Sports firing from hunting guns (the round stand)

The passion to hunting for a bird was the cause of emergence of the round stand.
The shooting and bench sport is a firing from smooth-bore guns in fraction on quickly flying targets.

Juan Manuel RODRIGUEZ (Cuba), bronze prize-winner of the Olympic Games of 2004

If at the beginning of the XX century firing at the trench stand enjoyed wide popularity in the world (entered programs of the Olympic Games, on it the World Cups and Europe were held), then the round stand was not trace and. It has appeared much later. The passion to hunting for a bird was the cause of emergence of the round stand. Firing at the trench stand, certainly, gave certain skills in hunting on it, but only generally on the ugonny purposes and from the gun which is already enclosed in a shoulder. And on hunting it is necessary to shoot the game flying in relation to the shooter in the different directions, and the gun at him can be under the arm, at a hip or lowered down at all length of a hand. The needs to create conditions at trainings, in much bigger degree corresponding to real firing at a bird, than the trench stand, has also caused the necessity of the equipment of the round stand. And history of its origin as it was reported in different sources, in some way curious and is entertaining.

This event has taken place in the USA during the period between 1910 and 1914 near of Andover (State of Massachusetts). Farmers, the father and Devisa’s son, and their neighbor B. Foster were hot fans of hunting on a feather and though they well shot, nevertheless sometimes there were annoying misses. The thought has come to someone from their mind — to install in the field the throwing machine; holding position concerning a plateau flight path, similar to at which the miss on a bird has been allowed, shot until tried to obtain sure defeat of a target. It became at them the rule of correction of the mistakes made on hunting. In the subsequent they have built a site which was formed by a circle with a radius about 23 m, with twelve shooting numbers located on a circle as digits of hours. On a small eminence behind the twelfth number the only throwing machine, a plateau have been installed by it was thrown out in the direction of the sixth number.

Firing began with the twelfth number, and an arrow, moving around, accepted two plateaus on each number, the last (25th) target was accepted from the central place which had no number. In the course of firing it became clear to creators of a site that the radius of a circle is too big, and for this reason the plateau after a shot sometimes departed whole, getting to windows of a shot talus.

In 1923 farmers have reduced circle radius to 18,2 m. After reconstruction of a site the neighbor Devisov has constructed a hen house near the third shooting number. As a result of this construction firing from shooting numbers 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 became impossible. The site has been again reconstructed by them. The sixth number has been renumbered in the first, and there have installed the second throwing machine; the twelfth numbers became the seventh, and have assigned to the shooting place in the center the eighth number. After a while behind the first number they have constructed a wooden scaffold 4,5 m high and on it have installed the throwing machine. Thus the shooting site has got a semicircle form with seven numbers on a circle and the eighth room in the center. New exercise in bench firing has received the name “monastery” (from English skeet — sports firing at plateaus). With little geometrical changes it has reached also about one today.

The modern shooting site of the round monastery stand represents the segment site limited with a radius of 19,2 m and the chord which is carried out to 5,49 m from the center. Chord length of 36,8 m, on its ends, in 0,91 m from crossing with a circle, boxes are located, in each of which it is established on one throwing machine. The left box higher, from it plateaus take off from height of 3,05 m. The right box lower, a target is thrown out of it from height of 1,07 m. Unlike the trench stand on round the constant directions have flights of targets. All targets both with high, and from the low box should fly by through the center of a site so that they were over it at the height of 4,575 m, and their deviation in the middle of a site both down, and across should not exceed 0,455 m, i.e. they should fly by in the ring with an inside diameter of 0,91 m established on a control pole 4,12 m high during setup of flights of targets. When giving a doublet both targets through the center of a site should fly by at the same time. Seven shooting numbers are located at identical distance from each other (8,24 m) on a segment arch, the first and seventh are on the ends of a chord, and the eighth — in the center of a chord. All shooting numbers connect a path. Behind the fourth number in two-three meters there is the operator’s box, it releases targets at the command of the shooter.

Victor GUROV (author of article) and Olympic champion Evgeny PETROV

Firing at the round stand soon became so popular that in 1947 it is for the first time included in the program of the World Cup in Stockholm on which Zh. Kozhelin from Sweden became the winner with result of 95 targets from 100 possible. This type of firing was widely adopted since the end of the 30th years and in our country. The important role in development of bench sport was played also by creation in 1935 the USSR of the volunteer sports societies (VSS) which began to cultivate bench firing. With creation of DSO competitions on the championship of the country in bench firing began to be held annually. But war has mixed everything.

The first post-war USSR championship among DSO and departments was held in the summer of 1948 in Moscow. Teams of the Military and Hunting Society (MHS), Spartak, “Dynamo”, “Locomotive”, “Petrel”, “Work”, “Vanguard”, “Science”, etc. have taken part in it. Team firing was won by shooters of SBI. They were the first and in separate exercises of the program. The soldier I. Kantser (the trainer of the author of article) became the first champion of the USSR at the round stand, this exercise has been for the first time included in the program of the USSR championship.

The first large victory on the international scene has been won in the World Cup of 1958 in Moscow. The Soviet teams became world champions both on trench, and at the round stand. In this championship A.Kaplun has won a gold medal in an individual competition at the round stand. In these competitions also N. Durnev has declared himself at the round stand.

In 1959 in another World Cup O. Losev (SBI) took priority, and it by right has been handed a gold medal. This hardworking, big physical endurance, the talented athlete betrayed to sport really is pride and decoration of our sport. He tries to obtain success again, and in 1963 becomes the champion of Europe. O. Losev one of the first bench shooters is awarded ranks “Honoured Master of Sports of the USSR”.

The Soviet stendovik try to obtain world victories year after year. The World Cup of 1962 in which to N. Durnev (SBI) was not equal, its result tremendous — 200 (!) struck targets from did not become an exception 200. Light memory to this surprising person.

At the 19th Olympic Games of 1968 in Mexico City in exercise at the round stand E. Petrov (SBI) became the first champion. This exercise has been for the first time included in the program of the Olympic Games. E. Petrov in the World Cup of 1970 has shown absolute result — 200 struck plateaus from 200 possible. In competitions of the International union (UIT) such result no more than ten athletes, and four of them showed our arrows: N. Durnev (1962), E. Petrov (1970), Yu.Tsuranov (1971) and T. Zhgenti (1973). On next — the 20th Olympic Games E. Petrov has been awarded a silver medal. Tells its success in competitions (1972) about the highest sports qualification and physical endurance of this athlete “Firing to a miss”. To it was not equal, and its result — 231 plateaus (!). Last All-Union record — 131 targets. By the way, so nobody has exceeded it. The homeland has appreciated Evgeny Petrov’s merits, having awarded the order to him twice “Honour Sign”, the medals “For Labour Valour” and “For Labour Difference”.

With special pleasure I tell the name of Svetlana Dyomina. By sight she is a woman brittle, but how many in it an internal force, courage and the will to win! It belongs to it an outstanding world record: 99 targets from 100. The deserved success — a silver medal of S. Dyomina at the Olympic Games-2000 has completed a triumphal procession of domestic stendovik in the XX century.

Army and naval shooters have won many brilliant victories both in national, and in the international competitions. One of the main awards of the Homeland — the challenge prize for an all-team championship founded in 1948 was repeatedly won by them, and the Cup of the USSR from the date of the establishment did not know other owners, except stendovik of SBI. These high awards forever remained in the museum of Central Office of the Military and Hunting Society (MHS).

Speaking about achievements of shooters of SBI, it is necessary to mark out the leading trainers who trained them for victories: honored trainer of the USSR K. Rachinsky, honored trainer of RSFSR M. Polyakov, head coach of SA and Navy V. Tikhonov, coach of the national team of RSFSR V. Buhanko, trainers Ю.Кашуба, O. Kulakov. With big warmth athletes spoke of the head coach of the country N. Pokrovsky.

Valery SHOMIN and Oleg TISHIN

In the new millennium of an arrow of Russia adequately carry on nice traditions of the senior companions. This is S. Dyomina, E. Avetisyan, V. Shomin, E.Serbin, S. Aksyutin, O. Tishin, repeatedly coming out winners in national and international superiority. However, they should master the new rules of firing introduced since 01.01.05. International federation of shooting sport. Their purpose — having complicated firing, to reduce its results and by that to increase skill of shooters and interest in competitions. New rules in a series from 25 targets have removed single counter targets on the third and fifth numbers. The additional doublet on the most difficult, the fourth, number is entered. Plateaus in it are accepted in the return sequence of firing: the first — a target from the low box. To the author of article it is an innovation it was necessary to test at competitions on March 26 last year. Accept two single targets and two doublets on the fourth number — will not seem a little.

The volume of article does not allow to tell all worthy names which are pride of domestic bench sport. Yes the strict reader will forgive me that I generally write about army shooters and about those who helped them to try to obtain a victory. I know slightly more about them, and they are closer to me.

In conclusion there is a wish to hope that there will be a person who at the professional level will write the book about our athletes-stendovikakh. They it are worthy. It is necessary not so much for them how many for today living, for the young shooters who are carrying on their nice traditions and dreaming to glorify by the progress our Fatherland.

Victor Gurov, MS of the USSR on bench firing, Hunting and fishing the 21st century No. 2 (34)