The Washington herald., 1917-07-16
ideal
SPORT FOR FAIR SEX
Mrs. Hammond Tells Good Point.
and What Should Be Done to
Become Good Shot.

BY MISS HARRIET d. HAMMOND.
The sport of trapshooting. by rea-
son of its fascinations and health
benefits. IS fast becoming one Of the
most popular sports among the out
door sport-lOvinS women of the coun-
try.
1t is not nearly so strenuous as golf
and tennis. and the improvement in
the manufacture of ammunition and
guns has been so wonderful in the
last few years that there is no longer
need for any fear or dread of the
shotgun.
The so-called kick is a thing of
the past, and it Is now possible for
the most refined and sensitive woman
or girl to learn to shoot without the
slightest injury or shock to her nerv-
Gus system.
Trapshooting. which combines snort
with fresh air and sunshine. has
brought the roses to the cheeks of
many pale. delicate women II stirs
up the circulation. strengthens the
nerves. quickens the eye and brings
all the muscles into play. in fact,
an afternoon at the traps is the next
best thing to an osteopathic or mas
sage treatment, 1t is so wonderfully
invigorating and refreshing. Physi-
clans are most enthusiastic over trap
shooting and endorse it as a most
healthful sport for women.
OF course, the well-fitting gun PLAYS
an important part in the sport. and
when beginner is taken out for
her first try at the flying clays, care
should be taken that she does not
attempt TO use gun that is too long
in the stock for her.
The stock of her gun should be short
enough to fit comfortably and easily
against her chest, and not out on her
arm, where the slightest bit of recoil
VIII bruise the soft muscular tissues
and cause a black-and-blue spot that
Is not at all dangerous, but looks
very formidable to the novice.
Until the muscles of her arm be-
come accustomed to the weight of
the gun 1t would be well for the be-
sinner to start with a smaT-borc
shotSun. preferably 20-gage. 4
well-balancCd gun Of this bore will
shoot just as easily rs the standard
l--gaEe trap gun and will be much
easier for the beginner to handle.
In short time she will have become
so accustomed to the weight Of this
gun that 1t will seem like a toy to
hef and she will ask to be promoted
10 the larger bore gun.
Every novice should have individual
( instruction. Give her all the time she
! wants and make sure that she as
sumes correct position and knows
her gun perfectly before you allow
her to shoot. This may seem to take
up lot of time at first, but il will
/ pay in the long run.
The first rules of trapshooting cor
rcctIy learned will follow the shooter
all through her trapshOoting career.
and she always will be master of her
self and of her gun, no matter what
Kind OF a tournament she may take
part in.
/ She won't hold the men back and
/ make them wish she was anywhere
/ but in their squad, for when they find
I out that she always lives up to the
rules and can shoot just as fast as
they can. they will not only be Glad,
/ but proud to have her line up with
/ them at the traps.
Women are no longer content to
] stay in the house every afternoon and
| sew or crochet. The spirit of sport
| has gotten into their blood, and they
/ want to get out and drink in the fresh
/ air and sunshine and do something to
: develop their muscles and make them
! stronger mentally ana physically. And
/ there is no better sport in the world
| for just this sort of development than
| trapshooting.
! 1t is not always possible for women
( who wish to learn the art of trap
shooting to get in touch with gun
! cluhs that are near enough to their
homes to make it convenient for them
TO get back and forth easily and quick
( ~, but this does not dampen their en-
! thuslasm in the least. Many women
/ who could not go to gun clubs pur-
7 chased hand traps and targets and
learned to pulverize the clays on their
/ own home grounds