Sgt. York Targets

The club I belong to shoots a black V target with rings in the black but not the white highest score is the bottom of the V .
I have 6" square black targets with a fine white X going from corner to corner in my target box . They are used in string shoots where 5 shots are fired at the target from a distance decided on at the time but usually within 50 yards . The shooter shoots off a log and the shots are scored by measuring from the middle of each bullet hole to the middle of the X and each distance is added up to give a total string length , shortest string wins .Because the middle of the X is impossible to see at that distance, the shooter has the option of pinning any colored , or shape marker any where on the target to use as a aiming mark .

The V in the target was simply to denote a center hit. Much like the x on todays target.
A perfect score would be 100-10V for example.

I heartily recommend the movie “Sergeant York”, for a number of reasons, all readily apparent. Highly entertaining and a great action flick! Time to watch it again methinks.

don

Sergeant York is one of my all time favorite movies. So much so that I went to his old homestead site (not much left there anymore), talked to his son, visited his 'new' home that the gov't gave him, visited his gravesite and walked to the high bluff, through the thickets, overlooking the valley where he had his supposed contemplation. All the folks in that area are super nice. Took my mom and dad there the second time. Really admired the guy. He wasn't quiet like Gary Cooper though, his son said he could talk the ears off a row of corn.

You would probably enjoy going there for the Match that's held annually.

https://www.gemmermuzzleloadingclub.com/sargent-alvin-c-york-memorial-shoot-2021/

Ain’t off more n a hair, but Alvin done cut dead center.

Grenadier1758 said:

You would probably enjoy going there for the Match that's held annually.

https://www.gemmermuzzleloadingclub.com/sargent-alvin-c-york-memorial-shoot-2021/

Click to expand...

I've been trying to get there for a couple of years now. It's not too far from me, maybe a few hours. I appreciate the pics.

I was browsing through back issues of Muzzle Blasts last evening and came across an article entitled "Riflemen and Their Rifles," by John Barsotti. This was in the March, 1955 issue. The article was about traditional shooting matches, the rifles used, and the people who participated, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in southern Ohio. Mr. Barsotti presented a good description of the targets they used in the first two complete paragraphs on this page:



This is pretty similar to what was written by Ned Roberts and Walter Cline (see post #4 in this thread). I was interested in seeing Mr. Barsotti's description of the white paper or cardboard aiming spots. The exact shape was up to the shooter, but the V-cut was common. However, Mr. Barsotti made it clear that the points or ears of the "V" were pointing down, so it was actually an inverted V-cut. This was consistent with the aiming point described by Walter Cline in The Muzzle-Loading Rifle: Then and Now: "An inverted cut was made in a piece of white cardboard and the apex placed directly over the intersection of the lines cut in the charred board" (p.115)

I still haven't gotten around to watching the video from the Sgt. York movie. It was my understanding that they had the points of the V-cut pointing up. However, Barsotti, Roberts, and Cline all indicated that the shape and placement of the aiming point was at the discretion of the shooter, so some individuals may have very well done it that way.

One other thing mentioned by Ned Roberts as well as in the Barsotti article was the distribution of prizes. A steer was killed after the match, and quarters of beef were awarded to the top four shooters. Fifth place was the hide and tallow, and the person who was in sixth place had the right to dig the lead out of the backstop. Evidently, lead was valuable enough to make this worthwhile.

Best regards,

Notchy Bob

“Rammed the taller to her” lol.

Back in the late 1970's, the Kekionga Long Rifles Club a little ways outside Fort Wayne, IN held a live turkey shoot very similar to how it was done in the Sergeant York movie. It too kept ducking its head, especially after being shot at a couple of times. I was the fourth shooter and remembered the following scene from the movie, so I gobbled like York did, but I couldn't get my flint rifle to go off. They allowed me three tries and would have allowed more until the rifle fired, but at that point I said in all fairness, I would count my shot as a miss. 8 Shooters later, someone got the turkey.

Anyway, the V shaped target scene mentioned begins at 2:32.



Gus