Milford chronicle., 1930-05-02
Outdoor Rifle Shoot
ing Season Includes
Ambitious Program

fol shots will fire hundreds oi
matches throughout the country
officially opened May 1, according to
a statement issued at the Headquar-
ters of the National Rifle Associa-
tion in Washington. Officials of the
Association assert that there are
now 2.25O rife and pistol clubs in
the United States, an increase OF
several hundred above last years
total. Rifle and pistol enthusiasts
see in this growth an indication that
the outdoor season this year Will
show more activity than ever be-
fore. >,
The outdoor season naturally d.
vides itself into three general Sec
tions. First come the state and reg
ional matches fired shoulder-to-
shoulder, such as the New England
Matches at Wakefield, Mass the
Northwestern Matches at Camp
Lewis, Wash, the Southwestern
Matches at Austin, Tex, and the
nrobable Southeastern Matches at
montgomery, Ala. Another impor-
tant class of matches includes pre-
lininary events to determine who
shall represent their respective
states or organizations in the great
National Matches next fall at Camp
Perry, Ohio. Some of the states
which will hold matches are Cali
fornia, Michigan, Illinois, Missouri
oklahoma, Kansas, Washington
New Jersey. and New York. Practi-
cally all will hold some sort OF COM
netition in order to select National
| Match teams. Every state, with Dul
one or two exceptions, always sends
a civilian and national guard team
to Perry and the personnel of these
teams is the result of much preliml-
nary competitive practice. On the
ranges of the Reserve officers Train
ing Camps and Citizens Military
training Camps throughout the
country there will be many el1mlna'
tion events to decide who will hr(
on the teams which will represent
these units in the National Matches
The. American Legion will also stage
many local contests among those
who wish to represent the veterans
of the World War at Camp Perry
Legion matches will be held on the
ranges at Wakefield, Mass; QUAINT
20 Va: Paris Island, S. c.; CAM
Reauregard, La; Fort Sheridan, Ill
Fort Riley, Kan; San Diego, Calt:
and Spokane, Wash. Policeman, rail-
wavmen and members of small-bor'
clubs will also have many tryout'
+bis summer preliminary to the Ma
tional Matches. In fact, hardy
rifle range in the country Will Ial
+o have it quota of practicing marks
men every weekend from May u
the latter part Of August.
Tn addition to all this, the N. II
A. will stage 81 postal matches Iol
rifle and pistol marksmen. In tn'
oficial N. R. A. program, the out
door postal matches are divided lhI'
three sections. The small-bore sec
tion includes 20 events ranging iron
the 5O-Yard Tyro Match, in whlci
| booinners will have their hrs
chance to win N. R. A. medals, t
eucb important contests as the In
dividua1 Free Rifle and the Long
Range Team Spring Championship
All of the matches in TINS sectlol
will he fired with the % callbe'
ri1a Thirteen matches are schedul
cd in the high-power section. II
these contests, the 80 caliber rlh'
is used and this attracts most OF TN
hig-game hunters and milltar,
marksmen to outdoor ranges IN al
narts of the country. The hlgh-poW
or matches include a number OF un
usral and colorful affairs, including
the old Individual Scheutzen Matcl
which dates back to the days whel
Americans of German descent in al
narts of the country used to gathe
at their Scheutzen Parks and bani
away with rifles of every type AM
design. The Scheutzen Fest is III
longer with us, but the Scheutzel
tradition persists to the extent o
attracting many old-timers t.
ranges where they are allowed t.
use any rifle with velocity not oV
er 1900 foot-seconds, with set trig
gers, palm rests, elaborately-carve'
stocks, telescope sights, and an
other accessories their fancy die
tates. Another unusual number i
the Obsolete Rifle Interclub Sprini
Championship. This match was IN
augurated last year in answer to
demand for action by hundreds o
men who had purchased old milltar.
arms at low cost. 1t gives them al
opportunity to try out their Krag
and other obsolete models in com
petition, but any rifle shooting thu
standard U. S. military ammunition
and all special match rifles are bar
red.
The third section Of the program
is devoted to pistol and revolver
matches and includes several police
events which have won wide popu
larity since the National Rifle AS
sociation, some years ago, opened
it's nationwide campaign to i'm
prove the standard of Workmanship
among reinforcement officers.
In all of these matches, the con
testants do their shooting on theil
home ranges in the presence of wit.
nesses, according to the rules Of the
national organization. Targets are
then mailed into the Headquarters
of the Association in Washington
and the winners announced after the
official scorer has checked the re-
suits.
II A Csz MT.LsTo4I