The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-09-26
THE BEST SHOOTING ~ rnE World.


To THE EDITOR OF THE STN Sir: In the
letter of DR.. W. + Carver. published in THE
SUN of last Saturday. he falls into the common
error OF surprising that nobody shoots at Creed-
moor except with wind gauge and SIT Of
astronomical instruments. and that the only POI
siiion used is on your back. with your gun over
your toes. taking three minutes to shot. 20
consequently he is very free in his expressions
Of contempt for 10 shooting Il la Creedmoor 90
The riflemen at Crcedmoor have been quite
anxious to have Dr. Carver visit the range and
have a friendly shoot with them. but have been
unable to induce him 70 de- So. Therefore the
Doctor spcnks without knowing anything about
the facts. The truth Is. that for one man who
uses a wind gauge and elaborate rifle nj Creed
moor. a hundred shoot military rifles with open
sights in precisely the way DR.. Carver recon-
mends; and the rule of the range is that men
must tre not less than shot minute, in
Guiding all delays from marking. Nc. while at
the Tramp tarket but three seconds are al
lowed for "A shot. So well, too. do the military
men shoot. that in the first two on-hand
matches at the recent meeting tho winners
were military men. who made rs high scores as
men having the finest rifles
or course any practical man will admit that n
knowledge OF esl mating distances Is essential
to field shooting; but to those who are brought
W in cities. in fact 10 all not trained rs hunters.
that knowledge II not easy To- acquire. Greed
moor, however, may claim to he the only range
in this country where an pndeaNOr is made to
teach that or 10 teach rapid shQeing at moving
objects. la the Skrmshcrs Match tho cons
prtltors are required To advance ana retreat
from 300 TO 200 Yards hating and firing at the
sound OF the bugle, and guessing their distance
ana elevation. ms Is practically what Dr.
Carver recommends and the CrcedmoOr men
he thinks 80 little Ct in this match have been
known to hit "A twrnty-inch bull s-eye five time
~ succession while passln over this distance.
The fact Is that man cannot constantly prac-
tise on n range AZ various distances without
learning pretty well how To estimate them. As
far n shooting nj moving Objects is concerned.
tho practice at tho running deer Is rs good us
any.
When ii IL stated that last week Col. Glider
sleeve, during the four seconds required for the
deer Ia pass over the no feet IN which II can he
shot nj. made three hull 's-cyrs and centre with
shots arc not such buffers as DR.. Carver
thinks.
We may also suggest 10 him that many Of tho
Creedmoor men ara old suorismcnt; that in
almost every match you Will ilnd men who have
hunted. shot and tshed from Maine 10 Texas.
and from the Adrondacks h. the Rocky Noun
iains, and their opinion will be found to he that
tho shooting they have 10 contend with II SUI
periOr To anything they have eyer seen among
the guides and hunters whom they have en-
countcred.
Undoubtedly twenty-five years on the
plains" makes man II better practical shot
than few days "A year At CrOOdmoOr But the
plains are distant. while CrOOdmOOr is near.
We are therefore satisfied to do the best that is
attalnnho by teaching mon To hit a target. know
ing that when they have learned to do that they
viii, at any marx, bo better than II they could
not.
At the same time there are some men nj
CreedmOOr who can, with their rifles. break
glass balls in the air, even when thrown from II
BOgardus trap. and not think they are doing
ANYTHING very extraordinary.
New YoRK. Sept. "a. CnEEDMooR