Father’s Day Gunday: Talented Father and Son Shooting Duos

Photo shows Joseph (“Skeet”) Borden, with match rifle built by his son, Jim Borden.

On this Father’s Day 2024, we celebrate three pairs of fathers and sons who enjoyed competitive shooting together. This story can remind us how shooting together can help build life-long bonds between fathers and sons.

Joseph Borden and Jim Borden
A while back, Jim Borden made a post on his Facebook Page that made us think about how shooting can build important connections between father and son. Jim recalled how he would go to Piedmont, North Carolina with his father every year for a shooting match: “17 years ago this weekend was the last time dad was able to make the trek to North Carolina for the annual Groundhog contest and the match at Piedmont. Loved the time we spent together. Dad shot competitive benchrest with me from 1980 until June 2001. He passed in August 2001.”

This prompted others shooters to respond with cherished memories of their own fathers:

“I’d give a year’s pay to have my Dad back for an hour, let alone a day. Spend all the time you can with them while they’re here”. — Kerry S.

“I think how lucky some folks are to look back in life and have fond memories of doing things with their parents that both enjoyed. I have missed my dad for 44 years and think of him every time I hunt, fish, trap or work on a household project. We did it all together.” — Bill McC.

Another poster explained how he now attends matches with his own young son:

“The time you spent with your father meant as much or more to him. Always cherish [those memories], as I know you will. Last year, I spent … over 400 hours with my then 10-year-old son going to rifle matches. This year will be similar. This photo was from today of my 11-year-old son.” — John C.

So here’s a message to all dads — take some time to introduce your sons (and daughters) to the joys of shooting. Spend quality time with your youngsters while you can. Time passes quickly, boys grow up into men. Ensure you enjoy a life outdoors together whenever you can.

About Jim Borden and Borden Accuracy
Jim began shooting high power silhouette and benchrest matches in the mid 1970s while working for a Fortune 500 company as an engineer. In the early 1980s he began building rifles for himself and then for others. Jim has a background as a gunsmith, machinist, registered mechanical engineer, engineering instructor, project manager, hunter, and benchrest competitor. In benchrest competitions he has set ten world records and won 11 National Championships thereby earning induction into the Benchrest Hall of Fame. Jim also served six terms as President of the International Benchrest Shooters (IBS).

Jim operates Borden Rifles/Borden Accuracy with his wife Joan, sons Jim Junior and John, daughter Andrea Mecca and son-in-law John (Mike) Mecca. Jim is also an outstanding photographer.

Another Father/Son Duo — Sam Hall and Hunter Hall

Sam Hall is a multi-time IBS 600-yard Shooter of the Year, who holds many IBS mid-range records. It’s tough to beat Sam when he’s on his game. But it looks like Sam has a worthy challenger — his own son Hunter Hall, now in his late teens. At age 12, Hunter won the North Carolina State 1000-yard Light Gun Group Title.

At a very young age, Hunter Hall showed an interest in his father’s shooting hobby. It turns out Hunter has the God-given talent for hitting the target. Yes there would be another champion in the Hall family. Here is Hunter, at age 12, winning the NC 1000-Yard Group title. Not bad for a kid not even in High School yet!

Even at just 6 years of age, Hunter showed a keen interest in shooting. Back in 2012 Sam reported: “This weekend we practiced freehand shooting with his BB gun at cans. After that I was needing to zero my Light Gun and get started with a few loads at 100 yards. To my amazement my 6-year-old wanted to accompany me. I could not believe it when he wanted to shoot my competition rifle. I had just put a new barrel and scope on it and needed to zero it. After two shots to get it zeroed he hit a .25 inch dot at 100 yards. I let him do everything — loading it, ejecting rounds, and even working my Farley joystick rest.”

Ken Klemm and Ian Klemm — Father and Son F-TR Aces

Over the last 30 years, a family saga has been playing out in rural Wisconsin: a father fosters within his son the joy of competitive target shooting. It started in a basement shooting range of a small-town elementary school, shooting single-shot rimfire target rifles while cementing the fundamentals of sight alignment, breathing, trigger control, and safety. With a background of competitive smallbore shooting in school and the U.S. Navy, Ken Klemm coached his son, Ian, in a father/son indoor winter shooting league. Ian was determined to shoot as well or better than his Dad and would pursue that goal for the next 30 years. Even after his engineering career took him to the Washington DC area for defense-related work, Ian continued to compete with his Dad by mailing “postal match” targets back and forth for many years.

Father and son shooting together. Her Ian spots for his father Ken Klemm, who is shooting.

Ian has now risen to the pinnacle of his F-TR discipline. Ian Klemm has now won three National F-TR Championships in four years. Ian captured back-to-back titles in 2017 and 2018, winning at Lodi, WI in 2017, and Raton, NM in 2018. Ian also finished second at the 2019 Nationals. Ian put on another great performance to win the F-TR National title in 2020 under very challenging conditions.

Here is Ian with proud parents Karen and Ken Klemm after Ian won his Second Straight F-TR National Championship in 2018. Father Ken also competed at the 2018 F-Class Nationals, shooting great in both individual and team events.