St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1917-06-20
new SHOOTING
RECORDS MADE
Bullseyes At 1000 Yards Off.
Hand is Record
j Made Here

"Bullseyes at 1000 yards offhand. "
Ihis assertion would arouse no great
interest in one VINO was not aware of
the possibilities of the ordinary rifle
But to one who is familiar with rifles
IL would be regarded nothing short OF
wonderful, if not impossible Yet the
feat has been accomplished and is be-
ing accomplished almost daily in the
town of Lyndonville. They tell you of
Private Huntoon, who was with the
56th Canadian Regiment at Johannes
burg in the Boer War, who, out of a
possible 50, at 1000 yards offhand.
scored 90, including two bullseyes. and
%of Sergts. Murch and Vigneault, late
& of Company D of st. Johnsbury, whose
scores were IA and 16 respectively out
s of so possible.
The question How can it be done,
reports of the records came to the at
Il when 200 yards is the limit offhand
shooting; may be asked. When the
tention of the DAILY CALIFORNIAN,
a representative was sent to investi-
gate. Following is the story:
A. B. Pratt, of Our Husbands Man
ufacturing Company, Lyndonville. is
the man who has made these things
possible. The rifle used is a remod-
4 eiled 5000. 1906, regulation United
States Army Springfield. The remod-
cling was done by Mr.. Pratt The in
Sventions which give the gun such re-
marka Bile power and accuracy repre-
3 sent years of work and expense by this
man. They consist of a remodelled
4 stock. and changes on the sights. Mr..
Pratt has invented many different
guns, including a revolver which may
be fired and carried without ever
touching it with the hands. But our
story has to do with the remodelled
Springfield.
! arrived at the manufacturing plant
and was introduced to Mr.. Pratt, the
man who has accomplished the impos-
sible. He imm ediately went into an
explanation of the working of differ
ent models and styles of guns and ri
fles; their good and bad points. Then
he opened the cabinet where he has
precious collection of rifles of all de-
scriptions. including the one with
which the records had been made.
We took a regular Springfield army
rife and the remodelled gun and step
ped out to the rear porch of the house.
/ had never fired a rifle, but possessed
an idea of what to expect when I fired
zone. Mr.. Pratt loaded and handed the
new model over. Picking out q spot
on hill about two hundred yards dis
tant, I fired. The kick" of the gun
was hardly noticeable, and the dust
flew up within a few inches of the
point aimed at, not because of any
knowledge of shooting on my part,
but because it is almost impossible to
miss a mark with the rifle. After this
demonstration of the qualities of the
invention we took an automobile and
made the trip to the 1000 yard range,
where the records had been made.
The target was the regulation gov
eminent size, IL X feet with three
foot bullseye. At the great distance
the mark seemed very small, and to
hit it, next to impossible. Yet l saw
punctures where Huntoon had sent
two shots through the eye offhand at
one shooting, and where other men
had pierced it.
Huntoon, Murch, and Vigneault
made their records on May 81, 1917.
D 1t was their first attempt at such a
distance Weather conditions were
Nabout right. and the men firing off
#hand and without signals. repeated
zly struck the target and three times
#pierced the bullseye. This would
#have been impossible with a regula-
ton rifle And then little Jack Tit
1 comb, aged IA, took the rifle making,
at 200 yards, Al hits out of a possible
so, firing offhand.
The rifle is patented in every coun-
try in the world, yet there is but one
model in existence. and that one is
in the possession of the inventor.
Many great things have been accom-
pIished by residents of the town of
Lyndonville, and of all these things
Mr., Pratt's remodelled rifle will stand
out as one of the most wonderful.