From history of bench firing (firing at pigeons)

From history of bench firing (firing at pigeons)

 

SPORTS FIRING AT LIVE AND CLAY PIGEONS

Hunting and fishing 21st century, No. 4 (48) April, 2007.

THESE SPECTACULAR AND, ACCORDING TO MANY, CRUEL COMPETITIONS CONDUCT THE FAMILY TREE FROM ANCIENT GREEK SPORTS. STILL HOMER IN “ILLIAD” MENTIONS FIRING AT THE PIGEON PUT ON THE HIGH COLUMN AND THE PRIZES WON BY THE MARKSMEN.

Switzerland is considered the ancestor of shooting sport. In 1452 in the city of Syursa festive competitions in firing on accuracy were held. However the official chronicle of shooting sport begins since 1824 when in Switzerland the first national championship was held. From the middle of the 19th century national competitions in firing began to be held also in other European countries, and also in the USA … B1897 of in Lyon has held the first bullet firing World Cup. Along with bullet firing also firing in fraction from smooth-bore guns which was called shooting and hunting sport has begun to develop.
The Flemish artist David Tenirs in the picture “Firing at Birds in Brussels” painted in 1652 has reproduced competitions in firing at pigeons, traditional and in public favourite entertainments of the residents of Brussel. They were carried out ordinary in the spring, and not only the residents of Brussel, but also residents of other cities wishing to win a prize for accuracy participated in them. As a rule, for competitions pigeons (firing at birds and was called — firing at pigeons), but sometimes, for the lack of pigeons were used, other birds also “participated” in competitions: crows, daws, rooks and even larks.
Not to lose the skill, hunters trained in firing at the motionless or thrown in air different objects. However, it promoted improvement of skills in firing a little (especially on a fast-moving marsh or forest game), and firing at a fixed target was considered just unworthy the good shooter. The mobile target changing the speed and heading was necessary. The flying bird conformed to these requirements, and then the choice has fallen on the pigeons who have become a live target for shooters for many years while to replace them artificial targets and throwing machines have not been invented.
Firing at live pigeons became fashionable hobby first of all in aristocratic circles and among some part of amateur hunters. Over time it has gained also sports and competitive character.
In the European countries there were so-called sadochny clubs of hunters. The English sadochny club of the city of Hornsey at a tavern “Old hats” was one of the first. On a hole site shooting range with pigeons were covered with old hats. At the command of the shooter made to firing, the attendant pulled the lace tied to a hat, the pigeon flew up …, and its future depended on accuracy of the shooter. After a hat have been replaced with special boxes which called cages (from here and the name — firing sadochny).
Development of sadochny firing has pushed also armorers to improvement of hunting weapon. The gun with the silicon lock at that time was bulky, heavy, absolutely unreliable in operation, rough on appearance. The English armorers managed to eliminate many of these shortcomings. Among innovations there was also an increase in burning speed of a charge. The cock of the silicon gun began to be done strongly sprung that made its move quicker and more precisely. The cartridge case vent was taken out and approached a base charge that accelerated its ignition. Dredging in breechrings has allowed locks to become narrower that has improved appearance of the gun. Improvements have resulted in wide popularity of hunting as sport. The main thing — have allowed to shoot surely a bird an entry as on hunting, and pigeons from cages.

Today almost all major weapon companies both domestic, and foreign release special guns for bench firing. Our Tula MTs are considered as the most long-lasting and maintain loading in several hundred thousands of shots. At stendovik double-barreled sporting rifles of such firms as Italian Perazzi and the Beretta, Merkel’s German, French of Super9 of firm Verneuil-Carron, the Belgian Browning, etc. enjoy special popularity. Some shooters (generally Americans) use semiautomatic devices like Remington.
In the XVIII—XIX centuries have begun to be engaged in sadochny firing in Germany, Italy and other European countries, especially it was widely adopted in France. However fans of wildlife of many countries including Russia began to oppose this, in their opinion, barbarous hobby sharply. In some American states the law forbidding sports firing at pigeons has been adopted.
To many fans of shooting and hunting sport, persons interested to increase the skill or to participate in competitions, firing at live birds sickened too. Proceeding from humane reasons, they began to look for replacement of a live target actively.
In the late thirties of the 19th century the American shooter from Boston Portlok has suggested to fire on the artificial target invented by it — to a glass ball with a diameter about 6,5 cm. Soon his compatriot
A. Bogardus has invented the special machine with the flat spring which is throwing out a ball on a distance to 35 m. In order that the result was better visible and firing was more effective, balls made of color glass and filled with feathers, paint, smoke or fine dust. Firing at glass balls has won great popularity not only in America, but also in France, England and Canada. As the purposes some sadochny clubs applied as well the flat, thin, well burned clay plateaus.
In 1880 the American Lithuanian of Cincinnati has invented the throwing machine for ejection of the developed targets by it — plateaus. They have been made not of clay, and from more fragile material and have received the name “artificial pigeons”. The throwing machine Lithuanian, giving rotational motion to targets, provided their stabler flight both in the direction, and on range; they did not somersault and imitated rapid flight of a bird. Their low cost and simplicity of production was the second advantage of new targets that had important value for broad application. Throwing machines and targets — plateaus began to be used in hunting clubs of France, England, Germany and other countries. Have begun to equip stationary platforms — stands at which several throwing machines were placed. Over time, proceeding from features of placement of throwing machines and conditions of firing, stands began to be subdivided on trench and round.
In spite of the fact that at the beginning of the 20th century.
in the majority of the countries where sadochny firing was cultivated, instead of live pigeons artificial targets were widely applied,
at the Games of the second and fourth Olympic Games the program of competitions included also firing at live pigeons. However in 1910. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has condemned this type of firing as inhuman and has excluded it from competitions. But in Egypt, Italy, Spain, France and in other countries competitive firing at live pigeons is carried out and now. There is even an international federation organizing the World Cups.
The firing at the trench stand which has become very popular in the beginning of the 20th century nevertheless not completely satisfied need of hunters for improvement of their skill for firing at the flying targets as a variety of flight of targets similar to flight of a game on hunting was not provided. Emergence of the round stand has quite interesting story.
The American farmer Davies from Andover (State of Massachusetts) with the son and their neighbor B. Foster were passionate hunters on a bird. Using the only throwing machine, they often trained in firing at a target, holding the same position to a target flight path at which the miss on hunting has been made. Improving the trainings, they have decided to equip a site with the constant number of the shooting places providing identical conditions for each training. On the farm chosen near to a site they have outlined a circle with a radius about 23 m, have marked it on 12 equal parts (as the dial of hours), on a small eminence at the place No. 12 have installed the only throwing machine which is throwing out a target in the direction of the place No. 6. Having begun firing with the 12th place, shooters moved around, accepting two targets from each shooting place; shot at the last target from the central place which does not have number.
Because the radius of a circle was too big and some targets remained not struck, getting to “window” of a shot talus, the radius of a circle has been reduced to 18,2 m. For the purpose of safety around a shooting site the zone with a radius of 220 m has been provided. However soon after the first reconstruction of a site the neighbor Devisov, too the farmer, has constructed several hen houses near the 3rd shooting place. As a result firing from the 7-11th shooting places became impossible. It was necessary to reconstruct a site completely. The place No. 6 has been renumbered in No. 1, and there have installed the second machine, the 12th number became the 7th, and the shooting place in the center became the place No. 8. After a while on the first number the wooden scaffold 4,5 m high at which top the machine has been installed has been established.
New exercise in bench firing soon became popular. In the late twenties have appeared the first arrows which struck 25 targets without miss. The industry of many countries has begun production of special weapon and cartridges for firing at the round stand, and also targets and throwing machines.
In Russia the shooting sport has arisen at the beginning of the 19th century when  small shooting circles and societies which members could be officers and generals of the Russian army, and also the aristocracy began  to be created. The St. Petersburg “Society of fans of firing”, “The Russian athletic society”, “The Riga shooting society”, “The southern Russian shooting society”, “The St. Petersburg society of room firing”, etc. belongs to number of the first shooting societies. Their activity was especially stirred up at the end of the 19th century. In 1897 the first competitions in Khabarovsk have been held.
Sports firing from hunting weapon at live pigeons in Russia was same widespread in due time, as well as in the European countries. Has begun with the fact that the St. Petersburg and Moscow fans of shooting and hunting sport from aristocratic and officer circles began to equip on site hippodromes, the including several cages and to hold on them competitions in firing.
Conditions of competitions were extremely simple: it was allowed to shoot at the pigeon who is taking off from a cage from a distance of 15-20 steps; the purpose was considered struck if the bird fell before crosses the three-meter fence standing in 25 meters from cages. If the pigeon was not bit purely and dragged away for a control fencing, to the shooter the miss was set off. About one bird was allowed to do two shots.
The first official rules of sadochny firing have been developed in 1883 in St. Petersburg “Polyustrovsky society of pigeon cages”. According to these rules the distance of firing has been increased to 28 m. In the early nineties in St. Petersburg there was “The Russian athletic society” in which along with other sections also shooting has been organized.
Were engaged in Sadochny firing at pigeons in many provincial cities, but Moscow was “a legislator of a mode” — the stands “Societies of the Correct Hunting” constructed in it on a race-course in Ostankin, “The Moscow society of fans of hunting” behind the Three-mountain outpost and “The Moscow society of hunting of S. T. Aksakov” in Khimki testify to it. Each of the specified stands was subdivided on small (for beginners) and big (for shooters of high qualification). The program of competitions, depending on their category, included firing at different quantity of the birds who are let out in a series. “firing from the place” was the main exercise, at some competitions doublet firing and firing to a miss was carried out, the number of participants usually did not exceed 20. And only in days of a draw of big prizes till 35-40 participants increased. Final competitions continued, as a rule, several days, prizes were played consistently — from the lowest to the main thing. Some societies determined winners by the sum of the results shown by them on firing practice within a year.
The greatest activity of sadochny firing in Russia is necessary for the beginning of the 20th century. In 1900 there have taken place one of the first competitions in Nut Zuev to participation of 162 shooters. B1902 of. “The Odessa society of fans of hunting” has held the first draw of the All-Russian prize. The Sadochny commission of “The Dnieper society of the correct hunting” annually, since 1903, organized competitions on prizes, and in 1910 in commemoration of the 20 anniversary has spent a sports and hunting holiday all members of hunting society from every quarter of Russia were allowed to participation in which. In 1911 in Vladimir in the last day of a congress of hunting society of the province prize-winning firing at pigeons of shooters from Ivanovo-Voznesensk, Kineshma, Kovrov, Nut Zuev, etc. places has taken place. In 1910-1914 competitions in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kharkiv, Odessa and Riga were regularly held. Women also participated in competitions of some societies. Sometimes they became winners. So, has won one of prizes at competitions of the St. Petersburg imperial society of fans of hunting
M. Vladkovskaya.
Along with firing at pigeons, in Russia at the end of the 19th century, as well as in other European countries, firing at artificial targets has begun to be cultivated, however it was not widely adopted. Firing was carried out at primitively equipped stands with 3-5 throwing machines strengthened on the earth and cords connected to places of release of plateaus. Sometimes for complication of firing of the machine closed from shooters wooden boards. For laying of plateaus and raising of the throwing lever after each shot the worker ran to machines. For the first time such stand has been built in 1887 in St. Petersburg on the Krestovsky island. At the beginning of the 20th century similar stands have appeared in Moscow and other cities.
In the years of World War I the shooting sport in Russia has been absolutely forgotten and has fallen into decay. And only after the October revolution it became mass.
Sovetsky shooting sport has begun to develop, in essence, since the beginning of the 20th after a release of “The decree about hunting”. This document entered the centralized management of all questions of hunting for territories of Russia, tasks of the hunting organizations and all citizens who are engaged in hunting were defined. Along with creation of the hunting unions circles and sections of bench firing have been organized. In 1927. The Moscow society of hunters for the first time in the country has built on a shooting range of the Ostankino stand a trench for placement in it throwing machines. The new era in development of bench firing at clay pigeons has so begun.
Today practically in all large cities of Russia and in all capitals of the former Federal republics shooting stands function. Besides, just mad rates the new discipline in firing at plateaus — a sporting develops. This even more suitable exercise for training of the shooter on hunting. Machines of a sporting are installed to imitate practically all options of emergence of a different game on hunting. For example: the plateau representing a spring drake is painted in yellow color, and a duck — in black. The shooter who has struck the black “duck” prohibited in the spring receives a penal point. To the contrary, not shot on yellow “drake” earns a miss. To me there was a comical case. When there was a target of black color representing “the running hare”, I, having counted a target forbidden, has refrained from a shot. But on hare hunting all the same whom to shoot, a female or a male, and me the miss has been included.
Except normal clay targets firing at so-called targets to propellers practices today. Flight of plastic propellers more difficult, than rectilinear flight of clay plateaus. The flight path of the propeller is unpredictable and comparable with a throw of a boomerang or flight of a snipe.
On propellers it is fired from one shooting number from which in 25-30 meters five machines are installed. In 20 meters behind machines the control grid painted in yellow color is located. Even if the beaten target has flown through it, the shooter gains only one point. If it has not reached a grid, then two points. Flight of the propeller can be leaving sharply up, creep on the ground or leave with small increase and bends. The target is the orange propeller with two blades of 28 cm in size. In the propeller the plastic plateau of a white with a diameter of 10,3 cm and 2,5 cm thick is fixed.
So, today only firing at clay and plastic pigeons practices in Russia, and firing at live birds remained far in the past. And, frankly speaking, it is a pity. I with pleasure would do some shooting on them. Moral aspect here quite disputable. Grow up broilers — chickens specially on slaughter for a table. Why not to grow up pigeons for sports  firing? Meat would go to restaurant at a shooting range as do in the countries practicing this sport. But this my subjective opinion, and I impose it to nobody. For now I strongly recommend not only to the beginning hunters, but also skilled though occasionally to look on shooting ranges to practice firing at clay pigeons.
Some hunting farms have chosen, original, a solution of a problem of firing at decoy birds.
The hunter goes on specially cleaned glade with the gun in hands. At an interval of 20-30 meters from bushes on both parties of a glade in couples and the three pheasants take off. The secret of such abundance and constancy is quite simple. Through certain intervals in boxes pheasants where on couple where on three sit. When approaching the hunter the operator presses the panel button, a cover of a box which automatically opens, and the spring throws a bottom up. The pheasant as if catapulted appears highly above the ground and, willy-nilly forced  to fly, gets under the hunter’s shots. And here is how to call this occupation — a matter of taste of everyone. Someone will count it as fascinating hunting, someone will call sports firing, and someone, being spat, will call barbarity. Not an essence important. The main thing that this entertainment receives the increasing popularity among secure hunters of a new formation also, respectively, reduces a press on wild populations of birds in grounds.