U D 
 
 333 
 
 08 IE TRAINING 
 
 FOR WAR- 
 
 Lt, CoL S. W. BROOlM^rj 
 Infantry, U. S. A. 
 
 Published by the 
 
 :ONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION 
 OF AMERICA 
 
 FOR THE 
 
 3IQNAL BOARB FOR THE 
 
 OF RIFLE PRACTICE 
 
 ry 
 
 SECOND EDITION 
 Revised and Enlarged 
 
 WASHINGTON 
 GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFF1CB 
 
 1919 
 
GIFT OF 
 
RIFLE TRAINING 
 FOR WAR 
 
 By 
 
 Lt. Col. S. W. BROOKHART 
 Infantry, U. S. A. 
 
 Published by the 
 
 NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION 
 OF AMERICA 
 
 FOR THE 
 
 NATIONAL BOARD FOR THE PROMOTION 
 OF RIFLE PRACTICE 
 
 SECOND fiDHION 
 Revised and Enlarged 
 
 WASHINGTON 
 
 GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 
 1919 
 
WASHINGTON, IOWA, June 9, 1919. 
 This is the second edition of " Rifle Training in 
 War." The first was written prior to the Small Arms 
 Firing School at Camp Perry, Ohio. In that school 
 and later in the Infantry School of Arms at Camp 
 Benning, Ga., I received many valuable suggestions 
 from Col. Morton C. Mumma and all of the excellent 
 corps of instructors. Those entitled to special mention 
 and credit for this edition are Capt. Don A. Preussner, 
 Capt. James M. H. Wallace, Capt. Arthur D. Roth- 
 rock, and Lieut. John A. Dietz. 
 
 SMITH W. BKOOKHART, 
 Lieutenant Colonel of Infantry, United States Army. 
 
 (3) 
 
 415537 
 
FOREWORD. 
 
 THE THEORY OF INDIVIDUAL FIRE. 
 
 armistice is signed and peace is coming, but 
 rifle training in peace is not different from rifle 
 training in war. The one is reasonable preparation, 
 the other immediate necessity. Both have the same 
 object when we are considering military training. 
 This training may be divided into two parts: First, 
 the training of the individual ; second, the training of 
 the leaders and their units in collective fire. 
 
 It is the purpose of this publication to treat only 
 of individual training, and it will begin with a dis- 
 cussion of its theory and relative importance. Before 
 the war there grew up a theory, based largely upon 
 German precept if not propaganda, to the effect that 
 individual rifle training was unimportant if not a 
 military detriment. It was variously stated that 
 "Expert riflemen will not make as many hits in war 
 as will average shots " ; that " Individual instruction 
 should not be given at ranges greater than 500 yards " ; 
 that " Such training as the soldier receives on the 
 target range plays but a minor part " ; that " At 900 
 yards poor marksmen will obtain 10 times as 
 many ' hits as good marksmen " ; that " When the 
 range is unknown the superior skill of the excellent 
 marksman works to his positive disadvantage " ; and 
 that, firing in modern battle, is "often conducted at 
 ranges of 2,000 yards or even more." 
 (5) 
 
These conciasions \vcre demonstrated by various 
 firing problems. One of the favorites was to organize 
 four companies of 48 men each. The first was experts, 
 the second average shots, the third poor shots, and the 
 fourth recruits. These companies in turn were halted 
 1,200 yards from a line of targets and were required 
 to set their sights with a 12 per cent error or approxi- 
 mately 150 yards wrong. Each then fired 10 shots per 
 man and it was found the experts got no hits. They 
 missed the targets about 150 yards just as their sights 
 were set. The average shots scattered their fire a 
 little and got a few hits. The poor shots scattered 
 their fire more and got more hits. The recruits scat- 
 tered their fire most and got most hits. The experts 
 were then taken on an estimating-distance test and 
 their average error was about 12 per cent. They were 
 then informed that the distance given them was ex- 
 actly in accordance with their own error and the 
 result of their firing was the same as in battle. The 
 result proved that poor marksmen would get 10 times 
 as many hits as good marksmen at long ranges and 
 that superior skill was a disadvantage when the dis- 
 tances were unknown. Hence, individual instruction 
 should not be given at greater ranges than 500 yards 
 and target-range training plays but a minor part. 
 
 If the problem were exactly like a battle and if 
 battles must be fought exactly like the problem, then 
 the conclusions would be correct, but neither side ever 
 did or ever will act like the problem. The enemy will 
 not march up and halt in a line at 1,200 yards to be 
 smashed by a scatteration of poor rifle shots. If he 
 did take such a position, the intelligent thing to do 
 would be to use machine-gun fire. If expert riflemen 
 must be used they would not waste 10 rounds of 
 
ammunition in obedience to an erroneous estimate of 
 distance. A trial shot or a trial volley would set them 
 right. The distance would not remain unknown if 
 they were experts. If they were poor shots the cor- 
 rectness of the distance would matter little. They 
 get about the same number of hits, right or wrong. 
 In either case they do not get enough to be decisive, 
 and the shorter the distance the more unreliable they 
 become. There are other conditions of modern war- 
 fare that entirely destroy the arguments against the 
 individual training on the target range. The develop- 
 ment of the machine gun has certainly taken over 
 most of the long-range collective fire that was formerly 
 assigned to the rifle. This is true even in open war- 
 fare. On the other hand, the best defense or offense 
 against the machine gun is in the training of more and 
 better snipers. 
 
 In trench warfare the advance by platoon rushes 
 protected by rifle fire is impossible. Most of the 
 advancing is done underground and in the night. The 
 collective fire of the preliminary battle advances is 
 entirely discarded. When the time comes to go over 
 the top, the whole line goes over together, either under 
 the protection of a barrage or as a surprise without 
 artillery preparation. The range is usually very short, 
 nearly always under 400 yards. After the melee starts 
 there is no such thing as fire distribution, fire control, 
 or even fire discipline. In the decisive stages of the 
 fight commands are impossible and communications 
 cease. There is nothing left to rely on except the indi- 
 vidual training of the man. If that has been good, 
 the fire control will be good, because each man will 
 save his fire until he can hit something. When the 
 
8 
 
 enemy appears he needs no command to deliver his 
 fire both rapidly and accurately. He will look through 
 the sights, and that means hits and superiority of fire. 
 Misses never give superiority, however great the vol- 
 ume. A great volume of misses encourages the enemy. 
 At these short ranges if the men are properly trained 
 they will accurately know every distance. Even if the 
 distances must be estimated the errors will not cause 
 trained riflemen to miss. A 12 per cent error in dis- 
 tance at 300 yards only raises or lowers the hit 3 
 inches in the vertical plane, and that would not miss a 
 head. Notwithstanding these facts the whole history 
 of warfare shows that the ordinary army does less 
 execution at the short ranges than at the longer 
 ranges. There are two reasons : the excitement of 
 battle and insufficient individual training. If the 
 training is thorough a large percentage of the men 
 will go back to it in spite of the excitement of battle. 
 If the training is inadequate, the excitement sends the 
 shots high and the ammunition is wasted. 
 
 In a quiet sector it has been said that a rifle shot 
 would not be heard in many days. If such is the fact 
 the sector was not properly organized with trained 
 snipers. In any quiet sector the snipers ought to dom- 
 inate the ordinary situation, and that in spite of 
 machine-gun fire. Such a result can not be obtained 
 without the best trained individual riflemen. It can 
 surely be obtained with them. 
 
 If the modern battle ranges are so short, that fact 
 may be urged as a reason why target training should 
 not be done at a greater distance than 500 yards. 
 Such a reason will appeal only to the novice. The 
 good rifleman learned his 500-yard holding at 1,000 
 
9 
 
 yards. He learned more in firing one shot at the 
 longer range than in firing five at the shorter. If he 
 is trained in the harder problem he masters the other 
 with ease and he saves both time and ammunition. 
 The distance should be increased as rapidly as he can 
 hit and change his hits to correspond to his sight 
 changes. Greater improvement at the shorter ranges 
 is sure to follow this kind of training. Besides, every 
 sniper should be trained to hit at 1,000 yards and even 
 at greater distances with telescopic sights. 
 
 It is said that individual training will not insure 
 proper fire distribution. If the warfare were open and 
 there were no machine guns, then the spraying of the 
 landscape would of necessity be done with the rifles. 
 The question of fire distribution would then be of 
 great importance. But since we have machine guns 
 the commander would not be justified in exposing a 
 long line of riflemen and shooting away their ammuni- 
 tion when one or two machine guns would do the job 
 better. The machine gun has very greatly reduced 
 the necessity for collective rifle fire and for its sys- 
 tematic distribution even in open warfare. However 
 important the training for these purposes might have 
 been in the past, it dwindles under modern conditions. 
 We have reached the time when an exhaustive study 
 should be given of the proper coordination and divi- 
 sion of fire as between machine guns, automatic rifles, 
 and rifles. The occasions and conditions under which 
 each should be used should be carefully analyzed and 
 defined and the training modified accordingly. If 
 the machine gun is taking the place of our old collec- 
 tive fire problems at long distances, it is time to drop 
 so many of them and save that much of our troubles. 
 
10 
 
 When we come to the shorter distances and the more 
 decisive stages of battle, individual training will cause 
 each man to fire on the enemy he is approaching, and 
 that insures the best posible distribution along the 
 whole line. Besides, we have already seen there is 
 nothing else to rely upon at this stage. 
 
 From the foregoing discussion it is deduced that 
 individual training in rifle fire is of the greatest im- 
 portance in war. The discipline that is so necessary 
 for proper teamwork in battle is best attained by 
 training in the work itself. The morale that is so 
 necessary to sustain the shock of battle is best devel- 
 oped by the confidence each man has in his ability to 
 do execution with his weapons. 
 
 If this training were properly given it would be 
 divided into three stages. First, the ordinary target 
 range practice at known distances in which every aid 
 to speed and accuracy should be employed. It is possi- 
 ble to give this part of the training quite efficiently 
 in a 16-week period and without neglect of other train- 
 ing, but not upon the ammunition allowance of the 
 firing manual. A plan is outlined in part 13 hereof 
 which would train 2,000 instructors in 24 half days 
 of firing and then each man in the division for 12 half 
 days under these instructors. This would require 
 about 800 rounds of ammunition per man, and every 
 shot would be fired under the direction of a trained 
 instructor. This is a minimum. Every man who is 
 sent into a modern battle is certainly entitled to this 
 amount of preparation. It is less training than he 
 would get in learning to shoe a horse or drive an 
 automobile. It is less than he will get in many minor 
 parts of his military, instruction. It can be done with 
 
11 
 
 a reasonable number of targets, but it has not been 
 done heretofore. This training will not make a war 
 shot out of any man, but it will give him the best 
 basis for it. If possible he should have a second period 
 of training on indistinct and moving targets at un- 
 known distances, but it is a waste of time to attempt 
 this before a man has learned the rifle and the hold 
 in a reliable manner. Also, no satisfactory range for 
 training large numbers of men in this kind of fire 
 has yet been developed. Small sniper ranges have 
 been operated with reasonable success, but the proper 
 solution on a large scale is yet to come. This would 
 end individual training and the third stage is collec- 
 tive fire. The leaders only can be trained in collective 
 fire. The large terrain and the time required make 
 it impossible to train the whole personnel. If the 
 leaders become casualties the whole training is lost. 
 It is, therefore, obvious that the principal reliance 
 can not be put upon training in collective fire. If the 
 individual is well trained the machine will always go ; 
 if he is not, it is always in danger of collapse. 
 
 AN OUTLINE FOR INDIVIDUAL TRAINING. 
 
 rpHE course of instruction in marksmanship is com- 
 prised of 20 subjects, which will be referred to 
 by number, as follows: 
 
 1. Nomenclature, dismounting and assembling 
 
 rifle. 
 
 2. Care and cleaning rifle. 
 
 3. Position drills. 
 
 4. Manipulation drills. 
 
12 
 
 5. Sight alignment. 
 
 6. Trigger squeeze. 
 
 7. Ten commandments. 
 
 8. Aiming drills. 
 
 9. Rapid loading. 
 
 10. Rapid-fire aiming drills. 
 
 11. Sight setting. 
 
 12. Gallery practice. 
 
 13. Range operation. 
 
 14. Records. 
 
 15. Exterior ballistics. 
 
 16. Safety cautions. 
 
 17. Range firing. 
 
 18. Functioning and repairs. 
 
 19. Interest and enthusiasm. 
 
 20. Daily critique and review. 
 Each student should be provided with 
 
 Rifle, cleaning rods, oil, and patches. 
 Automatic pistol. 
 Notebook. 
 
 Score book and pencils. 
 Grease. 
 
 Cartridge belt and 20 dummy cartridges. 
 Reference books for use of students 
 Small-arms firing manual. 
 Hand Book of the Rifle. War Department 
 
 publication (Doc. No. 698). 
 Ordnance publications. (Nos. 1923, 1917, 1966, 
 
 1965, 1793, and 1992.) 
 Blanks used by this school. 
 
13 
 
 1. NOMENCLATURE, DISMOUNTING AND ASSEMBLING 
 BIFLE. 
 
 (A) Have group dismount and assemble bolt mech- 
 anism in concert. 
 
 (a) Display parts to group and ask individual 
 members for correct names. 
 
 (&) Have individual students describe function of 
 each part. 
 
 (B) Have group dismount and assemble magazine 
 mechanism. 
 
 (a) Ask individuals for correct names. 
 (&) Ask individuals for description of functions of 
 each part. 
 
 (C) Instructor will dismount and assemble the 
 whole rifle in presence of his group. 
 
 (a) Will ask individuals correct name of each part. 
 (&) Will ask individuals for description of the func- 
 tion of each part. 
 
 (D) Instructor will designate three vital parts of 
 the rifle, as follows: 
 
 1. Lands at the muzzle : 
 (a) Minimum gauge, 0.2999. 
 (&) Worn-out gauge, 0.304. 
 
 (c) Difference, 0.0041. 
 
 (d) Maximum amount of wear on each individual 
 land $, or 0.00205. 
 
 (e) Maximum gauge, 0.302 subtracted from worn- 
 out gauge leaves, 0.002. 
 
 (f) 0.001 minimum amount of wear on each indi- 
 vidual land bring j. 
 
 (g) The average diameter of a human hair is 
 0.0015, which is about the average amount of wear 
 on the rifle land until it is worn out. Gauge figures 
 are for 1917 rifle, but they illustrate for any rifle. 
 
14 
 
 The above figures are fractions of an inch. 
 
 2. Guard screws : 
 
 (a) Must always be tight. 
 
 (&) If rifle becomes erratic examine guard screws 
 first. 
 
 (c) Explain delicacy in vibration of barrel. 
 
 (d) Explain delicacy in bending barrel. 
 
 (e) Explain bearing of barrel on guard screws. 
 
 3. The trigger: 
 (a) The command. 
 
 (&) The heel, or final squeeze bearing. 
 
 (c) No drags, creeps, or stops in final squeeze. 
 
 (d) Drags, creeps, and stops corrected by shorten- 
 ing and smoothing heel bearing. 
 
 (e) After heel is shortened it may be necessary to 
 shorten and smooth command bearing on side toward 
 heel. 
 
 (f) The two bearings must be kept separate and 
 distinct. 
 
 (<7) Sear nose and sear must never be filed to cor- 
 rect for drags, creeps, and stops in the final squeeze. 
 (h) Test I and II, Small Arms Firing Manual. 
 (E) Comparison of service rifles. 
 
 2. CARE AND CLEANING OF BIFLE. 
 
 (A) Cleaning rack. 
 
 (B) Cleaning patches. 
 
 (C) Oil. 
 
 (D) Grease used on bullets in firing makes cleaning 
 easy. 
 
 (E) Pull-through should not be used generally; it 
 has a tendency to injure the lands at the muzzle. 
 
15 
 
 (F) Use of emery dust prohibited. 
 
 (G) All muzzle cleaning prohibited. 
 (H) Fouling, powder or metal. 
 
 (I) Powder fouling removed by ordinary soda solu- 
 tion. 
 
 (J) Metal fouling prevented by use of greased bul- 
 lets. It may not be advisable to use them in battle 
 because of smoke, but they should be used during the 
 training period for the preservation of the rifle. 
 
 (K) Ammonia solution for metal fouling has done 
 many times more damage than good, because it has 
 not been properly used. If used it must be with the 
 greatest care and exactly as prescribed in the de- 
 scriptive book. 
 
 (L) After all cleaning, the bore must be oiled. 
 
 (M) For a short time the best oil is sperm mixed 
 with 20 per cent cosmoline. 
 
 (N) For a long period, cosmoline. 
 
 (O) If rifles are inspected clean and shining, they 
 must be oiled immediately and inspected a second time 
 after oiling. 
 
 (P) Orders will not get rifles oiled after shining 
 inspection ; there must be another inspection to see 
 that the orders are obeyed. 
 
 3, POSITION DRILLS. 
 
 (A) Regular positions of the firing manual and 
 trench : 
 (a) Prone. 
 (&) Sitting. 
 
 (c) Kneeling. 
 
 (d) Standing. 
 
 (e) Standing trench. 
 
16 
 
 (B) Sling adjustments: 
 
 (a) Prone position, without sandbag. 
 (&) Sitting position. 
 
 (c) Kneeling position. 
 
 (d) Standing position. 
 
 (e) In standing and kneeling position arm may be 
 wrapped in sling without going through the loop, 
 known as the grapevine sling. 
 
 (C) Sandbag adjustments: 
 
 (a) Prone, with sling, hand on bag, rifle on hand. 
 
 (b) Prone, without sling, bag under explosion; 
 easiest position and almost as good. 
 
 (c) Standing trench, without sling, bag under ex- 
 plosion. 
 
 (d) Best not to use sling in standing trench posi- 
 tion. 
 
 (e) Test VIII, Small Arms Firing Manual. 
 
 4. MANIPULATION DRILLS. 
 
 (A) Manipulate bolt with trigger tied back. 
 
 (B) Simulate aiming by taking the aiming posi- 
 tion ; but this is not an aiming drill. 
 
 (C) Begin manipulation in standing position be- 
 cause it is easiest. 
 
 (a) Then kneeling. 
 
 (b) Then sitting. 
 
 (c) Then prone, and in the sling. 
 
 (D) Final test, 20 times in 15 seconds in prone 
 position, in sling, with trigger tied back. 
 
 5. SIGHT ALIGNMENT. 
 
 (A) Relative position of sights and bull's-eye. 
 (a) Freeze face to stock in such position that top 
 of front sight appears in center of peep. 
 

 17 
 
 (B) Focus of the eyes. 
 
 (a) Will only focus on one point at same time. 
 
 (&) Sight alignment checked by changing focus of 
 eye from center of peep to top of front sight, then to 
 bull's-eye. It may be necessary to repeat this check 
 several times. 
 
 (c) Focus on peep held on sky line discloses 
 
 (1) Bright center in peep. 
 
 (2) Dark center in bright center. 
 
 (3) Bright point in dark center. 
 
 (d) Bright point is optical center of peep, but it 
 is hard to find, and is only found when eye is right 
 distance from the peep, and variation of one-half inch 
 too close or too far from the peep loses it. The first 
 big bright center noticed in a peep can be used in 
 practically all aiming and centering whether on the 
 sky line or not. The others are not seen in 1903 rifle, 
 because sight is too far from eye. 
 
 (C) Sighting devices. 
 
 (a) Belgian aiming device. 
 (&) Sighting bar. 
 
 (c) Ordnance aiming device. 
 
 (d) Only value of these devices is to assist in learn- 
 ing correct sight alignment. As soon as understood 
 they have no further use. 
 
 (D) Sighting triangles. 
 
 (a) Tests at 100 yards, triangle covered by quarter 
 dollar. 
 
 (&) Sight triangle in bright light 
 
 (c) Shade target and note effect of dark light. 
 
 (d) Shade sights, leave target bright ; note effect. 
 
 (e) Shade both sights and target; note effect. 
 130339 19 2 
 
18 
 
 (/) After men become expert at sighting triangles, 
 have groups of three or more sight triangles without 
 moving rifle or target. Note different placing of tri- 
 angles by different men, hence difference in eyes. 
 
 (g) Have same done in different light, and note 
 difference in effect of light on different eyes. 
 
 (E) Test VI, Small Arms Firing Manual. 
 
 6. TKIGGEE SQUEEZE. 
 
 (A) Command hold. 
 
 (B) Final squeeze. 
 
 (C) Flinching: 
 
 (a) Caused by fear of explosion. 
 
 (&) Or improper placing of mental attention. 
 
 (c) Cured by training the mind to stay where it 
 belongs. 
 
 (d) Mind should not think of explosion. 
 
 (e) Mind should think of sight alignment and final 
 squeeze. 
 
 (f) Mixing dummies with loads will not cure flinch- 
 ing, and is so dangerous it should be prohibited. 
 
 7. TEN COMMANDMENTS. 
 
 1. Position 45. 
 
 2. Adjust sling high. 
 
 3. Hard on shoulder. 
 
 4. Freeze face to stock. 
 
 5. Hold breath. 
 
 6. Take command trigger. 
 
 7. Align sights. 
 
 8. Last focus on bull. 
 
 9. Final squeeze. 
 10. Call shot. 
 
19 
 
 (A) The commandments are based on the prone 
 position because it is the best position in which to 
 learn accurate shooting. 
 
 (a) The alignment of the body 45 from the align- 
 ment of the rifle is the best prone position for accu- 
 rate shooting, and should, therefore, be used during 
 the training period, although it may not often be possi- 
 ble in battle. The best positions bring the best results, 
 and when good shooting is once learned it will follow 
 in any position that may be forced by service condi- 
 tions. 
 
 (B) Sling should be adjusted high above the muscle 
 of the upper arm and held with the keeper. 
 
 (a) If permitted to slip down near the elbow three- 
 fourths of its value is lost. 
 
 ( & ) The sling should be used when possible, because 
 it gives the best results. 
 
 (c) After good holding, and with the sling, all hold- 
 ing without it will be improved. 
 
 (d) Many times in battle the sling can not be used, 
 but its lessons are valuable anyhow. 
 
 (C) If the sling is adjusted high, and the right 
 length, the butt of the stock will come hard against 
 the shoulder. 
 
 (D) There can be no good holding unless the face 
 is frozen hard against the stock, and also against the 
 thumb when it goes around the stock. 
 
 (a) This freezing of the face should be in such posi- 
 tion as to bring the eye in proper alignment with the 
 sights, as already noted. 
 
 (E) The breath must be held: 
 (a) At the time of alignment. 
 (&) During final trigger squeeze. 
 
20 
 
 (c) The best way is to catch up breathing, take a 
 long breath, exhale part until feeling is easy, and then 
 hold as above indicated. 
 
 (d) If breath can not be held long enough for this 
 at first trial, above process should be repeated. 
 
 (c) Attempt should always be made to complete the 
 aim and trigger squeeze on the first holding of the 
 breath. 
 
 (F) After the trigger is squeezed back a certain 
 distance there is a distinct stop. To take command 
 of trigger means to squeeze it back to 'this stop and 
 hold it there. This should be done before alignment 
 of sights and final squeeze. 
 
 ( G ) Correct sight alignment is : 
 
 (a) Top of front sight in center of peep. 
 
 ( b ) Top of front sight at 6 o'clock under bull's-eye, 
 or on other aiming point. 
 
 (H) The eye having two sights and an aiming point, 
 or bull's-eye, to observe, must focus at least three dif- 
 ferent times, and the last focus before the final squeeze 
 is on the bull's-eye or aiming point. 
 
 (I) After the last focus on the bull's-eye or aiming 
 point has shown the sights in proper alignment with 
 it, everything is ready for the final squeeze of the 
 trigger, which must be prompt and steady, without 
 thinking of the explosion. 
 
 ( J) After the final squeeze the next business of the 
 mind is to call the shot, which is done by observing 
 the position of the front sight at the time of final 
 squeeze. 
 
 (a) If top of front sight is higher than it should be 
 at aiming point, shot is called high. 
 
/"h\ If 4- 
 
 21 
 
 ( & ) If top of front sight is to right of aiming point 
 at time of final squeeze, shot is called to the right. 
 
 (c) The same for left. 
 
 (d) The same for low. 
 
 8. AIMING DEILLS. 
 
 (A) The ten commandments indicate the ten things 
 to do in an aiming drill, and all aiming drills should 
 be conducted with the same care as shooting to hit. 
 
 (a) Conduct the aiming drill by using the ten com- 
 mandments as commands. 
 
 (B) Test IX, Small Arms Firing Manual. 
 
 9. RAPID LOADING. 
 
 (A) Training in rapid loading with dummies is 
 usually neglected. For this reason it was made a 
 leading subject in this instruction. This must be 
 practiced until each student becomes expert. 
 
 (a) With dummies. 
 
 (6) Test VII, Small Arms Firing Manual. 
 
 10. RAPID-FIRE AIMING DRILLS. 
 
 (A) Rapid-fire aiming drills are the same as the ten 
 commandment aiming drills, except the speed is in- 
 creased to rapid-fire time. After rapid-fire time is 
 mastered the maximum rate per minute may be used. 
 
 (a) They should be conducted first without dum- 
 mies. 
 
 (&) With dummies. 
 
 (c) Test X, Small Arms Firing Manual. 
 
 (d) Care to prevent injury from dummies. 
 
22 
 
 11. SIGHT SETTING. 
 
 (A) Corrections should be estimated in inches from 
 the center of the bull's-eye. One point of wind will 
 move a hit 4 inches for each 100 yards distance from 
 the target and in the same direction that the wind 
 gauge is moved. One hundred yards elevation will 
 move a hit on the target in inches equal to the square 
 of the number of hundred yards distance. 
 
 (B) Table of exact movement of hits is found at 
 top of page 73, description and rules for 1903 rifle 
 No. 1923. When battle sight is used this windage 
 must be increased by approximately one-third. 
 
 (C) Corrections for finding the target when missing 
 should be for one-half the height of target for eleva- 
 tion and one-half the width for windage. 
 
 (D) Average speed of wind is estimated over the 
 whole ground and the wind gauge is moved into the 
 wind as shown by the second table, page 73, No. 1923. 
 
 (E) 12 and 6 o'clock winds affect only the elevation 
 and the effect is slight at the short and mid ranges. 
 At 1,000 yards 25 yards of elevation equals a 10-mile 
 wind. Table on page 74, No. 1923. 
 
 (F) Mirage or heat waves should be treated as a 
 wind flag and corrections made for speed and direc- 
 tions of the wind as shown by the moving mirage and 
 in accordance with the windage tables. 
 
 (G) The aiming point is slightly indirect when 6 
 o'clock is used, being below the hitting point or center 
 of the bull's-eye. When the battle sight is used at 
 short distances it is still lower, hence more indirect. 
 Higher elevation is required to offset the lower aiming 
 point. 
 
23 
 
 (H) The effect of light on sight setting is indi- 
 vidual and each man must determine for himself by 
 actual shooting. Care in looking at the outline of the 
 sights and the target will reduce light effect. Heat 
 raises the hit ; cold lowers it ; moisture raises it, and 
 dryness lowers it. 
 
 (I) To set a Winchester A-5 telescopic sight, bore- 
 sight the rifle for both zero elevation and windage. 
 Add together all of the serial numbers for each 100 
 yards distance; the total will be the number of 
 graduations to raise the sight for elevation up to 600 
 yards. Above 600 yards 50 per cent more than the 
 serial numbers must be added. For windage move 
 the sight from zero the same as the metallic sight, 
 counting each graduation one-eighth of a point. 
 
 12. GALLERY PRACTICE. 
 
 (A) Regular targets. 
 
 (B) Animated targets. 
 
 13. RANGE OPERATION. 
 
 (A) Range officers and duties. 
 
 (B) Pit officers and duties. 
 
 (C) Scorers and duties. 
 
 (D) Pit detail and duties. 
 
 (E) Organization of firing details. 
 
 (F) Rotation of firing sections. 
 
 (G) Instructors for firing sections. 
 (H) Amount of firing. 
 
 (I) Operation order. 
 
 14. RECORDS. 
 
 (A) Notes. 
 
 (B) Scorebooks. 
 
 (C) Statistics. 
 
24 
 
 15. EXTERIOR BALLISTICS. 
 
 (A) Trajectory. 
 
 (B) Range. 
 
 (C) Line of site. 
 
 (D) Line of departure. 
 
 (E) Angle of site. 
 
 (F) Angle of departure. 
 
 (G) Friction. 
 
 (H) Theory of drift. 
 
 (I) Primer, powder, bullet. 
 
 ( J) Parallelogram of forces. 
 
 (K) Kinetic energy, air resistance, gravity, wind. 
 
 (L) Plotting trajectory. 
 
 (M) Temperature and density. 
 
 (N) Striking energy. 
 
 16. SAFETY CAUTIONS. 
 
 (A) Never fire before cleaning cosmic from the 
 barrel. 
 
 (B) Never fire when the barrel is plugged with 
 snow, mud, dirt, or other obstruction. 
 
 (C) Never fire with dust in the barrel; metal foul- 
 ing results. 
 
 (D) Always clean cosmic from the bolt and main 
 spring; it causes misfires. 
 
 (E) Always keep the bolt open on the rifle range. 
 
 (F) Never push the bolt forward with the leaf sight 
 laid to the rear (1917 rifle). 
 
 (G) If necessary to lay rifle on the ground, have 
 the bolt up and the muzzle clear of the ground. 
 
 (H) When assembling the bolt always screw the 
 sleeve clear up; otherwise misfires will result. (1917 
 rifle.) 
 
(I) Never put the finger on the trigger except at 
 time of firing or in a proper drill. 
 
 (J) Always turn safety lock clear back and never 
 squeeze the trigger when pushing the safety lock to 
 the ready position. 
 
 (K) The bayonet must always be securely fastened 
 to the rifle before firing with fixed bayonet. 
 
 (L) Never point a rifle at any person except in 
 battle. 
 
 (M) Never aim or squeeze the trigger after issue of 
 ammunition except at the target. 
 
 (N) Ball cartridges will never be mixed with dum- 
 mies and never taken to quarters. 
 
 17. EANGE FIRING. 
 
 (A) Preliminary slow fire, using 10 command- 
 ments. 
 
 (B) Fire for groups at short range. 
 
 (C) As soon as good groups are fired 
 (a) Determine normal elevations. 
 
 (&) Zero for windage. 
 
 (D) Begin rapid-fire practice after normals and 
 zero are found. 
 
 (E) Also increase the distance in slow fire as fast 
 as improvement in holding will permit. 
 
 (a) The test of how long a range to fire is the hit 
 on the target. 
 
 (&) Is ready to fire at 1,000 yards when can stay 
 on the target. 
 
 (c) There is more value in firing one shot at long 
 range than several shots at short range if the holding 
 is good enough to stay on the target and improve after 
 the hits are marked. 
 
26 
 
 (F) Sniping firing 
 
 (a) Is improved by proper building of sniping posts. 
 
 (6) First build for position of man, rifle, and sand- 
 bag, whether prone, sitting, or standing. 
 
 (c) Adjust man, rifle, and sandbag in position, and 
 then build port hole to fit. 
 
 (G) Record firing 
 
 (a) Is a test of the training. 
 
 18. FUNCTIONING AND REPAIRS. 
 
 (A) Functioning of clip and cartridges. 
 
 (B) Of bolt. 
 
 (C) Of trigger. 
 
 (D) Primary extraction; extraction and ejection. 
 
 (E) Locking. 
 
 (F) Loading. 
 
 (G) Fixing trigger squeeze. 
 
 19. INTEREST AND ENTHUSIASM. 
 
 Recoil drills. 
 Buck fever. 
 
 20. DAILY CRITIQUE AND REVIEW. 
 
 (A) Solves each man's troubles for everybody. 
 
 (B) Secures uniformity. 
 
 (C) Makes the instruction impressive. 
 
RIFLE TRAINING FOR WAR. 
 
 CHAPTER 1. 
 
 NOMENCLATURE, DISMOUNTING, AND ASSEMBLING 
 RIFLE. 
 
 (A) It is not here intended to give the details of 
 description as laid down in pamphlet "No. 1923 
 Description and Rules for the Management of the 
 United States Rifle, Caliber .30, Model of 1903," and 
 for a fuller description reference should be made to 
 this pamphlet. 
 
 The bolt and magazine mechanism can be dis- 
 mounted without removing the stock. The latter 
 should never be done, except for making repairs, and 
 then only by some selected and instructed man. 
 
 Place the cut-off at the center notch ; cock the arm 
 and turn the safety lock to a vertical position, raise 
 the bolt handle, and draw out the bolt. 
 
 Hold bolt in left hand, press sleeve lock in with 
 thumb of right hand to unlock sleeve from bolt, and 
 unscrew sleeve by turning to the left. 
 
 Hold sleeve between forefinger and thumb of the 
 left hand, draw cocking piece back with middle finger 
 and thumb of right hand, turn safety lock down to the 
 left with the forefinger of the right hand, in order to 
 allow the cocking piece to move forward in sleeve, 
 thus partially relieving the tension of mainspring; 
 with the cocking piece against the breast, draw back 
 the firing-pin sleeve with the forefinger and thumb of 
 right hand and hold it in this position while removing 
 (27) 
 
28 
 
 tlie striker with the left hand ; remove firing-pin sleeve 
 and mainspring; pull firing pin out of sleeve; turn 
 the extractor to the right, forcing its tongue out of its 
 groove in the front of the bolt, and force the extractor 
 forward and off the bolt. 
 
 To assemble bolt mechanism. Grasp with the left 
 hand the rear of the bolt, handle up, and turn the 
 extractor collar with the thumb and forefinger of the 
 right hand until its lug is on a line with the safety 
 lug on the bolt ; take the extractor in the right hand 
 and insert the lug on the collar in the undercuts in 
 the extractor by pushing the extractor to the rear 
 until its tongue comes in contact with the rim on the 
 face of the bolt (a slight pressure with the left thumb 
 on the top of the rear part of the extractor assists in 
 this operation) ; turn the extractor to the right until 
 it is over the right lug; take the bolt in the right 
 hand and press the hook of the extractor against the 
 butt plate or some rigid object until the tongue of the 
 extractor enters its groove in the bolt. 
 
 With the safety lock turned down to the left to 
 permit the firing pin to enter the sleeve as far as 
 possible, assemble the sleeve and firing pin ; place the 
 cocking piece against the breast and put on main- 
 spring, firing-pin sleeve, and striker. Hold the cocking 
 piece between the thumb and forefinger of the left 
 hand, and by pressing the striker point against some 
 substance not hard enough to injure it, force the 
 cocking piece back until the safety lock can be turned 
 to the vertical position with the right hand; insert 
 the firing pin in the bolt and screw up the sleeve (by 
 turning it to the right) until the sleeve lock enters its 
 notch on the bolt 
 
29 
 
 See that the cut-off is at the center notch ; hold 
 the piece under floor plate in the fingers of the left 
 hand, the thumb extending over the left side of the 
 receiver; take bolt in right hand with safety lock in 
 a vertical position and safety lug up ; press rear end 
 of follower down with left thumb and push bolt into 
 the receiver ; lower bolt handle ; turn safety lock and 
 cut-off down to the left with right hand. 
 
 (B) To dismount magazine mechanism. With the 
 bullet end of a cartridge press the floor plate catch 
 (through the hole in the floor plate) at the same time 
 drawing the bullet to the rear ; this releases the floor 
 plate. 
 
 Raise the rear end of the first limb of the magazine 
 spring high enough to clear the lug on the floor plate 
 and draw it out of its mortise; proceed in the same 
 manner to remove the follower. 
 
 To assemble magazine spring and follower to floor 
 plate, reverse operation of dismounting. 
 
 Insert the follower and magazine spring in the 
 magazine, place the tenon on the front end of the 
 floor plate in its recess in the magazine, then place 
 the lug on the rear end of the floor plate in its slot 
 in the guard, and press the rear end of the floor plate 
 forward and inward at the same time, forcing the 
 floor plate into its seat in the guard, 
 
 (C) To complete dismounting (not to be done by 
 soldier). The bolt and magazine mechanism having 
 been dismounted, proceed as follows: 
 
 1. Turn safety lock to dismounting bevel on sleeve 
 and remove it by striking the thumb piece a light 
 blow. 
 
30 
 
 2. To dismount the sleeve lock, drive out sleeve 
 lock pin from the top and remove lock and spring, 
 being careful not to lose the spring. 
 
 3. Remove front sight pin and remove front sight. 
 
 4. Press in rear end of lower band spring and 
 drive forward the lower band by a few sharp blows 
 on the lug and then on top with a hardwood block. 
 
 5. Remove upper band screw and drive upper band 
 forward, in the same manner prescribed for the lower 
 band. 
 
 6. Move upper band forward on barrel until stopped 
 by movable stud, and then remove lower band by slip- 
 ping it over upper band and movable stud. To remove 
 upper band entirely from barrel requires the removal 
 of the front sight screw and movable stud. 
 
 7. Draw hand guard forward until free from the 
 fixed base and remove. 
 
 8. Remove guard screws and guard. It may be 
 necessary to tap gently on the front and rear of the 
 guard bow to loosen. 
 
 9. Remove barrel and receiver from stock. 
 
 10. To remove the lower band spring, drive its 
 spindle out of its hole in the stock from the left. 
 
 11. Unscrew the butt swivel screws and remove the 
 butt swivel plate from stock. The butt swivel, con- 
 sisting of the plate, swivel, and pin, permanently 
 assembled, is issued complete. 
 
 12. Unscrew butt plate screws and remove butt 
 plate from stock. 
 
 13. Unscrew butt plate spring screw and remove 
 the butt plate spring; drive out butt plate pin and 
 remove butt plate cap. 
 
31 
 
 14. Remove cut-off by loosening the screw in the 
 end of the thumb piece until it disengages the groove 
 in the cut-off spindle ; insert the blade of a screw 
 driver in the notch in the rear end of the spindle and 
 force it out. Remove the spring and the plunger, be- 
 ing careful not to lose them. 
 
 15. Remove the ejector by driving out the ejector 
 pin from the upper side. 
 
 16. Remove sear and trigger by driving out the sear 
 pin from the right, being careful not to lose the sear 
 spring. 
 
 17. Remove trigger from sear by driving out the 
 trigger pin from either side. 
 
 18. Remove floor plate catch and spring by driving 
 out the pin from either side. 
 
 19. Remove bolt stop by inserting a small punch or 
 end of striker in the hole in the left end and forcing it 
 from its pocket. 
 
 The leaf should never be removed from the mov- 
 able base except for the purpose of making repairs. 
 
 The fixed base and the fixed stud should never be 
 removed from the barrel. The barrel should never be 
 unscrewed from the receiver. The barrel and receiver 
 may be assembled only at ordnance establishments 
 properly equipped for this work, for which reason 
 requisition should always call for barrels and re- 
 ceivers assembled and not for barrels alone. 
 
 To assemble after dismounting. Reverse and follow 
 in inverse order the operatings of dismounting. 
 
 In assembling the sleeve lock to the sleeve, be care- 
 ful to compress the lock and spring while driving in 
 the pin from the bottom of the sleeve. 
 
 
32 
 
 To assemble the safety lock and sleeve, insert the 
 safety lock spindle in its hole in the sleeve as far as 
 it will go ; then, with the thumb piece vertical and 
 pressed against some rigid object, introduce the point 
 of the tool provided for this purpose between the 
 safety lock spindle and the safety lock plunger, forc- 
 ing the latter into the thumb piece until it slips over 
 the edge of the sleeve. Further pressure on the 
 safety lock thumb piece, together with the gradual 
 withdrawal of the tool, will complete the assembling. 
 
 In assembling pins and screws, note directions for 
 replacing broken parts on page 47, " Description and 
 rules for the management of the United States rifle, 
 caliber .30, model of 1903." 
 
 The floor plate spring and the cut-off spring are 
 alike, except in length. The latter being the longer, 
 care should be taken not to substitute one for the 
 other. 
 
 (D) In addition to the formal naming of the parts 
 of the rifle, emphasis should be placed upon the im- 
 portant parts. Some of them are so important, the 
 mechanical measurements should be learned. Some of 
 the functions are likewise so important that they de- 
 serve special study. Among these the three things 
 that are of the most vital concern are: The lands at 
 the muzzle, the guard screws, and the trigger squeeze. 
 
 1. Lands at muzzle. No rifle will shoot accurately 
 unless the lands at the muzzle are right. This is 
 the most delicate part of the whole rifle. In the manu- 
 facture the caliber on the face of the lands is deter- 
 mined by a minimum and maximum gauge. The mini- 
 mum is 0.2999, or 0.0001 less than .30 caliber, and 
 the maximum is 0.302, or 0.002 more than .30 caliber. 
 
33 
 
 If the barrel will not take the minimum gauge, the 
 caliber is too small, and it is rejected for that reason. 
 If it does take the maximum gauge it is too large 
 and is rejected for that reason. When the rifle is 
 so worn that it will take a 0.304 gauge at the muzzle, 
 it is ready for the worn-out test. The difference be- 
 tween this gauge and the minimum bore is only 
 0.004 of an inch there is, 0.0001 tolerance or clearance 
 between the gauge and the bore ; but this may be dis- 
 regarded because that much is required for the clear- 
 ance of the gauge in all cases. Therefore, the differ- 
 ence in diameter of the closest made new rifle and the 
 worn-out rifle is only 0.004 of an inch. Hence, a wear 
 on the face of each land of one-half that amount, or 
 0.002, is enough to wear out the rifle. This is the maxi- 
 mum amount, and since rifles are made with the 
 maximum caliber of 0.302, the difference between that 
 and the worn-out rifle is only 0.001. Whenever the 
 lands are worn even these delicate amounts the rifle is 
 worn out and its accuracy is gone. In order to appre- 
 ciate these measurements, consider that a human hair 
 is about 0.0015 of an inch in diameter. These gauge 
 figures are for the 1917 rifle, but they illustrate the 
 1903 rifle with equal significance. 
 
 Anyone who will study these figures will be con- 
 vinced that muzzle cleaning in any form and by any 
 method should be prohibited at all times. Even a cord 
 will easily wear off this delicate amount from the 
 corner of the lands at the muzzle. 
 
 2. The guard screws. At first glance the guard 
 
 screws would not seem to be of any more importance 
 
 than any other screw or part of the rifle, but such is 
 
 not the fact. The rifle barrel is made to swing upon 
 
 130339 19 3 
 
34 
 
 the guard screws. Its accuracy depends upon the 
 guard screws being tight. If either guard screw is 
 loose the rifle will surely be erratic in its shooting. 
 If anything goes wrong with the shooting of the rifle, 
 the first thing to investigate is the guard screws. If 
 they are loose, that is the trouble, and to tighten 
 them will cure it. In all cases they must be tight. 
 
 3. The trigger squeeze. The trigger and sear func- 
 tion together. The first bearing of the trigger pushes 
 the sear nose downward in the sear notch. The sec- 
 ond bearing, which is the trigger heel, pushes the sear 
 nose out of the sear notch and releases the striker. 
 This double squeeze has a distinct value in rifle shoot- 
 ing. The first squeeze is to give command of the 
 trigger, and the second to release the striker and dis- 
 charge the piece after the sight alignment is correct. 
 It takes more pressure for a proper final squeeze, but 
 there should be no drags, creeps, or stops in it. The 
 double squeeze and the mechanism that produces it 
 deserve special attention. Every officer should learn 
 the accurate mechanical operation necessary to make 
 a perfect trigger squeeze. This is fully explained in 
 the chapter on repairs. 
 
 (E) Comparison of the service rifles. The service 
 rifles are now designated as the United States rifle, 
 Model 1903 and Model 1917. 
 
 Ammunition. Both rifles are chambered for the 
 same ammunition, and the initial velocity is approxi- 
 mately 2,700 feet per second for each rifle; perhaps 
 about 60 feet greater for the 1917. 
 
 Weight and length. The 1917 model weighs 9 
 pounds 6 ounces, as against 8.69 pounds for the 1903 
 
35 
 
 model. This gives an increased weight of something 
 over a pound, and slightly reduces the recoil. 
 
 The length of the 1917 model is 46.37 inches, and of 
 the 1903, 43.212 inches. This extra 3 inches in length 
 is divided between the stock and the barrel, the new 
 model being 1 inch longer in the stock and 2 inches 
 longer in the barrel. This slightly increased length 
 of barrel causes a more complete burning of the pow- 
 der, hence gives a greater muzzle velocity. 
 
 Sights. It will be noticed that the 1917 has no 
 wind-gauge correction, while the 1903 has, and this 
 permits a greater accuracy, for the wind gauge per- 
 mits the more accurate 6-o'clock hold at all times. 
 It has been found, however, that a fair degree of ac- 
 curacy can be obtained by proper instruction and 
 practice in holding off for windage. 
 
 Battle sight. The 1917 has a peep battle sight with 
 an elevation of 400 yards, whereas the 1903 has an 
 open battle sight with an elevation of about 547 
 yards. In other word&, at 200 yards the center of im- 
 pact in the 1903 model is 26 inches above the point 
 of aim, and at 300 yards it is 28 inches, while the 
 point of impact in the 19i7 is only 14 inches at 200 
 yards and 10 inches at 300 yards. It is possible with 
 a new model, shooting at the D target, to place all 
 the hits within the 19-inch figure for elevation by 
 aiming at the bottom of the figure on either of the 
 ranges from 400 to 100 yards. With the 1903 model 
 it is necessary to aim 19 inches beneath the figure at 
 200 yards and 21 inches at 300 yards. The figures 
 relative to the points of impact given above are only 
 approximate, and vary with individual rifles. 
 
36 
 
 There is no argument concerning the relative ac- 
 curacy of a peep and an open battle sight. Among the 
 better class of riflemen this matter was decided in 
 favor of the peep long ago. 
 
 Front-sight adjustment. In the 1903 we have a 
 variation of front sights from 0.35 inch to 0.41 inch, 
 or 0.06 inch. There are 11 sizes of front sights in 
 the 1917 model starting with minus 0.015 and going 
 to plus 0.135 by 0.015-inch variation, a total of 0.15. 
 This usually permits complete elevation correction for 
 the 1917 model at 200 and 300 yards for the battle 
 sight. 
 
 Zero windage. The 1903 has no adjustment for 
 zero windage. This zero-windage adjustment is made 
 on the 1917 by the movement of the front sight lat- 
 erally. 
 
 Sight radius. The sight radius of the 1917 is a 
 little over 10 inches greater ; to be exact, the sight 
 radius of the 1903 is 0.215049, the 1917, 0.3169 inch. 
 This increased sight radius increases accuracy of 
 aim. 
 
 The fact that the sight on the model 1917 is mounted 
 over the receiver and is closer to the eye does 
 away with part of the muscular strain of the eye 
 and makes it easier to sight the rifle. 
 
 In sighting a rifle there is a continual checking 
 of sight alignment by the focus of the eye, first on 
 the sights and then on the target. The larger peep 
 makes the target easier to find, and the fact that 
 the 1917 model has the sight closer to the eye makes 
 it easier to get the proper sight alignment.. 
 
 A smaller peep on the 1917 will be more accurate 
 in target practice and also in battle for the longer 
 
37 
 
 ranges ; but for the battle sight, because of the larger 
 field and the greater opportunity of catching the 
 target in rapid fire, it is considered better to have 
 the larger size. 
 
 Drift. The 1903 model has the automatic correc- 
 tion for part of the drift, and the 1917 has none; 
 but it must be considered in this respect that the 
 drift as shown by the tables, the total drift on the 
 1903 at 500 yards is absolutely zero, and the greatest 
 uncorrected drift up to 500 yards, where it is zero, 
 is 0.45 inch at 300 yards, and beyond the 500-yard 
 range the drift at 600 yards is only 0.55 inch. The 
 question of drift is not important at ranges below 700 
 yards; for it is considerably less in extent than the 
 limits within which the best riflemen can hold. 
 
 Elevation adjustment. The 1903 has very accurate 
 adjustment for elevation, which is a great advantage 
 over the 1917. The 1917 adjusts only by 100-yard 
 notches up to 900 yards, and by 50-yard notches above 
 that. 
 
 Conclusion. Giving due weight to all of these 
 facts, it is a fair conclusion to say that the 1917 
 battle sight is more accurate, and better suited to 
 men both for battle and target firing, and the mar- 
 gin in its favor is quite substantial. It is equally 
 true that the 1903 with its wind gauge, is more ac- 
 curate elevation adjustment, and smaller peep is 
 better suited for both target and battle firing at the 
 longer ranges. 
 
 Bayonet efficiency. The 1917 having the greatest 
 length, and also the longer bayonet, it has the ad- 
 vantage, the bayonet of the 1903 being 20.587 inches 
 and the bayonet of the 1917, 21.655 inches. 
 
 
38 
 
 Bore. The 1903 has four grooves and four lands 
 of a depth of 0.004 inch; the 1917 has five grooves 
 and five lands of a depth of 0.005 inch. The width 
 of the grooves of the 1903 are 0.1767 inch and on the 
 1917 0.0936 inch. The width of the lands on the 
 1903 are 0.0589 inch, and on the 1917, 0.0936 inch. On 
 both rifles the tw T ist is 1 turn in 10 inches, the twist 
 in the 1903 being to the right and in the 1917 being 
 to the left. These differences do not very materially 
 affect the accuracy of the two rifles. The wider 
 lands of the 1917 may increase the life of the barrel 
 because of the greater thickness of metal wearing 
 against the side friction, and the greater depth of the 
 grooves might slightly increase the dispersion. 
 
 Bolt action. The 1903 is brought to a full cock on 
 the raising of the bolt handle. This is done by means 
 of a camming action of the cocking piece of the bolt. 
 The 1917 half cocks on the raising of the bolt handle 
 by similar camming action, and the full cock is by 
 hand pressure compressing the mainspring on the 
 forward movement of the bolt. The pressure exerted 
 on the forward movement of the bolt must overcome 
 the entire tension of the mainspring. It will thus be 
 seen that it is harder to raise the handle of the 1903 
 bolt because the mainspring is compressed at that 
 time ; but it is harder to push the bolt forward on the 
 1917, at which time the mainspring is compressed. 
 A running start can be had and the bolt snapped home 
 on the 1917, but the bolt of the 1903 must be lifted 
 by main strength. After proper training in manipu- 
 lation the bolt action of the 1917 is better for rapid 
 fire. 
 
39 
 
 Triggers. The trigger squeeze of the two rifles is 
 substantially the same, based upon the idea of a 
 double squeeze, caused by two separate bearings 
 against the receiver. The first pushes the sear nose 
 well down in the sear notch and gives the "command 
 hold of the trigger." On the final squeeze the heel 
 bearing pushes the sear nose out of the sear notch 
 and releases the striker. The squeeze of the 1917 is 
 usually heavier than the 1903, but that is no dis- 
 advantage providing the final squeeze has no drags, 
 creeps, or stops. 
 
 Each soldier should be required to pass Tests I 
 and II of Change 20 of the Small-Arms Firing 
 Manual. 
 
 I 
 
 CHAPTER 2. 
 THE CARE AND CLEANING OF RIFLE. 
 
 In a climate that will permit, all firing should be 
 done with greased bullets during the training period. 
 It may be both undesirable and impossible to use 
 grease in battle, but its use preserves the rifle to such 
 an extent that it should be used in training. A 
 range covered with blowing sand will preclude the use 
 of grease, but there is a wax combination equally 
 good which may be used under these conditions. 
 
 The grease or wax must be kept clean. If mixed 
 with sand and dirt it ruins the rifle. If kept clean it 
 will more than double the life of the rifle and reduce 
 acid fouling and prevent metal fouling. Mobilubri- 
 cant, Polarine cup grease, or Keystone journal grease 
 
40 
 
 are suitable for this purpose, MIM! can be obtained 
 anywhere. A i hin tihn of grease should be applied to 
 the bullet, bul none to the case. 11' grease is used the 
 burned residue will protect the rille for about one 
 day, but the only safe way to care for it is to wipe 
 this residue out and oil thoroughly after firing. Tin* 
 residue is not hard to remove when greased bullets 
 are used. If dry bullets are used the rille must be 
 cleaned immediately and must also be wiped ajrain 
 the next day to prevent acid foil I'm IT. 
 
 The rille is preserved by oiling after thorough 
 Cleaning. The main purpose of cleaning is to put the 
 rifle in condition so it can be inspected and so it can 
 be properly oiled. An excessive amount of rubbing 
 the rille with a cleaning patch will wear it out and 
 ruin it. All unnecessary rubbing should be avoided. 
 Knoutfli should be done only to remove the residue. 
 
 The oiling is the important tiling. If a rille is in- 
 siHvted clean and shining, it should be oiled imme- 
 diately and inspected a.^ain. The shining inspection 
 is not sullicient. It will show the condition of the 
 rille, but nothing more. If the rille is to be preserved, 
 it must be oiled afterwards. Orders for oiling will 
 not. ^ r et ritles oiled. They must be inspected to see 
 that the orders arc carried out. In the field rillcs 
 should be inspected daily for oil. Once a week is 
 enough to wipe them out and inspect them shining. 
 
 To clean and oil after firing: 
 
 (1) Run one titrlit dry patch completely through 
 bore once. 
 
 (LM Put warm sal-soda solution CJO per cent 
 strength) in can or pan, insert muzzle of rifle in solu- 
 tion, and pump up through bore by means of wiping 
 
41 
 
 rod and patch. (This can he done by pull through if 
 cleaning rods are not available). Cold soda solution 
 can be used, but is not MS good as warm. It' no s.ii 
 soda is available, use hot water. Common soda is 
 good for this purpose. This removes the powder foul- 
 ing and prevents the acid reartin from the powder 
 residue. 
 
 (3) Dry thoroughly with patches and cleaning rod, 
 keeping the rubbing to a minimum. 'I'll is rubbing is 
 for drying only and not to bring the last patch through 
 P rfectly clean. 
 
 (4) If metal fouling adheres to the bore in visible 
 patches, the rifle should be taken to an expert, who 
 will remove the fouling with an ammonia solution. 
 Th ordinary soldier should not use the ammonia 
 solution; it has ruined more. rihVs when so used th:m 
 have been ruined by metal fouling. 
 
 < >\\ with sperm oil or other li^ht. n<mvr-> 
 oil when rifle is to be kept in daily firing. 
 
 If rifle is to be stored 2 and H* must h repeated 
 the following day and then apply heavy coating of 
 COBmolinr. The osmoline should be heated to a liquid. 
 the bore plugged at the breech, the heated cosmoline 
 poured in, filling th b.n. Mini thru pour This 
 
 will leave a heavy, solid coating on all parts of the 
 bore. Rifle should be in a moderately warm room in 
 winter for this oilinir. 
 
 Me is in daily u-- but not tirinj:, "2 and 3 
 mu<t be repeated the day follow MIL: last tirini: and 
 then apply a coat Tm oil which has had 
 
 >>d in it a small amount of 'omoljn'. This will 
 -erve a rifle safely one week unless out in bad 
 ther conditions, in which case it must be oiled 
 
42 
 
 daily. This mixture of sperm oil and cosmoline is 
 especially recommended and is usually available. 
 
 The practice of conserving oil and cleaning mate- 
 rials for future use must be condemned. They should 
 be used now and more provided for the future. A 
 $30 rifle is rusted and ruined when 2 cents' worth 
 of cleaning material would preserve it. If oil 
 and cleaning material are on hand there can be no 
 excuse for rusted rifles, and if not on hand they should 
 be secured at once. 
 
 Dissolve cosmoline in sperm oil and apply to all the 
 metal parts of the rifle, and until removed it will pre- 
 vent injury from a gas attack. If not oiled in this 
 manner after a gas attack, the rifles should be washed 
 with a soda solution, dried, and oiled. 
 
 In order to do all these things properly provide a 
 good cleaning rack for each platoon. 
 
 CHAPTER 3. 
 A. POSITION DRILLS. 
 
 Position drills are the first in preliminary train- 
 ing. A short time should be devoted to teaching 
 the accurate positions. The variations allowed in 
 the Small-Arms Firing Manual to suit the conforma- 
 tions of the man should be encouraged. Positions 
 should be uniform for the purpose of fitting the 
 rifle and the man together, and not for the purpose 
 of geometrical measurements or forms. 
 
 (a) The prone position is the most reliable of all 
 shooting positions. It is the one that will always be 
 used when the terrain will permit. In this position 
 the general alignment of the body should be about 
 
43 
 
 45 degrees from the alignment of the rifle. This 
 permits" a better use of the sling, fits the body to 
 the rifle better, and avoids injury from recoil by 
 an elastic rolling of the body. It may be that this 
 position would not be assumed in battle; that the 
 requirements of protection by cover would even keep 
 the body in direct alignment with the rifle. But none 
 of these things are any argument against taking the 
 best position during the training period. The posi- 
 tion that will teach the best hold of the rifle in 
 the shortest time is the best to use during the train- 
 ing. The important thing is learning to hold the 
 rifle. When that is learned the soldier will fire from 
 any distorted position and still hold his rifle because 
 he has learned how to do it and knows well the neces- 
 sity. There is no other position quite equal to the 
 prone with the sling and without the sandbag. 
 
 (&) Next to the prone, the sitting position is the 
 most reliable. It is quite steady and if each man is 
 permitted to adjust his elbows below the points of 
 his knees in such way as to suit his conformation 
 this position will give excellent results. It is im- 
 possible to get good results if the elbows are rested 
 on the points of the kneecaps. Each man must 
 find the exact point that fits his own individuality. 
 There will hot be a wide difference, but exact uni- 
 formity should not be attempted. The sling may be 
 used in this position with the arm through the loop 
 the same as in the prone position or the grapevine 
 sling may be used. This position is higher and may be 
 used in battle when the prone is impossible. 
 
 (c) The kneeling position is not so steady as the 
 sitting position. This position is very much improved 
 
44 
 
 when a man can turn his foot and sit on the side of it. 
 This position is authorized and should be encouraged, 
 but it is impossible for about 30 per cent of the men. 
 In the kneeling position the grapevine sling is the 
 best. This position is still higher than sitting. 
 
 (d) The standing position without a rest is the 
 most difficult of all. It is easy for the manipulation 
 of the rifle, but very unsteady. However, it must 
 often be used in battle and especially for fire during 
 movement. The grapevine sling is the best for this 
 position. There are several different standing posi- 
 tions used by riflemen. They are the full-arm exten- 
 sion, the half-arm extension, the body rest, and the 
 hip rest. In target practice in light winds the hip 
 rest is most accurate, but it is not so desirable for 
 battle firing. For all purposes the half-arm extension 
 and grapevine sling makes the best combination. This 
 is the highest position and will be used when the view 
 is impossible from the others. 
 
 (e) The standing trench position has developed out 
 of trench warfare. It is a very important position 
 and, with the sandbag rest, is almost as reliable as 
 the prone and much easier. In this position the sling 
 should not be used. 
 
 B. SLING ADJUSTMENTS. 
 
 (a) For the prone position turn the upper loop of 
 the sling and pass the left arm through from the right 
 side. Then wrap the arm around the sling and grasp 
 the stock of the rifle with the left hand at the point 
 to suit the length of the arm. The lower loop of the 
 sling is left loose and really has no function to per- 
 
45 
 
 form. The length of the upper loop can only be deter- 
 mined by trial, but must be made to fit each man. 
 This loop should be adjusted above the muscles of 
 the upper arm and held in place by the keeper. The 
 sling should always be adjusted in such length as to 
 draw tight, which can only be learned by trial. 
 
 (&) In the sitting position the sling may be ad- 
 justed as in the prone, or the grapevine sling may be 
 used as already noted. In the grapevine sling the 
 hook of the lower loop is brought up into the holes of 
 the upper loop at such a length as will permit the 
 whole sling to be turned and then wrapped around the 
 right arm. The sling then draws tight across the 
 breast and holds the rifle in place on the shoulder. 
 The arm does not go through either loop. 
 
 (c) In the kneeling position the grapevine sling is 
 the best. 
 
 (d) In the standing position the grapevine sling 
 is the best. 
 
 (e) In the standing trench position the sandbag 
 rest without sling is the best. 
 
 C. SANDBAG ADJUSTMENTS. 
 
 (a) In the prone position with the sling and with 
 the sandbag the hand should rest on the bag and the 
 rifle on the hand. In this position the rifle should 
 not be permitted to touch the sandbag. It is prac- 
 tically the same as the regular prone position with the 
 sandbag adjusted to give support to the hand without 
 changing its position. 
 
 (&) The next best prone position is without the 
 sling and the sandbag placed under the point of ex- 
 plosion. This is an easy point of rest to obtain and 
 
46 
 
 it is the easiest of all shooting positions. It is also 
 very accurate and the difference if any between it 
 and the regular prone position is very slight. This 
 difference when it occurs is caused by resting the 
 rifle on the sandbag at a different point. After each 
 man has learned to shoot a good group in this posi- 
 tion he should then be asked to take a rest on the 
 sandbag near the muzzle of his rifle, fire a few shots, 
 and note the difference. When the sandbag rest is 
 used it is important that the rifle be rested at the 
 same point for each shot, and the best point is under 
 the chamber where the explosion occurs. This rest 
 stops a large percentage of the recoil, and makes 
 holding much easier. The sling is no assistance what- 
 ever, and should be loosened enough to put to one side. 
 
 (c) In the standing trench position the sandbag 
 rest should be without the sling and exactly the same 
 as last described for the prone position. The sand- 
 bag should be so adjusted that there will be shelf 
 room for the resting of the elbows. If these things 
 are observed the results of this position will be just 
 as good as the prone position with the sandbag and 
 without the sling. 
 
 (d) In addition to these positions from parapet, 
 wall top, vertical edge of wall, door, window, tree or 
 such other positions as required by Test No. 8, 
 Charge No. 20, Small Arms Firing Manual should be 
 taught. 
 
 D. PUSH AND PULL DRILL. 
 
 The push and pull drill is some aid in learning 
 these different positions, but its main value is as a 
 setting-up exercise and no great amount of time 
 should be devoted to it as a firing drill. 
 
P CHAPTER 4. 
 
 MANIPULATION DRILLS. 
 
 In the preceding chapter position drills have been 
 taken up. We now come to a manipulation drill, 
 and hereafter we will treat of an aiming drill. Tell 
 the recruit that aiming is too important to attempt 
 at the very start. Tell him you will have something 
 to say later about real aiming, and the first problem 
 is training the muscles to operate the rifle. He will 
 take the positions of aiming, but in the manipulation 
 drill this is only a simulation. See that he so under- 
 stands it. See that you so understand it yourself. 
 
 Start with the sling and the standing position. 
 Use all the positions, but prone most. Keep the rifle 
 on the shoulder as the bolt is worked in all the 
 positions. Start slowly and increase the speed 
 gradually. This should continue until the reflexes 
 perform the whole operation and leave the mind 
 free to think about the aiming. 
 
 The watchword of manipulation is work. The 
 object is speed. In this connection it might be stated 
 that the watchword of aiming is care. The care 
 required will be taken up in the succeeding chapters, 
 but at this point it might be well to state that the 
 degree of care is as much as if your rifle were loaded 
 and your life depended upon hitting. Therefore 
 you do not 
 
 Put up targets promiscuously and casually aim at 
 them in passing and call it a sighting and aiming 
 drill. You may do that kind of manipulation drill 
 but do not call it aiming. 
 
 Manipulation drills are prescribed for a distinct 
 purpose. They are to. train the muscles and the nerve 
 centers in the operation of the rifle. During these 
 
48 
 
 drills, soldiers should be made to distinctly under- 
 stand that they are not aiming drills and that he 
 only simulates aiming by taking the position. The 
 lifting of the bolt handle is the hard part of manipu- 
 lating the 1903 rifle. 
 
 These drills should be conducted in all the positions 
 both with and without the sling. The proficiency 
 test should be made in the prone position and with 
 the sling, because it is hardest to learn. These drills 
 should be conducted first with the trigger tied back. 
 The purpose is to secure rapid manipulation of the 
 bolt. This drill does not meet all the requirements 
 in bolt manipulation because the trigger is not 
 squeezed. However, as this practice is for the pur- 
 pose of attaining the highest speed it will be found 
 that a trigger squeeze will degenerate into a mere 
 jerk if made a part of the drill. It is, therefore, best 
 to attain this high speed with the trigger squeeze 
 omitted and thus avoid the development of a bad 
 habit in squeezing the trigger. 
 
 These drills should be : 
 
 1. Standing. 
 
 2. Kneeling. 
 
 3. Sitting. 
 
 4. Prone. 
 
 The positions should be taken by the regular com- 
 mands of the Infantry Drill Regulations but with the 
 latitude allowed in the firing manual, and the ma- 
 nipulation should be conducted by the following com- 
 mands : 
 
 1. - - times manipulation. 2. Exercise. The 
 soldier being in position manipulates the bolt as 
 rapidly as possible the number of times designated. 
 Five times are enough for the start. 
 
49 
 
 1. At will. Manipulation. 2. Exercise. 3. Halt. 
 The soldier being in position manipulates the bolt as 
 rapidly as possible until the command halt and with- 
 out squeezing the trigger. In the beginning this will 
 be done slowly and the speed increased as the muscular 
 control increases. 
 
 1. Twenty times, Manipulation. 2. Exercise. The 
 soldier manipulates the bolt as rapidly as possible 
 the required number of times. The same caution is 
 observed as to beginning. 
 
 These exercises should be repeated until the ma- 
 nipulation of the bolt in this manner becomes easy 
 and until the soldier has attained the speed of 20 
 times in 15 seconds in the prone position and in the 
 sling. 
 
 CHAPTER 5. 
 (A) SIGHT ALIGNMENT. 
 
 The question of aiming will be further discussed in 
 parts 7 and 8. The comparison of the sights on the 
 Model 1903 and 1917 has been fully considered in No. 
 1. It is only intended here to take up the proper 
 method of sight alignment. 
 
 The open sight. The normal sight alignment is 
 shown by Fig. 1, Plate III., page 30, S. A. F. M. The 
 front sight is centered laterally in the notch of the 
 rear sight, and the top is level with the top of the 
 notch. It will also be noticed that the aiming point is 
 at 6 o'clock below the bull's-eye and on the white. 
 The reason for this is that the eye can see a black 
 sight better on a white background. If the front sight 
 is permitted to touch the bull's-eye, it is impossible to 
 130339 19 4 
 
50 
 
 tell at what part it will be aiming and accuracy of 
 aiming point is lost. The line of white should be the 
 same for each shot. It should be wide enough to see 
 the bottom edge of the bull sharp and distinct. There 
 is no advantage in crowding close to the bull. It 
 tends to blur, strains the eye, and reduces accuracy 
 with many men in some lights. At 1,000 yards the 
 white line must be about 6 inches wide to be seen. 
 There is only 18 inches of white below the bull's-eye, 
 and when the sight appears upon the white it will 
 be 6 inches below the bull and 6 inches above the 
 bottom at least. This only leaves 6 inches to wan- 
 der over, and that is closer than any man can hold. 
 Therefore the best method at this distance is simply 
 to make sure that you are on the white at 6 o'clock. 
 The peep sight. Fig. 2 of the same plate shows the 
 normal peep sight alignment. The top of the front 
 sight is brought to the center of the peep and there 
 is the same rule with reference to aiming point on 
 the white. 
 
 OTHER METHODS OF AIMING. 
 
 The Navy method of aiming is described in section 
 88 in the Navy Small-Arms Firing Regulations, as 
 follows : 
 
 " In aiming the eye should be held as close as possi- 
 ble to the peep ; that is, almost up to the comb of the 
 firing pin. Then aim so that the bull's-eye is exactly 
 in the center of the peephole and the top of the front 
 sight in the center of the bull's-eye." 
 
 In an ordinary light and upon a bull's-eye target 
 this method of aiming is perhaps as accurate as the 
 6 o'clock hold of the Small-Arms Firing Manual. It 
 will be found, however, that the top of the front sight 
 

 51 
 
 is held at the center of the bull's-eye rather by keep- 
 ing it in the center of the peep than by actually seeing 
 it at the aiming point or center of the bull's-eye. 
 With a black sight and a black bull's-eye and 
 especially at long ranges it is impossible to dis- 
 tinguish at what part of the bull's-eye the top of the 
 front sight is pointing. But if the top of the front 
 sight is at the center of the peep and the bull's-eye 
 then also brought to the center of the peep as a matter 
 of course, the top of the front sight will be pointing 
 at the center of the bull's-eye without regard to 
 whether the eye sees the center or not. As it is easy 
 to center a round bull's-eye in the peep, this method 
 of aiming at targets is quite satisfactory. If the tar- 
 get is a moving object or figure of a man, the center- 
 ing in the peep is much more difficult if not impossible. 
 Also with the battle sight, the principle of the aiming 
 point must be followed. In battle fire the top of the 
 front sight will also be aligned on some aiming 
 point. For these reasons the Small- Arms Firing Man- 
 ual selects the aiming point at 6 o'clock on the white, 
 where it can best be seen, and then directs that the 
 top of the front sight be aligned with it. The Navy 
 method aligns the top of the front sight with the 
 point where the hit is desired. This is the correct 
 idea for battle fire, but in target shooting the align- 
 ment is theoretical rather than actually seen. The 
 Army method actually sees the aiming point, but it is 
 indirect, being below the hitting point. With the 
 battle sight at short ranges this is necessary in all 
 kinds of fire. Therefore, the Army training is uni- 
 form for both sights, and as the tendency in battle is 
 to shoot high the training should be to aim low. 
 This does not apply to well-trained riflemen. They 
 
52 
 
 set their sights and shoot to hit. If the aiming point 
 is low, they take more elevation. They learn how to 
 set sights for an indirect aiming point when necessary. 
 
 (B) THE EYES AND RIFLE SHOOTING. 
 
 The human element is the greatest element in rifle 
 training and the vision is perhaps the greatest ele- 
 ment in the human. It is also the least understood. 
 Rifles are made, zeroed and issued without any ad- 
 justment for individual eyes. Rules for light and 
 mirage are made and published as if the eyes of men 
 could not vary. In fact, the eyes of men have an 
 individuality almost as universal as individuals them- 
 selves. They may stand the same oculist tests and 
 still see the sights differently. The reason is, the 
 eyes must be operated by that wonderful and un- 
 fathomable thing, the human mind. Therefore 
 
 The question of zero windage is always an indi- 
 vidual question. 
 
 The question of normal elevations is always an 
 individual question. 
 
 Each man must find his zero and normals for him- 
 self. 
 
 The instructor might find them and he might not. 
 
 He has no business to try. 
 
 It is his business to teach the recruit how to find 
 them for himself. 
 
 This can only be done by actual shooting. 
 
 The effect of light is likewise individual and must 
 be determined by actual shooting and careful records. 
 
 It is all right to read what the books say, but then 
 go out and find if it is true for the individual in 
 question. 
 
53 
 
 No amount of training can remove the individuality 
 and differences in eyes. 
 
 On December 7, 1917, the following experiment was 
 conducted at the Winchester plant. Four 1917 rifles 
 were taken from stock to the 200-yard indoor range. 
 Two experts were selected to do the shooting. Both 
 had been shooting on this same range for more than 
 10 years. Both were perhaps as expert as human 
 beings can become. The problem was to find the dis- 
 tance of impact above the point of aim with the 
 battle sight at 200 yards. 
 
 Both men sat in the same testing jchair. Both 
 fired the same ammunition. Both sighted the rifles 
 the same. Both had the same light. Both used the 
 same elbow rest on a testing table. Both fired the 
 same rifles. Both fired 10 shots with each rifle. Here 
 is the result: 
 
 Average distance of hits afiove aiming point, in 
 inches. 
 
 FIRST MAN. 
 
 First rifle 
 Second rifle 
 
 Third rifle 21 
 
 Fourth rifle 4 
 
 Average 1411 
 
 SECOND MAN. 
 
 First rifle 12 
 
 Second rifle '. 10% 
 
 Third rifle 12% 
 
 Fourth rifle 3 
 
 Average 8% 
 
54 
 
 Disregarding an inconsequential fraction, one of 
 these men hit an average of 14it inches above his 
 aiming point and the other only 8% inches. It was 
 also observed that the group of the first man was 
 about 4 inches to the left of the second man, but 
 this was estimated and not measured. It is, there- 
 fore, certain that these two experts could not look 
 through the sights of the rifle the same even at the 
 short distance of 200 yards. One of them actu- 
 ally sighted these rifles an average of 611 inches 
 higher and about 4 inches farther to the left than 
 the other. Both groups \vere excellent. There was 
 no difference in the expertness of the two men. 
 
 The difference was in the eyes. The eyes of both 
 were very accurate, but different. More than 10 years 
 of training had not removed this difference. The dif- 
 ference in eyes c#n not be removed. Each man must 
 sight his rifle with his own eyes. Each man must 
 learn his elevations at each distance with his own 
 eyes. 
 
 Each man must learn his zero windage with his 
 own eyes. 
 
 A rifle zeroed at the factory may be all right for 
 the man who did it. 
 
 It may be a half a point off either right or left 
 for the man who shoots it. 
 
 The 1917 rifle has a sight adjustment for zero in 
 the front sight. The 1903 has none. 
 
 If the shooter's eyes find a 1903 rifle off for zero, 
 he must remember how much and correct for wind 
 accordingly. 
 
 He can correct his zero on the 1917 by moving the 
 front sight; but, having no wind gauge, he must hold 
 for wind. 
 
55 
 
 The proper place for zero adjustment is at the rear 
 sight and it is hoped soon to have such an adjustment 
 on both rifles. In this connection it must also be 
 remembered that the same man may get a different 
 elevation and also a different zero in slow and rapid 
 fire. Experts fight hard to keep the elevations the 
 same in both kinds of fire, but do not always succeed. 
 Perhaps the reason is that the same amount of care 
 is impossible in rapid fire because of the greater speed, 
 but these differences do occur in the same man. 
 
 Even a telescope sight will not always reconcile 
 the differences between the eyes of individuals. Each 
 man must find his own elevations with telescope 
 sights. 
 
 A few eye drills are a good thing. Drills can be 
 invented for everything, even the eyes. For instance, 
 nearly every man is either right-eyed or left-eyed. 
 A simple experiment will tell. Have him hold his 
 finger 15 or 20 inches from his eyes. Sight over the 
 end of it with both eyes open at some small object 
 15 or 20 feet away. Continue this sighting until both 
 eyes see the object over the end of the finger. Shut 
 first one eye and then the other eye. One of them will 
 hold the finger in a straight line with the object. The 
 other will let the finger move to one side. If the eye 
 holds the straight line he is left-eyed. In other words, 
 the left eye dominates. In a test of about 4,000 men 
 about 20 per cent were found to be left-eyed. 
 
 Should a left-eyed man shoot left-handed? If the 
 right eye is much weaker, yes. If the right eye is 
 only slightly weaker, no. Exercise and use of the 
 right eye may change and make him right-eyed. It 
 is a great handicap to manipulate the rifle left- 
 handed. 
 
56 
 
 Here is a focus drill. Align the finger again with 
 some object 5 or 6 feet distant, and with either one 
 or both eyes focus on the finger. The finger will 
 appear clear and distinct, but the object in line with 
 it will appear hazy as long as the focus is on the 
 finger, although only a few feet distant. Change the 
 focus to the object and it will appear clear and dis- 
 tinct and the finger will become hazy. Jump the 
 focus from one to the other and learn what focusing 
 the eye means. 
 
 Here is a centering peep drill. Look through the 
 peep above the sky line with the eye 4 or 5 inches 
 from the peep. Study the light in the peep, and you 
 will find it has a bright center. Some say that the 
 eye automatically centers the peep. It certainly does 
 like the bright center best, and has a natural tendency 
 to find it. However, the bright center gradually dis- 
 appears as the eye is brought closer to the peep, and 
 is hardly noticeable when very close. It is also 
 affected by shadows, and after all the center of the 
 peep is accurately found only by looking for it care- 
 fully. 
 
 The light rules are usually stated as follows : 
 
 Light has no effect on the bullet, but does affect 
 the eye. 
 
 The effect is the opposite for open and peep sights. 
 
 With the peep, a bright light makes the target more 
 distinct and the hold is closer to the bull's-eye hence 
 the hit is higher. 
 
 The opposite is true of a dull day. 
 
 But these rules do not apply to all eyes. Some eyes 
 see a target much more distinctly on a dull day, and 
 the rules are reversed. 
 
57 
 
 On a bright day with the open sight the rule still 
 is to see the target more distinctly, and the tendency, 
 therefore, is to hold higher ; but in spite of this, the 
 hit is lower with the open sight than on a dull day. 
 Why this apparent contradiction? The lower hold is 
 more than offset by another element. The other ele- 
 ment is the front sight. It is not seen so distinctly on 
 the dull day, hence it is raised higher. It looks the 
 same to the eye, but the dull light actually causes it 
 to stand up higher to produce the same effect on the 
 eye. It is enough higher to overcome the lower hold 
 on the target, and the hit is actually higher on the 
 dull day with the open sight. 
 
 Again the rule is upset by many eyes which see 
 everything even sight, target, and all more dis- 
 tinctly on the dull day. Every man must study his 
 own eyes and find out whether he sees things better 
 in a bright or dull light and how his hits are effected. 
 
 The change of light is likely to cause a greater error 
 with the open than with the peep sight. 
 
 The direction of the light and shadow also affects 
 the seeing. If the light is on the right side of the 
 front sight and the eye sees this side better than the 
 shaded side, the tendency will be to hold the right side 
 directly under the bull's-eye, and that will give a hit 
 to the left. 
 
 But again, some eyes might see the shaded side of 
 the front sight more distinctly and get the opposite 
 result. 
 
 Also a little care in noticing both sides of the front 
 sight might avoid the error altogether. 
 
 Shadows on the sights have caused many errors in 
 finding the windage zero. In the forenoon the zero 
 
58 
 
 would be found a half of a point right and in the 
 afternoon as much to the left. In fact, there was no 
 change at all. In the morning the sun was on the 
 right side of the sight and in the afternoon it was 
 on the left. The shooter followed the tendency to use 
 the bright side of his sight only. In the morning he 
 put the right side of his front sight at 6 o'clock 
 under the bull's-eye and in the afternoon he put the 
 left side of the front sight in the same place. This 
 shifted his zero about equal to the width of the front 
 sight. 
 
 A knowledge of these facts and a little drill may 
 correct the errors. 
 
 Try an aiming drill. Point the right side of the 
 front sight at 6 o'clock. Then point the left side at 
 the same place. Note the difference in the position 
 of the whole sight with reference to the bull's-eye. 
 This can be done even if the sun is on one side and 
 the other shaded. Some eyes will actually see the 
 shaded side better, but almost any eye can see both 
 sides if the attempt is made to do so. 
 
 The same kind of a drill, sighting from the center 
 and sides of a peep, will also master the effect of 
 shadows in the peep. 
 
 These are little things to do, but the doing of little 
 things well is what wins championships. 
 
 OTHER CAUSES OF INDIVIDUALITY. 
 
 Some claim that differences in eyes are not the 
 causes of individual difference. A different pressure 
 on the rifle in the hold, a different rest, a different 
 pressure in freezing the face to the stock, and a differ- 
 ent trigger squeeze may get different hits even if 
 
59 
 
 the sight alignments were the same. All of these 
 things are true but they do not disprove the differ- 
 ences in human eyes, or rather the differences in 
 mental pictures made by human eyes, which also get 
 different hits. 
 
 A careful test of experts in sighting triangles shows 
 that they will not place the triangles at the same point 
 even at 100-yard distances. Variations in the placing 
 of the triangles of 1^ inches were found at 100 yards 
 with the small peep sight of the 1903 rifle and a vari- 
 ation of several inches was found with the larger 
 peep sight of the 1917 rifle. In these sighting tests 
 all of the elements were removed except the element 
 of the eyes, and the most expert eyes did not *' look 
 the sights" the same. They made small triangles in 
 each instance but placed them with enough variations 
 to miss the target entirely at 1,000 yards. It is 
 easy to make a sighting triangle test of these con- 
 clusions. Place a rifle in a rest and let three men 
 sight triangles on the same paper at 100 yards with- 
 out moving the rifle or the paper. Their triangles 
 may be very small and accurate, but still several 
 inches apart. A few men will place them nearly the 
 same, but it will not take many tests to find men who 
 place them differently. They will point the rifle with 
 just the same difference when firing. 
 
 If spectacles are used care must be taken that they 
 are adjusted at the same relative angle to the eye. 
 If they are removed and not replaced in exactly the 
 same position a change in placing the triangle may 
 result, and there would be a like change in the hits 
 in shooting. 
 
60 
 
 SHOOTING WITH BOTH EYES OPEN. 
 
 Shooting with both eyes open is one of the new 
 ways often suggested, as a royal road to champion- 
 ship. 
 
 It has some advantages for the man who has care- 
 fully learned it. 
 
 It has some perplexing disadvantages to the begin- 
 ner. Therefore 
 
 Don't try new ways on the recruit. 
 
 Don't puzzle him with the refinements. 
 
 Don't exceed the ten commandments. 
 
 However 
 
 After he has learned to hold, 
 
 After he has learned the positions, 
 
 After he has learned the sling adjustment, 
 
 After he has learned the stock freezing, 
 
 After he has learned the trigger squeeze, 
 
 After he has learned the sight alinenients, 
 
 After he has learned to call his shot, 
 
 After he has had enough practice to "settle" into 
 his rifle 
 
 Then you can teach him to shoot with both eyes 
 open if you have the time. 
 
 It may confuse him at first. 
 
 It will help a little if he learns it. 
 
 Alone, it will not make a good shot out of a poor 
 shot. 
 
 Alone, it will not make a champion out of a good 
 shot. 
 
 Alone, no single refinement will produce these re- 
 sults. 
 
 The champion takes great care to learn everything 
 that will help. 
 

 61 
 
 The champion, with persistent work, learns to use 
 everything that will help. 
 
 Any man who learns to shoot well, invites care, 
 persistence, and work, and then more care, more per- 
 sistence, and more work. 
 
 The first advantage of shooting with both eyes open 
 is a certain relief from eyestrain. 
 
 The second advantage is a little help in finding the 
 target. 
 
 The shooting is really done by the eye that looks 
 through the sights. 
 
 When one eye is closed the pupil expands as every 
 eye expands in the dark. When it is opened there is 
 a difference in the two eyes and the readjustment 
 causes a certain strain. If both eyes are kept open all 
 the time this strain is avoided. Anything that will 
 avoid eyestrain is valuable. 
 
 The best way to teach the use of both eyes is to 
 start with an ordinary telescope. After a man can 
 look through the telescope with one eye and keep the 
 other eye open at the same time without confusion 
 of vision, he is ready to do the same thing through 
 the sights of his rifle. A little practice will make it 
 easy for him and he then gains all the advantages of 
 using both eyes open in shooting. 
 
 (C) SIGHTING DEVICES. 
 
 a. Sighting "bar. 
 
 This device is used to give the soldier a correct idea 
 of sight alignment. As soon as he has learned from 
 it the correct centering of the top of the front sight 
 in the peep, and alignment of the two sights with the 
 aiming point, this device has no further use. 
 I). Aiming devices. 
 
62 
 
 The Belgian aiming device and the Ordnance aim- 
 ing device are devices to assist the instructor in de- 
 tecting errors in sight alignment. They do assist 
 in this when the error is great and the recruit has 
 no correct idea of the sight alignment. But they 
 should never be used for correction in accuracy. In 
 a general way they will disclose the error of the re- 
 cruit when he is not properly centering the peep. 
 Because of the wide difference in eyes, however,, the 
 best experts do not center the front sight in the peep 
 in the same way and can not be trained to do so. 
 Their mental picture is different. These devices 
 should not be used as a test for accuracy. With the 
 majority of men proper sight alignment can be made 
 without their use, but sometimes they detect an error 
 and in such cases are quite valuable. 
 
 (D) SIGHTING TRIANGLES. 
 
 1. Sighting triangles is a very valuable preliminary 
 drill in aiming. They should be sighted at a distance 
 of at least 100 yards and the practice should be con- 
 tinued until the triangle will be covered by a 25- 
 cent piece. 
 
 2. In sighting triangles a movable bull's-eye should 
 be placed so the front sight is at 6 o'clock, but after 
 the required accuracy has been attained with this 
 aiming point triangles should be sighted "holding off." 
 Let the recruit take an aiming point 12 inches to the 
 right or to the left of the 6 o'clock aiming point and 
 attempt to sight his triangles from this new aiming 
 point. It will be found much more difficult, and it 
 will illustrate plainly his greater error in aiming when 
 he must hold off for wind. The practice should be 
 continued until the triangles so made approximate 
 
63 
 
 those made with the 6 o'clock aiming point. This 
 applies to the 1917 rifle. 
 
 3. By following the direction of the Small Arms 
 Firing Manual in sighting triangles in a bright light, 
 then with the target shaded, then with the rifle 
 shaded, then with both shaded, and keeping a careful 
 record of the results, each recruit can acquire valuable 
 knowledge as to the effect of light upon his aiming. 
 He should also sight triangles in the forenoon when 
 the light is on the right side of the sight, and then 
 leaving the paper in place, and the rifle in its rest, 
 again sight them in the afternoon upon the same 
 paper with the light on the left side of the sight. 
 This situation assumes the sighting direction to the 
 north, and there is no better sighting drill. It will be 
 found that many men see the bright side of the sight 
 more clearly and place that side upon the aiming 
 point. If this is done in the forenoon the right side 
 of the sight will point at the center of the aiming 
 point. If the same thing is done in the afternoon, 
 the left side of the sight will be pointed at the same 
 aiming point center. This makes a variation of the 
 full width of the front sight and is the cause of 
 many so-called changing zeros. In fact, the zeros have 
 not changed, it is only the different way of looking 
 at the sight because of the different light upon it. 
 It is the best possible drill, to teach men to look at 
 both sides of their sight and to place the aiming point 
 center between them. These light drills in sighting 
 triangles will also develop the difference in eyes. 
 Some will place the triangles lower in a bright light ; 
 others will place them higher, and with still others 
 there will be no material difference. Whatever the 
 result, each man can learn by these methods the effect 
 
64 
 
 of light upon his own eyes, and that is the im- 
 portant thing. It must be noted in this connection 
 that, if the triangles are placed higher in a dark light, 
 then the hits will be lower in a dark light, and of 
 course the opposite is true if the triangles are placed 
 lower. 
 
 4. One other experiment should be conducted in 
 sighting triangles. Several of the best men who have 
 sighted the smallest triangles should be selected for 
 this purpose. The more expert riflemen they may be, 
 the better the illustration. Place a sheet of paper for 
 the triangle target and rest the rifle with the sights 
 aligned upon it and firmly fixed in place, Without 
 moving either the paper or rifle, let the first man sight 
 two triangles very carefully. If he is expert and 
 sights carefully, the two triangles will be interwoven 
 together. In other words they will be placed near 
 the same spot. Let the next man do the same thing 
 upon the same paper and with the same rifle and 
 without either paper or rifle being moved. Sometimes 
 his triangles will be interwoven with the first and 
 sometimes his eyes may be so different that they will 
 be around a point several inches away even at 100 
 yards distance. His triangles may be just as small 
 and just as accurate as the first man but he will look 
 through the sights differently and get a different re- 
 sult. With the 1917 rifle tests have shown a differ- 
 ence of 5^ inches in elevation and 3 inches in lateral 
 deflection at 100 yards, and by the most expert rifle- 
 men. After several men have sighted triangle's on the 
 same paper in this way, select the one who placed his 
 triangles lowest, the one who placed his triangles 
 highest, and the one who placed his triangles farthest 
 either to the right or to the left of either one, or 
 
65 
 
 both of these two. Get another piece of paper and 
 have these three men sight triangles upon it again 
 and it will be found that they constantly maintain 
 the same relative difference in the same light. A 
 change of light might remove or modify their differ- 
 ences. It is this sighting exercise which proves be- 
 yond question that each man must find the normal 
 elevation and the zero windage of his own rifle. There 
 can be no success in rifle training without a knowledge 
 of this fact. It will be impossible to do all of these 
 things with large numbers of troops, but they are a 
 necessary part of the training of all instructors if 
 error is to be avoided. 
 
 (E) SIGHT ADJUSTMENTS. 
 
 A careful study of the mechanical sight adjustment 
 should be made. Commands should be given for 
 sight setting at all ranges, also for windage. Sights 
 should be set by the soldier and inspected by the 
 instructor. After the zero of the rifle is determined, 
 this should be repeated, using the corrected zero. 
 
 The first thing a rifleman wants to do is to "sight 
 in" his rifle. In other words he wants to find its 
 " normal elevations " and " zero windage." Most rifles 
 will not shoot as the sights read, and if they did at 
 6 o'clock in the morning they would not at 1 o'clock 
 in the afternoon. The usual change in the tempera- 
 ture will change all elevations. A warm air is lighter. 
 It resists a bullet less. The bullet goes faster, does 
 not have so long a time for falling, and therefore hits 
 higher. At 1,000 yards, if the air becomes 30 warmer, 
 the bullet will hit 40 inches higher, which is almost 
 equal to 40 yards raise in the elevation on the sight. 
 130339 19 5 
 
66 
 
 Likewise, if the sights were made correct for one man, 
 they might be incorrect for the next man who " looks 
 the sights " differently. 
 
 Give an untrained platoon the command : Range 500. 
 
 Look at their sights and they will all be adjusted 
 at the graduation for 500 yards. 
 
 Shoot the rifles and they will hit all the way from 
 400 yards to 600 yards. 
 
 Give the same command to a well-trained platoon 
 of riflemen : Range 500. 
 
 Look at their sights and you will find them set all 
 the way from 400 yards to 600 yards. 
 
 Shoot the rifles and they will all hit at 500 yards. 
 
 This result assumes that both platoons held the 
 rifles correctly. 
 
 In fact, the untrained platoon w r ould not hold good, 
 and its scatteration would be much greater. 
 
 Each man in the trained platoon had learned his 
 normal elevations and had set his sight as his par- 
 ticular rifle shoots for his eyes at the required dis- 
 tance. 
 
 Again, with the 1903 rifle, give the untrained pla- 
 toon the command : Wind two points right. 
 
 Look at the sights and each wind gauge will be set at 
 two points right. 
 
 Shoot the rifles and the hits will disperse right and 
 left 30 inches more than the errors of ammunition, 
 rifles and man. 
 
 Give the same command to the trained platoon: 
 Wind two points right. 
 
 Look at the sights and they will be set for windage 
 all the way from li points right to 2f points right. 
 
67 
 
 Shoot the rifles and there will be no right and left 
 dispersion, except the errors of ammunition, rifles, and 
 men. 
 
 The extreme variation for elevation, of even the 
 best made rifles, is more than 200 yards. 
 
 The extreme variation for windage is about three- 
 quarters of a point each way or a total of ! points. 
 
 A point of windage is equal to 4 inches on the 
 target for each 100 yards distance from the target. 
 Therefore, the lateral errors caused by incorrect 
 zeroes at 500 yards will amount to 30 inches. 
 
 The trained rifleman knows how to find this error 
 and correct for it. 
 
 The untrained man shoots and misses. 
 
 The errors of zero in the 1917 rifle can be cor- 
 rected in the rifle itself by a lateral adjustment of 
 the front sight. This is an improvement over any 
 other rifle that we have ever had. However, this 
 adjustment can only be made by trial shooting. If 
 the zero is wrong, the sight is moved. Nobody can 
 tell if it has been moved the proper distance except 
 by shooting again. If the adjustment were in the 
 rear sight it could be set as soon as the zero is found. 
 Therefore the correct place for the zero adjustment 
 is with the rear sight. Such sights are now proposed 
 and likely to be adopted for both rifles. 
 
 There is no wind gauge on the 1917 rifle, but the 
 question of zero is just as important. 
 
 The trained rifleman would first adjust his sights 
 for zero. 
 
 For one point at 500 yards he would then hold 20 
 inches right or left as the case might demand. 
 
68 
 
 The untrained man would also hold 20 inches, but, 
 not knowing his zero, this might be 15 inches too much 
 or 15 inches too little. In either case he would miss. 
 
 How do you find normal elevations and zero wind- 
 age? 
 
 It is a constant problem of rifle training. 
 
 It is an important problem of rifle training. 
 
 Select a day when the temperature is about the 
 average of what you expect it to be during the shoot- 
 ing period. 
 
 Select a still time or what is called zero conditions. 
 
 Shoot the rifle at each distance and correct for 
 elevation and windage until the group is around the 
 center of the bull's-eye. 
 
 Make a record of the final elevation, sight reading 
 at each distance or of the micrometer reading, and 
 the results are the normal elevations. 
 
 Also make a record of the windage as it settled 
 down and finally stood through the shooting and 
 that is the zero. 
 
 The zero should be practically the same at all 
 distances up to 600 yards. It might vary slightly 
 beyond that. 
 
 Make a record of temperature and all weather con- 
 ditions. 
 
 These results are of no value unless all of the 
 shots were fired with a good hold. 
 
 As soon as a man can hold good he is ready to 
 shoot for elevations and zero. 
 
 Having begun to shoot for them he never quits. 
 
 All his shooting is a constant checking with eleva- 
 tions and zero. 
 
He is so much above or below normal elevations 
 for weather conditions. He is so much right or left 
 of zero for wind. His elevations have changed be- 
 cause of the wearing of the rifle. He is watching 
 carefully to see if his zero has changed also. He 
 is now beginning to talk the language of a real rifle- 
 man. 
 
 CHAPTER 6. 
 TRIGGER SQUEEZE, 
 
 Trigger squeeze is a squeeze, not a pull or jerk. 
 It is simple but important. 
 
 Too. much emphasis can not be placed on the im- 
 portance of trigger-squeeze instruction, and it should 
 be given the recruit separate from the manipulation 
 drills to prevent the probability of his acquiring an 
 incorrect habit. 
 
 Trigger-squeeze practice should not be combined 
 with manipulation drills until the instructor feels 
 certain that the recruit understands and executes the 
 trigger squeeze properly. 
 
 It is unquestionably one of the basic points that 
 must be observed, for without it the other important 
 points to be learned in connection with successful 
 shooting will do little good. It can be considered as 
 the foundation, or one of the things to be mastered 
 first for it will be necessary before a marksman can 
 get the full benefit of the other points of his training. 
 
 "Taking command of the trigger" is not considered 
 a part of the "trigger squeeze." It merely means ap- 
 
70 
 
 plying enough pressure to squeeze the trigger back 
 until its heel comes in contact with the receiver. 
 
 Following this the pressure is applied gradually, 
 not necessarily so very slowly, but it must be slow 
 enough to be a steady squeeze and applied so gradu- 
 ally that the firer will not know when the sear will 
 be released. 
 
 A steady squeeze such as just described can be 
 applied with ample speed for rapid fire and should 
 always be used in such fire. 
 
 If the firer does not put his mind on the trigger 
 squeeze he is sure to know when the explosion is 
 going to occur and there will be an involunt'ary and 
 uncontrollable tendency toward a flinch, that is a 
 muscular movement to counteract or possibly to avoid 
 the recoil of the rifle. 
 
 All such movement is eliminated when the mind 
 sees that the trigger is properly squeezed, and to get 
 the best results in marksmanship every movement 
 must be eliminated during aiming, that it is possible 
 to eliminate. 
 
 To attain this same end it must be constantly 
 borne in mind that the pressure must be put on the 
 trigger with the least possible muscular movement. 
 Do not increase the tension on the other fingers or 
 any muscle while squeezing the trigger. Do the 
 squeezing with only one finger. The index finger is 
 preferable because it is the most sensitive and is 
 much the handiest in position and in bolt manipula- 
 tion, but some successful riflemen use the second 
 finger. The choice of the first or second joint of the 
 finger for squeezing the trigger is entirely an indi- 
 vidual problem with each rifleman. It depends prin- 
 
cipally on the length of his fingers and partially upon 
 the position of his right hand. 
 
 When squeezing the trigger correctly the firer will 
 not know exactly when the explosion is going to occur, 
 and when he has reached that stage he will be cured 
 of one very serious trouble, and that is flinching, for 
 if he does not know when the rifle or pistol is going 
 off he will not know when to flinch. 
 
 The squeeze should be stopped when anything 
 causes the firer to doubt the correctness of his hold, 
 such as blurring of the vision, fatigue, changing wind 
 or light. 
 
 First be sure that everything is as you want it to 
 be, then be absolutely sure to squeeze the trigger care- 
 fully. 
 
 CHAPTER 7. 
 TEN COMMANDMENTS. 
 
 1. Aiming drills are just as important as shooting 
 to hit. Any aiming drill that is not conducted with 
 the same care as shooting to hit is an improper drill. 
 The slightest carelessness in an aiming drill tends to 
 develop bad habits of carelessness in shooting. Such 
 a drill is a positive injury. Every part of an aiming 
 drill is important, but the two vital things are sight 
 alignment and trigger squeeze. It was because of this 
 vital importance that they were eliminated from the 
 first manipulation drills. The aiming drill includes 
 the manipulation drill, but adds to it all the other 
 things that must be done in accurate shooting. The 
 aiming drills should be conducted in all the positions, 
 
72 
 
 but should begin in the prone and with the sling. 
 Every aiming drill should be conducted with the 
 "Ten Commandments of the Firing Point": 
 
 1. Position 45. 
 
 2. Adjust sling high. 
 
 3. Hard on shoulder. 
 
 4. Freeze face to stock. 
 
 5. Hold breath. 
 
 6. Take command trigger. 
 
 7. Align sights. 
 
 8. Last focus on bull. 
 
 9. Final squeeze. 
 10. Call shot. 
 
 These catch words should be printed on paper and 
 pasted on a small piece of cloth and pinned to the 
 sleeve for easy reference by both the recruit and his 
 instructor. They should also be used as commands 
 and executed as commands until the recruit has be- 
 come familiar with every element of the aiming drill. 
 For that reason an analysis of each commandment is 
 desired. 
 
 1. The position 45 means that the alignment of 
 the body is 45 away from the alignment of the 
 rifle. It may be true that this position will not be 
 used in battle and especially in the trenches, but that 
 is no reason against it during the training period, 
 providing it is the best position in which to learn 
 the rifle. It is the best position for many reasons. 
 This angle gives the body an elastic and rolling motion, 
 from the recoil of the rifle and, therefore, prevents 
 injury. The rifle and the sling fit more naturally into 
 the man in this position. It gives the firmest and 
 most vital hold. Therefore it should be used until 
 
73 
 
 the rifle is learned. After that there is no objection 
 to firing in any sort of position which the use of cover 
 and the urgency of battle may demand. 
 
 2. Adjusting the sling high consists in moving the 
 loop above the muscles of the upper arm and hold- 
 ing it there with the keeper. The value of the sling 
 is greatly reduced if allowed to slip down below the 
 muscles of the upper arm. At this command the 
 recruit should reach across with his right hand and 
 push the sling above the muscles of the upper arm 
 and tighten it with the keeper. In a drill he should 
 feel the sling each time to verify this position even 
 if it is already correctly adjusted. 
 
 3. When the butt of the stock is placed on the 
 right shoulder it should rest hard against the 
 shoulder. This is readily accomplished by the proper 
 adjustment of the sling. If the sling is adjusted the 
 right length and then moved above the muscles of 
 the upper arm, the butt will always come hard against 
 the right shoulder. It will also stay in place. If 
 the sling is permitted to slip down near the .elbow it 
 will no longer hold the butt hard against the shoulder 
 and it also permits the muzzle of the rifle to drop 
 toward the ground. 
 
 4. The face must in all cases be frozen to the stock. 
 To omit this is to fail in good holding. The face 
 should be frozen in such a position that the eye will 
 see the top of the front sight in the center of the 
 peep. This position gives the proper alignment of 
 the sights with the eye and there is nothing left to 
 do but to move the whole combination of sights and 
 eye together to complete the sight alignment upon 
 the proper aiming point. 
 
74 
 
 5. The breath must be held at the time of sight 
 alignment and until the final squeeze of the trigger. 
 It is impossible to do accurate shooting unless this is 
 done. The proper method is to take a long breath, 
 exhale part until the feeling is easy and then hold 
 the breath until after the final squeeze. It should 
 be done habitually on the first trial. 
 
 6. The double squeeze of the trigger is for the 
 purpose of giving the command hold. This command 
 is taken by squeezing the trigger back until the stop 
 occasioned by the heel bearing engaging the receiver 
 is felt. The trigger is held in this position until 
 the sight alignment is complete. Squeezing the trig- 
 ger back and holding in this position is taking com- 
 mand of it. 
 
 7. We have already mentioned a part of the sight 
 alignment when the face is frozen to the stock. By 
 the seventh commandment this alignment is com- 
 pleted by putting the top of the front sight on the 
 aiming point which is normally at 6 o'clock under the 
 bull's-eye with a distinct white line. 
 
 (a) First find the center of the peep. The center 
 is clearly marked and can be found in the following 
 manner: Notice whether all parts of the rim of the 
 peep are sharp and clearly defined. If the upper 
 part of the peep is sharp and the lower is woolly, 
 the positon of the eye is too high, and this applies 
 to the same condition at the sides of the peep. When 
 all of the parts of the rim are clear, the eye is in 
 the proper alignment, but still may not be at the 
 correct distance from the peep. By moving the eye 
 forward or backward it will be seen that the appear- 
 ance of the light within the circle changes. There 
 
75 
 
 is a dark border close to the edge of the peep inclos- 
 ing a brighter center, and when the eye sees this 
 distinctly it is in the proper position. 
 
 NOTE. In the center of this brighter portion a 
 second reversal of the rays of light takes place. In 
 other words, there is another dark band with a very 
 bright center. This is the exact optical center of the 
 peep, but is usually not visible when the front sight 
 larger bright center. The 1903 sight is so far from 
 the eye that the bright optical center is not seen. 
 
 (&) Next pass the focus forward from the peep to 
 the front sight. If the top of the front sight is clear 
 and sharp, it is in the center of the peep, but if it is 
 the least bit indistinct, it should be moved up or 
 down, or from one side to the other until it clears up. 
 When it is sharp the two points, namely, the center 
 of the peep and the top of the front sight, are in 
 alignment. 
 
 (c) Next transfer the focus of the eye to the point 
 of contact between the top of the front sight and the 
 bull's-eye. The lower edge of the bull's-eye becomes 
 sharp in its turn when the other two points become 
 relatively less clear, because of the impossibility of 
 focusing the eye upon more than one point at a time. 
 In this position the seventh commandment is fulfilled. 
 The sights are aligned. 
 
 8. In aligning the sights the eye will not focus on 
 both sights and the bull's-eye at one time because each 
 is a different distance from the eye. The eye will 
 only focus on one distance at one time ; therefore, the 
 sight alignment is made by jumping or changing the 
 focus of the eye from the center of the rear sight to 
 the top of the front sight, and thence to the aiming 
 
TG 
 
 point at 6 o'clock under the bull's-eye. The last focus 
 is on the aiming point at the bull's-eye. It is also 
 true that when this last focus is first made and finds 
 the bull's-eye in the proper place, or finds the sights 
 in the proper alignment with the bull's-eye, then is 
 the time for the final squeeze. The first time this last 
 focus is found to be correct is the best time for the 
 final squeeze. The eye is strained less than at any 
 other time and it will see better. 
 
 9. After all of the other eight commandments have 
 been kept and the last focus in the sight alignment upon 
 the bull's-eye indicates the sight alignment to be cor- 
 rect, then is the time for the final squeeze. This is 
 the most critical moment in rifle training. This final 
 squeeze should be directed by the mind promptly and 
 steadily and without any movement of the rifle or any 
 attention to the explosion. The whole business of 
 the mind at this critical moment is to note the sight 
 alignment and direct the prompt and steady squeeze. 
 
 10. If the mental attention was upon the sight align- 
 ment and if the final squeeze was steady and without 
 movement of the piece, then the firer Is able to call his 
 shot or hold. If the sights were correctly aligned 
 with the aiming point at the time of squeeze, he 
 should call his hold good. If the front sight rose 
 higher than his aiming point, he should call it high. 
 If the front sight moved to the right of his aiming 
 point at the time of final squeeze, he should call it 
 to the right. Practice in this will enable him in a 
 little while to call his shots quite accurately, and this 
 should always be done in the aiming drills and in 
 shooting. To neglect calling the shot or hold, is to 
 neglect the best guide for improvement in rifle firing. 
 
77 
 
 CHAPTER 8. 
 
 AIMING DRILLS. 
 
 The " ten commandments " are a complete analysis 
 of everything to do in a slow-fire aiming drill in the 
 prone position and in the sling. This should be the 
 first aiming drill. Targets should be provided for 
 the purpose and the ten commandments used as com- 
 mands. This insures great care in the drill and all 
 aiming drills are useless unless great care is used. 
 They are worse than useless when carelessly done 
 because they develop a bad habit that must be over- 
 come later. The care of the aiming drill must be of 
 the same degree as the care of shooting to hit. 
 
 After the aiming drill in the prone position there 
 should be slow-fire aiming drills in all the positions 
 conducted in the same manner and with the same care. 
 Only slight modification of the commands is necessary. 
 For instance, the first can be reduced to the word 
 " Position." The second can be reduced to the words 
 "Adjust sling." The others will apply to any posi- 
 tion. For assuming the positions the commands of 
 the infantry drill regulations may be used and then 
 follow with the ten commandments. There is no other 
 preliminary instruction in aiming quite so reliable as 
 this. 
 
 CHAPTER 9. 
 RAPID LOADING. 
 
 There is not much to be said under this subject. 
 If it were not for the fact that rapid loading is nearly 
 always neglected in the preliminary training, it would 
 
78 
 
 not be made a separate subject. Since it is neglected 
 and is very important in rapid-fire training special 
 attention must be called to it. Rapid loading should 
 be learned by practice with dummies. The dummies 
 load harder than the regular cartridges. If the recruit 
 will practice loading with dummies until he can load 
 them easily and quickly he has mastered rapid load- 
 ing. He is not ready for rapid-fire aiming drills until 
 this is done. 
 
 In this same connection note the chapter on func- 
 tioning. 
 
 Rapid loading should be practiced in all the rapid- 
 fire positions. The prone is the most difficult to learn. 
 The sling should be lengthened about two notches 
 more than for slow fire. This is true for the rapid-fire 
 aiming drill, the rapid-loading drill, and the rapid 
 fire itself. 
 
 CHAPTER 10. 
 
 RAPID-FIRE AIMING DRILLS. 
 
 Rapid-fire aiming drills are no different from slow- 
 fire aiming drills, except in the matter of speed. They 
 should always be conducted in rapid-fire time; for 
 instance, ten times in one minute or in one minute and 
 ten seconds, as the case may be. Everything in the 
 ten commandments is done as in slow fire, except 
 that the speed required makes it impossible to use the 
 commands. The same things will be done but without 
 commands except the regular rapid-fire commands. 
 These drills will be done in all the rapid-fire posi- 
 tions, leaving the prone to the last, because it is 
 hardest. They will first be done without dummies, 
 and the loading will be simulated. They will then be 
 
79 
 
 done with dummies until the recruit can execute them 
 easily and carefully within the time limit. He will 
 graduate in these drills by learning to use all the time 
 so that his aiming will be more careful. Stay within 
 the limit, but use all the time. 
 
 As noted under rapid loading, the sling should be 
 lengthened about two notches more for this drill than 
 for the slow-fire drill, and the same is true for rapid 
 fire itself. The speed required in rapid fire demands 
 a freer motion, and a longer adjustment of the sling 
 will give it. (Test X, Small Arms Firing Manual.) 
 
 After a man has become proficient in the regular 
 rapid fire aiming drill he should be given the " mad 
 minute " aiming drill. In this he loads with dum- 
 mies and aims and squeezes the trigger as many 
 times as possible in one minute. His speed must 
 always be limited by the care required for good aim- 
 ing and squeezing. 
 
 CHAPTER 11. 
 SIGHT SETTING. 
 
 1. All corrections for sight setting, both for eleva- 
 tion and windage, are estimated in the vertical plane. 
 In other words, the estimate is made on the face of 
 the target and from its center. It should also be 
 made in inches. There is no other unit so convenient 
 and so accurate for rifle fire. The original sight 
 setting for the first shot is based upon the distance 
 from the target. If the elevations of the rifle have 
 not been determined by actual shooting the sight will 
 be set at its normal reading, both for elevation and 
 zero windage. When the shot is fired, if the hit is 
 too high the rear sight will be lowered ; if the hit 
 
80 
 
 is too low the rear sight will be raised; if the hit 
 is to the right the wind gauge will be moved to the 
 left ; and that is true whether the hit be high, low or 
 at the right elevation; if the hit is to the left the 
 wind gauge will be moved to the right. Therefore, the 
 rifleman must know how much in inches the move- 
 ment of his sight up or down will raise or lower the 
 hit on the target, and how much the movement of 
 the wind gauge to the right or left will also move the 
 hit on the target. There are two simple rules, easy 
 to remember and approximately correct, which can be 
 used for this purpose. The wind gauge of the 1903 
 rifle is so constructed that each point of wind amounts 
 to moving the hit approximately 4 inches for each 
 100 yards distance from the target. For instance, if 
 a hit at 600 yards is 24 inches to the left of the cen- 
 ter of the bull's-eye, a movement of the wind gauge 
 one point to the right or where it stood when the 
 hit was made will take the next shot 24 inches to 
 the right and to the center of the bull's-eye, providing 
 the hold, ammunition, and all other 'conditions were 
 the same. There will, however, always be such vari- 
 ation in conditions as to modify the results of these 
 corrections. The finest windage correction that can 
 ordinarily be used is one-fourth point, and that is 
 1 inch on the target for each 100 yards distance. The 
 hit on the target is moved in the same direction as 
 the wind gauge is moved, and the wind gauge must be 
 moved into the wind in order to offset its effect. 
 
 The second rule relates to elevations, and 100 yards 
 of elevation will approximately move the hit on the 
 target equal to the square of the distance from the 
 target. At 600 yards, if the sight is raised 100 yards 
 it will raise the hit approximately 36 inches; and 
 
81 
 
 if it is lowered 100 yards the hit on the target is 
 lowered approximately the same. If at this dis- 
 tance a hit were 27 inches below the center of the 
 bull's-eye the rear sight should be raised 75 yards in 
 order to bring the next hit up to the center of the 
 bull's-eye with the same hold and other conditions. 
 This is true without reference to whether the hit was 
 to the right or left of the center of the bull's-eye. In 
 actual firing it will be found that these corrections 
 vary because of the differences in holding the rifle 
 and in other conditions. In all cases it must be noted 
 that the corrections for elevation and for windage are 
 independent of each other. If the hit is low and to 
 the left it is necessary to raise the elevation and also 
 to move the wind gauge to the right. The following 
 table gives the more accurate theoretical movement of 
 the hit on the target for a change of 100 yards in ele- 
 vation up to 1,000 yards ; and also the windage move- 
 ment of the hit on the target : 
 
 Range. 
 
 Change in 
 elevation 
 of 100 yards 
 moves hit 
 on target 
 
 Change in 
 windage 1 
 point 
 moves hit 
 on target 
 
 Yards. 
 103 
 
 Inches. 
 2 88 
 
 Inches. 
 4 31 
 
 200 
 
 6 44 
 
 8 62 
 
 300 
 
 11 08 
 
 12 93 
 
 400 
 
 17 28 
 
 17 24 
 
 500 
 
 24 72 
 
 21 55 
 
 600 
 
 34 16 
 
 25 86 
 
 700 
 
 46 68 
 
 30 17 
 
 800 
 
 62 48 
 
 34 48 
 
 900 
 
 79 04 
 
 38 79 
 
 1,000 
 
 99 24 
 
 43 11 
 
 
 
 
 130339 IS 
 
82 
 
 When a micrometer is used for elevations the grad- 
 uations usually approximate a minute of angle. The 
 hit on the target is moved one inch for each 100 yards 
 distance from the target for each minute of change. 
 
 2. The above table in reference to windage is 
 modified when the battle sight is used. The wind 
 gauge is operated by a rotary movement of the rear 
 sight base, and the distance of the battle sight from 
 the pivot is about one-third less, than the distance 
 of the peep sight. Therefore when using the battle 
 sight it is necessary to add about one-third more 
 windage than indicated by the above table. 
 
 3. The above description of sight corrections is 
 based upon the presumption that the rifleman hits 
 the target. As a usual thing if he sets the sight for 
 elevation and zero windage as it reads and then 
 makes an allowance for the wind according to wind- 
 age tables, he will hit the target providing he holds 
 his rifle correctly. In all cases good holding is a 
 necessary starting point for sight setting. At the 
 shorter distances there should be no trouble for the 
 good holder to hit the target the first shot with any 
 rifle, but at mid and long range he will sometimes 
 miss the whole target because of the variation in 
 rifles or because of bad weather conditions. In this 
 case the question of sight setting is more difficult. 
 If he misses the target entirely it is a harder problem 
 to know what to do with the sights. If the wind 
 conditions are strong and unsteady, he is more likely 
 to miss to the right or left. In that event the first 
 corrections should be with the wind gauge. If he 
 is unable to tell whether his hit went to the right or 
 left, then he should move the wind gauge either right 
 
83 
 
 or left, it does not matter which, but enough to move 
 the hit one-half of the width of the target. If he 
 moved the windage gauge right this amount and 
 again missed on the next shot, he should move it the 
 other direction and double the amount; for instance, 
 at 600 yards he missed the target and on his second 
 shot moves the wind gauge 1 points right from 
 where it was set for his first shot. He again misses, 
 and on the third shot should move the wind gauge 
 back not only the 1 points but in addition thereto 
 another 1 points so it would stand If points to the 
 left of his first shot and 3 points to the left of the 
 second shot. This should give him a hit if he missed 
 on account of windage at the first shot unless his 
 first estimate was very wild. If he again misses on 
 the third shot it becomes probable that he is missing 
 for elevation, either over or under. If no hits have 
 been observed in the dirt below the target, it is prob- 
 able that he is going over. If the weather conditions 
 are good, it is also probable that he is missing for 
 elevation and not for windage. The proper correction 
 to make in this case is to lower the elevation enough 
 to lower the hit one-half of the target, setting the 
 wind gauge at the first and best estimate of the 
 windage. If he misses the target on 'this shot, then 
 raise the elevation twice as much as he lowered. 
 This should give him a hit and thereafter correc- 
 tions are made on the hit. 
 
 4. From the foregoing statement it must not be 
 inferred that the sight should be set at zero for the 
 first shot when the wind is blowing either right or 
 left. The normal zero of the rifle is taken as the 
 starting point when its actual zero has not been de- 
 
84 
 
 termined by shooting. If the wind is blowing either 
 to the right or left, the wind gauge must be moved 
 into the wind enough to offset its effect, and this must 
 be done by estimating the speed of the wind for the 
 first shot; the rule for this is based on the 9 and 3 
 o'clock directions. The velocity of the wind is always 
 a matter of estimate. There is no way to get the 
 velocity exactly. Even instruments for that purpose 
 only find it at a particular point, and it may be 
 different 100 or 200 yards away. It is the average 
 velocity over all the ground where the bullet is to go 
 that should be estimated. Having made this estimate, 
 multiply it by the range in hundred of yards and 
 divide by 10; the result will give the setting of the 
 wind gauge in quarter points. For instance, if the 
 range is 600 yards, the wind 15 miles from 9 o'clock ; 
 then multiply 6 by 15 and divide by 10 ; the result is 
 9, which would mean 9 quarter points, or 2 points 
 of left wind. If the direction were 3 o'clock it would 
 be 2J points of right wind. If the direction were 
 2 or 4 o'clock this number of quarter points would be 
 reduced by about one-ninth ; and likewise if the direc- 
 tion were 8 or 10 o'clock it would be reduced by one- 
 ninth in the opposite direction. The next hours, 1 
 and 5, and 7 and 11, reduce it about one-half. The 
 other hours, 12 and 6 do not require a movement of 
 the w^ind gauge; it stands at zero for both of these 
 directions. 
 
 5. While the 12 and 6 o'clock winds do not affect 
 the lateral movement of the bullet and therefore do 
 not require a wind gauge adjustment, they do affect 
 the elevation. The 12 o'clock wind causes greater re- 
 sistance and therefore causes the bullet to hit lower, 
 
85 
 
 ad this requires that the rear sight be raised. How- 
 ever, this effect is very slight at the shorter ranges 
 and becomes important only at the longer ranges. 
 The following table shows how much a 5-mile wind 
 from 12 o'clock will lower the hit at each distance 
 from 100 yards to 1,000 yards : 
 
 Yards. 
 
 Inches. 
 
 Yards. 
 
 Inches. 
 
 100 
 
 012 
 
 600 
 
 1.260 
 
 200 
 
 .060 
 
 700 
 
 2.160 
 
 300 
 
 203 
 
 800 
 
 3. 820 
 
 400 
 
 .343 
 
 900 
 
 7.120 
 
 500 
 
 .700 
 
 1,000 . . 
 
 12. 130 
 
 
 
 
 
 In a 6 o'clock wind the hits would be approximately 
 as much higher as they are lower in the above table. 
 As the wind increases in speed the hits would be 
 lowered if the wind were from 12 o'clock and raised 
 if from 6 o'clock, approximately in proportion to the 
 above table for the 5-mile wind. It will be observed 
 that there is no proportion of this variation in hits 
 with the distance because the slowing velocity of the 
 bullet causes a much greater effect in proportion as 
 the distance increases. This makes it difficult to 
 establish a simple rule, except it may be stated that 
 at 1,000 yards a 10-mile head wind requires an in- 
 crease of 25 yards in elevation, and a 10-mile 6 o'clock 
 wind would require a decrease of that amount. 
 
 6. In hot weather and over snow and ice there are 
 certain conditions of light refraction which are com- 
 monly called mirage by riflemen. On an ordinary hot 
 day, over the ordinary rifle range, this mirage appears 
 in the form of heat waves, visible to the naked eye,. 
 
86 
 
 and much more visible through an observation tele- 
 scope or field glass. This mirage produces a certain 
 amount of displacement, sometimes in one direction 
 and sometimes in another, depending upon the angle 
 given by the direction of the wind. These irregulari- 
 ties cause a certain amount of disturbance for the 
 rifleman and to some extent reduce his scores. How- 
 ever, the visible mirage is really the friend and helper 
 of the rifleman as soon as he learns to treat it simply 
 as his wind flag. The mirage is only possible in light 
 winds ; it is entirely dispelled by wind of about 15 
 miles per hour ; and its effect is always decreased as 
 the wind increases. It can be observed in movement 
 with the wind and is a good index of the speed of 
 the w r ind. Mirage will disclose wind movements that 
 would otherwise be invisible. The rifleman who has 
 learned to observe these changes and will make slight 
 changes of his sights to offset them, will stay in the 
 bull's eye when his competitor, who does not judge air 
 movement by movement of the mirage, will get 4's or 
 even 3's. The best way is to simply observe these 
 mirage or heat-wave movements for the purpose of 
 determining the air movement, and then change the 
 sights according to the windage rules. Since mirage 
 is strongest in the lightest winds, it often occurs when 
 the wind is changing from right to left. One shot may 
 require a one-half point right wind and the next shot 
 a one-half point left wind. Changes like this can be 
 determined better by observing the direction and 
 speed of the heat waves or mirage than any other way. 
 If at 600 yards the observation of mirage movement 
 disclosed it moving from 9 o'clock at the rate of 5 
 miles per hour, the sight setting would be 0.69 to the 
 
87 
 
 roximately three-quarters point left wind. 
 If on the next shot the direction changed and the heat 
 waves moved from 3' o'clock at the same speed the 
 sight setting would be three-quarters point right, and 
 the shots would stay in the bull's-eye. This is an ex- 
 treme case, but such cases do occur. They often occur 
 where the direction switches from right to left, but 
 not the full switch from 3 to 9 o'clock ; rather from 
 11 to 1 o'clock, or 10 to 2 o'clock. The following table 
 shows the number of points of deflection or windage 
 necessary to correct for a 10-mile per hour wind, drift 
 not considered ; and for a 5-mile per hour wind the 
 correction would be one-half as much. 
 
 Range (yards). 
 
 Direction of wind. 
 
 Ill, IX. 
 
 II, VIII, 
 IV, X. 
 
 I, VII, 
 V,XI. 
 
 100. . 
 
 0.23 
 .34 
 .61 
 .86 
 1.11 
 1.39 
 1.68 
 2.00 
 2.34 
 2.67 
 
 0.20 
 .31 
 .53 
 .75 
 .96 
 1.20 
 1.45 
 1.73 
 2.03 
 2.30 
 
 0.10 
 .17 
 .30 
 .43 
 .55 
 .69 
 .84 
 1.00 
 1.17 
 1.33 
 
 200 .... . . - 
 
 300 
 
 400 
 
 500. .. 
 
 600 
 
 700 
 
 800 
 
 900 
 
 1000 . 
 
 
 The above table indicates the corrections for mirage 
 in lateral motion. There is one other condition of 
 mirage that should be noted, and that is the boiling 
 mirage. This occurs when there is no wind move- 
 ment in either direction and no windage is required. 
 
 If mirage conditions are frequently recurring it is 
 best to wait until the same condition is seen for each 
 
88 
 
 shot and make no change of the sights whatever. 
 Time is the controlling factor in this method, and if 
 there is not time to wait then the sights must be 
 changed as above indicated. 
 
 There are also conditions under which mirage will 
 be observed going in one direction over one part of 
 the range and in an opposite direction over another 
 part of the range. Under those conditions it is often 
 impossible to determine the sight setting except from 
 hits on the target. If the conditions remain uniform 
 the hit on the target is always the guiding point for 
 sight correction, regardless of whether conditions are 
 good or bad. It is the changing conditions that pre- 
 sent the problem to the rifleman. 
 
 7. A consideration of the aiming point is of some 
 importance to the subject of sight setting, but more 
 especially with reference to the use of the battle 
 sight. For the peep sight the aiming point is at 6 
 o'clock and on the white part of the target ; the hit- 
 ting point is the center of the bull's-eye. This means 
 an indirect aiming point. In other words, the aim is 
 at one point and the hit intended for another. At 
 200 yards and 300 yards the aiming point is about 6 
 inches below the center of the bull's-eye ; at 500 and 
 600 yards it is about 15 inches below the center of the 
 bull's-eye and at 1,000 yards it is about 27 inches 
 below the center of the bull's-eye. This lowering of 
 the aiming point requires a corresponding raising of 
 the rear sight, and in part accounts for the fact that 
 the sights of many rifles must be set at 300 and even 
 400 yards elevation when shooting at 200 yards dis- 
 tance. At the longer distances the increase in eleva- 
 tion is relatively smaller. The only reason for this 
 
89 
 
 indirect aiming point is the fact that a black sight 
 is seen more distinctly upon a light background, and 
 the rifleman can tell better the exact point at which 
 his front sight is aligned. If the black sight is 
 aligned on the black bull's-eye it is impossible to tell 
 whether it is high or low, right or left. This makes 
 possible a considerable variation in the hold which 
 can not be seen, but it would be seen if the sight 
 were on the light background. 
 
 With the battle sight, at 200 and 300 yards the 
 aiming point is still lower, being about 26 inches 
 below the hitting point at 200 yards, and about 28 
 inches below it at 300 yards. These figures vary 
 Considerably with individual rifles and with indi- 
 vidual eyes. With many rifles it is necessary to have 
 aiming points at these distances below the entire tar- 
 get. This makes rapid fire much more difficult, and 
 it should be corrected by putting in the highest size of 
 the front sight when possible. It should be observed 
 that the holding or aiming point is about 2 inches 
 lower at 300 yards than at 200 yards. The reason 
 for this is because the battle sight is set at 547 yards 
 and the rising trajectory has not reached its highest 
 point when 200 yards from the muzzle. Since the 
 bullet will rise over 2 inches more in going the next 
 100 yards it is necessary to hold that much lower in 
 order to hit the same point. 
 
 8. The effect of light upon sight setting in an indi- 
 vidual question. No rules can be established that 
 will apply to all men alike. In a bright light one man 
 will hit higher and be required to lower his sight ; 
 another man will get the opposite result ; still other 
 men find no difference. The shade of the sights may 
 
90 
 
 also make a difference in the windage, but this differ- 
 ence may be opposite with different men. If the right 
 side of the front sight is bright and the left side 
 shaded, some eyes would see the right side more dis- 
 tinctly and place it on the aiming point; others 
 would see the shaded side more distinctly and place 
 it on the 'aiming point. This would make a difference 
 in windage about equal to the thickness of the front 
 sight blade. Such differences may sometimes be 
 avoided by using a sight cover, and sometimes by care- 
 fully observing the two sides of the sight when aiming. 
 It is always a good rule to carefully look at the out- 
 line of the sights in every kind of light, and such care 
 will often correct error caused by changes of light. 
 In every case each man should learn from actual ex- 
 perience the effect of light upon his own aiming, and 
 then make a record of it and set his sights as his 
 individual case demands. This is one of the most 
 difficult problems in the better training of the rifleman. 
 
 Other weather conditions that effect sight setting 
 are temperature and moisture. A change of 7? in 
 temperature will change the hit on the target 1 inch 
 for each 100 yards distance. If the weather becomes 
 7 warmer the hit will be 10 inches higher at 1,000 
 yards ; and the opposite results if the weather be- 
 comes colder. In a damp air the hits will be higher, 
 and in a dry air lower. But there is no moisture rule 
 that is reliable like the temperature rule. Many times 
 one set of weather conditions works the opposite of 
 another and thus they offset each other. 
 
 In this connection it is also well to note that if 
 glasses are worn they must be kept in a uniform po- 
 sition so the angle with the eye will be constant. A 
 
91 
 
 change of this angle may mean a change of elevations 
 or zero or both. This is more likely to occur with 
 glasses held in place by pinching the nose. 
 
 9. Telescopic sight setting has been a source of a 
 great deal of confusion. This can be avoided by bore 
 sighting the rifle. The best method of bore sighting 
 the rifle is to dismount the bolt mechanism, leaving 
 the bolt in the rifle. The aperture for the striker 
 then serves as a rear peep sight in the bore and assists 
 in making the bore sighting accurate. The rifle should 
 then be placed on a sandbag, or, better still, upon an 
 adjustable rest that will hold it firmly in place. It 
 is then carefully sighted through the aperture and the 
 bore, and the bull's-eye of the target carefully put in 
 the center of each. It must remain in this position 
 without being moved, and the telescope sight so ad- 
 justed that the center of the cross hairs will cover the 
 center of the bull's-eye at the same time the bore is 
 sighted on the bull's-eye as above indicated. When 
 this is carefully done it gives a practical zero of the 
 telescopic sight for both windage and elevation. The 
 reading of the sight graduations for both windage 
 and elevation should then be carefully noted and re- 
 corded as the zero of each. The graduations on the 
 sleeve of the Winchester A-5 telescope represent 25 
 units corresponding to micrometer readings. Each 
 graduation on the thimble represents one of these 
 units and, therefore, a full turn of the thimble is 25, 
 or the same as a single graduation on the sleeve. The 
 angle of these units moves the hit on the target ap- 
 proximately one-half inch for each 100 yards dis- 
 tance. The windage screw is the same as that for 
 elevation. If after a rifle had been bore sighted and 
 
92 
 
 the elevation sleeve showed 3 red lines and the thimble 
 9 past the zero point, then the zero of elevation would 
 be stated and indicated as follows : Bore-sighted eleva- 
 tion zero 3+9. If at the same time the windage sleeve 
 showed 4 red lines and the thimble 19 past the zero 
 point then the zero would be designated and indicated 
 as follows : Bore-sighted windage zero 4-fl9. These 
 two readings having been determined by a careful and 
 accurate bore sight will give a starting point from 
 which any rifle can be easily put on the target up to 
 1,000 yards. If the wind is blowing the wind gauge 
 screw will be moved to the right or left of the zero, 
 figuring each graduation as one-eighth of a point of 
 wind, which moves the hit one-half inch for each 100 
 yards distance, as above stated. Therefore, estimate 
 the wind and move the sight into the wind, and to the 
 right or left, exactly as the metallic sight would be 
 moved. 
 
 For elevation add together all the numbers of 
 each 100 yards distance up to 600 yards and the sum 
 of these numbers will give the number of units to raise 
 the sight for elevation. For instance, if the dis- 
 tance is 600 yards, by adding all the serial numbers 
 from 1 to 6, inclusive, we get 21 ; the sight must, 
 therefore, be raised 21 graduations above the bore- 
 sight zero for elevation. This amount of raise to- 
 gether with the jump of the rifle will put the hit 
 on the target. If the distance is above 600 yards it 
 is necessary to add all the serial numbers represent- 
 ing the other hundreds, and 50 per cent more. For 
 800 yards, therefore, add 7 and 8, then 7 more or 
 one-half of the total of the two. This would give 
 a grand total of 43 which the sight must be raised 
 
93 
 
 above the bore-sight zero for elevation to hit the 
 target at 800 yards. After the target is hit it will 
 generaly be found necessary to make further correc- 
 tions of the sight, and this should be done until the 
 group of hits is around the center of the bull's-eye 
 and then a record made of the actual elevation and 
 windage used to get this group. This record will be 
 more accurate than the bore-sight zeroes with the 
 calculated changes. 
 
 After the elevation is accurately obtained by ac- 
 tual shooting at each distance it is a good plan to 
 again bore sight the rifle with the sight set as it was 
 fired. While the bore is centered on the bull's-eye 
 and without moving the rifle again look through the 
 telescopic sight and observe how far the cross hairs 
 are pointing below the center of the bull's-eye. For 
 instance, at 600 yards it will be observed that the 
 cross hairs are pointing about 60 inches below the 
 center of the bull's-eye. If the number of inches from 
 the center of .the bull's-eye down to where the sight 
 points is carefully observed and recorded for each 
 100 yards distance from the target, and after the 
 sights have been adjusted by actual shooting, it would 
 then be possible to bore sight the rifle upon the target 
 without using any sight graduations whatever. All 
 that would be necessary would be to sight the bore 
 on the bull's-eye and at the same time adjust the 
 telescopic sight to a point the right number of inches 
 below. The windage adjustment must be made as 
 at first indicated herein. This method is not prac- 
 tical above 600 yards because of the greater distance 
 the sight points below the bull's-eye. 
 
94 
 
 CHAPTER 12. 
 GALLERY PRACTICE. 
 
 If there is proper equipment and time, gallery prac- 
 tice has considerable value, because it is real shooting. 
 However, if a man must use a strange rifle with a 
 strange trigger squeeze and complicated with an 
 adapter or reducer for the load, it creates such con- 
 fusion and nuisance as to almost entirely destroy the 
 value. From a military standpoint gallery practice 
 will not be of much value until each man can use his 
 own rifle with a reduced load that will function the 
 same as the regular load at both slow and rapid fire. 
 Even then a large amount of gallery practice is not 
 desirable for the beginner. The absence, of recoil is 
 likely to give him a false idea of the rifle and some- 
 times good gallery shots become the worst flinchers. 
 Gallery practice should only be considered as a step in 
 the preliminary training. It is an easy method of 
 testing sight alignment, trigger squeeze, and other pre- 
 liminary instruction. In peace time and for civilian 
 clubs the small bore rifle has great value because of 
 the small expense and the ease with which accessible 
 ranges can be procured. 
 
 The animated target affords an advanced course 
 in gallery practice. It is a fascinating sport and it 
 gives some idea of shooting at moving targets. But 
 it is like all other preliminary instruction. It is only 
 a step toward the high-power rifle and must not be 
 substituted. Time enough should be spent on pre- 
 liminary matters to assimilate the ideas they teach 
 and then put them into the shooting of the military 
 rifle. 
 
95 
 CHAPTER 13. 
 
 SOLUTION OF RANGE PROBLEMS. 
 
 After it has been decided that each soldier should 
 have the best training in marksmanship, after the 
 ammunition allowance has been increased until this 
 training is possible, after the officers have been trained 
 in the best system of instruction, still the whole train- 
 ing is likely to prove inadequate for the following 
 reasons : 
 
 A. Inconvenient location of ranges. 
 
 IB. Insufficient number of targets. 
 C. Improper arrangement of targets. 
 D. Inefficient organization for training instruc- 
 tors. 
 E. Inefficient organization for training the 
 troops. 
 
 The range should always be close to camp or quar- 
 ters. In all cases where this is impossible, the only 
 alternative is to establish a temporary camp at the 
 range during the firing period. While one-half day 
 of firing is sufficient for any one day, still the other 
 duties of that same day should not be of the heavy 
 fatiguing kind. It is impossible to get good results in 
 marksmanship if the men are worn out in long 
 marches or violent exercises. Short marches, light 
 drills, and study periods are desirable, but not during 
 the same half day they are firing. 
 
 Men learn to shoot by shooting, and if the number 
 of targets is insufficient for the allotted time, the 
 training will always be inadequate. 
 
 The targets should be arranged with reference to 
 the course to be fired. The course should include such 
 
distances and kinds of fire as will best train a man 
 to learn and operate his rifle, to learn and correct 
 his own faults, and to hit under battle conditions. 
 The latter is the final object to be attained, but it is a 
 mistake to attempt the simulation of battle conditions 
 in the beginning. After a man has become a reliable 
 target shot he is then ready for the battle stunts and 
 he will make rapid progress in them. He gets the 
 essential groundwork of all shooting on the targets. 
 He gets it quicker and better if the targets are ar- 
 ranged in logical sequence and for continuous opera- 
 tion. Long experience has shown that for slow fire 
 there should be the same number for targets at each 
 firing point. It has also shown that men should fire 
 at the long ranges as soon as they can hit the targets. 
 When a man can hit the target at 1,000 yards he gets 
 more training out of one shot than out of five at half 
 the distance. It improves him more rapidly for the 
 short distances. In rapid fire it has been found that 
 one-half the number of targets will take care of the 
 same number of men as at slow fire. Therefore, at 
 all firing points where both slow and rapid fire is 
 required, the targets should be in the proportion of 
 50 slow fire and 25 rapid. 
 
 In training troops in marksmanship it is fundamen- 
 tal that all firing should be under the personal direc- 
 tion of an instructor who knows his business. Even if 
 all officers are 'trained as the best marksmen and best 
 instructors, still they can not give this personal super- 
 vision. There are not enough of them. However, 
 there are enough of them to train the noncommis- 
 sioned officers as instructors, and a school for this 
 purpose should have precedence of all others in war- 
 
97 
 
 time. The organization for this school must fit the 
 range and must include enough students in each unit 
 to provide an instructor for every man when he comes 
 to the firing point. 
 
 After these schools are completed the final problem 
 is a firing organization that will give these instructors 
 a chance with their men and give the men a chance to 
 fire the necessary amount during the allotted time. 
 The men must not be hustled and hurried in their 
 firing, but a proper organization will deliver them 
 promptly at the target and conserve the time for the 
 proper instruction in firing. 
 
 PROBLEM No. 1 : A cantonment, rifle and pistol ranges 
 are to be located and constructed at a designated 
 point for the training of a division in war time. 
 
 General situation : The location of the camp is to 
 be governed by the location of the ranges. The ter- 
 rain is adequate and suitable. In this division there 
 are 18,000 men armed with the rifle and 12,000 armed 
 with the pistol. The training period will be 16 weeks. 
 The ammunition allowance will be as ordered by the 
 commanding general. The Regular Army course will 
 be fired. 
 
 Special situation : You will be assistant" chief of 
 staff in charge of training the division in marksman- 
 ship and are called upon for a report upon the location 
 of rifle, pistol, gallery, and triangle ranges; the num- 
 ber of targets required for each ; the arrangement of 
 targets and the firing line; the number of telephones 
 and other special equipment required. 
 
 Solution : 1. These ranges should be built on a 
 common firing line parallel to the camp, and at a dis- 
 tance not exceeding 300 yards. North is the best 
 130339 19 7 
 
98 
 
 firing direction, and the ranges should be located 
 accordingly if the terrain permits. If north can not 
 be used, then other directions should be chosen in the 
 following order: Northeast, northwest, east, west, 
 southeast, southwest, south. A change in latitude 
 would change the preference of direction. The direc- 
 tion of fire is of minor importance and will not be 
 permitted to outweigh other important considerations 
 of locating either camp or ranges. 
 
 2. There should be 6 firing points for the rifle, be- 
 ginning on the left of the line, with targets as follows : 
 
 No. 1, 200 yards, 75 targets, 8-foot centers. 
 
 No. 2, 300 yards, 75 targets, 8-foot centers. 
 
 No. 3, 500 yards, 75 targets, 9-foot centers. 
 
 No. 4, 600 yards, 50 targets, 9-foot centers. 
 
 No. 5, 800 yards, 50 targets, 14-foot centers. 
 
 No. 6, 1,000 yards, 50 targets, 14-foot centers. 
 
 If for any reason the whole range can not be built, 
 then the long-range targets may be omitted or re- 
 duced in number. The others are absolutely necessary 
 if the training is to be efficient. 
 
 3. To the right of No. 6 rifle firing point there should 
 be three firing points for the pistol, with targets as 
 follows : 
 
 Pistol No. 1, 15 yards, 25 targets, 6-foot centers. 
 Pistol No. 2, 25 yards, 25 targets, 6-foot centers. 
 Pistol No. 3, 50 yards, 25 targets, 8-foot centers. 
 
 4. To the right of the pistol range there should be 
 two firing points for gallery practice, with targets 
 as follows: 
 
 Gallery No. 1, 50 feet, 50 targets, 4-foot centers. 
 Gallery No. 2, 75 feet, 50 targets, 4-foot centers. 
 The gallery range will be indoors when practicable, 
 45 targets to each regiment or equal unit. 
 
99 
 
 5. There should be 50 rests for sighting triangles 
 set att a distance of 100 yards, from 50 sighting boards. 
 These rests will require 10-foot length, 12-foot cen- 
 ters, 3 rifles to the rest, and built for the standing 
 position. This triangle range may be placed on either 
 flank of the firing line, or at any other convenient 
 place near to the camp and the firing line. 
 
 6. The targets at each firing point will be num- 
 bered serially, beginning on the left with No. 1. Each 
 firing point will also be designated by painted signs 
 at each end of its line, reading " Rifle Range No. 1," 
 or " Pistol Range No. 3," or " Gallery Range No. 2." 
 The triangle range will be designated by the words 
 "Triangle Range," and the rests will be numbered 1 
 to 50. 
 
 7. Thora should be one telephone on the line, and 
 one in the pit for each 10 targets. There should also 
 be an efficient buzzer for each target. 
 
 8. The firing points should be graded level. Slop- 
 ing is a disadvantage. Behind the 300 yard firing 
 point should be erected a platform simulating the 
 standing trench position for the purpose of firing 
 with the sandbag rest in that position. 
 
 PROBLEM No. 2 : The same as Problem No. 1. 
 
 General situation : The same, except Special Course 
 " C " will be used. 
 
 Special situation : The same as No. 1. 
 
 Solution : The solution is the same, except there 
 should be 5 firing points as follows: 
 
 No. 1, 100 yards, 75 targets, 6-foot centers. 
 
 No. 2, 200 yards, 75 targets, 6-foot centers. 
 
 No. 3, 300 yards, 75 targets, 6 foot centers. 
 
 No. 4, 500 yards, 50 targets, 9-foot centers. 
 
 No. 5, 600 yards, 50 targets, 9-foot centers 
 
100 
 
 PROBLEM No. 3 : The training of a division in marks- 
 manship in war time. 
 
 General situation: The same as for problem No. 1, 
 and with the range constructed and equipped accord- 
 ing to the solution of that problem, and the further 
 fact is assumed that all officers have taken the marks- 
 manship course as outlined in this publication. 
 
 Special situation : As assistant chief of staff of the 
 division in charge of training the division in marks- 
 manship, you are called upon to report to the com- 
 manding general a complete plan of organization for : 
 
 A. Training instructors. 
 
 B. Operating the range during the training. 
 
 C. Training the troops. 
 
 D. Operating the range while training the 
 
 troops. 
 
 Solution : 1. A school for training noncommissioned 
 officers as instructors should be organized immedi* 
 ately. Detail for the school : 
 
 One officer as chief instructor. 
 
 Fifty-four officers as instructors for rifle and pistol. 
 
 One thousand noncommissioned officers as students. 
 
 One chief range officer. 
 
 Five range officers. 
 
 Five pit officers. 
 
 Forty-eight noncommissioned officers for pit detail. 
 
 Five hundred and thirty privates for telephone and 
 pit detail. 
 
 2. All of the officers, students, noncommissioned 
 officers, and 70 privates will report to the chief in- 
 structor at the range at 7 a. m., the first day of the 
 school, for duty until 12 m. These hours shall be the 
 hours of the school daily, except Sunday. The course 
 
of instruction will be fhe fc&jne a* < 
 will continue for four weeks. 
 
 3. The chief instructor will divide the students into 
 50 groups of 20 each, give them serial numbers 1 to 
 50, and assign an officer as instructor for each group. 
 He will assign a senior instructor and three assistants 
 to pistol instruction. Each instructor will subdivide 
 his group into four firing squads and appoint his four 
 most experienced men as squad leaders, and the 
 leader of squad No. 1 shall also be group leader. 
 He will also designate a group statistical officer. 
 
 4. The first three days will be devoted to prelimi- 
 nary instruction of the students in both rifle and 
 pistol and to the instruction of the range officers, 
 telephone and pit details, and to putting the range 
 in readiness. The fourth day the students will fire 
 10 shots slow fire prone at 200 yards under the per- 
 sonal direction of their instructors, and the squads 
 not firing will continue preliminary exercises under 
 their squad leaders. The fifth day 50 additional pit 
 detail will report, and 10 shots slow fire prone will 
 be fired at 300 yards and 10 at 500 yards, the latter 
 under the personal direction of the instructor. The 
 squads will rotate from one range to the other, and 
 when not firing will be employed as on the fourth 
 day. On the sixth day 50 additional pit detail will 
 report, and the school will fire slow fire prone D 
 target at 200, 300, and 500 yards, the squads rotat- 
 ing and continuing preliminary exercises when not 
 firing. On the seventh day 75 additional pit detail 
 will report and the school will fire slow fire at 200, 
 300, 500, and 600 yards and slow fire 15 yards pistol. 
 On the eighth day the entire pit detail will report, 
 
and* Hie -"sch^oi will -fir<* slow and rapid fire at 200 
 and 300 yards, and slow fire at 500 and 600 yards, 
 and slow fire 15 and 25 yards pistol. Thereafter the 
 daily program shall be the record course with 5 shots 
 standing and 5 shots kneeling at 200 yards extra, and 
 pistol at all three ranges. At 200, 300, and 500 yards 
 targets 1 to 50 shall be operated at slow fire, and 
 51 to 75 at rapid fire. The groups shall be assigned 
 to all slow-fire targets with the same number as the 
 group numbers, and two groups shall be assigned to 
 each rapid-fire and pistol target, and in firing rapid 
 fire and pistol they will alternate man about. 
 
 5. Groups will have target assignments for the 
 rifle and pistol as follows: 
 
 No. 1, 200 yards slow fire, groups 1 to 50, targets 
 1 to 50. 
 
 No. 1, 200 yards, rapid fire, groups 1 to 25, targets 
 51 to 75; groups 26 to 50, targets 51 to 75. 
 
 No. 2, 300 yards slow fire, groups 1 to 50, targets 
 1 to 50. 
 
 No. 2, 300 yards rapid fire, groups 1 to 25, targets 
 51 to 75; groups 26 to 50, targets 51 to 75. 
 
 No. 3, 500 yards slow fire, groups 1 to 50, targets 
 1 to 50. 
 
 No. 3, 500 yards rapid fire, groups 1 to 25, targets 
 51 to 75 ; groups 26 to 50, targets 51 to 75. 
 
 No. 4, 600 yards, slow fire, groups 1 to 50, targets 
 1 to 50. 
 
 Pistol No. 1, 15 yards, groups 1 to 25 targets 1 
 to 25 ; groups 26 to 50, targets 1 to 25. 
 
 Pistol No. 2, 25 yards, groups 1 to 25, targets 1 
 to 25 ; groups 26 to 50, targets 1 to 25. 
 
 Pistol No. 3, 50 yards, groups 1 to 25, targets 1 
 to 25 ; groups 26 to 50, targets 1 to 25. 
 

 103 
 
 In the rapid fire, groups 1 to 25 add 50 to their 
 group numbers to get their target numbers, and 
 groups 26 to 50 add 25. In the pistol assignments 
 groups 1 to 25 have the same target numbers as 
 their group numbers and groups 26 to 50 subtract 
 25 from their group numbers to get their target num- 
 bers. 
 
 6. At each firing point and for each kind of fire 
 the range officer will place a checking blank and 
 each squad leader will check out when his squad 
 finishes by placing his initials in the proper place. 
 The blank will be in the following form: 
 
 Date. 
 
 Range No. . 
 
 .Fire. 
 
 Group. 
 
 Target. 
 
 Squad 1. 
 
 Squad 2. 
 
 Squad 3. 
 
 Squad 4. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 7. The following is the table for rotation of firing 
 squads : 
 
 Squad No. 
 
 Range 
 No. 
 
 Range 
 No. 
 
 Range 
 No. 
 
 Range 
 No. 
 
 Range 
 No. 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 Pistol 
 
 2 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 Pistol. 
 
 1 
 
 3. 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 Pistol. 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 4 . 
 
 4 
 
 Pistol 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 8. In this organization the number of firing squads 
 is one less than the number of firing points, and if 
 
104 
 
 desired and good squad leaders are available the 
 groups may be divided into five squads of four each, 
 instead of the regular organization of four squads. 
 It will be observed that this system of rotation is 
 flexible and can be made to fit any rifle range. 
 
 9. Those who qualify to fire at 800 and 1,000 yards 
 will fire at those ranges during the last 10 days and 
 will omit such other ranges as the chief instructor 
 may direct. During the same time the entire school 
 will do part of its slow fire with telescopic sights. 
 When the long ranges are being fired, additional range 
 officers and pit detail will be ordered. When record 
 is being fired, scorers and additional range officers 
 will be ordered, but during instruction practice each 
 man will keep his own score and report it on a daily 
 card to the statistical officer of his group. The statis- 
 tical officer will submit a daily report of his group to 
 the chief instructor. 
 
 10. This school shall be on duty during a half day 
 of each day and five hours on the firing line. During 
 the rest of the day- its entire personnel shall be avail- 
 able for other duties. A second school organized ex- 
 actly the same will relieve the first school the other 
 half day and also be on the firing line five hours each 
 day and likewise be available for other duties during 
 the rest of the day. If in the short days, one school 
 will relieve the other at midday without intermission 
 in order that each may have five hours of actual firing 
 as near as possible. 
 
 11. The details for students in these schools will be 
 proportionately taken from all of the units in the 
 division, including those armed with the pistol. 
 
105 
 
 12. During the progress of these schools preliminary 
 instruction of the troops in both rifle and pistol train- 
 ing will begin and will be so conducted that some 
 units will have completed it before the completion of 
 the school. These units will then be available for 
 firing on the range and all units shall complete their 
 preliminary training before going to the range. The 
 preliminary course of instruction will be the same as 
 in the schools, except that more time will be required. 
 
 13. The training of the troops in firing should begin 
 immediately upon the completion of the schools and 
 conducted under the following operation order : 
 
 Detail of officers and men for operating the range 
 the same as for each school, and from units not firing. 
 
 14. Firing detail, 5 groups each of 250 men. These 
 groups may be designated either by number or by let- 
 ter and each will be divided into 50 firing squads of 
 5 men each, numbered 1 to 50, and an instructor 
 trained in the school will be assigned to each firing 
 squad and will have personal charge of it at all 
 times and at all ranges and will form and march it 
 from one firing point to another in the regular rota- 
 tion. The instructors will be assigned to firing 
 squads from their own units. Company and bat- 
 talion officers will be in general charge, as near as 
 possible, of their own units. The firing will be done 
 by half days the same as in the school, and a new 
 firing detail of the same number and with the same 
 organization will report for the other half day each 
 day. Each firing detail will continue in this training 
 for a period of 12 half days, and during the time will 
 be available for other duty the other half day. The 
 
106 
 
 range officers and pit detail will likewise be on duty 
 by half days. 
 
 15. Each group will have target assignments for the 
 rifle and pistol as follows : 
 
 No. 1, 200 yards slow fire, targets 1 to 50. 
 
 No. 1, 200 yards rapid fire, squads 1 to 25, targets 
 51 to 75 ; squads 26 to 50, targets 51 to 75. 
 
 No. 2, 300 yards slow fire, targets 1 to 50. 
 
 No. 2, 300 yards rapid fire, squads 1 to 25, targets 
 51 to 75; squads 26 to 50, targets 51 to 75. 
 
 No. 3, 500 yards slow fire, targets 1 to 50. 
 
 No. 3, 500 yards rapid fire, squads 1 to 25, targets 
 51 to 75; squads 26 to 50, targets 51 to 75. 
 
 No. 4, 600 yards slow fire, targets 1 to 50. 
 
 Pistol No. 1, 15 yards, squads 1 to 25, targets 1 to 
 25 ; squads 26 to 50, targets 1 to 25. 
 
 Pistol No. 2, 25 yards, squads 1 to 25, targets 1 to 
 25 ; squads 26 to 50, targets 1 to 25. 
 
 Pistol No. 3, 50 yards, squads 1 to 25, targets 1 to 
 25 ; squads 26 to 50, targets 1 to 25. 
 
 In all assignments of rifle targets, slow fire, each 
 squad has a target number the same as its own squad 
 number. In all assignments for rapid fire, squads 1 
 to 25 add 50 to their respective squad numbers for 
 their target numbers and squads 26 to 50 likewise 
 add 25. 
 
 In the pistol assignments, squads 1 to 25 have tar- 
 get numbers the same as their squad numbers, and 
 squads 26 to 50 substract 25 to get their respective 
 target numbers. 
 
 16. This organization and target assignment will 
 train the whole division to fire the pistol as well as 
 the rifle, and it ought to be so trained. If the 6,000 
 
107 
 
 not armed with the pistol are not permitted to fire it, 
 the men so ruled out will not go to the pistol range 
 with their firing squads. This is better than a sepa- 
 rate organization for pistol training and it leaves 
 plenty of room for the officers and men not armed 
 with the rifle. 
 
 17. At each firing point and for each kind of fire 
 the range officer will place a blank and as each squad 
 finishes the leader ^will check out by placing his 
 initials in the proper place. The blanks will be in the 
 following form : 
 
 Date., 
 
 Eange No. , 
 
 .Fire. 
 
 Squad. 
 
 Target. 
 
 Group A. 
 
 Group B. 
 
 Group C. 
 
 Group D. 
 
 Group E. 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 2 
 
 2 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 3 
 
 3 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 etc 
 
 etc 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 18. The rotation in firing will be according to the 
 following table: 
 
 Group. 
 
 Range 
 No. 
 
 Range 
 No? 
 
 Range 
 No. 
 
 Range 
 No. 
 
 Range 
 No. 
 
 A 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 Pistol. 
 
 B... 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 Pistol. 
 
 1 
 
 c 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 Pistol 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 D.... 
 
 4 
 
 Pistol. 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 E 
 
 Pistol. 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
108 
 
 During the first day of firing the groups assigned 
 in rotation to begin at 500 and 600 yards shall be 
 omitted from that rotation until after they have fired 
 the shorter ranges. In the regular rotation a firing 
 squad will fire its slow fire at any given range, and 
 then proceed either by pairs or full squad to the 
 rapid fire targets at the same range, and fire its rapid 
 fire, and then proceed as a squad to the next range in 
 the rotation. 
 
 19. All men who have qualified for 800 and 1,000 
 yards will be reorganized into firing squads, and as- 
 signed to the best instructors and fire those ranges 
 upon a separate rotation system and in addition to 
 the 12 days' firing hereinbefore prescribed. 
 
 20. The firing groups provided in this plan can be 
 increased to maximum of 300, or 6 to a firing squad, 
 or reduced to a minmum of 200, with 4 to a firing 
 squad. The number of groups may be reduced when 
 necessary, and should never exceed the number of 
 firing points. In all cases where odd numbers of men 
 would be left over enough firing squads should be 
 increased to include them. 
 
 21. A uniform system of pit details should be fol- 
 lowed. All men should have training in the pit. This 
 plan of organization will give each man about half 
 as much time in the pit as on the firing line, and there 
 would be extra pit duty during the schools. All non- 
 commissioned officers and men should be carefully 
 instructed in this plan of organization before going 
 to the range, and also instructed in all of the details 
 and duties of operating the targets. Before one set 
 of noncommissioned officers is relieved the next set 
 should report with them one clay for instruction. 
 
109 
 
 PROBLEM No. 4. The same as Problem No. 3. 
 
 General situation: The same as Problem No. 3, ex- 
 cept Special Course C used. 
 
 Special situation : The same. 
 
 SOLUTION : 1. The same as Problem No. 3, except the 
 firing at long ranges would be omitted. 
 
 2. The rifle target assignments for each group in 
 the training of the troops would be as follows : 
 
 No. 1, 100 yards slow fire, targets 1 to 50. 
 
 No. 1, 100 yards rapid fire, squads 1 to 25, targets 
 51 to 75 ; squads 26 to 50, targets 51 to 75. 
 
 No. 2, 200 yards slow fire, targets 1 to 50. 
 
 No. 2, 200 yards rapid fire, squads 1 to 25, targets 
 51 to 75 ; squads 26 to 50, targets 51 to 75. 
 
 No. 3, 300 yards slow fire, squads 1 to 25, targets 
 51 to 75 ; squads 26 to 50, targets 51 to 75. 
 
 No. 4, 500 yards slow fire, targets 1 to 50. 
 
 No. 5, 600 yards slow fire, targets 1 to 50. 
 
 3. There should be six firing groups each of 200, 
 divided into firing sections of four each, and the table 
 of rotation would be as follows : 
 
 Groups. 
 
 Range 
 No. 
 
 Range 
 No. 
 
 Range 
 Nof 
 
 Range 
 No. 
 
 Range 
 No. 
 
 Range 
 No. 
 
 A 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 Pistol 
 
 B... 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 Pistol 
 
 1 
 
 c 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 Pistol 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 D 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 Pistol 
 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 E 
 
 5 
 
 Pistol 
 
 1 
 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 F 
 
 Pistol. 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 4. The firing schedule will also be modified to suit 
 the different ranges. In the preliminary stages the 
 groups scheduled first at 500 and 600 yards will omit 
 
110 
 
 those ranges until they have fired the shorter ranges. 
 After they have qualified to fire at all the ranges 
 the maximum daily schedule will be 10 shots slow 
 and 10 shots rapid at 100, 200, and 300 yards and 
 10 shots slow at 500 and 600 yards. It is recognized 
 that the mere firing of a prescribed course will not 
 train men to shoot well. They must continue to fire 
 at all ranges and all kinds of fire under proper in- 
 struction until they learn to -hit. The beginning 
 should be r jlow and very careful but as fast as the 
 men learn to hit both the distance and the number 
 of shots shoui:! be increased. Under this plan 24 
 men would fire 240 shots on each slow-fire target 
 in 5 hours, and 48 men would fire 480 shots on each 
 rapid-fire target in the same time. By efficient oper- 
 ation of the targets it would be possible to increase 
 the groups to 250 and the firing squads to 5. This 
 would make 30 men and 300 shots to each slow-fire 
 target in 5 hours or 300 minutes, which is about the 
 maximum ; at rapid fire it would be 60 men and 600 
 shots in the same time, but that would not reach the 
 maximum. 
 
 5. The pit cetail is upon the basis of one man for 
 each target and telephone, ten extra for each pit to 
 prepare and paste -targets and for relief and orderlies, 
 with one noncommissioned officer for each 10 targets, 
 one in charge of extra men in each pit, one in gen- 
 eral charge of telephones, and two extra for relief. 
 The detail of officers is upon the basis of one chief 
 range officer, one for each firing point and one for 
 each pit, except one range officer and one pit officer 
 for all three pistol ranges. 
 
Ill 
 
 6. An organization of this kind will train 2,000 in- 
 structors through a four weeks' course by half days. 
 A half day in 24 hours is enough of this training. It 
 will give every other man in the division 12 half 
 days and expend about 800 rounds of ammunition 
 per man. This is a minimum allowance for any man 
 who is going into a fight for his life. In addition to 
 this general training 25 per cent of the Infantry should 
 be trained as snipers, which especially calls for firing 
 at the long ranges and at indistinct and moving tar- 
 gets at unknown distances. The expenditure of this 
 ammunition in training means the saving of many 
 times the amount in battle. 
 
 CHAPTER 14. 
 
 RECORDS. 
 
 In order to make the best progress in rifle train- 
 ing particular attention should be given to records. 
 This is especially true when training instructors, and 
 it might also be said that every rifleman should be 
 trained as an instructor. 
 
 Notes. Every student of rifle training should keep 
 a notebook. It can be arranged systematically with 
 numbered subjects similar to the outline herein. Each 
 impressive point of instruction, both theoretical and 
 personal experience, should be noted under its proper 
 number. A well-kept notebook is a valuable asset. 
 The mind is more keenly directed to the matter in 
 point by the writing of the note, and the note does 
 not forget. 
 
very small difference of friction is correspondingly 
 small, and since a difference of friction must exist and 
 since it is small the distance rolled over will be small, 
 comparatively speaking. 
 
 INTERIOR BALLISTICS. 
 
 Interior ballistics treat with forces and the motion 
 of the bullet in the bore of the rifle. 
 
 The primer. The primer ignites the powder in the 
 cartridge. It consists of the cup, percussion composi- 
 tion, disk of shellacked paper, and the anvil. The cup 
 is made of gilding metal and contains a percussion 
 composition which, when the primer is struck, causes 
 the flash which ignites the powder. The disk of 
 shellacked paper is placed over this composition to 
 keep out moisture and to prevent electrolytic action 
 between dissimilar metals. (Cup and Anvil.) 
 
 Powder. The powder is a pyrocellulose composi- 
 tion. The grains are cylindrical in shape and covered 
 \vith a thin coat of graphite. The powder charge is 
 from 47 to 50 grains weight. The varying charge is 
 due to one lot of powder developing more force than 
 another at the same temperature ; so, to retain force 
 constant the powder charge is varied. Hence, if pres- 
 sure, or force, driving the bullet remains the same, or 
 constant, the velocity of the bullet remains constant. 
 Therefore, anj number of cartridges loaded with dif- 
 ferent lots ol powder have about the same velocity 
 at the same temperature. The graduations on the 
 sights of the rifles are based on the above theory. 
 
 The bullet. The bullet is 0.308 inch in diameter 
 and weighs 150 grains. It is composed of a lead and 
 tin core, inclosed in a jacket of cupro-nickel. 
 
115 
 
 THE PRIMING OF THE CARTRIDGE IN THE RIFLE. 
 
 When the cartridge is primed in the rifle and com- 
 bustion of powder takes place a volume of gases, at 
 a very high temperature, is given off, which attains a 
 breech pressure of 51,000 pounds per square inch. 
 This gas acts along the path of least resistance (which 
 in this case is the bullet) and as the bullet moves 
 forward it is rotated by the rifling about its own 
 axis, and when the bullet leaves the barrel it has a 
 velocity of 2,700 feet per second and the bullet rotates 
 approximately 3,240 revolutions per second at the 
 time it leaves the barrel. The rotary motion of the 
 bullet about its own axis keeps it flying through space 
 point forward. Forward motion and rotation of the 
 bullet begin in breech of barrel with zero motion and 
 rotation, and in the short distance from breech to 
 muzzle attains the above velocity and rotation. The 
 rifling in the barrel makes one turn in every 10 inches 
 to the right. 
 
 PARALLELOGRAM OF FORCES. 
 
 Composition of two forces not having the same line 
 of action. If two forces acting on a particle be rep- 
 resented in direction and magnitude by the two adja- 
 cent sides of a parallelogram then the diagonal of this 
 parallelogram passing through their point of inter- 
 section will represent the magnitude and direction of 
 resultant force. In the above, forces are considered 
 as constant. 
 
 The part of the law upon which the above proposi- 
 tion is based may be stated in the following form : 
 When several forces act simultaneously upon a body, 
 
114 
 
 very small difference of friction is correspondingly 
 small, and since a difference of friction must exist and 
 since it is small the .distance rolled over will be small, 
 comparatively speaking. 
 
 INTERIOR BALLISTICS. 
 
 Interior ballistics treat with forces and the motion 
 of the bullet in the bore of the rifle. 
 
 The primer. The primer ignites the powder in the 
 cartridge. It consists of the cup, percussion composi- 
 tion, disk of shellacked paper, and the anvil. The cup 
 is made of gilding metal and contains a percussion 
 composition which, when the primer is struck, causes 
 the flash which ignites the powder. The disk of 
 shellacked paper is placed over this composition to 
 keep out moisture and to prevent electrolytic action 
 between dissimilar metals. (Cup and Anvil.) 
 
 Powder. The powder is a pyrocellulose composi- 
 tion. The grains are cylindrical in shape and covered 
 with a thin coat of graphite. The powder charge is 
 from 47 to 50 grains weight. The varying charge is 
 due to one lot of powder developing more force than 
 another at the same temperature; so, to retain force 
 constant the powder charge is varied. Hence, if pres- 
 sure, or force, driving the bullet remains the same, or 
 constant, the velocity of the bullet remains constant. 
 Therefore, anj number of cartridges loaded with dif- 
 ferent lots ol powder have about the same velocity 
 at the same temperature. The graduations on the 
 sights of the rifles are based on the above theory. 
 
 The bullet. The bullet is 0.308 inch in diameter 
 and weighs 150 grains. It is composed of a lead and 
 tin core, inclosed in a jacket of cupro-nickel. 
 
115 
 
 THE PRIMING OF THE CARTRIDGE IN THE RIFLE. 
 
 When the cartridge is primed in the rifle and com- 
 bustion of powder takes place a volume of gases, at 
 a very high temperature, is given off, which attains a 
 breech pressure of 51,000 pounds per square inch. 
 This gas acts along the path of least resistance (which 
 in this case is the bullet) and as the bullet moves 
 forward it is rotated by the rifling about its own 
 axis, and when the bullet leaves the barrel it has a 
 velocity of 2,700 feet per second and the bullet rotates 
 approximately 3,240 revolutions per second at the 
 time it leaves the barrel. The rotary motion of the 
 bullet about its own axis keeps it flying through space 
 point forward. Forward motion and rotation of the 
 bullet begin in breech of barrel with zero motion and 
 rotation, and in the short distance from breech to 
 muzzle attains the above velocity and rotation. The 
 rifling in the barrel makes one turn in every 10 inches 
 to the right. 
 
 PARALLELOGRAM OF FORCES. 
 
 Composition of two forces not having the same line 
 of action. If two forces acting on a particle be rep- 
 resented in direction and magnitude by the two adja- 
 cent sides of a parallelogram then the diagonal of this 
 parallelogram passing through their point of inter- 
 section will represent the magnitude and direction of 
 resultant force. In the above, forces are considered 
 as constant. 
 
 The part of the law upon which the above proposi- 
 tion is based may be stated in the following form : 
 When several forces act simultaneously upon a body, 
 
116 
 
 each force produces the same effect which it would 
 have produced if it had acted singly. In applying 
 the above principles we may consider the forces as 
 producing motion. 
 
 Let us suppose two forces P and Q, Fig. 1, to act 
 simultaneously upon the same particle ; each will have 
 the same effect as if it acted alone and is measured 
 by velocity it gives in a certain time and its direction 
 is that of this velocity ; therefore, if these velocities 
 are represented by AB and AD, respectively, Fig. 1, 
 then the same lines must be proportional to forces 
 
 / 
 
 6 
 
 P and Q. Since AC represents the resultant velocity 
 in direction and magnitude, a force having this direc- 
 tion, and proportional to AC, must be the resultant 
 force equivalent to combined effects of P and Q. 
 
 EXTERIOR BALLISTICS. 
 
 To apply above principles to a bullet flying through 
 space. Here we have three, and sometimes four, 
 forces acting on the bullet at the same time. These 
 forces are kinetic energy, air resistance, gravity, and 
 wind. 
 
 The kinetic energy, in bullet, is result of force of 
 powder gases expended on the bullet at some previous 
 time. 
 
117 
 
 The air resistance is due to the bullet forcing its 
 path through the air. 
 
 Gravity is the attraction of bullet toward center of 
 earth, which retards the bullet on ascending portion 
 of trajectory and accelerates its fall on the descend- 
 ing portion of trajectory. In a vacuum a body falls 
 about 16 feet the first second and at the end of the first 
 second has attained a velocity of 32 feet per second 
 and its velocity will increase at the rate of 32 feet per 
 second. So, if we could take a rifle in a vacuum 
 16 feet above the horizontal plane and fire the rifle 
 in a level position, then at the end of one second the 
 
 Rifle F/ ^ 2 
 
 N \ 
 
 . 
 
 -V 
 
 bullet would strike the horizontal plane a certain dis- 
 tance from the rifle, depending on the velocity of the 
 bullet. 
 
 In the above we have seen that the bullet projected 
 in space drops a certain distance in a given time. To 
 shoot the rifle a long distance, near a horizontal plane 
 or level ground, the muzzle of the rifle must be ele- 
 vated a certain amount to counteract force of gravity 
 and air resistance. For example : Let us assume that 
 we wish to shoot 1,000 yards. For a range of 1,000 
 yards the angle of departure will be about 48 minutes 
 above the line of site with the model 1903 rifle. 
 
 If no other forces acted on the bullet but the pro- 
 pelling force, the bullet would follow path AD, Fig. 
 3, but when the bullet leaves the muzzle of the rifle 
 gravity begins, at once, to draw the bullet toward the 
 
118 
 
 earth and the air resistance be.crins to retard the for- 
 ward motion of the bullet. With the three forces, 
 kinetic energy, air resistance, and gravity acting on 
 the bullet, at the same time, the bullet follows a path 
 called the trajectory, ABC. Fiir. X. We know that 
 the trajectory of a bullet is a curve, which proves 
 
 that some of the forces acting on the bullet are con- 
 stantly increasm- or decreasing with a certain rate 
 of change. In analy/in:: the above we find that 
 kinetic energy of the bullet decreases nt a certain 
 rate, force Of gravity increases at a certain rate and 
 air resistance changes as the bullet moves forward 
 more slowly, or loses velocity. 
 
 Top V/ew 
 
 us a<sume that wo could 1:0 1 a trajectory of 
 Jlet without any side drift (due to a rotation of 
 the bullet) and no side wind blowing. Then the tra- 
 jectory will lie in a vertical plane, Fiir. 4. and top 
 view of the trajectory will be represented by u 
 straight line /;/), Fig. 4. 
 
119 
 
 Let us now analyze a case where the side wind and 
 drift, due to rotation of the bullet, is considered : The 
 drift of a bullet, fired from the 1903 rifle, is to the 
 right due to the right hand twist of the rifling. Let 
 us also assume that wind acting on the bullet is blow- 
 ing from left to right, at any angle, but in this case, 
 indicated by arrow W, Fig. 5, and that the rifle is 
 aimed at point F, Fig. 5, and fired. We will assume 
 that the bullet struck at E, Fig. 5. 
 
 In this case (Fig. 5) the side view of trajectory 
 looks like the previous case, but top view has changed 
 so that instead of DE being a straight line it is now 
 a curve. This is due to the constant slowing up of 
 velocity of bullet and the action of drift and wind, 
 from the left side, on the bullet. Now, to hit point F, 
 Fig. 5, we must point the bore of the rifle at G, to 
 counteract the force of the wind, or drift of the bullet, 
 as the case may be. If a strong right wind is blowing 
 it will act on the bullet from the right, and if the 
 drift due to wind is more than drift due to rotation,, 
 the bullet will drift to the left 
 
120 
 
 EFFECT OF HEAD AND KEAB WINDS ON THE FLIGHT OF 
 THE BULLET 
 
 With a head wind it is not the air resistance alone 
 that must be considered, but we must also consider 
 the velocity with which the air moves toward the 
 bullet. These two combined will give us the force 
 that retards the forward movement of the bullet. 
 Therefore, if a strong head wind is blowing an in- 
 crease of angle of departure or elevation on rear 
 sight must be increased for a given range to overcome 
 the increased resistance. 
 
 When a rear wind is blowing the resistance of the air 
 on the bullet is decreased a small amount, due to the 
 air moving in the same direction the bullet is moving. 
 Therefore, with a rear wind blowing we must decrease 
 the angle of departure, for the air resistance is less. 
 So, in summing up, we find that to shoot a certain 
 distance with known elevation for that distance we 
 must decrease the elevation for a rear wind and in- 
 crease it for a head wind. 
 
 PLOTTING THE TRAJECTORY OF A BULLET. 
 
 Every rifleman or any man who will direct the 
 use of the rifle should know all about the trajec- 
 tory of a bullet under different conditions, and should 
 be able to plot the trajectory without any decided 
 effort when ordinates of respective distances are 
 given. He should know that the trajectory remains 
 rigid if angles of site above or below horizontal plane 
 are small that is, we may shoot upward or down- 
 ward, and if the upward or downward angles are 
 small the trajectory will remain the same. He should 
 
121 
 
 also know how to plot wind deflections if tables of 
 wind deflections are given. 
 
 Ordinates of trajectory, wind deflection tables, 
 value of correction for temperature and barometer, 
 penetration of the bullet, in certain materials can all 
 be found in the Descriptive Book, United States- 
 magazine rifle, caliber .30, model 1903, No. 1923. 
 
 A thorough knowledge of these principles should be 
 obtained, as ability to direct fire power and large 
 part of marksmanship and musketry revolves around 
 the knowledge of the characteristics of a bullet in its 
 flight. 
 
 EFFECT OF TEMPERATURE AND DENSITY OF AIR ON 
 VELOCITY OF BULLET. 
 
 Temperature. For each degree of temperature 
 above or below normal (70 F.) velocity will vary 
 1.5 feet for each degree. If we had cartridges which 
 would give us a standard velocity of 2,700 feet per 
 second, at 70 F., and we fired the cartridges when 
 the powder had a temperature of 90 F., our velocity 
 would increase 1.5 feet per second for each degree 
 above 70. In this case the difference in temperature 
 is 20 and 20 multiplied by 1.5 feet would give us an 
 increase in our initial velocity of 30 feet or a velocity 
 of 2,730 feet per second. 
 
 Density of air. Another factor entering in is the 
 density of the air. The density varies with the 
 barometer, thermometer, and moisture in the air. 
 Tables I, II, III and IV, pages 55, 56, and 57, De- 
 scriptive Book U. S. Magazine Rifle, will enable a 
 close approximation to be made for a particular con- 
 dition. 
 
122 
 
 In Table I, will be found the value of dl for differ- 
 ent values of temperature and pressures of atmos- 
 phere. With value of dl, found in Table I, the corre- 
 sponding elevation for a given range can be found in 
 Table II, which is calculated for different values 
 of dl. 
 
 With this elevation given in Table II the corre- 
 sponding elevation can be obtained from Table IV, 
 which gives range and sight elevation for correspond- 
 ing angles of departure. 
 
 NOTE. In these tables, (dl) represents standard 
 density of air 29.92 inches and (d) is equal to density 
 of air at time of firing. 
 
 The following problem is given as an illustration of 
 the use of the tables referred to above : 
 
 Range 1,000 yards; barometer reading 29 inches; 
 temperature 90 F. 
 
 FROM TABLE I : 
 
 -r= 1.096 for 90 temperature and 29 inches of barometric 
 
 pressure. 
 FROM TABLE II : 
 
 When -j=1.10, the angle of departure equals 44.554 
 minutes. 
 
 When =1.05, the angle of departure equals 46.256. 
 a 
 
 By interpolating: 
 
 The difference between angles 46.256 and 44.554 
 equals 1.702 minutes. 
 
 The difference between 1.10 and 1.05=. 05. 
 
 The difference between 1.10 and 1.096 (the ratio 
 found in this case to represent 90 temperature and 29 
 inches barometric pressure) equals .004. 
 
123 
 
 Then, by proportion : 
 
 1 702 VO 004 
 
 1.702:X::O.Q5:0.004=^ u "/:"- u =0.136 minutes, the 
 u.uo 
 
 angle which must be added to angle 44.554. 
 44.554+0.136=44.690 minutes, the angle of departure 
 
 when -j-= 1.096 and the muzzle velocity is 2,700 
 feet per second. 
 
 TO COBEECT MUZZLE VELOCITY FOB TEMPEKATUKE OF 
 POWDER. 
 
 For each degree of temperature of the powder above 
 70 F., the velocity of the bullet will increase 1.5 feet 
 per degree, or in this particular case the difference 
 between 90 and 70, which is 20. Then: 20X1.5 
 feet=30 feet, the increase of velocity. 
 
 The angle of departure for 1,000 yards, when -j=l 
 
 and the muzzle velocity is 2,700 feet per second, is 
 equal to 48.198 minutes, and for 2,800 feet, muzzle 
 
 velocity, under the above conditions (when -j 1) the 
 
 angle of departure is equal to 44.552 minutes. (See 
 Table III, Descriptive Book.) The difference be- 
 tween these two angles=48.198 44.552, or 3.646 min- 
 utes. The difference between 2,700 and 2,800=100 
 feet, difference in velocity, and 30 is the difference in 
 velocity due to temperature. 
 Then, by proportion: 
 
 3.646 : X : : 100 : 30=X = 3 - 6 ^ 30 = 1.093 minutes. 
 
 We found that due to conditions in atmosphere (in 
 the above problem) that the angle of departure was 
 44.390 minutes, but due to temperature of powder we 
 
124 
 
 have an increase of 30 feet in velocity. Therefore, 
 we must decrease the angle of departure by 1.093 
 minutes, as found above, or 44.690 1.093, which gives 
 us 43.597 minutes, the angle of departure for tempera- 
 ture of the powder at 90 F., and barometer reading 
 29 inches to shoot at a range of 1,000 yards. 
 
 TO FIND THE SIGHT SETTING FOB THE ABOVE RESULTS. 
 
 We find, from Table IV of the Descriptive Book, 
 that 43.852 minutes equals the angle of departure for 
 950 yards and that .the angle is greater than the 
 angle found in the above example ; so, by interpolating, 
 we find the correct sight setting for the above condi- 
 tions : 
 
 Solution : 
 
 Angle of departure, sight set at 950 yards=43.852 
 minutes. 
 
 Angle of departure, sight set at 925 yards=41.786 
 minutes. 
 
 43.85241.786=2.066, or difference, in minutes, be- 
 tween the two angles. 
 
 950 925=25, or difference in yards of elevation. 
 
 In the previous example we found that the angle of 
 departure for the powder at 90 temperature and 
 barometer reading 29, for 1,000 yards was 43.597 
 minutes, and we find from Table IV, Descriptive Book, 
 that the angle of departure for a sight setting of 950 
 yards equals 43.852 minutes, so the difference be- 
 tween these two known angles would be: 43.852 
 43.597, or .255 minutes. 
 
 Then by proportion: 
 
 2.066 : 0.255 : : 25 : Z='=^=3 yards plus. 
 
125 
 
 Therefore this result, 3 yards, must be deducted 
 from 950 yards, which will give us 947 yards sight 
 elevation for firing at 1,000 yards with temperature 
 90 and barometer 29 inches. 
 
 TO FIND THE STRIKING ENERGY OF A BULLET. 
 
 Every rifleman should know how to compute the 
 striking energy of a bullet provided he knows the 
 velocity. 
 
 The striking energy of a bullet, at any time of its 
 flight, is equal to: 
 
 V 2 W 
 
 2 =E (energy in foot-pounds). 
 
 Where 
 
 V 2 = Velocity (squared) at any time during its 
 
 flight, 
 
 W= Weight of the bullet (in pounds), 
 0r=32.16 or acceleration due to gravity, 
 7,000=the number of grains (weight) in one pound 
 
 (approximately), 
 
 and if we know the energy with which a bullet strikes 
 
 at any given time and do not know the velocity, we 
 
 can solve for V in the above equation and find the 
 
 velocity. 
 Example: Let E energy of the bullet and let its 
 
 force be known, and we wish to find V (the velocity). 
 
 V 2 W = 
 2<7 = 
 ity the bullet had at the time it struck. 
 
 It is not intended that sight corrections will be 
 figured out on the rifle range by these problems. 
 
 2Ea l2Ea 
 
 E, then F 2 =- and V=-J-, or the veloc- 
 
126 
 
 The simple rules heretofore given in the chapter on 
 sight setting will be used. These examples illustrate 
 the method by which corrections are mathematically 
 computed. 
 
 CHAPTER 16. 
 SAFETY CAUTIONS. 
 
 The safety cautions are set out in full in the outline 
 and will not be repeated here. 
 
 CHAPTER 17. 
 RANGE FIRING. 
 
 Preliminary instruction is of no avail unless it is 
 used in range firing. The greatest care should be 
 taken by the instructor to see that all of the prelimi- 
 nary instruction is followed when the recruit first 
 comes to the firing point. At this time he is likely to 
 forget even though most carefully instructed. His 
 first shot with the full load is an event and buck 
 fever is often added to his other troubles. A slow, 
 careful start means final speed and progress. 
 
 After the ice is broken and a correct start is made, 
 it then becomes a question of plodding, persistent 
 practice. There is no other way to really learn the 
 rifle. All that has been said upon every subject must 
 become a part of the instruction in range firing. 
 
 (A) The first firing on the range should always be 
 slow fire, at short range, in the prone position and 
 with the sling. The " ten commandments " should be 
 used for every shot. 
 
127 
 
 (B) As soon as the results of this firing show reas- 
 onably good holding then fire for groups at short 
 range. Insist on each shot being held the same and 
 make no sight corrections until after the group is 
 completed. If the aiming point was the same for 
 each shot and the hold good, the shots will all go in 
 a group. Ten shots should be fired in this way, then 
 make a study of the group. If the shots are in a small 
 group around the center of the bull's-eye, the elevation 
 and the zero are correct for that range. If the group 
 is low, the normal elevation is higher. If the group 
 is high, the opposite is true. The amount of change 
 in the sight for normal elevation can be determined 
 by measuring the distance in inches up .or down from 
 the center of the group to the center of the bull's-eye 
 and using the elevation table under sight setting. If 
 the conditions are zero and the group is to the right 
 or left the rifle is off for zero. The amount may be 
 determined by measuring from the center of the group 
 to the right or left, as the case may be, in inches to 
 the center of the bull's-eye, and then using the wind- 
 age deflection table under " Sight setting." There is 
 nothing more important in rifle training than the 
 proper determination of normal elevation and zero 
 windage. They can only be determined by each man 
 for himself by actual shooting and good holding. The 
 result for one rifle is of no value for another rifle. 
 It is a one-man-one-rifle problem. 
 
 (C) While the finding of normal elevations and zero 
 windage is best found by firing groups ; still it can be 
 well done by a good holder by firing only a few shots. 
 If the time is short it may be necessary to do it this 
 way. In any e^vent it should be carefully done. 
 
128 
 
 Thereafter every shot should be a check on the normal 
 elevations and the zero. They are matters for con- 
 stant study and observation. They sometimes change 
 because of the wear of the rifle and careful obser- 
 vation will always detect the change. 
 
 (D) Rapid fire practice should not begin until 
 after the zero and point of aim for the battle sight 
 are carefully determined by slow fire. 
 
 (E) Since marksmanship is developed faster and 
 better by longer range firing it is important to prop- 
 erly increase the range. This can be done as soon as 
 the recruit can hit the target at the longer ranges and 
 correct for at least a part of the distance of his hit 
 from the center of the bull's-eye. He is ready for 
 1,000 yards when he can stay on the target and get 
 a response to his sight changes. The value of each 
 shot fired at long range for training purposes is very 
 much greater than at shorter ranges. The holding is 
 improved much more and there is no other way to 
 learn weather conditions. 
 
 (F) Sniping is the final training of the war shot. 
 It requires a special range. The distances should be 
 unknown and indistinct targets should be used. There 
 should also be moving targets and in fact every form 
 of target that simulates battle conditions. Because 
 of the inadequacy of ranges and the difficulties of 
 operating them the amount of practice to be had is not 
 very great. This is a handicap in the most vital part 
 of the training that can only be removed by the in- 
 vention of better ranges. 
 
 No matter how many riflemen or how many scouts 
 may be attached to an army there is always need 
 for that combination scout and marksman, the sniper. 
 
129 
 
 He must first of all possess those strategic talents 
 which permits the scout to go undetected upon his 
 hazardous missions even to within a stone's throw 
 of enemy lines. He must be expert rifleman enough 
 to make every bullet bring its hit. 
 
 The sniper is in constant battle even when all 
 others on the lines are quiet. 
 
 The sniper should dominate no man's land all the 
 time and keep it safe for democracy. 
 
 He should dominate the enemy's snipers and pro- 
 tect freedom of movement in his own trenches. 
 
 The sniper always fires from cover. 
 
 Concealment is his first and his constant necessity. 
 
 His post is in or behind his own lines or off. from 
 a communication trench. Sometimes it is in front 
 of the lines. 
 
 Sniping is often done at less than 200 yards and 
 from that distance up to 800 yards and even more. 
 
 Sniping is a one-shot performance. 
 
 Snipers often work in pairs, one observing, one 
 shooting. 
 
 The sniper knows his distance. 
 
 And he is busy during the attack and defense 
 when many of his best opportunities appear. 
 
 The sniper has every opportunity to use all the 
 refinements of the most expert riflemen. 
 
 He needs an accurate rifle. 
 
 He needs the best sight adjustments. 
 
 For the ordinary sight the micrometer with gradu- 
 ations that move the hit on the target one inch for 
 each hundred yards distance from the target, both 
 for elevation and for windage, is the best. It should 
 130339 19 -9 
 
130 
 
 also have an adjustment for zero in the rear sight. It 
 is not a rapid fire or battle sight. 
 
 But part of the snipers must also have telescope 
 sights. 
 
 The sniper shoots better with the telescope sight. 
 
 The sniper aims quicker than the telescope sight 
 because he sees better. 
 
 The sniper aims more accurately with the telescope 
 sight because his target is more distinct. 
 
 The sniper will hold steadier with the telescope 
 sight because his errors are magnified and he will 
 fight harder to overcome them. 
 
 The sniper will see further with the telescope sight 
 and hit better at longer ranges. 
 
 The sniper without a telescope sight has no equal 
 chance against the sniper with it. 
 
 The telescope sight will permit the establishment 
 of a second line of snipers at greater distance. 
 
 This line will be more efficient because it can be 
 better concealed. 
 
 It becomes a support and a protection for the snip- 
 ing posts closer in and therefore makes all sniping 
 more effective. 
 
 The telescope sij/ht should have the same microm- 
 eter adjustment before described for the ordinary 
 sight. 
 
 The training of the sniper calls for the highest skill 
 in marksmanship. 
 
 (G) Record firing is simply a test of the training. 
 So far as the individual is concerned he should fire 
 his record exactly as he fired his practice. Buck fever 
 and all new stunts must be avoided. It is a very bad 
 policy to precede record firing with cautions for extra 
 
131 
 
 care and effort. These should all be given during 
 the training. When the record test comes there is 
 nothing to do but follow the training. The same is 
 true of firing in battle. 
 
 CHAPTER 18. 
 FUNCTIONING AND REPAIRS. 
 
 1. To be able to teach the handling of the rifle in- 
 telligently, either to officers or enlisted men, it is 
 necessary to know thoroughly the functioning of the 
 various parts of the rifle. 
 
 2. Placing a clip of cartridges in the receiver with 
 the clip in the clip slots, they are seated home in the 
 magazine by downward pressure of the thumb, with 
 the fingers grasping rifle,, taking care to keep up the 
 pressure in the proper direction until all the car- 
 tridges are in the magazine. A release of the pressure 
 or a change in direction of the pressure will result in 
 a jam in most cases. 
 
 3. The bolt is in the rearmost position during this 
 process and is held there by the bolt stop pin. The 
 tension of the bolt stop spring is sufficient to hold the 
 bolt in this position when the rifle is held in a vertical 
 position with the muzzle down. 
 
 4. As the bolt is pushed forward the face of the 
 bolt engages the head of the topmost cartridge in the 
 magazine, pushing it forward ahead of the bolt. As 
 the cartridge rises out of the magazine the rim of the 
 cartridge slides behind the hook of the extractor, the 
 point of the bullet being guided into the chamber by 
 the ramp in the receiver, 
 
132 
 
 5. As the bolt reaches its forward position and be- 
 fore the bolt handle is turned down the sear notch on 
 the cocking piece engages the sear nose on the sear. 
 As the bolt handle is turned down the two locking lugs 
 on the bolt engage the locking cams in the receiver, 
 giving the bolt a still further slight forward motion, 
 seating the cartridge home in the chamber and com- 
 pleting the full cock by further compressing the main 
 spring. The rifle is now loaded and cocked and ready 
 to be fired. 
 
 In squeezing the trigger, first take command of the 
 trigger. In doing this the bearing on the trigger en- 
 gages the bottom of the sear nose slot in the receiver. 
 As the heel of the trigger comes in contact with the 
 bottom of the sear nose slot of the receiver a distinct 
 stop is felt in the movement of the trigger- with the 
 trigger at this point the edge of the sear nose and the 
 edge of the sear notch are engaged just ready to be 
 released. A further squeeze on the trigger so slight 
 that the movement can not be detected releases the 
 sear notch, and the firing pin is forced forward against 
 the primer of the cartridge by the action of the main 
 spring. 
 
 6. To extract the empty cartridge first raise the bolt 
 handle. Several things happen when this is done. 
 The firing pin is forced to the rear by the action of the 
 cam on the cocking piece and the cocking cam in the 
 bolt; this action continues until the bolt handle is 
 almost in its uppermost position. As the bolt handle 
 reaches its uppermost position, the nose of the cocking 
 piece is forced into the cock notch on the bolt. When 
 the bolt handle is about half way up the extracting 
 
133 
 
 cam on the bolt engages the extracting cam in the 
 receiver and causes primary extraction. 
 
 When the cartridge is fired it sticks or freezes to 
 the walls of the chamber in a greater or less degree, 
 depending on several conditions, such as the cleanli- 
 ness and smoothness of the chamber and cartridge, 
 the temper of the cartridge brass, and the temperature 
 of the chamber caused by firing previous shots. 
 
 The cocking piece while being forced to the rear by 
 the action of the cocking cams depresses the sear 
 nose, thus compressing the sear spring. This compres- 
 sion is not released until the sear notch passes over 
 the sear nose, at which point the bolt handle is very 
 nearly in its uppermost position. 
 
 7. To continue the extraction of the empty car- 
 tridge, withdraw the bolt by pulling to the rear on the 
 bolt handle. The parts are retained in position by the 
 cocking piece nose remaining in the cock notch and 
 locked by the sleeve lock engaging its notch in the 
 bolt. The cartridge is withdrawn by means of the 
 extractor hook being engaged in the undercut of the 
 head of the cartridge. Just before the bolt is drawn 
 fully to the rear the slotted locking lug strikes the 
 heel of the ejector, throwing its point suddenly to the 
 right in the lug slot. As the bolt moves fully to the 
 rear the rear face of the cartridge strikes against 
 the ejector point and the cartridge is ejected slightly 
 upward and to the right from the receiver. The bolt 
 is now in the rearmost position and the next cartridge 
 can be loaded as previously described. 
 
 8. When the rifle is loaded it may be locked by 
 means of the safety lock on the rear end of the bolt. 
 When the thumb piece of the safety lock is turned to 
 
134 
 
 the left the rifle may be fired. When the thumb piece 
 of the safety lock is turned to the vertical position 
 the cam engages the locking groove on the cocking 
 piece, forcing it slightly to the rear, out of contact 
 with the sear, and locks the firing pin. When in this 
 position the rifle can not be fired for the reason just 
 stated, but the bolt handle can be raised and the bolt 
 withdrawn to the rear to permit the removal of the 
 firing pin from the bolt. When the thumb piece of the 
 safety lock is turned to the right its cam continues 
 to engage the locking groove of the cocking piece, 
 keeping the firing pin locked. In addition to this, the 
 end of the spindle engages the safety lock spindle 
 notch in the bolt which prevents the bolt handle being 
 raised. The bolt is now fully locked and is unlocked 
 by turning the thumb piece to the left. 
 
 9. The rifle can be loaded from the magazine or it 
 can be used as a single loader. When the thumb piece 
 of the cut-off on the left hand side of the receiver is 
 turned down and the bolt is withdrawn to the rear, 
 the rear end of the slotted locking lug stops against 
 the projecting end of the cut-off body. The bolt in 
 this position has not passed entirely over the topmost 
 cartridge in the magazine or the follower in case 
 the magazine is empty. Thus with the cut-off in this 
 position the rifle will be used as a single loader. 
 
 When the thumb piece of the cut-off is turned up 
 and the bolt is drawn to the rear, the rear end of the 
 slotted locking lug stops against the shoulder at the 
 rear end of the magazine groove on the cut-off. In 
 this position the bolt has been withdrawn entirely 
 over the topmost cartridge in the magazine or the 
 follower. Thus with the cut-off turned up the rifle 
 
135 
 
 will be used for magazine fire. When the thumb 
 piece of the cut-off is in the intermediate position the 
 bolt may be entirely withdrawn from the receiver, the 
 slotted locking plug passing by the dismounting groove 
 of the cut-off. 
 
 10. The only phase of the subject " Repairs " that will 
 be taken up in this study sheet is that of " fixing " a 
 trigger. 
 
 ,A large number of the rifles when issued have a 
 trigger squeeze that is not good for accurate shooting. 
 
 If, after having taken command of the trigger, there 
 is a further creep, either smooth or by jerks, the 
 trigger should be " fixed," as the best shooting can not 
 be done with it in that condition. To do this we stone 
 down the heel of the trigger. Never for any reason 
 touch the sear nose of the sear or the sear notch of 
 the cocking piece with a stone that will cut. They 
 may be smoothed, but nothing more, and a mechanic 
 must do it. 
 
 The heel will be stoned down until the creep that 
 is present after taking command of the trigger dis- 
 appears. If a coarse stone is used for rapid cutting it 
 should be finished off with a smooth stone to get an ab- 
 solutely smooth squeeze. In case, through carelessness, 
 too much has been stoned off the heel the distinct stop 
 that is felt at the end of the movement, called " taking 
 command of the trigger," disappears, and the sear 
 notch is released while taking command. In that 
 case the command bearing must be stoned slightly 
 and the notch between the bearing and the heel stoned 
 in if it has disappeared. Careful stoning and handling 
 of the worst of triggers will make a good trigger. 
 During the operation the parts should be assembled 
 
136 
 
 and the trigger squeeze tried several times to insure 
 that the stoning is proceeding properly. If this is 
 done it will be very seldom that it will be found 
 necessary to stone the command bearing. 
 
 CHAPTER 19. 
 
 INTEREST AND ENTHUSIASM. 
 
 This publication does not purport to be a scientific 
 treatise upon all of the details of rifle training. It 
 assumes an elementary knowledge of drills, rifles, 
 ammunition, target ranges, and score books. The 
 things that everybody will learn right anyhow are 
 passed lightly or left unmentioned. It does not pre- 
 sent the intricate problems of ballistics nor the mathe- 
 matics of fire control. Bayonet training is not men- 
 tioned. 
 
 The importance of these things is not denied and 
 no attempt is made to discourage the best possible 
 training. The American Army is entitled to the best 
 training in all of them. It is getting the best train- 
 ing in all of them. 
 
 It did not heretofore get the best training in the 
 greatest function of the rifle, shooting straight. 
 
 Too many have believed, that shooting, like ballis- 
 tics, can be taught with blue prints. Too many have 
 believed that straight individual shooting was wholly 
 unnecessary. The war has uprooted these ideas. All 
 who went into the. fight with them came out cured. 
 If only once he faced an enemy and his life depended 
 upon his ability to hit first, the solution of that prob- 
 lem was worth many times the cost of training to 
 do it. 
 
137 
 
 Therefore, the first mental attitude is 
 A belief in straight shooting. 
 An enthusiasm for straight shooting. 
 A pride in straight shooting. 
 
 Fortunately, this attitude of mind comes naturally 
 to the American. 
 
 It is a part of the traditions of our country. 
 
 The instructor easily imparts it to the recruit. 
 
 But there are some faults of instructors that need 
 to be noticed. Often great riflemen are not good in- 
 structors. The great rifleman knows so well how to 
 do everything that he has a strong mental desire to 
 take the rifle from the recruit and show him how to 
 do it. This is a bad mistake. There is only one 
 reason for taking the rifle out of another's hands. 
 Here it is : When the recruit is missing and charges 
 the trouble to the rifle. 
 
 In that case it is best for the instructor to take the 
 rifle and convince him it is all right by shooting it. 
 
 After that is done the real work of instruction is 
 just beginning. There is no further reason to show 
 him how you do it. You must show him how he shall 
 do it. 
 
 In the very beginning when talking to a class it is 
 well to take the positions, adjust the sling, and illus- 
 trate all of the "ten commandments." But that is 
 before they go to the firing line. 
 
 On the line they do the shooting. 
 
 You watch them and learn their faults. 
 
 You instruct them how to correct their faults. 
 
 You look at the target after they have fired. 
 
 You look at them before they have fired. 
 
 Their faults may be little things but you must see 
 them. 
 
138 
 
 You fail as an instructor unless you find the faults 
 of the recruit and explain so he can remedy them. 
 
 This can not be done with the attitude of the dis- 
 ciplinarian. 
 - It is done with the attitude of the demonstrator. 
 
 A recruit will disregard your instructions imme- 
 diately after they are given, but it is usually unin- 
 H utional. 
 
 Instruct him again. 
 
 There is time for discipline after it is certain he is 
 willfully disregarding your instructions. 
 
 This is rare, indeed, among recruits. 
 
 The sly old shooter who has acquired a bad habit is 
 a more likely offender. 
 
 When a great rifleman also acquires the instructing 
 attitude of mind he becomes the best possible in- 
 structor of recruits. 
 
 His own ability inspires confidence. 
 
 But he must instruct and not shoot. 
 
 Another personal subject that requires the keenest 
 personal interest of the instructor is flinching. 
 
 The causes of flinching are fear of getting hurt, 
 improper placing of the mental attention at the instant 
 of final trigger squeeze, and stage fright, which the 
 hunter calls " buck fever." All sorts of cures for 
 tl inching have been invented and many of them will 
 work at times, but some should be prohibited in 
 orders. A close analysis of the causes, a full explana- 
 tion to the shooter, and a distinct drill or exercise to 
 meet each cause are the only rational cures. 
 
 MENTAL DRILLS. 
 
 Fear of recoil should be drilled out of each man. 
 How can you do it? Have him take the incorrect 
 
139 
 
 prone position with his body " straight with the 
 rifle." Then take hold of the rifle barrel and jam 
 against his shoulder. It will hurt. Tell him it is 
 due to the position. Then swing his body around 45 
 degrees. Forty-five is not too much and it does not 
 substantially conflict with the " about 35 " of the drill 
 regulations. Get the sling properly adjusted and his 
 face properly frozen to the stock. Again take hold of 
 the rifle barrel with both hands and try to jam his 
 shoulder. It will not hurt. His body is now elastic 
 and gives way to the " jam " of the rifle. The posi- 
 tion saves him and will do the same when he shoots. 
 A few drills of this kind will settle the question in 
 his own mind before he ever fires a shot. This re- 
 moves one cause of flinching. 
 
 A more difficult cause is improper mental attention 
 at the instant of firing. 
 
 Where should the mind be at this critical moment? 
 How can you train it to stay where it belongs? 
 
 This is the most delicate problem in the whole 
 psychology of shooting, but proper understanding and 
 proper attention will put the mind of even the dullest 
 recruit where it belongs and it belongs on the trigger 
 squeeze. It is all analyzed in the " 10 command- 
 ments," and each recruit should be instructed until 
 he is thoroughly familiar with every item. 
 
 No casual instruction will do this. His mind must 
 be placed on each of the commandments distinctly and 
 separately, but in sequence, and his body must do them 
 not once but many times until he is drilled in all of 
 them. 
 
 Some of them are easy and can quickly be learned ; 
 but others the sight alignment and trigger squeeze, 
 
140 
 
 for example are delicate and iiot easily understood. 
 He should especially study the trigger squeeze and 
 train his whole mind to control and guide it. 
 
 Ten things are a good many to remember and do 
 all at once. The trained rifleman does them auto- 
 matically and without thinking, but they are an intri- 
 cate problem to the beginner. Besides, something else 
 is going to happen outside of these 10 things and 
 that is the explosion. That is strictly the business 
 of the rifle and the ammunition, but the recruit is 
 more likely to think about it than about any of the 
 10 things he must do. His mind must be trained to 
 attention on the things that he does and it must be 
 trained to stay away from the things the rifle does, 
 and especially the explosion. He should neither think, 
 know, nor care when the explosion occurs. It takes 
 an alert instructor to accomplish this result, and here 
 is a sample of what he might say to the recruit in 
 the order of the 10 commandments. 
 
 1. You can take your position of 45 without think- 
 ing of the explosion. During that time it is easy to 
 think only about the position. The explosion is too 
 far away to get excited about it now. 
 
 2. You can adjust the sling above the upper arm 
 and think only about that. 
 
 3. See that the butt comes hard on the shoulder 
 and keep your mind on that for an instant. 
 
 4. You ought to freeze your face to the stock with- 
 out explosion alarm. 
 
 5. Catch up your breathing, exhale part and hold, 
 and stop your mind at that station. This drill is to 
 teach your mind to halt and about face and advance 
 at the proper time. 
 
141 
 
 6. Take command of trigger, and now you are get- 
 ting closer to that explosion and the mind may want 
 to jump over and think about the explosion. It must 
 not do this. It must halt and see that the trigger 
 is squeezed back to the first stop and held there. 
 
 7. As you align the sights there is plenty for the 
 mind to do without bothering about when the explo- 
 sion will occur. 
 
 8. You can easily reach the last focus on the bull 
 in this same state of mind. 
 
 9. Now comes the critical time. The final squeeze 
 is very close to the explosion. The mind now has a 
 still stronger tendency to jump over and think about 
 the explosion. It must be held in check. It must 
 think about the squeeze. The squeeze will not occur 
 of its own accord ; it must be directed by the mind. 
 The mind must see that the squeeze is steady, strong, 
 and prompt. If the mind is attending to these things, 
 it has plenty to do without figuring out explosions ; 
 and, besides, the explosion performance was all ar- 
 ranged in the factory long ago and needs no mental 
 assistance. 
 
 10. Even when the explosion does occur the mind 
 immediately has other business. After final squeeze 
 its next operation is to call the shot. The trained 
 rifleman does not even notice there was an explosion. 
 He heard it, but he did not register it in the record 
 of his achievement. It happened, but it made no 
 impression upon his mind, because he was watching 
 where his front sight pointed at the time he squeezed 
 the trigger so he could call his shot. If the sight was 
 at 6 o'clock he called it a bull, but if the sight moved 
 he called it out in whatever direction the movement 
 
142 
 
 .went. He had plenty to do before the explosion and 
 he had plenty more to do . ^~~ hence he did not 
 notice it. 
 
 This is the training that gets control of the mind 
 and removes one of the greatest causes of flinching. 
 
 The mixing of dummy cartridges with loads without 
 the shooter's knowledge is often advocated as a cure 
 for flinching. This is not a cure and is the source of 
 so much danger that it should be prohibited. Dum- 
 mies and loads should never be mixed. In a partic- 
 ular case a man will flinch and deny it. He is usually 
 honest and does not know it. He may blame the rifle. 
 A dummy cartridge without his knowledge might 
 convince him that he was flinching, but it would not 
 cure. The cure must come after he is convinced, and, 
 of course, it can not come before. He can be con- 
 vinced by other methods. The instructor can fire the 
 rifle and show him it is all right. He can then pre- 
 tend to load it, close the bolt, tell him it is loaded, 
 and have him snap on an empty chamber. This will 
 serve the same purpose and avoid the danger of mix- 
 ing dummies and loads. After he is convinced he 
 must be cured by the mental training before indicated 
 and by giving him a target easy to hit. 
 
 BUCK FEVER. 
 
 Everybody has it; that is, everybody with any 
 brains. A bonehead might be exempt. It is the 
 anxiety or fear of failure that enters every appre- 
 ciative mind at the beginning of any new undertak- 
 ing. It is no discredit to a new man to have a keen 
 anxiety for his success the first time he shoots or the 
 first time he enters a match. 
 
143 
 
 The new man sees the veteran cool and uncon- 
 cerned and longs to emulate him. This longing itself 
 makes him worse. He becomes ashamed of himself 
 and tries to conceal his anxiety, and therein lies the 
 greatest vice. The dread of being discovered inten- 
 sities buck fever many times, and this causes flinching 
 and unsteadiness of the worst kind. In fact, buck 
 fever of the highest degree is a mental illusion of such 
 intensity as to entirely destroy self-control. Can it be 
 cured? Yes. Only a few little things are necessary 
 to dissipate it entirely, but these things must be done 
 in the right spirit and with commanding energy. 
 What are they? 
 
 First. The man must be convinced that buck fever 
 is no disgrace. 
 
 Second. He must be required to report when he has 
 it, the same as he would report trouble with his rifle 
 or ammunition. 
 
 Third. His instructor must talk to him about it as 
 he would any other trouble. 
 
 If these three things are actually done it is cured. 
 ^.s soon as a man has discovered his buck fever, 
 reported it, and talked about it, he has mastered it. 
 As soon as his instructor has induced him to do these 
 things he has mastered the finest art in rifle training 
 and gained a psychological control over his man which 
 will be of inestimable value. 
 
 Here is a sample course of study for a buck fever 
 school. Assemble the men for a lecture on the sub- 
 ject. Start out by telling them that every intelligent 
 man has buck fever at times and it is no disgrace. 
 Tell them Gen. Bates's story of his first deer hunt. 
 The general says he went cut anxious to make a good 
 
144 
 
 showing and quite confident that he would. When 
 he came to the deer country he carried his rifle ready 
 and up near a port arms. He was expecting to see 
 a deer almost any minute and still he did not exactly 
 expect it at the instant it did jump up. There it stood, 
 full broadside, and only 60 or 70 yards away. It 
 would not stand long but it was a beautiful shot, and 
 the great achievement of his first deer loomed large 
 in his mind. He tried to lower his rifle to aim and 
 the rifle would not come down. He pulled on it, 
 swung his weight on it, and it did not come down, and 
 the deer ran aw T ay and he never even fired. A genuine 
 case of buck fever. It happened and it did not 
 happen. The deer was there all right, but the gen- 
 eral did not- pull down on his rifle he was pushing 
 up. He was controlled by a mental illusion. He 
 knew it. was not ashamed of it, and cured it by telling 
 about it. It did not happen again. 
 
 If every rifleman will look out for his own case of 
 buck fever, not be ashamed of it, report it to his in- 
 structor and talk about it he is cured from that mo- 
 ment. A mental illusion can not exist after it has 
 been discovered by the man who has it. He will drop 
 the illusion out of his mind and proceed with the 
 " ten commandments." But if he is ashamed, denies 
 he has it, and tries to conceal it, he will not become 
 a reliable shot in a long time. 
 
 After the instructor has delivered a lecture of this 
 type, then let him issue an order for each man to look 
 out for his own case of buck fever and report it imme- 
 diately in the presence of everybody. He should not 
 stop with an order, but he should require each man to 
 promise on his honor that he will obey the order. 
 
145 
 
 Having received these promises he can dismiss the 
 class. As soon as he is alone he can make a record 
 in his private notes that not a single man in the 
 whole class will keep his promise. They do not intend 
 to be dishonest. They intend to keep their promises. 
 When they come to the firing line they may even 
 notice their strge fright, but they pull out with only 
 the loss of a few points on the score and then per- 
 suade themselves that they did not have it. The in- 
 structor should pick the oldest and most reliable 
 shooter in the class and have a private session with 
 him. Tell him these promises will not be kept unless 
 somebody leads off. He can then arrange for this man 
 to fire first and get buck fever and report it in the 
 presence of the others, and then all will follow like a 
 flock of sheep. They will report the slightest case and 
 the cases will get slighter after each report, and in a 
 little while will entirely disappear. Their training 
 will assert itself and the " ten commandments " will 
 be kept as a matter of course. These lessons are of 
 very great value in the training of teams for matches. 
 In this connection it is well to note that no man ever 
 becomes so well trained or experienced but that new 
 and unusual circumstances might give him a bad case 
 of buck fever. Here is an instance. An Olympic 
 rifle champion of the world wanted to coach a State 
 team in the national matches. He was also a good 
 pistol shot and was told that he could not coach the 
 team unless he defeated the State pistol champion 
 in the pistol match. The pistol champion was told 
 the same thing, and then the contest was advertised 
 throughout the camp. Both were old, seasoned 
 shooters, but both came into the match with highly 
 130339 19 10 
 
146 
 
 developed cases of buck fever. The rifleman won his 
 place as coach by a scratch, but both fell down in their 
 scores and were passed by men of very moderate 
 ability. From this it is evident that buck fever can 
 be developed as well as cured by a frame-up. The 
 instructor must learn the human mind and how to 
 guide it. His interest must be personal. He must 
 have this keen interest in every person he instructs. 
 The psychology of such an interest begets an enthu- 
 siasm that always means success. 
 
 CHAPTER 20. 
 CRITIQUE AND REVIEW. 
 
 A daily critique and review solves each man's 
 trouble for everybody. It is also one of the best 
 methods of making the instruction uniform, and it is 
 impressed more distinctly upon the student's mind. 
 One part of it should always be an inspection and 
 criticism of score books, 
 
INDEX. 
 
 Page. 
 
 Theory of individual fire 5 
 
 Outline for individual training 11 
 
 CHAPTER 1. 
 
 Nomenclature, dismounting, and assembling rife 27 
 
 CHAPTER 2. 
 
 Care and cleaning rifle : 
 
 Dry with minimum of rubbing 39 
 
 Greased bullets 39 
 
 Inspection after oiling 40 
 
 Metal fouling (4) ! 41 
 
 One dry patch (1) 40 
 
 S'perm and cosmoline mixed (5), (6), (7) 41 
 
 Warm or cold sal soda or common soda solu- 
 tion (2) 40 
 
 See also outline care and cleaning rifle. 
 
 CHAPTER 3. 
 Position drills : 
 
 Individuality encouraged 42 
 
 Push and pull drill 46 
 
 Relative eflaciency (a), (&), (c), (d), (e) 42-44 
 
 Sandbag adjustments 45 
 
 Sling, adjustments 44 
 
 CHAPTER 4. 
 Manipulation drills : 
 
 Commands for the drills 48 
 
 In all positions starting with the easiest 48 
 
 Not an aiming drill 48 
 
 Test for proficiency, 20 times in 15 seconds 49 
 
 Trigger tied back 48 
 
 CHAPTER 5. 
 Sight alignment : 
 
 Aiming devices 49 
 
 Line of white (A) 50 
 
 (147) 
 
148 
 
 Sight alignment Continued. Page. 
 
 Open and peep sights (A) 49-50 
 
 Other causes of individuality 58 
 
 Shooting with both eyes open 60 
 
 Sighting bar . 61 
 
 Sighting triangles 62 
 
 CHAPTER 6. 
 Trigger squeeze : 
 
 The command squeeze 69 
 
 The final squeeze neither pull nor jerk 69 
 
 The trigger finger 70 
 
 Do not notice explosion. 71 
 
 CHAPTER 7. 
 Ten commandments : 
 
 Adjust sling high (2) 73 
 
 Align sights (7) 74 
 
 Call shot (10) 76 
 
 Freeze face to stock (4) 73 
 
 Final squeeze (9) 76 
 
 Hard on shoulder (3) 73 
 
 Hold breath (5) 74 
 
 Last focus on bull (8) 75 
 
 Position 45 degrees (1) 72 
 
 Take command trigger 74 
 
 CHAPTER 8. 
 Aiming drills : 
 
 Ten commandments used as commands 77 
 
 Test IX Small-Arms Firing Manual 77 
 
 See also ten commandments (7), and rapid-fire 
 aiming drills (10). 
 
 CHAPTER 9. 
 Rapid loading 77-78 
 
 CHAPTER 10. 
 
 Rapid-fire aiming drills : 
 
 Same as slow fire, except speed 78 
 
 Without dummies 78 
 
 With dummies 78-79 
 
 Maximum rate per minute , 79 
 
149 
 
 CHAPTER 11. 
 
 Sight setting : Page. 
 
 Aiming point (7) 88 
 
 Battle-sight windage rule (2) 82 
 
 Corrections when missing target (3)_ 82 
 
 Effect of light, weather, and glasses (8) 89 
 
 Head and rear winds, elevation (5) 84 
 
 Lateral effect, direction of wind (4) 83 
 
 Mirage (6) 85 
 
 Movement of sight to change hit (1) 79 
 
 Square rule for elevations (1) 80 
 
 Windage rule (1) 79 
 
 CHAPTER 12. 
 
 Gallery practice : 
 
 For rifle clubs 94 
 
 The animated target 94 
 
 The reduced load for military 94 
 
 CHAPTER 13. 
 Range operation : 
 
 Check and rotation blanks, problems 3-6, 7, 
 
 17, 18 100, 102, 107 
 
 Construction of ranges, solution to No. 1 97 
 
 Distribution of details for schools, 3-11 100, 104 
 
 Firing details of troops, 3-14 98, 105 
 
 Flexibility of organization, 3-20 98, 108 
 
 For different course, solution problem No. 2 99 
 
 Location of range, problem No. 1 97 
 
 Long-range firing, problem Nos. 3-9 100-104 
 
 Maximum number of shots per target, 4-4 110 
 
 Maximum training capacity of organization, 4-6 111 
 
 Number of firing squads, 3-8 103 
 
 On duty by half days, 3-10 104 
 
 Organization for pistol training, 3-16 106 
 
 Organization long range, 3-19 108 
 
 Organization for school of instructors, 3 100 
 
 Organization of troops for different course, 4 101 
 
 Pit details, 4-5 105 
 
 Preliminary instruction of troops during school, 
 
 3-12 105 
 
150 
 
 Range operation Continued. 
 
 Reasons why range operation inadequate, A, B, Page. 
 
 C, E 95 
 
 Target assignments of schools, 3-5 102 
 
 Target assignment of troops, 3-15 106 
 
 Training men in pits, 3-21 108 
 
 CHAPTER 14. 
 Records : 
 
 Notes 111 
 
 Score books 112 
 
 Statistics 112 
 
 CHAPTER 15. 
 Exterior ballistics : 
 
 Definitions 113 
 
 Effect of head and rear winds on the flight 120 
 
 Effect of temperature and air density 121 
 
 Interior ballistics 114 
 
 Kinetic energy, air resistance, gravity 116-117 
 
 Parallelogram of forces 115 
 
 Plotting the trajectory of a bullet 120 
 
 Sight setting, based on ballistic results 124 
 
 Temperature of powder, effect on velocity 123 
 
 The priming of the cartridge in the rifle 115 
 
 CHAPTER 16. 
 
 Safety cautions: Outline for individual training (16) 126 
 
 CHAPTER 17. 
 Range firing : 
 
 Groups for zero and normal elevations (B), (C) 
 
 Long-range firing (E) 128 
 
 Record firing (G) 130* 
 
 Slow fire, short range, prone, first (A) 126 
 
 Sniping firing (F) 128 
 
 When rapid fire should begin (D) 128 
 
 CHAPTER 18. 
 
 Functioning and repairs : 
 
 Cocking and squeezing trigger (5) 132 
 
 Extraction, primary and complete, ejection (7) 133 
 
151 
 
 Functioning and repairs Continued. Page. 
 
 Fixing the trigger squeeze (10) 135 
 
 Loading, single or from magazine 134 
 
 Locking (8) 133 
 
 Magazine, individual cartridges in (4) 131 
 
 Necessity of teaching (1) 131 
 
 The bolt (3) 131 
 
 The clip of cartridges in loading (2) 131 
 
 CHAPTER 19. 
 
 Interest and enthusiasm : 
 
 Attitude of mind 137 
 
 Buck fever schools 142 
 
 Mental drills 138 
 
 CHAPTER 20. 
 
 Dally critique and review 146 
 
 O 
 
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