Dec. 24, 1910.] 
FOREST AND STREAM 
1031 
vances the bird travels 2in. The shot does not maintain 
its high velocity, and, providing the bird does, we have 
at 40yds. range nearly lin. flown in the time the shot 
advanves 1 ft., ar.d at 60yds. l%in. flown for every foot 
advance made by the shot. 
Allowing 5-100 of a second as the time necessary for 
performing the involuntary and voluntary actions of 
seeing the mark, determining to shoot, raising the gun 
and firing, and also the small fraction of time required 
for the ignition and combustion of the powder and its 
passage through the barrel, we find that with the 12 - 
bore and standard charge at 15yds. range, a bird flying 
at 40 miles per hour will have traversed 5ft. 6 in. before 
the shot reaches that range from the gun. 
If 20yds., then 6 ft. Gin.; if 30yds., then 8 ft. 9in.; if 
40yds., then lift. 5in.; if 50yds., then 14ft. Sin.; if 60yds., 
then 19ft. 4in. 
A great deal of difference is caused by the manner of 
bringing up the gun. Some sportsmen acquire the 
habit of bringing up the gun with a swing in the direc¬ 
tion the mark is moving; others bring up the gun and 
follow the object, while the majority of good shots put 
up the gun and are supposed to jerk it ahead of the 
game, and fire it before the latter motion has ceased. 
Those who shoot with the gun on the swing, and in¬ 
tuitively increase the speed of the “swing,” so that the 
gun races the game, and beats it, never require to 
"hold ahead.” Those who hold on by shooting prompt¬ 
ly, prove the truth of the theory that it is necessary for 
the hand and eye to act in unison, while they who hold 
ahead, although agreeing that the hand must follow the 
eye, yet so shoot that the hand must point the gun in a 
different direction from the object on Which the eye is 
fixed. If the hand can be entrusted intuitively to direct 
the gun to any required distance above or before the 
object upon which the shooter’s gaze is fixed, well and 
good; perfect shooting will result. 
The following hints as to aiming, etc., will be ap¬ 
preciated by all who have convinced themselves that 
they can, by practice, aim ahead of moving' game: 
The young shooter, and all who desire to improve their 
shooting, should practice in the following manner: Com¬ 
mence by shooting at slow-flying birds, as pheasants 
(flushed, not driven), pigeons whose wings have been 
slightly clipped, or at rabbits frisking on the sward. 
Let all shots be at short range — 20 to 30yds. When the 
bird gets up, the gun is to be brought quickly to the 
shoulder and fired while both eyes are looking at the 
bird. 
Birds going straight away, and neither very high nor 
skimming low down, should all be killed, as the aim is 
the same as for a snap-shot for a fixed mark. Birds 
crossing may be missed, probably because the shooter 
fires behind them. By just how much the gun will be 
pointed ahead of the cross-flying birds may not be 
actually observed, but it must be known by the muscular 
sense, and if the shooter, while looking at a moving 
object in front of a wall or screen, consciously directs 
the gun to the right or left, according as the movement 
is right or left, he will quickly educate the muscles to 
direct the gun to any distances right or left, of the 
object seen, and further practice will make him pro- 
* ficient in altering the elevation to any desired extent. 
It is always necessary to keep the eyes,steadily gazing 
upon the bird, even when the aim is into space as many 
as 3, 8 , or 20ft. ahead of moving objects. My estimate 
of 20 ft. may differ greatly from that of another, but 
practice at various ranges and previous experience of 
similar shots will direct me, as it will every one who 
follows these instructions, to aim the gun intuitively in 
that direction where the charge of shot and the game 
simultaneously bisect—the one the line of flight, the 
other the line of fire — so long as the bird is seen. 
When practicing wing shooting there will be many 
misses, of course. After each miss the shooter should 
consider why the object was missed, and, whatsoever 
cause may be assigned, let him do his best to guard 
against it in the future; if a cross shot, and he was be¬ 
hind the object, he must determine to direct his gun 
further forward when another similar shot presents 
itself. If he does this and continues to shoot without 
being hurried, flustered or disheartened, he will stead¬ 
ily improve in his shooting; but to go on missing, time 
after time, without giving a thought as to the cause, 
will do no good whatever. 
When a bird rises, follow" its exact course with your 
eyes, and when it is in the best position for shooting, 
bring up the gun from below or behind it, and if your 
hands act in perfect harmony with the eye and the 
will, as you have schooled them to do, the gun will be 
aligned instinctively; then press the trigger so as to feel 
recoil at the instant the object is in position. If you 
stop the gun at the moment of firing, you are sure to be 
behind, for your muscles have to race to get ahead, and 
if you stop the action at the moment you pull the trig¬ 
ger, you stop it long before the shot leaves the barrel, 
and much longer before it reaches the line of flight of 
the game. 
It is a good plan to continue the swing of the weapon 
while firing; by so doing you send the charge of shot in 
the direction in which the gun is moving; but if you 
think you have acquired the habit of stopping the swing 
at the moment of firing and kill well, there is no need 
of changing your method. It is a mistake to bring up 
the gun so that it has to be lowered again in order to 
cover the object, or to bring it from before the object, 
though this latter plan is sometimes necessarily fol¬ 
lowed, as when the shooter facing No. 2 trap gets a 
quarterer to the left from No. 5; but ordinarily follow 
the flight of the bird, if for the fraction of a second 
only, then bring up the gun and fire. 
The allowances which will have to be made, as al¬ 
ready explained, can only be determined by actual ex¬ 
perience. The following general indications may, how¬ 
ever, be of some service: 
The straight going-away shot at birds should be point 
blank at any distance. 
At ground game going straight away, shoot over the 
animal. Of approaching shots: at birds shoot dead on, 
unless the bird is very high, when aim well in front. 
If, coming over at long range, but low, make less al¬ 
lowance, or wait until it can be shot at a pleasant angle 
nearer the shooter. 
An approaching low shot, when a driven partridge or 
an “incomer” from the pigeon traps: aim under the 
bird rather than over it. Birds which cannot be shot 
as they approach, owing to the position of beaters, etc., 
must be allowed to pass over, and will furnish similar 
shots to those obtained by walking up to the birds, but 
their flight will probably be much quicker, and they will 
be higher; the bird must therefore be shot well under, 
i. e., actually in front of it. A bird that has passed 
and flies low is a more difficult shot; the shooter must 
get ahead of it, and this is only to be done by shooting 
over it. 
Birds crossing to the right are more difficult to hit 
than those crossing to the left. It is often advisable to 
move the position by turning one-quarter round on the 
right foot before raising the gun when there is a quick 
flyer to the right and you are shooting along or on the 
right extremity of a line. Longer shots may be made at 
crossing than at straightaway birds. 
Some quartering shots are very easy, others most dif¬ 
ficult—it depends upon the speed and angle of the flight. 
Ascending shots are difficult—the most if at short 
range and flying quickly. Aim high. 
If the bird is well away and going straight or quarter¬ 
ing, to get before it — i. e., to hit — it will probably be 
necessary to aim high. 
Aim at the head of a pheasant rising; indeed, all game 
of which the head can be seen should be shot at as 
though the head, not the body, were the sportsman’s 
mark. 
Shoot at the head of all ground game. It often hap¬ 
pens that incoming and motionless ground game is shot 
over and neither hares no rabbits should be shot at 
when more than 40yds. distant, nor above 30, if going 
straightaway. 
The prettiest of shots, and difficult ones to make, are 
the perpendicular shots.- In attempting these shots 
bring the left hand much nearer the breech than is usual 
for any firing at an angle of 45 degrees or less, and aim 
in front of the bird if approaching, and under it if 
going away. 
Occasionally shots may be had at birds and hares de¬ 
scending, chiefly when shooting on the hillside, and these 
shots are difficult, the sportsman generally shooting 
over his game. Low-flying wildfowl, wood-pigeons 
coming into lofty trees, hawks, crows and vermin, gen¬ 
erally afford different shooting practice, by which the 
sportsman will profit. In order to become an expert 
shot, if other game is not readily available, starlings, 
fieldfares, larks, and even sparrows may be used as 
marks, and much learned from shooting at them. 
To practice systematically, nothing is so handy as trap¬ 
shooting — almost a separate art, but one which may be 
followed with beneficial results even by expert game 
shots. 
OF HOLDING ON. 
Snap-shooting and the “hold-on” principle of aiming 
are synonymous. Some fail to see how any one firing 
a snap-shot—as they understand it—can possibly hold 
ahead with any amount of certainty, for the space of 
time which the opportunity affords in many cases is only 
sufficient to take in the situation and fire; it will not 
allow even for a mental calculation. Many favor the 
“hold-on” and snap-shooting system because it is pret¬ 
tier, safer, and, in the opinion of most, surer, and it 
offers, to say the least, many more chances of a full bag 
than the other way of aiming. First, it will be ad¬ 
mitted that the style is far better in snap-shooting than 
in the “hold ahead” practice; secondly, it is safer, in so 
far that there is no tendency to “poking,” which the 
hold ahead and slow calculating shots lean to, even 
though a little—a little which with young shooters is 
likely to become more. It must be remembered that 
“the man who hesitates is lost”; hesitation in firing, at 
any rate, means loss of game and perhaps everything 
else except experience to the shooter. 
An instance of the danger of the “poking” aim once 
warned us of the dangers of the system even when 
practiced by a sportsman and regular shooter of twenty- 
five years’ standing who, on one occasion, allowed him¬ 
self to be carried away by his excitement to^ the extent 
of “following up” a partridge at least three parts of a 
circle before firing. The bird rose on his left and flew 
low across his front, quartering to the right, until it had 
nearly completed the circle before it fell to the long- 
expected shot. The shooter had his gun to the shoulder 
the whole of the time the bird was on the wing and in 
following up and trying tc make the proper allowance 
his gun covered many of his companions, the beaters, 
and dogs, although, in the end, the bird only was shot; 
the attitudes of the shooter appeared extremely ludi¬ 
crous to the others of the party after the muzzles of the 
gun were directed toward a safe quarter. Thirdly, very 
many more opportunities occur for snap-shots to one 
accustomed to take them than to one practicing other 
methods—for instance, when shooting cover, either in 
line, alone, or by beaters.—From the Ninth Edition of 
“The Gun and Its Development,” by W. W. Greener. 
Northern Kentucky Gun Club. 
Dayton, Ky.—The regular weekly shoot of the club 
held on Dec. 18, was poorly attended, only five shooters 
showing up. The day was not a good one for the sport; 
the sky was covered with heavy clouds, at times a light 
mist fell and a strong wind was blowing, making the 
targets very erratic in their flight. Darkness came on 
very early, so that it was difficult to see the targets in 
the last two events. Dameron fell down to S4 per cent., 
owing to the poor weather conditions; usually he breaks 
well up in the 90s. White, of Butterpint, Ky., did the 
best work which was done in any one event during the 
afternoon, breaking 24 out of 25, and doing that with a 
borrowed gun. 
The club will hold a big “sebuetzen fest” on Jan. 2 
and 3, being the fifth annual tri-State Championship 
trophy tournament at live birds. The trophy is emblem¬ 
atic of the wing shot championship of Ohio, Indiana and 
Kentucky. Any amateur can shoot for the purses, but 
the trophy is open only to residents of the three States 
named. The event, which will be shot on Jan. 2, is at 
25 live birds, handicaps, 29 to 33yds.; entrance $16.25, 
birds included; shot in series of five; all start at 29yds.; 
5 straight, go back 1yd; 4 out of 5, stay at the same 
distance; 3 out of 5, advance 1yd. The first 15 birds of 
event 1 , constitute the second event, entrance $ 10 , 
divided high guns. The last 10 birds of event 1 con¬ 
stitute event 3, entrance $5, money divided high guns. 
On Jan. 3 there will be four events. The first is at 50 
birds, handicaps the same as on Monday; entrance $20, 
birds extra; class shooting; one money for each five 
entries. The event will be shot in series of ten; 10 
straight, go back 1yd. for the next 10; 9 out of 10, stay 
at the same distance; 8 out of 10, advance 1yd. No 
shooter can go back further than 33yds., nor advance 
nearer than 26yds. The first 20 the second 20 and the 
last 10 birds make up events 2, 3 and 4 respectively, 
with $10 entrance in each, division of purses, high guns. 
The handicap committee for this race will be chosen 
from the shooters on the grounds. The committee hav¬ 
ing charge of the tournament is made up of the follow¬ 
ing gentlemen: J. A. Payne, Cincinnati, O.; J. V. Deal, 
Maysville, Ky.; George Dameron, Bellevue, Ky.; John 
Schreck, Covington, Ky.; George Walker, Fort Thomas, 
Ivy., and C. B. Woodbury, Dayton, Ky. The handicap¬ 
ping committee for the first day is: Tom Clay, Austerlitz, 
Ky.: Ed. Voris, Crawfordsville, Ind., and Frank Alkire, 
Williamsport, O. 
G B C . 19 19 19 21 78 
Dameron . 21 22 22 19 84 
Luverne .’.. 20 14 .. .. 34 
White . 24. 24 
Holaday . 15 23 22 .. 60 
Madison Square Garden Tournament. 
New York, Dec. 10.—We take great pleasure in in¬ 
closing herewith a brief advance announcement of our 
coming show. Let us begin by saying that the glories 
of the old original sportsmen's shows will be revived,, 
but under entirely new management. All of the old and 
attractive outdoor sporting features which were so in¬ 
teresting to the citizens of New York and vicinity will 
be retained, and new ones added, and no expense will 
be spared by the management in arranging for and 
decorating the show so as to make it an ideal one. 
In introducing for the first time in New York city 
a great international trapshooting tournament on the 
main floor of the big auditorium in Madison Square 
Garden, a new thriller has been added to New York’s 
amusement features. But in doing this, one-half of the 
space of the Garden has to be utilized for this purpose, 
so that exhibition space will be at a premium, and hence 
an early application for space is suggested. 
The program will be a continuous one, running from 
10 in the morning until 11 o’clock at night, every day, 
but the program, while intensely attractive to the visit¬ 
ors, will be so sub-divided and arranged that ample time 
will be given between each event, so that visitors to the 
show can see what the exhibitors are showing, all of 
which will make for good business, and hence, the show 
should prove very remunerative to exhibitors. 
The program of the trapshooting tournament follows: 
10 A. M. until 12:30 P. M. — 20-target sweeps, entrance 
50 cents (optional $2 sweeps). 
1:30 P. M. until 5:00 P. M.—100-target indoor individual 
amateur championship, entrance $5 (optional sweeps). 
7:30 P. M. until 9:00 P. M.—Intercity three-man team 
matches, 150 targets per team; entrance $10. 
9:00 P. M. until 10:00 P. M.—100-target indoor profes¬ 
sional championship; entrance $2.50 (optional sweeps to 
suit shooter). 
Tickets to Garden will be given free to all contestants. 
Liberal money prizes and trophies will be given. 
Office, Metropolitan Life Building, Room 6049. Tele¬ 
phone Gramercy 2142. 
S. M. Van Allen, Mgr. 
'Rifle Range and Gallery „ 
Philadelphia Rifle Association. 
Philadelphia, Pa., Dec. 17. —The weekly competi¬ 
tions of this Association were shot to-day on the Arling¬ 
ton range, Lansdowne avenue and Cedar lane, near 
Llanerch, Pa. There was a fair attendance in spite of 
the cold weather. Geo. Schnering came out and com¬ 
pleted his ten scores for the gold record medal with a 
223. Dill tried to break his own record of 47 in B 
military class, but did not succeed. Williamson also 
failed to heat 4’4 Mil. Dr. Davis’s score of 182 showed a 
distinct advance. 
Record match 200vds., rifle: Geo. Schnering, 223, 219, 
210, 203. 203; Dr. Davis, 182. 
Offhand match: Geo. Schnering, 222, 204, 203. 
Plonor target, 3 shots: Geo. Schnering, .58, William¬ 
son 63. 
Military match: II. A. Dill 46, 45, 45, 44, 44, 43, 42; 
Williamson, 44, 42, 41. 40, 38. 
Zettler Rifle Club. 
New York, Dec. 
lows: 
13.—Scores of 
the 
Zettler 
Club fol- 
A Begerow . 
.. 233 
226 
227 
230 
238—1154 
F M Bund a. 
. 237 
241 
236 
236 
241—1191 
C S A Gerken. 
. 237 
238 
235 
241 
243—1196 
T, Maurer . 
. 234 
243 
236 
242 
242—1197 
C A Schrag. 
. 237 
225 
224 
224 
240—1150 
O Smith . 
. 244 
245 
241 
242 
241—1213 
W A Tewes. 
. 246 
246 
241 
244 
242—1219 
B Zettler . 
. 237 
238 
233 
234 
243—1185 
C Zettler .. 
. 239 
244 
244 
244 
245—1216 
Dr A Leavitt. 
. 225 
22 S 
233 
224 
227—1137 
F Kecking . 
. 238 
230 
227 
226 
233—1154 
