Marksman unit

Tue, 09/23/2014 - 00:15
Date picture taken
1970s

Comments

Each year Hong Kong held a sporting competition (Interport) with Macau. We go to them and next year they come to us. Here is the interforce shooting comp between the Marksman Unit and the Portugese Macau security services team. We always won. This photo was taken in Macau at their shooting range. One target 20 yards. 12 rounds alone on your own, no other shooter, with shooters, support, friends, family, everyone else, looking at you, supporting their team or individual shooter and hoping your arms drop off because not only is it between forces it is also between individuals even on your own team. Tactics include stealing one of your bullets so you worry thro the match as to where it has gone, have you miscounted the rounds and even to two members of the opposition standing either side of you and one calling to the other who just happens to have the same first name as you, anything as a minor distraction. This art of this competition shooting is not only accuracy but the ability to exclude all the intentional goings on around you, and if you do miss the bull because of distraction then it is also considered good manners not to get so worked up about it that you shoot the distractor. If you get thro all the above then you are worthy to be in their circle and you have friends for life. Which this lot were. Even on their own visits to HK they seemed to be happiest when they saw and were with their adopted HK shooter family. Us. Even if you wern't there they would still enquire about you finding out if you were ok. Never forgetting you.  A lovely people of which I still keep their photo. For those interested in guns, we used the basic 4" barrelled Colt Revolver .38 (200) bullet not the .38special and they used the same Colt revolver but with a 6" barrel. Same bullet. All had iron sights and nothing adjustable. One handed. Take as long as you wanted up to 1 minute for the 12 rounds. Try that when shooting and you find that you only have 11 bullets and wondering where it went or.. how did he get in so close as to have nicked one without me seeing. A quick look round to see who is smiling knowingly at you or one one occassion who is smiling at you with closed eyes and has your bullet inserted up his nose so the silver case is sticking out like a bogy. It takes a lot not to burst out laughing and then your shooting goes to pot. How do you get around this? a rubber band around the wrist out of sight holding spare bullets 'just in case of emergency' Hope you enjoyed that one. After the shoot came the festivities but that is another story.