The Great 1874 International Match

by
posted on August 23, 2018
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
1875-american-team-creedmoor-rifles.jpg
Above: The American Team with "Creedmoor" rifles

The Irish Rifle Team, under the leadership of Maj. Arthur B. Leech, challenged America to a long range rifle match. The Irish were then undisputed champions of the British Isles and were considered the finest marksmen of their day. The match, fired at Creedmoor, pitted the veteran Irish shooters against a relatively inexperienced American team firing American-made rifles. The Irish used muzzleloading target rifles, thought to be far more accurate than any breechloader, while the Americans used Remington and Sharps breechloaders especially made for the event.

As a token of international friendship. Maj. Leech, thinking his team would surely win, presented a handsome silver tankard to the Americans. The Americans, against all odds, won the match. The tankard became known as the Leech Cup and today remains one of the most coveted trophies in long range marksmanship.

Latest

Panchovilla SK 3
Panchovilla SK 3

SK Guns’ Pancho Villa 1911 Returns in Stainless Steel

SK Guns reissues its Pancho Villa 1911 in stainless steel, limited to 300 engraved .38 Super Government Models at $3,100.

USPSA Grand Master Jessie Harrison Joins Team Check-Mate

Check-Mate has signed pistol champion Jessie Harrison to its shooting team, adding her to a roster built on magazine reliability.

Range USA Completes Store Redesign

Range USA finishes redesigning all its stores, adding self-service handgun displays, a 32-gun long gun tower and double the in-store optics.

Federal’s New Action Shotgun Rifled Slug

Federal’s Action Shotgun line adds a 12-gauge TruBall rifled slug, a 1-ounce hollow point at 1,300 fps, now shipping.

Preview: 2026 Spirit Of America NRA National Fullbore Championships

NRA’s National Fullbore Championships run Sept. 10-17 at the Whittington Center in Raton, New Mexico. Mail-in entries close Aug. 15.

A Century Of Tradition Fights To Survive: 1994 National Matches

Congress and the Pentagon nearly ended the National Matches in 1994. NRA vowed to keep them alive while Mike Anti rewrote the smallbore record book.

Interests



Get the best of Shooting Sports USA delivered to your inbox.