22 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
[Mabch 14, 18%. 
that the words would signify to another man. To the 
policeman it simply means that twelve of the twenty- 
four hours are free from work of the ordinary kind. As 
the other twelve hours of the day are devoted to patrol 
duty, however, and as much of his day off must be given 
to sleep, 'he does not have any too much free time. The 
little he has is especially valuable, and he does not view 
with favor the ordera to report for pistol practice that 
come on his day off. These off days, however, furnish 
the only opportunity for practice, as on other days he is 
on patrol or held in reserve most of the time, so of neces- 
sity this time is taken. Fortunately for the man, the 
practice does not take long, and it only comes around a 
limited number of times each year, and the more ready 
he is to meet the conditions and do his best the fewer 
these times will be. . , • , j 
At the school for revolver practice it has been found 
feasible to handle two platoons a day. These platoons 
are of course taken from different precincts, generally 
one from a large and one from a small precinct, in order 
to make the total number of men average about the same 
each day. The first platoon is ordered to report for prac- 
tice at 12 noon and the other at 2 P. M. The orders are 
sent from headquarters, and the platoon marches to the 
armory a little before the appointed time, in charge of a 
sergeant or roundsman. A list of all the men has been 
prepared for the record and to show the absentees, if any. 
This is turned over to the officer in charge of the prac- 
tice, who receives the platoon in an anteroom arranged 
for that purpose. . 
The ranges permit of four men practicing at once, but 
eight are first sent down, half of them to shoot and the 
others to look on, and gain what experience they may. 
As soon as four men have completed their scores they are 
sent back to the platoon, with their scores rilled out on 
cards that record every shot fired, and four more are sent 
down to the ranges to take the place of those who looked 
on at the first round. 
Method of Instruction. 
When the man enters the range he is at once taken in 
■charge by one of the instructors on duty, of whom there 
are at present four; patrolmen Arthur E. Benham, Max 
J. Fischer, Edward A. Pearson, John B. Cameron. 
The instructor stands at his pupil's right side, and cau- 
tions him if he notices any tendency to carelessness. He 
ds also on the alert to guard against any possible accident, 
and from his position can control the pistol arm of the 
•shooter if necessary. 
He shows his pupil first how to assume an easy position, 
.quartering toward the target and standing firmly upon 
both feet, and then he instructs him as to grip and pull. 
The standard weapon is the ,38-cal. Smith & Wesson 
tpocket revolver, and the method taught for holding this 
ds novel. The middle knuckle of the middle finger of the 
shooter's hand is braced firmly against the under side of 
the trigger guard, while the last two fingers grasp the 
stock. The thumb is extended forward along the frame, 
and the barrel is kept as nearly as possible in line with 
the shooter's arm. In explanation of this grip it is stated 
that it obviates the bruising of the third finger that results 
from firing heavy charges in this particular revolver. 
The trigger is grasped with the middle joint of the index 
finger and the man is instructed to pull off by a gradual 
tightening of the finger. The shooter has a new target 
for every string of five shots if necessary. Fifteen shots 
in all are fired. He is at liberty to rest his arm between 
each shot if necessary, and as yet no time limit has been 
adopted. Either single or double action revolvers are 
allowed, but no weapons of the hammerless type are per- 
mitted to be used on the range. If a man has not a re- 
volver meeting the regulations, he is obliged to provide 
himself with one at once. 
Sergt. Petty also instructs the men in loading, using 
dummy cartridges for illustration. The revolver is 
broken and grasped firmly in the left hand, the barrel 
pointing downward. The cartridges are then inserted 
and the revolver closed, but during the entire operation 
the barrel is kept pointed where no harm could result 
from accidental discharge. The men are also shown how 
to extract a shell that by any chance has slipped in be- 
hind the extractor, and various other points about the 
arm are explained, the object being to familiarize them 
thoroughly with their weapon. 
Targets and Range. 
The target used at present is the 100yds. Creedmoor rifle 
target, with a 4in. bullseye. The range is 10yds. The 
conditions, it will be seen, are very liberal. A score of 
45 qualifies, which means that the man is only required 
to get the average of his 15 shots inside a ring 23in. in 
diameter. The fact that so many of the police fail in 
what would appear to be a ridiculously easy test proves 
beyond contention the vital necessity of practice. 
Each instructor with his pupil has nearly 5ft. of lateral 
space, so that there is little danger of interference. To 
still further guard against anything of this nature the 
space is divided by slight temporary partitions. A guard 
rail separates the men from the range itself, and as it is 
not necessary to pass in front of this to change the targets 
the element of danger is reduced to a minimum. 
The manipulation of the targets is very ingeniously ar- 
ranged. The targets — numbering 150 to each range — are 
stenciled on rolls of stout paper, and by an arrangement 
of wooden ratchet wheels are wound off one roller and 
on to another whenever a new target is desired. They 
are supported on easel-shaped wooden frames about 7ft. 
high, which are protected by detachable pieces of i'm, 
boiler iron. The surface of the target exposed measures 
2ft. 6in. square. 
After the shooting is over the ratchets are disconnected 
and the targets wound back and all bullet holes covered 
with pasters. The original targets made when the ranges 
were first opened are still in use. There are 600 of them, 
including the four ranges, but as they have averaged 70 
shots or so apiece, they will soon have to be renewed. Of 
course from time to time badly torn targets have been cut 
out and removed. 
The ranges are laid, out in two tunnels, 9£ft. wide and 
lift. high. These tunnels are sheathed with brick laid in 
cement and floored with asphalt. The rear end of the 
range is protected by Jin. boiler iron, tilted at an angle 
that deflects the bullets upward, where they are caught 
by a similar shield tilted down and thrown back. Only 
a very small percentage of the lead fired upon this range 
is lost, and .bullets now being made cost the department 
less than 8 cents per thousand. 
Preparing the Ammunition. 
The officers in charge of the instruction load all the 
ammunition used at the range. To date they have loaded 
about 50,000 rounds. The ammunition is perfect in every 
respect, and is turned out at a speed that is almost in- 
credible to men familiar with the limitations .of hand 
loading. 
As the scheme of loading is in a large measure original 
with Sergt. Petty and his assistants, it is worth description. 
Bullets. 
The lead for bullets, which at present consists in large 
part of the sweep-up of the range, is put in a melting pot 
capable of holding 2501bs. This is heated by a gas stove 
which is a part of the apparatus, and by which the 
amount of heat can be gauged so as to keep the lead at 
the proper point of flux. Two bullet molds are used. One 
made by the Union Metallic Cartridge Company turns out 
ten bullets at once, and the other, an Ideal, seven. When 
the lead and. molds are working right the bullets are 
turned out very rapidly. One man handles each mold. 
Cleaning Shells. 
Ten thousand shells are cleaned at once. 
They are first put into a tumbling barrel measuring 3ft. 
long by 2ft. in diameter. This is covered with wire net- 
ting and looks like an immense peanut roaster. It is 
turned with a crank, and a stream of water from a faucet 
above runs through till most of the powder residue is 
washed away. Then a stopper is put in the escape pipe of 
a kind of sink in which the barrel turns and water run in 
till the shells inside the tumbling barrel are covered. 
Pearline is mixed with the water to cut out the grease, 
and a gas stove beneath the sink is lighted. As the water 
becomes heated the barrel is turned and soon churns up a 
beautiful foam. The shells come out nicely cleaned and 
are spread on a drying frame made of zinc, 6ft. long and 
2ft. wide, under which are arranged three sets of gas 
jets. As the shells become heated by the action of the 
fire they are stirred about with wooden paddles. The 
operation suggests popping corn. They must be kept 
moving at a lively rate, as there is always danger of an- 
nealing if the shells get too hot. 
Sizing and Lubricating. 
The bullets are sized and lubricated in one operation, 
and by a home-made machine that bears the stamp of 
Yankee ingenuity. 
An old ,32cal. loading barrel was taken and the sizing 
die bored out to .38cal. This machine works by a lever, 
and is firmly attached to a bench. Near by is a lubricat- 
ing pump, worked also by a lever. A plunger with a 
leather washer on the end exerts pressure on the lubricant 
contained in a seamless brass tube l^in. in diameter and 
8in. high. At the lower end of this reservoir is a small 
tube which conveys the lubricant from the piston to the 
sizing die, which is perforated on both sides at points op- 
posite the canelure of a bullet inserted upside down with 
the heel just flush with the top of the die. The tube is 
connected with one of these orifices and the other is left 
open. When pressure is exerted on the lever controlling 
the plunger, lubricant is forced through the small tube 
and follows the canelure of the bullet till it reaches the 
escape orifice on the opposite side of the die. The bullet 
is then forced through the die and is ready for use. The 
lubricant is a mixture of lOlbs. beef tallow and 151bs. 
mutton tallow and enough beeswax added to give it the 
required stiffness. 
Loading. 
About 600 shells per hour can be recapped by one man. 
The primed shells, 150 at a time, are placed in a steel 
loading block similar to a shotgun block. While one 
man fills one of the plates with bullets pushed in point 
first from the under side, another adjusts the charger 
plate above the shells and in a few seconds the powder 
charge for each cartridge has been accurately determined 
and the shells loaded. The plate containing the bullets is 
then placed above the loaded shells and each bullet is 
rammed home separately with mallet and plug. 
Two men with the aid of this loading block turn out 
1,500 cartridges per hour. 
As all the ammunition used is loaded by the officers in 
charge of the range before and after the hours of prac- 
tice, there is absolutely no expense for labor. All suppliee 
are bought in quantities and at wholesale rates, and aside 
from powder and primers the expense is trifling. 
As a general thing good things come high, but the man- 
agement of the police revolver practice is an exception. 
Results. 
Forest and Stream has placed on record the scores 
made in the preliminary round of the revolver practice. 
At future dates we hope to give detailed scores showing 
the improvement in marksmanship made by the depart- 
ment. Already the second round has begun, and before 
the last shots of the first were fired we were in possession 
of facts indicating that a marked benefit has resulted 
from the preliminary instruction. 
As noted in the table above, the second platoon from the 
1st Precinct, consisting of 39 men, in the preliminary 
round only scored a total of 638 points, or an average of 
16 for each man. The first platoon from the same pre- 
cinct, numbering 40 men, scored 911, or 22 per man. In 
the second .round, however, these same platoons have 
scored respectively 1,496 points (average 38) and 1,429 
points (average 37), an improvement for the precinct of 
practically 100 per cent. 
The 2d, 4th, 5th, 6th and 32d Precincts all similarly 
show great improvement in their scores, though the per- 
centage of gain is not so marked as in the case of the 1st 
Precinct, owing no doubt to the fact before mentioned, 
that the men in these precincts had been practicing in 
private in anticipation of the first round, and that their 
scores then made were better than they would have been 
otherwise. Of course it makes no difference to the de- 
partment how the results are achieved. G-ood scores 
resulting from individual practice are, if anything, more 
desirable than those made as a result of coaching. 
One thing is certain, and that is that the Board of Police 
Commissioners are in earnest in the matter of teaching 
their force the intelligent use of their revolvers along the 
lines proposed by Forest and Stream, and the men are 
coming to realize the fact more and more each day. The 
results obtained show, in the first place, that the plan as 
adopted is perfectly feasible in all its branches, and in the 
second, that it is having the desired effect in improving 
the marksmanship of the force. There is of course abun- 
dant room for improvement in both plan and marksman- 
ship, but that will come later. In the meantime New 
York may congratulate herself that she is at last in a fair 
way of having a police force that will understand not 
only the possibilities of their firearm, but also its limita- 
tions, and that will know when not to shoot as well as 
when to aim to kill. 
Mr. Silas Burton, representing the Bridgeport Police 
Department, called on Forest and Stream last week to 
discuss the matter of revolver practice. 
The Bridgeport police have followed the New York 
Commissioners in deciding to instruct their force in the 
use of its firearm, and the local press has given the move- 
ment its hearty support. Other progressive cities are 
taking up the matter, and it is safe to assume that in the 
near future revolver practice will be a recognized part of 
police drill. J. B. Burnham. 
A New Revolver Club. 
A number of gentlemen interested in revolver shooting 
met at 12 St. Mark's Place last week and organized a pis- 
tol and revolver club to be known as the Gotham Revolver 
Club. 
Mr. J. B. Burnham was eleoted president pro tern., and 
Edward Maynard secretary pro tern. ; Sergeant W. E. 
Petty, the amateur revolver champion, was elected shoot- 
ing master. Messrs. Maynard, Waters and Burnham 
were appointed a committee to draw up the constitution 
and by-laws. 
Since the disbanding of the New York Pistol and Re- 
volver Club a few years since, this city has had no repre- 
sentative organization of revolver shooters, and no gal- 
lery open to the public since Conlin's Thirty-first street 
place was closed. Though the object of the new club is 
primarily to secure a range where amateurs may practice, 
it will include in its membership veteran material from 
which a team of cracks may be selected worthy of testing 
the mettle of any similar organization in the United States. 
There will be a meeting of the club at 8:30 P. M. , Thurs- 
day, March 12, at the range, 12 St. Mark's Place, to trans- 
act business of importance, and a general invitation is ex- 
tended to all who are interested in revolver shooting. St. 
Mark's Place is nearly opposite Cooper Union, and the 
range is easily reached by the Third avenue L, Ninth 
street station. 
Cincinnati Rifle Association. 
Cincinnati, O., Feb. 23.— Payne and Hasenzahl shot the last match 
of the series of three arranged between them. Hasenzahl won to* 
day's match by 10' points, scoring 636 to Payne's 616. In the club 
scores, Gindele distinguished himself by making two clean scores, 87 
and 91 respectively. Scores to-day were as follows: 
Gindele 8 10 9 8 9 10 9 10 8 10—91 
9 8 10 7 10 9 10 9 9 3-89 
9 10 8998899 8-87 
8 9 10 9 10 10 7 9 6 7-85 
Louis ..10 9 9 7 8 7 9 8 9 10—86 
9 7 8 10 8 10 6 8 10 10-86 
8888R78 10 5 6-76 
678786 10 77 9-75 
Wellinger 6 7 8 7 8 10 8 9 9 8-80 
97 10 10 87899 8-85 
788769999 8—80 
689985778 10—77 
Welnheimer 9 9 9 8 10 10 5 8 8 0-82 
99 10 565 10 77 9-77 
8668 10 9896 6—74 
10 10 3596967 6-71 
Payne.... 8 7 10 8T07 9 8 8 7-82 
9898 10 6667 10-79 
68989885 10 7-78 
69 10 10 57877 9—78 
Trounstein.. 8 544 10 4769 7—64 
55 10 555657 10-63 
794546797 3-61 
658673649 6-60 
Hasenzahl 10 7 9 10 9 6 9 9 8 9—86 
88 10 879798 9-83 
86779 10 898 6-78 
987787796 9-77 
Randall 6 8 6 8 7 8 8 7 10 8-76 
898797695 6-74 
897464799 9-72 
876679 559 8-70 
See 6 6 10 7 9 10 8 10 9 9-84 
4788 10 9976 10-78 
976996698 8-77 
896898857 7-75 
Hake 8 6 5 6 5 9 8 10 9 7—73 
10 684966679- 71 
7794 10 4585 5-64 
10 66566564 9-63 
Drube 86966 10 998 8-79 
788769897 7-76 
886786576 9-70 
956899576 5-69 
Meeting of the National Bund. 
The executive board of the National Bund issued a call for a meet- 
ing of delegates on Feb. 28 for the purpose of receiving the report of 
the board on the great festival at Glendale Park in 1895 and also for 
the purpose of choosing the place where the next festival should be 
held. The National Bund Is an organization composed of 55 rifle clubs 
and schuetzen corps located in every portion of the United States, 
The attendance at the meeting on Feb. 28 was very good, about 40 out 
of the 55 clubs being represented by delegates. 
The financial report of the executive board was passed, but~the list 
of prize winners on the Point target was found to be in error; the re- 
port was therefore referred back to the committee to have the mistake 
rectified. 
New ^ork was unanimously chosen as the location for the next fes- 
tival. It is uncertain, however, whether the shoot will take place in 
New York State or in New Jersey, as Hudson county, N. J., a strong- 
hold of the Jersey riflemen, will be a candidate for the big shoot. 
The officers elected were: President, Wm. V. Weber (re-elected); 
First Vice-President, Henry Offerman, N. Y. Schuetzen corps; Second 
Vice-President, Ignatz Martin, Elite Schuetzen corps, Brooklyn N. Y. ; 
Third Vice-President, H. Hildebrandt, Brooklyn, E. D., corps; Fourth 
Vice-President, Gu«. Ringler, Lutzow company; Secretary, Fred. Bau- 
mann, N. Y. C. corps; Corresponding Secretary, C. F. Roedel; Finan- 
cial Secretary, H. J. Behrens, Independent Schuetzen corps, N. Y.; 
Treasurer, Geo. H. Wehrenberg (re-elected) ; Shooting Masters, Bar- 
ney Walther, Geb. Krauss and Gus. Nowak. The executive commit- 
tee is composed as follows: Fred Cooke, Robert Henke, Fred Exmeyer, 
Otto Uehlein and Geo. A. Fredericks. The honorary delegates are: 
Zeller, Lorenzand Wm. Hayes. 
Carleton Rifle Association. 
Carlkton, Mich., March 3.— The Carleton Rifle Association held its 
regular bi-monthly shoot this afternoon, some good scores being made 
by the members present. 
Conditions, 200yds. range, standard American target, 8in. bull: 
J Orion 9 11 11 9 7 10 8 10 12 9-96 
99997 12 97 11 7—89 
6499 11 8968 8-90 
J Cole 8 9 9 11 8 9 8 9 9 10—95 
9 10 88888 11 8 9-87 
9778899 10 9 8-84 
L Richards 10 10 10 11 8 8 8 8 6 8—87 
Ray Kent 9 4 8 8 9 7 7 7 12 5-76 
T E Allen 6 10 7 9 7 7 7 7 8 6-74 
Off-hand: 
Ray Kent 5 10 5 2 6 6 2 10 5 6—58 
J H Cole 642542546 4—42 
J Orion..... 243553425 5—37 
The next meeting will be held on March 17, when the annual election 
of officers will take place. The conditions for prize shooting will also 
be arranged, and it is stated that all shooters will have an equal chance 
for the prizea* as a handicap will be introduced. 
