67 chapters
6 hour read
Selected Chapters
67 chapters
PREFACE
PREFACE
My first book on pistol shooting ( The Art of Revolver Shooting ) was published in 1900. Up to that date there existed no book which contained instruction on pistol shooting, though several books had appeared describing the different makes of pistols. Since that date several books have appeared—some very good ones, by various revolver experts. Unfortunately (as always happens when something original appears), others who were not revolver shots took to writing books on the same subject, largely m
5 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
CHAPTER I
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION There is now no use learning revolver shooting. That form of pistol is obsolete except in the few instances where it survives for target shooting, or is carried for self-defence; just as flintlock muskets even now survive in out-of-the-way parts of the world. If a man tries to defend himself with a revolver against another armed with an automatic pistol he is at a great disadvantage. The automatic is more accurate than a revolver, as the “blow-back” does not vary as much as does the
4 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
CHAPTER II
CHAPTER II
SPORT VERSUS SPORTS When I wrote my book on revolver shooting, in 1900, I caused indignation amongst many, by saying that the time wasted over games would be better employed in learning to shoot. I was told that, although pistol shooting might be amusing, it was “such a waste of time and of no practical use,” and this by men who waste most of their time over golf! Later, the Kipling poem on Flanneled Fools and Muddied Oafs came out, and there was an outcry as if one of the dogmas of the church h
7 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
CHAPTER III
CHAPTER III
WHY PISTOL SHOOTING IS UNPOPULAR Games, or “ sports ” as they are called, would not be popular if they were conducted on the same lines that pistol shooting usually is. Pistol shooting is made as dull and uninteresting as possible, and then surprise is expressed that hardly any one takes a pistol in his hand, except when compelled to do so, and that shooting galleries do not pay. Small white squares of cardboard, a minute black spot in the middle of each, are put up at various distances. You are
3 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
CHAPTER IV
CHAPTER IV
THE WRONG WAY TO LEARN Pistol practice varies in different countries. As duelling is still general on the Continent, practice with the pistol is conducted differently to that customary in the United States or England. On the Continent most men of the upper classes have at least a rudimentary acquaintance with the foil and duelling pistol, but in the English-speaking nations a man has rarely ever handled or even seen a duelling pistol, or the few who have done pistol shooting have never shot exce
3 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
CHAPTER V
CHAPTER V
PRELIMINARY INFORMATION In revolver shooting there was the danger of making a bad shot through a badly fitted or dirty cylinder not turning quite into place, and causing a shaving of lead to be taken off the bullet as it passed into the barrel. I was once trying a new pattern revolver, and made a very bad shot, although I knew I had let-off well. I opened the revolver, and a thin shred of lead fell out, showing the bullet had been deformed as it entered the barrel. A bad shot from such a cause c
7 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
CHAPTER VI
CHAPTER VI
HOW TO PREVENT ACCIDENTS It is no use carrying a pistol in your pocket for self-defence, and to have it go off and kill yourself, or much worse, shoot the person you are trying to save. The first, foremost, and last thing is never to point the muzzle towards anywhere you do not want a bullet to go. Never mind if the pistol is empty, treat it as if it were loaded. “I did not think it was loaded” or “he was cleaning the pistol and it exploded” are the stock excuses when an accident occurs. Firearm
7 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
CHAPTER VII
CHAPTER VII
HOW TO PREVENT ACCIDENTS ( Continued ) Do not forget the hammer has three positions. Down on the cartridge, “half-cock,” and “full-cock.” The latter is when the pistol is ready to be fired, when at half-cock it cannot be fired by pulling the trigger and is supposed to be safe against accidental discharge, but it can be fired accidently if, in raising the hammer to full-cock it slips, owing to clumsiness or a greasy hammer or thumb, or the hammer may get caught in something and be raised accident
4 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
CHAPTER VIII
CHAPTER VIII
TRIGGER-PULL Very few people pay attention to the strength of the trigger-pull of their pistols. They accept whatever trigger-pull it has when they buy it. They do not know that trigger-pull can vary from a hair trigger up to many pounds weight. First-class gunmakers make the “weight,” as it is called, of their trigger as light and smooth as possible subject to its being safe to handle. The subject of safe trigger-pull is a variable quantity. An expert shot can be trusted with a trigger-pull so
6 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
CHAPTER IX
CHAPTER IX
AMMUNITION Every make of pistol has ammunition which suits it best. In fact, to shoot what was made for it. In the case of automatic pistols, they will not work properly unless their own ammunition is used. It is very dangerous to shoot the wrong ammunition out of a pistol. It may burst it. I nearly had such an accident with a revolver when winning a prize given for the best score with a certain make of powder. I found the pistol working very stiff in the revolution of the cylinder, toward my la
2 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
CHAPTER X
CHAPTER X
FIRST LESSONS As the automatic pistol is a very dangerous one for a novice to handle, it is best for the beginner to first thoroughly master a single-shot pistol. There are several styles of single-shot pistols (see Plates 2 , 9 , 10 , and 17 ). I will not give a list and description of all makes, like a gunmaker’s catalogue. I will merely describe a few of the typical ones. Very many are not only obsolete but of no use, and I do not intend to describe any pistol or ammunition merely to condemn
5 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
CHAPTER XI
CHAPTER XI
LEARNING TO SHOOT Having a pistol and ammunition, the next thing is to find a place to shoot in with safety and comfort. The usual procedure is as follows: A says “I want to learn pistol shooting.” “I know a place,” says B. They go off and find a shooting gallery. When they get there they go down a dark staircase, into a long, dark cellar with a glimmer of light at the firing point and a glimmer of light at the far end, illuminating a series of minute white cards with a microscopic black dot on
10 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
CHAPTER XII
CHAPTER XII
SIGHTS I put this chapter after the preliminary one on learning to shoot as, although sights are vital for good, quick, accurate shooting, the beginner is too occupied with other matters to pay much attention to what the sights are like. Now that the learner can load, fire, put his pistol to half-cock, etc., with safety to himself and others, he can begin to learn a little about sights. The sights are to enable him to align the barrel of his pistol accurately. By constant practice a man can lear
10 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
CHAPTER XIII
CHAPTER XIII
TARGETS I began my instruction with a white bull’s-eye on a black target, but, as soon as the pupil becomes a little proficient, this bull’s-eye shooting should be stopped. The pupil should then learn to hit the middle of a large object, not a small object of different colour, superimposed on a larger one. The great difficulty beginners have in deer-stalking is that they aim at the stag as a whole, instead of trying to hit a definite part of him. If you aim at even a large object in the former w
6 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
CHAPTER XIV
CHAPTER XIV
PRACTICAL TARGETS The pistol being, primarily, a man-shooting weapon, the target for practice should be the shape of a full-sized man. The man target we used at the Olympic Games at Stockholm in 1912, was a coloured paper target of a soldier standing at attention, full face. This was pasted on a wooden board cut to the same shape. The bull’s-eye was an upright oval on the breast, surrounded by concentric upright ovals. The divisions could be seen from the firing point. Competition at it was perm
3 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
CHAPTER XV
CHAPTER XV
HOW TO HOLD THE PISTOL As the revolver had a short stock with an acute curve and was muzzle heavy, the grip I recommend for it is not suitable for the duelling pistol or automatic. I take the duelling pistol first as that has the ideal handle or stock; the automatic, except in the American Colt Regulation .45, being open to great improvement. The duelling pistol is a survival of the old horse pistol in balance and form of stock, and this has never been improved on. Most things undergo constant i
5 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
CHAPTER XVI
CHAPTER XVI
RUNNING SHOTS The pistol being meant for use at close range at objects one sees only for a moment, or which are in rapid motion, I do not advise getting too much into the habit of taking long, deliberate aim at stationary targets. When you can handle the pistol with safety to others and yourself, it is better to begin to learn shooting rapidly and at moving objects. I think it is well to begin to shoot at moving objects at first, instead of rapid shooting. You can begin at slowly moving objects,
6 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
CHAPTER XVII
CHAPTER XVII
RUNNING SHOTS ( Continued ) It is best to stand with the feet slightly apart and facing rather where the object is going to, than from where it comes, as your shot will go off towards the end of its run. At first bring up the pistol very slowly, and swing with the object for a moment after your sights get on it. Do not first aim at it and then move in front of it. Gradually come quicker and try to fire the instant your pistol comes up. Speed in coming up does not help you. Most men come up in su
5 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
CHAPTER XVIII
CHAPTER XVIII
SHOOTING AN AUTOMATIC PISTOL Before everything else, be sure you have the right cartridges for the pistol you are using. If you have too strong a cartridge you may have a fatal accident. If too weak a cartridge the mechanism will not operate. A weaker cartridge than that for which the pistol is made will prevent its working properly or, in fact, working at all, unless the closing is assisted by the hand, and then it ceases to be an automatic pistol. It is best to begin practising single loading.
5 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
CHAPTER XIX
CHAPTER XIX
TIMING APPARATUS In order to improve our speed in shooting, it is important to have a mechanical timing apparatus. Trying to judge speed by counting or getting someone else to count half-seconds is very unreliable. Where everything depends upon making your last shot a good one the counting is bound to become slower, in the anxiety not to spoil a good score. With a mechanical timer there is no relenting, it is Fate, and if you cannot make a good shot in time, your score is spoiled. This trains yo
1 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
CHAPTER XX
CHAPTER XX
SNAP SHOOTING When you have become fairly proficient at hitting moving objects, you will be able, with a little practice, to soon pick up the knack of snap shooting. By snap shooting I do not mean the sort of competition where you are given three-seconds intervals. That is merely “fast deliberate aim,” in fact is as slow as allowable for practical shooting, slower is mere target shooting. Snap shooting is when the pistol is fired the instant it is levelled without any dwelling on the aim. Use a
3 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
CHAPTER XXI
CHAPTER XXI
LONG RANGE SHOOTING The moment the bullet leaves the muzzle of the pistol, it begins to fall, owing to the force of gravity. The faster it is going the further it goes before this drop is sufficient to be noticeable. Gravity acts through time, so if a bullet goes twice as fast as another, it goes twice as far before it has dropped the same distance as the slower bullet. The big bullet of the duelling pistol has more air resistance than the .22 bullet of the American pistols, also it has comparat
5 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
CHAPTER XXII
CHAPTER XXII
THE AUTOMATIC PISTOL Now that the pupil has learned how to handle the single-shot pistol with safety to himself and others, he can be trusted to learn how to shoot the automatic pistol. (See Plates 7 and 13 .) Before giving such instruction, it is necessary to explain what an automatic pistol is, and in what it differs from a single-shot pistol. The first pistol, as the first rifle, was naturally a single-shot one. The pistol and rifle both proceeded in development along the same lines. First th
4 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
CHAPTER XXIII
CHAPTER XXIII
THE MECHANISM OF THE AUTOMATIC PISTOL What the maker of the automatic pistol has to do is to restrain the sudden smashing blow of the explosion on his mechanism and have it operate gently. (See Plates 13 and 14 .) The safety of the shooter depends greatly on the breech of the pistol not being opened till after the force of the explosion is spent . If the breech is opened before the force of the explosion is spent, it will drive the cartridge out like a bullet, and the pistol will in fact be shoo
7 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
CHAPTER XXIV
CHAPTER XXIV
PECULIARITIES AND FAULTS OF AUTOMATIC PISTOLS Before purchasing an automatic pistol it would be well to try shooting several makes. Inventors have not yet arrived at anything like a standard shape. The grip, angle of stock, distance of trigger, etc., all vary, and you can decide what suits you best only by actual trial. Handling the unloaded pistol is not enough. I was once trying an automatic military rifle and found it balanced and handled very nicely. In order to test it in rapid fire I tried
6 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
CHAPTER XXV
CHAPTER XXV
FINAL PRACTICE What I am about to describe is very dangerous, even for a good, cool shot, and should not be attempted by any but an expert. It is practice for instantaneous shooting when taken unawares. Put up a full-sized man target at fifteen yards. Buckle on your holster, with the loaded automatic in it, the safety bolt at “safe.” Button the holster. Stand with your back to the target, get your pistol out and put all your shots into the target in the shortest possible time. This practice can
3 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
CHAPTER XXVI
CHAPTER XXVI
EXHIBITION SHOOTING In my Art of Revolver Shooting I did an unintentional wrong to a stage shot. In the book I gave details of how to do legitimate stage shooting, and also exposed the devices of those who perform conjuring tricks, which the public mistake for genuine shooting. There was a review of my book in one of the daily papers, in which the reviewer gave extracts of how some of these fake-shooting feats were done. The next day I received a most indignant letter from a “Lady Champion Shot”
3 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
CHAPTER XXVII
CHAPTER XXVII
CONTROL OF TEMPER Pistol shooting is excellent training for control of the temper. Boiled down to its essence, pistol shooting is fighting either in earnest or in competition. Whilst therefore self-control is essential in all sport, in pistol shooting it is vital. When a man loses his temper he is at the mercy of his opponent. Temperaments differ: a word or act which has not the least effect on one man’s temper irritates another till he gets beside himself. How often one hears a man say: “I don’
6 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
CHAPTER XXVIII
CHAPTER XXVIII
THE EFFECT OF ALCOHOL AND NICOTINE ON SHOOTING In order to obtain the best results in shooting, a perfect co-ordination between the brain, nerves, and muscles is necessary. A man who drinks heavily may for a time be able to shoot well, but this does not last. He can never be depended on not to “crack up” and he collapses at critical moments. Very robust health is not necessary as long as the above conditions are fulfilled, and pistol shooting in the open air may be of benefit to a man who is in
7 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
CHAPTER XXIX
CHAPTER XXIX
CLEANING AND CARE OF THE PISTOL In the black powder days cleaning was, comparatively, a simple matter. Now, with the smokeless powders, especially cordite, incessant care has to be taken to avoid the pistol spoiling by corrosion, pitting, and rust. Even if you have cleaned the bore most carefully after using—the next morning you may find it in an awful state. The only remedy is to go over the pistol at intervals, after use, and even when it appears perfectly right it should be looked after every
2 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
CHAPTER XXX
CHAPTER XXX
PRACTICAL PISTOL SHOOTING In England, rifle and pistol shooting are conducted on lines different to Continental usage, owing to the entirely different point of view adopted. In England big game has been practically exterminated. There are a few fallow deer left in parks, and a few red deer are wild in Devonshire and Somersetshire, and Scotland, but these deer are beyond the means of any but rich men to shoot, and the deer in Devon and Somerset are reserved for hunting with hounds. There are a fe
6 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
CHAPTER XXXI
CHAPTER XXXI
DANGER OF LEAVING PISTOLS ABOUT The brainless have one perennial joke. This is to take up a firearm, aim it at someone, say “I’ll shoot you,” and then pull the trigger. Even an unloaded pistol should never be left about. Someone is sure to “snap” it and ruin the lock, lugging at the hammer and pulling at the trigger at the same time, just as people rip out the teeth of the gear of an automobile by altering gear without first taking out the clutch. If the pistol is loaded, someone is sure to get
3 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
CHAPTER XXXII
CHAPTER XXXII
USING ONE’S BRAINS IN SHOOTING Pistol shooting is not merely the mechanical art most people think it is, a man who does not use his brains and think out things will go on making the same mistakes all his life and never improve or become a good shot. There is no such thing as luck. A bad shot means a fault somewhere, and the good shot is he who can diagnose the cause of this fault and correct it. I saw a most ridiculous instance of a man not using his brains. A man was practising next me at Gasti
2 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
CHAPTER XXXIII
CHAPTER XXXIII
THE PERFECT TARGET Most targets are very imperfect, not only from the bull’s-eye being a wrong size, but the scoring on them is very rudimentary, and does not show the real value of the hits. For instance, take the usual English five hundred yards’ target. If a few hundred men have fired at these, there are a quantity of highest possible scores made which have to be shot off and much time wasted thereby. Seven lucky shots just touching the extreme edge of the bull’s-eye counts a highest possible
4 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
CHAPTER XXXIV
CHAPTER XXXIV
IS DUELLING WRONG? Right and wrong are not, as some suppose, clearly defined, as are black and white. Right and wrong so overlap that it is difficult, except for a clergyman, to decide which is which. Circumstances may turn the balance, and what is right under some circumstances is very wrong under others. A man may pose as being very good, whereas he is merely a coward; he may refuse to fight, not because he thinks it wrong to kill, but because he is too cowardly. Wrong often poses as right. Ri
5 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
CHAPTER XXXV
CHAPTER XXXV
REMARKS ON DUELLING The mere word duel raises a smile amongst the empty headed. Hardly any one thinks for himself; he takes his thoughts ready made, like his tea when he gets up in the morning. He opens his paper; in the paper he reads “So-and-so is the wickedest man on earth,” good; in future, whenever he hears of anything So-and-so’s done, it is wrong; and if he sees So-and-so “on the pictures,” he hisses with all his might. Next, he reads that “such a one is the best and cleverest man on eart
3 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
CHAPTER XXXVI
CHAPTER XXXVI
REMARKS ON DUELLING ( Continued ) The person considering himself aggrieved sends two of his friends as his seconds, to see his adversary. The latter if he accepts the challenge appoints two of his friends to act as his seconds. These four seconds meet and agree as to the conditions of the duel. If the matter is serious, the duel is fought till one of the combatants is either killed, or is so seriously injured that he cannot continue. Otherwise the seconds take the first opportunity to declare th
3 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
CHAPTER XXXVII
CHAPTER XXXVII
DETAILS AS TO DUELLING The following remarks on duelling apply only to countries where duelling is permitted. In duelling the challenged has the right to choose what weapons are to be used, pistols or swords. The pistol is the weapon for any one deeply wronged, provided he is anything of a pistol shot. In a sword duel the duellist can parry; in a pistol one, he cannot parry, but he can shoot first. If his adversary is a good shot and intends to kill him, his best chance is to hit him before he c
4 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
CHAPTER XXXVIII
CHAPTER XXXVIII
OUGHT DUELLING TO BE ABOLISHED? It is a mistake to think that it is to the universal satisfaction that duelling is no longer allowed in England. Probably it was abolished, owing to some agitation by a few cranks, like that against stag-hunting and Sunday amusements, and even at the time of the abolition, there were many who thought duelling was a necessity and its abolition a mistake. Even a judge of the present time doubts if his abolition was not a mistake. On May 17, 1911, it is reported that
4 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
CHAPTER XXXIX
CHAPTER XXXIX
HOW TO PREPARE A NOVICE IN HALF AN HOUR FOR A DUEL A duel takes place only a few hours after the challenge, generally early next morning, to prevent interruption. Suppose a man has never had a pistol in his hand. How should he be trained in the half-hour at his disposal? This is easy—if he is experienced with the shotgun at game or clay pigeons. Show him the hind sight of the pistol; tell him it is merely to assist him in aligning the pistol. Tell him that as there is only one barrel, it would b
7 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
CHAPTER XL
CHAPTER XL
PISTOLS FOR SELF-DEFENCE These can be divided into two classes. Pistols to be carried on the person and pistols to be kept by the bedside against attacks at night. The pistols to be carried on the person can again be subdivided into pistols carried openly, and those carried concealed. For a pistol carried openly, the big army pistols are the best, my choice being the U. S. .45 Army Colt Automatic (see Plates 13 and 14 ). Such pistols, it must be remembered, have great penetration, and if fired i
7 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
CHAPTER XLI
CHAPTER XLI
DRESS The dress one can wear when pistol shooting is limited to what the company present is wearing at the time. The ideal dress on a warm day would be that of a rowing man with the addition of a sombrero and nailed shoes, but of course this is inadmissible. The absolute essentials are to have the right arm, shoulder, and neck free, and a firm grip of the ground with the feet. A soft front shirt is not so necessary in pistol shooting as in rifle or shotgun shooting. With the two latter the stock
5 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
CHAPTER XLII
CHAPTER XLII
SELF-DEFENCE If a man is found in the house at night, he can be generally captured by getting the drop on him, that is to say, getting an aim on him before he aims at you, and make him hold up his hands. But there are cases when, in order to save another or yourself, to attempt this is merely to get killed. If a man is rushing on you it is no use calling “hands up.” Shoot instead of talking. This especially applies to a man rushing on with a knife. He most probably will throw it into you if you
3 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
CHAPTER XLIII
CHAPTER XLIII
PROTECTING THE EYES AND EARS There is no direct danger to the eyes in pistol shooting, that is to say, with a good pistol there is no chance of a blow back of fire into the eyes, as there is in a cheap, rim fire rifle. The eyes are apt, however, to get bloodshot and sore from powder smoke blown back into them in a head wind, especially from the ejecting cartridge of an automatic pistol. When doing much shooting daily out-of-doors it is well to wear a pair of big diameter spectacles fitting well
7 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
CHAPTER XLIV
CHAPTER XLIV
EYESIGHT The back sight of a revolver is held further from the eye, as compared with a rifle back sight, and the object to be hit is under fifty yards’ distance. The eyes best suited for pistol shooting therefore are those of moderately long sight, the normal eye in fact. A near-sighted man, without glasses, has difficulty in seeing the back sight although the range, twenty to fifty yards, would suit his eyes better than rifle shooting at long ranges of eight hundred and one thousand yards. If a
4 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
CHAPTER XLV
CHAPTER XLV
THE WEATHER AND SHOOTING Rain, as far as the actual shooting goes, does no harm to shooting. In fact, if your adversary has to wear glasses it gives you a great advantage over him as his glasses get covered with a film of water. A dull drizzle is often accompanied by a dead calm and better shooting light, than a sunshiny day. Wind is the great enemy to pistol shooting. In rifle shooting, in the prone position, the wind not only lends interest to the shooting, but brings out the best shot, the on
5 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
CHAPTER XLVI
CHAPTER XLVI
MILITARY AUTOMATIC PISTOLS It is the military use of pistols which has doomed the revolver. During the war, England was the only country which still retained the revolver as regulation. Every other country had adopted the automatic pistol in its place. There are two opinions as to the proper calibre for a military pistol. England, having to fight savage tribes, had always preferred a large bore pistol with stopping power. Fanatics who do not value their lives can do a lot of mischief, even if wo
7 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
CHAPTER XLVII
CHAPTER XLVII
RECOIL When buying a pistol the amount of recoil you are able to stand plays an important part. This is not entirely a matter of physique. A slight, wiry man, whose hands and muscles are in hard condition, and who “gives” to the recoil will be able to shoot a pistol having a recoil which would knock all the shooting out of a man who was in a flabby condition, or not accustomed to manual work, even if that man were much heavier and stronger. Some men can bear punishment better than others. The du
3 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
CHAPTER XLVIII
CHAPTER XLVIII
JUDGING DISTANCE With the revolver, which was not usually shot at longer range than fifty yards, judging distance was of little importance. With a full charge .45 revolver, sighted for twenty yards, the drop of the bullet was not more than about 1½ inches at fifty yards. With gallery ammunition in a .44 revolver the drop was about 4½ inches. I am speaking from memory, not from actual calculations or measurements. The duelling pistol, although shooting the same gallery charge, needs slightly less
6 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
CHAPTER XLIX
CHAPTER XLIX
GAME SHOOTING The single shot .22 pistol is much used in the United States for small game shooting for the pot, when camping out after big game. It does not make much noise and also has the advantage of being very portable. Game birds sometimes come close to a camp in the early morning or evening; and a sitting shot for the pot can be got at them without disturbing the ground, when a shotgun would clear all the ground for miles round. I find a .22 pistol has not enough stopping power to prevent
3 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
CHAPTER L
CHAPTER L
SHOOTING FROM HORSEBACK This needs an entirely different training to shooting when on foot. It needs knowledge of “Horsemanship” above all else. Ninety per cent. horsemanship and ten per cent. pistol shooting skill will beat the finest pistol shot if he has only ten per cent. horsemanship to his ninety per cent. shooting skill. By “horsemanship” I mean “horsemanship,” not mere skill in sticking on a horse’s back. A man may have ridden all his life and be able to stick on the back of any horse an
7 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
CHAPTER LI
CHAPTER LI
GALLERY AUTOMATIC PISTOLS Rifles and pistols though greatly improved in some respects are now progressing too much in one direction. The inventor’s sole idea seems to be to get the most powerful cartridge possible. They have now reduced the rifle to a small bore with an extremely heavy charge and therefore the rifle has to be made very heavy to be safe from bursting. This may be very necessary for war but it is a great disadvantage for the many other purposes a rifle is used for. The new rifle i
6 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
CHAPTER LII
CHAPTER LII
SHOOTING GALLERY Pistol shooting in competitions or for practice is conducted either under cover, in the open, or partly under cover. The latter is much the best way, so I will keep this to the last. An open-air range can only be installed in the country, away from buildings or annoyance to others. Even then it is not immune. Just before the war several rifle ranges in England were ordered to be closed because they inconvenienced golf players, and of course golf is much more important than shoot
3 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
CHAPTER LIII
CHAPTER LIII
THE GASTINNE-RENETTE GALLERY This gallery has been in existence for some seventy years and is constantly improved and it is the best gallery I know of in any country. In describing it I will be describing what an ideal shooting gallery should be like. The entrance is through a well-lighted daylight passage past the gunmaker’s shop of the proprietor. A pistol can be bought or hired, or alteration made to the sights or trigger-pull of one’s own pistol, on the spot. One then comes to a long, well-l
4 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
CHAPTER LIV
CHAPTER LIV
OPEN AIR RANGES A row of white squares, each with a black bull’s-eye on it, and men aiming, aiming, and finally letting off their pistols at them, is such a mistaken idea of learning pistol shooting. It is all so futile, so useless, except as a sport and a means of getting fresh air and relaxation. To occasionally put a series of shots very close together on a stationary target is interesting, and shows what a good pistol and men are capable of when working in harmony. But to consider this the s
3 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
CHAPTER LV
CHAPTER LV
SHOOTING IN LITERATURE Most extraordinary ideas prevail amongst writers as to shooting in general and especially pistol shooting. One novelist makes his hero see “a flame zigzagging in the darkness,” he, not troubling to ascertain who was carrying the light, friend or foe, without hesitation “drew his pistol, took an aim of a good thirty seconds’ duration and fired straight at the flame.” To aim “straight at” a moving object is the way to miss it, and if the aim is taken for thirty seconds the h
5 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
CHAPTER LVI
CHAPTER LVI
GRIP There is a great variety of opinions as to the shape and size a pistol stock should have so as to give the best grip. As I have already mentioned, the grip which suits me best is that on the French duelling pistol. But what suits one man may not necessarily suit another. A smooth, mother-of-pearl stock is very slippery to me, but some think this gives the ideal grip. Some men have fat flabby perspiring hands, others have cold damp hands, both of these seem to be able to hold a mother-of-pea
6 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
CHAPTER LVII
CHAPTER LVII
TRICK SHOOTING “Champion Shot” shooting on the stage must not be taken too seriously. No one can keep on shooting at small objects on a man’s head or held between his fingers without an occasional bad shot, and if it misses by only half an inch, such a miss may cause the death of the assistant. Unavoidable sources of accident are, a weak cartridge giving a low shot; a hang fire, or, as in one fatal accident, the rifle blows open, lowering the muzzle and the bullet entering the assistant’s forehe
9 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
CHAPTER LVIII
CHAPTER LVIII
THE DEVILLIERS BULLET Dr. Devilliers has patented a spherical bullet, made of a secret composition, which is shot out of pistols with only the fulminate of the cap to propel it. It cannot be used in an automatic pistol loaded through the magazine as there is no recoil to operate the mechanism, but it can be shot from a magazine pistol if used as a single loader. It is primarily intended for a duelling pistol and can be used in revolvers. The idea is to have a bullet which can be used in competit
4 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
CHAPTER LIX
CHAPTER LIX
KILLING INJURED ANIMALS Unless in the hands of a very skilful shot the pistol is most unsuitable for killing injured animals with. They will probably be hit many times before a vital spot is struck and so be horribly tortured. This remark applies especially to small animals like cats and dogs. The best weapon for this purpose is a 12-bore shotgun loaded with No. 5 shot but even as small as No. 7 shot is very deadly if fired at a range of not more than four or five feet off. With the shotgun a sh
8 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
CHAPTER LX
CHAPTER LX
COMPETITIONS The duelling clubs at Gastinne-Renettes’ have very practical and interesting competitions. These clubs exist for duelling practice, there is no shooting with deliberate aim to make highest possible scores, all is conducted on actual duelling lines. The word duel means single combat , so all these competitions are conducted in pairs, the winners again competing in pairs and so on till finally only one remains, as in cock-fighting. Each participant in such a pool, when putting down hi
4 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
CHAPTER LXI
CHAPTER LXI
POLICE PISTOLS I modelled a statuette of a mounted cowboy and gave it as a challenge trophy to be shot for with revolvers, open to all citizens of the United States. It was won first by Dr. Louis Bell, then after two others had won it, it was finally won in 1894 by Roundsman Petty of the New York Police Force, who twice successfully defended his title to it, and thus it became his own property. Since then the police in several states have regular police competitions. I also gave a statuette mode
3 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
CHAPTER LXII
CHAPTER LXII
INVENTORS There are several types of inventors of firearms, including those who invent real improvements, and those who delay invention by making all sorts of things which are not only useless but are even dangerous. Inventors, to do any good work, must be conversant with their subject, and, if possible, skilled mechanics as well. This is the difficulty when shooting experts, who are not gunmakers, try to invent anything. The shooter knows what is necessary, often far better than the gunmaker. T
5 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
CHAPTER LXIII
CHAPTER LXIII
SIMPLIFICATION It is human nature to keep on in the same old groove, to try to avoid change, even if that change is for the better. This habit is owing to it being so much easier not to have to think for oneself but merely to do as you see others do. But following convention is not progress. Convention is the deadly enemy of progress. Simplification is the twin sister of progress. All improvements are the result of simplification, not of elaboration. The public when they see some very elaborate
6 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
APPENDIX A
APPENDIX A
I think it advisable to give the following World’s Records made by myself with revolvers and black powder as they are now unbeatable, the weapons and cartridges being obsolete. They stand in the same category as the “high wheel” trotting records. If there were similar records, diagrams, and details of scores made with sling, long bow, crossbow, Persian bow, American Indian bow, blow pipe, javelin, matchlock, wheellock, etc., available, of what inestimable value they would be to the historian and
3 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
APPENDIX B
APPENDIX B
THE LAW RELATING TO REVOLVERS AND REVOLVER SHOOTING IN GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND It is perhaps advisable to explain something about the right of carrying revolvers in England, and the using them in cases of necessity, and first it should be explained that a revolver is a gun so far as the Gun License Act of 1870 (33 and 34 Vict. c. 57) is concerned, and that a license fee of 10/ per annum has to be paid for the privilege of carrying or using one, though a license to kill game includes the lesser
12 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter
APPENDIX C
APPENDIX C
THE LAW OF CARRYING WEAPONS IN THE UNITED STATES The statutes of the various States upon the subject of carrying weapons are substantially similar, the main differences relating to the persons exempted from their operation, and to the manner of carrying the weapon, some making it an offence to carry the weapon at all, whether concealed or not; others prohibiting the carrying of concealed weapons only. These statutes have been held to be police regulations, and not to conflict with the constituti
1 minute read
Read Chapter
Read Chapter