The Springdale news., 1889-09-27
AMERICAN DtANb.S.
Women Who Shoot with Rifles ant
 Doubie-Barreled shotguns.

Women Who Shoot with Rifles and
 Double e-Rarreled shotguns.
 The favorite shotgun of the marks woman is double-barreled and made after the pattern used by Miss Annie Oakley. The stock is of different shape from the ordinary gun to ac- commodate the shorter neck and arms. and the weapon is much lighter. The barrels are 27 inches long or there- abouts, and are often beautifully fig ured. The weight iseany where from 4 pounds to 53 pounds, about 52 pounds being recommended. The bore ordi- narilly is 20. It shoots three-fourths of an ounce of fine shot ahead of ? drachms of Schultz powder, which gives very little recoil. It has a kill ing circle of 30 inches in diameter at 30 yards, costs from $100 to $250, and is usually made to order to suit the strength and figure. A woman is meas ured about as accurately for a fine shotgun as for gown. A lower Broadway dealer who has built more guns, in all probability, for the use of women than any other man in America, has blank form to be filed in with the height length from armpit to tips of fingers, width from point of one shoulder to point of the other, chest measure, full- breasted or otherwise In addition to these particulars, if the gun is ordered by the sportswoman ill person he al- ways gives her one to handle, getting points as to bends and weights from observation of her carriage.
 Mrs. Pierre Lorillard, who has an excellent reputation for coolness in tho field and skill, owns some fine weap- ons. Mrs. Cleveland has pretty 12- bore, which was gift to her on tho eve of one of the Adirondack vaca- tions, but which she has not often used. It weighs J pounds. and tho barrels are of full weight and strength and of the handsomest finish possible, 1t requires less skill to kill partridge with 1t than when smaller bore is used, and hence the light 12-bore is
 
 in their first seasons shooting. Bertha Von Hillern, who won quite reputa- tion for herself as a pedestrian, is an excellent shot, and uses single-bar- reled gun, which is of 2S-eal- iber and weighs q trifle under four pounds. Miss A. Beckett the artist, who for many years shared Miss Von Hillern's mountain studio in Virginia, is also an accurate markswoman and shoots with double-barreled gun of 36-caliber It is told of the pair that one day while they were shooting at a target in the Blue Ridge mountains a party of mountaineers lounged up and watched the practice, challeng- ing the ladies to a test of skill. The men were armed with old-fashioned Kentucky rifles, while the two artists had modern breech-loaders. The mountaineers were invited to set up target to suit themselves, and chose distance of 100 yards They shot well. but the women were in good training and the impromptu match ended in draw. A woman who is credited with almost as much skill with the gun as in snap shots with the detective camera is tho wife of eX-Senator Platt
 The rifle, the weapon of precision. Is used by fewer women, though num- bers of the old make of the Reming- eli in, os quise de Mores brought down some game during her ranching experiences in Dakota. Her rifle had short stock, was of g caliber, with 24-inch barrel, and weighed not over 5I pounds. The breeeh mechanism was simple, and it was told of her that first she photo graphed from horseback a scene of wild life. and then she brought the animal which was it's focus of interest down. Moro ladies shot at a mark than at game, but the exodus to En- gland every summer and the sight of their cousins across the water regular ly taking stands at the butts during grouse drive, and bringing the game to bag with the skill of veterans. is having its influence on American wom- en. Good double shot-guns are beyond the purses of any but the rich, but good single-shot rifles are cheap enough to enable any body who is not satisfied with her eyes as deadly weapons to kill in more effective way-N. y Mail and Express.