< Previous14 T H E R I F L E M A N September, 1943. The Model 42M-B Custom-Built Mossberg .22 Cal. Bolt Action Repeating Rifle FEA TURES 1. Chambered for .22 short, long . or long rifle, regular or high speed cartridges. 2. 23in. barrel, accurately rifled, crowned muzzle. 3. Walnut finish stock. Pistol grip, beavertail, grooved comb. Military type fore end. New molded trigger guard, steel butt plate. 4. Special compartment in butt of stock under " trap door " butt plate. 5. Extra clip in stock compart ment. 6. Microchck peep sight adjust able for windage and elevation with single aperture disc. 7. New hooded ramp front sight with four inserts permanently attached. 8. New streamlined open rear sight with fine screw adjustments for windage and elevation. 9. Self cocking on up stroke of lever. Can't fire until bolt is locked all the way down. 10. Heavy duty bolt with large lever and safety indicating device. 11. Grooved trigger. •12. Convenient thumb safety opera ting directly on trigger havingin- dicating buttons inlaid in stock. 13. Counter sunk bolt head pro tects against blow backs. 14. l^in. quick detachable swivels. 15. Drilled and tapped for side mounting Mossberg scope sights. GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS. 1. Be sure to line up the marks on bolt body and locking lever before attempting to replace bolt in receiver. Don't force the bolt as it will slide in easily (with trigger pulled rearward) if marks are correctly lined up. (See illustration.) 2. To adjust trigger pull use a screw driver and turn IN screw marked (A) on illustration for harder pull and turn OUT for lighter pull. Don't try for a pull lighter than three pounds. 3. To disassemble bolt, place spring cap (marked (B) on illustration) in vise and using the bolt lever for a handle, unscrew this cap from bolt body. When this is done you can remove cocking cam, firing pin, mainspring and plunger with your fingers. 4. When the safety indicator at rear end of bolt shows red (C on illustration) the action is cocked. When thumb safety points to red button in stock it means DANGER, as the trigger can be pulled. When safety points to the green button the trigger cannot be pulled, therefore it is safe. A. Elevation Adjusting Screw. C - E l e v a t i o n L o c k N u t . B. Windage Adjusting Screw. D. Windage Lock Nut and Aperture Disc, 5. 6. All three lengths of .22 calibre regular or high speed ammunition can be used without change or adjustment. To remove quick detachable swivels pull up on small bright metal pin until it is disengaged from base, turn swivel until it is parallel with base and pull out. I N S T R U C T I O N S F O R A D J U S T I N G S I G H T S To adjust the No. 4 Microclick adjust the elevation first. If rifle shoots low raise aperture by loosening elevation lock nut slightly and turn elevation adjusting screw to the left or counter-clockwise. If rifle shoots high lower aperture by turning screw to right or clockwise. When proper elevation is located tighten elevation lock nut. If rifle shoots to left move aperture to right by loosening windage lock nut back of aperture. Turn windage adjusting screw to the left or counter-clockwise. If rifle shoots to the right move aperture to the left by turning screw to right or clock wise. When proper windage is located tighten windage lock nut. One click moves the impact of the bullet l/32nd in. at 25 yards, l/16th in. a.t 50 yards, or l/8th in. at ICQ yards, called one eighth min. graduations. To swing WWW.RIFLEMAN.ORG.UKSeptember, 1943. T H E R I F L E M A N 15 peep sight out of way for scope shooting or for removal of bolt, loosen elevation lock nut enough to swing cross arm back parallel to barrel, then lock this nut. To line up or zero the sights remember this rule—move open rear or peep sight in the same direction as you want your shot to move on target. For example, if your shot is to the left of bull's-eye you want your shots moved to the right, so move the disc on the No. 4 peep sight to the right. If shots are too high, lower the peep sight, and vice versa." W o m e n ' s H o m e D e f e n c e I n t e r - U n i t S.B.R. League The All-Women's H.D. Inter-Unit S.B.R. League, formed to encourage, and improve the standard of Rifle Shooting throughout the widely separated units of the Women's Home Defence, has met with great en thusiasm. Eighty-eight entries were received, from Aber deen to Fleet, Portmadoc to Rochester, and many others had to be refused owing to the time limit. The League is composed of 11 divisions of 8 teams each. Apart from a few units with already established rifle Clubs, most of the entries were composed of teams eager to experience competition shooting. Some of the teams had never seen a 5-bull target card ; others shoot their match cards with the one and only considerably overworked rifle available to the unit ; others shoot with open sights. In fact, the enthusiasm shown gives rise to surprise that there were not more women's Rifle Clubs before the war. One team started with a score of 193 out of 500, but instead of being discouraged, that team is now nearing the 400's despite having to shoot their last match at their open air range in rain. That is only one side of the picture. Nearly 45% of the teams are now averaging 450 and all are showing improvement each round, and the correspondence received shows the determination to improve. Possibles are now coming in, and many scores of 95 to 99 are recorded. The championship seems to be resolving itself into a stern England v. Scotland tussle with Harrow'A and Shirley and Edinburgh A and Stirling A, the chief protagonists. One great" difficulty experienced by some of the teams lies in the scarcity of ranges, but the majority have been accomodated by interested people. The W.H.D. Individual Championship won in 1942 by Miss Dodds of Edinburgh, is to be held during Septem ber. Last year there was an entry of 1,089 cards. This year the competition has been divided into Senior, Inter mediate, and Novices sections. A b o u t " O f fi c i a l C o m m u n i c a t i o n s " {Continued from page 12.) Of course the nose-cap of the S.M.L.E. was far too heavy, and its attachment to the wooden fore-end inade quate. But it is ridiculous to say that, if one couldn't use the S.M.L.E. nosecap to fix the bayonet to, " the only solution was to put it on the end of the barrel." For instance, one could well copy the attachment used on the German 1888 n.m. Carbine in principle very similar to the S.M.L.E. nosecap, but of about a third the weight, and at least twice as strongly attached to the stock, and which was already obsolescent before the S.M.L.E. nose cap was designed. One point I forgot to mention is the " deep-drawn one- piece " magazine. If the Kaiser hadn't brought off his war in 1914, in another year or two the British Army would have been armed with rifles having flush magazines holding five rounds. However we fought that war with 10 round magazines, and 10 round magazines we've had ever since. I don't know that the 10 round showed any superiority over the five round, nobody who fought in that war was so impressed by it that they altered their magazine to give a larger capacity—though for some unknown reason during the war the Germans issued some holding 20 rounds —but a rifle with a flush magazine is far more convenient to handle, and the " one-piece " magazine wouldn't be a " deep-drawing." But if one goes in for a flush magazine, why not discard Lee's detachable tin box altogether, and use a plate to close the bottom of the magazine ? Of course the Americans have adapted the Garand, which uses an eight round clip. But that is an entirely new departure, and they haven't altered the Springfield to take that clip. Personally I shouldn't be surprised if in stead they altered the Garand to take the Springfield charger. I am not impressed with the fact that rifles are now largely made by women. When they return to Civil life, probably 90 per cent of them still won't know one end of the rifle fom the other ; mass-production work is so sub divided that a worker may spend years making a bit without the slightest idea what its use is when finished. A month or two ago we heard a discussion on " Craft- manship" on the wireless. Was that an Official communique? It consisted largely of extracts from the 1929 " Text-book of Small Arms," and the only item of interest that emerged was that crooked pieces of kiln-dried beech don't make good rifle-stocks. The speakers appeared to be foremen in a small-arms factory. WWW.RIFLEMAN.ORG.UK16 T H E R I F L E M A N September, 1943. The Value of Press Publicity By Captain A. B. McKenzie Much has been spoken and written about the value of Press publicity, many clubs do not think it is necessary to enlist the aid of even the local Press, arguing that it would not help the club. I have always been a great believer in giving the Press as much as they will take, never doubting the good it would do. I give herewith my latest experience, and leave readers to judge for themselves, if it is worth while sending the news to the papers. In August of last year, Mrs. Ballingall of Stirling wrote and asked me if I could advise her on how to form a branch of the Women's Home Defence, as her doctor had told her she must take an interest in something, so as she had always been interested in rifle shooting, she thought this would be as good an interest as any. She said she knew there were all sorts of formalities to go through, rifles to get, also range accommodation, etc. I replied that if she arranged a meeting of all women interested in the movement in Stirling, I would attend, explain things, and answer all questions. She did this, and was quite pleased when about 25 women attended, and repor ters from the local papers. I explained that as far as the rifle shooting part was concerned, once they affiliated with the S.M.R.C., the rest would be easy. At this meeting office bearers were appointed, and I was able to tell those present that the local club had kindly agreed to place their range at the disposal of the women, I was also able to tell them, that sufficient rifles would be ready for the start. The local and national Press gave good space to this meeting and when the opening night came along, about 50 women turned up. The St. Ninians Club whose activities have been suspended until after the war, had their rifles at Police Headquarters for safe keeping, and the committee kindly agreed to allow me to have them for the use of the women's club. Affiliation with the S.M.R.C. had been carried through, targets and ammunition were there for the opening. 1 was able to give the club's activities so much publicity in the national and local press, that very soon the Stirling Women's Home Defence unit was being talked about all over the country. Members continued to roll up and in about six weeks time, totalled over 150. Mrs. Ballingall had expected that about 20 or 30 women would join, so that she would be able to manage to look after them. However, I was able to organise the 170 women into a smoothly running club, and as none of the members knew anything about a rifle, f took over the training, giving them first a lecture on the rifle, finishing up with a lecture on safety. 1 have done much musketry instructing in army and civilian life, but I never wish to have more apt pupils than the Stirling women. They did everything they were told, and very soon good scores were being returned. Shoulder to shoulder matches were arranged to give the members confidence. First match was against a team of men from the A.R.P. All the men were experienced shots and proved much too strong for the women. The next match was against a team of R.E. This time the ladies won by over 100 points. They next tackled a team from the W.D. Police, and won by 199 points. Their next win by 51 points, was against a team of A. and S.H. The County Police were loo strong, beating the W.D.H. by 37 points. The latest match was against seven Polish Army Officers, and although the Poles had .22 rifle shooting experience, they were no match for the Stirling women, who won by 136 points. All these matches gave more publicity to the movement, staff reporters were sent along by some of the National papers to interview members, and columns were given in the Press. An International match was staged between 10 members from Scottish Units and 10 from England. A League had been run in Scotland, and the ten women with the best averages in the League were chosen to represent Scotland. This gave Edinburgh six repre sentatives and Stirling four. The English team was drawn from nine units. Scotland won by 12 points. There is no doubt that but for the publicity given in the Press, the Stirling Women's Club would have been dead long ago. Now it is fairly certain that it will continue after the war, and should make a name in the shooting world. It is surprising to hear the activities of the club being discussed by members of the public. People 'one would never think were interested in rifle shooting, can tell you what a certain member scored in a certain match. Every club would be well advised to send their shooting results to the local Press. Now don't say " The Editor will not publish them." If you make him see his readers are interested, he will publish them all right. Another excuse is that the public are not interested. Perhaps you think they are not, but the public are interested in every thing relating to their own town. The sport of rifle shoot ing would be much stronger than it is, if more publicity was given in the local Press to the doings of the local club. The Stirling membership now stands at 180, and the other day, I received a letter from the G.O.M. of rifle shooting. Sir Ian Hamilton. Here is what he says : " Dear McKenzie, Congratulations on your magnificent harem of 180 girls. I should think this took the cake anywhere, even in Turkey. Seriously I have always regarded you as a man who was doing most valuable work. In these days, what with petrol and one thing and another, it is impossible almost to rnake appointments especially at night. But I should like very much to come and see you and your girls, and if a chance did arise I would take advantage of it. Yours sincerely, Ian Hamilton." Wales & Monmouthshire League Shields These trophies are competed for by Welsh teams shooting in the War-time League, the three teams with the best averages being awarded one each. Leading teams and trophy winners :— No. 1 Shield. Cardift' A No. 2 Shield. Mountain Ash Constitutional No. 3 Shield.. Tredegar A C a r d i l V H o m e G u a r d . . C a r d i t V B Ta f a r n a u b a c h A Av e r a g e s . .. 494.45 .. 489.18 .. 479.90 .. 473.54 473.09 470.54 Swansea A and B had the misfortune t6 lose a set of cards each in transit to the S.M.R.C. and Carmarthen and District did not return their last set of cards. WWW.RIFLEMAN.ORG.UKSeptember, 1943. T H E R I F L E M A N17 C O M P E T I T I O N S F O R T H E W I N T E R S E A S O N Prospectus of each have been sent to all affiliated Club Secretaries The S.M.R.C. Junior Training Corps Small-Bore Rifle Match, 1943 I n a i d o f t h e C o m f o r t s F u n d f o r Wo m e n a n d C h i l d r e n o f S o v i e t R u s s i a ( 5 0 % o f t h e E n t r a n c e F e e s w i l l g o t o t h e f u n d . ) To be shot at either 15, 20 or 25 yards. Proportionate cards sent. 1st prize, 8 Silver G.C. Medals; 2nd prize, 8 Silver Medals. 8 medals will also be awarded to the contingent that makes the highest score of those whose strength is under ICQ. Those contingents who come in this category must state so on their entry forms. No team may take two sets of medals. Open to teams of eight from any Unit of the Junior Training Corps. Members, of the A.T.C. may be included. E n t r i e s c l o s e 1 s t O c t o b e r , 1 9 4 3 . E n t r a n c e F e e 1 0 / - p e r T e a m . "News of the'World " National Team Competition Teams of four competitors, 2 cards each at either 15, 20 or 25 yards. Twenty prizes divided equally between Home Guard Units and Rifle Clubs. Each organisation may enter more than one team, but no competitor may shoot for more than one team. Entry—First team, 5s. ; each additional team from the same club 2/6. ENTER AT ONCE. Entries close llth October, 1943. f The Scottish Cup Competition Teams of four, 2 cards each competitor at either 15, 20 or 25 yards. Open only to affiliated clubs having ranges in Scotland. This competition may be shot concurrently with the News of the World competition. Entry fee SI- for one team and 2/6 for each additional team from the same club. Entries close llth October, 1943. LONDON AND DISTRICT CLUBS SHOULD ENTER THE Browne Martin Competition To be shot as far as possible concurrently with the News of the World. Entry fee, 2/6 per team. The S.M.R.C. War-Time League Teams of five competitors at either 15, 20 or 25 yards. Teams will be allocated to divisions of 12 teams according to strength. Two team prizes in each division. E n t r y f e e 1 0 / - p e r t e a m . E n t r i e s c l o s e l l t h O c t o b e r , 1 9 4 3 . The S.M.R.C. Pistol League Teams of four, at 10 and 20 yards. Official Pistol targets to be used. Teams will be placed In divisions according to strength. About six teams to a division. E n t r y f e e 7 / 6 p e r t e a m . E n t r i e s c l o s e l l t h O c t o b e r , 1 9 4 3 . Junior Winter Competition IN TWO SECTIONS: MAJOR, under IS. MINOR, under 15. Open to teams o'four from Army Cadet Force, Sea Cadet Corps, Junior Training Corps, Air Training Corps, Home Guards, Cadets, Boy Scouts, Rifle Clubs, or any Junior organization. Two cards each competitor, at either 15, 20 or 25 yards. E n t r y f e e 2 / 6 p e r t e a m . E n t r i e s c l o s e 1 5 t h N o v e m b e r , 1 9 4 3 . The ''News of the World" Individual Competition Embracing the English, Scottish and Welsh Senior and Junior National Championships, also Veterans' Competition. In three stages. 15 prizes. Extra prizes for National winners. Entries close 15th November, 1943. Single entry 2/-, or three for 51- if made at the same time. WWW.RIFLEMAN.ORG.UK18 T H E R I F L E M A N September, 1943. The "News of the World" Army Cadet Force Competition PRIZES. 1 s t Te a m ; T h e " N e w s o f t h e Wo r l d " C h a l l e n g e C u p a n d Te n S m a l l S i l v e r C u p s . 2 n d Te a m : Te n S i l v e r M e d a l s . 3 r d , 4 t h , 5 t h Te a m s : Te n B r o n z e M e d a l s e a c h FIRST ST AGE. Each Unit will arrange among its own personnel a preliminary competition to select its team or teams of ten boys. A Unit will be allowed to enter one team of ten boys for each 100 boys, or part of that number, who are members of that Unit. This section of the competition will open on October I, 1943, and must be concluded as soon as possible, but not later than October 31, after which entries must be forwarded immediately to the Society of Miniature Rifle Clubs at the above address. The ages of boys comprising a team must not be under 14 or over 17 years on October I, 1943. Ammunition.—It should be noted that the War Office are arranging for the allotments of .22 ammunition for September and October to be issued together in September for the purpose of shooting the first stage of the competition. SECOND ST AGE. Open to teams of ten competitors from any Unit in the Army Cadet Force. All Units are invited to compete. All ranks may be included in the team. Competitors may only shoot for one team. Should a lad be transferred after shooting in the second stage, he may continue for his original team in the third stage if the team qualifies for that stage. Targets for the second and third stages will be issued by the Secretary, Society of Miniature Rifle Clubs. Each set will be stamped and numbered, and the official in charge of each team will be required to write the name of each competitor on his card before shooting, as well a s t h e f u l l t i t l e o f t h e U n i t . All targets to be returned to the Society of Miniature Rifle Clubs to be scored. All shooting to be witnessed by the Officer Commanding or his nominee, who must see each card shot and sign and date them to certify that t h e c o n d i t i o n s h a v e b e e n o b s e r v e d . The targets for a team may be shot at any time during the period of one week. It is not necessary for the whole team to shoot on the same day. Teams may select the week for shooting in the period between November I and December 31, 1943. THIRD ST AGE. The 25 highest teams in the second stage will shoot a second set of cards supplied by the S;M.R.C. under special witnesses appointed by The Society of Miniature Rifle Clubs. Targets will be issued by the S.M.R.C. as soon as possible. Each team in this stage will be required to give their witness at least six days notice of the shoot. The S.M.R.C. will give each team the name and address of the witness appointed to supervise its shoot. T h e w h o l e t e a m m u s t s h o o t i t s c a r d s i n t h r e e c o n s e c u t i v e h o u r s f r o m t h e c o m m e n c e m e n t o f t h e s h o o t . Targets must be returned to the Secretary, Society of Miniature Rifle Clubs immediately after the shoot, which must be completed not later than February 29, 1944. Reserves may be included to take the place of those lads who may be prevented from shooting for their team. They must be from the same Unit, and must not have shot for any other team in this competition. T.e prizes will be awarded to the five leading teams in this stage. C0NDIT50NS. Te - m s . — 1 0 c o m p e t i t o r s . Shots.—10 each competitor. Range.—25 Yards. R i f l e s . — A n y . 2 2 r i f l e . B a c k s i g h t . — E i t h e r A p e r t u r e o r O p e n . Foresight.—Blade, Barleycorn, Bead, or Ring (Telescopic Sights not allowed). S l i n g s . — S l i n g s a l l o w e d . R e s t s . — R e s t s a U o w e d . Spotting.—Spotting and Coaching allowed by any person, whether attached to the Unit or not. A competitor may also spot for himself. Targets.—Second Stage : S.M.R.C. 2-bull Tin-Hat cards, five shots at each bull. Third Stage : S.M.R.C. 5-bull Tin-Hat cards, two shots to be fired at each bull. No shot hole must be gauged or otherwise interfered with. Scoring Bull's-eye 10 points, other circles 9^ 8, 7, 6, 5. Outside rings no score. The dotted inner circle will not be used in this competition unless more than one team makes the highest possible score of 1,000 points in the final stage. Entrance 2/6 per team. The Five-bull Targets are 7/6 per 100, plus postage 8d. Two-bull targets for practice can be supplied at 3/6 per 100, plus postage, 7d. Entries open 1st November, 1943. Entries close 30th November, 1943. Looking Back, No. 4 (Continued from page 13.) opponents dubbed the " Pawnees." Doubtless I have the results of this shoot somewhere, but the shooters reckoned it as one of the most interesting days they had had. Each man fired through the ranges at 25, 50 and 100 yards with the small bore rifle, following through to the pistol range i to put up ten shots with the .22 pistol at 20 yards, thence to the clay bird traps, where he fired one shot at each of 20 ! clay birds. Just whether the " Chicopees " scalped the " Pawnees " I cannot call to mind, but I do recall that T. ' Gallagher (Hendon and Cricklewood) came out top in the ' Aggregate, using all three arms. Events of this nature help to keep alive the shooting game, and will often bring in new members. Appeals for new club members, through orthodox methods, such as advertising in papers, circularising, etc., do not always have the desired results, and I was always striving to devise new ways to attract. One very successful way which I can pass on, was to arrange a team compe tition for members of the general public who were not members of any rifle club. The event used to be held on the indoor rifle range during the winter season, and we used to canvass the town for teams, of three men from any one line of business, trade or profession—thus we had chemists, drapers, grocers, printers, tailors, bookmakers, bakers, wine nierchants, and so on. Rifles were loaned to them and prizes given, whilst we used to coach them. If one could not pick up some new members by this method then he would be up against a tough lot. We have had as many as 60 teams of three men each in a competition, spreading it over a number of evenings. Try it ! WWW.RIFLEMAN.ORG.UK19. S.M.R.C. Home Guard Competition (Third) P R I Z E S ( F I N A L S TA G E ) . 1st Team. The Mackworth Praed Challenge Cup and Ten Prizes. 2nd to 10th Tea'ms. Ten prizes. FIRST ST AGE. Open to teams of ten competitors from any Platoon in the Home Guard. All Platoons are Invited to compete. All ranks may be Included In the team. Competitors may only shoot for one Platoon. Should a man be transferred after shooting In the first stage he may continue for his original Platoon In the second stage If the team qualifies for that stage. Targets for the competition will be Issued by the Secretary, Society of Miniature Rifle Clubs. Each set will be stamped and numbered and the official In charge of each team will be required to write the name of each competitor on his card before shooting, as well as the name of the Platoon, the Company, and the Battalion. All targets to be returned to the Society of Miniature Rifle Clubs to be scored. All shooting to be witnessed by the Platoon Commander or his nominee who must see each card shot and sign and date them to certify that t h e c o n d i t i o n s h a v e b e e n o b s e r v e d . The targets for a team may be shot at any time during the period of one week. It Is not necessary for the whole team to shoot on the same day. Teams may select the week for shooting In the period between 1st January and 29th February, 1944. SECOND ST AGE. , The twenty-five highest teams In the first stage will shoot a second set of cards under special witnesses appointed by The Society of Miniature Rifle Clubs. Targets will be Issued by the S.M.R.C. as soon as possible. Each team In this stage will be required to give their witness at least six days' notice of shoot. The S.M.R.C. will give each team the name and address of the witness appointed to supervise Its shoot. The whole team must shoot Its cards in three consecutive hours from the commencement of the shoot. Targets must be returned to the Secretary, Society of Miniature Rifle Clubs, Immediately after the shoot, which must be completed not later than the 30th April, 1944. • ... ' u / u Reserves may be Included to take the place of those men who may be prevented from shooting for their team. They must be from the same Platoon. The prizes will be awarded to the ten leading teams in this stage. CONDITIONS. Te a m s . — 1 0 c o m p e t i t o r s . , S p o t t i n g . — S p o t t i n g a n d C o a c h i n g a l l o w e d . A c o m p e t i t o r m a y a l s o s p o t f o r Shots.—10 each man. ' himself. R a n g e . — 2 5 Y a r d s . T a r g e t s . S . M . R . C . 5 - b u l l T i n - H a t c a r d s . T w o s h o t s t o b e f i r e d a t e a c h b u l l . R i f l e s . — A n y . 2 2 r i f l e . h o l e s m u s t b e g a u g e d o r o t h e r w i s e i n t e r f e r e d w i t h . The ;t:Ln"n: R e s t s . — R e s t s a l l o w e d . t e a m m a k e s t h e h i g h e s t p o s s i b l e s c o r e o f 1 , 0 0 0 p o i n t s i n t h e f i n a l s t a g e . E n t r a n c e 5 / - p e r t e a m . E n t r i e s o p e n 1 s t N o v e m b e r , 1 9 4 3 . Entries close 1st December, 1943. The Five-bull targets are 7/6 per 100, plus postage 8d. Two-bull targets for practice can be supplied at 3/6 per 100. plus postage 7d. Apply for Entry Form 1st October. Although a Largs and District S.B. Rifle Cluh Junior team achieved fame some time ago by winning the Junior Spring Competition open to the whole of Great Britain, there was no tangible indication of this in the usual form. The handsome trophy connected with the compe tition became a casualty in the 1941 blitz of the S.M.R.C. offices. Now, however, this lack has been remedied, and Largs residents and visitors can admire in a local shop window the new trophy which has been gifted by Lieut. Colonel Sir Philip Richardson. ^ THE LARGS AND DISTRICT-JR.C.-JUNIORiTEAM. Winners of the S.M.R.C. Spring junior Competition for the Lt.-Col. Sir Philip Rlchar^json Challenge Cup, as detailed in the June Rifleman. Names {left to right) reading : T. Rogers, A. Kelton, H. Thomson (score 200 x 200), j. Fraser, WWW.RIFLEMAN.ORG.UK20T H E R I F L E M A N September, 1943." How to Measure Muzzle Velocity By Major J. Powrie, B.Sc., late R.H.A. (H.A.C.). Wo o i Jr=^=L Although muzzle velocity is mentioned at least half a dozen times In every Issue of The Rifleman and similar journals, I don't remember once seeing an account of how this Is measured (outside a text-book on ballistics), and certainly I have not seen an account of any simple way of doing this such as the ordinary amateur could carry out. It Is doubtful whether muzzle velocity measurements of the kind contemplated will help the keen clubman to win more pots or badges, but the Information gained will throw much light upon the behaviour of different weapons and ammunition and should appeal especially to those who are not content merely to lie in a set position and pump lead Into a circular bull's-eye of exact size at exactly 25 yards with an e xp e ns iv e ly made r ifl e a n d accurate ammunition. It is claimed that any handy m a n c a n c o n s t r u c t a n d w o r k t h e apparatus described below and can, moreover, readily obtain, even at the present time, all the materials needed. Also It can be used In town or country without danger, given that ordinary range discipline is observed. Errors can easily be kept below 5 per cent. The apparatus employed was Invented by Benjamin Robins In the reign of George II, and Is known as the ballistic pendulum. He used It for artillery as well as s m a l l - a r m s . F o r t h e f o r m e r I t h a s been displaced by electrical methods, but the same principle Is still used for rifles and gives results of great accuracy. The essence of the method Is that the bullet Is fired Into a comparatively soft heavy pendulum bob. This sets the bob swinging, and from the slow motion of the bob the high speed of the bullet can be calculated easily. The apparatus described below Is designed for .22 bore rifles and am munition of low power, as used by the clubs. The pendulum consists of a piece of cast Iron rain water pipe, 4-lnch diameter and 14 Inches long, with a wooden disc one Inch thick near one end, fixed by screws or nails passing through holes In the pipe. Put In about 4 Inches of broken brick or stones and then ram In earth to within 2 Inches of the open end. Then push In a stout card disc. Hang this up level from a firm support by equal wires (18 gauge copper does nicely) about 36 Inches long. Now fix a piece of wood about 2 Inches wide and 18 inches long so that the top surface Is about level with the centre of the pendulum. Cut off a piece of straight wire (18 gauge copper will do) 15 Inches long and lay It on the wood so that it is pushed along when the pendulum swings lengthwise. You had better make a small loop at the end of this wire, where It butts against the pendulum. Drive four pins In, as shown, to act as guides for the wire index and fix a small strip of tin or a light spring so as to bear gently on the wire and provide slight friction. By adjusting the fixing screw the friction can be varied. Finally, make a rifle rest by fixing vertically two pieces of wood, say 2 Inches wide, about 18 Inches apart and the nearer about 6 ft. from the pendulum. They should be notched at the top, so as to position the rifle accurately when held In the notches trigger upwards. They should be placed so that the barrel points exactly along the axis of the pendulum. This Is Important, for If not the pendulum will wag sideways. If they are clamped In place with screw clamps, such as Woolworth's used to sell for a few pence, their position can be adjusted easily. Before we start shooting at our pendulum we must know ELEVATttN. Ca.fi ^i/ia7?esr L - H i k — F i — i ° h ^ 1 o i ^ 1^ Pla/y. two things about It, viz., its weight and the time of swing. The kitchen scales or a good spring balance will tell us the former to the nearest ounce. Mine Is 10 lbs. 11 oz. The latter Is found by giving the pendulum a push endwise and counting the number of complete vibrations (I.e. to and fro) made In a minute. Mine makes 33.5 per minute. You must also know the weight of the bullet you are using. The nominal weight of the standard " long rifle " bullet Is 40 grains, and those I have weighed have been within a grain of this. You might make sure by getting the local chemist to weigh one for you. His grains go 437^ to the avoirdupois oz. and are the ones used for weighing bullets. Now for the test. First place the rifle In Its rest and fire a round to see that the bullet hits centrally and does not cause much side wag. Adjust the rest. If necessary, and try again. Notice about how far the pendulum swings. Mine swings about 1^ to 2 Inches. Now see that the pendulum is completely at rest and bring the wire up so as just to touch the wooden disc. Mark carefully the position of the other end of the Index wire and then move It back about ^ Inch less than the expected movement of the pendulum. Finally, fire your first test shot. The pendulum will push the Index at the end of its first swing and leave WWW.RIFLEMAN.ORG.UKSeptember, 1943. T H E R I F L E M A N21 it showing the maximum movement (just like a clinical thermometer). Measure the swing indicated carefully with a scale marked in tenths of an inch. You can estimate the second decimal fairly well. Fire a few shots under the same conditions and, if the results are fairly uniform, calculate the M.V . The formula is V - Wjl5X«T5j^6 _ W.n.a X 60.9 11 5 w w where V=muzzle velocity. W = weight of pendulum in lbs. n = number of double swings per minute of pendulum a = movement of pendulum from rest in inches w= weight of bullet in grains Now here's a case you can all try, worked out with the figures actually obtained. Cartridges were I.C.I, long rifle, of the war issue non- rusting type. Rifle was a " S.M.R.C. Special" M.H., converted by Bonehill and in excellent condition. The barrel is 25 inches long and it weighs 94 lbs. W = 101bs. 11 oz. (lO.Tlbs.); n=33.5; w=40 grains; a = 1.92. This gives 10.7 X 33.5 X 60.9 X 1.92 = 1050 feet per sec This is probably fairly close to the truth. In the same rifle " Palma" lesmok gave a =2.04, which works out to 1110 f.s. I.C.I. "All Range" gave 1230 f.s.; an old "K" brand of short cartridge with a 30-grain bullet gave 865 f.s.; a " Kleanbore" B.B. cap with a 20-grain bullet gave 380 f.s. An old smooth bore pistol .38 bore, 10-inch barrel, spherical 84-grain bullet, 14 grains fine grain black powder charge, percussion cap ignition, gave 700 f.s. The following results will interest the pistol fraternity— all fired with I.C.I, war issue ammunition: 25-inch rifle 1050 f.s. (see above); 10-inch single shot Webley pistol 950 f.s.; 6-inch barrel S. and W. revolver K.22 Model 885 f.s.; 3-inch barrel H. and R. pocket revolver 544 f.s. The following are also of interest as showing that there is an optimum barrel length for maximum M.V. (vide Major R. Brown's remark on p. 8 of the June, 1943, issue of The Rifleman). Kleanbore B.B. caps gave the following M.V.'s:—From 25-inch rifle 380 f.s.; from 10-inch Webley pistol 620 f.s.; from 6-inch S. and W. revolver 545 f.s.; from 3-inch H. and R. revolver 425 f.s. This clearly shows the effect of barrel friction and fall of gas pressure. How ever, a very old and very badly worn rifle (no names mentioned) with a 28-inch barrel gave 600 f.s. ! Perhaps the bullet hardly touched the barrel on its 28-inch journey. The bores of all the other weapons lay between .2160 and .2178, the only gauges available. Don t attempt to use this pendulum for larger calibre weapons, such as .32 pistols or Sten guns, but by all means try an air gun or a good catapult. I found that a 9-grain waisted slug fired from a No. 1 bore (.177 in.) air rifle gave a pendulum movement of .2 inch. This works out to 490 f.s M.V An eighty-four grain lead bullet had a velocity of 130 f.s. (about 90 m.p.h.) when fired from a catapult having one 3-16th in. square elastic, 6 in. long on each side and stretched to 20 in. total length. This should give a maximum horizontal range (at 45 degrees angle of projection) of rather under 200 yards. This is not a powerful catapult; longer and stronger elastic is often used. Get your toxophilite friend to shoot an arrow into your pendulum and tell him his " muzzle " velocity. I have not done this yet. Or what about a golf ball ? The above description would probably suffice to carry out the scheme, but here are some practical hints which may save time or improve results:— 1. The skin of cast iron pipe is very hard, so before attempting to drill holes, grind the- surface on an emery wheel or grindstone and the drill will bite. 2. If you have to cut the pipe from a length, drill a ring of 4 inch holes round it and then hit it artistically with a hammer. 2. The pendulum can be hung conveniently from the rafters of a shed or loft by a couple of screw eyes and S hooks on the wires. 3. Don't have the rifle close enough to the pendulum to produce muzzle blast effects. You can, of course, fix a card, say 1 ft. square, in front of the pendulum to act as a blast shield. It is interesting to note that the shots all go through one hole very nearly. 4. If you want to alter any of the dimensions sub stantially, you should first consider with the aid of the formula what the probable result will be. For instance, what's going to happen if you shoot with a. .455 Service revolver ? The bullet weighs 265 grains and the books give the M.V. as 600 f.s., so the formula becomes 600 = 1 0 . 7 X 3 3 . 5 X 6 0 . 9 x a 265 6 0 0 X 2 6 5 a = about 1 0 X 3 0 X 6 0 = 8 i n c h e s a b o u t . This is clearly outside the working range, apart from probable damage, and so a heavier and stronger pendulum i s n e e d e d . On the other hand, for light impacts a longer suspension and lighter pendulum would be an advantage. 5. To minimise side swing, four suspending wires may be used, arranged as two Vs. 6. This article is founded mainly upon the account given of M.V. determination in the " Textbook of Small Arms," 1929, Chapter VII. The mathematics of the problem is given there, but, although simple, I have " dehydrated " it down to a single tablet without any loss of vitamins. The formula given above is the result. A N o v e l Ta r g e t As a sideline to more serious shooting the Chelsfield Rifle Club members have evolved a novel target which requires but a few pins and a pot of paint to produce. Spent cartridge cases are harnmered flat with a pin inside, pointed and protruding. The case is then dipped in a pot of black or white paint to contrast with the backstop. When dry, mount the " target " the pin being pressed into the wooden target frame in front of the bullet trap. Thus, a small target j,Vin. long by |in. wide, is produced which will give endless fun. Two members, or two pairs of members have two or three " targets " each and the first side to knock 'em down is declared the winner, losers putting a Id. in the Red C r o s s B o x . WWW.RIFLEMAN.ORG.UK22 Tributes to Rifle Training Lieutenant General Thomas Holcomb, the Commandant, U.S. Marine Corps, first won renown as a rifleman. As a lieutenant in 1902 he won the long range rifle championship of the world. He was a member of the U.S. Marine Corps Rifle Team in I90I, 1902, 1903 and 1907, 1908 and 1911, and a member of the United States Team in the International Raima Trophy Match of 1902 and 1903. Throughout his long service he has greatly influenced rifle shooting within the Corps_ He writes the following foreword to members of the National Rifle Association of the United States in The American Rifleman : I was introduced to the N.R.A. of America in 1901. other than "point blank" ranges. But we must bear in It was a rude introduction because our team was mind that in the months ahead American soldiers and cnimfllv trniinrpH finictiincr dYf-h in hnth the, Hilton marines will fight in countty where hard-woods and open was introduced to the N.R.A. of America in 1901. It was a rude introduction because our team was soundly trounced, finishing sixth in both the Hilton Trophy Match and Interstate Team Match—events which the following year were combined into the National Rifle Team Match. Naturally, we did not relish such a poor showing so we set out to learn how to shoot. By 1910 the Inspector of Small Arms Practice, U.S.M.C., reported proudly that " over one-third of the men in the Marine Corps are now qualified as marksmen, sharp-shooters or expert riflemen!" How many of the present generation of officers realize that in those days the Army, Navy and Marine Corps were actually learning how t o s h o o t f r o m t h e c i v i l i a n s a n d c i v i l i a n - s o l d i e r s w h o formed the backbone of the National Rifle Association ? I n 1 9 1 1 t h e M a r i n e s w o n t h e i r fi r s t N a t i o n a l R i fl e Te a m Match, and by 1917 we had progressed so far along the marksmanship trail that every Marine who sailed overseas w a s a t r a i n e d M a r k s m a n . There is no doubt in my mind that the annual National Matches and the nation-wide programme of other com petitions sponsored by the |N.R.A. have provided the " spark plug " which has kept markmanship moving for ward in the Marine Corps. It has been to me, as Com mandant, a most natural gesture of reciprocity to direct that the personnel of the United States Marine Corps a s s i s t t h e N a t i o n a l R i fl e A s s o c i a t i o n w h e r e v e r a n d w h e n ever they can legally do so, without interfering with our essential training programmes. There have been some who thought that because of the great variety of weapons with which the modern fighting man is armed, we waste time when we spend days of train ing to ground our men in the broad fundamentals of rifle shooting. Many of our younger officers whose battle experience has been limited to jungle fighting may question the need of teaching a rifleman to estimate wind, judge dis tance, adjust his sights and get hits on a target six hundred yards or farther away. Those who hold such views over look three important points— First : The man thoroughly grounded in rifle marksman ship has an intelligent working knowledge of the handling and functioning of other arms. He approaches the B. A. R. and the machine gun with a feeling of friendly confidence. When the exigencies of battle require him to discard the weapon he carried into the fight, he has no hesitancy in taking up whatever weapon may come to hand. Give him a chance to find how the magazine and breech closure work, to familiarize himself with the sights, to discover the best firing position and he will go right on taking his aggres sive place in the fire fight. S e c o n d : T h e m a n w h o k n o w s t h a t h e c a n h i t w h a t h e is shooting at with a rifle is a confident fighting man. The enemy's bayonet arouses no fear because bayonets do not c l o s e w i t h w e l l t r a i n e d r i fl e m e n . T h e e n o r m o u s e f f e c t o n morale resulting from proper training in individual marks manship is alone well worth the time and ammunition required to develop a good shot. Third : Of course, most of our fighting in the Solomons gave small chance to use the rifle at anything prairies will replace the tangled undergrowth and marshes of the Solomons and New Guinea. There will be times aplenty when the practical limits for small arms marksman ship will be measured not by how far the rifleman can see his target, but by how far he is able to hit any target that he can see. The Association is urging its clubs to conduct a pro gramme of basic small arms training with the .22 calibre rifle for men soon to be inducted into the armed services. You can make no more practical contribution to the wel fare of these men and to the efficient training of our fighting forces. The N.R.A. of America has gone far in expanding its membership and its prestige in the two score years I have been intimately acquainted with its activities. May it continue to expand its constructive influence at the same rate in the years ahead! Sergeant ALFRED CLIVE HULME, V.C., New Zealand Military Force. WWW.RIFLEMAN.ORG.UKSeptember, 1043. " Sergeant Hulme exhibited most outstanding and inspiring qualities of leadership, initiative, skill, endurance, and most conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty from the commencement of the heavy fighting in Crete, on May 20, 1941, until he was wounded in action May 28th, 194,1. On ground overlooking Maleme Aerodrome on May 20, and 21, he personally led parties of his men from the area held by the forward position and destroyed enemy orga nised parties who had established themselves out in front of our position, from which they brought heavy rifle, machine-gun and mortar "fire to bear on our defensive posts. Numerous snipers in this area were dealt with by Ser geant Hulme personally ; 130 dead were counted here. On May 22, 23 and 24, Sergeant Hulme was continually going out alone or with one or two men and destroying enemy snipers. On May 25, when Sergeant Hulme had rejoined his battalion, this unit counter-attacked Galatos village. The attack was partially held up by a large party of the enemy holding the school, from which they were inflicting heavy casualties on our troops. Sergeant Hulme went forward alone, threw grenades into the school, and so disorganised the defence that the counter-attack was able to proceed successfully. On Tuesday, May 27, when our troops were holding a defen sive line at Suda Bay during the final retirement, five enemy snipers had worked into position on the hillside overlooking the flank of the battalion line. Sergeant Hulme volunteered to deal with the situation, and stalked and killed the snipers in turn. He continued similar work successfully through the day. On May 28, at Stylos, when an enemy heavy mortar was severely bombing a very important ridge held by the battalion rearguard troops, inflicting severe casualties, Sergeant Hulrne, on his own initiative, penetrated the enemy lines, killed the mortar crew of four, put the mortar out of action, and thus very materially assisted the with drawal of the main body through Stylos. From the enemy mortar position he then worked to the left flank and killed three snipers who were causing concern to the rearguard. This made his score of enemy snipers thirty-five stalked and shot. Shortly afterwards Sergeant Hulme was severely wounded in the shoulder whilst stalking another sniper. When ordered to the rear, in spite of his wound, he directed traffic under fire and organised stragglers of various units into section groups. "A Boy and His Rifle" The other night we were sitting in the Astor Theatre on Broadway watching the Pete Smith short subject. Marines in the Making." At the end of the picture a lean Marine corporal in neat khaki stepped out in front of a colour squad and recited the " Rifle Creed of the Marines." .The corporal said : " This is my rifle. There are many like it ; but this one is mine. " My rifle is my best friend. It is my life. 1 must master it as I must master my life. " My rifle, without me, is useless. Without my rifle, 1 am useless. 1 must fire my rifle true. I must shoot straighter than my enemy who is trying to kill me. I must shoot him before he shoots me. I will! " My rifle and myself know that what counts in this war is not the rounds we fire, the noise of our burst, nor tlie smoke we make. We know that it is the hit that count. We w i l l h i t ! " My rifle is human, even as I, because it is my life. Thus, I will learn it as a brother. I will learn its weaknesses, its strength, its parts, its accessories, its sights and its barrel. I will ever guard it against the ravages of weather and damage as 1 will ever^'guard my legs, my arms, my eyes and my heart against damage. I will keep my rifle clean and ready. We will become part of each other. We will! " Before God I swear this creed. My rifle and myself are the defenders of my country. We are the masters of our enemy. We are the saviours of my life. " So be it, until victory is America's and there is no enemy, but Peace!" That was all. Just a boy talking about his rifle. But - that crowd of New Yorkers, sitting in the dark theatre, cheered for five minutes.—From March, 1943, Leather neck.—The American Rifleman. Tyrol Shooting Contest German Overseas Radio gave out the following message on July 4 :— The biggest shooting match in the world began at Innsbruck on Sunday. Thirty thousand riflemen from the Tyrol and Vorarlberg will compete with each other for a fortnight for the trophy. Since Sunday afternoon rifles, carbines and small bore rifles have been fired in close succession by competitors on the Innsbruck shooting ranse which, with its 346 firing points, is the largest in the world. Approximately 2,000,000 shots will be fired during the contest. Notwithstanding the war, the number of contestants during these years has increased by leaps and bounds. In 1939''only 8,000 entered for the contests while this year the number is almost four times as large. Almost every Tyrolese, but especially the farmers, owns a rifle. In the Tyrol there is no village without its rifle range. This province of only 500,000 inhabitants has 60,000 registered members of rifle clubs. Rifle Shooting S C O R E S A " B U L L . " Of the thousands of Poles who, in 1939, in vain defended Warsaw against German hordes were two girls who took up arms and quickly became good shots. They came to Stockport to do some more shooting. Wearing the uniform of the Polish Air Force, which they joined after ' escaping from the Nazi invaders, and on which were the ribbons of the medal for the defence of Warsaw, these young women were among the entrants for the M.R.C. shooting tournament organised by the Stockport Borough Police Force in connection with the Holidays-at-Homc programme. Police Forces, R.A.F., Home Guard and Civilian Rifle Clubs from Lancashire and Cheshire took piui. 'Stockport Advertiser. July, 1943. WWW.RIFLEMAN.ORG.UKNext >