Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-03-27

| man two legs to stand on. Rest your
| weight equally on both legs, your muscles
| firm, but not rigid If you tighten the ten
sion of your muscles you may be able to
hold one or two or possibly three shots, but
you will soon overtax yourself and at the
end Of half a dozen shots your hand will
| tremble. There is no muscular exertion
about shooting a revolver except that of
holding it in the hand. A revolver is not q
2o-pound dumbbell. You don't have to
strain yourself when you aim 1t at target,
and the easier and more natural YOU pose,
the less strength you exert, the better will
be your aim, and the longer your endurance.
There are several standard ways Of stand
ing, differing one from the other as to the
pose of the body above the waist
The Way Bob Acres Stood.
The old way came to us from France
where it originated during the days of the
duel The marksman turned his body side
ways toward the target, crooking the right
arm so that the elbow covered the lungs and
he ducked the head so that the handle of the
weapon hid the face before the eyes. He
shielded as TAR as possible his vital parts.
This was great pose in It's day and was
used by many noted shots. But the newer
systems OF this country have been proved to
There are three recognized ways Of stand
Ing used in America by the. best shots. One
way is to turn the body from the waist, side
ways. ways. e1tsnding the pistol arm almost
body partially as though the marksman was
posing for q three-quarters view at q pho
tographer's. The third way is to face the
target directly and extend the arm in front
There is only one way to hold . revolver
carrectly. The barrel should be on q straight
line with the forearm. Cover as much as
possible Of the handle with the palm of the
hand. Don't grasp the handle as a parrot
clin9s to its perch. Let the palm and fingers
spread over the handle generously The
thumb should be on straight line with the
barrel extending along the metal by the
side Of the locK. Pulling the trigger is the
bone, marrow and stnew Of the OF shoot
Ing No matter how the pistol may be held,
must pull his trigger in the right way and at
the right moment to hit the mark. The
proper pull is steady, cautious-an equal
pressure from beginning to end. Follow this
course and with practice you will be able to
discharge the weapon at the exact instant
when the aim is correct. Ono of their most
common faults is called 'finching." The
in the right way, take a good aim. but when
they come to press the trigger they shut
their eyes and dodge.
Covering the BuIl's Eye.
In sighting revolver draw the two sights
as they raise the frearm, and this rule has
been adopted by the majority of experts.
But there is still respectable number who
take aim in lowering the revolver. To my
mind, and think the records will bear me
out. the American revolver shots are the
best in the world. Such marksmen as Pierre
Lorfllard, William NJ. Chase, Ira Paine,
Major Pryor, H. W. Wickham. M. winans,
and others make shots that are absolutely
paralyzing. They can drive tacks with
pistol balls. light parlor matches without |
breaking the match, knock the ashes from a |
cigar, wheel and fire at the word, scoring |
the bulls eye FIVE times out OF ten, split |
playing cards turned edgewise toward the |
pistol, cut holes through Scent pieces, and |
hit suspended musket Dalls. Frank Lord is
one OF the most remarkable shots I have |
ever seen, in that he can shoot better when
he is exhibiting his skill before his friends
than when he is practicing alone. ] have
seen him shoot through the ring OF a watch
AN old-fashioned watch with a large ring
He used 22.caliber pistol, but still the feat
was wonderful.
You often see cowboys in shows stand and
rest the pistol on the left elbow joint. They
'it down and rest their elbows on their
lnees. They lie down on their backs and,
'tooping over, shoot between their legs.
Let me tell you that none OF these positions
$ worth cent for practical work. The ad-
vantage Of resting the weapon on the arm is
20 steady the aim when one fires from a
horses back. 1t Is the old cavalry style
and has just about gone out of use.
l hold chat the best craftsmanship is the
lbility to score the greatest number of bulls
,yes in the shortest possible time 1t is bet
er to make good average score for 10 OF
y shots than 10 make "a haphuzard scratch
he first shot Here are the names of some
who have fired five shots into a
arget in one second: George Byro, A. A.
;ohen. William Kent, Allen P. Kelley, Cap
sed self-cockinx revolvers. But expert
narksmen do not use the self-cockin; re-
Diver. for ordinary work. 1t is too danger
us. JAMES E. CoNL1N.