How The Irish Saved … NRA?

by
posted on March 17, 2015
** 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. **
keefe_report_new-2.jpg

Okay, so they didn’t really save the NRA, but the Irish played a key role in the National Rifle Association of America’s formative years. In 1871 William C. Church used an editorial in The United Sates Army and Navy Journal and Gazette of the Regular Forces and Volunteer Service to promote the idea that “An association should be organized … to promote rifle shooting on a scientific basis … Let us have our rifle practice association, also a Wimbledon [today’s tennis club was then the NRA of Great Britain’s rifle range] on American principles.” The result, was the National Rifle Association of America being granted a charter by the State of New York on Nov. 17, 1871. By 1873, the range at Creedmoor was open and the first annual matches were held.

undefinedThe Irish Rifle Team, under the leadership the Maj. Arthur B. Leech, challenged America, meaning the fledgling NRA, to a long-range rifle match. The Irish were then undisputed champions of the British Isles and were considered the finest marksman of their day anywhere in the world. The match, fired at Creedmoor in 1874, pitted the veteran Irish shooters against a relatively inexperienced American team firing American-made rifles. The Irish used muzzleloading target rifles, thought to be more accurate than any breechloader, while the Americans used Remington and Sharps breechloaders especially made of the event. Ever heard of John Rigby? Yeah, he was on the Irish Team, and they were shooting Rigby target rifles.

undefinedAs a token of international friendship, Maj. Leech, thinking his team would surely win, presented a handsome silver tankard to the Americans. The American team, against all odds, won the match. The tankard became known as the Leech Cup and today remains one of the most coveted trophies in NRA long range competition. In 1875, an American team beat the Irish again at its Dolleymount Range, and the Wimbledon Cup was given to the Americans by the NRA of Great Britain. Every year, during the Long Range phase at Camp Perry, American shooters compete for the Leech and Wimbledon Cups. For those, we can thank the Irish. 

Latest

Walther Arms Pd380 Rifleman Review 1
Walther Arms Pd380 Rifleman Review 1

Rifleman Review: Walther Arms PD380

For its latest compact carry pistol, the PD380, Walther Arms combined elements of its Performance Duty Pistol series with its legacy PK380 platform.

Black Beauty: Nimschke’s Masterpiece Sold By Rock Island Auction

German-born Louis Daniel Nimschke is widely recognized as one of the most talented and prolific firearm engravers of the 19th century.

Springfield Updates Saint Victor AR-15 Lineup

Since 2019, Springfield Armory has offered its Saint Victor line of AR-15s with enhanced features, and for 2025, the company has updated those features to keep pace with consumer demands.

In Memoriam: Wiley Clapp

Longtime American Rifleman Field Editor and contributor Wiley Clapp passed away June 4, 2025. He was 90 years old.

Fiocchi Of America Joins The Kinetic Group, HEVI-Shot Moving Operations

The Kinetic Group has officially added Fiocchi of America—and exclusive rights to Baschieri & Pellagri in the United States—to its lineup of top ammunition brands.

Inside NRA’s New America’s Rifle Challenge

NRA has developed a new competition designed to promote better marksmanship with America’s rifle—the AR-15 platform.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.