Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1876-10-11
THE BULLS EYE.
History of the Long Ranges-The Thous-
and Arts of the Man Who Makes a
String of Bulls Eyes,
From the New York World.

History of the Long Ranges-The Thous-
String of Bulbs Eyes.
From the New York World.
Long-range shooting is of compare
lively modern growth. Twenty years
ago Wimbledon had not been establish
ed, and rifle matches meant either hap
hazard endeavors with inaccurate arms.
or more commonly the schutzen-f fest
struggles with rifles, small-bores and
! light-touch triggers. At Wimbledon
these rifles have never found favor.
Creedmeor and Wimbledon unite in
their aims and objects to develop fa-
miliarity with the rifle in the hands of
the citizen soldiery. Creedmoor range
made special rifles necessary for accu-
rate shooting, and the American man
ufacturers were at work improving
these weapons when the Irish challenge
came. 1t was accepted, and won by q
fuke, one Of the Irish
narksmen throwing away the
match by shooting at the wrong
target. The seasons experience has
been valuable to American gun-makers.
The reputation of Creedmoor was es-
tabiished, and when the return match d
year ago gave another and more de-
cided victory to America and her
breech-loaders, the rifiemen of Amer
lea, or their spokesman of the National
association of this city, exalted by pre-
right and left to all the quarters Of the
globe, to every little picayune rifle club,
and creating no end Of hubbub among
the rihemen of the world. The dispute
in Great Britain rose to such stage as
to who had been actually hidden by the
broadcast invitations of the American
enthusiasts that it was narrowly q
chance of no team at all, and England
to-day owes her seclusion from the
match to this laundering on both sides.
Australia narrowly escaped the same
fate, while from Canada there comes
not dominion but a provincial team.
The continental nations of Europe have
no lOng-range marksmen worth men
tioning.
WHAT IGNORANCE SHOOTING Is.
Few who have not been especially
called to acquaint themselves with the
details have very clear idea of this
long-range practice. The distances are
800, 900, and 1000 yards, Or 2,4OO, g.
700, and 5000 feet. Two Of the three
distances thus exceed half mile.
From the City Hall to Canal street is
put down as half mile, or, taking an
uptown measurement, one of the team
men stationed on Fifth avenue, at Del
monicos old quarters, would fire up the
avenue to a target placed at or above
his new ones. The bulls eye of the tar
get, though three feet in diameter, at
this distance is only a black dot. By
holding card with a pin hole in it
near the eye, and at the distance of
four feet a small-headed pin, stuck at
right angles to a common walking
stick, some notion may be formed of
what the marksman sees as he lays
himself down, twists up his legs and
braces himself up for long, keen
look But the front as well as the rear
sights are movable. The bullet, in
reaching the target, describes a long
curve through the air. The further
the rifeman stations himself from the
target, the higher must this curve
range, and this is regulated by the
rising of the rear sight. Up and down
the standard upon which this punctured
disc travels is an accurate graduation
capable with a vernier of the definition
of one-hundredth of an inch at q 1000
yards distance; this minute variation is
equal to a lift Of ten inches on the tar
gets. If one shot is Spotted " through
the telescope at the firing point as hit
ting the top edge of the bulls-eye, a
drop of point Of elevation brings the
next shot safely down toward the cen
ter.
WHAT BULLS EYE SHOT MEANS.
Then there are plenty Of accidental
disturbances. If the wind be blowing
down the range the bullet is lifted
along, and with trajectory or greater
speed, would slip over the top of the
target. Down come the elevations, 10,
20 or 80 inches, and bulls eyes are
made. If the wind is varying, each
shot must be fired from the lesson of
the last and the changes in the mean
time If the wind be blowing up the
range the bullets are retarded, and drop
to the ground before the target. In the
case of a side wind, the front sight is
moved right or left to throw the muzzle
of the rifle against the wind. The
growing of the rifle may give the swift,
revolving leaden bolts anatural " drift"
to the right. This is q permanent vari
alton, and can be corrected; but the
wind rises and falls, and to gauge it
vernier similar to that on the near up
right sight permits a lateral motion.
One-one-hundredt here corresponds to
change of 20 inches on the target, and
it is no unfrequent thing to have the
marksmen using Is "points of wind"
or, in other words, actually pointing
the muzzle of the gun 25 or more feet
away from the bull's-eye. Given a
fsh-tsil " wind partly up or down the
range and partly across, and variable IN
strength as well, and some idea may
be gotten of the perplexity which sur
rounds a good judge of wind. Some
days the pressure Of the air is greater
than on others, and this must be al
lowed for. A hot sun pouring down
upon damp range raises simmer of
mist which gives the whole target a