< Previous28 T H E R I F L E M A N Winter, 1946-47. Rather to everyone's surprise and delight the standard of shooting this year has been rather higher than ever before, for which there appears to be no explanation. There is some excellent new blood coming along, and the 16-year-old A. Cook, who shot in the team, is a steady and competent shot, and won the junior championship. The number of women competitors seems to be on the increase, too— f o r w h i c h t h e N . R . A . i s v e r y t h a n k f u l . As you probably know. Camp Perry is situated on the S.W. shore of Lake Erie, about 20 miles east of Toledo and 80 miles west of Qeveland. The nearest small town is about six miles away. The country in that part is extremely flat, but is excellent farm and fruit country—melons, peaches, tomatoes, grapes and other fruits being grown in large quantities. There are also some very fine duck marshes which are carefully preserved. The camp itself is not unlike Bisley in that it has the same informal and very cheerful atmosphere. The huts are perfectly adequate, but not as palatial as mi^t be expected (for the U.S.A.), and there are the usual gun shops, a cinema, etc. The ranges are perfect' extending over a very wide area of flat grass land with Lake Erie behind the butts. There is only one firing point, except for 300 yards, running the complete length of the ranges, and the targets are set back to give the necessary ranges from 200 to 1,000 yards. For pistol and .22 firing, wooden frames are used which are put into sockets permanently fitted in the ground. The pistol targets are electrica ly operated and turn sideways so that the edge of the target is toward the firer at the beginning and end of the timed exposure. The long range targets are the usual up and dovm type operated in the same way as in U.K. (mantlets). As at Bisley, the ranges are run by the Army. One rather nice thing they do is to run a competition (the Dewar conditions) for the markers, etc., at the conclusion of the meeting. The hat is passed round among the competitors, who provide enough cash for quite a nice prize list, the competitors lending their rifles and coaching as required. This arrangement is very popular with the markers and c a u s e s s o m e a m u s e m e n t . During the meeting the N.R.A. show various training and instruction films, which prove popular and of some use. The Army also provide instructors who teach competitors the details and use of military weapons. These " side " shows are put on with the object of promoting rifle shooting from all aspects, and civilians are encouraged, with some success, to take a deeper interest in the art of shooting and instruction. Many members qualify as instructors and their names are then pigeon-holed for future use in the event of an emergency. Individuals and firms are allowed and encouraged to send to Perry any new rifle or gadget which can be examined and/or shot on the ranges. This year Melvin Johnson's exhibited an excellent light rifle with recoil reducer, and by way of a change,, a few enthusiasts of the muzzle-loading clubs, of which there are quite a number in the States, gave a demonstration using both old and new (1938) muzzle-loaders. I obtained the attached photographs from N.R.A., so that I could forward them, as I am sure they will prove of interest—especially to the U.K. Dewar team. Incidentally, the U.S. shooting world are somewhat concerned about the low scores made by U.K. over the past five matches or so. Many of the people here know at first hand that we have many first-class shots, but they do not understand why we never quite make the grade on the Dewar. Please tell the team that the U.S. would like nothing better than to be soundly beaten. No doubt I shall have some messages from Lister (Secretary N.R.A.) for you, so I hope to pay you a visit on my return to U.K., and I hope that I shall be able to return to some .22 shootmg mysell. I haven't done any since the pre-war Army small-bore matches. Yours sincerely, R. M. PARSONS, Lt.-Colonel, Royal Ulster Rifles, A.D.T.S. (S.A. & A.) GREA T BRIT AIN Shot at Addiscombe, Surrey, on Sunday, 15th September, 1946. *G. A. J. Jones, Walthamstow Ensign • T. J . K n i g h t , C i t y o f B i r m i n g h a m * A . Tr a i e s , C i t y o f B i r m i n g h a m W. J . S m i t h , G . P . O *C. Sonley, Hull • J . H a l l , C i t y o f B i r m i n g h a m •Capt. E. G. B. Reynolds, Wimbledon Park •H. W. Johnson, L.N.E.R., Darlington • W. V. K n i g h t , L e n s b u r y a n d B r i t a n n i c H o u s e . . V. H. Gilbert, Ham and Petersham C. J. Hyde, Salisbury • T. Wa l k e r, K i n r o s s a n d M i l n a t h o r t J. F. Chandler, Twickenham •H. F. Manners, G.P.O L. S. Hughes, Twickenham R. E. Adlington, Lensbury and Britannic House S. Broughton, Twickenham A. E. Kennedy, Swansea L. S. Wickens, Hendon and Cricklewood A. A. Smith, Glasgow Police 50 yards 100 yards To t a l 99100 10098397 10010098 99397 1009710099396 98100 9999396 999910098 396 100 9997100396 1009799 99395 98989999394 9898 9999394 999810097394 9998 9998394 100979997 393 99 999897393 98100 97 98393 991009599 393 9997 9997392 99999797 392 97 979798389 9899 9696389 99979893 387 1978 1969 1966 1957 7870 • Indicates pre-war Dewar Teamsters. Captain : Mr . P . G. Richardson. • Witness : Lt.-Col. T. Sutton, M.B.E., F.S.A. B R I T I S H T E A M - C A P T A I N ' S R E P O R T It was originally intended to fire this match on the Ham and Petersham range, Sunday, 15th September, immediately followipg the close of the National Meeting. V After nearly three weeks of continual westerly wind and rain the I n t e r n a t i o n a l m a t c h e s c o m m i t t e e d e c i d e d t o t r a n s f e r t h e v e n u e t o the Addiscombe range. After much deliberation the team was finally GREAT BRITAIN TEAM—DEW AR 1946 Standing : A. A. Smith, H. S. Yeoman, S. Broughton, L. W. Wickans, C. Sonley, G. A. J-lones, T. J. Knight. A. E.Kennedj^ R. E. Adlington, W.Yool. Sitting: T. Walker, Capt. E. G. B. Reynolds, A. V. Stanlforth, P. G. Richardson (Capt.), T. J. Gibson, W. V. Knlgh^ A. Traies. Front Row : J. P. Chandler, J. Hall, C. J. Hyde, V. H. Gilbert, L. S. Hughes, H. W. Johnson, H. F. Manners, W. J. Smith. WWW.RIFLEMAN.ORG.UKWinter, 1946-47. T H E R I F L E M A N 29 selected and the names posted ; 10 previous Dewar members were included—comparing the scores, their selection was justified—and 10 newcomers, with three reserves. It was generally agreed this was a very good and well balanced team, but 1 am alraid there were dis appointments, which are inevitable. A drizzling rain throughout Saturday afternoon and late evening was followed on Sunday morning with fine glorious sunshine and no peiceptible wind to bother the shooters. Apart from occasional cloud which gave a variable light, the match was fired under almost ideal conditions. The programme arranged was for four details of five each to fire first at iU yards and then proceeding to 100 yards, each succeeding detail to Ine in that order. Constiiting Messrs. Longhurst, Tilling and Privett, the local club members, it was thought better the first detail should fire before luncfi, commencing at II.JO and starting at 100 yards, so taking advtuitage of the shaded targets at this range before the sun cast us shadows upon them, afterwards completing their cards at 50 yards. After the usual formalities of measuring the range, etc., the match proceeded. A break of two hours for limch and the usual photo graphs having been taken, a start was again made at 3 o'clock, details commencing at 50 yards in strict rotation and completing at 100 yards. Ail shooters had finished by 5.30 p.m. The final score, 7,870, was not impressive, partly due no doubt to ammumtion and rifle troubles, but this in no way detracts from the score put up by bur American friends, and we extend to them our heartiest congratulations on their magmhcent post-war shoot. I hope those newcomers to the Uewar team have pronied by their first match, a n a t h e e x p e r i e n c e g a m e d w i l l l e a d t o f u r t h e r i n t e r n a t i o n a l t e a m honours. On the question of the selection of the team, this must be tackled earlier next year, and it may be possible to have regional try-outs ana an assemoiy ol the prospective team for three or lour days prior to the match. Out this is largely a question of finance. 1 again wish to thank all those who gave me such loyal support and help, ana especially the members ol the Addiscombe club who were responsible lor gettmg the range in oruer at such short notice ; Messrs. r-oster and Longnurst, who made themselves responsible for target changing ; Mrs. Tilling, Mrs. Privett and the ladies who provided such wonderful refreshments imder rationing difficulties. Coaches: Staniforth, Artis, Gibson, Allen, Ellis, R. E. Johnson, H. Leach, (Armourer). P. G . R I C H A R D S O N . CANADA H. Nurse E. J. Scott D. Clement ... J. E. Boa G. W. F. Barwick J. H. Scott ... A. Pamell T. L . J a m i e s o n ' E. Cagne R. A. Martin O. K. Gray ... G. S. Boa 1.. B. Henry A. P . Williams Mrs. E.-A. Rice A. F . Bull ... W. H . H e r b e r t A. A. Gordon E. Paget D. MacRae ... Captain : J. Boa. Witness : Major-General Walford. 50 yds. 100 yds.To t a l • 100 979698 391 9799 99 95390 999799 94389 9S1009398389 99979894388 99979695387 98959796 386 99979694386 99979595386 96 1009595386 98989595386 9897 9694385 97 98 9694385 97999792 385 95959497381 98979690381 96969691 379 98989786 379 97 959492378 97949690377 19551943192118757694 C A N A D I A N T E A M C A P T A I N ' S R E P O R T To Mr. K. N. Morris, Secretary-Treasurer, Canadian Small-Bore Rifle Association, Montreal, Quebec. On 31st August and 1st September, 1946, the Canadian Small- Bore Association conducted a series of small-bore matches at the Vaughan rifle range at Lachine, Quebec. From the results of these matches a team of 20 was selected to represent Canada in the Lord Dewar International Small-Bore Rifle Competition. I was honoured by the Canadian Small-Bore Association by being appointed captain of their 1946 Lord Dewar team. During the firing A partial view of the range of the Canadian National Recreation Association at Lachine, Quebec, during the firing of the Dewar Match. The long shadows show that the sun has Just risen over the horizon. WWW.RIFLEMAN.ORG.UK30 Left to right—Front row B a c k r o w C A N A D A ' S 1 9 4 6 D E W A R T E A M : G. K. Gray, R. A. Martin, E. J. Scott, E. Paget, James Boa (Captain). Major-General A. E. Walford (official witness), K. N. Morris (Adjutant), A. Farnell, B. Henry, A. P. Williams, H, Nurse, E. A. Rice. J. H. Scott, D. Clement, A. F. Bull, W. H. Herbert, E. Gagne, A. A. Gordon, H. W. Wilson, Mrs. E. A. Rice, G. W. F. Barwick, D. MacRae, T. L. Jamieson, j. C. Boa, G. S. Boa. of the trial matches conditions were very unfavourable for small bore shooting, due to the high wind which prevailed throughout. On the evening of 1st September the team gathered at the club house at Vaughan Ranges to receive instructions for the conduct of the shooting the following morning, as it was decided to shoot as early as possible in the hope that weather conditions might be favour able. Unfortunately the wind continued and was blowing about 15 miles per hour when the shooting started at 8 a.m., it having been decided to shoot the match in spite of adverse conditions. The complete arrangements had been made under the supervision of Mr. K. N. Morris of Montreal, who had been appointed Adjutant for the team. The official representative from the S.M.R.C. was Major-General A. E. Walford, C.B., C.B.E., M.M., on behalf of the British sponsors. The official result was rather disappointing, but I should like to thank all members of the team for their sportsmanship and to con gratulate them on their good shooting under unfavourable conditions. I also wish to thank the range officials for their assistance throughout. Respectfully submitted, J A M E S B O A . The Council of the S.M.R.C. wish to record their thanks to the t h r e e w i t n e s s e s w h o a c t e d o n t h e i r b e h a l f . Sea Cadets' Presentation IN PRAISE OF .22 SHOOTING DEVELOPES QUALITIES OF CITIZENSHIP CROYDON SEA CADETS WIN TROPHY Urgent Cabinet business made it impossible for the First Lord of the Admiralty (Viscount Hill) to fulfil his promise to present at the Civic Hall on Monday, 2nd Decennber, the shooting trophy won by the Croydon (West) Unit No. 97 Sea Cadet Corps, but he sent a welcome substitute in Vice-Admiral Sir Charles Morgan Admiral Commanding Reserves. ' The unit's shooting team. Acting P.O. Ward, Acting P.O. Bureess Leading Seaman Daiagon and Able Seaman Coomber, comneted in the open CQmpetition arranged by the S.M.R.C. for youth organisa tions and carried off the Lord Derby rose bowl awarded to the best sea cadet corps. Presiding at the presentation ceremony, the Mayor (Aid H Regan) pleaded, as a civilian coming from Army stock, forgiveness for any errors he might make on that essentially naval occasion. It was astonishing to him to find that so many naval activities had then- origins in inland towns. He would hardly have expected to find a body of Sea Cadets in a place like Croydon. He was proud of the achievement of the cadets' team in bringing fame to Croydon. Offering his congratulations to the team, Vice-Admiral Morgan said that training for shooting was good for everyone. It taught boys concentration and steadiness, and, above all, it taught them patience. Those were the qualities which would be required by every citizen in the British Empire, and particularly by the boys when they came to accept theii share of responsibility in the life of the nation and in the rebuilding of the Empire. He was glad to see so many adults present that evening as an earnest of support for the unit. The Admiralty provided training facilities and the Navy • League provided headquarters, amenities and welfare, but the unit looked to the people of the town for the extra support which was needed to make it a success. There were many things which neither the Admiralty nor the Navy League could provide, but which could come from the people of the town. He congratulated Lieut. A. L. Tucker, the commanding officer, and the officers and instructors of the unit on the success in winning the trophy. Such successes were not achieved without a great deal of hard work. Their thanks were also due to the Croydon R.C., which undertook the training of the team. After Vice-Admiral Morgan had presented the trophy, he was thanked by Sir E. Lionel Fletcher, chairman of the S.M.R.C. In the United States, he said, 20 per cent of the time of midshipmen in their first year was spent on the range. Lord Jellicoe had said that the miniature rifle shooting was the basis of all gunnery, afloat and ashore. The War Office gave encouraging support to miniature rifle clubs during the war. Mr. H. M. Christian, chairman of the organisation, thanked the Mayor for his attendance and referred gratefully to liis interest in youth work. An excellent programme of music by the band of the Royal Marines, Chatham Division, entertained a large audience. WWW.RIFLEMAN.ORG.UK31 Pistol Shooting WINTER PRACTICE By Lieut.-Colonel G. E. A. Granet, d.s.o., m.c. The majority of pistol shooters who, have not the advantage of an indoor range, must be finding it hard to get in enough practice ■ u maintain, let alone improve on. the form with which they ended the summer. Saturday afternoons and Sundays are the only times available for most, and it is a more than even money bet that the weather will be such as to make outdoor shooting very un pleasant if not impossible. So we just take comfort from the thought that perhaps it is just as well to give it a rest; we shall come back to It all the fresher in the sprmg and really set about getting that next Rating that we are after. Some, however, look at it from a'different angle. They ask themselves, what is the difference between a professional and an amateur billiard player for example? They find the answer in practice —continuous, regular and well-thought-out practice. Of course the pro. has the time to give to this ; it is his livelihood, and he does nothing else except by way of recreation. His object is to increase his skill to bring himself into the championship class while he is still young enough and before his eyes and his sense of touch have begun to fail. The young pistol shooter, we hope, is equally ambitious and willing to take some trouble if he is sure that it will help him to im- prove. But," he objects, " in the first place I have not time to practiM for hours every day, and in the second place, you have just said that practice in the winter is almost impossible except on an indoor range. So what ? " ., answer is that it is not suggested that hours of practice are either necessary or desirable, and that one can do very well without a range at an. In fact, too much shooting may even be a disadvantage, quite apart from the cost of ammunition and journeys. In two words, - D r y S h o o t i n g . ' Dry Shooting means going through all the motions of firing a shot, without any ammunition. It is advocated by all the leading writers, but, it is feared, the advice is not followed as much as it should be. Those who have tried it may think it rather-dull and certainly much too easy. " Anyone," they say, " can make 'good scores like that, but you wait till there's one up the spout. Then you 11 see a ^ffererce." If they are beginners I will admit that there is some truth in this, foi their nervousness on the range comes from lack ot conhdence and lack of experience. But the experienced shot. Rating C or better, 1 accuse of not having carried out his dry practice honestly pd conscientiously. We shall see why presently. First, let us take the case of the beginner, and see what he can get out of this. Holding, Aiming, Let-off, the Eternal Triangle of shooting. They all come into it. Fmst let him try to fix in his mind the feel of the grip that brings the sights dead into line when he raises his pistol to aim and which, at the same time, puts his finger comfortably on the trigger . •' Probably his greatest difficulty, though he may not know it is Let-off, dnd he should work ut this first. In the beginning it may help if he sits at a table ana rests liis wrist on a pile of books so that he will not be worried by unsteady holding, but later he should stand up as If he were on the range. A good test of Let-off is to balance a small object, such as a drawing-pin, on the foresight. If it is not disturbed when the hammer falls, the Let-off was good. No target is needed for this ; aim should be taken at a blank wall, or the sky and the trigger should be gently squeezed while watching for any movement of the foresight in the backsight. The next stage is to fire a string oflO shots (or better, two strings of five) exactly as would be done on the range. At first concentrate entirely on the Let-off. Later, attention can be paid to the Sighting, that is, to the proper relation between foresight and backsight. It is an important point, because a small error is multiplied so many times as the bullet passes up the range. • The fact that there is no target makes it easier to fix the eye and the mind on the task of keeping the foresight absolutely central in the backsight notch and at exactly the right height. A httle bit out of cent-e and away goes the shot into the white, quite unnecessarily. It is haider to prevent the foresight from dropping in the notch especially with a gun whose muzzle-heaviness has been over-accen tuated, and the diflSculty is increased by holding too long on aim. So the beginner can very well form the good habit of taking his shot quickly, within, say, five seconds of coming on aim. The points for the beginner then are: Fixing the Grip, Let-off, Sighting and Quick Shooting. Now let us consider the more experienced shot. He, we may assume, can call his shots with reasonable "accuracy, and it is to be hoped that he can recognise the beautiful feel of the perfect shot which he can call a Ten with every confidence. This is what he has to do in Dry Shooting, but it is absolutely essential that he should be entirely honest with himself, and a strict critic. Let him stick on the wall a black bull's-eye about an inch in diameter and practise at it from the other side of the room. In addition to the beginners points he will need to think of his aiming, that is, of putting the foresight right up imder the bull, exactly at six o'clock—five o'clock or seven will not do. If he prefers the aim at the centre of the bull's-eye, well and good. Equal care is needed to hold central. His other point will l» trigger control, that is to j make his, we hope, perfect Let-off, only at the moment when the aim is really correct. 1 It is not the good shots that make a score so much as the bad j ones that spoil it, and the real object of this practice is to eliminate I those odd bad shots that lose so many points. The practice should be taken just as if shooting an important ! competition on the range. Fire a string of 10 shots with the usual i mtervals for spotting and reloading. Each shot should be ruthlessly i criticised, and the number that were less than perfect should be noted. At first, perhaps, the rnajority will be of this kind, but before long it will be found that holding is becoming steadier, the tip of the foresight seems to come more easily into the right place and the Let-off takes place more smoothly and when it is wanted to. Another good habit that can be formed now is that of coming down off aim at once if things do not go right. The trigger, for instance, won't go, and the longer one hangs on trying to make it the worse things get. The eventual Let-off is nearly always bad and the lesult IS usually a six or worse. If it is necessary to come down, it pays to put the pistol down on the bench while, for the space of 10 seconds or so, one works the elbow joint and at the same time opens and closes the hand. This refreshes the holding muscles and loosens the trigger finger, and more often than not the recalcitrant shot goes off quite nicely at the second attempt. But if it won't, don't be shy about coming down again. But keep an eye on the time limit if you ate having a bad time and doing it often. When the stage is reached of having no more than one or perhaps two not quite so good shots in a string, the practice can be t^en a stage further to work up stamina. Many small-bore pistol competi tions call for two strings of ten shots, sometimes following each other with only one detail in between. Probably there will be an oppor tunity of firing soine sighters or " warming up " shots immediately before the competition. Suppose one fires a string here, that means that with the two strings in the competition one will fire 30 shots in quite a short time. The Dry practice can therefore well be carried on to the stage of firing 30 or 40 shots in as many minutes. With a revolver Timed and Rapid Fire can also be piactised, but to allow for the disturbance caused by the recoil, the time should be cut down to, at most, 15 and 7 seconds. But every shot must be a good one and it is the quick and certain manipulation of the pistol that should occupy the shooter's attention to begin with and he should practise this at a blank wall till he can get down to five seconds or less. Only after that should he use the bull's-eye. You may say that this is all very fine and large, but when is a busy man, who has to work for his living, to find time to practise for 30 o r 4 0 m i n u t e s . A man who keeps his pistol handy and has his little bull's-eye on the wall can easily find an odd five minutes more than once during the day when he can shoot a string. The longer practices he will do on the days when the weather is too bad to make work on the open range anything more than a toil and a misery with a poor score which will make him lose confidence in himself, his pistol and the writer of t h i s a r t i c l e . It might be well to mention that the said writer practises what he preaches, and believes that he has got a lot of good out of it. At any rate it is much better than no shooting at all. WWW.RIFLEMAN.ORG.UK32- T H E R I F L E M A N Winter, 1946-47. TECHNFCAL THOUGHTS ON WEAPONS OF WAR—By the late Lieut.-Col. H. de L. WALTERS 5. Sights GENERAL. IT is an undisputable fact that sights are essential on all small arms weapons used in a ground role. Without sights there can be no co-ordination or accuracy of fire. There are many varieties of sights in existence, but they nearly all belong to one or other of two groups :— (1.) The Open Sight. (2.) The Aperture Sight. Many considerations have to be carefully weighed up before the selection of a sight for a particular weapon is made. Let us see what t h e y a r e : — T H E P H Y S I C A L A S P E C T . All we have to worry about in this connection is the eye. The important point to remember is that the human eye cannot simul taneously focus objects that are at different distances from it. This means that the open sights on a rifle and the target cannot b o t h b e i n f o c u s a t t h e s a m e i n s t a n t . There is no " getting round " this fact, so the inventors of sights • l''. P L A T E I . P L A T E 2 . have done their best to mitigate it to the utmost. In order to do this they have aimed at :— (1.) Bringing all objects that have to be seen into as nearly as possible the same focus. (2.) Magnifying the image of the target to make it more visible. t . T H E O P E N S I G H T . This consists of a foresight at the muzzle end of the rifle, and a backsight. The principle of the latter is that it usually has a U or V cut into it, through which the firer looks. The foresight must be upri^t and sharply defined, so that it can be seen easily when placed against the target. When using this sight there are three objects concerned—the back sight, the foresight and the target. Only one of these can be ifi' focus to the eye. The position of the backsight is most important, as when it is too near the eye errors of alignment from lack of definition increase. On the other hand, the farther away it is from the eye, the shorter the sight base which tends to magnify errors. (See article on " Shortened and Lightened Rifles," The Rifleman, Spring, 1946.) The happy medium has been found to be about 15 inches from the eye. There are various designs of backsight with the notch cut into it, but the two most common are the sliding leaf as found on the S.M.L.E. or the folding leaf as found on the Mannlicher Schoenour rifles. WWW.RIFLEMAN.ORG.UKWinter, 1946-47.T H E R I F L E M A N 33 T H E A P E R T U R E S I G H T . - i This type of sight consists jf a small circular aperture, which is i close up against the eye, and the usual foresight. ' In this case it is the foresight that is focused by the eye. No | attempt is made to focus the edges of the aperture. Consequently the | lack of definition is far less than when the open sight is used. The rear aperture cuts out the more peripheral of the light rays and stops them from passing into the eye. This reduces the blurring effect of objects that are out of focus. Definition is consequently much better . The optical effect of the aperture sight is more especially brought out \\hen it is used by elderly men. They are able to compete with their younger competitors when using the aperture sight ; but find great difficulty in using the open sight. P L AT E 3 . The size of the aperture varies accordinc to the individual. To allow for this is quite impracticable when service rifles are in question, so a mean average size to suit everyone has to be fitted. Before this size is decided'upon it must be remembered that :— (1.) Too large an aperture will reduce tlte orthoptic effect. In other words, the more peripheral of the rays will not be cut out. (2.) Too small an aperture will reduce the light to such an extent that the target will be difficult to see. It has been found by trial that for service use the best average size of aperture is 0.08 inch. Bearing in mind that the object of the aperture is to bring it as close to the eye as is compatible with safety from the recoil, the position usually selected is at the rear end of the bolt way, near the bolt lever. This will be seen on the Nos. 3 and 4 Rifles. The one real exception is the Boys Anti-tank rifle—but, in this case, the sight has been put forward for other reasons. On no account should the sight bg attached to the cocking piece or anything movable, as it is quite impossible to be sure that it is going to return to the same position each time. When using the aperture sight it must be remembered that once the tar et is located, then the speed of aim is greater than with the' open sight, but, •when the target is unknown, it is much harder to locate it quickly. This iS due to part of the field of view being blocked out by either the metal plate or disc in which the aperture is cut. This defect is, of course, less noticeable the nearer the aperture is to the eye. A good method to increase the field of view when the aperture is cut in a plate, is to cut away the top portion in the shape of a V, with the apex of the V finishing in the centre of the aperture produced beyond the rim. There are various types of aperture sights of which the best known are ( 1 . ) T h e t a n g e n t s i g h t . , (2.) The Windmill sight. (3.) The Cartwheel sight. (4.) The Flip-over sight. The Tangent Sight is the commonest, and is usually raised or lowered to the correct range by means of a milled-head screw. It is found on the No. 3 Pattern 1914 Rifle. The WiNDMii.L Sight is only good for four ranges, which is quite adequate. It is placed to one side of the bolt-way so that the out stretched arm brings the apenure central. The Cartwheel Sight is of necessity off-set to the left. Again only four ranges are used. The Flip-over Sight. This is placed centrally and'is sighted fortwo ranges. In the case of the No. 4 Rifle they are 300 and 600 yards, whilst with the U.S. Carbine .30 M 1 they are 100 and 300 yards. T H E E F F E C T O F S H O R T S I G H T . • There is no question at all that in the majority of cases people with short sight find great difficulty, even with the use of glasses, in focusing correctly. Consequently as a whole their shooting is not up to the standard of the individual with normal eyesight. The disability is overcome to a degree by the wearing of spectacles, but the firer is under a strain, which is brought out by the fact that his ev'e is much closer to the backsight than is the case with the normal shot. Here, then, is another reason why the Japanese are such rotten shots. They are a nation of spectacle wearers. Also at a certain age one's shooting ability declines. This is traceable to the time when glasses have first to be worn. An interesting experiment was ma^e to see how far the eye was away from the sights of various rifles when four different firers were selected; Nos. 1 and 2 did not wear spectacles, and Nos. 3 and 4 always wore them. No. 1 was a Bisley shot and long sighted. No. 2 was an average shot. No. 3 was,a good shot, above the general average. No. 4_was an average to poor shot. WWW.RIFLEMAN.ORG.UK34 The measurements are shovm in the following diagram Distance of Pupil of eye from Backsight. No. 1 Rifle. No. 3 Rifle. No. 4 Rifle. No. 1 Firer No. 2 Firer No. 3 Firer No. 4 Firer I 15i inches 16 inches 14J inches 14J inches 5i inches 5|- inches 3| inches 4 i n c h e s 5 J inches 4| inches 3i inches 4i inches The No. 1 rifle had the ordinary leaf sight. The No. 3 rifle had the tangent aperture sight. The No. 4 rifle had the flip-over aperture sight. From the results it can be seen thatdn the case of the firers without spectacles their eyes were considerably farther away from the sight. CONCLUSION. The aperture sight is better than the open sight for service use f o r t w o r e a s o n s : — (1) Longer sight base, therefore greater accuracy. (2) Better and clearer definition due to the more peripheral of t h e l i g h t r a y s b e i n g c u t o u t . There is always the problem of where to put the aperture sight. The position should be on an immovable portion of the rifle, as near to the eye as is safe, bearing in mind the recoil. As regards the firer himself, the aperture assists the man with poor eyesight. The man who wears glasses is definitely on average a worse shot than the man who does not wear them. A Range Dialogue The Scene is arty Rifle Range Two of the very newest members, very keen and very interested in all they are doing, are down " on the mat " shoulder-to-shoulder. They have been shooting for more than a week, but for less than a fortnight. Next to them are two of the very oldest members. They are famous internationals. Their medals and badges, if they wore them would cover them like a suit of mail. They have been shooting for so many years that they have calloused elbows and corns on their stomachs. The following conversation takes place. The new men speak after each shot. The old men only speak after the last round has b^n fired. First New Man : " How you doing ? " Second New Man : " Not so bad. Got my first one in." First N.M. : " Good. I've dropped mine, but I coughed as it went of f." Second N.M. : " Blow ! That's gone in the eight ring. I had my sling a wee bit tight." First N.M. : " D n. That one went out at the top. I thought it would. I breathed too hard." Second N.M. : " Ah, that's missing, at one o'clock. Only just I shifted my right leg.'' like an eight, but I might get a nine if it is gauged. I think that must be cant. I wasn't too comfortable." First N.M. : " Another blinking nine. I ought to open mv a p e r t u r e a b i t . " ^ A n d s o o n f o r t e n r o u n d s e a c h . At the end of the shoot:— First Old Member : " Poss. ? " Second Old Member : " Ninety-nine." First O.M. : " What happened ? " Second O.M. {with just the faintest touch of bitterness) : " Some one shifted the earth on its ruddy axis 1.1 1" " Tadge." Please Pass This On In view of the limited nnmber of copies printed, yon are asked to pass this on to your friend and ask them to pass it on with a similar request. (NATIC N AT I O N A L S M A L L - B O R E M E E T I N G A T H A M A N D P E T E R S H A M . . . 1 9 4 6 J uqoN WITH T H E " N E W S O F T H E W O R L D " C H A L L E N G E C U P T H E " D A I L Y T E L E G R A P H " C H A L L E N G E C U P T H E D O U G L A S E Y R E M E M O R I A L C H A L L E N G E C U P T H E M R S . G O O D L A K E C H A L L E N G E C U P T H E L E V E R B R O T H E R S C H A L L E N G E C U P A N S . M . R . C . C H A L L E N G E C U P H . R . H . T H E D U C H E S S O F K E N T C H A L L E N G E C U P (The Ladies Championship) and ... . THE fIoWERS TROPHY AS iN nE-WAR M¥S m. ftcckAcy msm mizts B.S.A. Guns Ltd., Birmingham, II. WWW.RIFLEMAN.ORG.UKWinter, 1946-47.T H E R I F L E M A N 35 Inter-Universities Trophy N O T T I N G H A M P R E S E N T A T I O N Last summer the rifle club of the University College, won t h e I n t e r - U n i v e r s i t y S m a l l - Bore League ; the team was placed first on Division I, be.iting the t e a m s f r o m O x f o r d , C a m b r i d g e , Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool, S h e f fi e l d a n d S t . A n d r e w ' s U n i versities. In the Great Hall of the College. Lieutenant-General Sir A. F. Philip Christison, Bart., K.B.E., C.B., D.S.O., M.C., G.C.O. in C. Northern Command, pre.sented to the team the " Sir Lionel Fletcher " Trophy and eight silver medals. Besides the G e n e r a l a n d h i s a i d e - d e - c a m p Captain Telfer-Smollett, there were on the platform Principal H. A. S. Wortley, M.A., the Registrar, Cap tain H. Pickbourne, B.A., Sir Lionel Fletcher, C.B.E., Chairman of the Society of Miniature Rifle Clubs and donor of the trophy, Lt.-Col. F. C. Laxton, T.D., and Lt.-Col. B. D. Shaw, M.M., T.D., respectively President and Vice- President of the Rifle Club. The presentation took place at 1.30 p.m. on Tuesday, 12th Novem ber, and then a photograph was taken. The names of the winning team are: J. T. Ward (captain). Miss R. A. Gartside (vice-captain), D. J. Campbell (secretary), B. Roberts, Miss S. Crowe, A. Woolcott, R. H. Radford and J. Richards' Richards, a member of the Goldsmith's College evacuated to Notting ham during the war, holds the Portland Vase Replica for the best average score in the club matches over the year. The replica was given to the Club by the then Duke of Portland when the University League was won for the first time by the College in 1932. There has for many years been a strong rifle-shooting tradition at the University College and this was reinforced when a student, D. E. Woods, won the coveted King's Prize in 1933. The successes gained in team shooting have also been very noteworthy for a Uni versity with so comparatively small a student body. The College has thrice won the University League and has once been runner-up ; i t h a s s i x t i m e s w o n t h e N o r t h e r n ' Va r s i t i e s S h i e l d a n d o n c e t h e U.A.U. Rifle Championship, all since 1929. A team representing the Senior Training Corps and Air Squadron contingents was sent to the first post-war Bisley meeting this year and had greater successes than ever before. It won the Inter-Universities Snap and Rapid Match by a wide margin over Oxford and Cambridge (the first time this match has ever been won except by Oxford or Cambridge) ; and were runners-up in the Inter-Universities Challenge Cup, shot at 200, 500 and 600 yards. It was hoped to have the souvenirs for these achievements in time for presentation, but that was unfortunately impossible. On the shooting for the King's Prize, two members, L/Cpl. J. Richards and L/Cpl. F. Neale, got into the " 300," and Lt.-Col. Shaw was placed 43rd in " the Hundred." The.other University teams were so impressed by the team's performance that they insisted on Nottingham providing the captain f o r t h e A l l - B r i t a i n S . T. C . t e a m i n t h e I n t e r - S e r v i c e s X X M a t c h . Five of our men (all who were still at Bisley) shot in the XX under the captaincy of Sgt. J. T. Ward. The S.T.C. naturally could not reach the standard of the picked veterans of the Navy, Regular and Territorial Armies, Marines and R.A.F., but our men were placed 1st, 4th, 5th, 9th and 12th in the S.T.C. team. Richards again shot finely to put up the excellent score of 141 out of 150, with a " pos sible " at 300 yards. Lt.-Col. Shaw was a member of the wimiing Te r r i t o r i a l A r m y t e a m . Principal Wortley expressed the hope of more successes for the rifle club and that next year would be a marvellous one in the history of the University both in shooting and academically. Sir Philip Christison contended that the rifle succeeded the bow and arrow as the weapon of the free man. He went on to speak of his campaign on the Burma coast and m .the Arakan. The thickly By courtesy of the'Nott/njfiom Journal. I N T E R - U N I V E R S I T I E S L E A G U E . Presentation ofjthe "Sir Lionel Fletcher Trophy" by G.O.C.-Northern Command to the winners Nottingham University. wooded nature of this theatre of war, he said, made it a rifleman's country.' Fighting was largely within the miniature range of 25 yards. At first the Japs were much cleverer at that kind of fighting than our troops, who had to learn how to beat them at their own game. A J A P A B U L L E T How the adoption of his slogan, " One bullet, one Jap," changed the whole course of the war in Burma was told by Lieut.-General Sir A. F. Philip Christison, G.O.C. Northern Command. ., The Jap jitter tactics were widely known, and to very green troops were terrifying. They used to let off Chinese crackers close to our lines and the immediate effect among green troops was to open fire, thereby revealing their positions. " I gave an order, ' One round, one Jap,' which meant no one could fire unless he was sure of producing a dead Jap next morning," continued Sir Philip. " This enabled the troops to gain a state of self- control. " Another way of developing that control is by miniature rifle shooting in your early age," added Sir Philip. " The whole course of the war was changed when the troops acted upon that slogan. I hope you will go ahead with rifle shooting, but I do hope you will not have to put it into practice as we did." A vote of thanks to Sir Philip was proposed by Sir Lionel Fletcher. Mr. R. W. Jacob presided at the annual general meeting of the City of Ely and District R.C. held in November. Mr. J. W. Kerridge was congratulated on his excellent shooting in the National Small- Bore Meeting held at Ham and Petersham in September, when he tied for first place in two All-Comers' competitions, scoring 399 x 400 (25 yards) and 300 x 300 (50 yards) and tied also for second place in All-Comers competition (25 yards time limit) with a score of 199 x 200. Mr. A. Fisher was also congratulated in again securing in club competition the Nicholls Challenge Cup with a score of 1,190 x 1,200. In reviewing the past year, the hon. secretary (Mr. C. Wickens) fell the club'had maintained its standard of shooting. A team were winners of S.M.R.C. Winter League, 1945-46, Third Division, and in County competition were the winners of the Hammond Cup (25 yards) and the Sir Charles Waldstein Cup (50 yards). He, the Secretary, felt the revival of the Cambridgeshire Association and the County League, with its energetic hon. secretary and hon. match secretly, had already done much to stimulate interest in small-bore shooting. Organisation based on County Associations he thought to be indis pensable to the small-bore enthusiast. WWW.RIFLEMAN.ORG.UK36 " Te l l H i m H i s C h i l d r e n A r e S a f e . . . 99 The heading was used by a Guernsey air rifle enthusiast during the occupation in reply to : " Hope all well as here. Pethard anxious. Are his children all right ? Little One with Bert ? Big One with you or Peicy? Greetings to all." It was sent to his brother Gerald, secretary of the Kingsland Air Rifle Club, by Mr. Roy E. Carre, headmaster of the Guernsey Vale School, then safely evacuated to Nantwich Cheshire. In the course of time and censorship the reply arrived : " We are line. Tell him his children are healthy and strong." Writing to Mr. G. Pethard, secretary of the S.M.R.C., Mr. Roy Carre, who has resumed his presidency of the Guernsey Air Rifle Association, said: " Needless to say the ' children' are : big one— the B.S.A. Individual Air Rifle Championship Challenge Cup, and httle one—the B.S.A. Team Aii Rifle Championship Challenge Cup." Tliey had been buried in a sealed drum with other " rubbish." Eailier, in October of 1942,''these same "kiddies" were again the subject of parental concern in a message from Mr. Gerald Carr6 to Mr. F. H. LePoidevin, reading : ^ " Pethard's kiddies still fine. Bobbie still as ever. Garas old pals send greetings." (Bobbie, Lt.-Col. R. W. Randall, is the patron, and Garas is, of course, the Guernsey A.R. Association.) M A R K S M A N B A D G E T R O P H I E S Since Guernsey was liberated Mr. Harold Bougourd, St. Martin's A.R.C. secretary, has advised that the Air Rifle Marksman Badge Challenge Shield was likewise safely stored from acquisitive intruders, and to complete this happy story Mr. W. F. W. King, the donor, holds the Junior Marksman Shield, which was won by Blue Coat School, Reading, of which he is headmaster. Books on Rifle Shooting R A N D O M W R I T I N G S O N R I F L E S H O O T I N G By A. G. BANKS 7s. 6d. (by post 8s.) "We warmly recommend this book as a first rate shooting prize." —The Rifleman. "The sections on trajectories and telescope sights are beyond praise." — G a m a n d G u n . "A good book and a worthy successor to 'A.G.'s Book of the Rifle.'" —N.R.A. Journal. R I F L E S H O O T I N G Q U E S T I O N S ANSWERED By Brig.-Gen. A. F. U. GREEN, /C.M.G., D.S.O., p.s.c. 2s. 6d. (by post 2s. 8d.) "Should find a place on the bookshelf of every rifleman and the table in every club."—The Rifleman. "This is a most excellent illustrated pocket book."—N.R.A. Journal. "Here are the answers in a nutshell."—R.A. Regimental News. J O R D A N & S O N S , L I M I T E D 116 CHANCERY LANE, LONDON, W.C. 2 MANY REQUESTS In view of many requests from the " hotbeds " of air rifle shooting, the S.M.R.C. Council has agreed to revive the National Air Rifle Section. Affiliation from clubs, leagues and asscjciations is invited, and if sufficient support is forthcoming an Advisory Committee will be appointed, rules formulated and a comprehensive programme arranged. Pre-war the National Air Rifle Section competitions programme comprised : i . (a) The B.S.A. Individual Championship Challenge Cup (in 1 three stages). (b) The B.S.A. Team Championship Challenge Cup (knock-out). (c) The Postal Air Rifle League in several divisions. (d) Marksman Badge tests for adults and juniors, with shields awarded to the best club in each section. i G O O D P R A C T I C E Undoubtedly air rifle and pistol shooting is good practice for other branches of shooting sport. The present shortage of .22 cal. match rifles and the low cost of air rifle shooting should encourage the formation of air rifle clubs. Not a few prospective small-bore clubs have decided to make a start with air rifles until the supply position improves. Shooting in the standing position at the standard S.M.R.C. 5-target air rifle card from six yards range is excellent practice for the ambitious shot with an eye on the XIV Olympic Games in 1948 and the S.M.R.C. Standing and Kneeling League. As a Section of existing small-bore clubs, to fill in the time of waiting for a place on the mat, and to increase revenue, air rifle and pistol shooting can be most profitable and very cheaply provided. Just a couple of air rifles, an air pistol or so, some pellets (3s. per 1,000), targets (2s. 6d. per 100) and a shallow wooden box about three feet square stuffed tight with rags or paper for the stop butt, and there is no limit to its possibilities. A really ambitious organiser will instal a simple metal pellet catcher. SUPPOR T PROMISED It is intended to contact officials of the numerous air rifle leagues I now operating with a view to formulating shooting rutes most I a c c e p t a b l e t o t h e m a j o r i t y, a n d t o s t a n d a r d i s e c o n d i t i o n s i n o r d e r = to attract a very much higher proportion of the " air " enthusiasts to participate in our championships than pre-war. Messrs. B.S.A. Guns Ltd. assure us of support and will again produce an effective target weapon when conditions allow. Messrs. Webley & Scott Ltd., makers of the renowned air pistol, express their interest and good wishes. Production of air rifles is in hand, though like everything else supplies are likely to be very limited. CO-OPERATION, PLEASE The S.M.R.C. Council wishes to back the enthusiasts by reorganising this branch of shooting sport on a national basis', but it must have one hundred per cent support from air rifle shooters. We look to areas like Guernsey, Southampton, Newport, Gloucestershire and the M i d l a n d s t o b a c k o u r e ff o r t s . A. J. P . " A . G / S B o o k o f t h e R i fl e " THIRD EDITION SOLD OUT We understand from the publishers, Jordan & Sons, Limited, that stocks of the current edition of that well-known standard work, "A.G.'s Book of the Rifle," have been completely sold out. Fortunately a revised edition is in preparation, but the difficult situation in the printing and binding industry will inevitably mean a delay of, about six months before supplies Of the new edition are available. Mr. A. G. Banks, more familiarly referred to as " A.G.," has a world-wide reputation, and copies of the book have been bought by enthusiasts in all parts of the world. The first edition was published in 1940, and was followed in 1942 by a second edition, which was re printed in 1944 and again in 1945. The number of copies produced and sold now total many thousands. WWW.RIFLEMAN.ORG.UKWinter, 1946-47. T H E R I F L E M A N 37 Rifle Darts By "Tea- Every rifle club secretary knows the difficulty of keeping up the interest of some shooters who find it difficult to improve beyond a mediocre standard. " Name your own start" handicaps are, of course, e,\cellent, but the man whose standard of shooting varies considerably often has no real chance in such contests. Here is a description of a competition which is very popular with all classes of shots in the writer's club, and has not as yet been won by our best shot. At 25 yards, ordinary two-bull practice targets are used. Midway between the bulls a circle ^in- diameter is drawn, in outline, not blacked in. The three centres are in a straight line. The shooter knows where this circle is, but from the firing point he cannot see i t . I t h a s b e e n d u b b e d " T h e J a c k P o t . " The left-hand bull counts 10, and the other rings 9, 8, 7 and 6 as usual. The right-hand bull counts 5 and the other rings 4, 3, 2 and 1, in order. That is, any shot on the right-hand target counts 5 less . than it would on the left-hand target. One shot hitting the Jack Pot counts any number from minus 1 three to plus three, including 0, at the option of the shooter. Any shots on the Jack Pot in excess of one count as misses, and ■ a l l m i s s e s c o u n t 2 0 e a c h . I Each competitor fires 10 shots. To save time we have no spotting , till five shots have been fired. After the fifth shot a competitor may have his shots spotted and calculate his score up to that point; there- , after he may have each shot spotted. After the first shot no competitor may alter his sights. So much by way of rules. The object is to score 50, no more and no less, with 10 shots. If no competitor scores 50 exactly the j nearest to 50, above or below, wins, i.e., 51 beats 48, 49 beats 52 ; 4 9 ' a n d 5 1 i s a t i e . i If a competitor scores anything from 47 to 53 with nine shots, \ and in addition has one shot on the Jack Pot, he can adjust his score to 50. Similarly, a competitor scoring 46 or 54 and a Jack Pot can adjust his score to 49 or 51, and so on. -Cake." A competitor who scores near to 50 with six or seven shots cannot maintain his position by deliberate misses, because each miss, whether- on the card or not, counts 20. His only chance is to score ones and twos and one Jack Pot, and since he cannot alter his sights this en courages the man who can aim off. But a man whose score for six or seven shots is very low can help himself out with a deliberate miss. I ha\e known exactly 50 made with 10 shots, including two misses a n d o n e J a c k P o t . The shooter with a taste for simple arithmetic may be interested in the arithmetical basis for the game which is as follows :— The man who scores possibles with frequency can make 50 with 10 shots at the right-hand target. The man whose aveiage score is 90 wants to drop 40 points and since each shot at the right-hand target drops five points, if he fires eight shots at the light-hand target and two at the left his average score will be 50. Or stated generally, number of shots at the right-hand bull is : average scoie less 50 d i v i d e d b y fi v e . T h e a n s w e r w i l l p r o b a b l y c o n t a i n a f r a c t i o n . T h a t ' s w h e r e t h e spotting comes in; by the time you have fived eight or nine shots you know what to try for for the remainder. The real point of the game is, however, that the average poor shot or, rather, mediocre shot, is so, not because he can't hit the bull, but because he can't keep on hitting it. Most can hit it when they want to badly enough, and at this game a man shooting badly for eight or nine shots but choosing his targets with judgment can usually place his last one or t w o w h e r e h e w a n t s t h e m . It is part of the fun to see such a one pull himself together and win the competition with one or two good, or lucky, shots to finish his ta get. In the writer's club the onlookers seem to enjoy it as much as the competitors. It can, of course, be played at any range, and the above rules need not be regarded as final, but they work out all right, and I would not advise any radical departure from them. Durham University Senior Training Corps The occasion was the presentation of prizes by Colonel W. H. Langran, M.C., G.O.C. (Cadets), Northern Command, to the wimiing team of the Durham University S.T. Corps, who represented the University in the S.M.R.C. Inter-University .22 Rifle League Competition, 1946. The Corps entered three teams and took both first and second places in the 3rd Division of the League, a notable and outstanding result. The presentation took place in the ante-room of the Corps H.Q., at the Drill Hall, Hancock Street, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, on the evening of Wednesday, 16th October. After a short speech of congratulation Colonel Langran presented each member of the winning team with a silver medallion and the runners-up with a bronze medallion. The occasion was attended by the Corrimanding Officer of the S.T. Corps Colonel W A. P r o w s e a n d M a j o r B u r k e , K . R . R . C . , C h i e f I n s t r u c t o r t o t h e C o r p s . ' Colonel Langran congratulated both teams—the winners and the runners-up—on his own behalf and on behalf of the G O C Northern Command. In his further remarks he expressed his conviction that the success in the .22 shoot would raise the standard of small arms shooting throughout the umt, and the hope that the D.U.S.T. Corps would compete successfully at Bisley. WWW.RIFLEMAN.ORG.UKNext >