Clay pigeon Columba terra
Many of you will be familiar with the story of how inventor Barnes Wallis came up with the idea of the bouncing bomb (of Dambusters fame) after skimming stones across the water with his family. Fewer of you may realise that this game of ‘ducks and drakes’ also inspired George Ligowsky of Cincinnati, Ohio, who created the clay pigeon, patented in the US in 1880.
A dome-shaped saucer of clay or terracotta, it would be instantly recognisable to a modern shooter, although the presence of a short tab on the rim
