Omaha daily bee., 1902-02-24
SHOTS AT OMAHA SHOOTERS
P~esSliaritiss Of Men Whs FsllsW Trap
Game Just for Lsvs.
THEY DON'T LOOK ALIKE At ANY POINT
Gang OF Experts who Have set Their
Records High in World OF sport
show Much Variation in
Individual Methods.

AAAAh IN WWEAW VI spur
show Much Variation I'm
Individual Methods.
No two bowlers ever rolled a ball alike.
II has never been possible for any golfer to
initiate perfectly the swing, full. half or
even quarter. Of another. Tennis players
also have all their points OF differences In
action. In fact, form is q mat
ter OF individuality to such a great
extent that II is no more possible to find two
athletes in any line Of sport who are pat
tern players, one for the other. than 1t Is
to discover two men whose minds and i'm
pulses work exactly in the same channels.
Even in foot ball, which Of all games is the
one Of the machine, the system. this still
holds true. Foot ball coaches have been no.
toriously grieved over their inability to
teach their forwards all to charge alike, all
to crouch the same, all to spring just ac-
cording to Hoyle.
In no sport is this differentiation Of indi-
vidual form more marked than in shooting.
Every man who ever faced a trap or fol-
owe a dog has a certain scrunch or shrug
of the shoulders, q peculiar stance or posi-
ton Of the feet, . definite degree OF lean
forward or tip backward, q novel grip OF
the gun, which will never be seen copied
by another shot scatterer. And nowhere
are the trigger artists more marked for dis
similarity in methods than in Omaha. OF
the many enthusiasts here the styles they
affect range from the ridiculous to the
sublime, from the statuesque to the pic
turesque.
They Don't Look Alike.
In other respects local gunner are
widely different. As far as size goes and
general build, you could hardly match up
a single respectable looking team out OF
the bunch. A modern clothing store could
easily find models for every style of gar
ment among the shooters, for there are
tails and shorts and fats and Sims In both
varieties.
Differences in the weapons used are az
marked as those in the men who handle
them. The build Of runs depends usually
upon the physical proportions and charac-
teristics Of the men who handle them, while
the ecentricities Of shooters as to. style can
be laid to no especial entity, save tina Of
their own mental attributes. Some shooters
prefer a short barrel, others a long one,
some a short stock, others vice versa, some
a big drop to their stock, others a weapon
almost straight along its entire length,
some a heavy gun. others a featherweight.
Modern regulations. however. have ar
ranged matters so that the differences in
the sizes OF the guns cannot be SO extreme
as they once were. Now every gun must
weigh not more than eight pounds, and
seven and three quarters pounds is counted
standard. A barrel thirty inches long is
about the regular thing and a stock with a
drop ranging from two inches and a half
to ~e-uuarters. b
Points They Agree On.
In size OF bore there is no variation in
the preferences of Omaha gunners. Six
teen gauge is their favorite. and not a half
dozen in the city use anything else. In
ammunition, too, they are very uniform.
smokeless powder is foregone conclusion,
and while the loads may vary the shells are
all hand-loaded.
In one more particular local shots are
similar. That is in respect to their facial
hirsute adornments Not an Omaha gunner
has whiskers, only two are smooth shaven,
all the rest wear mustaches. Whether their
favorite sport has anything to do with this
or not is an open question, but the truth
remains that these men wear mustaches
and have done so for years back, while the
only reason that the two exceptions, Frank
Fogg and Fred Goodrich, do not follow suit,
is that physical limitations have forbidden
them the pleasure.
A frequent remark is one concerning the
exorbitant expense involved in playing golf.
Billiards, too, is called q costly sport, and
bowlers complain that their athletic ac-
counts run up high every week. Well,
shooting has them all dashed to the mast in
this regard. In fact, it IL far and away
the most expensive indulgence in it's lint
known in Omaha. Even yachting. in the
embryonic manner in which people go into
1t on neighboring waters, Is cheaper thar
shooting with the elite.
Expense Attached to Sport.
This will be better understood when Il is
stated that there are single guns in Omaha
which cost 5000 and more. Very few Of the
shooters, meanwhile, use a, weapon valued
at less than 500, and a high grade at $3.50
is a common thing.
Then a good shooting equipment, clothes,
gun case. ammunition and game receptacles,
loading apparatus. ETC.. will tally up a good
$50 more. while a man who intends to dc
field work will think nothing Of DUPLICATING
that sum for a frst-class dog.
This is merely a starter. All that money
does is to put a mar In good shape to
shoot, so the man who spends SIS for a goli
bag full OF clubs, with balls enough "a
last him a season, and thinks himself
abused, has no kick coming.
The shooting itself is very expensive
omitting all items OF transportation and
time, 1t costs a good deal to 20 out fol
a mere afternoon at the traps. Every
hand-loaded shell you explode means
cents, or a little less. Every pigeon looset
Is 5 cents more. II you are using clays, Il
Is cheaper. but still rather a luxury. Al
enthusiastic shot will pull from 30 to 2Ot
times in a days sport. and the total ex.
pense is a large one. But the amer d,
not ~begrudge money.
Moreover, like AIDES druggist, they know
how to get even o the day. The loca.
bevy Of trigger men Is an unusually skilifu
bunch. They can shoot with any Of then
and when there is q tournament within
reach It generally pays mahans to visit 1
and shoot through the events, for the,
have a habit Of getting within the money
In fact, there are men helding responsible,
positions in various walks OF life and bust
ness here who could make good living
merely travelling about and playing ''higl
gun" most OF the time.
Oldest and Youngest.
Colonel ]. J. Diekey is the Oldest shot Il
Omaha today. The colonel carries his wei
known martial demeanor and bearing int
his favorite sport. He stands very cree