Show r Pistol Aces Are iAre Tops In Nerves Nerves' By GAYLE TALBOT TAMPA Fla March 12 I JP-I would say without making a thorough thorough thor thor- I ough check that the most temperamental temperamental temperamental tempera tempera- thor thor-I mental athletes in the world are the odd pistol shooters who are arc engaging at present in their annual midwinter championships on the local range I was doing nothing more harmful harmful harmful harm harm- ful than a little noon-hour noon practice practice practice tice shooting at the farthest point from the clubhouse clubhouse and and not hitting hitting hitting hit hit- ting anything in particular when particular when all hell broke loose The contestants contestants contestants con con- came swarming out from their lunch and an excited range officer took me out of there before anything serious happened Cant Can't Be Done There seems to be a rule that I there can be no practicing or sighting in once an event has begun and when these dudes heard a gun going off they naturally naturally naturally nat nat- left their soup to see that nobody was stealing a march While the incident was embarrassing embarrassing embarrassing embar embar- rassing it brought its compensation compensation compensation tion in the form of a talk with Marvin Driver coach of the Detroit Detroit Detroit De De- troit police team which is to this marvelously perfected competition competition competition tion what the Cincinnati Reds are arc areto areto to baseball at the moment That Thatis is tops Sergeant Driver a sniper with the A E F back in 1918 is the proud instructor of a team that holds 30 indoor and outdoor world pistol records the records the most ever set by a single team He thinks pardonably pardonably pardonably par par- that his boys are the greatest pistol marksmen who whoever whoever whoever ever lived Two There are five of them in all but the two who receive the undisguised undisguised un- un disguised disguise admiration of all the theother theother theother other pistol shooters as they saunter saunter saunter ter about the range here are Alfred Alfred Alfred Al Al- fred Hemming recently adv advanced to a sergeant on the Detroit uniformed uniformed uniformed uni uni- formed force and Patrolman Har j ry Reeves They are kingpins Hemming last year was rated the national champion by the National Rifle association with Reeves such a close second on the record that only 18 thousandths ten-thousandths of a point separated them in the final stand stand- ing They might have called it a tie Having watched them blaze away I will testify that either Hemming or Reeves could be counted upon to knock a sparrow off a wire nine times out of ten at 50 yards The extent of their accuracy with a pistol needs to be seen to be believed and their in instructor instructor instructor in- in Sergeant Driver does not thinly think it ever was approached by such six-gun six experts as Wild Bill Hickock or Billy the Kid Not So Hot Of course he concedes those timers old-timers were artists at getting a gun into action quick and shooting shooting shooting shoot shoot- ing a man at short range But there is nothing to indicate they could have equaled the fine shooting shooting shooting shoot shoot- ing being done nowadays For Forone Forone Forone one thing both guns and ammunition ammunition ammunition ammu ammu- have improved tremendously tremendous tremendous- ly and the competition is getting tougher every day The members of the crack Detroit Detroit Detroit De De- De- De troit team incidentally are in inno inno inno no wise subsidized by the city and arid their captain estimates that each of them spends a year of his own money for ammunition ammunition ammunition tion and anti equipment Yet he has figures to show that the improved marksmanship of the Detroit force influenced by the success and fame of its pistol team has been instrumental in reducing that city's crime Or at least its criminals crim crim- m |