History of origin, development and improvement of sports bench firing

History of origin, development and improvement of sports firing at the flying targets, i.e. that which call bench now is quite entertaining and is of interest not only to athletes, but also to hunters. In the commonly accepted opinion, sports firing was made since the beginning of the emergence on live pigeons and only over time artificial targets began to be used. It and at the same time not absolutely so.

Artificial targets were invented long ago, in the second half the XIX milestone, i.e. at the time of rapid development of automotive firing at pigeons. To see how it occurred, let’s be moved to the American continent because in the USA types of bench firing for the first time appeared. And first of all — a ladder. The natives of Europe who located on site the modern United States found the richest hunting grounds there.

Occupations hunting and development of firearms promoted development of shooting skill. In the USA believe that the earliest competitions of shooters in the flying targets took place between professional duck’s hunters. The winner was defined simply: who will manage to get the greatest number of ducks for day of firing, that and the champion. As a matter of fact, it was the kind of sports firing at live birds, but it differed from the commonly accepted automotive firing, in particular, in the fact that occurred in absence of the audience. And there were just not enough the last for these competitions. To prove the superiority, the American shooters practiced firing both at thrushes, and at swallows, and even on bats. But gradually pigeons became the main bird for firing competitions of the American shooters.

Pigeons was enough, and they were not difficult to be contained. The first record about such competitions held by sports club of Cincinnati (State of Ohio) is dated 1831. Practically without special changes automotive firing was conducted to the middle of the 1860th years. Then time of the artificial flying targets came. And the reasons for this purpose was at least two. I.e. two main. First, sports firing at live birds was perceived by different people, and even hunters, ambiguously. But there was also one more absolutely other reason. Firing at live birds owing to a certain limitation of number of birds did not give the chance to be shot much, and also to train much. Why — it is clear also without special explanations. Besides, the 1860th years are time when central began to succeed slowly loaded ramrod weapon. Both whatever imperfect and weak they still were, rate of fire, i.e. readiness for firing, sharply increased that gave the chance to reduce time for preparation for a shot.
There was a need for more fasters giving of targets to the shooter. So — in artificial targets. Glass spheres became such first targets. Assume that for the first time they appeared in England about 1850, However their broad production and use as targets for firing happened in the USA. Historians of weapon unanimously tell the name of Charles Portlok from Boston, the one who entered this type of firing into practice and organized the first competitions in 1867.

However ten more years were required to improve this type of firing. The first spheres rushed hands. Their flight was slow and predictable and they flew away nearby. Therefore firing at them did not attract long interest. Provision radically changed in 1877 when the famous American shooter of that time Adam Bogardus invented “machine” for a pelting of such glass spheres. The machine, or “ladder” (English trap), throwing spheres at least on 50 m, made firing more interesting and, the main thing, spectacular. Spheres were also “improved”, and the same Bogardus in the same 1877 patented several models of glass spheres. If the surface of the first types of spheres was smooth, then then its began to do corrugated, with the purpose to avoid sliding of fraction and subjects to facilitate dissecting of a sphere at hit in it. The inventor gave the following benefits of a clay pigeon: first, it is not a live target, and secondly, does not leave “in the battlefield” a pile of the broken glass.
Ligovski for the purpose of promoting of the invention invited to participate in demonstration competitions of friends rivals of Bogardus and the Cover. Agreed to play a series of matches in a number of the cities, shooting on 100 targets in everyone. For increase in interest everyone broken 82 (and more) targets from 100 received 100 dollars, and the winner of 300 more dollars — the amounts for those times very impressive. Bogardus broke 2103 targets from 2500, but was beaten by Carver who struck 2227 clay pigeons. It would seem, it was possible to assume that introduction to practice of clay pigeons will put an end to firing at glass spheres. In practice it turned out not so. Clay was not the most successful material for production of plateaus, even while added impurity for fragility to it, and production of glass spheres continued up to the 1920th years.

At the London weapon auction in November, 2000 two “clay a pigeon” (the clay plateaus made according to Ligovski’s patent) were sold for 180 pounds sterling. In the USA one of collectors of the first artificial targets is Alex Kerr living in California. We also reproduce the pictures made by him on pages of our magazine. So, having arisen on the American continent, firing on a trawl quickly won admirers at first in Europe, and then and around the world. But fundamental differences between rules of firing in America and in Europe remained up to now.

In America on a plateau on a ladder it is fired by one shot. In Europe and in our country — by international rules, i.e. it is allowed to shoot two shots, in case of a miss the first. Firing in the World Cups, the Olympic Games and other large international competitions is also conducted by international rules. It is clear, that shoot from double-barreled guns. And here on the American continent shoot from single-barreled guns.