I'iiv'V, 1 I ^^■H ■ ViiH' H ■ ■HHHHE 1L4M - 'i . w'J' '1'.! ;!■' ■ I ■ |^^^ I ■ ■ m m ■1 iw 1, ■ ■ 1 ;,i.r<^H Boot \L24-_ Copyrights COPYRIGHT DEPOSOi By WALTER WINANS The Art of Revolver Shooting. Royal 8vo. New Edition, Revised and Enlarged. Fully Illustrated net, $5.00 The Sporting Rifle. Royal 8vo. Fully Illustrated net, $5.00 Hints on Revolver Shooting. i6mo. Illustrated net, $1.00 Practical Rifle Shooting. 161110. Illustrated net, 50 cents Q. P. PUTNAM'S SONS NEW YORK LONDON THE ART OF REVOLVER SHOOTING ^ THE ART OF REVOLVER SHOOTING TOGETHER WITH ALL INFORMATION CONCERNING THE AUTOMATIC AND SINGLE-SHOT PISTOL, AND HOW TO HANDLE THEM TO THE BEST ADVANTAGE BY WALTER WINANS CHEVALIER OF THE IMPERIAL RUSSIAN ORDER OF ST. STANISLAUS OLYMPIC CHAMPION FOR DOUBLE-RIFLE SHOOTING IN 1 008 REVOLVER CHAMPION, FIVE YEARS NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION OF GREAT BRITAIN SEVEN YEARS OF THE SOUTH LONDON RIFLE CLUB AND TEN YEARS OF THE NORTH LONDON RIFLE CLUB ONE YEAR DUELLING PISTOL CHAMPION AT GASTINNE-RENETTe's, PARIS VICE-PRESIDENT OF THE NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION OF GREAT BRITAIN MEMBER OF THE UNITED STATES REVOLVER ASSOCIATION AND OF LE PISTOLET CLUB OF PARIS PRESIDENT OF ASHFORD RIFLE CLUB, ETC. NEW EDITION, REVISED AND ENLARGED HEAD AND TAIL PIECES DRAWN BY THE AUTHOR ORIGINAL PHOTOGRAPHS BY ROUCH, FRY, PURDEY, PENFOLD, AND OTHERS G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS NEW YORK AND LONDON XTbe IRntcfterbocfeer press 191 1 Copyright, 1901 BY WALTER WINANS Copyright, 191 i by WALTER WINANS Ube ftatcfecrbocltcr iprese, ftcw v;ort; ©CI, A 2 sr, 3 REEACE I constantly receive letters from all parts of the world asking my advice on pistol and revolver matters. It seemed, therefore, that there was a want of information on this sub- ject. I tried to supply this information in the book I wrote in 1901 called The Art of Revolver Shoot- ing, in which I gave further and fuller details than could be given in separate letters to those who have done me the honour of consulting me. My book was, therefore, of some use to beginners who have no one at hand to show them how to set to work, but since then many improvements have been made in pistols and revolvers, so that the time seemed to have come for me to write a second edition of the book, in which all the information given would be brought well up to date. This I have done, adding a chapter on automatic and duelling pistols, there not having been any previous work published which deals with the latter. Working a thing out for yourself is always a much longer process than being started in the right way at first ; and you may get into a bad way of doing things, which iv Preface it is hard later to unlearn. Also, you may be working on a line which has already been tried and found wanting, and which therefore renders your labour a mere waste of time. I do not think that anyone who takes up pistol and revolver shooting — for other than man-killing purposes — will ever regret it. It is not only morally and physically a healthy sport, but it teaches self-reliance, coolness, and the control of one's temper, which last such amusements as croquet and golf, for instance, certainly do not. Pistol shooting is also an accomplishment always useful and sometimes of vital importance. It is thus unlike croquet, cricket, lawn-tennis, golf, and all other games which develop skill only in forms that cannot be of practical use. It may be objected that the games I condemn are useful as exercises for the development of the body ; but there are plenty of forms of sports — shooting, hunting, swimming, polo, bicycling, and so on — which give just as good, or better, exercise, yet at the same time teach skill in some- thing useful instead of in mere play fit only for boys. If men spent in seeking to attain proficiency with the rifle, the pistol, or even the shot-gun, a twentieth part of the time they at present devote to playing useless games, they would make their country invincible. Well- ington is said to have declared that battles were won on the playgrounds. That may have been the case in times when men shot with "gas-pipes" and needed only to "loose off," the direction of the bullet having little re- lation to the aim taken. With modern arms of precision, however, the battles of the future will be won in the forest Preface V and at the rifle-range. The difficulty of finding sufficient rifle-ranges in a densely populated country is one that will increase as time goes on, but meanwhile it should be borne in mind that, with gallery ammunition, a five-yards' range in any odd corner or cellar is ample space for pistol prac- tice. It may moreover fairly be claimed that the greater difficulty of pistol shooting makes it a valuable training in the use of the rifle, though the converse by no means holds. The nation that is not a "shooting nation" will "get left" in war time. I hope, however, that as countries become more civilised they will pay greater heed to the idea of arbitration in place of war, the idea which was so nobly inaugurated by His Imperial Majesty the Emperor of Russia (my fatherland), and that by the time the pistol becomes obsolete there will be no need of a weapon to take its place, but that the revolver and war will die out together. W. W. surrenden park, Kent, England, 1910. CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I. — Personal ....... i II. — Personal (Continued) .... 7 III. — Evolution of the Revolver . . .10 IV. — Selecting a Pistol ..... 20 V. — Ammunition ... . . . -33 VI. — Cleaning and Care of Weapons . . 42 VII.— Sights .46 VIII. — Learning to Use the Pistol 55 IX. — Pistol and Revolver Clubs . , . 85 X. — Practice and Training .... 109 XI. — Gallery Shooting . . . . .116 XII. — Gastinne-Renette's Gallery in Paris . 126 XIII. — Le Pistolet Club . . . . .144 XIV. — Competitions with the Devilliers Bullet 146 XV. — Duelling . . . . . . .154 XVI. — The .22 Calibre Single-Shot Pistol . 167 XVII. — National Rifle Association Meeting at Bisley . . . . . . .176 viii Contents CHAPTER PAGE XVIII. — Bisley Continued — Disappearing Tar- get . . . . . . . .190 XIX. — Bisley Continued — Rapid Firing . . 208 XX. — Bisley Continued — Traversing Target . 217 XXI. — Bisley Continued — Advancing Target . 225 XXII. — Bisley Concluded — Stationary 50 Yards Target . . . . . . 229 XXIII. — Team Shooting and Coaching . . . 232 XXIV. — General Remarks on Shooting in Com- petitions ...... 238 XXV. — -Automatic Pistols ..... 241 XXVI. — The Revolver in War .... 247 XXVII. — Stage Shooting 255 XXVIII.— Trick Shooting 266 XXIX. — Blank Ammunition for Stage Purposes . 270 XXX. — Big-Game Shooting with the Revolver . 273 XXXI. — Target Shooting off Horseback . . 290 XXXII. — Small-Game Shooting .... 294 XXXIII. — Pigeon Shooting with the Pistol . . 296 XXXIV. — Clay-Pigeon Shooting with the Pistol 299 XXXV. — Shooting in Self-Defence . . . 302 XXXVI. — Pistol Shooting for Ladies . . . 315 Contents IX CHAPTER XXXVII.— Shooting from a Bicycle XXXVIII. — Revolvers for the Police XXXIX. — Killing Disabled Animals XL. — Shooting in the Dark Appendix Index PAGE 320 323 326 330 336 345 ILLUSTRATIONS FULL PAGE The Author ...... Frontispiece The Four Principal Revolvers ..... Smith & Wesson ("Winans* Model") "Bisley" Colt "Target" Webley Smith & Wesson Military The Author's Shooting Position . Badges Won by the Author The Gastinne-Renette Challenge Trophy Position for "Attention" .... Position when Shooting .... The Author ....... The Position of some Duellists at the Word "Atten tion" . ...... The Author's Position at "Attention" Correct Position at the Moment of Firing Pistols by Gastinne-Renette Bisley Prize Certificate .... 27 59 115 138 148 150 152 155 157 159 163 175 xii Illustrations Position for Shooting at an Advancing Object PAGE Some of the Author's Championship Badges . . 177 Some of the Revolver Prizes and Championship Badges Won by the Author ...... 193 The Author's Championship Diploma Awarded at Olympic Games in London, 1908 .... 233 Diagrams of Twelve Highest Possible Scores Made by Author in Revolver Competitions at 20 Yards in 1895 235 Shooting on Horseback — Pursuing Shot . . . 249 Shooting on Horseback — Retiring Shot . . -251 Shooting with Revolver Upside Down . . . 257 Deer Shooting off Horseback — A Running Shot . 275 Deer Shooting off Horseback — Two Hit . . . 277 Deer Shooting off Horseback — "One, Two, Three" 279 Deer Shooting off Horseback — Breaking up the Herd 281 Deer Shooting off Horseback — Overtaking the Herd 283 Deer Shooting off Horseback — "Riding out" a Buck 285 Deer Shooting off Horseback — "A Right and Left" . 287 Shooting off Horseback — Charging . . . .291 Self-Defence — At Bay ...... 305 309 [The Author takes this opportunity of recording his appreciation of the great pains taken by Mr. W. Rouch, of 191 Strand, London, in connection with the series of horse studies in the above list.] IN THE TEXT Original Colt Revolver ...... 4 "Troika" in a Snowstorm ...... 6 The Author with his Cat " Matty " .... 9 Ancient Flint-lock Pistols . . . . .11 Illustrations xiii PAGE Ancient Flint -and -Steel Revolver — Age, 170 to 200 Years . . . . . . .12 Bow-Pistol — 1300 . . . . . . 13 Match-lock — 1525 ....... 14 Wheel-lock— 1625 . . . . . . .15 Flint-lock — 1776 ........ 16 Percussion-lock — 1830 . . . . . 17 Revolver — 1865 . . . . . . . .18 Extension Stock as Applied to .44 Single - Action Revolver ........ 19 Dick Turpin's Ride ....... 19 Smith & Wesson New Solid - Frame Revolvers for Smokeless Powder . . . . . . .21 Engraved .38 Smith & Wesson ..... 22 Engraved Russian Model Smith & Wesson ... 22 Section of Cylinder, Showing Hardened Steel Shims, Unfinished ........ 22 sldeplate of military revolver, showing raised steel Bosses ......... 22 Elaborately Carved Revolvers, Owned by the Author 24 Smith & Wesson .44 Double-Action Revolver . . 26 Smith & Wesson Military Revolvers .... 29 Cartridges 34, 35, 36 Smith & Wesson Self-Lubricating Cartridge . . 37 Cut Showing Details of Construction of the Self- Lubricating Bullet ...... 37 XIV Illustrations Automatic Shell Extractor as Applied to all Jointed- Frame Models of the Smith & Wesson Revolvers Reloading Tools Target Sights .... Special Target Sights Winans' Revolver Front-Sights Olympic Target .... Patent Safety Butt How to Cock a Revolver The Correct Way to Hold a Revolver The Correct Position for the Thumb Two Systems of Ejecting, Smith & Wesson Author's "Best-on-Record" Score, at 20 Yards — Stationary Target — Eleven Shots Author's "Best-on-Record" Score, at 20 Yards — Stationary Target — Ten Shots .... Author's "Best-on-Record" Score, at 20 Yards — Nine Shots ...... Twelve Shots at 20 Yards, by the Author Shot by Author, Sept. 22, 1892 Ten Shots at 20 Yards by the Author Standard American Target Belgian Single-Shot Pistol — Saw-Handle Styles of Smith & Wesson Engraving . Styles of Smith & Wesson Engraving Smith & Wesson Single-Shot Target Pistol 38 39 47 50 53 56 61 64 67 68 76 89 89 93 93 97 97 in 117 119 121 123 Illustrations XV PACE Gastinne-Renette's Gallery . . . . .128 Underground Gallery for Heavy Charges . .129 Gastinne-Renette's Gallery — Firing Points . . 130 How Some Hold the Duelling Pistol — Figure 1 . . 131 The Author's Way of Holding the Duelling Pistol — Figure 2 ........ 132 How Some Hold the Duelling Pistol (Another View) — Figure 3 133 The Author's Way of Holding the Duelling Pistol (Another View) — Figure 4 . . . 134 Silhouette Showing Spots Made by the Author in Com- petition AT THE GASTINNE-RENETTE GALLERY, APRIL 7, 1910 136 Duelling Pistols by Gastinne-Renette — The Property of the Author ....... 137 The Gastinne-Renette 16 Metres Target . .139 Duelling Pistols by Gastinne-Renette . . 141 How to Hold the Duelling Pistol with Guard for Shooting Devilliers Bullet .... 147 .22 Calibre Target Pistol by Leeson . . . . 149 Pistols by Gastinne-Rennete . . . . .168 Wurfflein Pistol . . . . . . .169 Smith & Wesson Pistol . . . . . .169 Stevens Pistol — Gould Model . . . . .169 Stevens Diamond Model Pistol . . . . .170 .22 Smith & Wesson Pistol with Interchangeable .32 Barrel ........ 170 xvi Illustrations PAGE How to Hold the Gastinne-Renette Modification of the Stevens . . . . . . . -171 Stevens " Offhand Target " . . . . . -171 Stevens "Lord" ........ 172 Stevens Vernier New Model Pocket " Rifle " . . 172 Stevens New Model Pocket or Bicycle "Rifle" . 172 Stevens "Tip-up" ........ 173 Stevens "Diamond" ...... . 173 Webley Man-Stopping Bullet . . . . .181 Author's "Best-on-Record" Score, 20 Yards Disap- pearing Target . . . . . . .195 Author's "Best-on-Record" Score, 20 Yards Disap- pearing Target ....... 200 Author's "Best-on-Record" Score, 20 Yards Disap- pearing Target ....... 204 Author's " Best-on-Record " Score, 6 Shots in 12 Seconds 209 Rapid Firing — Author's "Best-on-Record" for Military Revolver and Sights . . . . . .211 Author's "Best-on-Record" Score, 20 Yards Rapid- Firing Target . . . . . . .213 Police Target — Double- Action Colt Revolver . .215 Author's "Best-on-Record" Score for 3-inch Bull's- eye Traversing Target, 20 Yards . . . .219 Author's "Best-on-Record" Score for 2-inch Bull's- eye Traversing Target, 20 Yards . . . . 222 Bisley Camp by Night ...... 224 Author's "Best-on-Record" Score, Advancing Target . 227 "Best-on-Record" — Made by Author — 50 Yards Target 230 Webley-Fosbery Automatic Revolver . . . 242 Colt Automatic Pistol, Pocket Model, Calibre .32 . 242 Colt Automatic Pistol, Calibre .32 ... 243 Illustrations XVH Colt Automatic Pistol, Military Model, Calibre .45 Colt Automatic Pistol, Military Model, Calibre .38 Lugar Automatic Pistol .... New Army Colt Double-Action Revolver New Navy Colt Double-Action Revolver New Service Colt Double-Action Revolver Russian Model Army Revolver, Smith & Wesson Shooting with Revolver Upside-Down — Figure A Shooting with Revolver Upside Down — Figure B Revolver Half Canted to the Right— Figure C Revolver Half Canted to the Left — Figure D Extension Stock, as Applied to .44 Single-Action Revolvers ........ How to Hold the Shot Pistol . .... Smith & Wesson Hammerless Safety Revolvers — .38 and. 32 Calibre ....... Mechanism of the Smith & Wesson Hammerless Safety Revolver ..... Colt Derringer, .41 Calibre, Rim Fire Automatic Extractor .... Smith & Wesson Bicycle Revolver Statuette Designed by the Author The Greener Killer — Manufactured by W. W. Greener The Pocket Pattern Killer Pocket Colt Double-Action Revolver Police Colt Double-Action Revolver Winans' Patent Electric Sight .... PAGE 244 244 245 248 250 252 253 260 26l 262 263 288 297 303 304 312 321 321 323 327 328 331 332 333 WORLD'S CHAMPIONSHIP GOLD MEDAL OLYMPIC GAMES 1908 THE ART OF PISTOL AND REVOLVER SHOOTING CHAPTER I PERSONAL S probably no one has done more pistol and revolver shooting, or shot with pistols and revolv- ers on a more systematic and experimental basis, than I have, the rough notes in this book may be of use to those who desire to take up this class of shooting as a pastime. I had the further advantage of the instruction, advice and help of the greatest revolver and pistol shot who has ever lived, — the late Chevalier Ira Paine. Sir Joshua Reynolds, when asked with what he mixed his colours, replied: "With brains." I found that Ira Paine's secret of success was that he shot "with brains." He thought out everything, and in consequence got from the pistol results which, until he did so, had been con- 2 Art of Revolver Shooting sidered beyond the possibilities of the weapon, and some of his scores constitute, to this day, world's records. The gold medal revolver score framed at Gastinne Renette's gallery, for instance, is by far the best score there. When I first began revolver shooting I read in a standard book on shooting that to hit, at a distance of ten paces, a mark the size of a man, was about as much as anyone could expect to do with a revolver! To-day if a man at that distance cannot hit the pip of the ace of hearts he has only himself to blame. The nature of this work — the book contains practically an account of my personal experience with pistol and revolver — renders it almost imperative to use frequently the pronoun "I," which, though certainly egotistical, enables me to put my thoughts and instructions in ex- actly the way I want to. Also by giving diagrams of my "best on record" scores I enable the pistol shooter to compare scores when he himself shoots. I do not, except in the chapter on Self-defence — on which subject I am glad to say my personal experiences are nil — quote from other writers. Therefore I cannot say, " Pistol shooters do so-and-so." All I say is, "I do so-and-so." Also I ask to be excused for using shooting and other slang, for often it is possible to express in one word of the kind what might otherwise require a whole paragraph of description. Other ways of getting at results with the revolver may perhaps be, and probably are, better than those which I recommend; but I have been fairly successful with my way, and this is my excuse for describing it. A man is Personal 3 born a pistol shot, just as he may be born an artist, a mathematician, or a horseman. The expert is there in embryo and needs only to be developed. All the same, most men can learn to shoot fairly well with a pistol if they have not a trembling hand and if their eyesight is not too bad. A little shakiness in a beginner is not of consequence, and it may come from gripping the "hand" of the pistol too hard. But I have never known a man do much good with the pistol who was more than a very moderate smoker or drinker. My advice to all pistol shots is: Never fire a shot carelessly or at random. If you are getting tired, stop shooting. A few shots fired carefully are worth hundreds "blazed away." Think out the reason for any shot not having struck "plumb centre"; find out the reason for the failure, and never rest satisfied until you know why the bullet went wrong. Discover if it was inevitable, as, for instance, in the case of a gust of wind catching your arm, or a bad cartridge, or, in the case of a muzzle-loading duelling pistol, if the bad shot was due to a variation in the powder charge. If it is remediable, remedy it with the very next shot, and make up your mind that that mistake at any rate shall not occur again. I always presuppose the use of an accurate weapon. Practice with any other is waste of time. Many people say: "Oh, pistol shooting is such a use- less accomplishment; such a waste of time!" Is it? How often is a man's life — or a woman's, for that matter — saved by knowing how to shoot a revolver? I do not 4 Art of Revolver Shooting mean necessarily a man's own life, but that of someone dependent upon him. There is no necessity to be a bully, or, in most cases, to take human life; it is the mere knowledge that you have the upper hand that often gives the safety, and puts a physically weak person on an equality with the strongest. Also there are cases where money damages are out of the question, and resort to the duelling pistol the only possible thing to be done. I remember, many years ago, my father was travelling to St. Petersburg from the frontier, before the railway was completed. It was winter; the driver lost his way, and the sledge got off the road in a snow-storm at night. ORIGINAL COLT REVOLVER The driver began unharnessing the horses (it was a "troika"), intending to ride off and abandon my father and his sister, who was with him, to their fate. My father happened to have in his pocket one of the first Colt revolvers ever made, presented to him by Colonel Colt, and he took it out and asked the driver to reharness the horses and remain in the sledge. They waited thus all Persoital 5 night, and in the morning found their way back to the road. That is a case in which a revolver saved two lives without its being discharged. As they say in the States: "You seldom need a revol- ver, but when you do you need it mighty badly." Others say: "What is the use of learning revolver shooting? Anyone can use a revolver at the short range required for self-defence without special training. " Can he? To begin with, many revolvers shoot almost a yard too high; besides which a "duffer" with a revolver and especially an automatic pistol is one of the most dan- gerous persons to himself or his friends, and about one of the safest things that a man who is a good pistol shot can tackle. Being able to shoot with gun or rifle does not neces- sarily enable a man to hit even a large object with a pistol. It is very important that anyone who is armed with the shorter weapon should learn how to handle it, and not trust to his skill with other firearms as an excuse for not studying the peculiarities of the one-handed "shooting-iron." I find confirmation of my contention that ordinary shooting does not teach revolver shooting, in a letter from Mr. G. D. Giles, Special Correspondent of the Daily Graphic, dated February 28th, 1901, from Koodoosberg Drift. He writes: " Having got the rations, in the shape of live-stock, the next thing is to kill it, and this, in the absence of butchers, is not such an easy thing as might be supposed. . . . An officer, armed with a revolver, tries to get into a favourable position for a shot. The 6 Art of Revolve?" Shooting cattle will not stand still, and the officer with the revolver walks round them, the muzzle occasionally pointed in the direction of the spectators. Suddenly there is a bang, followed by the ping of the bullet as it flies across the camp, and the bullock turns unconcernedly away. Then one of the men says: 'I think it dropped in the Lancers . They shouted ! ' " This exactly corroborates my statement that a "duffer" with a revolver or an automatic pistol is more dangerous to spectators and himself than to the object which he wants to hit. The man who knows nothing about a revolver will, most likely, carry it in his pocket with the hammer down on the cap of one chamber; then the slightest jar may send it off. Or, thinking he "knows all about it," he carries it at half-cock; then, when he draws in a hurry, the hammer catches in his pocket, and he shoots himself. With an automatic pistol there is even greater danger, especially in returning it to the pocket after one shot has been fired. Another advantage in pistol shooting as a sport is that it is a " clean ' ' sport. There is no gambling or rough play. No man who drinks or smokes heavily can possibly shoot a pistol accurately. If he wishes to excel, he must get into training as strict and regular as if he intended to row in a boat race. ■■ TROIKA IN A SNOW-STORM CHAPTER II PERSONAL {Continued) $ jfvs' *ft- 3 'i /[ t T, T is a fact that I became a pistol shot because I was forbidden to shoot. My parents natur- ally, but, as I thought at the time, most unreasonably, forbade me to have firearms when I was a very small child. As a shot-gun or even a gallery rifle would have ' ' given me away," I was reduced to smuggling in a French Flo- bert pistol. But as I found that the Flobert car- tridges made too much noise, and would be likely to attract attention, I got the breech caps with only fulminate in them and then filled them up with bread. The bread pellet, driven by the fulminate of the cap, had just sufficient power and penetration to go through paper targets and the "running deer" which I made. Also I used to "snuff" candles with it, and knock over tin soldiers. In fact I was always playing with this pistol. I re- member one day how my cat Matty, and I, were after a mouse. I got a shot at the mouse, using a bulleted cap, 7 8 Art of Revolver Shooting but I do not recollect hitting it. I think this constant familiarity with the pistol made shooting with it become second nature to me. In taking aim, I do not close the left eye; indeed I am physically unable to close one without shutting both, but I can ignore what I see with either eye, being able to look through a telescope with both eyes open, though all the time seeing only with the one that I happen to put to the eyepiece of the telescope. My eyes are equal as to sight and strength, which is, I understand, unusual, most men having a "master eye." When travelling from the frontier to St. Petersburg, a revolver which was hanging in our six-horse travelling carriage would have come in useful ; but at that time I was only six years old. I was with my aunt, nurse, and brother, the last named an infant. It was a pitch-dark night, and we had just changed horses. The driver, in getting up, swung his cloak; the horses started, the man fell, and we were off into the darkness! My aunt opened a door, lowered the folding step, and, kneeling on it, tried to get hold of the reins of the galloping horses but could not reach them. She then got back, shut the door, and prevented the nurse throwing herself and us children out. All the time, the revolver instinct being latent within me, I kept calling out : ' ' Take the pistol and shoot the horses ! ' ' But nobody paid attention to me. Finally, some mounted men overtook us, one or two of the horses fell, and this stopped the rest. Now, thinking the matter over, the course that I then suggested is what I still consider would have been the Personal 9 best thing for a revolver shot to do under the circum- stances. Had he lowered the front window and broken the backs of the prestashki (outside horses) , these would have dragged their hind quarters under the front wheels and so stopped the carriage without upsetting it. He would then have had time to kill other of the horses if necessary. d • S^k jjflTi^hL _. r- - - ^ KuM%~- f T ®^ c. ^NH^ ^ THE AUTHOR WITH HIS CAT " MATTY " CHAPTER III EVOLUTION OF THE REVOLVER HE single-shot pistol, as soon as rifling and the copper cap were invented, quickly at- tained great accuracy. In fact the modern duelling pistol, the most accurate up to the present time of large calibre pistols, is practi- cally identical with the Joe Manton pistol, though the revolver is still being improved upon. For accuracy it is to-day ahead of automatic pistols. The revolver is by no means the embodiment of a modern idea; some of the very earliest firearms involved the principle of a revolving cylinder or of revolving barrels, but none was practicable with flint-, wheel-, or match-locks. The introduction of the copper cap enabled Colonel Colt to make the first practical revolving pistol, and "fixed" ammunition made possible the production of breech-loading revolvers. There have been a few attempts to improve on the re- volver by going back to modifications of the old "pepper- box," or many-barrelled pistol, but the mechanical 10 Evolution of the Revolver ii difficulties of making so many barrels shoot "together" do not hold out much hope of success in that direction. Before Colonel Colt took up the problem of designing a practical revolver, many such attempts had been made on wrong lines, and even the purpose of a revolver was misunderstood. Even now this is not clearly grasped ANCIENT FLINT-LOCK PISTOLS by some, for only a few years ago a man gravely assured the public, in letters addressed to various news- papers, that a revolver was of no use because he did not consider that it shot accurately at two hundred yards and upwards! Imagine anyone wanting to shoot at such distances with a revolver ! Still, up to four hundred yards it is possible to hit a "second-class" rifle target. Owing to the shortness necessary to make a revolver 12 Art of Revolver Shooting a portable arm, the barrel cannot be made to shoot as accurately as a long rifle-barrel will shoot. Also, owing to the sights on a revolver being necessarily so close together, at long ranges the accuracy of aim VIEW SHOWING BARRELS HALF REVOLVED 1 BARRELS IN THE FIRING POSITION I Colonial flint-and-steel revolver. Age, 170 to 200 years attainable with a rifle cannot be Obtained with a revolver, even supposing that the barrel of the latter could be made to shoot as well as a rifle-barrel. Match rifle-shots have, for this reason, their hind-sights 1 By permission of the Scientific American. Evolution of the Revolver 1 3 placed at the end of the stock instead of on the breech end of the barrel, in order to have the sights as far apart as possible, while the modern Belgian match pistol, described later, is sighted on a somewhat similar principle. The adjustable butt shown here is intended to enable the revolver to be shot accurately at its extreme limit of range. H Art of Revolver Shooting Colonel Colt, however, knew better than to think that a revolver should shoot well up to two hundred yards. He understood that there was need for a very small, compact arm, which could be fired very rapidly for self- defence at close quarters, still more at "half-arm distance," when a rifle would be useless. The single-shot pistols left a man defenceless after he had fired his one shot, Evolution of the Revolver 15 unless he stuck his belt full of pistols like a stage pirate. At first some curious attempts were made to trans- form a five- or six-chambered revolver into a ten- or ^hmsi twelve-shot one by loading each chamber twice over; that is to say by putting one charge in and then another on the top of it. The front charge was fired first, then the one behind it, — that is, when the two charges did not go off 16 Art of Revolver Shooting simultaneously and burst the revolver! This naturally was found to be an unpractical and a dangerous system ; indeed that any sane man could have thought out such a combination seems almost incredible. I have often found, however, when rummaging among old patents, harebrained devices of this nature. I have also seen a fourteen-shot revolver with two barrels, one below the Evolution of the Revolver 17 other, the cylinder having a double set of chambers, the inner set for the lower barrel ! ! I have had one or two revolvers made with the ' ' saw- handle ' ' of the old duelling pistols. I have won with them at Bisley and found such stocks very good for deliberate shooting, or rather, when only one shot has to be fired. But it is necessary to use both hands for cocking, as the 18 Art of Revolver Shooting projection which comes over the fork of the thumb prevents one-handed cocking. It would be suitable for double-action revolvers. Most likely Colt also *"VjSl*, EVOLVER 1 found this difficulty, and that is the reason for his having invented the typical revolver handle, which, with slight modifications, is used in most revolvers. A Dutch friend of mine invented a very good handle grip for deliberate Evolution of the Revolver 19 shooting. He put a lump of modelling wax on the handle, gripped it hard till it took the impression of his fingers EXTENSION STOCK AS APPLIED TO .44 SINGLE-ACTION REVOLVER and palm, and then had it cast in metal. It makes a very "hot" grip, but this can be partly overcome by- having it hollow, open at the bottom, and pierced with holes. DICK TURPIN's RIDE CHAPTER IV SELECTING A PISTOL O not buy a cheap revolver or pistol by an unknown maker. Not only is it very dangerous to the shooter to use a weapon 'II ; \ j of the kind, but nobody can |» Mfll I make any shooting with it. If you do not wish to pay a long price for your pistol, rather buy a second-hand one by a good maker than a new one of inferior pattern. It is of importance, however, to ascertain that the rifling is still perfect, that is to say that it has not suffered deterioration from neglect or wear. You must first decide for what purpose you want the pistol; a "general utility" weapon is of about as much use as a hunter that is also a harness horse— not much good for either purpose. If you want a hunter, buy an Irish one; if a harness horse, get an American trotter. In the same way, for whatever purpose you want a pistol, buy one, if by any means you can do so, especially for that purpose. Anyhow, it is useless to compete with a Selecting a Pistol 21 short-barrelled pocket revolver, or with an automatic pistol, against duelling pistols, .22 single-shot, or target revolvers. f=\ SMITH & WESSON NEW SOLID-FRAME REVOLVERS FOR SMOKELESS POWDER The former class of revolver is intended only for self- defence at short range, and has no pretensions to accuracy; but a good single-shot pistol can beat almost any revolver. I should have left out the word "almost" had I not seen Ira Paine's Gold Medal score at sixteen metres at Gastinne Renette's which beats any single-shot pistol score that I have as yet come across. 22 Art of Revolver Shooting Read the chapter carefully which describes the par- ticular purpose for which you want the pistol, and buy accordingly. I think that six and a half inches in the bar- rel, exclusive of cylin- der, is about the most SECTION OF CYL- INDER, show- practical length for a ING HARDENED steel shims, revolver ; of course, a SIDE PLATE OF MILITARY REVOLVER, SHOWING RAISED STEEL BOSSES UNFINISHED longer barrel theoretically gives greater accuracy, especially at long range, owing to there being more length to burn the powder in, also owing to the ENGRAVED .38 SMITH & WESSON sights being set farther apart,— the last-named feature minimises error in aiming. This advantage, however, ENGRAVED RUSSIAN MODEL, SMITH & WESSON is more than counterbalanced by its making the revolver Selecting a Pistol 2 3 heavy at the muzzle, in consequence of which it must balance badly. The duelling pistol has the barrel fluted forward, which allows the barrel to be twelve inches long and yet balance well, and the fourteen-inch size pistol projects backward over the hand and thus balances. The balance ought in every case to be as near the trigger as possible. For a pocket revolver, a short barrel may be an absolute necessity for portability. At Bisley some men use very long barrels, and I believe seven-and-a-half- inch barrels are not unusual in their revolvers; but I prefer six and a quarter inches, exclusive of chamber, and I do not consider — although the Bisley rules allow it — that anything over that length in the barrel is a "Military" revolver or should be permitted to be used in military competitions. See that the trigger-pull is "sweet," and that it has no "drag." Also, have your trigger-pull not over four and a half pounds. The pull is often left very heavy, so as to be alterable to suit customers, and the shopman may forget to have this altered. If you are not hampered by rules, about three or three and a half pounds is the best trigger-pull for general purposes. Have the thumb- piece of the hammer slightly roughed to prevent slipping. For rapid cocking, a rather long thumb-piece is an ad- vantage, if it is a single-action revolver. But revolvers are now made with such good double action that the latter is preferable except for extreme accuracy. I disliked a double-action revolver, except for a pocket revolver, as with the older makes one could not do accurate shooting when cocking with the trigger; but 2 4 Art of Revolver Shooting the Smith & Wesson double-action .38 Military shoots very well, and with the French regulation revolver, with the former action, I have put the six shots in a two- ELABORATELY CARVED REVOLVERS Owned by the Author and-a-quarter-inch space at twenty-five metres in twelve seconds. For a man whose hands are apt to get moist, roughing the trigger may prevent its slipping. It will, however, also make the finger sore if roughed Selecting a Pistol 2 5 too sharp; it can be covered with rubber with ad- vantage. Some pistols have too narrow a trigger, almost like a piece of wire. A wide, spoon-shaped trigger is best, as less likely to cut the ringer, especially with the regulation English heavy trigger-pull. Get a pistol which, when you grip the stock properly, has the barrel and your arm as nearly in a horizontal line as possible. Many makes of revolvers, and all the auto- matic pistols so far produced, have the stock much below the level of the barrel, and the chambers and barrel are, consequently, far above the hand. This makes shooting more difficult; you are apt to cant the weapon to one side, and the recoil is more severe on your wrist. The French duelling pistol has the handle ideally placed, which makes it much easier to shoot than the average revolver. Most of the .22 calibre single-shot pistols have the trigger too near the hand. Do not get a revolver with a big stock, "specially made for the English market." These big stocks spoil the balance, and are clumsy. A man who holds a revolver properly does not need a big stock, even if he has a big hand. Writing of revolvers reminds me of an incident that is said to have occurred during the Franco-Prussian war, showing the advantage of a revolver over a sword in battle. A French cavalry soldier during a melee with Prussian cavalry kept several of the latter's troopers at bay by pointing his revolver at them in turn, although the re- volver was empty, the cartridges it contained having all 26 Art of Revolver Shooting been discharged. Then, thinking he would be safer with a sword than with an empty revolver, he suddenly threw away the latter and drew his sword, with the result that he was at once cut down by the nearest Prussian. SMITH & WESSON .44 DOUBLE-ACTION REVOLVER On page 27 are given illustrations of the four principal makes of revolvers : Smith & Wesson (" Winans' Model ") , "Bislcy" Colt, "Target" Webley, and Smith & Wesson double-action Military. I won my championships the first few years with a . 45 double-action cavalry Colt, using Eley's .45 black powder ammunition. Since then I have shot with the THE FOUR PRINCIPAL REVOLVERS : SMITH & WESSON (" WINANS MODEL "), " BISLEY " COLT, " TARGET " WEI3LEY, AND SMITH & WESSON MILITARY. 27 28 Art of Revolver Shooting Smith & Wesson revolvers, either the . 44 calibre Russian Model, the .45 Winans' Model, the .32 and .38 calibre in Russian Model frame, the .38 Military double-action Smith & Wesson, and the Dutch and the French army- revolvers. The first I use with gallery ammunition, U. M. C. cartridges, French revolver powder, as my sixteen-metres, twenty-five-metres, and twenty-yards "Any" or target revolver; the same revolver with full charge as " Military" for fifty yards; the Winans' Model sometimes both as "Military" and "Any" alternative revolver at twenty or fifty yards, the .32 being my fifty-yards "Any" revolver; the .38 Military Smith & Wesson for rapid firing in the French Competitions at twenty-five metres, and the Dutch for competing at thirty metres in that country. One of the reasons why the Smith & Wesson revolver is so accurate is because so much care is taken by the makers to have cylinder and barrel in perfect alignment ; and it is not too much to say that I have never shot any revolver of any other make which I can so safely trust not to give me a wild shot. To secure this result, the stop and stop -notch, which arrest the momentum of the cylinder and hold it in position during discharge, play the most important part. In all cheap revolvers the notches are made in the soft steel of the cylinder, and in consequence these notches soon wear, putting the alignment out, which prevents accuracy. When the notch gets too much worn, this makes firing the revolver even a positive danger. In the Smith & Wesson revolver this is obviated by a piece of hard steel being Selecting a Pistol 29 fitted into the side of the notch which comes in contact with the stop when the motion of the cylinder is checked. This is a special patent of the firm. SMITH & WESSON MILITARY REVOLVERS This make of revolver also has steel bosses, or collars fitted into the frame, to keep the hammer, trigger, etc., from coming in contact with the sides of the frame. Lately this firm have an additional arrangement for secur- 3° Art of Revolver Shooting ing perfect concentric joining of the bore of the chamber and barrel. I merely designed the Winans' Model revolver to suit former Bisley rules as to " Military " revolvers, and would have used the Russian Model in preference, had the rules permitted; but the Russian and United States army revolvers were not considered " Military " revolvers by those rules. Ornamentation in a revolver is a matter of taste. Personally, I prefer my "tools" to be as plain as possible, without any engraving. All projecting screw-heads, etc., should be filed down flat to prevent their chafing the hand; the trigger and thumb -piece of the hammer may also be cross-filed to prevent slipping, butnotfiled" sharp" enough to make one's thumb or finger sore; and I prefer a chequered rubber stock. I have my revolvers gold-, silver-, or copper-plated all over, not for show, but to prevent a man's using one of mine and saying, "So sorry — thought it was mine, don't you know!" if in a competition I inadvertently leave a revolver of mine on the firing ledge. By having the colour of the plating varied, you know at a glance if you have the right revolver for the par- ticular work in hand: your "gold" for twenty yards; "copper" for rapid firing; "silver" for fifty yards, and so on. For rough work, and in strong sunlight, a revolver is best blued. I temporarily paint the rib, etc., with "sight black," when competing on sunny days. The pearl stocks, though looking slippery, really give one a Selecting a Pistol 3 1 very good hold; when one's hand gets warm they stick to the skin as if they were resined. Ira Paine always used pearl stocks. The most ornamental revolver I have ever seen is the one shown in the lower illustration on page 24, which was presented to me. It is in silver and carved ivory, decorated by Tiffany, and was the main attraction in the Revolver Section of the Chicago Exhibition. It is, I believe, the most costly revolver that has yet been made. The other has a silver handle bearing deer-heads modelled by myself, the screw-heads forming the eyes of the deer. I also have a very artistic pair of revolver "stock- plates." These I had made in ivory and sent to Japan to be inlaid with gold and coloured stones. I left the design to the native artist, and he put a Japanese hawk- ing scene on one, and on the other a picture of duck- shooting with bow and arrow. Of single-shot pistols by far the best, though also the most expensive, is the Gastinne - Renette, a .44 calibre muzzle-loading duelling pistol, shooting a round ball and French smokeless powder. The same makers' .22 calibre single-shot pistol, the Stevens, and Leeson .22 are also very good. They are described in later chapters. Of course, the revolver in its present form will have to give place to something better. I rather think the multi-shot pistol of the future will be on the revolver principle, but with a means of making a tight joint, at the moment of firing, between the cylinder and the barrel; or that the cartridge will be automatically pushed out of the cylinder into the barrel and fired from there ; also 3 2 Art of Revolver Shooting that the cartridges, containing some condensed powder, will be much shorter, so that the cylinder can also be shortened. Likewise the cocking and the cylinder- revolving will be done automatically by the recoil. In prices revolvers vary greatly. The Smith & Wesson costs about £5. The Webley solid frame averages £3 in blue, and £3.ios. in nickel. The "Ex- tractor," Mark III., .38, by the same makers, comes to £4. 1 6s. Morris Tubes for revolvers (not less than .320) costs from £1. 5s. 6d. to £1. 10s. 6d. The Morris Tube Co.'s Trajectory Target (steel, for fifty yards) costs £3. 3s., and their Safety Mantlet (7 feet x 3 x 3) costs £10, and Butt (7 feet x 3) £2. 10s. CHAPTER V AMMUNITION ?p^»^o Y aim throughout this work is to make the book as com- plete as possible on the sub- ject of pistols, — single-shot pistols, revolvers, and auto- matic repeating pistols. It was my original in- tention to give illustrations and minute descriptions of all modern pistols and am- munition, taking both black and smokeless powders; but I found that this would tend to make the chapters on pistols and ammunition resemble gunmakers' catalogues. Therefore I illustrate only typical instances, and those pistols and ammunition with which I have won prizes and that, having used constantly, I know to be good. Revolver ammunition is usually made in the following calibres: .32, .38, .41, .44, .45, .455, and .457. Most of these can be had loaded with various smokeless powders, as King's semi-smokeless, Rirlite, Cordite, Walsrode, French Revolver, etc. The Union Metallic Cartridge Company, U. S. A., 3 33 34 Art of Revolver Shooting have supplied me with great quantities of .44 "gallery ammunition," loaded with both round and semi-round bullets. These have a small charge of black powder, and I preferred this ammunition out of a Smith & Wesson Russian Model revolver for self-defence, as well as for competitions up to twenty-five yards, and I found it the most accurate of any for exhibition shooting. I believe ■ 32-.44 is a special target cartridge, containing II grs. of powder and 83 grs. of lead. Bullet seated even with mouth of shell. Penetration, 5 J^-in. pine boards. Gallery charge, 6 grs. of powder and 50 gr. round ball loaded in same shell. ,38--44 is also a spec- ial target cartridge, containing 20 grs. of powder and 146 of lead, either self-lubri- cating or grooved bullet. Bullet is seated even with mouth of shell. Penetration, 6 ^-iri. pine boards. Gallery charge, 6 grs. of powder and 70 gr. round ball loaded in same shell. Ill WINCH£5 T EP. ' . I .3S Winchesterrifle cartridge, contain- ing 40 grs. of pow- der and 180 grs. of lead. Penetration, 7 ^j-in. pine boards. .44 Russian Model is a cartridge for long - range target work. It contains 23 grs. of powder and 256 grs. of lead. Bullets are either self- lubricating or the regular grooved. Pen- etration, lYz ^i-in. pine boards. Gallery charge, 7 grs. of powder and no gr. round ball loaded in same shell. .44 Winchester is the regular model 73 Winchester rifle cartridge, and contains 40 grs. of powder and 217 grains of lead. Penetration, 6^ J^-in. pine boards. .-f-^ .450 cartridge contains 13 grs. of powder and 226 grs. of lead. Eng- lish or American cartridges can be used. most professional stage- shooters use it for revolvers and the .22 shot for single-shot Stevens pistols. I now have found an even better load, which is the French smoke- less powder. This does not foul, or lead, and one can shoot hundreds of shots without cleaning. I only use that now in U. M. C. shells for the .44 Smith & Wesson and the .38 Army Model Smith & Wesson revolvers. Ammunition 35 I suppose the various English makers of ammunition could supply "gallery" charges in any of their various calibre cartridges, but I know of none and should not advise the beginner to try loading this sort of ammu- nition in English cartridge-cases for himself. The dome of the cap is generally higher than in American cartridges ■ if, therefore, a very small quantity of powder be put in the case and the bullet pressed down, the bullet will come down on the dome, stop up the flash hole, and cause a misfire. The way to obviate this is to take a wad of ft ^^^^^^. j Powder, 5 gr. ; bullet, 40 gr. ; exact cal., 0.223 Powder, 3 gr.; bullet, 30 gr. ; exact cal. 0.223. | 5 :i 2 w. Powder, 10 gr. ; bullet, 88 gr.; exact cal., 0.313- Powder, 13 gr.; bullet, 1 00 gr. ; ' exact cal., 0.313. =32 GObfT': '■NEW' POLICE. Powder, 13 gr. ; bullet, 100 gr. exact cal., 0.313. suitable calibre, make a hole in the centre, and push the wad down to the bottom of the cartridge before putting in the powder, so as to fill up the base of the cartridge and let the bullet "seat" on the powder, higher than the dome. Makers can do this properly, but an amateur may put the wad in too loosely, and a grain or so of powder may get under the wad. The result would be that, on the shot being fired, the wad would be driven half-way up the barrel, and might at the next shot cause an accident. 36 Art of Revolver Shooting Be sure to use only low-pressure powder, if you use smokeless, as high-pressure powders are dangerous in a revolver. The .38 smith & Wesson special Many people do not un- con tains 21 % grains of black pow- ^erstand this difference in der and 158-grain solid base _ . bullet. Penetration, eight and powder pressure, and injure one-half "s-inch pine boards. This ^ revolyers b experiment- is a very powerful charge and ex- J trcmely accurate. Gallery charge [ n g with what become practic- 6 grains of powder and 70-grain . ,, - f round ball loaded in same shell. ally "blasting instead of propelling charges. For the twenty-yards "Military" competitions at Bisley , in which one is not allowed to use less than thirteen grains of black powder (or its equivalent in muzzle velocity of smokeless), and 2163^ grs. of lead in the bullet, or less than .45 calibre, I have used Eley's .45 black powder cartridges and the Union Metallic Cartridge Company's similar ammunition in most of my competitions. I think The regular .38 United States service cartridge (listed as .38 long Colt) is used in the same revolver and is very accurate, but not so powerful as the special. It contains 18 grains of black powder and 150-grain hollow base bullet. Penetration, six and one-half Ji-'mch pine boards. the Union Metallic Company's gives rather less recoil and The .32 Winchester is the reg- fewer " unaccountables " than ular Winchester repcating-riflc . , T cartridge. It is very accurate and the English equivalent ; 1 SUp- powerful and gives good results up to 200 yards. It contains 20 grains of black powder and 115- grain bullet. Penetration, six and one-half ^-inch pine boards. to the use of it. pose it has a slower-burning powder. That is why, of late years, I have confined myself They also load these cartridges with Ammunition 37 King's semi-smokeless powder, which I have used, and with which I have made my "bests-on--record" in the CUT SHOWING DETAILS OF CONSTRUCTION complete self-lubricating A, Lubricant; B, Plunger; C, Ducts; cartridge D, Metal Lining Explanation. — At the moment of explosion, the lead plunger (B), being driven forward, forces the lubricant contained in the cavity (A) out through the ducts (C) in front of the bullet, and at a point most effective. The ducts being completely closed by the plunger, all escape of gas and loss of force is consequently prevented. rapid-firing competitions at twenty yards. At twenty- five metres my record score made in Paris, April 6th 1909, was with French smokeless powder in U. M. C. shells, and at thirty me- j - 1 tres with Dutch smokeless, and for the fifty-yards com- petitions I have used these two makes of .45 calibre ammunition (with black powder) ; but my ' ' best- on-record" scores at this distance were made with the Union Metallic Car- tridge Company's .44 calibre and .32 calibre cartridges, L - loaded respectively with twenty-three and twenty-six grains of black powder, with the Smith & Wesson "Self- lubricating bullet." f'MBWHWfc 3 8 Art of Revolver Shooting I have also done very good shooting with the ordinary Union Metallic Cartridge Company's .44 Russian Model ammunition, twenty-three grains of black powder, and an ordinary bullet. I find that in competing at fifty yards one must, if physically strong enough to stand it, shoot a big charge AUTOMATIC SHELL EXTRACTOR AS APPLIED TO ALL JOINTED FRAME MODELS OF THE SMITH & WESSON REVOLVERS in the larger calibre revolvers to get the greatest accuracy; with a .22 calibre single-shot pistol this is not necessary. The charge of twenty-three grains of black powder has a very heavy recoil, heavier than the English army .457 ammunition. I do not think that any other competitor at Bisley uses such a heavy load. The .32 with eleven grains powder charge has not an unpleasant recoil. It is Ammunition 39 not nearly as heavy in the .32 Smith & Wesson Russian Model (.44 "frame," .32 calibre) as the .45 with thirteen grains powder in a .45 calibre, and is venr accurate at fifty yards; but by the Bisley rules it cannot be used in "Military Revolver" competitions, though it is allowed in Continental military competitions. The solid frame Smith & Wesson revolvers with smokeless powder are an RELOADING TOOLS improvement on their old black powder "break-down" models. Never use any ammunition different from that recom- mended by the makers of the particular revolver you are using, without consulting them. I have had several narrow escapes (in one case having a bullet stop half-way in the barrel) when experimenting with various powders suitable for rifles but not for revolvers. 4° Art of Revolver Shooting The new model Smith & Wesson cartridge with "Self- lubricating bullet" (see diagram) is specially designed to prevent fouling and so do away with the necessity of constantly cleaning a revolver whilst shooting black powder. The bullet is self-lubricating, instead of carry- ing its lubricant in canilures. In this bullet a better lubricant is used (or perhaps it lubricates better) than that which can be held in canilures; and it is forced by the explosion into the grooves of the barrel in front of, instead of behind, the bullet. This is, of course, the more correct principle, for the bullet, being smooth with- out any canilure, gets an easier bearing on the rifling. It is made in regular .32, .38, and .44 calibres, also in .32 long, and special .38. Bullets are also sold separately. I made my record at Bisley at fifty yards with this bullet and twenty-three grains black powder. Messrs. Smith & Wesson do not guarantee their "break-down" action revolvers. They guarantee their new solid-frame revolvers when used with smokeless powder (smokeless powder cartridges are now made for the .44 Russian Model revolver) and I would warn my readers to be very careful when trying experiments with such powders in revolvers ; to use only those recommended by the makers of the revolver used ; and not to try loading them themselves. Such powders also need special primers and pressures. The French smokeless powder I consider the best of all for gallery ammunition, and you can shoot hundreds of shots without cleaning. Moreover in a double-action it does not jam the revolver as powders do which foul more. Ammtmiiioii 41 The average cost of revolver ammunition is 2S. 6d. for fifty cartridges. Kynoch's solid-drawn brass car- tridges (for Smith & Wesson and Webley revolvers) run to about £2. 15s. a thousand for .44; £2. 7s. 6d for .38; and £1. 1 6s. 8d. for .32. CHAPTER VI CLEANING AND CARE OF WEAPONS LWAYS clean your pistol the moment you have finished shooting. If you leave it over till the next day you may as well throw it away as expect to win prizes with it. The larger the calibre, the easier it is to clean and the less chance is there of spoiling the rifling by jamming the rod in it. I prefer wooden rods as less apt to spoil the rifling, but the very narrow calibres require a metal rod (soft metal for preference) , as the wood would have to be too thin, and would be liable to break in the bore. Clean from the breech, not from the muzzle end, ex- cept of course the muzzle-loading duelling pistol; the last fraction of an inch at the muzzle is where the rifling, if damaged, spoils the shooting most. For the same reason it is as well to have the rifling "reamed off " at the mouth of the muzzle so that the edge of it is protected. If you use nitro-powders, examine the interior of your barrel at frequent intervals after cleaning, to see if there is any damage going on. 42 Cleaning and Care of Weapons 43 Use the cleaning fluids recommended for the particular powder you are using, as what may be good for one powder is of no use for another. I use Hillias' cleaning fluid, finishing up with Marlin gun-grease, but there are special mixtures for cleaning after using cordite. Where nickel- covered bullets are used a special chemical dissolves the nickel left in the barrel. The great thing is to clean thoroughly. I use cotton- wool of the best quality rather than tow, and I do not use boiling water unless in very exceptional cases, for fear of overlooking a spot in drying, and getting rust in con- sequence. If necessary to use water to remove fouling, let it be as hot as possible. Do not try to oil the lock, or put it right ; send it occasionally to the maker to be seen to. It is also well to have a cleaning kit with wooden, not metal (except for calibres of .32 or less) cleaning rods, cotton-wool, cleaning fluids, screw-drivers, etc., all in proper compartments, and put back when used. See that the cotton-wool is absolutely dry and clean before using it. Throw away such pieces as are used. " Selvit " cut to proper size like shot-gun wads is a good finish to push through the barrel. Do not use too big a piece on your rod, such as would get the latter jammed in the barrel, as you may ruin the shooting qualities of the barrel by using force to remove it. Have the cleaning rods long enough or you may bark your knuckles. I also do not like the cardboard cases in which Ameri- can pistols are usually packed, for permanent use ; they are not strong enough and are apt to injure the sights, 44 Art of Revolver Shooting especially fine sights. A holster, again, is not the thing in which to keep a revolver habitually, as the sights get knocked about; also if the holster is used out-of-doors it gets damp inside and rusts the weapon. Great care should always be taken to see that the holster is absolutely dry in- side before placing a revolver therein. To dry the inside of a holster, make some oats very hot in a saucepan, and fill the holster with them, emptying them out when cold. Some Amercian holsters are made of india-rubber, to prevent perspiration from the body rusting the revolver, but such are very liable to retain dampness inside. The holster which I prefer (for wearing, and not as a pistol-case) is a cowboy holster, without any button to the flap. If you fasten the flap, you cannot get the pistol out in a hurry. A lining of rabbit fur is useful to keep out sand or dust. My pistol-cases are good, strong, and solid, made of leather, with brass corners like gun-cases. Each case holds four, placed either side by side, each pistol in its own compartment, or, with a tray, two in the tray and two below. If you have only two, they can be put in a case without this upper tray, or the tray can be used for cartridges. Under all circumstances use a good lock, — not the sort that any key fits, — keep the case locked, and wear the key on your watch-chain so that you may be sure nobody will be able to get at it. Keep the case in a dry place, and look at the pistols occasionally, when they are not in constant use, to see that they are not rusting. Keep your cartridges, if not in the same case as the revolvers, locked in a good leather case. This may be Cleaning and Care of Weapons 45 fitted with compartments for various calibres and loads. The word "loaded" may with advantage be inscribed inside the lid of the pistol-cases. People then feel less encouragement to meddle with the contents. CHAPTER VII SIGHTS TGHTS are made in many forms. Some suit one man best; others another. You cannot decide which suits your individual case without trying each sort for yourself. When you find one form which suits you, it is a pity to risk spoiling your shooting by changing to others; a beginner should never do so, or he will get into an uncertain way of taking his sights, instead of using always the same, the only way to make reliable, consistent shooting. Of course, all your sights may be of no use if you are going to shoot in a com- petition, owing to the authorities making some new rule as to "fit for rough usage." In such a case it will be necessary for you to shoot with whatever sights are allowed by the rules. My patent sight has, so far, complied with every rule, and it can be used even for hammering nails and yet not surfer damage. The main point is to have a front sight that is at once easily seen, and of which you see each time the same 4 6 Sights 47 amount, and not more at one time than at another. Un- less this is the case you cannot keep your elevation. Also the "U" in the back sight should have bevelled edges, in order to give a sharp edge; otherwise it looks "woolly." Again, if you are not able to see daylight each side of the front sight when it is in the "U," you cannot be sure that you are not covering, on one side or the other, Side view End view ELEVATING REAR-SIGHT Side view End view " PAINE " FRONT SIGHT ^ i Side view End view Side view End view ELEVATING REAR-SIGHT FRONT SIGHT End view of rear target sight Side view of front target sight TARGET SIGHTS Front Rear LYMAN SIGHTS part of the front sight. Consequently you cannot tell whether your aim is or is not in horizontal axis with your barrel. The reason I prefer a "U"- to a "V "-shaped notch in the hind sight is because in the "V" you do not see this daylight so well. The greater distance between the pistol hind-sight and the eye enables a man with normal power of vision to shoot 4 8 . hi of Revolver Shooting a pistol without the aid oi spectacles up to a more ad- vanced ;>Ki x than is the case with rifle shooting. A healthy eye Loses only with age its elasticity or its capacity to adjust the focus to near objects. A rifle hind-sight is oi course very near the eye by comparison with the distance of a pistol hind-sight when the arm is at full stretch. The same principle is involved when an elderly man has to hold a newspaper a long way from his eyes if he wants to read without glasses. 1 know several men who have come to need glasses for reading, who yet do not need them for pistol shooting. As soon as you can shoot well enough to know whether bad shots arc the fault of the sighting of the pistol, or oi your own holding, you can sight the pistol properly for yourself; and in this way you can do the sighting much more accurately, and with greater nicety, than by taking the weapon to a. gunmaker and saying: "Alter the sights to shoot three inches higher, and two inches to the left at twenty yards, open the 'U ' a little," and so on. In- stead, have front and hind sights made oi horn, (put in temporarily A without any "U" in the hind sight, and set both hind and front sights a little higher than you think necessary. Then go to the range with your pistol, ami take with you files oi various sizes, including some that arc round. Make a slight "U" in the measured centre of the top edge oi the back sight. Shoot a few- shots at the range you want to sight for -taking care that you do not shoot right over the top of the butt, owing to being sighted too high and then keep working Sights 49 with the files, first at one sight, thou at the other, until you get both approximately right. Do not cut the "U" down too close to the barrel, for if you do it will give you a "blurry " aim, especially when the barrel gets hot. If you find you shoot too high owing to the "U" not being cut down, rather than file the "U" unduly low take out the front sight and put in a higher one. The French duelling pistol has very low sights, and the front one is a stalkless bead, like the sight of a shot-gun, according to French rules these must not be altered or painted. For rapid firing this sort of sighting is very good till the barrel gets hot. When filing, remember the following points: First, filing the bottom of the "U" makes you shoot lower. Secondly, filing the top of the front sight makes you shoot higher. Thirdly, filing the side of the "U" or the front sight makes you shoot towards the side you have filed. Therefore by filing only a very little at a time where filing is needed you can gradually get your sighting perfect. I repeat, be sure to file only a very little at a time, or you will overdo it. As in sculpture, you can easily remove, but you cannot replace. If you do remove too much any- where you may be able to counteract the fault by filing so as to alter the direction of the aim. For instance, you have been shooting too much to the right. This you can correct by filing the left of the front sight, or the left of the " U, " — whichever makes the more symmetrical job, — but if, in doing so, you make the front sight too small or too 5° Art of Revolver Shooting narrow, or the "U" too wide, the only thing left to be done is to put in a new front or hind sight as the case may be, and then begin shooting and filing again. When you have got the sighting perfect, work carefully SPECIAL TARGET SIGHTS with your file (taking great care not to spoil the edge of the "U" nearest to the eye when aiming), and give a chamfered or bevelled edge to the far side of the "U," so that it has a knife-edge. This is to make the "U" Sights 5 1 look clear and yet allow the back sight to be strong. On this principle you can let the hind sight be strong, and over a quarter of an inch thick, and yet have a nice, clear "U." Do not have the "U" deeper than a semicircle. If the "U" is too deep it hampers your view of the object aimed at. In fact it really should be a semicircle and not a "U" at all. You can also file all round the front sight, giving it a taper towards the muzzle, but keep- ing unaltered the silhouette that you see when aiming, so that the outline shall stand out clear to the eye. A gunmaker's vise, padded in order that it may not injure the weapon held in it, is a useful thing, as it of course leaves the operator's two hands free to use the files; also it proves convenient to hold the pistols in when they are being cleaned. I cannot tell you how much you may undercut the front sight, assuming you intend to use it on a revolver at Bisley, as the rules alter so from year to year. I have an undercut bead- sight which in some years was allowed at Bisley as a "Military Revolver, " and in other years was not. If you are in any doubt as to your weapon's being allowed, the best plan is to send it to the Council of the National Rifle Association for their approval in plenty of time before the Bisley meeting, so that you can alter it if it be not passed. When you have finished, and have had a final shoot in order to make sure that this finishing has not spoilt your elevation, etc., send your pistol to the maker and ask him to make your sights precisely like your model ones, and to fix them permanently on the revolver — 5 2 Art of Revolver Shooting without screws if for Bisley use, so as to comply with the rules. If when you get the pistol with, these new sights the work has been properly done, very little more filing will set everything to rights. Should you not be shooting at Bisley, or at any of those clubs which shoot under Bisley rules, you can, of course, get a pistol with Smith & Wesson's "Ira Paine" adjustable sights. Carry a miniature folding gilt screw- driver and sight-case on your watch chain, as I do, and you will then be able to shoot in any light, at any range, or in any style of shooting, by merely giving a slight turn to the adjusting screws to alter your elevation or direction ; or if a sight breaks, or you want one of a different size or shape, you will be able to produce one from your little case of sights. EXTRACTS FROM SPECIFICATION OF WALTER WINANS' REVOLVER FRONT-SIGHT "Great difficulty has hitherto been experienced in seeing the same amount of front sight each time aim is taken, unless the base of the sight is sufficiently undercut to form a ' bead sight ' ; such undercutting being, however, detrimental, as it weakens the 'sight' and renders it very liable to injury, and is not permissible in Bisley revolver competitions. The object of my invention is, therefore, to overcome this difficulty, and to this end I make the 'sight' of metal, horn, wood, or other hard substance, with a strong, wide base, preferably of the 'barleycorn' or triangular section. "The face of the upper part of the 'sight' facing the marks- man (as much of it as it is desirable to see in aiming) is made vertical, or inclined slightly towards the marksman, so as to cause it to appear black, as it is in shadow. The visible part of the sight below the face inclines forward from the marksman, and downward, Sights 53 so as to reflect the light and enable the face of the sight to be at once distinguished by its difference of shade from the lower part. It may be polished or plated to assist in reflecting the light, while, as a contrast, the vertical face is cross-filed, or 'rough- ed,' or may be hollowed out, so as to be in shadow, and give it a ' dead ' black appearance. "In the accompanying drawing I have shown what I consider the best means of carrying this out. Fig. I is a side view, full size f/g / Fic.S Fic3i & <*> F/c4. FicS Ficd Fic7 FicV WINANS' REVOLVER FRONT-SIGHTS of a portion of a revolver barrel fitted with my improved 'front- sight.' "Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 are sections of the barrel at A B, showing two forms which the sight may assume in section, one having straight sides, the other concave. I show in Figs. 4 and 4*, on a larger scale, for the sake of clearness, a side and plan view of the sight shown in Fig. 1, and in Fig. 5 a modification of this shape. Figs. 6 and 7 are end views, showing two sectional forms of the sight, and corresponding in size with Figs. 4 and 5. In Figs. 1 and 4 it will be seen that a is the vertical face of the sight, which is 54 Art of Revolver Shooting designed to present a dark appearance to the marksman; and b is the polished, inclined surface, which takes a rounded form. In the modification, Fig. 5, the face a is slightly inclined towards the marksman, and the bright or polished surface b takes the form of a flat incline." ^'^ s *r=~ CHAPTER VIII LEARNING TO USE THE PISTOL ^ ''T is assumed that you have procured an >F\iS*, accurate pistol, properly sighted. First, open it, or, if it is a muzzle- loader, put in the loading rod and note if it goes in to the chamber, to make sure that it is unloaded. Always do this before handling a pistol. Take a bottle of sight-black, and paint both sights over with the liquid. I have seen men try to compete, even at Bisley, with their sights in a shiny state, which made it impossible for them to make good shooting on a white target with a black "bull." On the Continent the paint- ing of sights is not allowed in competitions, and very rightly so in my opinion. For game shooting, or for military purposes, of course a ' ' dead ' ' white (ivory for choice) tip to the front sight is preferable, or my patent military front-sight which answers the purposes both of a light on dark, or dark on light, sight. For the French duelling pistol the front sight must be silver, by the regulations, not black. With a pistol the first thing to consider is safety. 55 5 6 Art of Revolver Shooting It is, owing to its shortness, one of the most dangerous of firearms to handle. Even an expert must exercise great care, whilst in the hands of a beginner or of a careless person it may become fearfully dangerous. I have when OLYMPIC REGULATION 50 METRES PISTOL TARGET teaching men how to shoot had many very narrow escapes from being shot. Indeed in some instances it was not safe even to be behind them, for they would turn round with the pistol at full- cock, and pointing at one, and then perhaps ingenuously remark, "I can't understand why Learning to Use the Pistol 57 the thing won't go off; look, I am pulling the trigger as hard as I can. " ( !) Then, a safe background is indispens- able. Some people think that if the target is fastened to the trunk of a tree all must be well, since — so they argue — the bullet cannot go through the tree. This may be so if the tree be hit, but the bullet will, very likely, go past the tree when the beginner fires, or — and this is just as dangerous — it may graze the tree and then go off at a tangent. Also, in shooting with round bullets, and with light gallery ammunition, the bullets may rebound from a hard tree and strike the shooter or someone near him. This I have seen actually happen. I also remember, many years ago, a servant being told to take an old Colt house-protection muzzle-loader out into the garden, and to empty the chambers there. They had been loaded many years, and the weapon needed reloading to avoid a possible misfire. He fired only one shot, then came back to us limping badly. Asked why he had not fired the rest, he replied that he had "no use" for another shot. It seemed that he had fired at a brick wall, distant only a few feet from him, with the result that the bullet had come back and hit him in the knee. A good background is a high, sandy bank, a thick pile of fagots, or, if not closer than fifty yards, a high brick or stone wall. The target may be placed fifteen or so yards out from the wall in order to prevent any possible danger through a bullet's coming back on the shooter, who will in any case then be far enough away from the wall for safety. If a lot of shooting be done, and many shots hit 58 Art of Revolver Shooting the wall at the same spot, a hole may gradually be made in it. This happened in the first year that I shot at Wimbledon, when the butt consisted of old "sleepers." Iron butts are expensive, especially with the large surface required by beginners at twenty yards, for a beginner cannot, in my opinion, shoot with safety at a background less than twelve feet high and about ten feet wide. Even then there should not be anyone within a distance of half a mile beyond it, for a novice may let off his pistol by accident. Shooting out to sea is safe, if a good lookout be kept for boats. The glare from the water, however, is not conducive to accurate marksmanship. A sand- or a chalk-pit is a good place to shoot in ; also a high chalk cliff makes a good, safe background. It is of course dangerous to shoot anywhere where people may cross unexpectedly. A pistol should never under any circumstances be pointed in any direction where it would matter if it went off by accident. This rule should be observed even with an empty pistol, because so many " I-did-not-know-it- was-loaded" accidents have already occurred. Any child seen to point a firearm, even a toy one, at anybody should immediately be given a severe whipping. The butt which for years I have used for disappearing and stationary targets is an old-fashioned third-class iron rifle target, six feet by four, with a sheet of thick lead one foot square hung in the middle. It is the latter that is struck ; the rest of the butt is there merely in case a pistol might be let off unintentionally, say owing to the hammer slipping, or some such cause. The bullets, THE AUTHOR S SHOOTING POSITION 59 60 Art of Revolver Shooting burying themselves in the lead, do not splash, and the lead falls off in clusters and can beremelted. A beginner, however, would not be able to keep all his shots on the lead alone, so that a butt of this kind is suitable only for a man to use who may be depended upon implicitly, even in rapid firing, to place every bullet on the lead plate, or, in the event of the pistol's being fired uninten- tionally on the iron butt. 1 n order to make pistol- and rifle-ranges safe, in 1895 I took out a patent for a safety butt, of which I give a diagram. The following is a description of it: — \\\ order to diminish the number of ricochets from bullets striking the earth short of the target butts, it is usual to build, at intervals across the range, walls of turf, so that a bullet dropping short of the target will bury itself therein. If, however, a bullet grazes the lop of one of these walls, it will ricochet as badly as ever, particularly if the turf wall or bank is faced with timber, as is sometimes the ease. To render the turf walls more efficacious than heretofore, I furnish them at their top with a structure from which the bullets will not glance so as to be diverted from their course and caused to assume a dangerous direction. 1 apply to t lie summit of the turf walls or banks a line of planking, the front of which, towards the firing-point, is perpendicular, while the back is chamfered off to a knife-edge at the top. The inclined back of this planking is covered with a layer of felt, india-rubber, or similar soft material, the edge of which projects above the knife- edge of the planking, in a slightly forward direction, towards the firing-point. In the accompanying drawing 1 have shown, in end view, a turf wall furnished, in accordance with my invention, with the non-deflecting planking and fell. A is the wall or bank of earth Learning to Use the Pistol 6 * covered with turf, which will slop all bullets fired in I lie direction of the arrow which fairly strike it. B is a, wooden rail or plank mounted on the summit of the hank- and having a perpendicular face toward the shooters, and an inclined or chamfered back as \ ^> ft 31 IP \ "km PATENT SAFETY BUTT shown. Cis the strip of felt, india-rubber, or other flexible material, attached to the back of the planking B, and projecting slightly above the top edge of the said planking in a forward direction. In practice, a bullet grazing the top of the turf wall would be 62 Art of Revolver Shooting prevented by the planking from glancing away in a dangerous di- rection, although the said planking would not stop its course in the direction of the target. In the same way if a bullet touches the topmost edge of the planking, the felt or india-rubber will prevent an upward ricochet; while the bullet, if merely touching the felt or other soft material only, will not be appreciably diverted from its course. Having got a butt, the learner should take a firm, narrow wooden table and place it some ten yards from the target. This target is preferably a "Bisley fifty -yards target," four-inch bull's-eye. The Bisley cardboard targets are cheap, and, by pasting white patches on the white, and black on the bull's-eye bullet-holes, one target can be used for a long time. I refer to the fifty-yards target because this four-inch bull's-eye is very easy to hit at ten yards' range. The Bisley revolver ' ' bull's-eyes " count, at all ranges, seven points; the concentric rings counting one point less, each, till the outermost one, which counts two points. The highest possible score, therefore, for the six shots is forty-two, or six times seven. It is best to shoot at this very big bull at ten yards, as making bull's-eyes encourages the beginner. As he be- comes more proficient the two-inch twenty-yards "bull" can be substituted. This I think preferable to going back farther from the target as your skill increases; also it is safer, for the nearer the shooter is to the butt, the wider his shots would have to be for him to miss it ; whereas, if he goes back to fifty yards he may easily shoot over a very high butt. I am for the moment teaching "bull's-eye" shooting, Learning to Use the Pistol 6 3 but, as I explain in my books on rifle shooting, I consider it preferable, if practicable, instead of target shooting to shoot at an object which has no bull's-eye. Place your empty pistol on the table, the weapon lying on its left side with the muzzle towards the target. The table is preferably a narrow one, so that during the process of loading the pistol the muzzle points to the ground beyond the table and not at the table itself, an accidental discharge being thus immaterial. A table a foot wide is about right ; the length does not matter pro- vided the table be long enough to hold your glasses, cleaning implements, etc., and cartridges. Position. — The position for shooting, which I am now going to describe, is one in which I shoot and the one which I have found from experience suits me best. This position, however, will have to be modified according to the build of the shooter (I am five feet ten inches tall, and weigh 168 pounds) ; a man stouter or shorter-necked than I am, might have to stand more sideways. I remember once, on the first day of a Bisley meeting, the non-commissioned officer in charge of my target saying: "Excuse me, sir, you are standing wrong." I said: "What am I doing wrong? Show me." He took my revolver — it was empty (I had been merely looking along the sights at the target to see if they needed blacking) — and showed me the regulation, conventional position — right side to the target, right arm bent, head and neck bent down to look along the sights, little finger under end of stock, etc. The position he showed me not only cramps one, strains the eyes (from having to look 6 4 Art of Revolver Shooting ' ' round the corner ' ' to the right) , and prevents one from being able to shoot at moving objects, but in addition one is very apt to be hit in the face by the revolver from the recoil of a heavy charge. A beginner almost in- variably stands in this awkward, sideways position; it is also the conventional position with all artists, just as HOW TO COCK A REVOLVER raising the right arm in jumping a fence (see the right- hand figure in tail-piece on page 108). I suppose the origin of it is the conventional duelling position — trying to give your opponent a narrow target to aim at — but this is wrong even for duelling, as I explain in the chapter on that subject. From the shape of some men's figures, though, I am of opinion that there are men who would Learnmg to Use the Pistol 6 5 present a narrower mark — especially in the region of the belt — when facing an enemy! But this is a digression. Stand facing the target, the right foot pointing straight for the target, or perhaps a shade to the left (if the ground be slippery this gives you a firmer foothold) ; the left heel distant from six to nine inches to the left of the right foot, according to your height (my distance is eight inches), and about an inch farther back; the feet turned out about as much as is natural to you when standing. Nails in the boots, or corrugated rubber, give a firmer hold, especially in short, dry grass. Stand perfectly upright, not craning your head for- ward; the left arm should hang down straight, and close to the side, in the position of "Attention." Some people bend the left arm and rest the hand on the hip; but I think this looks affected, and it is not as workmanlike as if the arm hangs straight down. If you are trying to "hold" an especially important shot, and find yourself wobbling off your aim, it is a help to grip your thigh hard with your left hand; this especially applies in a gusty wind. Now lift the pistol with your right hand (the weapon is empty, remember) and cock it. There are two ways of cocking: one using both hands and one using only the shooting hand. I do not refer to the double-action cock- ing by pulling back the trigger for the moment. This single-handed cocking is done by putting the thumb on the hammer, and by the action of the thumb muscles alone bringing it to full-cock. Take particular care that the first finger is clear of the trigger, or else 66 Art of Revolver Shooting you will either break or injure the sear notch, or have an accidental "let-off." With practice, this way of cocking becomes very easy, and can be done with great rapidity. I personally can also let the pistol down to half-cock (manipulating it with one hand, with the trigger finger and thumb) ; but I would not advise a beginner to try this, except with an empty pistol, and even then only with one that he does not mind the chance of spoiling, as he is very apt to break the nose of the sear if he bungles it. By practice, the thumb and forefinger muscles {abduc- tor pollicis and adductor indicis) develop enormously, so you need not mind if at first this work of cocking seems dif- ficult; but stop as soon as the muscles feel tired, or you may strain them. Pistol shooting is good also for the flex- ors of the forearm and for the dorsal muscles. A small hammer with short "fall" is easiest to cock, as well as to make good shooting with, for such a hammer takes less time in falling, and the aim is, in consequence, less likely to be disturbed. The beginner will find that it assists the cocking to give the pistol a slight tilt to the right and upwards, taking great care to bring it back with the hind sight horizontal afterwards, as holding the sights tilted is one of the chief causes of bad shooting. In double-handed cocking, assist the right hand by taking the revolver behind the chambers with the left hand, so as not to get burnt if it should go off by accident; with a pistol it is handier to grip farther forward; keep the barrel horizontal and pointed at the target, not Learning to Use the Pistol 6 7 (if you are competing) towards your left-hand neighbour, as is often done; and, while it is thus steadied, cock the revolver gently, not with a jerk, bringing the hammer well beyond full-cock, so that it sinks back into the bent with a well-defined " click," keeping the first finger clear of the trigger. Now, stand with the pistol in your right hand, just back clear of the table; right arm full stretch; thumb THE CORRECT WAY TO HOLD A REVOLVER stretched out along the revolver (see illustration), but the first finger must be outside the trigger-guard (not touching the trigger) during this stage. The duelling pistol has to be held differently, as will be seen in that chapter. Some Englishmen shoot with the second finger on the trigger and the first along the revolver; but this is a clumsy way, and the first finger is apt to be burnt with the escape of gas from the cylinder. I have never seen 68 Art of Revolver Shooting men of any other nation do this. The habit was acquired from shooting the Martini rifle, the clumsy "grip" of which made this manner of holding necessary. The great thing is to have your grip as high as you can on the stock, in line with the axis of the barrel, or as near this as is practicable. With the Smith & Wesson Russian Model I have it is as shown in the diagrams, actually in line with the bore- of the barrel. THE CORRECT POSITION FOR THE THUMB Some American revolvers for the British market often have specially long, big handles, or stocks, because of the habit (or is it the Regulation Position?) of holding the stock low down with the little finger beneath, prevalent in England. Now, this sort of position makes the recoil come at an angle to the wrist, throws the barrel up at the recoil, spoiling the accuracy, and puts more strain on the wrist than is necessary. I remember a very strong- Learning to Use the Pistol 6 9 wristed man firing one of my heavily charged fifty-yards revolvers and, owing to holding it in this way, spraining his wrist at the first shot; yet I have fired hundreds of rapid-firing shots straight on end with it without hurting myself. I take the recoil just as a man catches a hard- thrown ball, letting arm, hand, and wrist fly up all together. The pistol-barrel, hand, and arm should all be nearly in one line, the thumb along the left side, so as to prevent jerking to the left in pressing the trigger (in the same way as the left arm is fully extended in shooting with the shotgun) , and not crooked, as all beginners insist on holding it. You must be constantly on the watch that you do not crook your thumb, until the extended position becomes second nature to you. Some makes of revolvers have the extractor lever in a position which renders this grip with extended thumb impossible, and then it has to be held with the "duelling grip." This applies also to most double-action revolvers. For the benefit of beginners who are not target rifle- shots, the following explanation may be necessary. The target, for the convenience of locating shot-holes, is supposed to represent the face of a clock. The top of the bull's-eye (which we term "bull" for brevity) is called XII o'clock, as that is, of course, where the numeral XII appears on a clock face, and so on for all the other numerals : half -past four, for instance, is half-way between where the numerals IIII and V appear on a clock. I was once shooting in the presence of a German naval officer, 70 Art of Revolver Shooting and, when I made a "half-past four" "bull" shot, he said, "South-east," his professional instinct making him liken the target to the face of a compass. First take a deep breath, and fill your lungs. Now slowly bring your right arm to the horizontal, keeping your eyes fixed on the bottom edge, — at "six o'clock" of the "bull"; whilst you are doing this, put your forefinger inside the trigger-guard, and gradually begin to feel the trigger and steadily increase the pressure on it straight back, not sideways. Whilst you are doing all this, also gradually stiffen all your muscles so that you are braced up, especially about the right shoulder, as though you were walking along the pavement and saw a man coming towards you whom you meant to shoulder out of your path. You may breathe naturally until the revolver is levelled, then hold your breath; if you cannot get your aim satisfactorily before you feel you want to take a fresh breath, lower the pistol, take a deep breath, and try again. If you have followed these instructions carefully, you will find, when the hind sight comes to the level of your eyes (closing your left eye or not, as you find best, without any movement of the head), the front sight will be seen through the middle of the "U" pointed at the bottom of the bull's-eye, the top of the front sight just touching it at "six o'clock." If everything has been done perfectly, at the moment this occurs, the pressure on the trigger will have been increased sufficiently to cause the hammer to fall, and, after it has fallen, you will see the top of the front sight still just touching the bull's-eye at its bottom edge. Learning to Use the Pistol 7* If the pistol had been loaded (assuming, of course, that it was an accurate-shooting one and properly sighted), you would have had a central bull's-eye for your shot. Most likely, however, you will find that the pistol came up all of a tremble, and that, as the hammer fell, the front sight was jerked to one side of the bull and perhaps even hidden by the hind sight. Do not be discouraged, but cock the pistol and try again. By the way, it is best to have a "dummy" cartridge or an exploded one in the pistol whilst do- ing this "snapping" practice, as otherwise the jar may do damage to the pistol and perhaps break the main- spring. There are dummy cartridges, made with a rub- ber "buffer," for this practice. Preliminary practice with the duelling pistol is slightly different, and is explained later. If you still find your hand shaky (and it is not naturally so), it most probably arises from your gripping too hard. The action of " letting-off " should be like squeezing an orange — a squeeze of the whole hand. Start with a light grip when your hand is down, and gradually squeeze as you come up, the trigger-finger squeezing back; the ham- mer will then fall without your having the least tremor and without the sights moving off the point they covered during the fall of the hammer. The main thing of all in pistol shooting is to squeeze straight back. Whenever you find yourself shooting badly, see if you are not ' ' pulling off to one side," or snatching; and in nine cases out of ten you will discover that this was the cause of your bad shooting. 7 2 Art of Revolve?' Shooting Some men can never squeeze the trigger straight back, and have to allow for this by getting the hind sight ' ' set over" to one side to correct it; but this is a slovenly way of shooting, and, as the pull to one side may vary accord- ing to the "jumpiness" of the shooter, it prevents his being a really first-class shot. Keep the hind sight perfectly horizontal ; beginners are prone to cant it on one side, which puts the bullet to the side towards which you cant. After a little practice you will be able to "call" your shots, that is to say, you will be able, the moment the cartridge explodes, to say where the shot has struck the target, as you will know where the sights were pointed at the moment of the "squeeze-off." After six shots, make a pencil-cross over each bullet- hole, so as to know where your former shots hit. After twelve hits it is best to take a fresh target. At the end of the day's shooting you can cover the holes by pasting black patches on the bull's-eye holes and white on the rest, and use the target again. I will now say why I insist upon the importance of a table being set before the shooter. The usual procedure for a beginner with the pistol is this: He cocks the pistol, using both hands, pointing it at the spectators on his left whilst doing so ; he then holds it with his right arm close to his side, pointing it towards the ground and at his right foot. He then brings it up with a flourish, high above his head, and lowers it to the target, jerks the trig- ger and "looses off." Of course he does not hit the target, but makes a very wild shot. After a few more Learning to Use the Pistol 73 shots on this principle, getting more and more wild, and making bigger flourishes with his pistol, he finally lets it off by accident whilst his arm is hanging by his side ; and he is lucky if he does not make a hole in his right foot. I remember a man once telling me (he professed to be an expert with the revolver) that I was wrong in keeping my revolver pointed in front of me towards the target when preparing to shoot. "You ought to hold it like this," he said, letting his right arm hang close to his side and keeping the revolver pointing downwards; "then it is quite safe." At that moment it went off and blew a big hole in the ground within an inch of his foot ! By my system of having a table in front of the shooter, close to which he stands, and from which he lifts the revolver, he cannot shoot down into his feet. But he must never turn round or leave the table without first unloading the revolver and placing it on the table; nor, on any account, must he let anyone go up to the target or be in front or even get level with him whilst the revolver is in his hand. In France one must, by the rules, keep the pistol pointed to the ground in competitions and not raise it from a table. But one learns not to point it at one's foot. Now, as to the trick of lifting the revolver above one's head before firing: I cannot understand why people want to do this. It only frightens spectators; besides which the shooter is running the risk of shooting himself through the head; and in competitions or in self-defence time is too valuable to waste in such antics. What would be thought in covert-shooting of a man doing "Indian- 74 Art of Revolver Shooting club exercises" with his gun before firing each shot? Just as, when you see a man wet the point of his pencil with his lips, you know that he cannot draw, so, if a man flourishes his revolver, you may wager that he cannot shoot. I have often been asked, "How do you shoot your revolver? Do you bring it up or down on your object?" I reply: "What is the use of lifting it up above your head merely to bring it down again?" For self- defence, you take it out of your pocket or holster; in com- petitions you take it from the table; in duelling you bring it up from your thigh. In all cases it is brought up from the level of your hips or lower. Why, then, should you lift it above your head and lower it again? No; bring it up straight on the object by the shortest and quickest route. In a case of self-defence, you would have your man down before he had finished flourishing his revolver round his head. When you are pretty confident that you can keep your sights properly aligned at the bottom edge of the bull while the hammer is falling, you can try a few shots with a loaded pistol. It is best to load only some of the chambers, and irregularly if using a revolver, — that is to say spin the cylinder round, after the revolver is closed and at half- cock, so as not to know which chambers are loaded, and, every time you find you jerk off a shot, return to the snapping-empty-cartridges practice. This latter is good practice, even when you become a finished shot. I often have a few minutes of snapping practice in my room. Place the box of cartridges beside, and to the right of, the pistol. Use only a very small charge (gallery Learning to Use the Pistol 75 ammunition for choice, or the .22 short in the single-shot pistol) at first, as nothing puts a beginner off so much as the fear of recoil. Stand behind the table, the revolver being between you and the target, and take the revolver by its stock in the right hand. Do not turn the muzzle to the left, but keep it straight towards the target. Put the revolver in your left hand, then :oad it. This pro- cedure varies with different makes; with the Smith & Wesson Russian and Winans revolvers you lift the catch with your left thumb and press the barrel down with the same hand till it (the barrel) is perpendicular, pointing to the ground. With the Colt, and with the Smith & Wesson solid frame revolver, you push the catch and then push the chamber out to the side. But, whatever the mechanism, the barrel should be pointing downward when the revolver is open for loading, yet in line with the target. If a cartridge projects too much, remove it, it is dangerous as it may explode prematurely from friction against the breech of the revolver. In loading of course have the pistol at half-cock, and not at full-cock. Close it by elevating the breech with the right hand, and not by raising the barrel with the left, as in the latter case the cartridges may drop out. This rule applies also to the hand-ejecting revolvers; two types of action are here illustrated. Another is the Colt solid frame, where a gate opens and the cartridges are put in, revolving the cylinder as each cartridge is inserted. When this revolver is loaded see that the snap, or other fastening, is properly closed. If your shot goes wide of the bull, be sure, before 76 Art of Revolver Shooting you alter your aim for the next shot, to ascertain whether it was not your "squeeze-off" that was to blame. A practised shot can correct the shooting of his revolver TWO SYSTEMS OF EJECTING SMITH & WESSON by "aiming-off" enough to rectify any error in sights. But the beginner had better not attempt this: he will find enough to do in trying to hold straight under the bull. Do not mind if your score is not a high one; those who do not understand shooting judge the goodness of Learning to Use the Pistol 77 a score by how much it counts, or by how many shots are in or near the bull's-eye. In reality, it is the group which constitutes a good shoot. One score may consist of the highest possible, — forty-two points (all six shots bull's-eyes), — and another may only count twelve points; and yet the latter may be by far the better "shoot." I will explain. In the first case the shots may be "all over" the bull, "nicking" the edges; they would require, therefore, a circle of more than four inches (on the target you are at present shooting at) to cover them. The other score may consist of all six bullet-holes cutting into each other at an extreme edge of the target, but making a group which could be covered with a postage- stamp. The first "shoot" is a wild, bad shoot for ten yards' range at a four-inch bull, although it counts the highest possible in conventional scoring. The other is a magnificent shoot, one that anyone might be proud of; the fact of its being up in the corner merely showing that the sights were wrong, and the shooter's "holding" was not to blame. A few touches of the file, or knocking over the hind sight, will put this error right. Never mind, therefore, about scoring many points; merely shoot for group. You will gradually find your groups getting smaller and smaller as you improve; it is then merely a matter of filing to get good scoring. As your four-inch bull's-eye is too large for real shoot- ing at ten yards, you must remember that the sighting of the pistol should put the bullets into one inch only in this size bull at "VI o'clock," and not into the middle of it. The reason is that the trajectory of a pistol is practically 7 8 Art of Revolver Shooting the same at twenty as at ten yards; and, as the English regulation bull at twenty yards is two inches, for revolver shooting you want the twenty-yards sighted revolver to put the shots into the centre of the two-inch bull when you aim at the bottom edge. In other words, you want it to shoot an inch higher than your aim at that distance. Therefore, if with your four-inch "Bull," aiming at the bottom edge, you go into the bull one inch up, it means a central bull's-eye if shot on a two-inch bull. In France an inch bull at sixteen metres is regulation, so, if practising for French competitions, the pistol must shoot only half an inch into the bull. The reason I recommend aiming at the bottom of the bull's-eye instead of at the middle of it is that if you try to put a black bead in the middle of a black bull's-eye you cannot see either properly; while if you whiten the bead of the fore sight you cannot see it clearly against the white of the target in "coming up" to the bull. Nobody can hold absolutely steady on the bull for more than a fraction of a second ; you have to ' ' come up" from below and "squeeze off" as you get your sights aligned. For real shooting — I mean at game, or in self-defence, or in war — a white sight is best, as it shows more clearly against the objects most likely to be met with. It is for this reason that I think white targets are a mistake for practical revo ver practice. In France you must use a white metal front sight. This is all right on the black "man" target, but it is bad for the bull's-eye target. The French, however, lay more stress on "real" shooting than on target shooting. Learning to Use the Pistol 79 If you want to learn pistol shooting for practical purposes only, and do not desire to compete for prizes, use, for the foregoing lessons, a black target with a white bull's-eye. Use a white front sight, and, as soon as you become moderately proficient, take to practising at mov- ing, disappearing, rapid-firing, traversing, advancing and retiring targets, directions for which I give under their proper heads in my Bisley chapters. Take care, however, instead of Bisley targets to have black targets with white bull's-eyes at first and then dispense with the "bull"' and shoot for centre hits, using a white front sight. In all your shooting take a full sight in a widely open " U," so that you see daylight all round the front sight. This is the only way to get quick aim in all lights. A finer sight may do for target-potting in bright sunlight, in deliberate shooting at a stationary target, but it is useless for practical purposes. Unless you want to be a winner of prizes for that style of shooting do very little shooting at stationary targets. It is best to have your cleaning appliances on the table, or otherwise handy, as in a drawer, when shooting, and every now and again to take a look through the barrel and then give the barrel a wipe out ; otherwise you may be inclined to attribute to bad shooting what is in reality caused by leading or by hard fouling in the barrel. I have a little cupboard under my table, with a lock and key to it, in which I keep my cleaning apparatus, cartridges, etc. (but not the pistol) , in order to save the trouble of carrying all this paraphernalia to the range. With the French smokeless powder, however, cleaning 80 Art of Revolver Shooting during shooting is unnecessary, though the cylinder of a revolver may occasionally need a little oil. Always clean a revolver as soon as possible after shooting with it, and clean thoroughly. A revolver shows signs of wear first at the breech end of the barrel, when it gets to look as though rats had been gnawing at it there. I am inclined to think that at first this makes the revolver shoot "sweeter," but when it gets too bad it affects the accuracy of the weapon for target work. For real work, I prefer a revolver when it is half worn out, as everything then works smoothly and there is less dangerof jamming. But rust in the rifling may entirely spoil accuracy, as, if you work it off, the bore gets enlarged and then the bullets "strip." I never like to compete with a perfectly new revolver; all revolvers have their peculiarities, and it is necessary to get used to one, to "break it in," so to speak, before trusting it to obey one's slightest hint. Details for target-shooting, in competition, at a fifty- yards' stationary target, I treat of in the proper place in the Bisley chapters. I do not see much use in practising at the regulation four-inch bull at fifty yards for improv- ing one's shooting for practical purposes. The bull is too small for the accuracy of a revolver and for sighting on, and causes one to get slow and "polly"; also fifty yards is not a revolver distance, it is a .22 pistol distance. When the present Bisley targets were designed (I was one of the committee) , it was decided to have a two-inch bull at twenty yards. It will be noticed that I have since modified my opinion and that I now think it ought to be Learning to Use the Pistol 8l smaller for a twenty-yards stationary target; but I con- sider, nevertheless, that it is about right for moving targets. I then suggested five inches as right for the bull at fifty yards. It was, however, decided to make it four inches, which I thought then, and still think, much too small. If two inches be right for twenty yards, five inches is the rule-of- three proportion for fifty yards. The barrel of a revolver is so short, and the sights are so close together, that the four-inch bull is too small for the "natural error" of holding of even the best of shots. The longer single- shot pistol is a different matter, and the strength of the shots does not vary from escape of gas at the chambers as it does in revolvers. For practice at fifty yards and over, for practical pur- poses, you should have a white bull on a black ground, six or seven inches in diameter at fifty yards, and a foot in diameter at a hundred yards. Use the same big, coarse sights that you use at the shorter range, and aim high or low, according to distance, instead of raising the hind sight or using different revolvers sighted for special distances. At Bisley, owing to the small bull and to the great accuracy required, very minute front sights have to be used. But I am talking of practical shooting; and at fifty yards, and over, a revolver would be used only to hit something at least as big as a deer. At a hundred yards one ought to get into, or close to, a tweve-inch bull. Shooting, of a sort, in the standing position has been done up to four hundred yards with a 82 Art of Revolver Shooting heavy-charge revolver ; but at more than a hundred yards one cannot depend on much accuracy and can only use the revolver for ' ' browning. ' ' I have shot at one-hundred- and-ten yards at the "running deer" at Bisley with the revolver, but it is too far to do much good. At fifty yards, at the "deer," one can do really good shooting and get three shots into it in one of its runs. Fifty yards I con- sider a good distance at which to make sure of a crossing horse, galloping, and one hundred yards for a standing one. In all competitions the revolver must be held in one hand only, although one sees so-called "dead shots" on the stage hold their pistols with both hands. The revolver can be held steadier by some people when both hands are used, the hand which does not hold the stock being rested against a tree, or other rest, and the barrel of the revolver clasped to steady it, much as a telescope is held. The left hand may also clasp the right wrist, or vice versa. Another way is to clasp the shooting arm with the other hand and rest the revolver below the biceps muscles ; but a heavily charged revolver is apt in this position to strike the face. Moreover this style of shooting is about upon a par with holding on to a horse's mane, or to the pommel of the saddle, and calling it riding. Lying on the back and resting the revolver alongside one of your knees, the legs being crossed, is a very steady position. Sitting down with the arms folded, and shoot- ing off one arm, is another steady position. Never leave a pistol, loaded or unloaded, where anyone can touch it. Keep it locked up, unless actually in your own possession. Learning to Use the Pistol 8 3 One of my ornamental revolvers used to lie as a decoration on the writing-table in my Bisley hut. Of course it was unloaded, and there were no cartridges near. Some visitors chanced to drop in, one by one, to lunch. First came an elderly lady. She sat down near the table and her eye fell on the revolver. Instantly she snatched it up, and pointed it straight at me, exclaiming with a laugh, "I '11 shoot you!" I made her put it down, and was explaining to her how unwise it is to point a revolver at anyone, how it might have been loaded, and so on, when in came a parson. He sat down and began talking pleasantly. Presently he caught sight of the revolver. Grabbing it, he shouted: "Now then, I '11 shoot you!" and he too pointed it at me, roaring with laughter. Carlyle's famous remark about the world's population recurred to me, and I decided in future to keep the revolver locked up. It is sometimes useful to be able to shoot with the left hand; as, for instance, if the right hand should become disabled, and for an officer with a sword in his right hand the advantage would be considerable. If the novice has determination enough to divide his practising, from the beginning, between both hands, he will come to shoot nearly as well with his "left" hand as with his right. I have put quotation marks round "left," as I mean by this the hand not usually employed; a left-handed man's right hand being in this sense his "left." I have also noticed that a left-handed man can shoot more evenly with both hands; that is to say, he is not much better or much worse with either hand, not being §4 Art of Revolver Shooting so helpless with his right hand as a normally handed man is with his left. In all directions given for shooting, for left-handed work merely change "right leg" to "left leg"; "right arm" to "left arm," and so on. CHAPTER IX PISTOL AND REVOLVER CLUBS | HE only association devoted exclusively to the revolver is the United States Re- volver Association. The Paris ' ' Pistolet " Club shoots both duelling pistol and revolver under very practi- cal conditions, discouraging bull's-eye shooting at sta- tionary targets and confining the competitors to rapid firing. Their whole object, indeed, is to encourage rapidity in shooting, whereas in British clubs rapidity is to all intents ignored, excepting at the Wilkinson gallery in Pall Mall, which I believe is the only pistol shooting club or gallery in England where rapid pistol shooting is encouraged. There are also several rifle and revolver clubs in England. The principa club of this kind in England is the North London Rifle Club, which shoots once a week at Ilford, Essex, during the summer, having competitions, a championship, and so forth, for military (not target) revolvers. Particulars can be obtained by writing to the Honorary Secretary. 85 86 Art of Revolver Shooting There are also in England several territorial regimental revolver clubs ; and it is not difficult (as far as expense goes) to get up local pistol clubs either for outdoor or indoor shooting. The councils, committees, and revolver rules of the clubs above-named are as follow: RULES AND REGULATIONS GOVERNING THE CHAM- PIONSHIP MATCHES OF THE UNITED STATES REVOLVER ASSOCIATION 1. General Conditions. — Competitors must make themselves acquainted with the rules and regulations of the Association, as the plea of ignorance will receive no consideration. The rulings and decisions of the executive committee are final in all cases. These rules are for general application, but will not apply in cases where the special conditions of any match conflict with them. 2 . Classification of A rtns. — (a) Any revolver. A revolver of any calibre. Maximum length of barrel including cylinder, 10 inches. Minimum trigger pull, 2^ pounds. Sights may be adjustable but they must be strictly open, in front of the hammer and not over 10 inches apart. (b) Any pistol. A pistol of any calibre. Maximum length of barrel, 10 inches. Minimum trigger pull, 2 pounds. Sights may be adjustable but they must be strictly open, in front of the hammer and not over 10 inches apart. (c) Military revolver or pistol. A revolver, or a magazine pistol, that has been adopted by any civilised government for the arma- ment of its army or navy. Maximum weight, 2% pounds. Max- imum length of barrel, 7 Yl inches. Minimum trigger pull, 4 pounds. Fixed open sights. Rear sights of magazine pistols may be ad- justable for elevation only. (d) Pocket revolver. A revolver having a maximum weight of 2 pounds. Maximum length of barrel, 4 inches. Minimum trigger Pistol and Revolver Clubs 8 7 pull, 4 pounds. Sights and model must be such as not to hinder quick drawing of the weapon from the pocket or holster. 3. Loading, Firing, Timing, and Cleaning. — In all revolver and pistol matches the weapon must not be loaded until the competitor has taken his position at the firing point. The barrel must always be kept vertical or pointed towards the target. After a match or record score has been begun, in case of an accidental discharge or of defective ammunition, if the bullet comes out of the barrel it will be scored a shot. The timing in matches C and D will be as follows : The competitor standing at the firing point with the arm loaded, not cocked, and the barrel pointing downward in a direction not less than 45 degrees from the target, will signify to the scorer when he is ready to begin each string. The scorer, stop watch in hand, will then give the command, "Fire," and exactly fifteen seconds later announce, "Time." Misfires will not be scored except in matches C and D. Competitors may clean weapons in matches A and B, and in the Indoor Championships, but no time allowance will be made for time spent in this way. All competitors will be required to finish their scores within the time limits specified, except in cases of accident, when the time may be extended at the option of the executive committee. Blowing through the barrel, to moisten it, will be considered cleaning. In revolver matches the arm must not be used as a single loader or loaded so as to use a limited number of chambers in the cylinder. The cylinder must be charged with the full number of rounds for which it is chambered, and these must be shot consecutively. If scores are shot in ten shot strings, the cylinder shall be charged first with six rounds and then with four rounds. If the cylinder only contains five chambers, then the ten shot strings may be shot in two strings of five each. In matches C and D, and in the indoor or gallery events, the arm shall in all cases be charged with five rounds. 4. Position. — The position shall be standing, free from any sup- port, the pistol or revolver being held in one hand, with arm ex- tended, so as to be free from the body. 88 Art of Revolver Shooting 5. Arms. — Any revolver or pistol which in the opinion of the executive committee complies with the conditions specified in the various matches will be allowed to compete in those events. Re- volvers or magazine pistols that have been adopted by any govern- ment for the armament of its army or navy, or such as in the opinion of the executive committee are suitable for military service, will be allowed in matches C and D. Among the arms which may be used in these matches are the .38 calibre Smith & Wesson or Colt military ; .44 Smith & Wesson, Russian model ; .44 Colt New Service ; .45 Smith & Wesson Scofield ; .45 Smith & Wesson New Century ; .45 Colt, and the following magazine or automatic pistols: Colt, Borchardt, Luger, Mannlicher, Mauser, Mors. 6. Sights. — In open sights, the notch of the rear sight must be as wide on top as at any part. Aperture or peep sights or any cov- ered or shaded sights will not be allowed. The use of a notch for the front sight will not be permitted. Sights may be smoked or blackened if desired. Sights on military arms, if modified to suit individuals, must remain strictly open, strong and substantial, and suitable for military use. 7. Trigger Pull. — The trigger pull as specified in the various events shall be determined by a test weight equal to the minimum pull applied at a point three-eighths of an inch from the end of the trigger and at right angles to the pin through the trigger. 8. Ammunition. — In matches C and D, and in the medal com- petition, where full charge ammunition is required, it may be the product of any reputable manufacturer. It must in all cases be brought to the firing point in unbroken boxes, with the label of the manufacturer intact. 9. Targets. The 200-yard Standard American rifle target No. 1 (containing the 4 ring), with an eight-inch bull's-eye, shall be used in all matches at 50 yards. The diameters of the rings are as fol- lows: 10 ring equals 3.36 inches; 9 ring equals 5.54 inches; 8 ring equals 8 inches; 7 ring equals n inches; 6 ring equals 14.8 inches; 5 ring equals 19.68 inches; 4 ring equals 26 inches; rest of target X> 3 U 0) i_r tn 0) w a > N « o o a a H CO a in -t- rt W -t- « >> l-l o > 3 SO !=> a 3 c < _g V> c3 -u co 90 Art of Revolver Shooting 28 inches by 28 inches counts 3. The same target reduced so that the bull's-eye or 8 ring is 2.72 inches in diameter and the 10 ring 1.13 inches in diameter, shall be used for all matches at 20 yards. 10. Marking and Scoring. — In all matches new paper targets shall be furnished for each competitor. Not more than ten shots are to be fired on any target at 50 yards, and not more than five shots on any target in matches C and D and for all shooting at 20 yards; the shot holes in all cases to remain uncovered and left as shot. Bullets touching, striking, or within a line on the target are to be scored the count of that line. The eye alone shall determine whether a bullet touches a line or not. 11. Ties. — Ties shall be decided as follows: (1) By the score at the longest distance ; (2) by the score at the next longest distance ; (3) by the fewest number of shots of lowest count; (4) by firing five shots each under the same conditions as the match and these rules in regard to ties, until decided. 12. Supervision. — The shooting in all the U. S. R. A. events must take place in the presence of at least two witnesses, one of whom must be an authorized officer of the local club, or shooting organization, or a governor appointed by the U. S. R. A. This officer shall certify that each contestant has complied with all the U. S. R. A. regulations as to distance, weapon, time, ammunition, etc., noting same on the blank spaces provided on the score cards and signing the score cards in duplicate for each contestant. 13. Protests. — Any person who believes that an injustice has been done, or who dissents from the decision of any authorised execu- tive officer of the association, may enter a protest on depositing $1 .00 with the cashier or acting treasurer of the club or organisation under whose auspices the matches are held. Such protest must be in writing, in duplicate, and must be made within 24 hours after the incident on which it is based. One copy to be handed to the executive officer of the club or organisation conducting the matches and the other copy to be mailed to the secretary-treasurer of the U. S. R. A. All protests will be investigated and passed upon by Pistol and Revolver Clubs 9* the executive committee, and, if sustained, the protest fee will be returned; otherwise it will be forfeited. 14. Records. — The shooting for records shall, when practicable, be done on the grounds or in a gallery of a regularly organised shoot- ing association, military organisation, or club, and in the presence of at least two witnesses, one of whom shall be an officer of the U. S. R. A., of such shooting organisation or club. The foregoing rules and regulations and the conditions governing the champion- ship matches of the U. S. R. A. must in all cases be observed and followed. The record score shall begin with the first shot after the shooter has announced his intention to shoot for record; only the first ten shots will apply to the ten shot record; the first twenty shots to the twenty shot record, and so on to 50 or 100 shots, as the shooter may desire. Such scores for record must in all cases be completed within the same proportional time limit as is specified for the corresponding championship match. After finishing the record score, the target shall be identified and signed by the wit- nesses as above designated. The witnesses shall also prepare and sign a certificate of prescribed form, which, with the detailed score and all targets, shall be forwarded to the U. S. R. A., addressed to the secretary-treasurer. If all the conditions, rules, and regulations have been complied with, the scoring correct, and if the score is higher than or equal to any previously made under the same con- ditions, it will be declared a new record. The score will then be entered as such in the record book of the association, and the shooter formally notified to that effect. LE PISTOLET Presidents d' honneur — MM. Daniel Merillon, avocat generale a la Cour de cassation, president de 1' Union des Societes de tir de France; M. H. de Villeneuve, Conseiller d'etat, president de la Societe d' encouragement de 1' Escrime. Vice-Presidents d' honneur — MM. Lt. -Colonel Derue, Maurice Faure. Membre d' Honneur — S. M. Alphonse XIII, Roi' Espagne. 9 2 Art of Revolver Shooting BUREAU President— M. le Comte Justinien Clary. Vice-Presidents — MM. Baron Henri dc Castex, Pierre Perrier. Secretaire General, Tresorier — M. le Baron Jules Evain. Secretaire General, Fondateur — M. Gustave Voulquin. LIST DES MEMBRES DU COMITE MM. Comte Jules de Bonvouloir, Brincourt, Baron Henri de Castex, Comte Justinien Clary, Comte de Crequi-Montfort, Comte d' Elva, Baron Jules Evain, Comte Julien de Felcourt, Baron Jaubert, Joseph Labbe, Andre Lebey, Leon Lecuyer, Pierre Leve, Paul-Albert Martin, Roger Niviere, Pierre Perrier, Comte de Rochefort, Baron Andre de Schonen, Comte de Vanssay, Gustave Voulquin. MEMBRES D' HONNEUR MM. A. Perivier, Comte Potocki, Walter Winans. MEMBRES HONORAIRES DU COMITE MM. Ernest Arthez, Comte Herni d' Havrincourt. STATUTS Article Premier. — Sous ce titre: "Le Piste-let," il est fonde entre les adherents aux presents Statuts, une Societe ayant pour but de developper le gout du tir au Pistolet et au Revolver, et d' organiser des poules en plein air autant que les saisons le permettront. Art. 2. — Tous les membres inscrits au 8 mai 1894 sont de droit membres fondateurs. Art. 3. — L'Assemblee generale annuelle a lieu dans le premier trimestre de l'annee; les Statuts ne peuvent etre modifies que par 1' Assemblee generale. Art. 4. — Le Comite du Pistolet sc compose de 20 membres elus par 1' Assemblee generale annuelle au scrutin de liste et a la majority des votants. rO o UO On 00 PS 2 <* n H 4J p a < 0) , w w w -»- H -9 , s « CJ 5 3 3 a * ti H H O n.lnn K'i/7,. , ^^V^ ' - - on llie Smokeless IWdcr Revolver Competition, and numerous' Spoon" Competitions during the Year DIAGRAMS OF TWELVE HIGHEST POSSIBLE SCORES MADE BY AUTHOR IN REVOLVER COMPETITIONS AT 20 YARDS IN 1 895 The diameter of the original bull's-eyes is 2 inches July 18ft . V.cimlon Hit/ ^fc. ^W Nc v Rcvo/v Cr n iVuios! \si September*?!* First Prize .VjUindon Riflfe- . v \.oi«lon ft/J,, , TheTopSconc Best on Record Score 5erilcmbor«J ^^^ ^™ ' October 230 vVvV-ondou fty; lust Prize Rl-st Prize ,i,\jon. ^ '-',,/, ^" ^^^ 'hi/, 235 2 3 6 Art of Revolver Shooting watch. His business, if the time limit is, let us say, three minutes for the six shots, to start his watch when the signal to begin firing is given; to say "one minute" at the end of the first minute; "two minutes" at the end of the second minute; and then, "fifteen," "thirty," and "forty-five," at the ends of the first three quarters respectively of the last minute, and finally to count "one," "two," "three," etc., for the last fifteen seconds. This lets the shooter know exactly how much time he has, and enables him to make the utmost use of lulls of wind. Also at each shot he must say, "bull," if the shot is well in the bull, or "inch out seven" if under the bull to the left, etc., thus enabling the shooter to correct his aim for the next shot. It is quite wrong to say the value of the shot. What the shooter wants to know is how to correct his next shot, if the previous one was wrong; the value of a shot does not help him to know where he ought to aim. For this reason a ' ' coach ' ' who is not properly drilled is much worse than useless. He is a hindrance and confuses the shooter. For instance, if he says, "Oh, only a five," that conveys no meaning to the shooter as to where his shot has gone, and he has to ask, "Is it high or low ? " The coach answers, " It 's a long way off the bull ; how did you come to make such a bad shot? It is to the right." Probably the shooter then asks, "Is it low?" and the "coach " answers, "Yes — no — it is n't. It 's right on top," and so on, to the exasperation of the shooter and the spoiling of the score. Shooter and coach should Team Shooting and Coaching 2 S7 practise together, so that their minds work together, and instantaneously. Only the actual spot struck should be told, and that instantly, and in the fewest possible words. "Oh's," and all such exclamations, ought to be rigorously avoided. Coaching is allowed in team shooting, but not in ordinary individual competitions. Do not let any member of your team leave the range on any account until the competition is over. Have a man or two extra, in case of anything disabling or preventing one of your team from shooting. Do not let two men shoot with the same revolver, as both men may be wanted to shoot at the same time. Do not scold a man, however badly he may be doing; you only flurry him, and it does no good. Do not have any refreshments for your team until the competition is over. CHAPTER XXIV GENERAL REMARKS ON SHOOTING IN COMPETITIONS 'HEN shooting in competition, be careful not to spoil your oppo- nent's scores. Never approach or leave the firing-point while he is aiming or about to shoot. If he is about to shoot, and there be time, reserve your shot till he has fired; and do not fidget with your revolver or cartridges or get your target drawn up whilst he is aiming. Keep per- fectly still and silent till his shot has gone off. Do not speak to him at any time, except to answer some question of his. If he is at all nervous, you might by a slight movement or word ruin his score. Read carefully, before shooting, the rules of the com- petition in which you are about to engage, and be sure you comply with every detail of them. If you find you have, inadvertently, transgressed a rule, report to the range officer at once, and get your score cancelled. Write your name very distinctly on your score-card; I have known a man to lose a prize owing to his name 238 Shooting in Competitions 2 39 being illegible on the score-card. See that your shots have been entered properly and rightly added up and the corrections initialled. Have your target dated and signed by the range officer, with the name of the competition also inscribed, and keep it as evidence in case your card should get lost. Be sure you do not by mistake have a score entered on a ticket belonging to another series. Before shooting at Bisley, I put a weight in a chemist's scale equal to the average weight of one of my loaded cartridges. I weigh each cartridge against it, put all of the correct weight aside for Bisley, and keep the others for practice. By this means I minimise the chance of a weak or of too strong a shot. When you are at the firing-point, pay no attention to what anyone else is doing, or to what scores have been, or are being, made, or to any of your scores being beaten ; the great thing is to have the average all round high for the aggregate prizes. If you are constantly watching the scores of others, rushing from range to range as your various scores are passed, you will have much less chance of making good scores than if you keep plodding on, constantly adding a point or two to your aggregate. You can afterwards try to beat individual scores, if necessary. Of course, if you at any time, in any one series, get a score which you think is up to the limit of your skill, you may let that series alone till you have reached your limit in all other series. Never watch a good man shooting ; it will only make you doubt if you can beat him. It is also tiring your eyes uselessly. 240 Art of Revolver Shooting Do not read or use your eyes any more than is ab- solutely necessary. When resting, dark glasses will be found to relieve the eyes. I find that if I am getting tired of shooting, a half-hour's gallop on a horse that does not pull freshens me up, and helps to divert my thoughts; others may prefer lying quietly down and shutting the eyes. If you find yourself getting stale, drop the whole thing, even for several days. It will not be time wasted, as you will shoot better afterwards; and you will certainly get worse if you keep on without rest. Never protest or dispute a score or a decision. The range officers are doing their best under very trying circumstances. If you think any decision wrong, say nothing about it and forget it; you will only spoil your shooting if you worry about it. Just set your teeth and make a score a point better than the disputed one ought, in your opinion, to have been. The protesting man is a nuisance to himself and to everyone else. Should you see a man infringing the rules, leave it to others to protest. CHAPTER XXV AUTOMATIC PISTOLS "~ [HERE have been various auto- matic pistols made which load and cock by the force of the discharge of the previous shot. The one with which I can shoot best is the Webley-Fos- bery Automatic Revolver here illustrated. The recoil causes the upper part of the revolver to fly back, a stud acting in a zigzag groove in the chamber half turning the chamber as it flies back, and completing the revolution as it returns to its normal position by the force of a spring which has been compressed by the discharge. I can shoot very well with this, but I cannot try it against the double-action .38 Smith & Wesson — with which I made the record score of six shots in a two-inch circle at twenty-five metres in seventeen seconds — as it will not shoot gallery ammunition, there not being recoil enough in that to operate the mechanism. One made specially with a weaker spring for gallery 16 241 2 4 2 Art of Revolver Shooting WEBLEY-FOSBERY AUTOMATIC REVOLVER ammunition would be an ideal weapon for rapid firing at Gastinne-Renette's. Another form of automatic is the Browning, but this is not a target pistol and I cannot C make good shoot- ing with it. In my opinion having to use both hands to cock it for the first shot con- stitutes a defect. One ought to be able to draw, cock, and fire with one hand any pistol intended for self-defence. Most nations have an automatic pistol of one make or another as their regulation army weapon, but France and the United States keep to the double- action revolver, and they are not the worst pistol shots and they know what a good pistol ought to be. Personally I should never carry an automatic pistol for self-defence, for use on dangerous game, or for target shooting, as the revolver is so much more handy, shoots better, and it is safer after one shot has been fired. I have never seen any score made by any automatic COLT AUTOMATIC PISTOL, POCKET MODEL, CALIBRE .32 Automatic Pistols 243 pistol (except the Fosbery, which is really an improved revolver rather than a typical automatic pistol) which was any good. One ought to be able to take a pistol out of its holster COLT AUTOMATIC PISTOL, CALIBRE .32 Sectional view showing the automatic action or the pocket, aim, then change one's mind and return it to the pocket, all with one hand. A double-action revolver you take out, half raise the hammer with the trigger-pull as you level it, decide not to shoot, release the pull, and drop the pistol in your pocket, and it is safe. With an automatic pistol you draw it, and have to 2 44 Art of Revolver Shooting take hold of it with both hands so as to draw the bolt to cock it ; when you aim and decide not to shoot you have again to manipulate it with both hands, and in some in- COLT AUTOMATIC PISTOL, MILITARY MODEL, CALIBRE .45 stances to extract all the cartridges and put them again in the magazine before it is safe to put in the pocket. If you want to return it safely to your pocket after you COLT AUTOMATIC PISTOL, MILITARY MODEL, CALIBRE .38 have fired a shot, the process to be gone through is yet more complicated. Of course if you blaze away all your cartridges it is quicker than any revolver, but I am talking of the much Automatic Pistols 2 45 more frequent occurrence of firing only one or two shots, or of not shooting at all after having drawn the weapon on the chance of needing it, then finding there was no necessity to shoot. For a lady's use as a weapon of defence I should not for a moment advise an automatic pistol. In selecting an automatic pistol, as distinct from an automatic revolver, care must be taken that it has an efficient safety bolt. LUGAR AUTOMATIC PISTOL As the action for cocking the automatic pistol consists in drawing back the barrel, if the pistol is dropped so that the barrel strikes the ground with its muzzle the pistol is very apt to be discharged. I have heard of such a case which led to fatal results. This seems to me one of the weak points of such pistols, as, even if the pistol has an efficient safety bolt, such a bolt 246 Art of Revolver Shooting is almost sure to have been moved when the pistol is held in the hand ready to fire, and in such a case, if the pistol is dropped, it will most likely explode. This fact must be borne in mind when choosing between a revolver and an automatic pistol intended for self-defence. CHAPTER XXVI THE REVOLVER IN WAR NFORTUNATELY war, and not target shooting, is the chief use for revolvers up to the present time. As I am not a military man I cannot go as fully into details as I have done with regard to some of the other uses of the revolver; but I should say, speaking as a civilian, that the nearer the revolver approaches to that recommended for big-game shooting (whilst fulfilling the necessary military requirements and regulations), the more useful and re- liable will it be found. My hints as to shooting deer, or at targets, from horse- back, would apply to chasing drivers of retreating guns, or infantry; and my various suggestions for practising rapid firing at moving objects would also apply. The episode of the officers in the Boer War repeatedly missing store bullocks with their revolvers illustrates the need of practice with this arm, which not even an acquaintance 247 248 Art of Revolver Shooting with the rifle (supposing the officers to have such) enables one to dispense with. It is useless to describe in detail the various patterns of automatic pistols and revolvers used by the different nations, as these not only constantly change, so that any I now write about may be obsolete by the time this book is published, but each nation has also its special needs, so that the pistol suitable for one country might not be the best for another. For instance, in England there seems to be a greater NEW ARMY COLT DOUBLE-ACTION REVOLVER Adopted by Ordnance Department U. S. Army- demand than in any other country for a pistol with "stop- ping power. " In consequence, various more or less blunt- nosed bullets have been invented, some of them almost cylinders with cupped tops. Very good shooting is said to have been made with some of these shapes of bullets: personally, though it may be only fancy, I do not think bullets of such shape can fly quite as accurately as those which are pointed, although I have done good shooting at deer with them at very short range. I myself have never been able, in experimenting, to improve on the OS 2 5° Art of Revolver Shooting conical shape for extreme accuracy, the spitzen form of bullet being more suitable for arms of higher velocity than for pistols. The consensus of opinion, however, in all other armies seems now to be in favour of very small calibres, as the advantages of a small calibre over a large one in port- ability, lightness, and amount of ammunition that can be carried, are so great that they are considered to outweigh the want of stopping power. A man who cannot hit another in a vital spot at the short range at which a NEW NAVY COLT DOUBLE-ACTION REVOLVER Adopted by Bureau of Ordnance, U. S. Navy revolver is used in war would not do any better with the larger calibre. I do not think that the advantages of a pistol over a sword, or even a lance, for cavalry are sufficiently appreciated. Going on the standard of the "Can't- hit-a-haystack " shooting of the ordinary trooper with a revolver, it is not realised what a squadron of cavalry, which could "shoot," might be able to accomplish with this weapon. In charging, which I suppose would very 2 52 Art of Revolver Shooting seldom occur in modern warfare, each man could fire several shots at opposing cavalry; whilst their adversa- ries, if cavalry, with only lance and sword, could not have a "go" at them until they got within a yard or two. A lancer, and, in a lesser degree, a trooper, armed with a sword, needs elbow room to wield his weapon; when hemmed in by companions pressing close in on him he cannot use it. An adversary can, moreover, parry, or even clutch, the lance, and then he is quite helpless. NEW SERVICE COLT DOUBLE-ACTION REVOLVER Jointless solid frame, simultaneous ejection A trooper who was through the Zulu campaign told me that many of the men in his troop threw away their lances and depended on their revolvers in a charge, as Zulus dodged their lances and seized their horses, whereas a revolver cleared the way in charging. In hand-to-hand cavalry fighting the man with the revolver would have the lancer or swordsman absolutely at his mercy; while as for pursuing, the little bugler-boy The Revolver in War ?53 in South Africa showed what can be done with a revolver. From the standpoint of the pursued, a man with a lance is helpless, and a swordsman is almost as helpless; but a man with a pistol can keep loading and shooting back at his pursuers all the time he is galloping away at top speed. An infantry soldier, if active, cool, and a good hand with the bayonet, especially if he also understands the RUSSIAN MODEL ARMY REVOLVER (Smith & Wesson) dislikes and fears of horses, can defend himself against a mounted swordsman or lancer; by prick- ing the horse on the nose, for instance, he can prevent the rider being able to get his horse up close to him ; he also can parry a swordcut or lance-thrust, or dodge the blow. But a mounted man with a pistol could shoot at him as he gallops past out of range of his bayonet-lunge, or even stand still on his horse at thirty or forty yards off and shoot him. I believe that the cavalry on both sides in the United States Civil War made more use of their re- 2 54 Art of Revolver Shooting volvers than of sword or lance, and the revolvers routed the lances. A pistol needs much less physical strength to use than either sword or lance, and is no more difficult to learn to handle. Lances, besides, are conspicuous when cavalry- are trying to conceal themselves, and are useless among trees. Artillery drivers are especially helpless when pursued, yet if properly taught they could use a pistol whilst driving their horses, and prevent the incident I have depicted below, which is founded on fact, though I have, for reasons that are obvious, used fancy uniforms. Cavalry could be trained with the Devilliers bullet. CHAPTER XXVII STAGE SHOOTING HIS subject can be subdivided into two parts: real, expert, very ac- curate work, requiring great skill and nerve; and conjuring tricks, that is to say, shooting assisted by apparatus and the arts of the conjuror. The greatest insult that can be offered to a professional shot is to call him a conjuror. To begin with the unaided shooting. You must have a safe background to shoot against. The best, in my opinion, is a steel plate, leaning towards you at an angle of forty-five degrees, and below it a shallow tray, filled with sand, to catch the bullets, which flatten on the steel and then drop into the tray. As only very light powder- charges are used, and as the revolver bullets for this purpose are round, or semi-round, this is sufficient. It is usual to have something for the bullets to go through before striking the steel plate. Green baize is good for the eyes as a background; but it is dangerous, being very inflammable; it gives off fluff, some of which stands out from the baize, and the rest falls to the ground. 255 2 56 Art of Revolver Shooting This is like tinder and liable to catch fire from burning particles of powder. Some fabric dipped in a non-in- flammable mixture should be used; either green, white, or black, whichever you find suits your eyesight best. The butt is either put "prompt" side of the stage (so that the shooter's right arm is nearest the audience) , and at a slight angle, in order that people may see the target ; or it is placed at the back of the stage, the shooter standing with his back to the audience. In either case, the shooter keeps his "tools" on a side-table, and when he shoots he stands quite clear of any table, so as to afford an unin- terrupted view of all his proceedings. The range is about fifteen feet. This may seem very short, but it looks a long shot on a stage; and it must be remembered that the shooting is at very small objects, and no misses are allowable. The golden rule to be borne in mind in stage shooting is, Never hazard a shot that is not very easy to you, and which you cannot be practically sure of successfully accomplishing. If you try a very difficult shot and succeed once in three times — such as hitting a very small object thrown into the air — hardly any of the audience will think of you as aught but a bad shot; whereas, if you hit six stationary glass balls — each as big as an orange — they will think you wonderful ! WEAPONS One or more .44 Russian Model Smith & Wesson target revolvers; Ira Paine target sights; hair trigger; Union Metallic Cartridge Co.'s gallery ammunition. I A *• Photo by W. W. Rouch. SHOOTING WITH REVOLVER UPSIDE DOWN 257 2 58 Art of Revolver Shooting use the revolvers which formerly belonged to Ira Paine; several front sights, the finest about the size of the head of a small pin, the stalks as fine as a needle; hind sight adjustable, both laterally and vertically, with screw adjustment; trigger-pull so light that laying the finger on the trigger almost sets it off. With such a revolver of course extreme care must be taken never, for an instant, to have the barrel pointed in any direction except that in which it would be safe for the bullet to travel, and also to keep the finger off the trigger till you actually want the bullet to go. Ira Paine, when shooting at objects on the head of an assistant, used to "come down" from above, instead of "coming up " in the usual way; so that if the pistol went off by accident there would be no danger to the assistant, as there would be if the muzzle travelled up his body to his head in sighting from below. I do not approve of shooting at objects on the head or in the hands of an assistant; it is not, in my opinion, justifiable to risk life in this way. But it may be chanced with the Devilliers composite bullet and ammunition already described, and, as also mentioned, a steel skull- cap under the assistant's wig, and steel finger guards under his glove, such as professional stage shots often use. Yet even then the assistant's eyes may be in danger from a bullet which does not happen to take the rifling. The other weapon is a Stevens, or Smith & Wesson, single-shot .22 pistol, and a Gastinne-Renette duelling pistol can be introduced with advantage as a change, Stage Shooting 2 59 but do not shoot holding it with both hands, as a self-styled champion professional shot does ! See that a narrow plank of wood — metal would, if struck, make a bullet glance — is put in front of the butt with slits and wooden clips in it for holding objects. The following shots I recommend. Beginning with the easiest we have: Six stationary balls in a row. (The balls are cast from a mixture of resin and whitening; they are very brittle and break at a graze.) Take them as quickly as you can be sure of them. With practice you can ' ' snap ' ' the six off in about four seconds, or in less time with a double-action revolver. Next extract the used cartridges, and have them put in a row on the edge of the board, standing them on their bases. Hit them in quick succession. This requires a little more care, as they are small ; but their height pre- vents your being likely to miss them vertically, and you have merely to pay attention to keeping your horizontal aim correct. Be sure not to shoot too low; for if you do, and you hit the plank, you will jar them all off it. The greatest applause I ever got was when at one performance I made a very bad shot hitting the board and so knocking off all my cartridge cases by the one shot! This can be varied, if you are a really good shot, by placing the cartridges on their sides with the cap end towards yourself; but it requires good shooting. Shooting at an object with a wineglass on each side, without breaking the glasses, is a trick in which the difficulty varies according to how close the glasses are. 260 jl r t f Revolver Shooting Put up a piece of paper with a black pencil line ruled vertically on it ; hit this line. This requires care not to "pull off" to one side. A similar line horizontal. This is more difficult, as the elevation must be absolutely correct if you want to hit the line. Hit a swinging ball. Take the shot on the turn ; do FIG. A not follow, but aim at an imaginary spot just inside of where the ball is at one end of its swing, aiming at "IX o'clock," as the ball is momentarily stationary at its farthest swing to the right, or vice versa. Put six balls in a row; hit one with the revolver in the right hand, a second with the revolver in the left hand ; a third and fourth with the revolver upside down (A and B), Stage Shooting 261 pulling the trigger with the little ringer and using alternate hands. The remaining two shots to be made with the revolver held half canted to the right (C), and then half canted to the left (D). The unusual positions explain themselves in the photographs. After a little practice, none of these positions is difficult. The upside-down shot, as soon as you get used to FIG. B aiming at the top edge of the ball instead of the bottom, is a very steady, easy position. For the two side ones, you aim at "IX" and at "III o'clock," respectively. Hang your watch on a hook on the board, and place a ball resting on this hook. Break the ball. This is easy, as the ball is, comparatively, a big mark. Aim at the top edge of the ball so as to break it by a grazing shot near the top ; this is less risky for the watch. 262 Art of Revolver Shooting Do the same with any watches lent by the audience. A man once kept lending me his watch for this trick; I found out afterwards that it would not go, and he had hopes that I would hit it and thus be compelled to give him another! Borrow small objects from the audience, and hit them. Stamps on envelopes, visiting cards, bits of pencil, etc., are suitable; but do not shoot at anything which will make a bullet glance, or you may hit some of your audience. FIG. c Thus a walnut is very dangerous, causing bullets to glance ; an orange or an egg explodes beautifully when hit, but both are rather messy. The coloured balls for Christmas trees are nice to shoot at ; but a bullet sometimes makes a hole without breaking them. Put up the ace of hearts and hit it. It is usual to have a pack composed of only aces of hearts. Have several ace cards placed on top of each other, and, when the bullet goes through the group, have the cards "dealt" among the audience; or, if at a Charity Bazaar, sold singly. Stage Shooting 263 Messrs. De la Rue make cards with coloured bluebottle flies on them for me to shoot at. Put up the six of hearts, and hit the six pips. This requires some doing to get all six shots neatly in the separate pips. Put a card edgeways towards you and cut it in half. This is a pretty trick and brings down the house when well done. It requires the same skill as hitting the vertical FIG. D pencil lines. If you are not very sure of yourself, and you succeed on the first shot, do not risk a second try. This rule applies to all the difficult shots. My best score at this game was five cards out of six shots, the cards being placed edgewise at a range of fifteen feet. Hit a string from which an object is hanging. Get string which is weak, and have the object pretty heavy, or else you may "nick" the string without its breaking. Berlin wool, with a weight so heavy that it strains the 264 Art of Revolver Shooting wool to nearly breaking-point, breaks with more certainty than string or twine. There is an ingenious, though scarcely legitimate, way of making this shot very easy. You merely double a piece of string and tie a knot, hanging it over two nails, the distance between which is a fraction under .44 inch. Two hooks on the ball are the same distance apart, so that the ball is thus hung by a double string. If you hit between these, both strings are necessarily cut by a .44 bullet, if your aim be true, while one is cut even if you hit half an inch out either side. Put a ball filled with red fluid on top of an empty claret glass; break the ball, and the glass will be filled with the fluid. See that the ball fits very loosely, that it rests only slightly in the glass — which should have a narrow opening like the old-fashioned champagne glass — or the latter will break also. Knock a cork off a bottle; an ordinary wine bottle or a wooden or metal one is dangerous if hit, as causing the bullet to glance; it is better to have a plaster of Paris bottle, painted black. Put up a bunch of six grapes, and take them off one at a time. Put up candles and snuff' them. To snuff a candle it is difficult to aim at the flame as it dazzles the eyes; but if you have the sight so that the pistol shoots an inch high and aim that distance below the flame it is easy. Hit two balls simultaneously, one swinging past a stationary one, or both swinging from opposite ways. You have to take them just as one is about to cover the other. Stage Shooting 26 5 Have a ball swung round horizontally at great speed centrifugally from a small wheel spun by clockwork. This requires very good "timing," you aiming at a side and pulling when the ball is at the opposite side, or you will be too late. Stand two balls with a steel knife-edge between them, vertically towards you and rather nearer to you than the balls. Hit the knife-edge in such a manner as to split the bullet in two pieces, which fly off and break the balls. The knife must be securely fastened, and the precise distance between the back of it and the balls (which varies according to the distance they are apart) must be determined by experiment. Hitting an object with a paper on the muzzle hiding the mark. Cut a round hole, just big enough to slip over the muzzle, in a piece of thick paper the size of an ordinary envelope. Slip this over the muzzle, up against the front sight. When taking aim, it will be found that with the left eye closed, the paper hides the object. By keeping both eyes open, however, shooting is easy, the right eye working the sights and the left seeing the object. The paper must not project much to the left, or it would hide your view with the left eye. Fix a nail slightly in a block of soft wood and drive it home with a shot. Put up the ace of hearts back towards you and hit it by judging the centre; the back must be plain white, no pattern. If the audience is not an expert one, really difficult feats are less appreciated than showy ones. CHAPTER XXVIII TRICK SHOOTING E come now to the conjurer's style of shooting, which I would not advise anyone to practise, even for a Char- ity Bazaar; it will ruin his reputation as a shot. How- ever, I will describe here- under some of the devices in connection with this trick shooting. The chief apparatus — under different forms — is a lever some twelve inches long. This lever is pivoted in its centre ; one end has a steel disc about a foot in diameter, or less, according to the shooter's skill, — of a size he is sure of never missing, — the other end has a steel point at right angles. The lever is placed vertically at such a height that the steel spike is just opposite the middle of the ball which is placed on the assistant's head. The steel disc is some eight inches above the man's head; the whole of this apparatus is hidden from the audience behind the "back-cloth" of the scenery. The locality of the disc is 266 Trick Shooting 26 7 indicated to the shooter by something in the scenery, as a pattern, or a trophy of flags, etc. The assistant stands with his back against the back- cloth, and the ball is on his head so that the steel spike is just clear of the middle of the ball and hidden behind the back-cloth; the shooter then fires at the trophy of flags, or what not (which is eight or more inches above the man's head, and therefore an easy and practically safe shot) ; the bullet hitting the disc drives it back, the other end of the lever with the spike comes forward, the spike goes through the scenery, breaks the ball, and at once returns out of sight. The trick is varied by having the lever inside a dummy figure, the performer shooting into the figure to break small objects on its head or in its mouth. A bellows is sometimes behind the back-cloth with the nozzle at the flame of a candle and the flame is blown out when the bellows is hit. The shooter is of course supposed by the audience to have snuffed the candle. This sort of shooting can be done at quite long range — for instance, from the back of the gallery to the back of the stage — but the lever has then to be lengthened so as to minimise risk to the assistant. Another way in which the candle trick is done is to have each candle inside a large concave reflector; the splash from the bullet comes back from the reflector and puts out the candle. Shooting at anything moving — swinging balls, etc. — ■ is done with shot ; the shooting in this case must be done with a back-cloth over the butt, as the splashes on a naked steel plate would betray the use of shot. This makes 268 Art of Revolver Shooting very easy what in legitimate shooting requires nice "tim- ing." The cartridge is either filled simply with special shot even smaller than "dust" shot, or if the cartridges are likely to be seen they are loaded with hollow wooden black-leaded bullets, full of shot, which the rifling of the barrel breaks, and these are substituted by "palming" for real bulleted cartridges shown to the audience. Shot is sometimes fired out of a smooth bore revolver. Two balls are broken with a revolver in each hand, shot simultaneously. This is always considered very wonderful, the performer pretending to take a long time over his aim, etc. One revolver is loaded with shot, the other with blank ammunition. The one loaded with shot is aimed between the two balls ; the spread of shot breaks both balls. Knocking ashes off a cigar smoked by assistant: A long hat-pin is put into the cigar, the point just reaching up to the ashes. On the shot — a blank cartridge — being fired, the assistant pushes the knob of the pin with his tongue, and dislodges the ashes. Objects held in the fingers or resting on the shoulders of assistants are shot with cork or Devilliers bullets, and the assistant wears hidden steel epaulets and finger-tips. Blindfold shooting is done by seeing down the side of the nose on to a looking-glass fixed at an angle behind the hind sight. What is called shooting through a wedding-ring and breaking a ball is done with the lever apparatus; the bullet does not go through the ring, but above it. Shooting at the trigger of a loaded rifle fixed in a rest, Trick Shooting 269 the shot from the rifle breaking a ball on the shooter's head, is also another form of the lever apparatus. Lately trick shooters have been shooting at toy balloons of a dark colour with a very small white spot painted on them. The balloons at once collapse wherever hit, and the audience thinks the small white spot has been hit. When using a pistol they often hold it with both hands, which, of course, is not real pistol-shooting. If you see the barrel of a stage shooter's firearm wobbling during aiming you can be sure there is no real shooting being done. I think that in stage performances there should be a committee of shooting men appointed by the audience to see that the shooting is genuine and not trick shooting. ' CHAPTER XXIX BLANK AMMUNITION FOR STAGE PURPOSES ■',.") t 3 p LANK ammunition, known generally as "Fourth of July" ammunition, is usually made with a wad tightly crimped over the powder so as to make as loud a report as possible. There is a chance of 'a piece of the crimped metal of the cartridge coming out of the barrel, and this may do a fatal injury if it should hit anyone. Most peo- ple using blank ammunition on the stage and else- where think it harmless and frequently fire right into each other's faces, at a distance of a few feet, or even inches. It is extremely dangerous to shoot blank am- munition at people — apart from the rule that one should never, under any circumstances, point a revolver at any- one, unless one wishes to hit him. A boy ought to be whipped if he shoots blank ammu- nition at anyone, or even if he points an empty or toy weapon at anyone. I saw a man's two eyes permanently injured on the stage, in a mock duel, through the 270 Blank Ammunition 2 7 1 wad and burnt particles of powder hitting him in the face. Some actors "blaze away" up in the air (under the impression that they cannot thus do any damage), either up into the ' ' flies," to the imminent danger of setting them on fire or injuring the limelight man, or else into the grand tier boxes, out of which most likely one of the occupants is at that moment craning his head and risking getting the whole charge full in his face. There is a pneumatic imitation pistol which makes the "bang" by breaking a piece of paper or rubber stretched inside the barrel (on the principle of "popping" a paper bag by first inflating it and then bursting it with a clap of the hands) ; this makes plenty of noise, and is much safer than blank ammunition. There have been so many fatal accidents in stage battles and duels that I think all stage arms should be built on the last principle; it would also be an econ- omy, as the ammunition gets used wholesale in these battles. Another great danger is the chance of a loaded cart- ridge having been mixed up amongst the blanks at the factory ; or (according to an inquest reported in the press) when blank ammunition of different calibres is used (as rifle and revolver) , of a cartridge of smaller bore dropping into the barrel and being shot out by the next one that is fired. The foregoing remarks apply also to shooting blank ammunition for starting a foot-race, etc. In this case the paper bag "bang" would not be loud enough, and blank ammunition must be used. 2 7 2 Art of Revolver Shooting I was standing behind the starter in a trotting race, where the starting was done in the primitive way of firing a pistol. The man put his hand behind his back and fired into my feet ! CHAPTER XXX BIG-GAME SHOOTING WITH THE REVOLVER DO not think the revolver is of much use for stalking deer or other big game. Of course it is out of the question for any of the thick- skinned animals. But for shooting from horseback, at very short range, I think it is better than a rifle. One can swing much better with it when in a cramped position, or when both the object aimed at and yourself are moving, than with a rifle. The revolver was a favourite weapon in "buffalo running " in the old days. I should think it would be very good for "pig" in India, as a change from spearing; but I suppose this suggestion is a heresy. Anyhow, for a leopard, or other animal too dangerous to be tackled with a spear, it would be useful. I sometimes carry a revolver when bear or wild-boar shooting on the Continent, in case a boar gets me down, but I prefer to trust to my rifle as long as possible. When park-deer are killed, instead of the very tame sport of following them around in a cart, or sitting up a 18 273 2 74 Art of Revolver Shooting tree, a gallop round after them on a good horse with a revolver is capital fun, and it is surprising what pretty running shots one can get under these circumstances. The first thing is to have a fast, smooth-galloping, quiet, handy horse. Horses learn to stand fire very soon, if you shoot a light charge some distance off at first, and then come gradually nearer; the secret of the whole thing is, never to shoot close past the horse's ears, or not, at any rate, until he gets thoroughly seasoned. I know a Belgian charger who lets a revolver be fired literally within three inches of his nose. It is useless to try to shoot off a horse unless both you and your horse understand "school" riding. An ordinary hunter, ridden in the ordinary hunting style needing both hands to lug at his head, and requiring half a field to stop or turn him in, is very dangerous at this game. The horse must turn, change legs, stop dead, and start again under the control of one hand only. A smart polo pony might do, but I prefer something bigger, — about 15.2, — so as to be "more over your work" (the mare in the photographs is sixteen hands), as then one shoots downwards and can often get a shot where it would be dangerous to shoot more horizontally, as towards houses and the like. A horse that naturally leads with his near leg when allowed to choose his own lead is preferable, as, having to range up on the near side of the deer to shoot, you can shoot better leading on the near leg, as this turns you slightlv towards the deer. A horse is smoothest in his 2 7 6 Art of Revolver Shooting natural lead, and is rougher and consequently more difficult to shoot off when leading on the other leg. One can wear the holster as the cowboys do — a belt round the waist and the revolver hanging on the right hip, not round the waist in front as army men carry it. In front it is in the way of your bridle hand, and it is not so handy to draw; but, worn on the hip, it is also danger- ous in case of a fall, and is perhaps best in a saddle holster. The revolver must fit loosely, so as to draw easily ; but the holster must be deep enough, and must hang so as not to drop the pistol out in galloping. The flap of the saddle — where the hunting-horn is carried — is a good place to hang the holster against, but this arrangement might hurt one if the horse rolled over ; and when shooting dangerous game one might be left defenceless by the horse galloping off with the revolver. The few cartridges necessary can be carried in the right coat pocket; they are awkward to disengage from loops in your belt or wristlet, and are apt to become battered out of shape. My favourite weapon for shooting fallow deer is the one I have already described more than once, — the old .44 Smith & Wesson, with gallery ammunition, or the .38 double-action Military. For red deer perhaps a heavier Charge is better; a Smith & Wesson or a Colt "police" .38 calibre, full charge. In a park it is important, for safety's sake, to use as small a charge as practicable. It is best to have the revolver in the holster, with one chamber unloaded if a single-action, and to keep the hammer down on the unloaded chamber till the actual 2 78 Art of Revolver Shooting moment you want to shoot; and if you do not, for any reason, fire instantly, put it at half-cock at once. I have elsewhere explained how to do this one-handed. If you cannot do it one-handed, on no account use both hands; rather fire the shot into the ground at once. If you have the reins in your left hand (with most likely an excited, plunging horse to manage), and try to use both hands in letting down to half-cock, you will, in all probability, let off the revolver by accident. When you have fired — unless you instantly want to fire another shot — do not cock the revolver, but leave the hammer down on the exploded case. Never "follow" with your revolver at full-cock, for in the excitement of the gallop, and in the wheeling about, you may, without knowing it, be pointing your revolver in a dangerous direction; or your horse may fall, and you may let the revolver off in consequence. All this does not apply to double-action revolvers. Red deer generally give a faster and a longer run ; and a stag during the rutting season may charge your horse if you range up too close and hustle him too much. Ride up to the herd at a slow walk, as though you were out for a ride and about to pass them, going so as to pass along the left-hand side of them. If you walk up slowly, not looking at them (but watching the deer you want out of the corner of your eye), you can get up very close for the first shot and will, probably, get a standing one. When you get up to the herd, unless you at once shoot the deer you want, it is astonishing how soon the one you 280 Art of Revolver Shooting are after finds out your intentions. The stag, or buck, will push the other deer aside with his horns, keep his head low behind other deer, and always try to keep another deer between himself and you. If you try to ride him down by following him in all his windings through the herd, you will most likely get a fall by one of the deer getting between your horse's legs. A mounted horse has no chance in a doubling match with a deer. The easier plan is to get the herd running steadily in one direction, strung out, and then gradually to get up level with the one you want. In deer-stalking, if a deer be wounded it is best to keep well out of sight, and not follow him up for half an hour, so as to "let him get sick" as the foresters say; but when shooting with a revolver off horseback, if the ground is at all rideable, or the deer are in a park, it is best to press him as hard as possible; if he is hard hit he will at once leave the herd and then it is a comparatively easy matter to run him down and shoot him. I find that a wounded park-deer hugs the park palings as a rule. This way of shooting is in my opinion a much more humane way of killing park-deer than with a rifle on foot, as a wounded deer is so much more quickly put out of pain. On foot a deer may be followed for hours before he can be shot, or he may get into a hollow and not be found until next day. "The Lovat mixture" of grey-green (most people wear too light a grey for deer-stalking) is the best colour for one's clothes if after wild deer; but in a park I prefer white flannels as being cooler, as it is very hard work on 282 Art of Revolver Shooting a hot August day, and in this respect is not unlike a game of polo. I prefer a short-cheeked, single-rein curb with a loose curb-chain, but the mare, Rose (shown in the photograph), had a peculiar mouth and fought a curb, going best in a Newmarket snaffle. With this she was as handy as a Cossack horse; in fact I had hardly to touch her mouth. The mere action of leaning back and touching her with the calves of my legs, made her stop dead. She would shoot off from a stand if I leant forward, and swing round sharp with the pressure of my "outside" leg. N. B. — Why do writers on riding so often talk of pressing with the knee to turn a horse? One uses the knees to grip with and the legs for turning and collecting, etc. She would also (and this I have never seen another horse do) stand close up to a man shooting a rifle in the prone position and not start when he finally fired after aiming for half a minute. Rose understood her business perfectly, and chased almost by herself the deer I wanted. I do not recommend a martin- gale if it can possibly be avoided, as it is apt to throw a horse down. If you must have one, a fixed one is prefer- able though more dangerous, but I have known a horse win a steeplechase in a tight fixed martingale, a horse that was unmanageable without one. Unless you want "meat " very badly, it is much neater to shoot through the neck or back of the head. I do not like the side, brain shot, as if you are the least bit too low you break the poor beast's jaw, and he may give you a long chase, and perhaps go off and die of starvation. Be careful that your horse does not whip out from 28 4 Art of Revolver Shooting under you as the deer collapses, or, as is more usual, as the deer stumbles or bounds out to one side in falling, scatter- ing the other deer in all directions. Your horse is also likely to swerve from a dead deer when he smells the blood, on your going up to the deer on foot, and he may jerk the reins out of \^our hands and gallop off. After one or two such shots the herd will get on the run; then, keeping on the inside of the circle as they race along, press them fast, so that they get strung out; never mind about getting a shot; first endeavour to get them well strung out, so that if you make a miss you do not hit another. If you can break them up into several lots by riding through them, and thus get in a small lot the deer you want, so much the better. Then when you have your special deer galloping well clear and moving steadily and evenly, — as he will after be becomes a little tired, — put your horse on the near leg in his gallop, driving him well up into his bridle and collected for an instant turn; gradually edge as close to the deer as you can. With care you can get within ten yards, both horse and deer going at a good fast canter. If the horse is a very smooth galloper, you can sit well down in the saddle; if he has a high or rolling action, stand in the stirrups, but a rolling galloper is very unsatisfactory for this work. Then, aim- ing with a straight arm, swing either forward on the deer's neck, or — and this is the neatest shot of all — between his ears at the back of his head. Of course, this must be a "snap" shot; you cannot hold your sight. Be careful not to hit his horns, or the bullet may glance off and strike you or your horse. If he is hit behind the ears properly, • ' I HH 286 Art of Revolver Shooting he turns over like a rabbit, and you flash past him before you can stop, nothing remaining but for you to pull up, dismount, and "gralloch." This shooting is for the most part done rather by "sense direction" than by any attempt to align the sights. If you want more deer, you can take, in a few seconds, one after another in this way, without stopping your horse. If the buck is hit in the neck, he will, most likely, lurch to one side, often coming round in a semicircle before falling ; and you must be very careful he does not then put your horse down, or, if you are at full-cock for another shot, make you shoot your horse. One of the advantages of shooting with the horse lead- ing with the near fore is that at the shot, or at "charge," you can wheel to the left and get clear. The old "buffalo- runner ' ' horses were taught to turn sharp at the report of the shot, so as to avoid a lurch or a "charge " without any hint from the rider. If you try to get up too soon for a shot when the deer are running, or come up too abruptly or too fast, they will begin bounding in the air; but if you are cautious you can, after some galloping, even stop and stand on the inside of the turn, and they will slacken and trot past you, or stop and stand preparatory to wheeling back; though in this case they will almost invariably start off again as you raise your arm. When galloping alongside a deer, unless there is another in front of him to lead him on, he may whip back ; it is always best to let a few hinds or does keep in front of the beast you wish to shoot. They will keep him moving 288 Art of Revolver Shooting more steadily, and you will know the direction in which he intends to travel, as he will follow the others. The revolver is very handy for roe-stalking, as you generally get close shots in covert. A revolver is also very useful to wear when in a. deer forest. As everyone knows who has done much stalking or deer driving, there are occasions when a wounded stag is too active to "stick," ££. EXTENSION STOCK, AS APPLIED TO .44 SINGLE-ACTION REVOLVERS and yet to shoot would disturb other deer. In this case, a revolver with a gallery charge is much less apt to move other deer than a rifle-shot, especially if you stand with your back in the direction in which you do not want the sound to travel, and place the muzzle of the revolver close to the deer so as to deaden the sound of the explosion. In shooting at game — in fact, in all revolver shooting Big-Game Shooting with the Revolver 28 9 other than target competitions — it is best to aim high or low according to distance, rather than to alter the sights for different ranges. Those who use a conical bullet for park-deer should give the preference to an "express" or hollow-pointed one as being less likely to glance off a tree, — no small advantage in a populous neighbourhood with facilities for accidents. Some French hunts use a .44 Smith & Wesson re- volver, full charge, with a detachable stock for shooting deer and boar when at bay, to save the hounds. 19 CHAPTER XXXI TARGET SHOOTING OFF HORSEBACK |Y instructions as to the sort of horse to ride and how to ride him, given in the remarks on big-game shooting, also ap- ply to target shooting off horseback. When shooting off a standing horse at a stationary mark, turn the horse facing to the left at an angle of forty-five degrees. This is to prevent his flinch- ing at the shots, as any but a very seasoned horse would be sure to do if you shot straight over his head or close past his ears. Also if he were to toss his head when you were shoot- ing over it you might both kill him and get either a rearing backward fall, with the horse on top of you, or else a "purler" over his head. If the horse shies away from the outstretched arm, tie a handkerchief over his off eye, as the bullfighters do, and stuff cotton wool in his ears, until he is accustomed to the noise and flash. There should be a bar in front of the horse to prevent his getting closer to the target than the distance for which the match is arranged; but if the bar be low, and the horse 290 ■ ,y . * ^Mfutk k' ^P ^B ^jH (■ 9 ^v J iv.j-;:| i M*s&^mm >.^. : - 14-i W .X ■flkpBP**"' 1 "^ - * i i • Photo by W. W. Rouch. SHOOTING OFF HORSEBACK CHARGING 29I 2 92 Art of Revolver Shooting a good fencer, he is apt to jump at the bar. It is very- difficult to get a horse to keep absolutely still, and for that reason it is often more difficult to shoot when the horse is fidgeting than when he is swinging along at a gallop. For shooting at a gallop or a canter, children's balloons, put up on the "heads and posts" principle, are very good marks as they can be shot at with Devilliers bullets, shooting alternately to the right and left. I can also recommend a target on the principle of the Bisley "run- ning deer," travelling on rails parallel to a railing, on the other side of which the shooter gallops and which prevents his getting too close to the target. Firing blank ammunition at " lightning paper ' ' stuck in the cleft of a stick is very good practice, is less troublesome than using the Devilliers bullet, which does not stand rapid firing in a hot revolver, and is, moreover, less dangerous to spectators. The paper flares up on being touched by burning particles of powder, but of course the shooting must be done at a distance of a few feet only. I do not think there is much advantage in cantering too slowly; the speed at which the horse goes smoothest, without raking or boring, is the best. For practical purposes, shooting behind one when galloping is useful. It is an assistance, when first learn- ing, to catch hold of the pommel of the saddle with the bridle hand as you swing your body round to fire. When shooting alternately to right and left, be sure to lift the muzzle of the revolver clear of the horse's head as you swing it from side to side, or you may shoot your horse in the head if he should happen to toss it at that moment. Target Shooting off Horseback 2 93 With modern, high- velocity, nickel- jacketed rifle- bullets it is useless to try sheltering yourself behind the body of your horse, when being shot at with a rifle; but against a revolver-bullet it may be useful. To do this, catch hold of the horse's mane with the bridle hand, sink your body down along his neck on the side farthest from your adversary, hook your left heel against the cantle of your saddle, and shoot at him under your horse's neck as you come quartering diagonally towards him. A tall man on a small horse can get very well round the horse's neck. As you pass, you can take a parting shot diagonally behind you under your left arm past your horse's quarters without shifting your position. There is a lot of sport and practice to be got out of shooting at each other in pairs with the Devilliers bullet, having, besides the usual protection for the shooters, the horses protected with horse clothing and their eyes with thick glass. The shooting is done either by charging past each other or circling round each other, spectators keeping out of range. CHAPTER XXXII SMALL-GAME SHOOTING HNE can get much amusement out of a revolver, or a sin- gle-shot pistol, at small game or vermin. (I beg that you will not shoot cats ; they are my special pets, and as I am doing my best to instruct you in revolver shooting you might do me the favour of sparing them.) Rabbits lying out are generally too long shots for the revolver, but a .22 pistol, if held straight, — and therein lies the difficulty, — shoots well up to fifty or sixty yards with a long rifle cartridge; the revolver can be used in ferreting where there is no danger from the bullets. In waiting for rats, or shooting grouse or black game in a deer forest where the noise of a shot-gun would disturb the deer, a pistol is useful. I once shot with my revolver a wild duck skimming over a lake. The smooth-bore revolver, used with shot, is useful for thinning off small, mischievous birds in a garden where 294 Small Game Shooting 2 95 a revolver shooting bullets would be dangerous ; but it has not power enough for any but the very small birds. At the beginning of the last century it used to be considered a great performance to have "hit a swallow on the wing with a duelling pistol " ; and the feat was always held up as proof of extraordinary proficiency with the pistol. As a matter of fact, besides being a piece of brutal cruelty, it required no skill at all. The method of pro- cedure used to be to go up into a belfry, or other place where swallows nested, to find a nest with young ones in it, then to hold the pistol with both hands, steadying the barrel against the side of a window or opening in the tower, the muzzle pointing at the mouth of the nest, and only a few feet, or even inches, from the nest. When one of the old birds came home with food for the young, and fluttered for a moment, hovering at the mouth of the nest before going in, the pistol was fired, and the great feat accomplished! Double-barrelled pistols are now extremely rare, though they were in use before the revolver was perfected. A big-bore, double-barrelled pistol would be of use for some purposes, where portability is not of consequence, as, for instance, as a smooth bore for shot, or as a last resource when shooting dangerous game. They are best made with the single-trigger arrange- ment now used on some double-barrelled shot-guns, as it is difficult to shift the finger from one trigger to the other when holding a pistol in one hand. This may be the reason why double pistols went out of use in the days when the single trigger was unknown. CHAPTER XXXIII PIGEON SHOOTING WITH THE PISTOL ;NCE, as an experiment, Gastinne- Renette, the Paris gunmaker, made me a duelling pistol with an interchangeable shot barrel, .32 bore, ten inches long; shoot- ing f ounce of shot, and i\ drams of black powder. This shoots wonderfully well. At twelve yards it makes with No. 8 shot about the same pattern as a 12 bore cylinder gun at forty yards with No. 6 shot. I tried it at pigeons, twelve yards rise, three traps, and got forty-four out of eighty. I had a man with a gun, to kill any hit birds which flew out of bounds. I found I could kill all, or almost all, crossing shots and incomers at least as well as I can with a gun. One bird coming straight over, which I shot leaning backwards, just as it was past me, was a shot I do not think I could have made with a gun. Those going fast straight away I could not account for very well, owing to the small charge. Most of my "lost" birds were of this description; most of them 296 Pigeon Shooting with the Pistol 2 97 "feathered." but not hard hit enough to stop them within bounds, and the scout shot them. The forty-four I scored HOW TO HOLD THE SHOT PISTOL Note handle extension over the thumb to counteract length of barrel were not shot at by the scout, but killed fairly with the pistol alone. I should think such a pistol would be very good for sparrow or starling shooting out of traps. I have not tried a smooth-barrelled revolver with shot at pigeons, as I do not think it would have enough pellets or enough penetration; for sparrows it might perhaps suffice. In this sort of pigeon shooting the arm must be held 298 Art of Revolver Shooting straight, and the pistol pointed just below the middle trap; the eyes must watch the traps, not the sights, and, as you follow the bird with your eyes, the pistol must be brought up as for rapid-firing or traversing targets, according as the bird is going straight or crossing you. With a shot-gun you must have your stock the proper length, bend, cast-off, etc.; with the pistol, if you keep your arm straight, nature has provided you with a "stock" of flesh and blood exactly your proper fit. ■ - ■- t \ • i Stiffen. a! iu CHAPTER XXXIV CLAY-PIGEON SHOOTING WITH THE PISTOL T is useless, unless you are an ex- ceptionally good revolver-shot, to try to shoot clay pigeons out of the ordinary traps with a pistol. For shooting with a bullet they go too fast; and for the shot-pistol they are out of range too soon. The best way is to have them sprung over your head from behind, and to hit them as they skim overhead; but you must gen- erally use shot, as, under ordinary circumstances, bullets would be dangerous if fired into the air. If, in this style of shooting, the trap throws a weak "saucer," the latter may hit you a nasty blow. My way of shooting clay pigeons is either to have them bowled down-hill from beside me, which gives very good practice for shooting at with a bullet, — it is too easy for shot, — or else to have a trap which throws the discs straight up. One of my traps has a horizontal cylinder which con- tains clay discs; these are pressed close against one end 299 300 Art of Revolver Shooting of the cylinder by a spiral spring. A lever, which flies up by a strong spring, is kept down by a string held tightly by an assistant who stands behind me. When the word "Pull!" is given, he loosens the string, the lever is released and flies upwards through a slit in the end of the cylinder, throwing the disc straight up in the air, to the height of about ten feet, out of an opening at the other side of the cylinder. The end of the cylinder is towards you, so that the discs also are thrown with their flat sides towards you. This gives one a nice shot for the bullet, as the disc has to be taken just at the highest point of its flight, and teaches one to "snap." When the lever is pulled down again, the spiral spring in the cylinder drives the group of discs forward, putting the next in rotation over the slit, to be thrown in its turn. Hence there is no necessity for the trapper to go forward. He merely keeps pulling the lever down and releasing it until the cylinder is emptied of its discs, and you can shoot as fast as you please. Another way is to have the old-fashioned Bogardus trap, which throws glass balls, or, better still, composite balls, as these do not mess up a lawn so. These are rather harder to hit than the objects I have just described, as they do not come up quite vertically, but in a parabola. They are therefore more suitable, perhaps for the shot- pistol or revolver. The advantage of "saucers" for practising quick revolver shooting is that there is no cruelty in it ; although there was an old lady who said that the poor clay pigeons suffer just as much as any other breed. Clay-Pigeon Shooting 301 Shooting at a tin can laid on the ground and keeping it hopping by shots just under it is a favourite shooting trick. A child's rubber ball gives a great variety of sporting shots, if hung by a string and kept swinging by hitting, or if started rolling down a hill. Clay pigeons also make good marks stuck on sticks at unknown distances, and "snapped" at. CHAPTER XXXV SHOOTING IN SELF-DEFENCE jHIS chapter is written entirely from the technical point of view as a branch of revolver shooting, while the legal aspect of the question is treated by law experts in the Appendix. Whether there is justi- fication, in self-defence, in kill- ing anyone is another matter, but of course cases occur when a man must shoot in order to save someone dependent upon him. Fortunately in the great majority of cases the object of protecting oneself — or, what is more important, protecting someone else — is attained without actually shooting. The mere fact of being armed is generally sufficient, and in many cases wearing the revolver openly or having it in one's hand, even unloaded, suffices. As Polonius says: "Beware of entrance to a quarrel, but being in, bear 't that the opposed one may beware of thee." But, if shooting has to be done, everything depends on getting the first shot. As I said above, I am not dealing with the ethical 302 Shooting in Self-Defence 3°3 aspect of the case; and, putting that aside, if you can take your adversary unawares, and "get the drop on him" before he gets it on you, you have him at your mercy. A short-barrelled revolver is best if it has to be con- cealed, but of as big a calibre as you can carry without its t £^ SMITH & WESSON HAMMERLESS SAFETY REVOLVERS .38 AND .32 CALIBRE being too bulky and showing in your pocket. If there be no necessity for concealment, carry one six inches in the barrel. Some prefer a large-bore army revolver, with the barrel cut down to two inches. I am assuming that the shooting will be done at a distance of only a few feet, and without aim in the ordinary sense of the word. As elsewhere explained, it is very dangerous to carry an ordinary revolver loaded in the pocket, even at half- cock, especially if it be a self-cocker. 304 Art of Revolver Shooting The proper way with a single-action revolver is to leave one chamber unloaded and to lower the hammer on that empty chamber. The Smith & Wesson .38 calibre safety hammerless pocket revolver obviates these risks. This revolver cannot go off accidentally, even when all the chambers are loaded, as there is a safety catch which prevents the revolver from being discharged unless it is pressed at the same time that the MECHANISM OF THE SMITH & WESSON HAMMER- LESS safety revolver trigger is pulled. A, Safety Lever; B ^Safety Catch; C, Hammer; Anyone USed to D, Trigger; G, Safety Latch Spring J revolver shooting, who holds it as I have described in my instructions for revolver shooting, and squeezes the trigger, will be able to shoot without thinking of the safety catch, for he presses it unconsciously in gripping the stock. A person not accustomed to a revolver cannot, however, fire it ; in fact, if a man not an expert revolver-shot wrested the revolver from you, it would be harmless in his hands against you. Indeed, . the pistol could without danger be given, loaded, to a small child to play with, as it requires a stronger grip than a child's to discharge it. Most revolver accidents occur through the hammer receiving an accidental blow, slipping from the thumb or catching in something, or from the trigger being o r*3 306 Art of Revolver Shooting touche unintentionally, or the revolver being left at full-cock. In the Smith & Wesson safety revolver all these causes of accident are impossible, and it is always ready for instant use. Its further advantages are: i . There is no external hammer to catch in anything. 2. Pressure on the trigger cannot discharge the revolver unless the stock is properly grasped at the same time. 3. The revolver cannot be kept at full-cock. 4. Being hammerless, and having no projections, it can be drawn more quickly than an ordinary revolver. 5. It can be carried with absolute safety loaded in the pocket, with the knowledge that a fall or blow will not discharge it. This revolver is also made in smaller calibre (.32), with both 3 in. and i}^ in. barrel. In the latter case it is called a bicycle revolver, and takes up less room in the pocket. This calibre might be better for a lady's use ; but for a man I prefer the larger calibre, as being more powerful. A .44 calibre made on this model would be best of all for a man to carry. The cocking by trigger action in this revolver is so arranged that it can, with a little practice, be held at full-cock whilst the aim is taken, instead of the cocking and firing being a continuous action, as in other double- action revolvers. Carrying the revolver in the hip pocket is in my Shooting in Self -Defence $°l opinion a mistake, as the movement of putting back the hand to draw will instantly put an adversary on his guard and most likely draw his fire. For a case where you are likely to be robbed, the inside breast-pocket (where bank-notes are usually carried) is a good place for the revolver, as, when you are asked for your money, you can appear to be taking it out of this pocket whilst you are really drawing the revolver ; or the revolver can be shot from this pocket without drawing it. Usually the right-hand side-pocket of a jacket is the handiest, or, rather, the pocket on the side of the hand you can shoot with best. Shooting through the pocket is as quick and unex- pected a way as any ; another is to turn partly away, and in doing so draw and fire from behind your back, or under your other arm. But, assuming that you would prefer, if possible, to capture your assailant without shooting him, try whether you cannot unexpected^ "get the drop" (i.e., an aim) on him and make him hold up his hands before he can draw his revolver As in fencing and boxing, the great thing is never to take your eyes off your opponent for an instant ; and if by any subterfuge you can induce him to take his eyes off you, or distract his attention to anything else, then is the time to "get the drop" on him, or, as a last resource, to shoot. Knocking a chair over, throwing something past or at him with your non-shooting hand, or calling out to some 3o8 Art of Revolve?' Shooting imaginary, or real, person behind him may often have the desired effect. If he is a really "bad" man, and armed, the worst thing you can do is to take a revolver in your hand — or even make towards it — unless you mean to shoot in- stantly; it will only draw his fire, or he may unexpectedly disarm you in the way described below. Supposing you are unarmed and your adversary has a revolver, you may be able to render his weapon harmless by ejecting his cartridges. The way to do this varies with different makes of re- volvers, but the principle in each case with a revolver having a " break down" action consists in making a downward stroke on the barrel of his revolver with one of your hands, and in the same movement operating the opening catch or lever with your thumb. If you get an assistant to take an empty revolver and point it at you, and you practise this trick, you will find it very simple and effective ; but of course there would be no use in trying it with an adversary who suspected you were about to do so. The Smith & Wesson Russian Model can be rendered harmless by seizing the middle of the barrel with your thumb under the catch, you being to the left and using your right hand, or vice versa. Simultaneously with seizing the revolver give a quick quarter turn to your wrist to the right, and all the cartridges will fly out. With the Webley, you place your thumb over instead of under the catch in seizing the revolver, and press your thumb towards the palm of your hand in making the wrench. 310 Art of Revolver Shooting With solid frame revolvers, like the new Colt and the Smith & Wesson, you operate the catch, and instead of twisting your wrist you push out the cylinder with your first and second fingers, at the same time pushing the extractor plunger with your little finger. This make of revolver, however, is more difficult to disarm suddenly than those I have named above. With any hammer revolver you can make it harmless by slipping your thumb under the hammer, as Gastinne- Renette's assistants always hand you a loaded duelling pistol, or, if you are strong in the grip, by holding the cylinder and preventing its revolving after the first shot is fired. I saw a very good suggestion in an article in an American paper — the writer's name I unfortunately forget — to the effect that it was an excellent thing, when expecting "trouble,' ' to wear a big revolver ostentatiously and to have a smaller one in your hand, concealed under a cape, or otherwise; your adversary would think himself safe as long as he watched your big revolver and saw that you had not put your hand near it, whilst all the time you would be ready to "hold him up" or shoot with the other revolver, the existence of which he would not suspect. If a burglar is in your house, do not carry a candle, as that makes you an easy target in case he should try to shoot at you. If you can get to the electric light switch unobserved, aim in his direction and then turn up the light so that you have the drop on him as the light appears and he will be at your mercy. The iron rails of banisters, Shooting in Self -Defence 3n especially if they are wide, ornamental ones, are a good protection. A door is of no use (except for concealment before the man has seen you) , as a bullet with an ordinary charge will go through it. Use a light charge (gallery ammunition by preference) for house protection, or you may shoot some of your family through a thin wall when "burglar-potting." Out-of-doors, too, a lamp-post, or other narrow object, will spoil a man's aim by making him try to hit that part of you which shows on either side instead of his having your full width to aim at, even if it is too narrow or small fully to protect you. It is better not to try to give him a small mark to aim at by standing sideways, as then, if he hits you, he will rake all through your vitals ; whereas if you are facing him squarely he may put several bullets into you without fatal effect.. Holding your bent arm across your heart, and at the same time protecting your temples with the side of your revolver, — which duellists do directly they have fired, — may be of some use; but it is better to depend upon hitting your adversary before he hits you. If he shoots and misses you, drop at once, as if hit, and keep still, when he will probably pause and give you a chance to shoot. If a man does not look desperate and capable of continuing shooting until killed it may be sufficient if you can break his shooting wrist : while if he should then try to shift his pistol from the disabled hand to the other, you can break the other also. 3i2 Art of Revolver Shooting Should you be mounted and your adversary is on foot, jumping off and sheltering yourself behind your horse will protect you from a revolver-shot ; also galloping hard at him and shouting may spoil his aim. If, on the con- trary, he is cool, he may take an easy shot at you by dodging and shooting as you pass. If a man is running away from, or coming at you, and has no firearm, you can make him helpless by shooting him in a leg ; a long crossing shot in a bad light would make the leg shot rather doubtful, unless there be time to have several tries. If a man absolutely has to be killed, it is better to COLT DERRINGER .41 calibre, rim fire shoot where the white shirt shows in evening dress. This is a bigger mark than the head, and he may, moreover, duck his head as you pull. The stomach shot is a murderous one, and would not be justifiable except under very rare circumstances. A charging man at very close range would have the wind knocked out of him, and be stopped perhaps more effectually by this shot than any other. If your opponent is a bad shot, you can take a long Shooting i7t Self-Defence 3*3 shot at him from a distance, say 120 yards, at which, if he has a cheap revolver, he cannot hit you except by a fluke, and it would not do much harm even if he did hit you. In fact a bad shot armed with a revolver is less dangerous than a strong, determined man with a knife. It must be remembered that a knife can be thrown some distance, so it does not do to let a man with one in his hand, or even suspected of having one, come too close, especially in the dark. A cartridge loaded with salt is a good man-stopper for burglars and has the advantage of not endangering life, but of course it is of no use against a determined man unless he is shot in the face. In that case salt might do even more damage to his eyes than a bullet, and a bullet would be a more merciful load. The pamphlet on Self-Defence, says that to put the revolver beside the head of the bed, or under the pillow, is to court being disarmed during your sleep, and it recommends having it between the mattresses, handy to your reach, or in a padded bag hanging at the side of your bed, under the sheets, the object of the padding being to prevent the revolver from making a noise against the bed when you are drawing it. This is all very well if you remember to take out the revolver each morning; if you forget, and the housemaid makes up the bed roughly, there may be trouble. It also advises rolling under a bed or sofa as a pre- caution when exchanging shots. Make sure that no body can tamper with your revolver 3H Art of Revolver Shooting or cartridges. I knew of a case in which a muzzle-loading revolver was kept loaded in an unlocked box at the side of the bed. When there was a burglary in the house, this revolver was found to have been soaked in water and thus rendered useless ! **■* C l C~7i — CHAPTER XXXVI PISTOL SHOOTING FOR LADIES able weapons. REVOLVER puts the weakest woman, who is a good shot, on an equality with the strongest man. It is especially suitable for ladies to defend themselves with, as they have, as a rule, steadier hands than men, and there are certain revolvers, just suited for ladies, which give no recoil and yet are service- "U. M. C." gallery ammunition in a .44 calibre Smith & Wesson Russian Model gives practically no recoil, and I have seen a lady do very good target shooting with it. With this revolver and load I have killed three rabid, or alleged rabid dogs, so it is a practical killing load. I use the same revolver and ammunition for shooting park bucks. Every lady should, to my mind, know how to use a pistol. She may at any time be in China, or some other country where there are savage natives ; and there is none of that danger of bruising the body which is so harmful to women using guns or rifles. 315 316 Art of Revolver Shooting The Smith & Wesson hammerless safety revolvers of .38 and .32 calibre are especially suitable for self-defence for ladies, but I should not recommend a lady to use these or any other short, light, self-defence revolvers for target shooting, as the recoil is heavy and apt to hurt a lady's hand (particularly between the first finger and thumb) and tear the skin. This is inevitable in a revolver made as light and as portable as possible, and expected, never- theless, to shoot a very heavy charge. The best plan is to fire a few shots (the hand being protected with a thick driving glove, from which the forefinger has been cut off), or, better still, ask a good shot, who also knows your "sighting," to do so for you, just to get the sights filed right, and then keep this pistol for self-defence only, and do practising and com- peting with a more accurate and more pleasant shooting weapon. The revolver or pistol to be used for practice and in competitions must depend upon your physique. If you are moderately strong, I think the .44 calibre Russian Model Smith & Wesson, with the Union Metallic Cart- ridge Co.'s gallery ammunition, is as good as any; or, if this is too heavy, the .38 or .32 calibre Colt and Smith & Wesson revolvers, with gallery ammunition, are very good and are specially intended for the use of ladies. The Smith & Wesson .32 calibre in .44 calibre frame, which I like for fifty-yards target shooting, is rather heavy for a lady. Its size is an advantage for a man, as he can hold steadier with some little weight in his hand. Ladies who are of slight build may find it too heavy ; but Pistol Shooting for Ladies 3*7 with gallery ammunition it has no recoil whatever, which is a great advantage for them. Always have a barrel not shorter than five inches, and not longer than six inches, and save the weight, if you want a light weapon, in the general make-up of the re- volver rather than in length of barrel, as you lose so much accuracy with a three-inch or four-inch barrel that it spoils any pleasure in shooting. If you confine yourself to light ammunition, you can get a very light revolver which is safe with that charge, and has no recoil to speak of. The Smith & Wesson, which has interchangeable barrels of .32 calibre for revolver, and .22 for single-shot pistol, is a very suitable weapon for a lady. The lighter forms of single-shot Stevens pistols of .22 calibre and the Leeson .22 are exceptionally well adapted to the use of ladies who prefer a single-shot pistol. I have seen a very neat .22 calibre revolver of Belgian make with a six-inch barrel and cylinder very small in diameter, which makes it balance beautifully, but I do not know how it shoots or how the Colt .22 shoots. In mentioning particular firms, both here and elsewhere in this book, I must not be misunderstood to mean that the weapons of any one maker are better than those of another. All first-class makers turn out good revolvers and pistols; and I merely mention those revolvers and pistols which I have used and am personally acquainted with, and which I find answer my requirements. A lady can carry a revolver for self-defence hidden in many more ways than a man can, owing to her draperies 318 Art of Revolver Shooting affording more places for concealment. Cloaks, capes, etc., make good hiding-places for a revolver; inside a muff is about one of the best places; and a small revolver in the right hand, inside a muff, that hand hanging down by the side, is ready for instant use. As ladies often carry their muffs in this way, it does not arouse suspicion. It is very important for ladies to protect their ears when shooting. I do not consider an air gun a very suitable weapon for ladies' use; it has such a very bad, heavy dragging trigger pull that it does no good for rifle practising, it balances badly, and is generally heavier than a .22 short cartridge rifle can be made. Also, the lever for compressing the spring makes it balance badly, making it heavy forward, and the grip is big, in fact it is not the weapon I would recommend; its noiselessness, which is its only recom- mendation, is really more an imaginary than a real advantage, the short .22 (especially out-of-doors with smokeless powder) making hardly any report. Also, compressing the spring is hard work for a lady; the butt has to be pressed against the leg, and the lever is apt to spring back and smash the fingers. In criticising a former book of mine on shooting, a newspaper said it was fit only to teach extremely rich peo- ple shooting, as I advocated such expensive methods of practising. It instanced, as an example of this expense, my saying that one ought to get someone to compress the spring of the air gun between shots, as doing so oneself made the hands tired and shaky. Now, with all respect to the paper in question, I think Pistol Shooting for Ladies 3*9 a lady can find some male friend who will undertake to work the lever and load the air gun for her without his charging anything; or she could even find a servant to do this who would not want a raise in wages in consequence. If a tie has to be shot off in a few hours, it is best to try and get a rest, and, if possible, to sleep, during the interval. If this is impossible, reading an interesting book (if the type is not too small to tire the eyes), or playing some game, anything to take the thoughts off the approaching shoot-off, is good. Finally I would add that when a lady sits on the ground to shoot off both knees, or lies down to shoot, or even if she sits on a chair or stands, out-of-doors, it is most important that she should be protected against dampness and chills, consequently she will do well to stand on a thick mat, and avoid linen underwear. The safest sort of garments are thick flannel knickerbockers. CHAPTER XXXVII SHOOTING FROM A BICYCLE jORTUNATELY in most countries there is seldom necessity to carry a loaded revolver on a bicycle. An empty one is sufficient to frighten away tramps, if they stop you on a dark, lonely road ; or even a short bicycle pump when pointed at them may scare them off. One can, however, get some sport on a bicycle with a revolver. I have described in the chapter on Self-defence one form of bicycle revolver; but for sport I should use a game-shooting one, as a bicycle revolver is not meant for anything but self-defence at short range. This latter would have to be carried in a holster strapped on the front fork, a method which is safer in case of a fall than when worn in a belt. One can, with a little practice, shoot quite well off a bicycle, especially if, when actually aiming, the cyclist is "free-wheeling." The action of pedalling spoils one's aim. r-,20 Shooting from a Bicycle 3 21 A dog flying at your leg, when he comes up in his usual pleasant way from behind to bite you in the calf, would make a pretty shot; you could put up the leg he is going for and shoot down past your thigh, but might hear from his owner if he should happen to be in sight. A cartridge loaded with coarse salt (as I have recom- mended for burglars) would stop a dog well, and teach him not to annoy cyclists; but then, in all probability, AUTOMATIC EXTRACTOR SMITH & WESSON BICYCLE REVOLVER you would have not only the owner after you, but the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals as well. The Devilliers bullet is very good for this style of shoot- ing' practice and would be good to stop dogs at close quarters. A bicycle gives one many good chances at deer, hares, rabbits, etc., in the early morning or evening, when going silently along by a river in a game country. With a Gastinne-Renette pistol, shooting shot, or a .22 single-shot pistol, one could get lots of small game; but I 322 Art of Revolver Shooting must not go on, or this chapter will resolve itself into hints to poachers! The weak point of the revolver as an arm for cyclists in war is the difficulty of shooting at pursuers. A horse can be left to pick his own way, but a cyclist who looks behind him is apt not only to lose his balance, but to run into something, and has also to slacken speed unless he merely blazes away behind him at random without either sitting up or looking back. y / m ~\ CHAPTER XXXVIII REVOLVERS FOR THE POLICE HAVE on several occasions attempted to get a prize accepted, to be competed for by the police, at Bisley, but each time unsuccess- fully. I then gave a statuette, modelled by myself (shown in the initial letter heading this chapter), as a revolver prize, open to the whole of the United States. The con- ditions were : - ■< Any revolver; maximum length of barrel, including cylinder, ten inches. Any trigger-pull. Any sight, both sights to be on the barrel or forward of the grip of the pistol hand. Any fixed ammuni- tion. Cleaning allowed only between scores of six shots. Distance, twenty yards. Position, standing, free from any artificial support, the revolver to be held in one hand only, with the arm free from the body and unsupported in any way. The rear sight not to be nearer to the eye than twelve inches. Target. — Ready-measurement discs, one shot on each disc, and the measurement to be taken by mechanical Vernier scale, from the centre of disc to the centre of shot-hole. 323 3 2 4 Art of Revolver Shooting Scores. — Aggregate of best three in five scores. Each score to consist of six consecutive rounds. The five scores to be fired consecutively. Amateur Standing. — The standing of a contestant as amateur and professional to be determined in each individual case by Forest and Stream [this journal had charge of the competition]. Where not in conflict with the conditions herein, the rules of the Massachusetts Rifle Association for revolver competitions to hold. The decision of Forest and Stream to be final on all points. Any winner of the trophy to hold it, subject to a challenge, for the term of two years, after which time it shall become his personal property. Upon receiving a challenge, the holder to agree with the challenger upon a place and date for their meeting not later than six weeks from the receipt of the challenge, of which meeting at least two weeks' notice shall be given through Forest and Stream, and the shooting at the said meeting to be under the same conditions as the original competition for the trophy. In case of a failure to agree upon a time and place of meeting, these to be fixed by Forest and Stream. The trophy to be deposited in the custody of Forest and Stream at least one day prior to the challenge meet; and, if required, holders to give bonds to Forest and Stream for its safe return. The holder not to be required to accept a challenge pending the determination of a challenge shoot already under date. In case of any dispute about the right of priority in shooting challenges, Forest and Stream to determine the order of shooting. All ex- penses of targets and gallery to be borne by Forest and Stream. Contestants to defray all other expenses. This was a great success, and revolver-shots in most of the great cities of the United States competed for the trophy, which was held by Dr. Louis Bell, of the New York Pistol and Revolver Club, for the first time. Revolvers for the Police 325 The trophy passed to two successful challengers, and finally became, in 1894, the property of Roundsman Petty, of the New York police force, who twice success- fully defended his title. The police of the United States were so pleased with this competition, that it is now the custom in some cities to have regular competitions for the members of the force ; and many others besides Petty have become fine shots in consequence. Petty, however, was always a good shot. People say: "Oh, if a policeman had a revolver he would be likely to shoot a man instead of arresting him." In my opinion, it would make a policeman less apt to hurt his man; and one would not hear so much of policemen being knocked down and kicked to death. If the police- man were known to be armed with a revolver, and had the "marksman's" badge on his uniform, it would have a salutary effect on roughs, who would think twice before attacking him; and he, in the confidence of his skill with the revolver, would act calmly, and shoot only as a last resource. Only quite recently there was a report of a mad dog in a crowded street of New York. The policeman on the beat killed it at the first shot, and did not hit anyone in the crowd. Contrast this with the number of shots fired at the two anarchists in London lately. If a London policeman were to start "loosing off" a revolver in a crowd, I fear the ambulance corps would be kept busy! CHAPTER XXXIX KILLING DISABLED ANIMALS NYONE can, for a humane pur- pose, kill a horse which has be- come injured, on the spot, without a license of any kind. I mention this as many per- sons would keep a horse waiting whilst a knacker is sent for, under the impression that they may not legally kill it themselves. For a small animal, unless you are an exceptionally good shot, and can be quite sure of putting the bullet right through its brain, I think a charge of shot in the head at close range with a gun is the least likely to cause suffering, as it is also the speediest. For a horse, I should not advise gallery ammunition out of a revolver. His skull is so thick that the bullet might glance off, or not penetrate. Where possible, do not use a short-barrelled, self- defence revolver, but one you can rely upon, with a heavy charge. There are several vital spots in a horse, the one to be selected being that which you think, all things considered, you can utilise without bungling. The heart is out of the question, as, even though shot right through the 326 Killing Disabled Animals 3 2 7 middle of it, such a big animal may live some time after being hit. Right between the ears from behind (where the wounded horses in bull-fights are finished with a dagger) is one of the deadliest places, and death is instantaneous. To get at this spot, however, is a little difficult, unless the horse is lying down. Sometimes he can be got to lower MEDULLA THE GREENER KILLER This illustration clearly shows the position in which the Killer should be placed. It is advisable to have the barrel in a line with the pith, but so long as the "medulla" is pierced, instantaneous death is assured. his head; not by force (you might hit the man who is struggling with his head) but by putting something before the horse to which he lowers his head to smell or drink. Another good place is the forehead between the eyes, and two inches higher than the level of the eyes where the hair curls. For this shot, the forehead must be quite 328 jl r f y Revolver Shooting vertical; if it slants back the bullet may glance. When the horse is lying with his head on the ground, I shoot him in the forehead, but you must make allowance for the angle you shoot at, unless you kneel. Something thrown before the horse may make him lower his head for a moment ; but generally a horse in pain will hang his head nearly right for this shot. The third place is behind the ear, sideways, to break the neck at the base of the skull; but I do not recommend this shot unless you under- stand anatomy, as you may bungle it. Be especially careful that no damage will be done by the bullet, should it go on after having penetrated the horse. A brick wall is a good background; but, if you miss the horse ^ and hit the wall, you may \|py |jjjj|§lgl^P have a dangerous ricochet ^^ off it. \EBHjSMjfeS8fr Do not let anyone hold » the horse, and do not allow the pocket pattern killer spect ators to stand before you or at the side of the animal. A horse so injured as to require killing will stand quietly enough to need no holding; and if you are gentle with him, and do not ad- vance too quickly towards him, or make any sudden movement, he will in all probability keep quiet. Do not shoot a broken-backed, or presumably broken- backed horse, without first making sure that he has not simply strained himself. A prick with a pin behind the seat of injury may show if he has any feeling in his hind quarters. If he has, do not shoot till a veterinary surgeon has arrived and pronounced the case hopeless. Killing Disabled Animals 3 2 9 The Greener killing apparatus is the most sure and pain- less way of killing I know of, and it needs no knowledge of pistol shooting. The cartridge is inserted, and the apparatus is applied to the horse's forehead, and then struck with a mallet. The horse is shot through the brain. A similar apparatus is compulsory in Belgian slaughter houses, as it should be everywhere. V,.Y^' CHAPTER XL SHOOTING IN THE DARK [ERE are occasions on which it is necessary to shoot at night, as for a night-watch- man; or in the case of a wild animal's jumping into camp and carrying off someone; or in night attacks. For this work an ex- ceptionally large dead white front sight (either a fixed one or an adjustable one on a hinge or one kept for handiness in the stock of the revolver, that can be fitted on when necessary) is needful. This sort of sight, though, can be seen only if there is moonlight, or at least some glimmer of light. In pitch-darkness, a large front sight with both itself and the rib of the barrel coated with luminous paint is useful, provided the revolver is, for several hours previous to its being used, exposed to strong sunlight. If the revolver be kept all day in a case or a holster, the paint will not shine at night. Also, in cleaning the revolver, the paint may be spoilt, and may require renewing. I 330 Shooting in the Dark 33 1 would not advise painting any revolver you care about. My patent electric rifle sight for night shooting is at present too cumbersome for application to a revolver; moreover, as I remark below, one ought to be able to use a revolver at short range by sense of direction, without looking along sights. This is perhaps the most satisfactory way, — learning to shoot in the dark by the sense of direction, by pointing your revolver in the direction in which you conjecture the POCKET COLT DOUBLE- ACTION REVOLVER object to be, not by attempting to see your sights or to "draw a bead." One can often see an animal on a very dark night by crouching down and getting it against the sky-line; and yet, on looking through the sights, you cannot discern anything. One form of practice is to have a target made of tissue paper, with a candle behind it to illuminate it. The sights are consequently seen in silhouette against it. This was the principle of the "Owl" series of prizes shot for in the early days of Wimbledon in the evenings. What I 33 2 Art of Revolver Shooting think better, so as to teach shooting by sense of direction, is to have several metal targets about a foot in diameter, hung by wires (these will give out a ringing sound when struck, and the rest of the butt should be of sand, or sods, or wood, so as to make a different sound). Have a small bell hung behind the middle of each target, pulled by a string, or an electric bell operated by strings held by an assistant standing behind you. Now let him ring the bells at random, you firing by sense of direction towards where you hear each bell ring. POLICE COLT DOUBLE-ACTION REVOLVER This practice can also be done in a shooting-gallery at night with all the lights turned down, and it is perhaps safer there than out-of-doors. You can even have targets behind you, and swing round and "snap" at them; but this, and in fact all night shooting, is very dangerous unless you can be absolutely certain that the bullets will do no damage, however wildly they may fly, or unless you use Devilliers bullets. A man with a good ear can do surprisingly accurate work in this style of shooting. Shooting in the Da?'k 333 Such practice can be done in daylight by being blind- folded; and then your assistant can notice where your misses go, and help you to improve your shooting. I will describe my patent electric sight, though it is too complicated for a revolver. The object of my invention is to facilitate the sighting of firearms in the dusk or at night. To this end I adapt to the weapon an electrical front k % fe^g ^ sight and an electric battery with a minute incandescent lamp. In the accompanying drawing I have shown my in- vention as applied to a rifle, by way of example. Fig. i is a side view of the rifle complete, with my invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a similar view, partly in section, showing the battery inside the stock. 334 Art of Revolver Shooting Fig. 3 is a rear-end view of the rifle. Figs. 4 and 5 are front views on an enlarged scale of a double- and single-barrelled rifle respectively, with an electric front sight affixed thereto. Fig. 6 represents the sight as seen by the shooter. Fig. 8 is a side view of the lamp case. The incandescent lamp a (made as small as practica- ble) is enclosed in a metal case b in which is a small hole c facing the shooter, so that a bright spot of light appears just above or on a line with the ordinary fixed sight of the weapon when the current from the generator or battery is passing. The lower part of the case b is of a form to fit round the barrel and is provided with a small clamping screw d by which it can be secured in the proper position. The aperture c is protected by a piece of glass, and a reflector is arranged within the case b opposite, thus making a miniature electrical bull's-eye or dark lantern of the lamp. The lamp is mounted on a spring or springs after the manner commonly practised with respect to incandescent lamps, and is packed round with cotton- wool, horsehair, or other elastic substance to prevent breakage by the concussion of the rifle on discharge. The switch g is fixed at a point suitable for operation by the shooter in the act of aiming. It may act auto- matically when the butt is presented to the shoulder or when the grip is squeezed, or it may be connected with the hammer or striker so that when the rifle is at full-cock the front sight glows, and when the trigger is pressed the light goes out. The battery is only of such power as to make the lamp Shooting in the Dark 335 glow sufficiently to enable the shooter to see it plainly ; as it would otherwise, if too bright, prevent his seeing the object aimed at. I think I have now given directions how to handle the pistol under most of the circumstances and occasions in which one would have use for it; and I have also, I hope, shown that it can be employed as a more workmanlike and a neater tool than a rifle or a scatter-gun in cases in which the uninitiated would not think of using it. The revolver is popularly looked upon as an "ex- tinguisher," and I may now, having finished writing for the present, extinguish my candle with one. APPENDIX THE LAW RELATING TO REVOLVERS AND REVOLVER SHOOTING IN GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND T is perhaps advisable to explain something about the right of carrying revolvers in England, and the using them in cases of necessity, and first it should be ex- plained that a revolver is a gun so far as the Gun Li- cense Act of 1870 (33 and 34 Vict. c. 57) is concerned, and that a license fee of 10/ per annum has to be paid for the privilege of carrying or using one, though a license to kill game in- cludes the lesser gun license. In fact it has even been held that a small toy pocket pistol is a firearm for the purpose of the Act. There are various exceptions to the necessity of taking out this license, and it may be as well to enumerate them, especially as many people keep revolvers in their houses and would be astonished if they thought that a gun license was necessary for the so doing — but it is not, so long as the revolver is kept or used in a dwelling house, or the curtilage of a dwelling house. This is one of the exceptions to the Act, and a very proper and necessary exception it is, for it would be most unreasonable to enact that the mere keeping a revolver for the purposes of protection should compel one to take out an annual license. Moreover the enforcement of such a restriction would be almost impossible without an inquisi- torial search through every house. Probably because there is very little reason for carrying a revolver about with one in this country the exception does not apply to the so doing, and the mere taking a revolver across the street would technically compel the taking out a license. The curtilage of a house is much the same as its courtyard, and would no doubt include a yard and garden ad- joining the house, but not a field beyond. 336 Appendix 337 Further exceptions are that no penalty is to be incurred by any person in the naval, military, or volunteer service, or in the con- stabulary or other police force, but it should be noted that this exception applies only where the person claiming it is in the per- formance of a duty or in target practice, so that the policeman or volunteer off duty would still be subject to the obligation of having a license. Another exception is that of anyone carrying a firearm belong- ing to a person having a license or certificate to kill game or having a gun license, if he is carrying it by order of, or for the use of, such licensed or certificated person, only he is bound to give his name and address and the name and address of his employer if called upon. The occupier of lands using or carrying a firearm for the pur- pose only of scaring birds or killing vermin on such lands is exempt too, as also anyone using or carrying a firearm for the same purpose on any lands by order of the occupier, if the latter has a game license or certificate, or a gun license. Again, a gunsmith or his servant carrying a firearm in the ordinary course of trade, or testing it in a special place, need not have a license. Lastly, a common carrier carrying a revolver in the ordinary course of business is exempt. To show how strict the law is, it may be added that the killing of vermin, which, as above mentioned, is allowed without a license does not include rabbits. As the penalty is £10 for carrying firearms without a license, I have thought it advisable to enlarge somewhat fully on the above topic. There are also various penalties and punishments which may be imposed upon persons misbehaving while in the possession of loaded firearms, or wantonly discharging them. Thus anyone who is in possession of a loaded firearm and is found to be drunk, may be apprehended, and is liable to a penalty not exceeding 40/, or, in the discretion of the Court, to imprisonment with or without hard labour for not more than one month. Then, any person who in the streets of a town wantonly dis- charges any firearm to the obstruction, annoyance, or danger of the residents or passengers, is liable to a penalty not exceeding 40/ for each offence, or, in the discretion of the justices, to imprison- ment for not more than fourteen days (no hard labour). It is hardly necessary to say that the wrongful use of a revolver 33$ Art of Revolver Shooting as an offensive weapon is very heavily punished, it being provided that anyone who shoots at a person or attempts, by drawing a trigger or in any other manner, to discharge any kind of loaded arms at a person with intent to commit murder, is guilty of felony and liable to penal servitude for life, or any less term, or to imprison- ment for not more than two years with or without hard labour and solitary confinement. Again, anyone who unlawfully and maliciously wounds, or causes any grievous bodily harm to any person, or who shoots at any person, or who by drawing a trigger or in any other manner attempts to discharge any kind of loaded arms at a person, with intent in any of these cases to maim, disfigure, or disable any person, or to do some other grievous bodily harm to any person, or with intent to resist or prevent the lawful apprehension or detainer of any person, is liable to penal servitude for life or for not less than three years, or to imprisonment for not more than two }^ears with or without hard labour and solitary confinement. "Loaded arms" are defined as "any gun, pistol, or other arms which shall be loaded in the barrel with gunpowder or any other explosive sub- stance, and ball, shot, slug, or other destructive material, although the attempt to discharge the same may fail for want of proper prim- ing, or from any other cause." Finally, anyone who unlawfully and maliciously wounds or inflicts any grievous bodily harm upon any person with or without any weapon or instrument, is liable to penal servitude for three years, or to imprisonment for not more than two years with or without hard labour. The words "unlaw- fully and maliciously" are difficult to construe, and therefore it may be well to state that a man who fired in the direction of a punt, in order to deter the occupant from fowling in a particular locality, and wounded him in so doing, was convicted of malicious wounding; and generally that if a wound were to be caused mischievously and without excuse the person who inflicted it would probably be found guilty under this enactment. vSo much for the strict offences caused by the improperly carry- ing or making use of revolvers. Before, however, leaving this subject it will be advisable to enter at a little length into the rights which anyone has of using a revolver in self-defence, or in some other analogous manner. Supposing a man has passed through the ordeal of the" Gun License Act and is properly and legally carrying a loaded revolver, in what cases of emergency would he be justified Appendix 339 in using it? Well, this is a very difficult question to answer, and one which in each event would depend entirely on the circum- stances of the particular case. It is therefore impossible for me to lay down any exact principles governing every event of the kind which might happen, and I will content myself with stating a few hypothetical instances and what course of conduct might be adopted in each instance. There is no doubt on this point, anyhow, — that one is justified in using a loaded revolver in self-defence, where an attack of such a murderous character is made as to threaten one's own existence, or the infliction of serious bodily harm ; and, if the assailant should be killed, yet the using of the revolver and so disposing of him would be deemed as having been justifiable. The same rule would apply to shooting an assassin who was attempting to kill someone else. For instance, if while standing on a railway platform I were to see a man shooting at someone in a railway carriage, and at such dis- tance that I could not actively interfere except b}^ shooting, I should be right in firing at the assailant, and though my shot should prove fatal, still no blame could be attached to me. How far one is justified in using a revolver in beating off or capturing burglars in one's house is, as already mentioned, a matter which can only be decided by the facts of the particular case. Assuredly where a man is awakened in the night by the noise of burglars breaking into or already in his house, and seizes his revolver and confronts the robbers, he would be justified in firing if the robbers threatened to attack him, and it is assumed that he would also be right in firing at a robber making off with booty who refused to stop when challenged to do so, if there were no reasonable chance of arresting him in any other way; though in the latter event he should endeavour so to shoot as to cripple rather than kill. Indeed it may be said, extraordinary though the statement may seem, that even in the hurry and skurry of a con- flict with burglars the mind should remain calm and collected, so as to judge whether a mortal shot is required, rather than one which will only "wing" the opponent. In connection with this branch of the subject, the justification of a fatal shot may to some extent depend upon whether the robber was himself armed. If he were, then the killing him would be more easily justifiable than if he were unarmed. This is somewhat instanced by the law regarding an assault and battery in self- 340 Art of Revolver Shooting defence, which is that where there is an assault the person resisting must show that his assault committed in self-defence was not more violent than he in good faith believed to be necessary and committed on reasonable grounds, so that it would not be right to inflict a heavy beating on a person who had only committed a slight assault upon one. So when all danger is past and a man strikes a blow not necessary for his defence, he commits an un- justifiable assault and battery, — and this principle would apply to the preventing of crimes, so that though one might be acting correctly in firing at and killing a man who was murderously as- saulting a third person, yet, after the assault had been committed, it might be wrong to kill the murderer if he were only discovered when running away, unless that was the only means of arresting him. Another point which has sometimes exercised the minds of those in the habit of carrying revolvers is whether they are justified in using such a weapon to put an end to pain on the part of dumb animals where recovery is almost impossible. It may be said generally that no one can with safety interfere in such cases, even with the most benevolent intentions, so that if a horse, dog, or other animal has been so injured as to be suffering extreme agony, yet it would not be legal to put the poor creature out of its misery, unless with the consent of the owner. The exception has been made by the Injured Animals Act, 1894, but that only empowers a constable to kill a horse, mule, or ass which is so severely injured that it cannot be led away, when the owner is absent or refuses to consent to its destruction, after a certificate has been obtained from a certified veterinary surgeon that the animal is mortally injured or so severely that it is cruel to keep it alive. The exception that has been introduced by the Act of Parliament passed in 1894 and called "The Injured Animals Act, 1894," provides for the slaughter, without the owner's consent, of horses, mules, or asses, in cases of injury so serious as to make it cruel to keep them alive. It does not apply to animals other than those enumerated above, and is hedged round with such restrictions as to render it of little avail. These in brief are as follows : A constable must find the animal so severely injured that it cannot without cruelty be led away, the owner must be absent or refuse to consent to the destruction of the animal, and the constable must obtain the Appendix 34 1 certificate of a veterinary surgeon that the animal is mortally- injured, or so severely that it is cruel to keep it alive. After doing all this the constable may kill the animal. The foregoing statements as to the law are not exhaustive, but they are made with the intention of helping the revolver-carrying section of the public to know what they may be responsible for, and on what occasions or emergency they may safely use their weapons. To make sure that no legal error has crept in, these statements have been submitted to Mr. C. Willoughby Williams, of No. I, Brick Court, Temple, Barrister at Law, who is of opinion that the law as set out is correct. It will be seen, from what is said above, that if a gun or a game license is obtained, it is not illegal to carry a loaded revolver, so that if anyone had to go along a lonely road, or had received a threatening letter which had alarmed him, he would be quite in his right in taking about with him a loaded revolver. It would even be quite right for anyone to carry about a loaded revolver in his pocket merely as a protection in case he should be unexpectedly attacked, but anyone carrying about with him such an article should be prepared to use it only in cases of great emergency, and should keep a clear head on his shoulders. Another example of the advantages of carrying a revolver would be if one were attacked by a mad dog. In such a case, if the dog attacked in a ferocious manner, it would be permissible to shoot the dog, but it would not be allowable to shoot a dog on the supposition that he was mad, unless he was attacking one; though, of course, if there were no doubt about the dog's being mad, then, for the sake of others, it would be wise to shoot him. Again, if while carrying a revolver anyone were passed by a runaway horse, and such horse were about to run over a child, it might be permissible to shoot the horse in order to save the child, if one were too far off to catch hold of the animal. These, however, are all matters of degree, and what would be right and proper to do in one case might in a case almost similar be quite wrong. Note. — Since the first edition of this book was issued, the Pistols Act of 1903 has come into force. This Act stops the sale, by retail or by auction, or the letting on hire, of any pistol (which would include a revolver), unless the purchaser has a gun or game license, or is entitled to use or carry a gun without such license, or unless the 34 2 Art of Revolver Shooting purchaser shows that he purposes to use the pistol only in his own house or the curtilage thereof, or that he is about to proceed abroad for a period of not less than six months. The Act also prevents the sale or hiring out of a pistol to a person under the age of 18 years, and places a very heavy penalty on anyone knowingly selling a pistol to a person who is intoxicated or not of sound mind. THE LAW OF CARRYING WEAPONS IN THE UNITED STATES HE statutes of the various States upon the subject of carrying weapons are substantially similar, the main differences relating to the persons exempted from their operation, and to the manner of carrying the weapon, some making it an offence to carry the weapon at all, whether concealed or not; others prohibiting the car- rying of concealed weapons only. These statutes have been held to be police regulations, and not to conflict with the constitutional right of the people to keep and bear arms. Weapons are considered to be concealed, within the intent of the statutes, when they cannot be readily seen by ordinary observation. In some of the States, as in Kentucky, Louisiana, and Missouri, the carrying of "deadly" or "dangerous" weapons is prohibited. Most of the States, however, specify the weapons prohibited. Such weapons as pistols, dirks, butchers' or bowie knives, stilettos, daggers, swords, brass knuckles, razors, slugs, etc., are usually specified in nearly all of the statutes. Officers of the law are usually exempted from the operation of the statutes. The officers must, however, be duly appointed, and in the discharge of their duties at the time of carrying the weapons. Persons who are threatened with bodily harm, or who have reasonable grounds to apprehend danger or attack, are usually justified in carrying concealed weapons. It is not every idle threat, however, which would justify one in carrying concealed weapons. The threat must be such as to cause a reasonable ap- prehension of danger. Examples of this exemption are found in the statutes of Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, Texas, Maryland, and West Virginia. 343 344 Art of Revolver Shooting Persons on their own premises are frequently exempted from the operation of the statutes. This is so in Arkansas, North Caro- lina, and Texas. Some of the statutes exempt persons who are travelling. This is so in Arkansas, Mississippi, and Texas. The burden of proving exemption rests usually upon the accused. This has been expressly decided in Arkansas, Indiana, Iowa, Ken- tucky, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas. In Michigan, however, it has been held that the prosecution must prove that the defendant does not fall within one of the exemptions. Accident, Danger of, 58, 304 Alcohol, Effects on the Brain, 221 Ammunition, 33, 88, 103 Blank for Stage Shooting, 270 Cordite, 33 Eley's, 26, 36 Gallery, 75. 124 King's Semi-Smokeless, 27, 33 Riflite, 33 Walsrode, 33 (Revolver), Cost of, 41 "Any" Revolver Competitions, 179 "Any" Target Revolver, 28 AuCommandement, Shooting, 136, 142, 144 Automatic Pistol, Browning, 242 Colt, 242 Danger with, 5, 242 Selecting, 245 Automatic Revolvers, Fosbery-Webley, 215, 242 Badges Won by the Author, 115, 193 Balance near the Trigger, 23 Belgian Match Pistol, 13 Belgian Slaughter Houses, 329 Bell, Dr. Louis, 324 "Best on Record" Scores by the Author, 195, 200, 204, 209, 211, 213, 219, 222, 227, 230 Bicycle, Shooting from a, 320 Big Game Shooting with the Revolver, 273 Bisley, 17, 23, 36, 81, 112 "Bisley" Colt, 26 Bisley Meetings, 176, 190, 208, 217 225, 229 Bisley Prize Certificate, 175 Bisley Targets and Marking, 179 Boer War, Episode of the, 247 Bogardus Trap, 300 Breathing when Shooting, 70 Browning Automatic Pistol, 242 "Buffalo Runner" Horse, 286 Buffalo Running, 273 Bullets, Blunt-Nose, 248 Burglars in the House, 310 Butt, Winans' Safety, 60 Carlyle (quoted), 83 Cartridge, Dummy, 71 "Fourth of July, " 270 Loaded with Salt, 313 Cats, Do Not Shoot Them, 294 Chicago Exhibition, 31 Classification of Arms, 86 Clay-Pigeon Shooting with the Pistol, 299 Cleaning and Care of Weapons, 42 Cleaning Appliances, 79 Cleaning Kit, 43 Clothing, What to Wear when Shoot- ing, 189 Coaching, 232 Cocking the Pistol, 65 Cocking the Revolver, 185, 201, 212 Colt Automatic Pistol, 242 Colt Colonel, 4, 10, 11, 14, 18 Colt Derringer, 312 Double-Action Cavalry, 26 345 346 Index Colt — Continued New Army Revolver, 248 New Navy Revolver, 250 New Service Revolver, 250 Solid Frame Revolver, 75 Competitions, French, 78, 82 Police, 324 Supervision of, 90 Weapon and Ammunition, for, 102 Cordite, 33 Crane, R. Newton, on Duelling, 165 Daily Graphic (quoted), 5 Decisions, Doubtful Shots, 183 Deer-Stalking, 280 De La Rue, "Ace of Hearts, " 124 Devillier's Bullet, 292 for Cavalry, 254 Competitions with, 146 Fight on Horseback with, 151 Precautions for Safety, 146 Stage Shooting with, 151 Disarming an Adversary, 308 Double-Barrelled Pistols, 295 Duelling, Challenging, 156 French Laws on, 165 Humorous Attitude toward, 156 Position for, 160 Duelling Pistol, Distances for the, 134 French, 25, 55, 96, 126 Grip and Balance, 136 How to Hold the, 131 Loading the, 133 Dutch Army Revolvers, 28 Ears, Protection for the, 194 Eley's Black Powder, 26, 36 English Galleries, 126 Extension Stock, 288 Eyes, Care of the, 192, 240 Fallow Deer Shooting, 276 Feet, Pointing Weapon at the, 135 Firearms, Author Forbidden Use of, 7 Flobert Rifle, 7 Forest and Stream, 324 Form, Proper, when Shooting, 180 Fosbery-Webley Automatic Revolver, 215, 242 Franco-Prussian War, Incident of, 25 French Army Revolver, 28 Competitions, 28 Regulation Revolver, 24 French Smokeless Powder, 31, 34, 79, 124, 186 Gallery, Ammunition, 75, 124 Lighting, 120 Private, 119, 224 Shooting, 120 Gastinne-Renette Competitions, 118 Challenge Trophy, 138 Gallery, 2, 21, 31,118,126,296 Prizes Offered by, 127 Roll of Honor, 127 Self-Registering Targets, 122 General Utility Weapon, 20 Giles, G. D., 5 Glass Balls, 300 Greener Killer for Disabled Animals, 327 Grouse Shooting, 294 Gun License Act, 338 Health Necessary for Competition, 109 Hillias' Cleaning Fluid, 43 Hip Pocket, Carrying a Revolver in the, 307 Holster, 276 Horse, Training the, 274 Horseback, Shooting from, 273 Horsley, Victor, on Alcohol, 221 Injured Animals Act, 340 Killer, Pocket Patent, 328 The Greener, 327 Killing Disabled Animals, 326 King's Semi-Smokeless Powder, 33, 37 Kraepelin, Prof., Investigations, 221 Kynoch's Brass Cartridges, 41 Index 347 Law Relating to Revolvers in Great Britain, 336 Law Relating to Revolvers in the United States, 343 Learning to Use the Pistol, 55 Leather Case, with Key, 114 Leeson, 22-Calibre Pistol for Ladies, 317 Left hand, Shooting with, 83 Lending Weapons, Advice on, 185 " Letting-Off , " 71 Lifting the Pistol above the Head, 73 Loading, Firing, Timing, and Cleaning, 75,87 London Policeman, 325 "Lovat Mixture" Clothes, 280 Lynch, Chemist of London, 194 Mantlet, Safety, 32 Manton (Joe), Pistol, 10 Marlin Gun-Grease, 43 Martingale, Use of, 282 Martini Rifle, 68 Massachusetts Rifle Ass'n, 324 Metronome, The, 135, 197, 202 Mattresses, Revolver between, 313 Military Revolver, 23, 178 Misfire in Competitions, 203 Moist Hands, 24 Morris Tube Company, 32 Muscles, Pistol Shooting good for the, 66 National Rifle Association, Council of, 51 National Rifle Association Meeting at Bisley, 176, 190, 208, 217, 225, 229 New York Pistol and Revolver Club, 324 Nitro Powders, 42 North London Rifle Club, 85 Rifle Club, Officers of, 100 Rifle Club Regulations, 104 Rifle Club Revolver Champion- ship, 106 Rifle Club, Revolver Competi- tions. 100 Olympic Games, Author's Diploma, 233 Championship, 167, 174 Ornamentation, 30, 121 "Owl" Prizes at Wimbledon, 331 Paine, Chevalier Ira, 1, 21, 31, 258 Paine (quoted), no Patents (Old), 16 Penalty for Carrying Firearms in Great Britain, 337 Personal, 1 Petty, Roundsman, Winner of Police Trophy, 325 Pigeon Shooting with the Revolver, 296 Pistol, Advantages over Sword, 250 Cases, 44 Future of the, 31 Handling the, 57 Never Leave Loaded, 82 Shooting, a Clean Sport, 6 Shooting in England, 113 Shooting for Ladies, 315 and Revolver Clubs, 85 The 22-Calibre, Single-Shot, 167 The 22-Calibre Single-Shot, Only a Toy, 174 "Pistolet" Club, 113, 144, 178 Character of the, 145 of Paris, 85 Rules, 91 Pistols Act of 1903, 341 Plating, 30, 215 Pneumatic Pistol, 271 Pocket, Shooting through the, 307 Police Competitions, Rules for, 324 Revolvers for the, 323 Polonius' Advice, 302 Pool Shooting, 181 Portugal, King of, Scores by, 127 Position when Shooting, 63, 87, 103, 198, 223 "Possibles," 181, 188 "Possibles, " made by Author, 235 Powder, Low-Pressure, 36 Practice and Training, 109 348 Index Prices of Revolvers, 32 Prizes Given for Aggregates, 206 Jewels, 101 Spoons, 101 Protests, 90 Rabbits, Shooting, 294 Range Officers' Decision Final, 183 Rapid Cocking, 23 Rapid Firing, 208 "Raw" on the Shooting Hand, 113 "Reaction Times," Increased, 221 Recoil, 69 Records, 91 Red Deer, 278 "Referee, The" (quoted), 154 Refreshments during Competition, 237 Revolver, Competitions, 100, 176 Evolution of the, 10 Half -Worn Best, 80, 210 Length for the, 22 Shots in Paris, Good, 128 Steadying the, 82 in U. S. Civil War, 253 in War, 247 Hand-Ejecting, 75 Reynolds, Sir Joshua, 1 Rifle and Revolver Club, 107 Riflite, 33 Roe-Stalking, 288 Rose, the Author's Mare, 282 St. Petersburg, travelling in, 8 Scientific American, 12 Score Cards, Sign and Date, 239 Scoring, 77 Selecting a Pistol, 20 ■ Selecting a Revolver, 20 Self -Defence (quoted), 313 Sense of Direction, Shooting by, 332 Shooting in Competitions, 238 in the Dark, 330 in Self-Defence, 302 Objects off the Head, 186 as a Pastime, 1 in the Rain, 182 Short Range Series, 180 Sight, Winan's Patent Electric, 333 Sighting Varies, 180 Sights, 46, 88, 187 Smith & Wesson Bicycle Revolver, 321 Hammerless for Ladies, 316 Hammerless Safety Revolver, 303 Mechanism of, 304 Military, 24, 26, 28, 34 38-Military Revolver, 24 Pistols, 22-Calibre, 169 with Interchangeable Barrel, 170 Revolvers (accuracy of), 28 Revolvers, Winan's Model, 26, 28 Russian, 28, 34, 68, 253 Self-Lubricating Bullet, 37, 231 Solid Frame Revolvers, 186 Sights, Winan's Patent, 46, 52, 55, 187 Target, 47 Paine, 47 Lyman, 47 Filing the, 47 Ira Paine Adjustable, 52 Small Game Shooting, 294 Smoking and Drinking, 3, 6, HO, 220 Sparrows, Shooting, 297 Spectacles for Shooting, 192 Squeezing the Trigger, 72, 200 Stage Shooters, Professional, 34, 255 Shooting, Blank Ammunition for, 270 Statuette, Modelled by the Author, 323 Stevens Diamond, 170, 173 "Lord," 172 New Model Pocket or Bicycle "Rifle," 172 "Off-Hand Target," 171 Pistol, Gould Model, 169 Single-Shot Pistols, 34 "Tie-Up," 173 Vernier New Model Pocket "Rifle," 172 Strain on the Thumb, Wrist, etc., 196 Swallow Shooting with the Duelling Pistol, 295 Table for Firearms, 72 Index 349 Target, Advancing ("The Burglar"), 225 American, 111 Bisley, 50 Yards 62, 80, 180 Bisley, 20 Yards, 179 De La Rue, "Ace of Hearts," 124 Disappearing, 190 French, 78 Gastinne-Renette, 139 Represents the Face of a Clock, 69 Self-Registering, 121 Short-Range Series, 180 Shooting off Horseback, 290 Silhouette of Man, 136 Stationary, 79 180, Stationary, 50 Yards, 229 Substitute for Bisley, 197 Trajectory, 32 Traversing ("The Slider"), 217 Winan's Cinematograph, 122 "Target" Webley, 26 Team Shooting, 232 Thumb-Piece Roughed, 23 Ties, 90 Time for Shooting, Best, 182, 191 Timing Shots, 202, 212 Tools, Reloading, 39 Trajectory of Pistol, 77 Traps for Pigeon Shooting, Trick Shooting, 266 Trigger-Pull, 23, 88, 178 299 36 Union Metallic Cartridge Co. Gallery Ammunition, 34 Revolver Powder, 28 United States Revolver Association, 85 Rules of, 86 Walsrode, 33 War, the Revolver in, 247 Webley, 32 Webley, Man-Stopping Bullet, 181, 182 Wilkinson Gallery, 85 Williams, C. Willoughby, 341 Wimbledon, 58, 113 Winan's Cinematograph Target, 122 Model Revolver, 30 Model, Smith & Wesson, 26 Patent Electric Sight, 333 Safety Butt, 60 Wind, Shooting in the, 116, 183 "Wipe out" after Each Shot, 206 WurfHein Pistol, 169 Zeise Glass, 229 By WALTER WINANS Chevalier of the Imperial Order of St. Stanislas of Russia; Vice-President of the National Rifle Association of Great Britain, etc. The Art of Revolver Shooting Together -witH A.11 Information Concerning the Automatic and the Single-Shot Pistol, and How to Handle Them to the Best Advantage New Edition, R.evised and Enlarged. Very fully Illustrated with Original Photographs by Rouch, Fry, Purdey, Penfold, and Others, and Head- and Tail-pieces from Drawings by the Jtuthor. Royal Svo, handsomely printed, and bound in cloth extra, gilt top, uncut edges, net, $S.oo Mr. Walter Winans, the well-known champion revolver-shot, has been for many years working out the theory and practice of revolver shooting, and this is the first occasion of his publishing the collected results of his close study of the weapon. Although several chapters of the book give minute instructions as to how to shoot in order to win prizes at the Bisley meeting, the author has not neglected the more general and practical side of the subject, and even such matters (hitherto regarded in the light of professional secrets) as trick- and stage-shooting, shooting in the dark, etc., are treated in detail not previously attempted, while a chapter on how to use the revolver (as distinct from target shooting) in warfare, has a present interest that must appeal to many. Hints on Revolver Shooting With 20 Illustrations Crown Svo., net, $1.00 The art and sport of revolver shooting is increasing yearly in popularity. This little volume by Mr. Walter Winans, the well-known champion revolver-shot, has been designed to meet the demand for a hand-book convenient in size for use in the gallery and field. It contains concise information on the most approved revolver methods, with a special chapter on revolver shooting for ladies. " Hints on Revolver Shooting " will prove valuable alike to the beginner and the experienced marksman. Send for descriptive Circular NEW YORK G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS LONDON By WALTER WINANS Chevalier of the Imperial Order of St. Stanislas of Russia; Vice-President of the National Rifle Association of Great Britain, etc. Practical Rifle Shooting Crown 8vo. With frontispiece. Met, 50 cents There are many excellent works to be had on the subject of rifle-shooting at targets, but there has been nothing published on practical rifle-shooting. By practical rifle- shooting is meant the capacity to handle a rifle so that the user can confidently expect to stop a wild animal when in rapid motion and charging, or a charging man. Mr. Winans's book is designed to furnish the beginner with a series of hints, by the use of which he may be enabled not only to put himself through a course of continuous and graduated training, but may also keep himself free of the tricks which impede progress, and which, if persisted in, will destroy his ability for any but the most artificial forms of shooting. The Sporting Rifle The Shooting of Big and Little Game Together with a Description of the Principal Classes of Sporting Weapons With about 125 Illustrations from Original Drawings by the Author, and from Photographs specially taken for the book Royal 8vo, handsomely printed, and bound in cloth extra, gilt top, uncut edges. $5.00 net Mr. Winans has earned for himself an international repu- tation on the art of rifle- and revolver- shooting, and his earlier works on the subject have been accepted as stand- ards. The present work is profusely illustrated, both by the author, T. Blinks, and other well-known artists, and gives the fullest details with diagrams as to how to handle the rifle for all sorts of game shooting, and also for winning prizes in shooting competitions at moving targets. Besides illustrating the various makes of rifles, there is a unique set of working drawings showing in minute detail how to construct " Running Deer" and disappearing targets. Maps and plans giving directions how to post the guns for Deer Driving, and how to manoeuvre the beaters is also featured in this important work. The natural history is illustrated by a series of photographs taken from life by H. Penfold. Send for descriptive circular NEW YORK G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS LONDON tin w i ■ ■ m m m u UH^