1912 Olympic Games Official Report Part 2

tion were also paid to miniature-rifle, pistol- and revolver-shooting, allof which forms of sport can, from several points of view, be consideredas well worthy of attention.Apart from the circumstance that our prospects of coming to thefore in these kinds of competitions at international meetings havealready been proved to be quite good, there are other points of viewthat should recommend these forms of shooting to the greater attentionof our marksmen.Shooting with miniature-rifles at targets placed at distances of from50 to 100 metres away is, therefore, an excellent means of practisingcareful firing at stationary targets. As a matter of fact, themarksman learns to aim and fire each time with the greatest careand exactness, so that this form of shooting really forms a verygood preparatory course for army-rifle shooting at longer ranges.In the same way, practice in rapid firing at disappearing targets isa most suitable preparatory exercise for field-shooting, where the marksmanis required, above all, to aim and fire with the speed of lightning,so to say. It was, perhaps, the fact that the Swedes are accustomedto field-shooting that decided the competition at 25 metresin their favour.Another circumstance that speaks in favour of miniature-rifle shootingis, that the marksman himself can, with the aid of a field-glass,ascertain the position of each hit made. By this means, he is soonenabled to judge with precision of the effect of light, temperature andwind on the result of his firing, and this makes this form of shooting avery pleasant and, at the same time, a most instructive one. In additionto this, miniature rifle shooting is cheap, and easy of arrangement.Shooting with revolver or pistol should, rightly, be placed in a categoryby itself, as it cannot be considered as having anything incommon with rifle-shooting. This circumstance, however, should notprevent it from having much more attention paid to it in Swedenthan has hitherto been the case.Revolver- and pistol-shooting at a stationary target, especially atlong ranges, is, undoubtedly, one of the most difficult forms of shootingthere is; for a sure hand and eye, and nerves of steel, arerequisite in the very highest degree. This fact, however, gives everincreasing interest and pleasure to this kind of shooting, the more itis practised. From a sporting point of view, it is the finest of allforms of fire-arm exercise, and is, therefore, one to be specially recommended.Rapid firing with revolver or pistol is a form of shooting that, ina certain degree, can speak for itself. Every body — even the onethat otherwise never thinks of practising shooting in any form —should be anxious, merely as a matter of self-defence, to learn howto handle a revolver — a fire-arm which, in untrained hands, is apt tobe a somewhat dangerously innocent weapon.It has already been said that the competitions in revolver-, pistol-,and miniature-rifle shooting were, on the whole, something new to theSwedish marksmen. This part of the shooting programme was adopt-703