We know the members of the 1874 Creedmoor team that start the US on it way of being the greatest shooting group in the world from the photo of them.  But do we have the other members of the 1875, 1876, 1877 and 1880 teams on record somewhere?
1974 team:  
Team Captain: Gen. G.W. Wingate. 
Brig. Gen. Thomas F. Dakin
Col. John Bodine
Lt. C. H.A. Gildersleeve
Lieut. H. Fulton
L.L. Hepburn
G.W. Yale
Col. E.S. Sanford (reserve)
I.T.B. Collins (reserve)

If you're interested in the Creedmoor matches, you will be interested in this posted by our friend David Minshall.

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That article is an interesting read for sure, Old-Win.  Thanks for sharing the link!

Can anybody identify the 4th rifle down on the left in the second picture?  Maybe it's just the angle but I don't recognize it?  Bob

Old Win,
I think it is a D.S. Cole.  Have only run across one or two but seem to recall one being in John Ambers collection that sold back in 1986.

majorfs45 wrote on Dec 22^nd, 2015 at 5:13pm:


You've missed S.I. Scott from the US team at Dollymount in 1880.

For completness besides the US Vs Ireland matches there were also:

1876 at Creedmoor for the Centennial Trophy (later known as Palma Trophy)
America, Australia, Canada, Ireland and Scotland
USA: Allen, Bodine, Dakin, Farwell, Fulton, Gildersleeve, Rathbone, Weber
Scores: America 1577+1549=3126, Ireland 1582+1522=3104, Scotland 1586+1477=3063, Australia 1545+1517=3062, Canada 1490+1433=2923

1877 at Creedmoor for the Centennial Trophy
USA, Great Britain
USA: Allen, Blydenburgh, Bruce, Dakin, Hyde, Jackson, Jewell, Weber
Scores: America 1655+1679=3334, GB 1629+1613=3242

1878 at Creedmoor
There were no foreign competitors for the 'Palma Trophy' and the Americans fired the match unopposed. A storm struck at 1000 yards on the second day and this distance wasn't completed.
USA: Brown, Clark, Dwight, Gerrish, Jackson, Rathbone, Rockwell, Sumner
Scores: America 1660+incomplete

1880 at Wimbledon, England
Unofficial match USA vs GB following the Dollymount match.
USA: Brown, Dudley, Gerrish, Hyde, Jackson, Laird, Rockwell, Scott
Scores: America 1568, Great Britain 1647

With regards to scores and as was pointed out above, targets changed. 1874 and 1875 matches were shot on the square target with a bull's eye scoring 4, centre scoring 3 and outer scoring 2. The 'bull' was 3' square. From 1876 the targets changed to circular and the 3' dia. bull scored 5, centre 4, inner 3 and outer 2.


More recently I have been researching the international matches between the US National Guard and the British Rifle Volunteers, using military breech loading rifles. In a few days I will have brief biographies of all the competitors (Teams of 12 each year 1882 & 1883) added to my (You need to Login or Register to view media files and links).

David

Even though the target scoring on the targets were different, look at the scoring.  Out of 270 shots, 221 were bulleyes, 41 centers,  7 inners, one outer with absolutely no misses!  Just an amazing shooting performance by the 1880 American team!  So amazing, we are still talking about it!

The history of these rifles, and the men who shot them is one of the reasons I began liking single shots in general. I never owned a long range target rifle, not even very close, but each bit of the history of these men, matches and rifles that comes my way makes me more fond of the entire single shot story. Thanks to all who chime in on both of these fine threads. 
I once held a rifle that had belonged to Virgil Earp, but I'd trade that pleasure for a chance to handle one of the rifles our shooters won one of these matches using.