On one sequence of shoot- ing he stopped and wavered a bit, then apologized to the audience for the delay. One of the white-haired gentlemen in the audience yelled out, "Take all the time you need, Tom, we are still with you!" Tom turned, smiled at him, and nodded. Then he turned to me and asked if I was getting my pictures okay. I waved back. The show lasted about an hour or so. Mr. Frye was always cordial to his crowd and apologized for his need for oxy- gen that was causing a slight delay. The crowd understood. Even with the need for a break now and then, he never wa- vered, nor did he miss a shot. B E S T O F M O N TA N A B M D I S T I N C T L Y M O N T A N A ' S 2023 www.roundhouse-sports.com www.roundhouse-sports.com 1 4 2 2 W e s t M a i n S t r e e t B o z e m a n , M T 4 0 6 - 5 8 7 - 1 2 5 8 1 4 2 2 W e s t M a i n S t r e e t B o z e m a n , M T 4 0 6 - 5 8 7 - 1 2 5 8 B E S T S K I S H O P B E S T S K I S H O P I N I N M O N T A N A M O N T A N A N O M I N A T E U S ! N O M I N A T E U S !

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