Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Hunter Recognition

I have an old Col. Charles Askins article from "Army Times" (1962) wherein he talks about a "National Outstanding Sportsman Award." Did this exist at one time? Does it still exist? What is the history benind the award?

Vince

Vince-
Welcome to the campfire.

I hadn't heard of the award, but my ignorance is vast. Can you provide the context. like who might have won it or who awarded it, or where it was awarded? Thanks.
--Bob

There are some "garden varieties" of Outstanding Sportsmen Awards but one prevalent is oriented towards match shooting and involves many law enforcement and military. That is probably the one you are inquiring about.

It exists, it is active, it has matches.

Some history:
This new and exciting style of sport shooting had its origins in California in the early '50s. It quickly spread over the next few years to other continents including Europe, Australia, Central and South America, and Africa.

Rob Leatham, World Shoot Caracas Venezuela 1988.
The International Practical Shooting Confederation (IPSC) was officially founded at the International Pistol Conference held in Columbia, Missouri, in May 1976. Forty people from around the world were invited to attend this conference in order to determine the nature and future of practical marksmanship. Colonel Jeff Cooper was acting Chairman and acclaimed as the first IPSC World President.

The promotion of accuracy, power, and speed as three equal elements was the prime objective of the Conference along with procedures and rules for safe gun handling. A constitution was established and the Confederation was born. The origins of practical shooting were developed and the motto - DVC - Diligentia, Vis, Celeritas (Accuracy, Power, Speed) was introduced to reflect this balanced objective.

Today, the International Practical Shooting Confederation is promoted in more than sixty countries (called Regions) from Argentina to Zimbabwe. Every year, the elected representatives of these Regions meet at the IPSC General Assembly.

17 year old French student Eric Grauffel at the 1997 US Open Nationals.
In practical shooting, the competitor must try to blend accuracy, power, and speed, into a winning combination. Targets are 75 centimeters by 45 centimeters with a 15 centimeter center representing the "A zone" or bullseye. Most shooting takes place at close range, with rare shots out to 45 meters. Hitting a 15 centimeter A zone at 45 meters or less might seem easy to an experienced pistol shooter, but in IPSC only full power pistols are allowed (9mm or larger). This power minimum reflects the heritage of this modern sport, and mastering a full power handgun is considerably more difficult than shooting a light recoiling target pistol especially when the competitor is trying to go as fast as possible. Time, also plays a factor. In Comstock scored stages, the scores are divided by the time, adding to the challenge. Competitors may enter any one of five Divisions depending on the style of firearm they use.

Matt Mclearn, World Shoot Bisley, England 1993.
Multiple targets, moving targets, targets that react when hit, penalty carrying targets mixed-in, or even partially covering shoot targets, obstacles, movement, competitive tactics, and, in general, any other relevant difficulty the course designer can dream up all combine to keep the competitors enthusiastic and the spectators entertained. While the rules of IPSC state that the course of fire should be practical and diversity is to be encouraged, to keep the sport from becoming too formalized or standardized. In fact, some matches even contain surprise stages where no one knows in advance what to expect.

Although the roots are martial in origin, the sport matured from these beginnings, just as karate, fencing, or archery developed from their origins. Now, IPSC shooting is an international sport, emphasizing safety and safe gun handling, accuracy, power, and speed, in major competitions around the globe. The crowning glory for practical shooting is to become the IPSC World Champion.

Bill Tibbe

I think the Weatherby Award still exists, doesn't it? It's more of a hunter/conservationist worldwide award, I guess.

Thanks for the replies - here is some background on the Hunter Recognition query�

Col. Charles Askins wrote a �Guns and Shooting� column in Army Times in February, 1962, in which he discussed the nomination of John Buhmiller, a noted gunsmith, barrel maker, and African hunter for the �National outstanding sportsman award.� Askins was writing to lament that Buhmiller deserved the award, but notes that the �committee explained that he had not shot sufficient varieties of game animals.� Thus it appears that this was an organized effort at that time. Askins added that �this fantastic oldster has earned his niche in the hunter�s hall of fame.� The only other information Askins included in the column about the award was that it had previously been won by Herb Kline, a Texas oil tycoon.

See the added informaton below...

Bingo! the award Buhmiller had been nominated for - or rejected in his nomination - was the Weatherby. When I looked up that award and looked at previous winners, there was Herb Klein!. Interestingly enough, the next year it went to Jack O'Connor! Since the board is comprised of, in part, previous winners, O'Connor was likely on the board several years later when Buhmiller was nominated. It is unclear who nominated Buhmiller, but Askins and Elmer Keith, all friends, along with Buhmiller, were all members of the big-bore hunter's faction, and Jack O'Connor was their absolute enemy, known at the time as Mr. .270 for his support of hunting with small bores! Jack O'Connor could be relied upon to have scuttled nominations for anyone from the big-bore camp.

Vince-
Feel free to correct any of the following:

The criticism of Buhmiller's lack of variety might be valid. Klein and O'Connor had hunted all over the world. As far as I know, Buhmiller's experience was mostly in Tanganyika in Africa and in North America. Too, Weatherby might have wanted to avoid some negative publicity that Buhmiller was gathering. At about that time Buhmiller was being criticized by the pre-PETA people for killing lots of elephants. I think it was Ladies Home Journal that ran an article damning Buhmiller.

I suspect the explanation of Mr. 270 vs. the Big Bore Clan is somewhat oversimplified. There were apparently personality conflicts beyond O'Connor's championing of the .270. But I also suspect you are correct in assuming that a lot of smoke-filled-room politicking went on in connection with awarding the trophy.
--Bob

As goes on with most such things.

Bullshooter, I think you are right on, as I understand it. There is no getting away from the fact that the Weatherby award generally went to "big-money" folks that were not likely to take kindly to sharing the spotlight with any backwoods hunter type like John Buhmiller. I think John and Elmer Keith shared many characteristics, inlcuding the fact that neither one could really afford to do African hunting the way the tycoons and the princes did. One thing that Buhmiller lucked into was finding a way to do what he loved to do - shoot - and help someone in the process. It's too bad he didn't take Elmer with him! Jack O'Connor commented on one of his trips that the hunting licenses alone were over $7000, circa 1970, and Buhmiller escaped those expenses, and got paid to boot as a "white hunter" working for the government, helping the native peoples. It was a real win-win situation for everybody. It's true John clearly did not rack up the varieties of kills that the trophey hunters did, on the "guided" hunts they went on. At the same time, He probably never went on a "guided" hunt with anyone, much to his credit. As Col. Charles Askins said about Buhmiller, "The most remarkable shooter in this country today (1962) is virtually unknown, ... and...this fantastic oldster has earned his niche in the hunter's hall of fame."