Los Angeles herald., 1909-10-10
RIFLE SHOOTING
IS ON INCREASE
CALIFORNIA PROMISES TO
REGAIN HER LEAD
REVIVAL IN SPORT Is TAKING
PLACE IN SOUTH
Little Band of Enthusiasts in Los An
aeIes Coming Into Own After
Long Struggle to Sup
port Game
By EDWARD c. CBossMAN

in rifle shooting When the Golden
state again is queen of the rifle world
the southern end of the state Will be
entitled to most of the credit for the
change.
The small bore, high power rifle, Cal
ifornia was famous for her hne Iltle
shots. Fred Ikuhnle, Howard Carr, Ed
HoVev, F. o. Young and Col. Burns
showed the eastern stars with match
rifles how they did it in California
the showing process consisting OF TAX
ing most of the prizes hung up. 10
prevent the California man from be-
coming too much puffed up, that Won
der with the military rife, IhaNter Oh
Carson City, Nevada, used TO stray
over to San Francisco and 1nstlI IN
The minds of the California men the
idea that Nevada also could breed rifle
shots.
In the days before the advent of the
Krag-Jorgenson, in 1898, target rifles
were of two distinct classes, military
rifles and match rifles. The only reno
left of the old match rifles is our pres
ent "Schuetzen" arm, but this is USED
only at 200 yards or under, While the
old match rifle, although fitted with
equally as fine sights as the present
Schuetzen gun and bored with as mucn
care. was used at all ranges at which
military rifles could be used. The pop
,,laritv of the match rife was due to
the crude boring and horrible sights
used on the Springfield, then the mil
itary arm of the United States. Inc
match rife Won practically every
match in which it was pitted against
the old 40 United States army rifle.
For some reason the interest In long
range shooting died out just prior TO
the coming of the small bore, hlgh pow
er Krag. and for a while the game lay
dormant. 1t was in the days of the olG
rifles referred to that California stood
pre-eminent in the rifle shooting world
When the game was revived in 1910,
for some reason the California men
failed to class as they did formerly.
The California state rifle team was
only about half way up the list Oh
teams shooting at Sea Girt and Camp
Perry later on, while no California men
were found in the lists of prize win
ners. This ran along in this way for
several years, due mainly to lack or en-
couragement given the game by the
state Ranges were few and poor, and
knowledge of the game was not great
among the men shooting, while the
eastern teams, living in the very CEN
ter of the rife shooting states and with
scores of old-time shots to coach them,
held the lead year after year.
Like German Game
A few Schuetzen men made good at
the eastern tournaments, and held up
the name of the state in this particular
game. The Schuetzen style of practice,
however, has been falling into disfavor
year after year, until at present most
of the ri1emen following it are those
of German descent or birth, who like
the game because their fathers fol-
lowed it, Military rifle shooting occu-
pies the boards to the practical eXclu-
sion of all other styles.
During the past two years the Gold
en- State has commenced to feel the re-
vival of the interest that is to land her
on top of the heap again. Her indtVid-
ual shots are creeping toward the top
in the hotly contested matches at Camp
Perry, while her state rifle team has
crept steadily toward the top.
Last year the California team landed
nineteenth place out of fifty teams COM
peting at Camp Perry, While Corporal
Newlands took seventh place out of
field of GAS competitors in the 1907 ma
tional individual match. This year the
California team pulled up from nine
teenth to fifteenth place, while Guldner
of the team won eleventh place in the
national individual match, with field
of about 700 competitors.
While the members of the state rifle
team are selected from militiamen only
the practice they get with civilian
clubs is Of considerable help in making
good shots of themselves and helping
their team.
Good Shots in North
Washington has but small militia
force, yet has stood near the top in
majority of the national matches at
g-& 4 fu loyr
of note that Washington boasts of half
a score of civilian rifle clubs, half
dozen of them being affiliated with the
National Rife association, and through
this affliation being enabled to pur-
chase military rifles and ammunition
from the government. More than half
of the crack shots making up the past
Washington state rife teams shoot
with civilian clubs in addition to their
work with the militia. Seattle boasts
of two very fine shots in the persons of
Hatton and Bruno, both Of whom shot
on the Washington state rifle teams of
190e-1907 and both of them members of
the rife team of the Seattle Rife and
Revolver association.
California has but few civilian rife
clubs, and with the lack of interest, or
of system or both, often displayed by
militia organizations the state has not
the fine shots to select a team from
that can be shown by Washington.
Practically all of Californias active
rifle shooting clubs are located south
of the Tehachapi mountains, there be-
ing no rifle clubs in the other sections
of the state that shoot the military
rifle with any regularity. This means
that the makeup of the state rifle
team will soon consist for the most
part of Southern California men in
stead of practically all Northern Cali
fornia men as has been the case here
tofores
Angelenos on State Team
This is illustrated by the case of
Sergeant Kellogg and Decius of the
Los Angeles rife and revolver club
This year for the first time Los An
geles was represented on the Cali
fornia state rifle team. Two Of the
three men who made the team came
from a civilian club and these men
fifteen men selected, the other Los
Angeles man being fifteenth, or one of
the alternates in the first selection and
makeup of the team. No other men
from this end of the state made the
team, although twenty men went north
TO San Francisco to shoot for places.
The difficulty of making the team,
when the men come from this end of
the state, is through he differen con-
ditions Prevailing in the north where
the tryout shoot is held and where the
northern men have the advantage
through their familiarity with the
conditions and the ranges. This be-
ing the case the men from the South
have to be well up in the game to