Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1878-09-17
LEARN TO SHOOT.


A Letter from Horace II. Fletcher
70 the .Pacinc Life" ON 'IIow
u SHOOT
During the past few months there has
been considerable discussion in the East
ern sporting papers regarding the practi-
cabilty Of the Carver style OF shooting as
now applied to game, and the majority OF
argument used has been adverse to 1t; and
for the reason, no doubt, that those who
have written on the subject know little or
nothing of it, for it is the universal cxpe-
rience that practice after the Doctors
method develops skill that short time ago
was considered phenomenal. i purpose
giving the impressions received in my own
experience, verified by comparing notes
with many gentlemen who have earned the
right to have their opinions respected by
firing tens Of thousands Of shots.
In every branch Of athletic exercise; in
every department OF skill, there are teach
ers who take the beginner and put him on
the right track; but in practice with
gun, when instruction Ii most needed, the
novice is allowed TO grope about until en-
iightcned by long experience, when few
rules impressed on his mind at first would
bc Of great service aud save the lives OF
many who are accident tally shot. The first
lesson taught should be how to handle
gun; but as il Is necessary 10 have one to
handle, will give my ideas Of the weapon
here and the rules to govern its use later.
To learn anything that is wrong is inju-
rious, aud IL is more difficult to unlearn
than to learn consequently, proper be-
ginning should be pointed out TO the
learner by one who has been Taught by ex-
perience, in order to save him time, which
Is so valuable. II is universally considered
that the shotgun is the first gun to be
used. because il is so much easier TO hit
with 1t but it Is entirely wrong, and it
should never be touched till the rifle has
become handy weapon, and one is able to
uso 1t skillfuily on moving objects and
the reason for this il obvious. An ordi-
mary shotgun will make a pattern Mt thirty
yards Of from four to six feet in diameter,
with many open places in il large enough
to admit Of glass ball or pigeon passing
through without being hit. Any one Of
the two or three hundred pellets Of shot in
. charge may break ball or kill q bird,
and tho impression received by the shooter
Il that he has held his gun properly, when
II may have been one of the very outside
shots that did the business. At the next
shot he may hold the gun in an opposite
relative position to the object, and still hit
ouu ~ the tnlfu tfiai Hc may Htiu 'ucau
on" 70 the object, and the scattering Of the
shot may. by chance, allow ..cloan miss"
Three impressions have been rcccived:
The frst. that in holding three feet ahead,
the proper bearing was taken; the second,
that In holding three feet behind, the same
was the case; and the third, that the only
right position was wrong one, and con-
fusion necessarily follows. take extreme
eases. II il true, but il illustrates prin-
eiple, and is possible, while similar results,
20 . less degree. are sure. When the rifle
IL the elementary weapon, a person may
hre hundred times and not hit: but when
he does, he has received an idea, has
recorded an impression, learned his first
lesson, and is assured that il he holds in
just the same position again he will accom-
piish the same result. Even the misses
are not blanks in practice, as every time
the gun is brought to the shoulder and the
trigger pulled, the finger and eye and mind
are being taught to work in sympathy, the
muscles which bring the gun quickly to its
place At the shoulder without the butt
catching in the sleeve, and that hold it
steadily and firmly, are being exercised,
and are getting the training which later
will cause them all to work together to
such degree that the mind does not seem
70 control them, but they act Of themselves
instinctively.
We occasionally see in the papers articles
dcploring the decline Of interest in rifle
practice, and one would suppose from
reading them that in short time our rife
clubs will all be disbanded; but on the
contrary, the interest is just beginning to
be excited in q new direction, and as
result 1t will become favorite psstime for
any who can afford to take the time and
meet tho expense Of ammunition.
In regular off-hand target practice the
chief requirements are a sharp eye and a
steady hand, and there is no variety TO in
terest one except in competition with
others but in shooting at moving objects
there Is . field for practice which is always
anording new phases and creating new in
terest. Some are good target shots the
frst time they take gun in their hands
and are told to bring the sights in the line
with the bull's-eye and fire; but to hit
moving objects with bullets requires q
training that delights one as he develops
skill.
In . series Of articles son this subject
will treat Of many things pertaining to it,
Of which the following are some: The
BEST guns the best ammunition how to
$et the most practice for the least expense;
rules for beginners hints on the forma-
tion Of clubs suggestions to dealers in
gun materials and whatever else may ap-
pear to be pertinent. Yours respectfully,
H. p. II.