The Washington times., 1906-09-23
NEW LIFE INFUSED
IN RIFLE MATCHES
Shoot at Sea Girt Broke All
Records for Entries on
That Range.
WHERE INTEREST CEN-ERED
National Team, Individual, and Pistol
Matches the Most Discussed
Events.

II is safe to say that more attention
was attracted 10 the National rife
matches recently shot on the Sea Glrt
range than 10 any previous event in the
rife world of America An impetus has
been given rifle practice that will be
felt more and more through The years
20 come. Skill with the military arms
of the United States. the rifle and re-
volVer, Is today rewarded more IiberaIv
with honor and trophies than ever be-
fore. only few years ago military
rifle shooting promised 10 become 4 lost
art outside of the regular service. but
within a comparatively short space Of
time Congress has created the National
Board for the Promotion Of Rife
Practice, provided a National trophy.
and other trophies and prizes for annual
competition, and has further encour-
aged the sport. if il may so be called,
by making half a million dollars an
nually available for the purchase and
equipment OF ranges and shooting gal
Ieries and other purposes connected
with rifle practice.
Looking on the broad expanse OF the
Sea Girt range. with hundreds of tents
in serried rows and a thousand rife
men engaged in caring for their weap-
ons, discussing the days events or kin
dred topics, II seems scarcely possible
that only four years ago an attendance
OF fifteen teams was considered very
Credttable. This year there were forty
one entries IN the National Team match.
and next year IL is expected that every
State and Territory viii be represented.
Where the Interest Centered.
Although there are many honored
trophies and handsome cash prizes In
the other matches, interest naturally
centered in the national matches. which
were the national team match. the na-
uonal individual match. and the na-
ti0nal pistol match, The first was open
10 teams CT twelve from the States and
Territories. the branches Of the regular
service, and the military and naval
academies.
Unfortunately the terms OF study at
the academies are such that 20 find time
to become proficient In rifle practice the
students must utilize their recreation
hours, which they are reluctant to do.
naturally enough preferring football.
baseball, and other forms OF sport Con
sequently the academies have not fig
ured much IN these competitions 10 date.
The regular service was represented
by teams from the army, navy. and
marine corps, the army furnishing two.
representing the cavalry and the infan-
try. These teams met the flower Of the
civilian mar6smen Of the entire coun-
try, and IL has become source Of great
qualification 10 the regular service thai
all the teams finished among the lead
ers
The Handsome Hilton Prize.
The regular service took as many
prizes as It could. including the national
trophy and the time-honored Hilton
trophy, commonly held 10 be the hand
soonest prize of the kind in this coun-
try The Soldier Of Marathon went 10
Massachusetts For the next year.
therefore, the national trophy and the
Hilton trophy viii rest in the War De-
partment at Washington in the custody
OF the chief OF stan Of the army. The
success OF the infantry team in can
turing the national trophy is the more
noteworthy from the fact that New
York had won fl three times. having il
in its possession ever since the com
petition was established In fact. New
York had apparently reached the con
clusion that il was no use TO go 10 the
trouble of sending the trophy 20 the
competition. for IL was not on exhibit
ton at Sea Glrt during the matches.
The Empire State viii doubtless make
mighty effort to recapture this prize
next year.
Much nieruucad Eao+,,vag
No feature Of the national team
match IS more discussed by the rife
world al present than the weight Of the
sklrmish run in determining the relative
positions of the teams at the finish and
in the next twelve months more atten- /
uon viii doubtless be paid 10 skirlaish- /
ing then ever before. An ANALYSIS of /
the scores In the National Team Match
shows that If the scores made on the 4
skirmish runs were eliminated, instead /.
Of the infantry Team winning the na- /
riOnal trophy IL would have remained 4
with New York with a score Of 24g1 TO 4
p i20 for the Infantry. Massachusetts, .
would have continued In third place, but /
Wisconsin would have taken fourth place
and New Jersey NTH, while the Cavalry
team would have dropped from second 1
20 sixth and the Navy and Marine Corps
would not have been among the prize
winners. As IL was New Jersey came
In eighth and Wisconsin ninth, Illinois
seventh.
In the national pistol match there
were more than 230 competitors The
marked increase Of interest in the ma
ional pistol match is evidenced by the
fact that two years ago there were 4
barely enough entries 20 satisfy the 4
.onditiOns-theTe must be at least thirty !!
six entries. Last year the list increased \
10 ninety and this year IL leaped to
more than 231 entries. This competition
IS restricted TO army revolVers of the /
smith & Wesson or Colt pattern 2S
,aIiber, and army ammunition must be
Ised exclusively.
md so important that Il is practically ].
impossible 10 reach over the territory
/.