THE EXPERT TRAP SHOT 



By RALPH TRIMBLE 



RAP shooting- has 



made America a land 

 of straight shooters, 

 and no country in 

 the world can com- 

 pare with the United 

 States in shooting. 

 Gun Clubs in Amer- 

 ica are directly responsible for that re- 

 putation which Uncle Sam so proudly 

 bears. By constant practice at inani- 

 mate targets the American uncon- 

 sciously prepares himself for his coun- 

 try's call to arms. 



Gun Clubs are really the outcome of 

 the abundance of live game in America. 

 The average business man loves to tread 

 the woods in search of live game, but 

 usually his time to go on these hunting 

 trips is limited to perhaps once a year, 

 and during the interval he has lost his 

 "shooting eye." He needed practice to 

 keep his eye keyed up properly, and in 

 order to get practice at home during 

 spare moments, he organized the gun 

 club, where between hours he could get 

 all the practice he needed. 



Once an expert with the shotgun, it 

 is but a short step to the rifle, and when 

 the trap-shooter goes to the front to 

 defend his country's honor, he soon 

 masters the problems of ballistics, and 

 it is this experience which has made the 

 American the premier shot on land and 

 sea. 



Trap-shooting accustoms one to nerv- 

 ous shocks, is a fine outdoor sport, de- 

 velops the lungs, and is a good chest 

 exerciser. Some of the most expert 

 shots in this country indulge in in- 

 toxicants and tobacco to a limited ex- 

 tent, but abstain almost entirely when 

 trying for records. 



Requisites for the making of a good 

 shooter are : good eyesight, good phy- 

 sique, steady nerves ; abstinence from 

 too free use of intoxicants. 



A word to the beginner who is try- 

 ing to master the art of trap-shooting : 



Practice diligently at known angles. 



Select a gun suitable for trap-shoot- 

 ing purposes. 



Select a load that will not recoil too 

 much. 



Practice and seek instructions from 

 veterans at the game. 



The delightful sport of hunting, rare- 

 ly enjoyed by the fair sex on account 

 of their natural born fear for firearms, 

 finds an exception in the doings of a 

 Cincinnati girl, Miss Frances Altheer, 

 member of the Cincinnati Gun Club, all 

 around good shot at live game as well 

 as at clay pigeons. That women may 

 find as much enjoyment handling fire- 

 arms as men do is proven by this young 

 Cincinnati enthusiast who has recently 

 won distinction at the traps by breaking 

 97 clay pigeons out of a possible ioo. 

 The misses were caused by an over- 

 zealous newspaper photographer, who, 

 the young lady claims, "was too anxious 

 to get a snap-shot of her." 



Not only does Miss Altheer enjoy 

 trap-shooting but she also takes fre- 

 quent trips into the wilds with her 

 father after real game. Facing big 

 game is not half so bad as facing the 

 camera, says the -fair shooter. Accord- 

 ing to those who have hunted with Miss 

 Altheer she is more certain of her mark 

 than the average man, rarely missing a 

 bird on the wing even under difficult 

 conditions. This remarkable accuracy 

 has been developed from an inborn love 

 of shooting with both gun or target 

 pistol, her pride being a little 22 cal. 

 revolver "that just fits into my purse." 

 If this little instrument of self-defense 

 is always in its place within the purse 

 Miss Altheer refused to admit it, but a 

 twinkle of the eye intimated that the 

 art of self-defense has been given due 

 attention. 



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