The sun., 1913-12-28
HE FITS The GUN TO
ONES TEMPERAMENT
Richmond Watson Comes From
England to Teach Our
Men to shoot.
NO MYSTERY IN PLAN
RumsOn Country Club Members
First to Profit by New
Method.
NO MYSTERY IN PLAN

heart breaking mss before the first red
letter day when perfect double was
scored with the birds going high and fast
But human ingenuity has been making
progress in The ar, and science OF shoot
ing ard now the beginner may take his
place in the field beside tn. seasoned gun
and acuuit himself with credit
THAT ~ he can II he has been fortunate
enough to have as his guide. philosopher
and friend "A man like Richmond Watson
of the West l.o.rion Shooting Grounds.
who has come over here tn supervise the
installation at the Rumson Country Club
Of q wing shot making plant similar TO
his London ON, and to teach the fine
points ~ ~un fitting.
You may never have heard the whirr Of
a partridge taking wing or the plaintive
Whistle of Bob White, but by following
Mr Wa.suns course Of Instruction you
can tnkr the field confident Of bagging
sorctt'ne better than Il goose egg. always
surnosing that YOU don't have stage
fright,
riut before describing the methods by
which Nr Watson achieves his results
something should I've said Of his ideas
about gun hitting; FOR that Il the begin
accord ns 60 Mr.. Watson. lie says:
Ready made guns are Ike ready made
clothing in nine cases out of ten they do
no. Mt To Use either without alteration
is conducive 10 bad style and dlssatisfac-
,ion A gun must lit not only the shoul-
dor Of the user, but u must be adapted
to his strength, eyes!ght and even his
tempe rarent."
That about hitting mans gun to his
temperament may sound pretty advanced.
l.ut here's a bit of practical observation
that may suggest a reason for many "A
ruSs.
would il be thought possible con-
tInucs Mr. Watson. that Il man who was
- good sportsman and good ai most
games but "A wrctched shot, could 60 on
shooting for many years without knowing
that his left eye was master and that
consequently every time he raised his gun
To his right shoulder he was looking
across his gun and not along it This
is NOT AZ all uncommon. The result Is that
IN" shooter fnds that he can often kill
at very difficult quick shots, but fails
.aiserahly at easy ones, the explanation
hoing that at very quick birds the shooter
nuts his gun up mechanically, but directly
ne takes aim his left eye brings the gun
over and "a certain miss follows
SO Mr.. Watson, who believes that with
lis methods there is no excuse for n
green hand ir the shooting field" sees
;lrst of all to the tit of the gun placed In
the hands of a beginner. This accom-
pNshrd. there comes the first lesson In
wing shooting that is to lit the pupil for
field work. and right here IL may be said
that tn. accomplished shot as well AS the
novice can pick up new points in the
game in the course of study mapped out
by Mr.. Watson.
There * no mystery about the plan
apI - an, he pIpDfel by an
club owning large enough grounds and
willing To Spe nd the money for the neces-
sary equipment. For Mr.. Watson's plan
is 20 adapt trap shooting to field con-
dtions by means OF what might be
termed. 10 mix the nomenclature of two
sports trap links
To z, back IL the beginner: When he
has beer fitted" with gun so far as
Observable physical. peculiarities are con-
Cerrcd. he takes his stand in front of
high whitewashed wall and Ii bird" is
sent straight up. The beginner. because
hc Is such and must learn by degrees,
was told beforehand what course his
bird would take. He fires and the
whiteWashed wall faithfully records
whether he shot above or below. Then
the bird" is sent from left To right and
from right to left. Tho beg inner is using
a gun with an adjustable stock SO that
persistent over or under shooting and
tne ike may so lar as gum
making can do it.
Then the fitting is complete and the
novice begins working on easy shots go
ing stra ght away or crossing in an an
nounced direction He has always at his
side IA man trained. as Mr. Watson puts
it. TO watch the shot" That is a man
who through training has become ex-
pert OF sight that he can actually see
whether the charge passes above or be-
IN fNinD
mark. SO the beginner is told just why
he missed and isn't left blazing away
IN tho darl; and guessing at the reason
for his failures,
Having mastered the elements OF the
game and become accustomed to his gun
the candidate for the shooting field gets
his first try under conditions approx
mating as closely az may be those he
will face later on. With his instructor
he walks through rough cover where cum
ninEly concealed traps are placed. He
isn't told where or when to expect the
birds" which may burst almost from un-
'er his feet or a good distance ahead or
to right or left As before his instruc-
TOR at his shoulder watches the course
of the shot and his running comment Of
that was bit too high" "a trihe low
and to the left and the like mean every
thing for the quick advancement OF the
pupil.
Perhaps az the beginner is ready for a
wing shot a clay rabbit, very like the
real, scuttles across his path for he may
go rabbit shooting some day. and any
way he must learn to be ready for emer-
gency. He is taught, too, to walk in
line" that is TO take his place in line
of gunners in the advance through the
cover and to take his birds under the
same conditions as when shooting at real
game. He learns to carry his gun In