Anvil shooting

The rules are simple: shooters' anvils must be made of steel, weigh at least 100 pounds and no more than 2 pounds of black powder can be used to send that thing soaring. Two classes exist, those who shoot Traditional and those who shoot Super Modified. In the Traditional class, shooters use real, antique anvils. At the base of every anvil there is a hollow spot, where powder and a 90-second cannon fuse are packed. Then a second anvil is placed on top of the first. Once the fuse is ignited, the shooter has to haul ass to make it out of the 300-foot danger zone. "The first time I shot it went about two feet high," Mulloy admits. While anvils shot the traditional way now reach heights up to 100 feet, for some that just wasn't high enough -- hence the humble beginnings of the Super-Modified category. Not only can shooters in this class smith their own specialty anvils, but they are shot from heavy base plates that enhance height and accuracy.