398 



FOREST AJND STREAM. 



[June 17, 1880, 



. .1 .( I 5 4 I 5 5 •"> 

 .. MS t 6 5 l 1 4 

 . i l I 4 5 5 5 t - 



4— 43 

 4 4 5 4-43 

 4 4 3 5-43 



4 ;: 5 R ■>;) 

 + 5 5 1-13 



5 4 1 4-43 



SPMNQFtEUD, Mast., June 8tft.— Scores of the Rod and Gun Rifle 

 Club made at their weekly meeting, leather cloudy, with fre- 

 quent rain and mist. Wind moderate from east-northeast ■- 



Bumstead (mil.) 



Gorbam 



Knicl 



Gibson 



Hull * 



Chopin \ 



Wilson * 



Nutivier • ; 



Van Vteok 6 



Miinnrd 4 



Military rifle? two points allowance. 



ORBBDMOOR JUNIOR.— Mr. C.Godfrey Gunther, President, of the 

 Brooklyn. Bath and Coney island Railroad, proprietor of the 

 grounds located in the Lower Day and known as Locust, Grove, 

 conscious Of the wants of the neighboring military, the time lost, 

 and expense incurred by them in their annual target practice, has 

 established, on the northerly line of bis ground, a 200 yard rifle pit 

 Hinge, with four targets, to be known as Creedmoor Junior, 



This range can be reached hy any of the cars of Hamilton, 

 South, "Wall or Fulton ferries going to Greenwood— the terminus 

 of the Court street. Third and Hamilton avenue cars— from which 

 point th ran re can be reached by steam cars in twenty-llvo min- 

 utes. Excursion tickets 25 cents. The range has been rented to 

 Mr. Hell wig, of 321 Sixth avenue, Now York. 



Hun 



RLLS.-A man of Tro 

 ■uted a pocket appara 



N. v., claims to have 

 s for the recapping of 



mtally 



invented and p 

 exploded shelL _. 



this operation has been done by hand at 

 ways sure at that. The apparatus is of br 

 in oue's pocket. A grooved cylinder, lying 

 380 caps set on edge. At one end of this cylinder is a piece 

 mechanism somewhat resembling an office hand-stamp, having n 

 its base a Manga into which the base of the shell fits in such 

 manner that the vent is directly under a plunger. A spring i 

 the cap cylinder keeps one of the line of caps fed close up to til 

 pluugerfttatitno. and when the shell is put in place nndtb 

 handle struck with the ball of the hand, a cap is nicely inserto 

 in line base of the shell at exactly the proper point andahai 

 below the hose of the exterior to admit of the rotation of tb 

 shell in the socket of the gun. The machine is made in the sev 

 oral sizes adapted to the calibers of shells, and will recap at th 

 , i >,n in fifteen minutes, or 100 in less than five minutes, i 

 Hartford, Conn., firm has recently got out a handy implemen 

 for the same purpose. It may be carried by the sportsman in th 

 pocket, and operates as rapidly as tne hand can place the shell 

 and remove them. 



THE SIGHTING OF HUNTING RIFLES. 



IT is commonly supposed that bad shooting e 

 either to defective rifles, improper loading c 

 Do t the more I experiment on 



" d sight i 



nd try 



i game i8 due 

 poor aiming. 



fiutof mil 

 ost impoi 



sible 



rets 



j-oftni 

 rifle thai dd< 



spit 



i by the experienced liuntei 



hy the beginner, and e% 

 due solely to the sights. 



If the ingenuity of man is sublime, so also is his stupidity. How 

 many thousands of dishes have been spoiled by the loose top of 

 the old pepper castor; and what mighty intellectual throes it 

 must have taken through long lanquishing ages of time to give 

 birth lo a screw-topped one. 



Fot r think that, even the old pepper castor is eclipsed by the 

 monumental stupidity of some rifle-makers in the sights they put 

 upon their sporting-rifles. 



Let us look: first at the front sight-a huge chunk of bastard 

 metal, shaped like a slice of watermelon, and mouuted on a block- 

 nearly half an inch high ; so dull in color that you can hardly see 

 it, unless the sun strikes it just right; high enough to raise the 

 trajectory several feet, if you happen to catch too much of it; 

 lian'ng a beautiful slope at the back, so that the brightest spot 

 will vary all the way from the tip to the base, according to the 

 position of the sou. and so artistically sloped off on cither side 

 that either sine will be brighter than the center when the sun is 

 on that side. When the sun is just above the horizon, and again 

 when it, is overhead, walk out In the light with a rifle having one 

 of these marvels of ingenuity on the end. Then, keeping youf 

 eye fixed upon it, turn entirely around, so that the sight pusses 

 all around the circle of the horizon. Do you see how the center 

 of brightness shifts all over from side to center and from base to 

 tip? Do you see how difficult it is to find the true center (even 

 when yon have plenty of time to look for it), when the 



brightness is above, below or 

 see how easy it is to mistake I 

 which is often the case on ga 

 I i not satisfied with this ex 

 eight principal points of the 

 shoot at the 



e side of it? And,, 



if not. 



true 



nd often If yo 



t, place eight targets nt the 

 s. and, standing in the sun. 

 xtremely careful totiud the 

 erso careful, you will shoot 



o the sides. 



Now, in target shooting there 

 of being misled by this, though c , cu luere Ki 

 the shooter always shoots In the same direction, with B un In 

 same position; has plenty of ,i,„e to find , he center, andean to 

 some extent correct any error caused by the light, lint it is 

 scarcely necessary to say that in the held, especially, when "ante 

 is effecting its disappearance, this is almost impossible 



suppose B ow, you knock off this fashionable fraud, Lore a hole 

 with a screw thread through the sliding block 



: ' 



i to a small r. 





pcrpendie 



of ivory through it 



behind, leaving the top as flat as the average joke. Let the top 

 he wide enough to suit your eye, but hare no slope on either side 

 r behind. Take this nut in the sun and turn round with it 



s hard to t 



the 



t, pistol. 



it is to hit a barn 



Ihuui standinginside 

 i same way, but sloped a 

 imewhat the same advan- 

 white agate f«,r certain tv 



you will find it 



with the average American 



of I lie barn. A metal sigli 

 little on the top of ihebac 

 toge. though nothing can e 

 in this respect. Agate is. 1 

 grease too easily and becomes dull. But agate may be set to 

 chimps or through a large wedge-shaped hole from the under side 

 of He- block ; and Ivory may be freed from grease in a few mo- 

 ments by boiling thesigbt in some alkali oriualeohol. The white 

 sight is not equal to gold or brass for running shooting on snow. 

 or for sheeting against the «ky, if cloudy. But 1 here is no metal 

 that shows the center with equal certainty in all lights and posi- 

 tions, and can be so clearly seen at dawn or dusk, in the dark 

 w. .nds or the open plain. The liability to break is the only objec- 

 tion, and this is easily obviated by having an extra one. 



hose may be cut as fine upon top as the shootei 

 desire: but I recommend flatness of top for the following 

 reasons: 1 here is no unction that the rifleman so quickly lays u 

 his soul which is so flattering and so delusive as the idea that i 



it is a " line shot." In duelling where there is a mark nearly si; 

 feet high within ten paces, a "line shot" means something. Ir 

 shooting on game trht retne Mark Is seldom over eighteen [nohei 



nd distant from seventy-five tt 

 nning, perhapsat that, 



two or three bundr 

 shot" also means s 

 four— perhaps tire o 

 bad rifles, and bad 1, 



it i 



wthn 



ul of 



. It is J ust exactly here that bad shots, 

 how the very least. The " line shot," 

 as it is generally called, means on the vertical line above, or below, 

 and this is. iust the easiest and most worthless of ail shots. The 

 veriest tyro, unless in a cross wind, can hit above or below the 



mark with great eagi - T ie] resl ritte, especially at long ranges, 



will strike the vertical line far oftener than the horizontal; and 

 bad loading sends the ball too high or too low thrice as often as It 

 sends it to either side. He who fancies that a variation oi a 

 inches from the horizontal line of the mark is a good shot, will 

 find bimeelf elegantly sold when he tries any game less than an 

 elk or a buffalo. Learn to hit the horizontal line of the mark, a nd 

 then j on may talk about" line shots." Of course the vertical 

 range is important enough, and by no means to be neglected. I 

 only moan that of the two the horizontal range is far the more 

 important, and far the harder to attain. 



Such being the case, the front sight should be shaped to insure 

 good horizontal work without sacritlee of good vertical work. 

 and for this purpose a sight flat on top is the best, provided the 

 flat part be not too wide. 



Now tho very best of shooting can be done at a target, and often 

 at game when standing, with a trout sight almost as sharp as a 

 knife-Blade. But in a bad light, when the game is dim and indis- 

 tinct, or when running, it is as easy to catch with the eye too 

 much of the sight or mistake the point altogether, as it Isfora 

 humorist to Hood the world with twaddle after he once gets an 

 established reputation. The flat top obviates this difficulty to 

 almost the same extent that the thread and hail or gluhe sight 

 does. The only objection to it is that it involves some sacrifice of 

 vertical accuracy. This objection is truer in theory than in Tact. 

 Wonderfully accurate shooting can be done with a very broad 

 front sight if it be of such uniform color and brightness that you 

 do not mistake a corner or the base for the center or top, ami be 

 clear and easy to see. But even if such a sight caused a variation 

 to the side equal to tho variation up and down caused by a Sharp 

 sight, one would no1 lose one-third as much game by it as hy the 

 sharp one, for nearly three shots out of four at big game are side 

 or quartering shots. It will not hurt such a sight to have t In- 

 back top edge slightly sloped off; and with a metal sight this 

 should be always done, and all below it dulled and rusted with 

 acid or iodine. The slope will then shine like a little star, and uot 

 be easily confounded with any part below. 



The principle of Beaeh's combination sight is first-rate, but the 



Oloroi tne Open Sight is too anil and the light strikes too much 



on t] e base. Has II one-half and solder a bit of gold On the top. 



Then brighten the back en 1 or the gold and make ft square and 

 rust all below it with acid; or, what is belter yet, cutoff the open 

 sight entire)} and put a small ivory sight as above described, ei- 

 ther behind or m from of the rest. This will leave room tosee 

 the globe aod part of the ball above the ,,,,,■,. 



There are but two objections to low sights : first, they arc easily 

 hidden by snow falling on the barrels while hunting In n snow 

 storm. Second, you cannot raise the trajectory much by taking 

 what is called a " coarse bead." The first of these is easily oUvl 

 ared by carrying rifle upside down and occasionally wiping it. 

 And the second I do not hesitate to pronounce the greatest bless- 

 ing in tho long run that a hunter could have conferred upon him 

 be he tyro or Lealhersloeking, whether he shoots in the moun- 

 tain or on the plain, in the woods, or the open hills. 



T. S. Vax Dyke. 



—Address all communications to "Forest and Stream 

 Publishing Company, New York." 



m i « im 



New York Aroitery Club.- One of the largest gatherings of 

 atehers In the United States, with perhaps the exception of the 

 incuts held last year, was witnessed Saturday afternoon, 

 June 12th, on the Archery Lawn, Central Park. Th.- ooeasioa 

 was the first spring field day of the New York Archery Club, 

 which hud been postponed from Decoration Day last. At one 

 time we counted some sixty ladies and gentlemen, all Bhooting 

 at once, and the scene was one of animation and gayety. The 

 club had a great number of flags over the lawn, together with 

 signals marking the several distances of the American and Co- 

 lumbia Bounds, which were shot over during the afternoon. All 



I Archers, Pi 

 ers and Lawn C 

 hers, Brooklyn A 

 isburg. 



nual prize meeting in the fall, 

 three of their double rawhide b; 



lie, Nottingham Aroh- 

 ull of Elizabeth. N. J. ; 

 i-s, Man!... t tan A tellers 

 i the club has its 



•s. Sutton & Pond put up 

 two for the ladies 

 and one fur the gentlemen, together with a belt, quiver md C IS 

 for score book, ail of- which were open to all. 



Miss Brandagee. of the Nottingham Archers, of Elizabeth, won 

 the Aral ladies' bow with a score of 230 at the Columbia Bound 

 Miss Morton, of the New York club, won the second how with a 

 score of 2011. Mrs. De Luna wou the belt and quiver with a score 

 of 147. 



Mr. S. S. Roper won the gentlemen's how with a score Of 291 at 

 the American Bound. 



Mr. A. B. Breeze, of the New York Club, presented at the last 

 meeting am tdge, to be known as the Columbia 



''■" I : "■■ Btitionamong the ladies of the club every six 



wet I ■.-: I u aci ri oi 25 oro ei being necessary to win it. This 



|,! '-'- ''-''■' sh il for St tarda] tor the first time, but 250 uot be- 

 ing made, i t W |ii remain without an owner until the next contest: 

 takes place, when some lady may lie more fortunate and be 

 .'ir it until again lost. 



The -nests and members all voted the first meeting of the New 

 York Club a success, and with hearty congratulations and e.\- 

 i mutual good will toward each other, separated to 

 spread the growth of good fellowship throughout the archery 

 world around and In New Yo rk. The following are some of the 

 best M.vs:- 



Columbla Round-Miss Morton, New York Club, 203 ; Miss Bran- 

 dagee, Nottingham, 230; Mrs. De Luna, [few York Club. HT. 



American Bound-Mr. Hoper, New York Club, 294; JHr. KcLean, 

 Manhattan, 274; Mr. Auten, New York Club, 208; Mr. Pearsall, 



Brookl}-n, 183; Mr. Sergent, Spuyten Duyvil, 1?3; Mr. Stouten- 

 borougb, Brooklyn, 146; Mr. Young, Cedarwood, 12-3. 



A ClTALr,ENOE TO THE NEW YORKS AND OllITANTS. - CTlif llOll 



June 13th.— Editor BV>r«tf, awl Stream :— From present appearances 

 "pen contests" are about the only ones that are liable to take 

 place between the New York Archery Club and the Oritani 

 Archers. We, therefore, hereby Challenge both of the above 

 named clubs to a inn toh at the Single York Bound, to take place 

 Saturday. June Kith, at 3 r.M.; we to shoot a team of four men 

 against a team of five from each of the above-named clubs. 



Knowing how anxlous^both of the above clubs are to shoot, wc 

 shall consider tho challenge as accepted, and proceed to shoot on 

 our new grounds at Lincoln Park at the above specified time. 

 H. B. Wilkinson, 

 Secretary North Side A. C. 



New York an-d Boston.— New Toi% June nth. — The Oritani 

 archers hereby challenge the Pequossett archers, of Boston, Mass., 

 to shoot a friendly match, each club to shoot on their own 

 grounds and send scores to the Forest add Stream. Match to 

 be at either the Double American or \ f ork Rounds. Teams of 

 six. W. Holberton, 



President Oritani Arehers. 



Borin Hoot) AnotlEUB.— The Robin Hood archers of Nyaek 

 held their annual meeting Saturday, June 5th. Reports showed 

 the club free from debt aod with seventy members on the roll- 

 The first, field day will ho held Saturday, duly 3d. A challenge 

 from the Oritani archers, of Hackensaek, N. ,L, was accepted, 

 the match to come off about the middle of July. The officers are 

 as follows: President, S. K. Bradley; Vice-President, B. Mcrritt : 

 Secretary, A. Merritt; Treasurer, Mr. J. M. Arnold; Lady Para- 

 mount, Mrs. J. Grlswold; Robin Hood, J. O. Davidson; Maid 

 Marion, Miss S. Crumhie; Executive, C. C. Griswold, J. Hart, T. 

 De Witt, J. Cleveland, A. Merritt and G. Crumbie. 



North Siiie Akxiigry Club.— On tho 4th of Juno the members 

 of the North Side Archery Club, of Chicago, together with sev- 

 eral visitors from other societies, shot the York Bound upon the 

 beautiful south lawn In Lincolu Park, in North Chicago. The 

 grounds chosen are the most perfect for the purpose conceivable, 

 being perfectly level and covered with a sward of thick and closely 

 mown grass. All the surroundings of green trees, flowers and 

 sunshine, enough In themselves, were enhanced In loveliness by 

 tbe blue and wrinkled background of Lake Michigan, flecked 

 with its froth-crowned waves. A large company of ladies and 

 gentlemen witnessed the snooting, and but for the tempest of 

 wind which swept down the range the day would have been all 

 that could have been desired. On account of the fierce gale it 

 was not possible to shoot double ends, as no target could have 

 stood for a moment with such a wind at its back. The shooting 

 was done at six targets, three gentlemen at each target, ana 

 though no high score was made the shooting was ver.> _ 

 sidering the trying wind. A few of the scores were misplaced, 90 

 that only the following can be given :— 



Stones. 



100 Yds m Yds. tiO Yds. Totals. 



, H'ig h inn'fi l Park, 'ftf.'. 

 uiul, Highland Park 



IB- 71 

 [5 55 



!fl 



»— .33 

 a 8] 



12- :!s 



11-130 

 30-155 

 38-144 



t. Hill ; 



irda 



oil. 



Several other gentlemen made good scores, notably Mr. J. O 

 Blake and Mr. John Wilkinson, but the records were misplaced 

 and their scores were necessarily omitted. 



The occasion was a very enjoyable one, and but Tor B shower of 

 rain beginning during the last halt of the sixty yards ran 

 have passed without an unpleasant incident. The shower pre- 

 vented t fl or three of the geutlemen from concluding the shoot- 

 ing at the sixty yards range. Such meetings, composed of repre- 

 sentatives of different societies, should occur more frequently, 

 as they, greatly advance the pastime and are the means of the 

 formation Oi true aud lasting friendships. The North Side Club 

 is growing in uuu. tiers and skill, and some of its members will be 

 found in the highest rank among the prizewinners at the grand 

 national meeting at Buffalo. A team composed of Messrs. Burn- 

 ham, Adams, Wilkinson and Blake would be among the most 

 formidable in this country. Vishob. 

 m> * '1 



North Side Archiiuy OOSB— CMcafio, June 12th.— Through the 

 courtesy of the Park Commissioners, the North Side Archery Club, 

 of this city, have been granted permission to use the beautiful 

 south lawn of Lincoln Park for archery practice. This makes the 

 finest ground for this purpose I have ever seen, being perfectly 

 level, Willi the lake for a background, and skirted on three sides 

 by beautiful shade trees. The club meet for practice every plea- 

 sant evening, and hold a field target meetiDg monthly. The club 

 isnowreadv for challenges from all, and for all Rounds. 



T- A. L. 



—Address all communications lo " Forest and Stream 

 Publishing Company, New York." 



ATLANTIC YACHT CIXTi. 



IT was natural that the annual regatta of the Atlantic Yacht 

 I i,,i, o i a V' i Inesdaj June 9th, should have been looked 

 forward to with more interest than common, as it was the first 

 racing of the year among die larg . classes, and BO many now 

 ships had been launched this spring that owners and the public 

 were anxious to learn bow much we had improved upon the 

 standard of last year, both in point of speed and general quali- 



Ebe 



mid 



b.irelv -teerr'-o- wav, while those forfi 



re being nipped by the il mi Ian ireea 



from" the s itl I outsi le and n ., "■■ 



v.-ihiu [he Him "! ten hours, is evidence enough of the Character 

 ot the day's sailing. It reminds one of many another .sailed under 

 very similar circumstances of wind and weather. The list of en- 

 tries was particularly good, and it was certainly a pity that a 

 club which can and did turn out the lines! m 

 America should just, happen to have struck for its fifteenth 

 annual racing one of the lightest weather days we have had for.a 

 long time. 



