HEADY:

By RANGE OFFICER

LOT of things have happened since
jake” Young took the first hesitant group

police marksmen over the Camp Perry
jlice course in the summer of 736. From
strict to district moved the genial in-
ructor, counselling, inspiring and encour-
ring. The next year 135 men qualified as
arksmen and last year 152 qualified. Two
indred and eighty-seven men qualified
yer the police course—and thirteen of
vem with scores of 275 or better. It’s really
nazing the amount of interest there is in
stol shooting in the B. C. Police. In 1937,
ie record shows, 7,500 rounds of ammu-
‘tion was sold for revolver practice, and
st year nearly 42,000 rounds were sold.
ast fall there was keen interest in the B. C.
olice revolver league. Running from Sep-
mber through to December, there were
out seventy-five entries from all divisions
id the “pistol pointers” accounted for
yout 10,000 rounds of ammunition. This
as good practice for this year’s B. C. In-
dor League sponsored by the Ammunition
ivision of the Canadian Industries Limited.
(eld in the first three months of each year,
1e B. C. Police took this championship last
ear, and naturally had to repeat this year.
‘he No. 1 team set up a sizzling pace and
osed out the nearest competitors—Matt
mpson’s Vancouver Police department
sam—by a clear margin. Stars on the No.
team were Corpl. J. A. Young of Kam-
vops, Const. Walter Bailey of Fort St.
ohn, Const. Jack Henry of Nelson, Const.
_D. H. Stewart of Penticton, and last—
ut not least—Sub-Inspr. C. Clark of
[eadquarters. Corpl. Young’s scores for
qe three matches totalled 856 out of a pos-
ble 900, giving him the high individual
iting for the league. Twelve teams were
atered from all parts of the province, and
5out 120 marksmen participated.

Their appetite whetted over this first vic-
ory of 1939, the team is waiting with keen
iterest for the results of the Chief Con-
-ables’ Association match, shot every spring
com coast-to-coast by Canadian police de-
artments. The B. C. Police entered eight
sams in this fixture, and the No. 1 Senior
nd No. 1 Tyro teams should have an ex-
ellent chance to take some top honours.

Yes, it looks as though the B. C. Police
re setting up new standards in Canadian
,arksmanship—and with the fresh material

SUMMER EDITION

On the |
FIRING LINE

=

a
—
Nes
—

which has come to light in the past year
particularly in “B” division — the boys
should play a leading role in pistol compe-
titions for many years to come. Good luck
to them.

Well, so much for competitions.

I suppose many a group of policemen
have studied some of the score sheets issued
from Headquarters after an important
match—and wondered what the trick was
that got a 290 on the 20-yard course. Or
how so-and-so ever put on a 93 slow fire, or
someone else put on a possible in rapid fire.
Well, it’s done. And the three best pistol
shots on the force today have been asked to
set out what, in their opinion, is the most
important factor in the making of an ex-
pert revolver shot. First of the “Three
Musketeers” is Corpl. J. A. Young:

“Methodical practice,” says Young, “is
the greatest single factor in boosting scores,
not only for the beginner but also the ad-

Corpl. J. A. Young

vanced shot. First learn the fundamentals
of the firearm. Know what happens every
time you pull the trigger. Don’t be like so
many car drivers who only know the brake,
clutch and throttle. Of course you'll soon
learn to hit the target and do it consistently
year in and year out. But if you don’t learn
more than that you'll never hang up record
scores. If you have strength to hold a gun
at arm’s length with reasonable steadiness,
just fair eyesight, and the right kind of en-
thusiasm, you'll soon learn to be an expert

pistol shot—provided you know your gun.
If you practice methodically you should be
able to tell every good shot you fire and
every one that gets away. And you should
not have to look or be told. If you let a shot
get away, you should know the reason and
correct the fault. If your group isn’t in the
right place—don’t blame the gun or the am-
munition—for they are no doubt playing
their part better than you are. Move your
group into the right place and learn to do
it yourself. Study your gun. Learn what
goes on inside it. Learn why the front sight
is higher than the back sight, and how you
can aim at the bottom of the bullseye and
still hit the centre. Learn why heavy bullets
have a higher point of impact at short ranges
than do light ones. Learn what trajectory
means, and velocity. There’s nothing mys-
terious about these terms, they’re with you
every time you fire a shot. So get acquainted
with them. And don’t forget METHODICAL
PRACTICE.”

Well, that’s advice from possibly the best
revolver shot ever developed in Western
Canada—a man who has taken individual
championships without number.

And now for our second interview. This
time it’s Const. Walter Bailey, that retiring
individual from Fort St. John detachment

Const. Walter Bailey

in the frozen Peace River country. He
keeps conscientious record in a series of
notebooks than span a number of years, and
he has delved back to find out what caused
his rise to fame in the shooting world. Un-
aware of what his team mates might tender
as advice, Const. Bailey says:

“Continuous, intelligent practice. That's
the only way. And when I say intelligent,
keep a good record of all your scores. My
notebook shows that I attended the North-
west International Revolver matches at
Seattle, Washington, on the 23rd July,
1933, and made the grand score of 192 out
of a possible 300 over the N.M. Course.
But that was the best education I ever had.
I learned a lot by standing back and watch-
ing what the experts did and then checking
their scores,” continued Mr. Bailey.

“Get a gun that fits your hand. Try out
a number of guns before buying one, but
once you have it—handle and ‘dry shoot’
it every day. It’s good practice and doesn’t
cost anything. When your scores are around
the 250 mark on the Camp Perry course,

Page Sixty-nine