The History of Marksmanship – 4 by Gary Anderson, DCM The First Shooting Clubs The CMP is an organization of affiliated shooting clubs. Almost all of the CMP’s 1,500 shooting clubs were founded since World War II so it is easy to think that an American shooting club that is over 60 years old is a very old club. However, when the history of American shooting clubs is compared with the history of European shooting clubs, American shooting clubs are mere infants. German speaking peoples organized the first shooting clubs during the 12th and 13th Centuries. Merchants and artisans in the cities built stands or ranges in the cities where they practiced shooting crossbows. The citizens of these cities organized target practice with their crossbows so that they would be better prepared to defend the city. Their target sessions became sources of comradeship and social activity, their crossbow stands became ranges and their ranges became shooting clubs. Most of these early shooting clubs that formed in middle European cities are still active today; many now have continuous histories of 600 or more years. These early shooting clubs enjoyed an important political and social status in their cities. The practice of making the city’s mayor the “Schuetzenkommisar” or Commissioner of the club made him the most important officer in the club. In many German shooting clubs like the Hauptschuetzengesellschaft-Munich, the mayor still attends and presides over the club’s annual meeting. When a shooting club member dies, it is accepted practice for the “Schuetzenmeister” or club president to give a eulogy at the burial. When cities celebrate important anniversaries or festivals, the shooting club and its members are always well represented. The first clubs were for men only. They mostly shot with crossbows and later with wheel lock muskets, although a few practiced archery. Their shooting was normally done only in the standing position. One of the early shooting controversies is recorded in the 14th Century records of a Nurnberg club. Club members disagreed over whether to allow shooters to use newer crossbow stocks that rested on the shoulder instead of just being supported by the shooter’s face that rested on the cheek piece. Firearms with rifled barrels were in use at shooting clubs by the 16th Century, though also not without controversy. In 1563, Elector August of Saxony decreed, “rifled barrels should only be allowed if the shooters agree to it.” Today’s American shooting clubs may be very young, but they are part of a history that is at least 800 years old. In this rich history shooting clubs have been important social and cultural institutions in their communities. Today’s shooting clubs in America should organize and conduct their activities so that they also will build a history that can last as many or more years.

This painting depicts the Augsburg, Germany shooting club’s “new shooting range” that was dedicated in 1666. The target butts, shooting houses and large club house demonstrate how well developed shooting clubs in that part of Europe were over  300 years ago. Shooting activities at German shooting  clubs changed from crossbows to match  and wheel lock rifles to flintlock and  percussion rifles to modern target rifles.  Until the late 20th Century, membership was restricted to males. Their marksmanship practice was almost always done in the standing position. The Hauptschuetzengesellshcaft  (Main shooting society) in Munich was founded in 1406 and will celebrate  its 600th anniversary in 2006. Today, it is one of the largest, wealthiest and most important German shooting clubs.