Dave Miller’s tattoo on his right forearm forever commemorates the Guinness World Record he set on May 16, 2015. A pro-shooter for CZ-USA since 2007, Miller has been a member of Missouri’s All-State Team eight times, has had multiple Sporting Clays, 5-Stand and FITASC Championship wins and is a Level 2 NSCA Instructor.
There’s a cartoon drawing of a pheasant holding a clay with the number “3,653” on it. The pheasant was a logo developed for the official attempt and symbolizes Miller’s support of Pheasants Forever. The number is the record for most clays shot in one hour.
To appreciate Miller’s feat, it’s fair to consider that there are 3,600 seconds in one hour, and four months of research by Guinness World Records determined that 3,600 was the minimum necessary to make the book.
(Top) CZ 712 Target, 12 ga., 30-in. bbl. $580; (Bottom) CZ 912, 12 ga., 28-in. bbl. $544 The idea came to Miller’s stepson Will Lindley, who was 9 years old at the time and had watched a Guinness World Record segment on smashing coconuts with an elbow. “Why don’t you do a shooting event like this?” Lindley asked. A year later, Miller did.
The event required a battery of target throwers at a range in Harrisonville, Missouri. More than 20 volunteers formed a conveyor belt to stuff rounds into 30 CZ 712 Target and CZ 912 semiautomatic shotguns. The shotguns were modified with 16-round extension tubes from Nordic Components, and also benefited from barrel porting and leather, ambidextrous hand stops. All shots were fired from the hip with alternating firing hands when one became tired.
More than $80,000 was raised to promote youth shooting sports, which equates to nearly $22 for every clay Miller broke. Most impressive was the turnout of friends, family, shooting enthusiasts and industry partners who helped turn a boy’s idea into a record-setting event.
