March 13, 1909-] 
FOREST AND STREAM 
433 
A Fallacious System. 
The trapshooting system, a recent innovation in trap 
competition whereby, in some of the events at tourna¬ 
ments, contestants shoot two by two, appears theoretically 
to be fair to all alike. In practice, however, it has many 
serious faults, w'hich freq^uently work great hardship on 
men who are beaten in the early rounds. This inequity 
in the system is quite imi)ortant enough and numerous 
enough to justify one in viewing it with disfavor. 
To illustrate some of the most important objections 
against it, let us consider the following diagram of a 
hypothetical contest, showing contestants and their scores: 
95 A I , 
94 B 
93 C I 
92 D f Vf, 
91 E ( ) 
90 FfS (,E 
93 G I ' 
92Hi^ 
55 Ilf 
54 J f 
60K ' ^ 
90 
59 L 
■K 
57 
C 
84 
85 
100 STRAIGHT 
February 20th. St. Louis, Missouri. 
BALLISTITE 
The Perfect Smokeless Powder 
Let us assume that A beats B, C beats D, etc. .Then 
the winners of the series, besides retaining their in¬ 
dividual capacity, have, as a matter of equity, assumed 
a representative capacity thereafter in the competition. 
To simplify the illustration, let us first consider A and 
B. What holds good of these two holds good of all the 
other braces in the series, in principle. 
Let-us assume that the event is at 100 targets. A has 
beaten B by a score of 95 to 94. A then assumes B’s 
rights in the com.petition in a representative way, and 
B, who can break 94 or more every time to a certainty, 
has an absolute right to demand that A shall not score 
less than 95, the total which defeated him. 
In the next series, A and C, E and G, arid I and K 
compete. C breaks 90 to 89 for A. Constructively, under 
this system C has beaten B, but as a matter of fact he 
hasn’t done anything of the kind. D suffers also. A, 
as the representative of B, failed in his representative 
capacity, and B is shelved through no fault of his own. 
E has constructively beaten H, as E beat G, who beat H, 
but as a matter ot fact H has beaten E. 
This can be involved unpleasantly in many other ways. 
The competition is further complicated at the finish, 
if the series, next to the final brace, has an odd number, 
as C, E, I. Here shooter I, who has directly beaten 
J and K, and constructively beaten L only, comes in the 
final against C, who has beaten. D, and A and E directly, 
and B, F, G and H constructively. Thus he goes into 
the final on equal terms with C without having met an 
equal quantity of competition. ' 
Now let us assume that I is a good shot, but for some 
reason, such as his gun having broken down, or his 
spectacles having been mislaid, or his stomach having 
an ache, or because of excessive nervousness, or be¬ 
cause of his not being in his usual good form, or any 
one of a hundred other eauses which affect the scores 
of a good shooter betimes, he did not get into his stride 
till the final, wherein he beat C, it is obvious that C 
has not carried his representative capacity up to the 
performance which those he defeated had a right to 
demand. 
This comparison has been made on some assumed ex¬ 
tremes, so that the weakness of the system would be all 
the more apparent, but in practice, there are manifold 
other circumstances which will continuously crop up to 
mar the equity. 
This system is used in such competitions, wherein, for 
physical reasons only, direct competition is impossible. 
For instance, as in golf tournaments, greyhound cours¬ 
ing, etc. It is manifestly impossible to start twenty brace 
of greyhounds all at the same moment after ten hares in 
a coursing match, therefore to establish as much of a 
compromise as the conditions will permit, they are 
started in couples, the winners of the series to be paired 
off into a second series, etc. The inequity in such cases 
remains, but is unavoidable. 
Montclair Gun Club. 
Montclair, N. J., Feb. 27.—Showers in the early 
afternoon probably prevented several members from 
being present to-day. The fourth contest for the Thos. 
Dukes trophy was the particular attraction. Two ties 
resulted in this (event 2), Messrs. Boxall and Winslow 
each tying at 22. A tie again resulted on the shoot-off, 
which occurred in the following event, but Boxall was 
an easy winner in the final shoot-off (event 4). 
On March G the Montclair Club shoots a return match 
at North Caldwell. 
Events: 1 2 3 4 5 
Targets: 25 25 25 25 25 
Dukes . 22 1 20 1 23 1 21 2l 
Jacobus . 22 1 21 1 24 1 23 20 
Colquitt . 22 1 19 1 22 1 21 20 
Frazee . 19 4 16 4 24 4 20 
Boxall . 10 2 22 2 20 2 20 19 
E Winslow . 4 22 4 20 4 13 
Montclair, N. J. —The Montclair Gun Club visited 
the North Caldwell, on the afternoon of Saturday, March 
6 , to shoot a return match with the Caldwell Club. 
Several of the regular team of the Montclair Club were 
unable to go, and the Caldwell Club won an easy 
victory. Scores: 
North Caldwell. 
L Stager .40 
W Kussmaul .43 
F Sindle . 33 
H Sindle . 38 
C Fischer . 44—196 
Montclair. 
G W Boxall. 40 
I S Crane.37 
R Jacobus . 44 
P H Cockefair.35 
E Winslow . 32—188 
E. W. 
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