REVOLVER SHOOTING RECORD OF AMERICA: For a long time a popular impression prevailed that a revolver was not an accurate arm. A revolver with poor ammunition is certainly, unreliable, but a first-class revolver with superior ammunition is an arm of precision far beyond what most persons believe. It is a significant fact that soon after metallic ammu nition was introduced for revolvers, the United States ordnance officers and those interested in revolver shooting believed that 25 yards was about the extent of ran,ge for which the military revolver could be relied upon. Nearly all the tests of the Government were made at that range and shorter distances. Other revol vers of smaller caliber were rarely shot at a distance beyond to or 12 yards.
It was in 1886 that the first revolver match was introduced at the meeting of the National Rifle Association, the range being 25 yards, and the target the old Creedmoor target. The match called for 3 scores to count a possible 15o points. The highest scores in this match were 143. i4o and 134. About this time the editor of a well-known sportsman's publication made the statement that little or nothing was known about the accuracy. the revolver possessed; that with the ammunition of that time, and with improvements that could be made in the ammu nition, the revolver was an arm of great accuracy at a distance far beyond what most people believed.
About this time a match was announced for revolvers in the spring meeting of the -Massachusetts Rifle Association, the distance being 25 yards, and the target the Standard American target. Among the marksmen who shot in this competition was the well-known professional marksman. Chevalier Ira Paine, who was then in the height of his fame as a revolver shot. On his sixth entry he secured the possible 5o out of a possible so in 5 shots, and accompanied that score with two of 49 out of 50, making an aggregate of 148 out of a possible 150, or the 15 shots, not consecutive, in a circle 5.54 inches in diameter, his perfect score of 5o being all on or in a circle 3.36 inches in diameter.
Soon after' Chevalier Paine's performance at Walnut Hill the club members secured the possible, or so near the possible, so often that it was decided to double the range, and on Oct. 15, i886, Chevalier Ira Paine offered to give a demonstra
tion of his skill in revolver shooting by firing too shots on the Standard American target at so yards, until then an unheard of distance for revolver shooting. He snot Union Metallic Cartridge Co.'s ammunition, and made 791 points. The result of this shooting was telegraphed over all the United States and to Europe. It was considered the most remarkable piece of marksmanship with the revolver on record, but within six months several American amateurs surpassed that record one making 8or points, another 827, and a third 837.
Major C. C. Foster, of Massachusetts, on March 17, 1887, fired a too-shot record with a revolver on the same conditions as Chevalier Paine, and secured 841 points, 70 of the too shots being bullseyes. This record was surpassed by F. E. Bennett, on Nov. 4, 1887, by a score of 857 points, and again on Nov. 1887, he broke that record by a score of 877 points.
On Dec. 23, 1887, W. W. Bennett raised the too-shot revolver record of the United States to 914 points. Great rivalry existed between the Bennetts and Chevalier Paine, which resulted, after a prolonged newspaper controversy, in a match with revolvers for $1,000 a side under the following conditions: Six hun dred shots, too shots a day for six consecutive days, at a distance of 5o measured yards, on the Standard American 200-yard rifle target ; revolvers .44 caliber, with 3 pound pull, not over 6 1-2 inch barrel, ammunition to be factory made.
Chevalier Paine withdrew on the fifth day of the contest. He made a protest which, according to the conditions of the match, was referred to the secretary of the National Rifle Association of America, who decided that F. E. Bennett had won the match, and he was awarded the title of revolver champion of America and the stakes.
While preparing for this match at Walnut Hill, Mr. Bennett did sonic of the finest shooting with the revolver ever done in the world. It was his custom to fire too shots a clay under regulation conditions. Careful record of his shooting was kept. He shot full charge U. M. C. ammunition in all his practice, and secured in too shots 907, 909, 915 and 912 points.