Arizona republican., 1908-07-13
CAMP PERRY SHOOT
 ONE MONTH AWAY
The Attendance This Year Will Be
 Larger Than Ever.

Washington, D. C., July 7.-(Spe-
 cial Correspondence of The Republi-
 can)-In one month the great na-
 tional rifle matches will be in pro-
 gress on the beautiful range at Camp
 Perry, Ohio. Lying on the banks of
 Lake Erie, across from Put in Bay,
 adjacent to Sandusky, and within
 easy reach of Cleveland, Toledo and
 Detroit, Camp Perry is the most ac-
 cessible of all large rifle ranges.
 which fact augurs well for the at
 tendance on these matches. It is
 expected that more than one thOus-
 and of the crack military shots will
 be in attendance who, with the 1900
 officers, scorers, markers, guards,
 etc, will make a camp of about
 nearly 25O0 men,
 It is assured that these matches
 will be the largest in point of at tendance ever held in this country, and perhaps will be the best of the national matches to be held, at least
 for some years to come. Indications point to a change in the method of determining such contests. It is rep resented that the attendance on these matches is so large as to necessitate from two to three weeks shooting of which ten days are devoted to the national matches alone. Many shooters are unable to take this time together with that necessary for home practice and competitions for places on the teams The question of expense is also entering largely into the calculations of the state authorities. It costs some of the states as much as five thousand dol lars to fit out team and send it to the national matches, which is very considerable item to the smaller states, especially when they are trying to buy and equip ranges of their own out of the appropria- tion for rifle practice. Accordingly, the project of dividing the country into districts, and having district competitions, instead of one great meeting, is being seriously consid- cred with the possibility of being finally approved. The winning teams could then be brought together at some central point and a national competition held. Under this plan the smaller and weaker states. who have no chance to land a prize in the national competitions. would be saved much expense and the time Consumed would be considerably shortened.
 The principal match at Camp Per ry will, of course, be the national team match, for which congress has provided the trophy. It is for teams of twelve, open to the army CD, navy, marine corps, military and na- #al q guard of the various states and ter including the District of Co., lumbia. In this match there will probably be forty entries. The sec ond team receives the famous Hilton trophy and the third the Soldier of Marathon, while there are six cash prizes for the six highest teams. Each member of the winning team receives medal. Next in import ance are the national individual rifle and the national pistol matches, in both of winch there are a number of cash and medal prizes. Last year there were GAS competitors in the in dividual rifle, and 25O in the pistol match, and more are expected to en- ter this year
 Of the National Rifle Association the most important is the regimental team match, in which there were forty-seven teams entered last year. The first prize in this match is a handsome championship trophy, valued at $500. It has been won twice by the Sixth regiment of Massachusetts volunteer militia, and if this team is again victorious, the trophy becomes its property Next in interest is the company team match, in which the prizes are cash and medals. Of the individual it is difficult to determine which is the most interesting. the Leech Cup, the Wimbledon Cup. or the Presidents Match. They are shot under different conditions, the Leech Cup match being seven record shots at 500, 300 and 1000 yards, and the Wimbledon Cup twenty record shots at 1000 yards, while the Presidents match includes everything from the skirmish to the 1000 yard stage. Both the Leech and Wimbledon cups are and the winner of the pres