New-York tribune., 1877-09-17
THE LESSONS OF THE RIFLE MATCH.

I'm general the lessons of adversely impress
themselves at once, and are not quickly for
gotten: those of prosperity are not so obvious,
and they more readily slip from the memory.
Ii is with the latter that we were furnished
last week by our ri1emen at Creedmoor, their
success being beyond all precedent. Undoubt-
edly its chief occasion was the superiority OF
their breech-loaders to the guns of their op-
ponents. Next, the perfectly fair weather
brought out to full advantage the highest
qualities on both sides, and, as n matter oil
course, added to the percentage of gain
of the winners. Both of these two adj
vantages are not likely to accrue again. Even If
IN future match the weather should SUIT the
marksmen as well as it did last week, the new
contest will probably be between weapons of
equal excellence. There will certainly be no
lack of practice in the interval, on the part OF
our opponents. They are more likely to take
to heart their lessons than we are ours. Since,
therefore, the next rifle contest is sure TO be
close and severe, it is well worth while to con-
slider now what other elements there were in
our rnemen's victory besides good guns and
fair weather.
Unquestionably the method by which our
final result. The question as to considering re-
cords in previous years and former matches
being decided adversely, the choice rested alone
upon those marEsmen who made the best
scores in competitions for this match. Some
wiseacres shook their heads omn0usly, when,
by this method of selection, at least half OF the
Old favortes were left out of the new team; and,
indeed, it did seem like II dangerous expert
ment TO put forward new, young, and inexDe-
rlenced contestants But the result has amply
yindicated the wisdom of the association in
this method of choice. 1t is the young, new
men that have done the wonderful shooting.
A criticism frequently made by spectators
was that our riilemen shot too rapidly. 1t was
said for instance, that one OF the most nearly
perfect scores ever made on the American side
might have been complete succession OF
bulls-eyes from end to end; that the one
"centrcr shot that marred an otherwise un-
broken list was fired too quickly. On the other
hand, the comparative slOwness of the British
Team in making their shots was attributed
chiefly to the inconvenience of muzzle-l0ading.
That explanation is insufficient. 1t is reported
that in one case member of that team took
fourteen minutes to make a shot; surely no
compel such waste of time. In real
ity, the fast shooting of the Americans
Welded them q great advantage, which their
opponents lost. Suppose, for instance, that one
of our men made bulls-eye shot. That dem
onstrated that the calculation for windage was
correct. The next man to shoot could hardly
take position and fire his gun too quickly.
The thing to be done was to follow immedi
ately before the conditions of wind and the
like were changed. Hence the celerlty of our
men in their movements; not moment was
wasted. But at each shot of the members of
the British Team, there was halt, and what
might be called Il consultation. Consequently
each shot had to be calculated anew. There was
time for change in the force or direction of
the wind. Worse than all, each shot on
the British side came to be viewed as an ex-
pertinent and each man, when he fired, had Il
doubt as to the result. The Americans, on the
contrary, expected to make n bulls-eye each
time when the previous shot was right. II
seemed as if the British were surprised when
they hit the bulls-eye; while each American
riheman was surprised if he did not. Hence
feeling of confidence with the latter that went
far to insure success. The difference in tenn
perament of the two races has been shown in
variety of ways in this contest, and the
Englishmen remarked especially on the readi
ness with which every novel Improvement was
tested and adopted here. An illustration was
given in the use that was found for the tele-
phone last week, between the targets and the
firing points.