The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1921-03-09
new HANDICAPPINC
IDEA In SHOOTING
All Distance Handicaps this Year VIII
Be Based on 10 Yards Per-
formances.

Handicapping by distance, and the
classification Of all trapshooters, will
| be based this year on n mans ability 10
break the 16-yard targets. In other
| words a mans handicaps. himse1f-al-
lots to himself the mark he shall stand
in all handicaps. This is all very plain
| ly set forth in the 1921 Registered
Trapshooting" booklet.
The system will naturally enough be
a fruitful topic of discussion where
| two or more trapshooters get together.
1t may, and probably will, come in for
some severe criticism at first, like any
radical change is subjected to before
| it is thoroughly understood and its
working has shown its benefits.
Space is too valuable to devote much
of it to a dissertation upon a matter
which is so capably explained in the
| booklet above mentioned. but a few
words to emphasize a point or two
seems advisable. In the first place, it
must be clearly understood that, while
the A. T. A. requires clubs to send in
complete data on all handicap events
shot at registered tournaments and at
registered club shoots, in fact, on all
registered targets shot at, the handi-
cap data is for record only and is not
considered when distance handicaps
are awarded, these being based on 16-
yard targets only.
Such being the case, we know very
we'll that a mans first thought will
be: 81 can break 'em all right at 16
yards, but put me back and l won't
stand a show on earth!" How does he
know that? Probably he is basing his
thought on what he has done in the
m CT T.
in during the past year or two. If he
will just think a moment he will re-
member that he went into those events
with practically no preliminary prac-
tice.. The question as to the amount
a man has to lead a quartering target
from the back marks had to be solved
while in competition, and during that
process some valuable targets have got
away and a chance of finishing near
the top has been also lost.
The new rule will, we believe, cause
gun club arrangements to schedule
regular practice events at distance
handicap, bastng the handicaps allot
ted according to the A. T. A. ruling.
With practice the old bugaboo of those
three, four or more yards back of the
16-yard mark will soon begin to lose
it's menace.
Fred Stone a Good Shot.
That Fred Stone, the actor, is one of
the best au-round shots in the world
is something the public at large does
not know but it is a fact just the same.
Acting is a business with Stone. He
shoots for recreation. In every town he
shows, he is a visitor to the gun club
daily. In his show this year, Tip
Top" he does a shooting act, using q
Winchester '06 in shooting at clay tar
gets tossed by an assistant. These are I
tossed in a haphazard way, and diff |
cult as the feat is, Stone manages to |
break about eight out of ten. Some |
twenty years ago Stone and Alec Mer- !
mond engaged in a 1,000-target race |
in st. Louis, the shooting being done |
with the thermometer below zero, and |
Stone won, breaking more than 900 |
targets.
A Shot in Time.
Charles P. Curtis, Boston Mass, |
banker and in his leisure hunter of |
big game, has just returned from a !
hunting expedition in Africa and India. |
His was a most successful trip. His |
experiences were many and thrilling. !
He brought home many trophies and !
photographs.
One of these photographs shows the !
owner Of an Indian store, his Wdnches- |
ter 1870 in his hands, standing over |
a named lion. The shopkeeper, very !
proud of his work, requested Mr.. Cur |
tbs to make a photograph.
The storekeeper told Mr. Davis that |
he was driving home in a mule cart |
when the lion appeared not Is years in |
front of him. Quick action was neces- !
sary. At his side was a model "a Win !
chester fully loaded, and in an instant |
the lion had stopped bullet with his |
nose. The bullet penetrated the brain
Killing the lion instantly.