Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 89.djvu/439

 Popithir Sciriirr Mi»illili/

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��he mises after a bird coinintj up nut of ilu- trap and going straight a\va\-, he must not perpetrate the imarialile iricic of the beginner^raise iiis head from the slock; but he must make the move one of the whole body, the face, stock and arms not changing rehuion.

Time is the most im|)ortant part of trap-sliooting. The t\ro must learn to fire in the same time, and that quickly. This means that the shot must go before the bird has started on its downward curve, and the sooner the gun can be brought on the bird, the better. The instant the bird goes the gun must swifth' and smoothly swing after it — not jerk after it — catch it, and then the trigger must be pressed without stopping the motion of the gun. Straightaway birds are hit as a rule' by pressing the trigger just as the muzzle comes to the lower line of the bird Ijut without stopping the upward swing. Ouarterers are hit by a swift swing b>' liiem and a release of the trigger when the gun is from a foot to three feet ahead, depending on the speed of the swing, which in turn depends on the indi\idual.

��The i)inis leave the trap wilii the initial speed of one hundred and fifty feet a second and cover the shooting distance with the average speed of one hundred feet a second. Shot takes the scxentii part of a second to tra\el forty yards, which is about the distance at which \ou would fire at a bird. The seventh part of one hundred is practically fourteen and one-half feet, and so, while our shot is travelling forty yards, the bird is getting nearh- fifteen feet. If it is a quartering bird to you, angling across your line of fire, a lilllc paper ancl figuring will show you plaini\- enough why you cannot shoot at a. bird of the sort and hit it. All motions must be smooth and speedy, not the convulsive jerks of the typical tyro, nor yet the slow poky aim of other tyros. Practice at home, first.

From any of the big powder or am- munition or gun companies you will be given printed matter on how to organize a gun club, on how the purses in tourna- ments are split, where to find your nearest club if you do not know where it is, and all the small points of the game.

��Anotlier illustrated article on trap-shooting by Mr. Grossman — "Hunting the ^Nltid Pigeon," it is called — will appear in the Octoher issue. — Editor.

��A Modern War Relic

THERE are few towns in the eastern half of the United States that can- not boast of at least one antiquated cannon ball, a relic of the Revolutionary War or of the Civil War; but Quantico, Va., is perhaps the only community that can boast of a modern fourteen- inch steel projectile that fell in its midst.

Quantico is about ten miles below and on the opposite side of the Potomac River from Indian Head, Md., where the United States Navy tests the big guns for battle- ships. To deter-

���This Steel Projectile W. It Killed a Cow and

��mine their penetrating qualities, shells are fired at armor plate set up be- fore a sand bank several -hundred feet from the guns, but when tests are made to study the performance of the firing and recoil mechanism the guns are elevated so as to drop their shells in the middle of the Potomac River, se\eral miles below. Fast motor boats patrol the river to keep ves- sels out of range.

Quite often the shells hit the water at an angle which causes them to "skip." A short time ago the "skip- per" shown landed in Quantico.

��eighs 1.250 Pounds. Damaged Houses

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