Bell Target #21

Well, thanks to the reproduction magic of  Daisytalk member jackdog (aka ricksu) I have put the reproduced (circa 1911) target into the No. 21 Bell target. Here is an indoors photo, and an outdoors photo.

 When I read through the patent description, the designer had two uses in mind. One was to shoot thru the paper target and let the lead shot smack into the steel backing (or ring the bullseye gong), and then fall into the box (thru the lower slot) for disposal.

 Or second, the half-inch space behind the paper target could be ‘layered with felt’ so as to preserve the lead shot for reuse.

 Most kids probably didn’t have ‘felt’ available, but cutting up dad’s newspaper to fit behind the target probably worked just as well. If I let my imagination run wild, then possibly back in the spring of 1912 some kid was chopping up newspaper for this purpose, and the headline of  that paper read “Titanic strikes iceberg”.

Or not: as most kids probably cut up the funny pages.