Specialized hobbies have always been a market for specialized gear, and competitive target shooting is a perfect example. Today, we have a set of P.J. O’Hare sight covers form the 1920s or 30s, along with a micrometer sight adjustment tool to show you. The sight covers were to protect the sights form physical damage, but also to protect the carbon blackening on the sight faces from being smudged or wiped off. The sight tool allows precise 1/2 minute of angle click adjustment of the sight on a 1903 Springfield, which is other with just free-sliding. Neat!
Handgun
James D. Julia: LeMat Grapeshot Revolver Design Evolution
The LeMat grapeshot revolver is one of the most distinctive and powerful sidearms of the US Civil War, sporting both a 9-round .42 caliber cylinder of pistol bullets and a shotgun barrel as cylinder axis. […]
Prototype
American WWI Experimental SMG (Video)
Reader Larry sent me this video, which was produced by the US Army Ordnance Corp just recently. It’s a one-off experimental submachine gun built in 1918, and is definitely not something like you have seen […]
Vintage photo
Vintage Saturday: A Gattling Gun Crew
Look closely, and you can see the paraphernalia of Trapdoor Springfield rifles – cartridge belts full of .45-70, and socket bayonets on the belts as well.
Another area of match-showing paraphernalia that (I at least) find interesting is the bondage-gear clothing jackets, gloves, eye patches etc. How long before people start doing bio-engineering and cybernetics for example to make the skeleton able to “lock up”?
I think it was Ross Seyfreid, who said that he realised that the expensive fancy gear that his fellow competitors were showing up with (and in), was their attempt to “buy ability”
Rather than them putting the extra practice in to develop themselves.
I’m struggling to think of any other gunzine columnist who has the knowledgeand shooting skills that Seyfreid has
And who’ll be as honest and pass up an opportunity to endorse some widgit (or some obscure new cartridge) that you absolutely must have
This is why I find Hi-Power so annoying. I think that type of shooting is in decline; when I have gone to places like Camp Perry it is mostly retirees shooting; very few young people. It is an equipment war.
The sights on the M1903 are indeed things of beauty, as well as being totally unsuited to a weapon of war.
The idea of a soldier being able to hit a man sized target much beyond 300 yards is a fantasy. The supposed ability to adjust sights to obtain hits at 2000 yards, at a target sporting enough to stand stock still whilst you adjust your windage makes no sense whatsoever.