Natural Talent.—The number of persons who are really good shots with the pistol is smaller than one would be apt to suppose after considering how many weapons of this kind are in every-day use. They are almost as common as pocket-knives, and some of them are capable of shooting reasonably well at considerable length of range, and yet not an average of one man in five hundred, who owns a pistol, could be found, perhaps, who could put fifty per cent. of his bullets through a hat set up for a target ten paces away. The fact is, the pistol, while capable enough, if well made, is the most difficult of all our fire-arms to manage, so far as relates to good performances. There are men who can take a good revolver and shoot a chicken’s head off every time, ten or fifteen paces, but of such men there are not very many. And none of them have ever communicated how they happened to become such fine shots with the pistol. In some cases they had practiced a good deal, but not more than had hundreds who were but comparatively poor performers. To come squarely down to the point at once, the peculiarity which made them good shots with the pistol was a “born-gift,” as in the case of the best shots with the shot gun. Any man who practices with the pistol, in accordance with the established rules governing its use for best results, may soon become a fair shot, but it calls for more than mere practice to make him an excellent shot.
Taking Aim.—The best shots do not take aim by sighting along the barrel of the pistol, holding it out at arm’s length after the manner of the wooden figure standing in front of the city shooting-gallery. They do not close one eye and turn sideways to the object of aim like the ideal duelist, but they hold out the pistol, look at the object (not the pistol), with both eyes open, and blaze away, usually putting the bullet about where they want it to go. There is really no aim-taking in the case, any more than there is in the case of a boy playing at marbles. Indeed, shooting a pistol to the best advantage is very much on the same principle as shooting a marble. The boy takes the marble properly between his thumb and first finger, holds out his hand in the direction of the marble to be shot at, but considerably below his line of vision, looks at the object-marble with both eyes open and “flips” in obedience to the promptings of a kind of unconscious calculation as to distance, force at command, effect of gravitation, and so on. The marble “flipped” curves out on its way, and, if shot from the hand of a skillful player, strikes its mark with astonishing certainty. Just so with the bullet sent from the pistol; under the management of a skillful performer it goes in obedience to an unconscious calculation, and not in obedience to the squinting of one eye along the barrel. Sight-taking won’t do in either case; the good marble player would be a hopeless failure if he held up his arm to his line of vision and took sight every time he went to “shoot”—the pistol-shooter who performs upon the same plan is invariably a marksman of sterling uncertainty, to say the least.
Cane Aiming.—Some people are so deficient in the species of calculation necessary to successful pistol-shooting, on the plan suggested in the foregoing, that they cannot do much at it. Such as these have some excuse for taking sight, but holding the pistol out at arm’s length and sighting along the barrel or through its “sights” rarely gives them more than very little certainty. The best method of actually taking sight with a pistol is performed in connection with a rod some three feet long—usually with a walking cane. Grasp the grip of the pistol in the right hand, in the usual way, and take the cane in the left hand. Bring the handle of the cane up against the shoulder like the breech of a gun, pass the pistol down along the side of it till the barrel reaches the left hand, and both hands are in easy position. Hold the cane between the thumb and first finger of the left hand, letting them pass beyond it and grip the barrel of the pistol between the end of the thumb and the turned-up end of the finger. Let the thumb and first finger of the right hand also grip the cane beyond the “grip” of the pistol. The aim of the pistol should range a little to the right of the direction pointed by the cane, which it will very naturally do.
This plan steadies the pistol and affords as fine an opportunity of taking perfect sight as one could have with a rifle. A little practice with it, to enable one to arrive at a certain conclusion as to the rise or fall of the bullet, will soon pave the way for pretty fair shooting. A kind of clasp with which to fasten the pistol to the cane is now on the market, and may be made to work very well, though some would always prefer holding the pistol with the hands, in the manner just described.
The Best Pistols to Use.—It is not advisable to say a recommendatory word about any particular make—how could it be done, under the above heading, when there are twenty or thirty really good pistols now before the public under the brand of the same number of different manufacturers? The best pistol for any person to use is any good pistol that this person happens to like, and no other kind. All pistols do not shoot alike, and, hence, when any one has practiced with a certain kind until accustomed to its peculiarities they had better stick to it, as a change would be apt to throw at least some derangement in the shooting calculations, putting them under the necessity of a repeated practice. All the best shots invariably stick to some particular make of pistol, and usually to some particular size.
In making choice of a size it is best to be governed by the character of work the pistol is desired to perform. The large pistols shoot stronger, and, as a general rule, with greater accuracy than the small ones; still, comparatively small pistols are sometimes known to shoot reasonably well. They are intended only for short range however, and hence must not be depended upon when a good performance of long-range pistol shooting is desired. The large pistol has many advantages over the small one, while the latter can claim but two over the former. These two consist in its lightness, fitting it to figure as a pocket pistol, and in the lesser cost of its ammunition.