Bull's-eye right size for aiming at.

Possibility of judging an absolutely central shot.

Certainty and ease with which the scoring value of a shot can be ascertained.

Such a target exists and is ill.u.s.trated herewith (see Plate 8).

It is the target in use at Gastinne-Renette's Pistol Gallery, Paris, and is the invention, I believe, of the Founder of the firm, the grandfather of the present proprietor.

A perfectly placed bullet is one in the absolute centre of the bull's-eye.

Apart from the impossibility of aiming at it, the mathematical "point"

would be of no use as a bull's-eye. If the bullet hits it, or hits a pin's point (which is the smallest practical subst.i.tute for the mathematical point), the point disappears and there is no means of telling if the centre of the bullet struck that point or not.

M. Gastinne-Renette's solution of this problem is extremely simple. It is to make the bull's-eye of _exactly the diameter of the bullet fired at it_.

If a bullet hits a bull's-eye which is exactly of the same diameter as itself, and no part of the bull's-eye remains visible at an edge of the bullet hole, then that bullet has. .h.i.t absolutely central in the bull's-eye.

The next difficulty was that such a small bull's-eye is difficult to aim at with a pistol.

This was overcome by enclosing this absolute bull's-eye called the carton, in a larger bull's-eye, called the aiming bull's-eye.

The carton is left white and the aiming bull's-eye printed black.

[Ill.u.s.tration: PLATE 8. THE GASTINNE-RENETTE 16 METRES TARGET

This target has a 1-3/16 black. The ring is to facilitate judging]

This aiming bull's-eye is of the diameter of three bullet widths.

The target in question was designed for the .44 bullet. The carton is therefore .44 of an inch diameter, the black bull's-eye 1.32 in diameter leaving a ring of black round the carton of exactly a bullet width, _i.

e._, .44.

The reason for having the black bull's-eye three bullet diameters in width is because this leaves a s.p.a.ce of exactly one bullet width between the edge of the white carton and the outer edge of the black bull's-eye.

This gives a black ring, a bullet width, surrounding the bullet diameter carton.

Therefore when a bullet strikes the black of the bull's-eye it can do one of three things.

It can cut partly into the white of the carton, it can cut partly into the white of the target outside the black bull's-eye, or cut the black without touching the white on either side of it.

To decide if the carton is cut into (which would score one point higher than if the black of the bull's-eye only was cut) examine first the edge of the bullet hole nearest the carton.

If this is uncertain, examine the opposite edge of the bullet hole, next to the white of the rest of the target.

If this is cut, then you know the carton cannot be cut, as the bullet hole is the exact width of the black.

To make a.s.surance doubly sure, there is a thin line on the target, just clear of the outer black of the bull's-eye.

If the bullet hole touches this thin line, then it is an absolute certainty that it cannot _also_ cut into the carton.

The rest of the target is divided into concentric rings exactly the width of a bullet hole.

The same bullet hole therefore cannot cut into two rings, and if it is doubtful that a certain ring is cut into, the opposite side of the bullet hole is examined, and if it cuts into the ring on that side, then the first ring cannot have been cut into.

The whole idea is merely having no divisions of the target either further apart or closer than the exact width of a bullet.

Then, given a target of thin, good cardboard, in which a bullet makes a clean cut hole, scoring is an absolutely simple and accurate matter.

From the above long, but necessary, explanation it will be seen that the Gastinne-Renette target fulfils all that a perfect target should.

The highest possible score which can be made on it is absolute perfection, and as such is not attainable either by man or the pistol (even if it is shot from a vise) the target never can "get beaten" as is the case in any other target.

The man who can make a highest possible on the Gastinne-Renette target, even when shooting at a range of one yard, does not and cannot ever exist.

The target is made on the .44 calibre measurements because the .44 bullet is the standard for pistol and revolver at the Gastinne-Renette Gallery in competing for the Grand Medaille d'Or but this system can be applied to any size bore, for pistol or rifle or even cannon. I do not know if it was patented, but if so, the patent must have run out years ago.

CHAPTER x.x.xIV

IS DUELLING WRONG?

Right and wrong are not, as some suppose, clearly defined, as are black and white. Right and wrong so overlap that it is difficult, except for a clergyman, to decide which is which. Circ.u.mstances may turn the balance, and what is right under some circ.u.mstances is very wrong under others.

A man may pose as being very good, whereas he is merely a coward; he may refuse to fight, not because he thinks it wrong to kill, but because he is too cowardly.

Wrong often poses as right.

Right and wrong are chiefly a matter of convention, and vary with different races of men, and at different periods.

What is wrong to-day may be right to-morrow. The list of right and wrong I give below, is only made up to date, and is subject to revision at any time.

Probably by the time this book sees the light, this list may be entirely out-of-date.

In early times holy men did things which would land them in prison if they were alive in these days.

In the cruel ages when men knew no better, St. Francis of a.s.sisi preached (like Buddha) kindness to every living thing, and called the birds "our little brothers."

In the present superior age, St. Francis would spend his life in prison from inability to pay the fines imposed on him for feeding birds.

Kindness to animals was never a popular virtue. It is considered "soppy,"

"sickly sentimentality."

Men have always liked to bully horses to show what good riders they are, and what "control" they have over them. They think it draws forth admiration to be seen knocking a horse about. It shows their mental superiority over a mere brute.

Small men like to be seen lugging a big good-natured dog along by a chain, threatening him with a whip. It shows their great brain power over mere matter.