Chapter XXII: Appendix: VI

ADDENDA AND CORRECTIONS

_Add to first paragraph page 25_:

The Colt Automatic Pistol is now supplied with the automatic grip safety in all models. This prevents the discharge of the weapon unless properly held.

_Insert before last paragraph page 29_:

The latest addition to the target arms is the Colt .22 cal. Automatic Pistol. It has a longer barrel than any other automatic pistol and is fitted with adjustable sights. It has good balance and the long distance between the sights makes excellent work at the target possible. (See Fig. 17a, facing page 32.)

_Add to first paragraph top of page 35_:

This model is supplied with an additional safety which prevents accidental discharge in the event a cartridge is left in the barrel when the magazine is withdrawn.

_Insert after Match F, page 177_:

The following new matches have been added to the annual contests of the U. S. R. A.:

MATCH G--NOVICE LIMITED RE-ENTRY MATCH.--Outdoor Event.--Open to all amateurs who have never won an important prize in our branch of sport.

Winners of honors in our National Championships, first and second place honors in our State Championships, National honors in this match, professional shooters and those who have won place in important matches other than those of the U. S. R. A. are barred.

SCORE: Twenty-five shots in five strings of five shots each.

TIME: Thirty minutes.

WEAPON AND AMMUNITION: Any allowed in Matches A and B.

PRIZES: National--As in Match A.

STATE: As in Match F.

An honor medal will be given for a score of 210 or better that wins no other prize.

ENTRANCE FEE: First entry $2. There may be four re-entries at $1.00 each. As yet we have a silver cup for only the Indoor Match.

MATCH H--REVOLVER HANDICAP.--Indoor and Outdoor Event.--Arm, any revolver within the rules for Match A. Ammunition any. Twenty-five shots in strings of five shots each. Time, thirty minutes per score. Entrance fee, $3 to paid-up members, $5 to all other persons.

The possible, 250, will be taken as a basis and a contestant allowed a handicap thought likely to be necessary to make his score in this match equal the possible. The fifty-shot and twenty-five shot revolver records of the contestants on file with the secretary will be taken as the basis of handicapping. The fifty shot records will be reduced to twenty-five shot equivalents.

PRIZES: National medals as in Match A. If the whole number of contestants in this match exceeds twenty, then state medals will also be awarded as in Match A.

A bronze honor medal will be awarded for the highest score less handicap if it wins no other prize.

Winners and Scores

Indoor Handicap Outdoor Handicap
1915--F. J. Dreher 25 I. B. Humphreys 45.5
1916--F. L. Simmonds 47.5

MATCH I--PISTOL HANDICAP.--Indoor and Outdoor Event.--Arm, Colt .22 automatic and any pistol allowed in Match B. Ammunition, any. Entrance fee, $3 to paid-up members, $5 to all other persons. Twenty-five shots in strings of five shots each. Time of score, thirty minutes.

Prizes as in Match H.

Each entrant may name his own handicap. It must be claimed and mailed in a letter bearing a post mark prior to the shooting of the match.

Scores with handicaps exceeding the possible will be penalized three points for each point of excess.

Winners and Scores

Indoor Handicap Outdoor Handicap
1915--Rich’d Henderson 75 J. H. Snook 16
1916--Stanley Runck 30

MATCH J--POLICE TEAM MATCH.--Indoor Only.--Limited to members of a uniformed police force who must furnish credentials to the effect that they have been enrolled one year or more. Five men teams.

Arm, any revolver with a barrel not more than 4½ inches long, trigger pull not less than three pounds, calibre not less than .32. Twenty shots per man. Five-shot strings. Time two minutes per string. Time to be entered on target and signed by timer. Ammunition, the full factory charge for the most powerful cartridge the arm will chamber. Entrance fee, $10 per team.

PRIZES: Medals for the members of the first three teams. Gold and silver; silver; bronze. Six or more entries required to fill the match. Entry fees refunded if “No contest.” With ten or more teams entering, silver medals emblematic of state championship honor will be awarded for three contesting teams from one state. With four or more teams from one state, silver medals will be given the first team, bronze medals the second. National medals take precedence.

Ties will be decided by the fewest shots of low count.

Winners and Scores

1915--Portland, Ore.

R. H. Craddock 162
J. H. Young 157
W. D. Humphrey 155
L. K. Evans 151
J. T. Moore 146
---
776

1916--San Francisco, Calif.

S. Carr 165
W. R. Proll 157
J. M. Mann 157
T. J. Sullivan 143
E. C. Lange 140
---
762

_Substitute for subject matter under U. S. Navy Target Practice Regulations, pages 204 and 205, the following_:

The new firing regulations and prescribed course of practice with the automatic pistol are as follows:[22]

Each officer or man may fire the pistol course for credits once per year while attached to each division.

The firing in the pistol course may be done at any range.

Any target may be used.

The course is as follows:

Position Slow fire Rapid fire
Prone 5 shots 1 string of 5 shots
Kneeling 5 shots 1 string of 5 shots
Squatting 5 shots 1 string of 5 shots
Standing 5 shots 1 string of 5 shots
Total number of shots 20 20

Aggregate number of shots 40
Possible aggregate score 200

All men are eligible to compete for prizes in this course once per year while attached to each division.

The value of a prize in the pistol course is $1.

When scoring in the pistol courses, in order to prevent the markers from knowing the names of the individuals who are firing, the name of the firer will not be announced by the scorer, but the number of the target he fires upon will be substituted for his name.

Before automatic pistols are brought to a range, the magazines should be removed and kept removed at all times except while the pistol is in actual use at the firing point.

Under no circumstances should any one handle a pistol, loaded or unloaded, except when he is on the firing line fully abreast of the firers, and the pistol should never be pointed in any other direction than the front.

NOTES ON PISTOL PRACTICE

When a pistol is first taken in hand it should be examined to make sure that it is not loaded.

Both the front sight and the rear sighting groove should be blackened. When the pistol is aimed the front sight should be seen through the middle of the rear sighting groove and the top of the front sight should be flush with the top of the groove. The part of the target to be aimed at must be determined by practice. With most pistols at 25 yards the aim is usually taken at the bottom edge or in the bottom part of the bull’s-eye, and at 50 yards in the center or in the upper part of the bull’s-eye.

Grasp the stock of the pistol as high up as you can so that the barrel, hand, and arm are as nearly as possible in one straight line. The thumb should be extended along the upper part of the frame. The second joint of the forefinger should be on the trigger.

Start with a light grip and gradually squeeze with the whole hand, the trigger finger squeezing gradually back as the grip is tightened, and continue squeezing without a jerk until the pistol fires. Decide to call the hold and to keep the right eye open.

If the hits are bunched to one side they can be moved to the right by increasing the pressure of the thumb against the left side of the pistol or to the left by decreasing the pressure.

Snapping--that is, aiming and squeezing the trigger with the pistol not loaded--is most valuable practice. No man should load and fire until he has snapped several times to get acquainted with the trigger pull of the pistol. Expert pistol shots do a great deal of snapping instead of a great deal of firing. Steady holding can be acquired only by much snapping practice.

In the prone position the right elbow has excellent support on the ground. In the kneeling position the firer may kneel on either knee. Kneeling on the left knee affords an excellent rest on the right knee for the elbow. In the squatting position both elbows rest on the knees. In the standing position face the target squarely, or nearly so. Stand upright, not craning the head forward, and extend the arm to its full stretch.

A coach should be at each firing point. In addition to the general duties of a coach, his specific duties in pistol practice are: (1) to stand slightly behind the right side of the firer in order to prevent the pistol being pointed away from the front, (2) to see that the pistol is not loaded until the proper time, (3) to require the firer to explain the line of sight, (4) to see that the firer takes the proper position and holds the pistol properly, (5) to require the firer to snap several times and to call the hold, (6) to see that the firer loads properly, and (7) to see that the pistol is unloaded before it leaves the firer’s hands.

THE END

INDEX

INDEX

A

Accidents, 100, 107, 126, 133, 135

Accuracy of Cartridges, 39

Accuracy of Revolvers, 23, 46, 50

Accuracy of Pistols, 29

Accuracy Muzzle loading Pistols, 14

Adjusting sights, 132-133

Aiming, 127-128

Air space for dense powders, 157

Annual Matches, 97, 171-180, 197-205

Ammunition, 37-61, 182

“Any” Pistol defined, 180

“Any” Revolver defined, 180

Arms, 18-36, 182

Arguments and Controversies, 139

Artificial Light, 66, 118

Automatic Pistol, 18, 25, 26, 34, 35

Automatic Pistol defined, 19

Automatic Pistol Tests, 206

Automatic Revolver, 24

B

Balance of Arms, 125

Ballistical Table, 60-61

BB Caps, 135

Bisley, 93

Blacking Sights, 141

“Blazing away” ammunition, 138

Bore, to measure, 153-154

Bullet holes, clean cut, 50

Bullets, exact diameter of, 60, 61

Bullets, 44, 149-155

Bullets, flat pointed, 41

Bullets, hollow pointed, 42

Bullets, mantled, 44

Bullets, soft nosed or “dum-dum,” 55

Bullets, self-lubricating, 52

Bullets, weight of, 60, 61

Bullets stuck in barrels, 134

C

Care in handling arms, 107, 126, 127, 135

Carlin-Reynolds tests, 74-75

Carrying arms, 105

Cartridges, automatic pistol, 54-58

Cartridges, center fire, 43-61

Cartridges, rim fire, 39, 43, 60

Championship matches, 171-180, 197-205

Charges, 60-61

Cheap arms to be avoided, 122

Classification of arms, 180

Cleaning and care of arms, 143-146, 181

Cleaning fluids, 144

Clubs and Ranges, 111-121

Coaching, 132

Colt, Colonel, 14

Competing in matches, 138-143

Confinement of powder, 158

Corrosion, 145-146

Cowboy shooting, 137

Crimping shells, 39

D

Disputes, 139

Disqualification, 139

Double actions, 126

Drawing arms, 136

Duelling, 14

“Dum-dum” bullets, 55

E

Equipment and paraphernalia, 140-146

Exhibition shooting, 18, 31

Exact diameter of bullets, 60-61

F

Finish of arms, 124

Firing, 128-132, 181

First Pistols, 13

First Revolver, 14

Fit of arms, 121

Fit of bullets, 155

“Flinching,” 26, 110, 125

Fluids, cleaning, 144

Fluxing lead, 150

Fouling, 37, 52, 54

Franco-American matches, 79-83

“Freak arms,” 31

G

Gallery charges, 47-51

Gallery ranges, 116-121

“Gas cutting,” 153

Gould, A. C., 72

“Grained gunpowder,” 13

Grand aggregate medals, 171

“Gun men,” 137

Gunsmithing, 213

H

Handles or stocks, 123-124

Hardening bullets, 154

Hat for shooting, 141

Hints for beginners, 122-146

Holding position, 131

Holster weapons, 23

Hunting charges, 42, 55

I

International matches, 79-85

Indoor Revolver championship, 178

Indoor Pistol championship, 179

Indoor Pocket Revolver championship, 179

Indoor Novice match, 180

Instructions to Officers in charge of U. S. R. A. championship contests,
187

K

Keeping records, 138

L

Ladies’ clubs, 109

Ladies, pistol shooting for, 107-110

Large calibers, 32, 35, 90, 92

Leading of barrel, 134

League, U. S. R. A., 97

Lesmok Powder, 156

Long range shooting, 94-95

Lubricant, 155

Lubricating bullets, 154, 155

M

Manipulation, 126-128

Mantled bullets, 44

Marking, 114-116, 183

Match shooting, 139

Matches and Competitions, 96-98, 138-143, 171-180

Measuring powder, 161, 162

Metal cased bullets, 44

Methods and Customs in conducting U. S. Revolver Association
competitions, 184

Military arms, 20-26

Military arms, requirements of, 20, 21, 55, 56, 181

Military championship match, 175

Military record match, 174

Military revolver team match, 175

Misfires, .22-cal., 134

Moulding bullets, 149-155

Muzzle loading Pistol, 13

Muzzle velocities, 58, 60, 61

Muzzle energy, 60, 61

N

National Guard revolver practice, 204

National organizations, 31

National pistol match, 107-199

National Rifle Association, 97

Night shooting, 65-66

Novice Re-entry match, 180

O

Oils, 145

Olympic Games Matches, 83-85

Opening mouth of shells, 161

Organized Militia target practice, 204

Outside lubrication, 41

P

Paine-Bennett match, 73

Paine sights, 63

Patridge sight, 63

Penetration, 60-61

Physical condition important, 143

Pistol championship match, 172, 179

Pistols, 27-29

Pistol, definition of, 18-19

Pistol muzzle loading, 13

Pistol shooting for ladies, 107-110

Pocket arms, 31-35, 181

Pocket Revolver championship match, 176, 179

Police, Revolver practice for, 99-106

Position, 127-128, 182

Possibles, 92

Powders, 37, 155-159

Powder charges, 60-61

Powder measures, 161

Practice shooting, 94-98

Practical shooting, 136-137

Primer difficulty, 42

Primers, 147

Proportion of charges, 38

Protection from rust, 145-146

Protests, 139, 183

Pulling the trigger, 129-130

Pull of trigger, 133

Q

Qualifications for shooting, 16

Quick drawing of weapons, 135

R

Rapidity of fire in automatic pistols, 25

Rapid fire shooting, 126, 142

Ranges, 111-121

Range officers, 139

Records, 77, 184, 191-196

Record, definition of, 76

Reduced charges, 60, 61, 163, 165

Reloading ammunition, 147-166, 213

Repairs, 215

Revolver championship match, 170, 178

Revolver practice, 94-98

Revolver practice for the police, 99-106, 132-138

Revolver, definition of, 18

Rim fire cartridges, 39-43, 60

Round bullets, 164

Rule to correct sights, 132

Rules, shooting, 106, 120, 121, 127

Rules and Regulations of the U. S. Revolver Association, 180-191

Rust, 42, 145, 146

S

Score, defined, 86

Scoring, 92, 183

Second-hand arms, 122

Selecting arms, 122-123

Self-lubricating bullets, 52

Shells, 148, 149, 160

Shelter for contestants, 112

Shooting matches, 139, 171-180

Shooting equipment and paraphernalia, 140-146

Shooting position, 67-69

Shooting rules, 106, 120, 121

Sights, 21, 59, 62, 67, 132, 133, 141, 182

Sizing bullets, 154-155

Small bullseyes undesirable, 93

Smokeless charges, 60-61

Smokeless powder, 156-159

Spectacles, 141

Splatter of bullets, 118

Sport of pistol shooting, 15

Spotting, 115

Squadded competitions, 141

Standard American target, 86

Stopping power, 20, 57

Strain in match shooting, 139

Supervision, 183

Supplies, 213

T

Targets, 86-93, 183

Target arms, 26-31

Target, definition of, 86

Target practice, 94-98, 102-104, 132-138

Target shooting, 70-85

Tests, 74-75, 206-212

Ties, 183

Timing, 181

Tin for bullets, 150

Training, 143

Trick shooting, 18

Trigger pull, 124-125, 182

“Trolleys,” 116

U

United States Army Medals, 199

United States Army regulation practice, 200-203

United States Army Pistol target, 91

United States Navy regulation practice, 204

United States Revolver Association, 78-79, 167-191

U. S. R. A. _Bulletin_, 167

" " Constitution, 168

" " League Contest, 167, 189-191

V

Ventilation, 120

W

War Department Tests of Automatic Pistols, 206-212

Weather conditions, 141-142

Winan’s trophy, 76

Wind, 141, 142

Winners and scores in past championship matches, 171-180

Wrong ammunition, 133

FOOTNOTES:

[1] The first pistols of which there is any authentic information were made about 1540 by one Caminelleo Vitelli at Pistoia, Italy, from which place the arm took its name.

[2] For a detailed history of the evolution of the pistol and revolver, the reader is referred to “Text-book for Officers at Schools of Musketry,” Longman & Co., London; “Kriegstechnische Zeitschrift,” Heft I and II, 1901, Mittler & Sohn, Berlin; “The Modern American Pistol and Revolver,” Bradlee Whidden, Boston. Many interesting specimens of ancient and modern pistols and revolvers are owned and exhibited by the United States Cartridge Company of Lowell, Mass.

[3] See Ordnance Reports, Department of War, Washington, D. C., for complete details of tests, etc.

[4] See Appendix for digest of these tests.

[5] The United States Revolver Association, The National Rifle Association of Great Britain, and the United Shooting Societies of France. For programmes and details, address the secretaries of the respective organizations.

[6] For descriptions and illustrations of this style of shooting, see “The Art of Revolver Shooting,” by Walter Winans (G. P. Putnam’s Sons, New York and London). This elaborate work contains also much detailed information, valuable suggestions, and many interesting personal experiences in relation to revolver shooting.

[7] The difficulty is probably caused by the priming composition used at the present time in smokeless rim-fire ammunition. These compositions vary with different manufacturers, but most of them contain fulminate of mercury, chlorate of potash, powdered glass, etc. The trouble is probably caused principally by the chlorate of potash and perhaps by the fulminate of mercury. At any rate, a corrosive residue is left which attacks the barrel and causes it to rust. A priming composition free from deleterious substances, and which will not leave a corrosive residue, is urgently needed for both rim-fire and center-fire ammunition.

[8] So named after its adoption as the service ammunition of the Russian cavalry.

[9] California Powder Works. This brand of powder is not retailed to small consumers.

[10] Sold by American Specialty Co., 198 Fifth Avenue, New York City.

[11] See “The Modern American Pistol and Revolver,” by A. C. Gould (Bradlee Whidden, Publisher, Boston, Mass.).

[12] See Appendix for Constitution, Annual Matches, Rules and Regulations, etc.

[13] The position of a shot accurately indicated by a marker from a pit or safe place near the target. A disc of sufficient size to be seen easily from the firing point attached to the end of a pole is used for this purpose, the marker placing the disc over the shot hole for a few seconds immediately after each shot is fired.

[14] For a complete detailed description of range construction, including illustrations, practical working drawings, etc., the reader is referred to “Rifle Range Construction,” published by the E. I. du Pont Powder Company, Rifle Smokeless Division, Wilmington, Del.

[15] See Appendix.

[16] Under this subject the author aims to give helpful practical information and advice for the benefit of all who wish to acquire skill in pistol and revolver shooting.

[17] The Ideal Manufacturing Company (Marlin Firearms Co., successors) of New Haven, Conn., publishes a handbook containing full information in regard to moulding bullets, reloading ammunition, tables, and other useful information relating to shooting.

[18] See Gunsmithing, Repairs, etc., in the Appendix.

[19] In 1900 and 1901 the military target with a 4x5-inch elliptical bull’s-eye was used. The bull’s-eye counted 5 and the possible was 375. Since then the Standard American target with the 8-inch bull’s-eye has been used. Prior to 1904 twenty-five shots were fired at each of three ranges--25, 50, and 75 yards. That year the other ranges were discontinued and the 75 shots have since been fired at 50 yards only.

[20] Penalized best shot in this string for over time.

[21] The tests for revolvers were similar, with suitable slight modifications.

[22] Reproduced from “Small Arms Firing Regulation U. S. Navy, 1917.”

Transcriber's Notes:

Passages in italics are indicated by _italics_.

Superscripted characters are indicated by {superscript}.