James Biddle
When Dr. Jim Biddle realized that his racing days were over, bench rest rifle shooting appealed next. One Saturday while shooting at Elm Fork Winchester rifle range with best friend Arnold Schwartz, they heard the staccato sound of gunfire on the other side of the berm. They soon discovered skeet and the rifle went into the safe.
Jim practiced and shot in leagues at Elm Fork until February 1977. With snow on the ground, Biddle went to the Grand Prairie Gun Club where he joined the NSSA and entered the 12 gauge event. Soon he was competing in numerous small shoots in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Dallas Gun Club membership came in 1977. It was there that his shooting career took a step forward when he was given the opportunity to on the squad with Jim Moon, Al Topham, Jim Wells, and John Coombes. They traveled to the bigger shoots in the state of Texas.
Despite many hours on the practice field, the wins did not come, causing one Dallas Gun Club member to quip, “He sure works hard but he will never be any good.” This remark inflamed Biddle’s desire to win, but it wouldn’t be until the 1983 Motor State that he’d win the 20 gauge event in a shoot-off with Wayne Mayes. It was his first major gun championship. This started a love affair with the Motor State that continues to this day.
Biddle has won numerous gun championships, runner-ups, and three HOA championships at Detroit. His first 4×4 and 5×5 came there in 1990. Biddle has won titles at the Pan Am, Briley-Bradshaw, U.S. Open, Southwest Classic, Beretta, and many others.
At Savannah in 1990, Biddle won the Mini-World HOA with the only 4×4. As a self-taught swing-through shooter, “Doc” Biddle developed a distinctive style for shooting doubles, which made believers out of many who saw win the Mini 20 and World 28 and 20 gauge events in 1991.
In his career Biddle has had five 4x4s and, while not a record, he compiled a 20 gauge long run of 1725 in 1990 and 1991. His selection to the Texas Skeet Shooters Hall of Fame in 1993 was another milestone. A particular source of pride comes from his participation in 1984 as the fifth man on the Texas Five-Man team, which set the World Shoot HOA record in 1992 at Savannah. Biddle was 20 gauge high average leader in 1983 and 1985; and has been selected to 15 All American teams including the First Team from 1991 – 1996.
Jim has amassed over 211,000 lifetime targets as of 2025.
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