Los Angeles herald., 1909-08-16
MARKSMEN TRY
SKIRMISH FIRE
RIFLE AND REVOLVER CLUB
MEMBERS PRACTICE
PREPARE FOR COMING MATCH
WITH NoRTHERNERs
r. p. UImsted Lands High Score for
Range and the Day, Making 4s ou'
of a Possible so at 500
Yard Target

VI q TOSolhiC " az SSS~
Yard Target
1t was a case of pay your money and
take your choice at the practice shoot
of the Los Angeles Rifle and Revolver
club on the Glendale range Sunday
The half-dozen members tried out 200,
300, 500 and 200 yards rapid fire and the
slkirmish run over the newly arranged
600-yard range, but only at 200 yards
slow fire did they all get together and
hold good old-fashioned shooting
match.
In preparation for the match with
the northern clubs to be held August
% every marksman tried out the range
at which he was the weakest While
three of the members ran trial sklr-
mish runs to get their elevations over
this difficult range.
r. 2. Umsted landed the final score
of 48 ex a possible 90 at the 500-yard
range, score seldom equaled at this
distance. The score was, of course,
high for the range and for the day.
Crossman landed high score of any
rapid fire string shot on the club range
with Al ex 90 on the regular "A" tar
get with S-inch bullseye, and then
shot 80 to bolster up his first run.
Umsted fell out of bed at this stage
with "a, although in the state shoots
he is usually high at this range.
At 300 yards the scores were excep-
tionally poor, 3S being high, and this
being chalked up to the credit of IL
man usually making good scores, II. c.
Miles.
Crossman landed high at 200 yards
with AZ and had to hustle to beat out
Sergeant Miles with his Al and an un-
fortunate three" at the last shot.
At the sklrmish elevations We're
found to be sadly off frop3 the sight
markings. Miles ran SO with nice
group just below the bull when the
target was examined. A foot higher
elevation would have given him an
so score. Crossman and Felsenthal
found the same trouble, all three men
having shot no skirmlsh runs prior to
this tryout. Crossman landed 63, with
a close group of all his shots just under
the bull, while the Doctor planted his
group a corresponding distance above.
Crossman later ran a trial skirmisn
run, using the service loaded cart
ridges at the longer ranges and the
reloaded ammunition at the shorter
ranges, 200 and 300 yards, scoring 79
with his five shots at 300 yards in
bunch at the top of the target through
lack of the knowledge as to- the ele-
vations of this ammunition fired prone.
Follow Battle Methods
In the skirmish run an attempt is
made to approximate the conditions or
real battle firing. The men are started
at 900 yards from the target, and at
command fire two shots at this dis
tance in the time limit of thirty sec
onds. They then walk half way ana
run half way to 500 yards, where the
same number of shots are fired in
the time of thirty seconds. The target
is not moved or marked at any time
during the run, and the competitors
are in the dark as to where their shots
are going. At 400 yards three shots are
fired in the time Of thirty seconds; at
$50 yards three more shots are fired
in this time, and at 300 yards five shots
are fired in thirty seconds. AT 200
yards, the final firing point, five shots
are fired in twenty seconds, making
total of twenty shots. The competitors
make the last half of the distance be-
tween each range at a run. lying down
close to the ground when the command
"halt" Is given. At the end of the
run the shots on the target are count
ed and the total of the score figured.
Formerly figures of kneeling and lying
men were used for the targets, hits on
the lying figure counting five points,
hits on the kneeling figure scoring four
points. This year the skirmish run is
on the regular 500 and 600-yard target
"B' having a bullseye of 20 inches
diameter and four-ring of 81 inches.
This Is exactly the same set OF condi-
tions under which the regular army
skirmish run is held and Is the skir-
mish used in the militia and in the
great national rifle matches at Camp
Perry, Ohio where some 1900 men are
now assembled to shoot for their re-
spective states and for the great prizes
offered.
The club intends to challenge the
northern clubs to a purely skirmish
match after the forthcoming matches
are shot. This skirmish run is neces-
sary this year to obtain the gold dis
tinguished marksman' bars given the
militiamen by the state for certain
high qualifications, in which it is neces-
sary to make an average of % ex 25 for
each five shots at 200, 300 and 500 yards,
and a skirmish run of at least so
points. Miles, Umsted and Crossman
completed their qualifications for these
decorations Sunday, giving Umsted the
gold bar for 1904, 1906. 1906, 1907, 1908
and 1909; Miles his gold bar ever since
they were offered in the Eighties" and
Crossman his bar since 1905.
The Bisbee Rifles will be taken on
after the northern matches. The Ma
tional Rifle association members
I1Gudl lot lJuJg anu LllS dudlliS1tiOlAo
for the Marksman's Reserve buttons
will be shot for in the early part of
September. This calls for five shots
at 200, 300 and 500 yards, high man to
take the medal for his permanent tro-
ply, and everyone making better than
SO per cent of the possible scores at
these ranges to receive the United
States government "Marksman's Re-
serve" buttons and to have his name
enrolled by the war department as the
first line of volunteers in case of war.
Much interest is taken by the clubs
members in the skirmish and rapid fire
part of the program, and the rifle game
is voted to be far more interesting
than the old slow-banging away with
revolvers, formerly practiced by many
of the club members.
THE SCORES
200 yards slow fire, 10 shots per string
Il. c. Crossman ......,.-........sss...' AZ 50
II Z. Miles .......'.'..'''.s....''s' II 30
l. Andrews .'...,....''...''...''s'..'.s ~
r. p. Umsted ..............'....'.....'ss 81 80