WE will now suppose that the beginner, having chosen his rifle, prepared his ammunition and feeling in “good case,” chooses a fine clear day to try in practice what he has learned in theory. We will begin by offering a few remarks on the important subject of loading. As I do not imagine that he will undertake to have any dealings with the “Target Rifle” and telescope sight, until he has become somewhat perfected in his art, I will not take it into account, referring him to Chapman’s excellent treatise for full information on that subject, but deal with an ordinary eight or ten pound muzzle-loading rifle. The greatest care and nicety are required in loading, as a few grains too much or too little powder will alter the range of the bullet, and it, on its part, if not placed accurately in the barrel, will come out at an irregular angle, and, instead of going straight to the mark, will be turned sideways. This is corrected, or, properly speaking, avoided, by the use of a “starter,” an implement that can be seen at any gunsmith’s, and which will be better understood by being so seen, than it could be by any written description about it; suffice it to say, that the one most in use is made of brass, and has a socket to fit over the muzzle, with a starter working up and down in it. But to proceed with our subject. In the first place, it will be necessary for him to choose some place where there is no danger of accidents; for the flight of a rifle ball is so great, and the liability to accident so serious, that the greatest care must be exercised. I have known a man seriously injured at nine hundred yards distance, and who stood over one hundred and fifty yards to the left of the firing point. Indeed, instances innumerable could be quoted of the eccentricity of a rifle ball; if it should happen to strike a stone, stump, or any projection, it will go off at an angle, and, may be, do an injury long after the firer thought that it had become inert. Cleveland has some excellent remarks on this subject, which I reproduce for the benefit of the beginner, as they can not be too strongly impressed upon his mind. The remorse that would ever attend a right-minded man, if by carelessness he had been the means of depriving a fellow-creature of life or limb, would be very great, and the way to guard against it, is by paying due regard to these remarks. “A rifle bullet is easily fatal at a mile’s distance, and no man should ever send one out of his barrel without considering the possibilities of its range. Yet many men, who know this fact, are constantly regardless of it, shooting not only at targets without regard to the course of their bullets beyond, but at any bird in a tree which offers a fair shot, though the elevation required must necessarily send the bullet to such a distance that it is impossible for them to know what may be in the range. It is true, the chances are that no mischief will ensue, and most men seem to be willing to trust to chance rather than common sense, perhaps owing to the fact that they have not enough of the latter commodity to make a perceptible difference of effect. But this is precisely the kind of carelessness from which an accident occasionally results, which is sounded as a warning through the newspapers, while nobody hears of the thousand narrow escapes which indicate the frequency of such carelessness. I was surveying not long since in a field within ten miles of Boston, when a bullet cut the sod within a foot of where I was standing, shot from such a distance that I had no time to go in search of the worthy to whom I was indebted for the attention.
“The danger from ‘ricochets,’ or glancing shots, is one also of which no one can have a realizing appreciation who has not witnessed their eccentricities. I have known bullets which the shooter supposed to be safely lodged in the hillside against which he had placed his target, to glance out at a widely divergent angle from his line of fire, and be heard cutting through tree tops a quarter of a mile off. In fact, unless shot into an embankment, which is very nearly perpendicular, they will rarely fail to glance out, and their further course is one which can not possibly be foretold. Neither is this danger confined to the case where the bullet strikes upon hard or stony ground. They will ricochet from a soft peat meadow, even when shot downward at a very considerable angle; and I have known a bullet shot into a stream from a high bank to rebound and lodge in a tree at least fifty feet above its surface on the other side.”
Having arrived on his chosen ground, let him put up his target and measure off the range, placing a stake at every fifty yards; be careful to measure the ground accurately, as a few feet make a difference. The target I would recommend would be six by two feet, or about the size of a full-grown man. A good plan is to have a frame of iron with strong canvas laced on to it, and stout paper pasted over it; divide this into sections of six inches, with an eight-inch bull’s-eye in the center; this will do very well for a beginning. Of course, when a certain degree of accuracy has been obtained, much finer work will be necessary, and he will be expecting to put a “succession of bullets into a hole the size of a dime,” as I have heard some worthies boast of doing, but never saw accomplished. Being now prepared, he can proceed to load his gun, which is to be done in the following manner: Take hold of the barrel near the muzzle, turn it round so that the lock is outward; then pour out of your flask the proper charge, which the maker of the gun has furnished you with, being particularly careful to see that you have the charger full each time, for it is necessary to have every thing uniform to do uniform shooting. Some marksmen weigh their charges, but I do not think this necessary, as when holding the flask reversed, two or three sharp raps will generally answer the purpose of filling the charger. Pour it gently down the barrel, being particularly careful to hold it upright, so as to avoid any particles sticking to the sides, and thereby losing a certain portion of the power; place a “patch,” which has been previously prepared from the finest linen, oiled, or as some recommend, greased with spermaceti ointment, and cut out with a punch twice the size of the butt of the bullet; on the muzzle, the greased side downward; now place the ball perfectly straight and true in the muzzle, and with the “starter” press it down two or three inches, using the ramrod to force it home. And here let me offer a word of warning, avoid the common error of “ramming” home the bullet, for two reasons; firstly, because the bullet being jammed on the powder, meals and grinds it, thereby depriving it of a portion of strength; and secondly, because injury is done to the face of the ball, which is thereby prevented from following a perfectly true and accurate flight. Nothing is more common than to see men, after driving the ball home with some violence, make the ramrod rebound in the barrel, to assure themselves that it is “home.” Nothing can be worse than this; a moderate pressure, to satisfy yourself that the bullet is home, is quite sufficient. It is a good plan to mark on the ramrod how far into the barrel it should be, and then it can be seen at a glance if the ball is down. Place a cap on the nipple, and you are ready for action. The position in which you should be for “off-hand” shooting, and it is for such shooting I propose giving directions, is one that admits of a good deal of discussion. There is great difference of opinion on the subject, some good shots contending that they never could see any difference in their shooting, whether they were in one position or the other; while others maintain that it is absolutely necessary to good shooting that certain fixed rules should be adhered to. There are three recognized methods of firing, viz., the British or Hythe position, the Swiss, and the American. In the former the rifleman stands perfectly erect, head slightly bent forward, feet at right angles to each other, the left advanced about twelve inches, the right arm raised well up, the left hand advanced so as to take a firm yet easy grip of the rifle, the butt of which is to be pressed firmly against the right shoulder, the right hand grasping firmly the small of the stock. Captain Heaton describes the second as follows: “Next we have the Swiss standing position, in which no particular manner of placing the feet is required. The whole body is kept perfectly rigid, the chest expanded as much as possible, against which the left elbow is allowed to rest, the rifle being held with the left hand, as near the trigger-guard as possible. The Swiss rifles have a kind of handle for this purpose. The upper part of the body is thrown back. Before firing, you may notice the Swiss marksman taking a long, deep inspiration, which he holds until the bullet has left his rifle, when he gives a loud grunt of satisfaction if the shot has pleased him.”
In the latter the legs are kept wide apart, body slightly bent backward, the left shoulder a little back, with the left hand he grasps the rifle well out, bringing the arm nearly under the barrel, so as to form a support, the right arm is thrown out square, similar to the style adopted in the Hythe position. The butt of the rifle is not pressed against the shoulder, but in the hollow between the biceps muscle and the shoulder. Cleveland prefers this method to the Hythe, but I do not. I think that by pressing the butt close into the shoulder one is less likely to feel the recoil or “kick,” and in addition, it (the Hythe) is less constrained than either of the others. But good firing can be made in all these positions, so I will leave the learner to choose that one which seems to suit him best, and now to reduce all this theory and instruction to practice. Every thing being in readiness, we will suppose him about to fire his first shot. The rifle is brought up carefully to the shoulder, the eye being steadily fixed upon the object to be fired at, gradually raise the barrel until the sights and the object are in a direct line, and the instant that this is obtained, press the trigger, keeping the eye steadily fixed upon the mark, and the rifle in position for a second or two after delivering your fire. Just before the muzzle sight is made to cut the center of the bull’s-eye, the breath should be held; and in pressing the trigger, the forearm alone should act, the arm and wrist being stationary; no movement of the body should take place until you see the result of the shot. I am in favor of a tolerably quick aim. I do not see what is to be gained by pausing or dwelling; the finger should obey the brain. On this point Frank Forrester says: “Though it is necessary to get a sure aim before firing, it is not necessary to dwell on it before doing so. Every second between the having taken true sight and the giving fire is a second lost, or worse than lost; for the longer the rifle is held to the face, the greater the tension of the muscles and nerves, and the likelier are both to shake and give way. The first true sight is always, with all fire-arms, the best sight, and a quick shot has as much or more the advantage over a slow shot, with the rifle as with any other weapon.” The finger should be held well down toward the point of the trigger, and a slight pressure commenced from the moment the aim is begun. I may here mention that the pull of the trigger is a very important consideration; it should not be so slight as to go off almost involuntary, nor so hard as to require force, but so, that by a gentle pressure, commenced at the moment of taking aim, the slightest extra squeeze will cause the hammer to fall at the very instant the aim is perfected. I consider a pull of from two to three pounds about the proper thing. The method of ascertaining the pull of the trigger will be shown by any gunsmith. If you should not be satisfied with your first aim, do not hold on endeavoring to better it; drop the rifle and rest the eye for a few moments. It is better to take a few seconds extra than to jeopardize the success of your shot; for, once you tap the trigger, it is too late then for reflection. I must not omit to caution the beginner against canting the rifle in his hand. This we are all liable to do; even the grip of it in the left hand tends to this, and it is necessary that the greatest pains be taken to see that the sights are perfectly upright, as the slightest deviation from a vertical position will cause the bullet to incline to the right or left, according to the inclination of the foresight. A very common practice prevails, among some riflemen, of wiping out after every shot. I do not think that this is at all necessary in ordinary target practice, though it may be advisable to do so with the heavy target rifle, where large charges of a low grade of powder are used. But, on the other hand, do not continue to fire with a rifle after it has become foul. No accuracy can be obtained after the barrel is dirty. In target practice, the effect of the wind, sun, atmosphere, etc., must all be taken into account; and though I do not believe that I shall be able to lay down such rules as will enable the learner to overcome all the adverse effects of these various elements, still I think that, by carefully attending to the few simple directions I shall give, when he is about to practice, his chance of making good work will be materially increased. I will first deal with the wind, as there is nothing so difficult as to acquire a knowledge of the force of it, and to know what allowance to make, if from front, right, left or rear. Crack shots in England use various instruments, such as anemometers, etc., and adopt various devices for ascertaining the force of, and registering the pressure of the wind and its direction; but as the learner is not supposed to carry an instrument maker’s shop in his pocket, I will not take up his time by describing any of them. It is well to bear in mind that a wind from the rear elevates the ball, while a wind from the front depresses it, but in a greater degree. The effect of a side wind is two-fold, it not only causes the bullet to deflect from its course, but likewise depresses it, so that with the wind from side or front, a slight elevation will be required, while from the rear, a slight depression from the elevation is necessary. Captain Heaton believes it to be necessary to make more allowance for the wind blowing from the left than from the right, as in the former case, the wind and the “drift” are acting in concert with each other, whereas in the latter case, they are struggling one against the other, and the drift partly overcomes the influence of the wind. The spiral of the barrel being from left to right, causes the ball to have a tendency to incline to the right, this is what is known as “drift,” and which at long ranges is very great. To counteract the effect of the wind, wind-gauges have been invented, and are used by many shots, but are not I think generally approved of, at least Heaton, who, on this subject, may certainly be said to be a judge, quotes Mr. Fellowes approvingly, when he says of wind-gauges, “No sportsman, I need hardly say, ever makes use of such contrivances; he knows that one of the great principles of shooting consists in having faith to aim, on certain occasions, away from the object, either in consequence of the motion of such object, or the deflecting influence of the wind, or of the gravitation on the bullet. Now, there is unquestionably a strong natural tendency to project a missile on all occasions directly at the mark.
“Inexperienced shots, and indeed many in whom the use of fire-arms might have been expected to dispel the illusion, are very apt at the moment of firing to cheat themselves with the idea, that a direct shot must strike correctly, although common sense shows the occasional fallacy of the supposition; the act is involuntary. A knowledge, then, of the amount of allowance, quickness in the application of this knowledge, and faith in the result, are qualifications on which success materially depends, and long experience alone can master.”
It is a common fault to make too little allowance for the wind, indeed, many riflemen can not ever make up their minds to lose sight of the bull’s eye, and so frequently miss the target when they were confident of a good shot; however, it will be found that the amount of allowance to be made, etc., etc., can only be gained by experience. It is not possible, within the compass of a volume like this, to lay down the rules and give the calculations necessary to arrive at a perfect understanding of this subject.
The influence of the atmosphere upon the bullet is dependent upon the quantity of moisture it contains; the greater the quantity the lower will be the elevation. It is generally noticed that better shooting is made in damp weather than in dry; this arises from the fouling becoming moist, instead of being hard and gritty. A dull grey light is most favorable to rifle practice. Great heat has also an effect on the aim. It no doubt has often been noticed that the air seems to dance on one of these very hot days. This will cause you to aim above the target, it being apparently raised; this is caused by refraction, and to correct this you will require less elevation. The effect of the sun is very diverse, and a careful series of experiments by Captain Heaton has led him to form the following conclusions: that if shooting on a dull day, the sun suddenly appears and lights up your sights, still leaving the target dull, more elevation will be required; that is to say, if you continue to shoot with the same elevation that you had before the sun appeared, your shot will fall low. If shooting under similar circumstances, the sun appears and lights up the target, you require less elevation. If shooting on a clear, bright day, with the sun shining on the target, you will require more elevation than when he is hidden behind a cloud; and less elevation will be required when the sun is hidden, if you were previously shooting with his rays shining on your sights. He therefore suggests the following rules for shooting at five hundred yards, allowance for other ranges to be made accordingly:
“When shooting on a dull day, if the sun appears and lights up the target, aim two feet lower; if it appears in front, and lights up the sights, and not the target, aim two feet higher.
“When shooting on a bright day, with the sun in front, if it disappears, aim two feet lower; if the sun be at your back, or on one side, so as to light up the target, and it disappears, aim two feet higher.”
Having now, I believe, touched upon all points necessary for the instruction of the beginner, I will conclude this chapter by a few general remarks, and offer a little advice that may aid him in carrying out the principles previously laid down. I have not made any mention of a rest, as I am opposed to rest firing; but it may be advantageously used for the purpose of sighting a rifle, indeed you cannot properly sight your weapon without it; and I will therefore describe one suitable for the purpose. Have a bench made about three and a half feet long and ten inches wide, with four stout legs standing out at a considerable angle. The height should be about level with the breast, when sitting down. At one end place a stout piece of wood about five or six inches high, crosswise, with notches cut in it to lay the barrel in, and well covered with cloth, or something soft; this should be securely fastened to the bench; the end of the bench nearest the shooter may be hollowed out a little for the breast to fit in, and now you have the rest. If any one wishes to go into rest-firing, and desires to know how to make a superior one, I advise him to consult Chapman at. A rough-and-ready rest may be made of three moderately stout stakes, tied together near the top, and then twisted out at right angles; place your coat or any convenient thing to rest the rifle on in the crotch, and you will find that you can manage very well. Or a rest may be extemporized out of a ramrod and a couple of walking-sticks. A very excellent practice will be found in judging distances, as, without the power of estimating distances, he will find, be he ever so good a shot at a target at a set and known distance, that that skill may not avail him when called upon to exercise it in the battle-field or the forest. By a knowledge of judging distances, he will be enabled to render his skill available at critical times. An error of a few yards in distance will cause the best-directed bullet, either to bury itself in the ground at the foot, or to pass clear over the head, of the foe. From this it will be apparent that, unless the rifleman possesses this knowledge, he will be of very little use on the field, where, during the vicissitudes of battle, the distance at which he encounters his foe is ever changing. I could not, within any limited space, give such directions as would enable any one to master this subject, but he can learn a great deal by himself, by making a practice, when out walking, of taking points and estimating the distance to them, and then, accurately measuring them, he will find that he makes rapid progress in this way; he will likewise find a “stadium” a great aid to him. This consists of a small brass instrument with a cord, of which I give a rough outline. It should be about three inches high and an inch and a half wide. It is provided with a sliding-bar, B, and is made to enclose the figure, whose distance it is required to measure. The end of the cord is held in the left hand close to the eye, and the right arm is extended at full length, holding the stadium upright. As the distances are graduated with great accuracy, very satisfactory results are attainable by its use. If the learner is desirous of perfecting himself in this branch of the subject, I would advise him to get Hans Busk’s “The Rifle and How to Use It,” and therein he will find the necessary directions to enable him to do so. Should the learner not have many opportunities of practising, do not let him imagine that he will not be able to become a good shot. At the musketry school of Hythe, it is held that the less previous practice a man has had with fire-arms, the better is the prospect of making him a marksman, as he has no bad habits to unlearn. The system adopted there is the result of innumerable trials, and having carefully ascertained the best way for performing every thing requisite to become a marksman, they have proved, that by a “rigid adherence to them, far more than average proficiency in shooting is attainable, without the expenditure of a single ball-cartridge.” This may seem incredible; but it is nevertheless true. It is done by constant attention to a course of aiming and position drill. Let the learner practice for a few minutes, morning and evening, or whenever convenient, at a mimic target, carefully following the directions laid down, and he will be surprised at the result. A very excellent practice is that of snapping caps; let him carefully aim and go through all the motions as though the gun were loaded. He can further improve himself in the evenings, in his own room, by placing a candle a few feet from the muzzle, and taking aim at the wick. He will find that if the aim has been true, that the explosion of the cap will extinguish the candle. There is no greater fallacy in the world than to believe that a man can only become a good marksman by a liberal consumption of powder and lead.
In the present unsettled condition of our country, only partially recovering from the late fratricidal struggle, and looking to the position of affairs in Mexico, and the “war-cloud” which now hangs lowering over Europe, it is impossible to predict what may be the course of events. Under such circumstances, it behooves every loyal man and true that he should become familiar with the use of fire-arms, in order to qualify himself to assist his country in time of need. Volunteers, expert in the use of the rifle, have on many occasions played a prominent part in warfare. In this country we can point with pride to the part they took in the struggle with England, that resulted in achieving our independence. It was to a body, chiefly consisting of rifle volunteers, that Burgoyne and his entire army, composed of the finest troops in the world, surrendered at Saratoga in 1777. The indomitable prowess of volunteers again prevailed in 1781, when Lord Cornwallis and another English army were compelled to lay down their arms. The deeds of valor performed by the German student volunteers, in 1813-15, are too well known to need recital here. Again, the whole might of Russia, with half a million of troops at her back, in a long and sanguinary war, extending over thirty years, hardly accomplished a success worth recording against the hardy volunteers of Circassia. Nor must we forget the gallant deeds performed in Mexico under Scott and Taylor. I cordially endorse the following sentiments, extracted from a writer in “Frazer’s Magazine,” and as well as part of the above, quoted from Hans Busk: “What is wanted for home protection, is your patriotic home guerilla force, lining hedges, popping from pits and tree-tops, galloping from point to point, and blazing away at foragers, skirmishers, and outposts, and so thinning off the foe marvellously, and making him, to his bitter astonishment, ‘small by degrees and beautifully less!’ . . . But for real loss to an invading army, post me five hundred quick-sighted and quick-footed amateur riflemen, in their own well-known woods, and see how they’d pick off all the lieutenants, and colonels, and artillerymen half a mile away.” This matter is well understood in England, and every effort is made to induce a proficiency in the use of the rifle; and the wonderful advance in the numbers and excellence of the rifle-shots of Great Britain is a constant source of congratulation to that country. I have not space to give details of the shooting average of thousands and tens of thousands of the young men of England; but it displays wonderful results. By the training of our youth to the use of the rifle, we would not be found again in as unprepared a state as we were when the late stupendous rebellion burst upon us. Nor would we see such records as those of the battle of Bull Run, where many thousands of rifles were picked up after the battle, improperly loaded, and where, by a careful computation, for every man killed, his own weight in lead was expended. If by my writing, and by precept, I am able to help to better such a state of things, I shall feel amply repaid.