These clubs exist for duelling practice, there is no shooting with deliberate aim to make highest possible scores, all is conducted on actual duelling lines.
The word duel means single combat, so all these competitions are conducted in pairs, the winners again competing in pairs and so on till finally only one remains, as in cock-fighting.
Each participant in such a pool, when putting down his name, pays a nominal sum which goes to provide a medal for the winner.
In order that each competitor shall compete against each other competitor, there are printed scoring-cards on the lines of longitude and latitude in maps, so that by running the finger down the list of names and then at right angles down the spaces for results, it can instantly be seen when any particular pair must compete and at which target each will stand.
Each competitor alternately stands to the right or to the left of whoever is his opponent.
Only the pistols supplied by the range are allowed to be used, and these are given so that each shooter uses each pistol in turn and as all are purposely varied as to trigger-pull it requires a really good shot to win. He never knows if he is going to have a light or heavy trigger-pull.
This is the chief difficulty in these competitions, as also in actual duels. When a pair of competitors are each facing a separate man target, the director of the combat gives the word “Attention, feu, un, deux, trois.”
If they both hit anywhere on the figure, the one who fired first is the winner of that pair.
It is usual to have a timer, to decide who fired first.
The director cannot fulfil both offices effectually.