Throughout history, marksmanship has been a much-respected, coveted and useful skill. As technology has progressed from things like slings and sharpened sticks to archery and finally firearms, mankind has been able to extend its reach as apex predator in both range and accuracy.

No one, however, is born with the skills it takes to be the best. Nearly anyone can learn the fundamentals of good shooting to a point, but it’s practicing and honing one’s skills that leads to mastery. Competition is always a good measuring stick in raising the bar to the next level.

The shooting match has always been revered as a way to settle that never-ending dispute regarding who is the best at their game. The tools, rules and objects of the match can differ greatly in their nature, but the point is always the same: Who among us at this match is the best?

One of my favorite historical examples of settling such a dispute involved the use of the particular nickname “Buffalo Bill.” Sometime between 1867 and 1868, William F. Cody and Bill Comstock had both been hired to provide meat for the workers of the Kansas Pacific Railroad. Both men fancied the aforementioned nickname, but everyone knew there could be only one.

A contest to settle the dispute was arranged. Each man had eight hours to kill as many bison as he could, and whoever killed the most would retain all rights to be the one and only Buffalo Bill.

Comstock was armed with an 1860 Henry repeater, while Cody preferred to stick with his larger bore single-shot Springfield that he endearingly named “Lucretia Borgia.” Eight hours later, Comstock had killed a total of 48 buffalo while Cody took the victory with a total of 68.

While the poor bison have yet to fully recover from the excesses of our forebears, the reverence continues for the sanctity of shooting matches even today. Everything from 3D archery targets to air rifles and rimfires, trap and skeet, vintage sniper rifles, cowboy action shooting, hunting and dangerous game target, long-range high-power, Precision Rifle Series, three-gun, muzzleloader and black powder cartridge rifle are represented in some capacity. Challenges from every position and discipline imaginable are available to test your skills.

I for one wish more of our differences could be settled by poking holes in paper or ringing steel. Nothing is more American than shooting. I guess you could say the shooting match is America’s true pastime!

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