Bit of wisdom from old times

Thibault · January 24, 2001, 11:23 AM

Just food for thought I stumbled upon today.
"...To be remarkably successful in killing game a man must be a good shot; but a good target shot may be a very poor hunter, and a fairly successful hunter may be only a moderate shot. Shooting well with the rifle is the highest kind of skill, for the rifle is the queen of weapons; and it is a difficult art to learn. But many other qualities go to make up the first-class hunter. He must be persevering, watchful, hardy, and with good judgment; and a little dash and energy at the proper time often help him immensely. I myself am not, and never will be, more than an ordinary shot; for my eyes are bad and my hand not over-steady; yet I have killed every kind of game to be found on the plains, partly because I have hunted very perseveringly..."
Teddy Roosevelt, Hunting trips of a Ranchman, 1885
He had it already figured out, didn't he?

BadMedicine · January 24, 2001, 11:52 AM

"Shooting well with the rifle is the highest kind of skill,for the rifle is the queen of weapons; and it is a difficult art to learn."

He had a good bit of insight in that quote, but I still think it takes twice as much skill to shoot well with a pistol, then a rifle. First you have the whole balance thing, holding the gun out in front of you, while standing still. Pistols are usually alot less accurate than rifles due to the shorter barrels, and the sights are alot harder to get lined up and still, because they're so close together. A guy can easily put 5 rounds inside of 6 inches at 100 yards with a good iron-sighted rifle, but a pistol....it can be done...but not as common.

Maybe he meant rifle as in the rifle caliber???

Thibault · January 24, 2001, 12:52 PM

Back then, that was before his 405 Win days, he was shooting "a heavy Sharps rifle, 45-120, shooting an ounce and a quarter of lead, and a 50-calibre, double-barrelled English express. Both of these, especially the latter, had a vicious recoil; the former was very clumsy; and above all they were neither of them repeaters; for a repeater or magazine gun is as much superior to a single- or double-barrelled breech-loader as the latter is to a muzzle-loader. I threw them both aside: and have instead a 40-90 Sharps for very long range work; a 50-115 6-shot Bullard express, which has the velocity, shock, and low trajectory of the English gun; and, better than either, a 45-75 half-magazine Winchester."
I may not be the more knowing, but some of those sound like real men's rifles... you don't care for a backup shot lying on your back with a dislocated shoulder...or am I just a wuss?

Keith Rogan · January 24, 2001, 06:08 PM

Teddy talked a good game but he was a NOTORIOUSLY poor shot! He spent a year in Africa gut-shooting and wounding every kind of game imaginable, including a lot of dangerous game that his professional hunters had to sort out.

handgun357 · January 25, 2001, 12:18 AM

It is all in the shot placement!!!!!

Thibault · January 25, 2001, 06:22 AM

Well Keith (welcome back! We haven't heard much of you lately), nevermind being a poor shot or not, he had at least the theory right!

January 24, 2001, 11:23 AM	#1
Thibault Senior Member Join Date: January 27, 2000 Location: Middle of nowhere, Northern Quebec Posts: 336	Just food for thought I stumbled upon today. "...To be remarkably successful in killing game a man must be a good shot; but a good target shot may be a very poor hunter, and a fairly successful hunter may be only a moderate shot. Shooting well with the rifle is the highest kind of skill, for the rifle is the queen of weapons; and it is a difficult art to learn. But many other qualities go to make up the first-class hunter. He must be persevering, watchful, hardy, and with good judgment; and a little dash and energy at the proper time often help him immensely. I myself am not, and never will be, more than an ordinary shot; for my eyes are bad and my hand not over-steady; yet I have killed every kind of game to be found on the plains, partly because I have hunted very perseveringly..." Teddy Roosevelt, Hunting trips of a Ranchman, 1885 He had it already figured out, didn't he?

January 24, 2001, 11:52 AM	#2
BadMedicine Junior member Join Date: July 7, 2000 Location: Anchorage Posts: 863	"Shooting well with the rifle is the highest kind of skill,for the rifle is the queen of weapons; and it is a difficult art to learn." He had a good bit of insight in that quote, but I still think it takes twice as much skill to shoot well with a pistol, then a rifle. First you have the whole balance thing, holding the gun out in front of you, while standing still. Pistols are usually alot less accurate than rifles due to the shorter barrels, and the sights are alot harder to get lined up and still, because they're so close together. A guy can easily put 5 rounds inside of 6 inches at 100 yards with a good iron-sighted rifle, but a pistol....it can be done...but not as common. Maybe he meant rifle as in the rifle caliber???

January 24, 2001, 12:52 PM	#3
Thibault Senior Member Join Date: January 27, 2000 Location: Middle of nowhere, Northern Quebec Posts: 336	Back then, that was before his 405 Win days, he was shooting "a heavy Sharps rifle, 45-120, shooting an ounce and a quarter of lead, and a 50-calibre, double-barrelled English express. Both of these, especially the latter, had a vicious recoil; the former was very clumsy; and above all they were neither of them repeaters; for a repeater or magazine gun is as much superior to a single- or double-barrelled breech-loader as the latter is to a muzzle-loader. I threw them both aside: and have instead a 40-90 Sharps for very long range work; a 50-115 6-shot Bullard express, which has the velocity, shock, and low trajectory of the English gun; and, better than either, a 45-75 half-magazine Winchester." I may not be the more knowing, but some of those sound like real men's rifles... you don't care for a backup shot lying on your back with a dislocated shoulder...or am I just a wuss?

January 24, 2001, 06:08 PM	#4
Keith Rogan Senior Member Join Date: March 11, 1999 Location: Kodiak, Alaska Posts: 1,014	Teddy talked a good game but he was a NOTORIOUSLY poor shot! He spent a year in Africa gut-shooting and wounding every kind of game imaginable, including a lot of dangerous game that his professional hunters had to sort out.

January 25, 2001, 12:18 AM	#5
handgun357 Senior Member Join Date: January 11, 2001 Location: Northern Indiana Posts: 293	It is all in the shot placement!!!!!

January 25, 2001, 06:22 AM	#6
Thibault Senior Member Join Date: January 27, 2000 Location: Middle of nowhere, Northern Quebec Posts: 336	Well Keith (welcome back! We haven't heard much of you lately), nevermind being a poor shot or not, he had at least the theory right!