International Riflemen:
Ireland

INDEX

Creedmoor and the
International Matches

J.K Millner (1847-1931)

1874: Member of the Irish team at Creedmoor, USA.
1875: Member of the Irish team at Dollymount, Ireland.
1876: Member of the Irish team at Creedmoor, USA.
1877: Member of the Great Britain team at Creedmoor, USA.
1880: Member of the Irish team at Dollymount, Ireland.
1908: Member of the United Kingdom Team at the 1908 Olympics and 1000yd Match Rifle Gold Medal Winner.

New York Mercury, 27 September 1874
"Mr. Millner is a Dublin wool merchant, and is about 24 years old. He is tall and slender, has dark brown hair, and wears side whiskers and mustache similar to the Emperor William. Mr. Millner's position in shooting is peculiar. He lies upon his back, drawng his feet up partly. The muzzle of his rifle rests firmly in the right armpit. He grasps the stock firmly with his left hand, pulling the trigger, of course, with the right. The near sight of his rifle is about an inch from the butt, which is another peculiarity."

Harper's Weekly, 17 July 1875
"Mr. Millner is a wool merchant of Dublin. He is twenty five years of age, about six feet in height, of lithe figure, with "Burnside" whiskers. In shooting he lies on his back, with the butt of the rifle resting in the hollow of his shoulder, with the barrel resting on his left foot. The rear sight of his rifle is placed near the butt. In the match last year he scored eleven consecutive bull's-eyes at 800 yards distance, but by scoring a bull's-eye on the wrong target he caused the defeat of his team."

At the Centenial Match of 1876 at Creedmoor, USA, Millner scored fifteen bull's-eyes at 1,000 yards for an unprecedented maximum score of 75 x 75. His target diagram is pictured right and taken from the New York Tribune of 15 September 1876.

The target was six feet high by twelve feet wide, and was divided as follows: Bull's eye, 36 inch circle counting 5; Centre, 54 inch circle surrounding the bull's eye, counting 4; Inner, 6 x 6 feet enclosing the centre, counting 3; Outer, the remainder of the target, being a strip 3 feet wide on each edge and counting 2.

In the 1908 London Olympics, shooting events were held at Bisley.

Millner won the 1000 yard Match Rifle gold medal with a score of 98x100. His target diagrams are shown right.

The NRA(GB) Journal, March 1932
Colonel J.K. Millner
"News has just come to hand that Colonel J.K. Milner died on November 16th, 1931. He was a distinguished match rifle shot, and represented Ireland in the Elcho Match for thirty years and captained the team in 1919, although he did not shoot.

In 1874 Colonel Millner was a member of the Irish team which visited the United States. Ireland lost by three points, and Millner began his score at 900 yards with a bull's-eye on the wrong target. In 1877 he was a member of the British tem at Creedmoor which was beatne by 93 points. In the Olympic games of 1908 he won the individual match rifle competition at 1,000 yards.

A member of the Council from 1907 to 1914, Colonel Millner did much valuable work, and until a few years ago was a regular visitor to Bisley. In his later year he devoted much time to the breeding of sporting dogs and published a very valuable book on the subject. He was an inimitable mimic, and those who heard the corncrake or other unusual birds cry during the Bisley Meeting were listening to "Josh" Millner indulging in a little fun at their expense."

©2005 DB Minshall

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