Some TOlmble&on t>eroce 647 



A notable match in which Halford was engaged 

 was one at 2,000 yards for a prize given by the 

 National Rifle Association. The conditions were that 

 the rifle must not exceed 1 5 Ibs., must be fitted with 

 telescopic sights, and carry cither shell or solid bullet 

 The match took place at Gravesend. Metford and 

 Halford, both shooting with the same rifle, tied with 

 eight hits each out of 25 shots at a target 12 feet 

 by 6. There was another match at the same distance 

 under the same conditions in the following year, when 

 Miller, of Bristol, won with 37 points, 12 hits out of 

 20 shots, h. p. s. 80. Edward Ross and Halford tied 

 for second place with 36 points, making respectively 

 12 and 14 hits. Metford came fourth with 34 points, 

 made by 13 hits. After that there was no further 

 match-shooting at 2,000 yards. But in practice with 

 the Lee-Metford Sir Henry on one occasion at that 

 distance put 18 out of 20 shots into a target 12 feet 

 by 9 feet. 



In an interview with a Press reporter a few months 

 before his death, Sir Henry Halford gave this as the 

 result of his experiences of marksmanship : " The 

 primary necessaries to make a good shot are nerve, 

 carefulness, calm temperament, eye-sight, and power 

 of concentration. I don't think you will find any 

 man who is not a steady liver last long at shooting." 

 From that statement it will be apparent that it is 

 not every man who possesses the natural qualities 

 that go to the making of a first-rate rifle-shot. It is 

 all very well for enthusiasts to say that anyone can 

 make himself a proficient in rifle-shooting by steady 



