Marksman 1010

I still have one.

I used it around 1983 to practice presentation and point shoulder shoot ( in aimed point shoot) at index card sized targets at 2 to 3 yards in my bedroom with BB. I had the traditional card board box full of wadded up news paper for a back stop with a piece of carpet reminamt in the back just in case. And this sat on a book case.

target was generally an index card or something about that size.

I shot this a lot. I recovered all the BB shot and reused it repeatedly.

the grip shape allowed me to transition to the Colt Series 70 Mark IV the skill to present and get hits on a silhouette at 7 to 10 yards fast and generally in or close to the A zone.

I believe it also sped my ability to get on the sights and take an aimed shot at greater ranges.

This last was useful in Pin shooting and plate shooting. Especially man on man plate shooting as my opponents were frequently startled by me dropping my first plate while they were still looking for their sights and got further behind! ( Don’t worry about the other guy’s plates, just drop yours!)

I still play with the Marksman on occasion. It is fun whether accurate or not, so worth it.

-kBob

I need to find mine and show my kids the darts.

Mine came with a traditional Dart board and plastic throwing darts as well as a tin of paint brush tailed shooting darts.

later models came with plastic tailed darts that I found very inaccurate

the most interesting thing I did with one was shoot felt cleaning darts from them.

in Grad schoolI shared a house with three other folks, two of whom where interested in incorporating firearms to the home defense plan. (They other was happy at that time with a chemical spray, but agreed to participate in drills)

one was interested in WHEN to shoot and when not to. She feared that living on a major street in a residential area and close enough to a major University (known as a party school) that some Drunk, Stoned, or even Confused person might enter the house and she had no desire to shoot someone that did nothing t need shooting.

Now our drill already involved shouted queries, flash, lights, telephones, and final shouted warning, but she wanted more so I worked up a scenario or six to give her ideas.

I gave her the Marksman cocked and loaded with a cleaning dart and I would appear in the hallway ranch leading to the bedrooms wearing eye and face protection and she would shoot me COM with a cleaning dart “if it were necessary”

I decided that displaying a weapon might give her something to think about and someone had left a soft plastic model of an Aircrew Survival knife at the house after a recent costume party. My plan was to argue about who’s house it was and brandish the soft plastic knife , but not advance.... just to confuse her and make her think.

as she lay on her bed in her room I went to the front door to bang it open and “wake her up”

Just as I reached the door it did bang open and there was Cjemical spray room mate with keys in one hand and arms full of old paper grocery bags!

I whispered “play along” and she did

I did the classic hostage hold with soft plastic knife to throat and turned the corner right as gun girl finished “WHO IS THERE?!?!?” And placing her flashlight forward of her and arms length out in the hall.

I sort of giggled to myself as she started “GET OUT OF MY HOUSE ! I HAVE A GUN! I AM CALLING THE POLICE!”

.... but she only said “Ge....” before a spot appeared on my eye protection just left of the bridge of my nose.

I gave her a passing grade.

the Marksman made the training more real for her.... and a shock for me.

-kBob

Found the 1010?. did they make a 1020?

what was the difference?

I have one of these. Bought it in 1984 right after graduating from high school (under my mom's "radar") to kind of orient myself to handguns before leaving for the Army. Used it in a small back yard, but it was horribly inaccurate and would frequently throw two BBs at a time. It was still okay for learning basic gun handling and safety, though.

I had one back in the 60s or 70s. I remember that I was terribly disappointed in its lack of power and accuracy. Then I tried the darts!

I had set up a square of plywood as a dart board target backing and would sit it on the shelf in my bedroom and have target practice from my bed. My mother was not impressed!