DMK
Member
While drinking my coffee this morning, I came across a humbling tale of amazing markmanship with iron sights. A story of a 62 year old civilian who drew a National Match '03 Springfield and with iron sights and service ammo, went shot for shot at 1000 yards with a Marine shooting a scoped Springfield and commercial ammo. At the end of the day, the Marine finally bested him by only six shots. Amazing. I'm half his age and I couldn't do that with an AR-15 at 200 yards. I need to spend a lot more time practicing.
From the July, 2003 issue of American Rifleman, "The National Match '03", pp.42
From the July, 2003 issue of American Rifleman, "The National Match '03", pp.42
At Camp Perry in 1921, 62-year-old George Farr fired 70 consecutive bullseyes at 1,000 yds. with an 1903 NM rifle that he drew that morning with issue ammunition.
"Mr. Farr had drawn a National Match Rifle at Perry in 1921. He didn't have a spotting scope, so he took an old pair of binoculars and sawed then in half and used that as a spotting scope. He drew the issue ammunition because it was free. He didn't have any 1,000-yard dope on the rifle He'd just gotten some 600-yard dope."
"Farr went over it with a sight micrometer. He laid down and his first shot was a four, which is unreal considering the elevation he had to put on. He caught the next one in the five ring. He shot 20 consecutive bullseyes and climbed out of position. The official said, 'You're not finished yet.'" Farr was in a shoot-off with a Marine sergeant named Atkins, who was using a scoped Springfield firing Remington commercial ammunition.
"When he got back into position, Farr shot until the light gave out and he could no longer see. In all, he ran 70 consecutive bulls-eyes before he dropped out"
"The officials said, 'Mr. Farr if you'd like to purchase this rifle, you can.' It was $41, and he didn't have the money. All of the civilian teams got together and kicked in the money and bought the rifle for him, and a case of ammunition. They put a plaque on the side of the rifle"
Culver said the Marine who bested Farr shot 76 consecutive bullseyes with his scoped rifle, but nobody remembers that. In fact, the following year, a trophy was presented to the high shooter in the Wimbledon match in honor of Farr's remarkable accomplishment. The Farr trophy has been a standard since then.