The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1920-04-25
REVIVE DOUBLES
TARGET SHOOTING

If the state associations adopt the
suggestion offered by the American
TrapShooting Association and include
a doubles (two targets thrown at the
same time) champion at fifty pairs in
each of the state championship COM
petitions the clay target sport will be
much more interesting for the spec
tators and contestants in 1920 than
ever before.
Doubles target shooting is the real
sport of trapshooting. Scattergun en-
thusiasts assert that the real test OF
ability in the breaking of inanimate
targets is in the shooting of doubles.
There are man shooters who are ex-
cellent shots with the single-barrel
gun, but with the pump or the dou-
barrel they do not figure. Dou-
bles target shooting is interesting to
the spectator because of the rapidity
with which the shooter must fire in
fast work-and that is just what one
that bang bang noise.
This was proven when the Win
chester shooting team toured the
Eastern and Southern states last fall.
The thousands of spectators in the
various cities silently admired the
wonder single target shooting OF the
team, but il was at the doubles tar
get shooting that they applauded.
The average American likes to see
fast work-and that is ust what one
sees in the shooting at doubles.
At Rockford, Ill, on October 3
last, the Winchester team broke 81
out of so. pairs, two members of the
team breaking all ten pairs and the
other three members each missed one
target in ten pairs. This Is a worlds
record. There has been little or no
Il nd
the trip of the Winchester team re-
vived the sport. At the Grand Amer
lean Handicap each year there is a
national championship at doubles
targets-but seldom during the year
do the shooters get a chance to shoot
at doubles on program.
The writer brought out these facts
last fall and the A. T. a. took cog
nizance of them and has asked the
state associations to encourage this
branch of the sport If each state
association puts on n doubles cham
pionship it means about As doubles
events during the season. II the state
associations put on doubles events il
is more than likely that many clubs
through the country viii put such
events ON club programs and If this
comes to pass it will be the best thing
that ever happened for trapshooting.
Doubles target shooting perhaps
more nearly than any other style OF
trapshooting approaches conditions
that prevail when shooting at game
in the field, such as quail. grouse,
prairie chicken. etc. To make a good
score on gamebirds one has to ac-
ettrattfy and quickly. align -ene,s gun
and pull the trigger. The slower shot
is always handicapped. and more par
so when shooting al double
targets. because regulation target
lie, a target thrown about so yards,
according to rule, gets away from the
gunner more quickly than any bird
that flies. 1t is true that it slows up
the end Of its flight. but It
Is then too far from the man with
the gun for him to count safely on
the pattern made by his load of shot
scoring break for him, A slow shot
must expect many a second target of
his double TO be scored lost" to him.
Therefore. the accuracy of aim Of two
shooters being equal, the quicker shot
has an advantage over his slower CON
testant-