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VHINTS ON THE USE

AND

HANDLING OF FIREARMSGENERALLY, ANDTHE REVOLVERIN PARTICULAR.

BYLIEUT. H. ONSLOW CURLING,

C. L. A. B.

* Nunqttam non paratus?

LONDON:DULAU 6- CO., 37 SOHO SQUARE,All Rights Reserved.

I88 5 .


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LONDON:PRINTED BY STRANGEWAYS AND SONS,Tower Street, Upper St. Martin's Lane.


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HINTS ON THE USE ANDHANDLING OF FIREARMS,

' He, that rides at high speed, and withHis pistol kills a sparrow flying.'

SHAKESPEARE : Henry IV.

THE National Rifle Association mayfairly claim the honour of introducing,at their meeting in July 1885, the subject ofMilitary Revolver practice in this country.For years past the want of such a movementhas been felt, but the many obstacles to beovercome have been so vast that no oneseems to have cared to venture upon thematter, and so it has slept.The great drawback has been, and is

now, to find suitable ranges anywhere nearLondon. Such ranges, the use of which is


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enjoyed by our Citizen Army, are insufficient,and the expense of keeping them up is con-siderable, falling heavily upon the corps towhom they belong.The National Rifle Association, although

they offered some 4O/. in prizes, and providednot only revolvers but ammunition, for asmall consideration, or entrance fee, met withbut poor support ; but it should be borne inmind that this was the first year of such acompetition, and it was in consequence notgenerally known of. Very little was knownof the movement till it actually took place,and then only when noticed by the press theday after its introduction.

Again, it should be remembered that theentries were restricted to officers, warrantofficers, and petty officers, of her Majesty'sland and sea forces, and doubtless this re-striction accounted for the spare attendance.Every Englishman belonging to the auxiliaryforces should hail with pleasure the oppor-tunity offered of making himself master ofthis useful weapon ; one that in skilled handsis most deadly at long or short ranges, and


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a thorough knowledge of the use of whichmight at any moment be the means of savinganother's life from an opposing force when noother weapon was at hand.The difficulty in using even an ordinary

pistol with accuracy is, and always has been,an acknowledged fact, as it requires greatpractice to enable a man to make his mark asa crack shot. Some men would perhaps missa haystack at twenty yards, while others, withlittle practice, soon become excellent shots atvery small objects. It is marvellous theaccuracy with 'which the professional burglarhas of late years used his revolver againstthe police and others ; but it may be ac-counted for by the fact that these men usea small, light weapon, easily carried andmuch easier wielded than the military regu-lation revolver, which weighs 2 Ibs. 8 oz. ;that they invariably take what may be termedflying shots and it should be rememberedthat a full-sized man at comparatively closequarters presents a very large target. I ven-ture to affirm that if these burglarious minionsof the moon, who make night hideous, were


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compelled to stand before a Martini-Smithtarget (a foot square) at twenty yards, with amilitary regulation revolver, they would makebut sorry marksmen.The use of the military revolver is acknow-

ledged to be a question of great importance,as one not only affecting those who embracethe profession of arms, but those who travel ;and as no one knows when he may be calledupon, or where he may be, it is imperativethat he should gain a thorough knowledge ofevery minor detail, most useful in the hour ofneed, and which will enable him not only toprotect himself with confidence, but to cometo the assistance of the weak should occasionrequire.

It is to be deplored that what once formedpart of the education of a gentleman L e. theuse of the small sword and broadswordshould have been so thoroughly neglectedof late years in this country. That part ofthe education of youth seems to have becomequite a secondary consideration.

General Sir Charles Napier has truly said,'Young men have all the temptations in the


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world to pleasure, none to study ; conse-quently, they some day find themselves con-spicuous for want of knowledge, not of talent.'The introduction of the Breechloader has

revolutionised firearms. When we look backupon the extraordinary achievements of armsduring the present century, with the com-paratively crude weapons then in use ascompared writh the marvellous inventions ofthe present moment, it is simply astoundingwhat results were obtained.The terrible work done by the old BrownBess, with its unique flint-and-steel lock ofits day, at Waterloo and elsewhere, is nowmatter of history. In those days artilleryand cavalry had a chance of existence in thefield, they have scarcely any now. The oldflint lock, although it has had its day, hasdone its work well, and is entitled to venera-tion. Many a noble fellow has bit the dustfrom its spark, and England's first andgreatest battles were fought and won by itsaid. The Nipple and Percussion Cap camenext into use, and subsequently the Breech-loader ; but since Rifles have superseded


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military smooth-bore weapons, the oldspherical ball has been condemned.The breech - loading rifled arm of thepresent day may be looked upon as a marvelof modern ingenuity ; as combining exquisitemanufacture, extraordinary precision, and un-equalled range. The latter may be accountedfor by the conical shape of the bullet, and therotary motion given thereto by the groovingof the barrel ; and lastly, from the full forceof the evolution of gas consequent upon thepowder being enclosed in a copper tubewhich is inserted in the breech when loadingthe piece.The barrel of the Breech-loading Rifle is

by its own action of firing kept comparativelyclean, as compared with the old Muzzle-loader ; for with the breech-loader any foulingof the barrel is driven out by the discharge,and the powder in the cartridge is kept per-fectly free from any contamination with themoisture adhering to the barrel by its coppercase and being inserted in the breech ; whereasin the old muzzle-loading weapon the barrel,after the first discharge, becomes lubricated,


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and consequently a portion of the powderpoured down the barrel adhered to its moistsides, thereby becoming deteriorated and de-creasing the explosive force. As a weaponof precision the Snider is perhaps preferableto the Martini-Henry ; but, of course, this ismatter of opinion.The sportsman of the good old school

would be somewhat astonished, and wouldperhaps feel uncomfortable, upon findinghimself armed with a breech-loading fowling-piece of the present day, particularly asprejudices are strong and obstinacy veryprevalent among some people, and the keeneye of the old sportsman would view themodern innovation upon his rights as hewould probably call them with dread, sus-picion, and distrust.

It is a fact, even at the present time, thatthere are many old farmers in England whouse their ancient flint -and -steel fowling-pieces from choice in preference to modernweapons.The cool old sportsman of days gone by

would sally forth in quest of game, having


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previously overhauled his lock, and, if neces-sary, adjusted a new flint, with as much careas an angler would examine his tackle pre-vious to a day's sport, as he well knew thatsuccess depended upon vigilance and care.There was no blustering and banging awayin those days, as soon as a bird rose, as isunhappily too often the case now- a -days,resulting in either blowing the bird all topieces or probably missing it altogether.No, the keen eye of the old school wouldcoolly watch his bird rise, take a pinch ofsnuff, cock Us piece, cover his bird, andthen bring it down, allowing it to get wellaway before drawing the trigger.Many a young gentleman calling himself a

sportsman knows little of the capabilities ofthe weapon he wields, and cares less ; hiswhole aim is to see how many head ofgame he can bag, and to blaze away isthe order of the day, to the astonishmentof poor Ponto, who, if he chance to runwithin range, sometimes gets- a charge ofshot in his tail.

In the Royal Navy the use and practice of


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the pistol, and latterly of the revolver, hasalways been kept up. Consequently theJack Tar knows more about the pistol andthe military revolver than most men givehim credit for. In boarding vessels, for in-stance, the pistol was one of the arms used.The importance of the revolver movement asinaugurated by the National Rifle Associationhas resulted in the formation of a club called* The Metropolitan Revolver Club.' ThisClub, which is in its infancy, has manyobstacles to surmount, but it is to be hopedthat the Provisional Committee will be ableto carry out the object in view, which is,according to the programme, as follows :

' That this Club be formed, having for itsobject the provision of facilities for ac-quiring a thorough knowledge of andproficiency in the use of the MilitaryRevolver.'

DUDLEY WILSON, Esq., 2 Pall Mall, is theHonorary Secretary, and may success attendhim.To the inexperienced, the revolver is,


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perhaps, as deadly a weapon as can well behandled ; and to no class is this fact so wellknown as to naval and military men. Themany deplorable accidents resulting from theincautious handling of firearms is terrible tocontemplate ; and sportsmen and militarymen have frequently fallen victims to care-lessness, to say nothing of novices. The un-fortunate part is, that foolish and inexperiencedpeople often inflict misery upon innocentpersons ; unintentionally, it is true : butthey are none the less guilty. Firearmsshould be looked upon as a kind of machi-nery, which no one in his senses wouldattempt to handle unless he knew the useof them.The abominable practice of those to whom

firearms belong, or those in the charge orcare thereof, of keeping or leaving such

weapons loaded, so that they may at anymoment fall into the hands of children, orperhaps, what is worse still, inexperiencedadults, is most seriously to be condemned, andmay be designated really as a criminal act,which ought to be summarily punished.


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It is an act which has no real motive, noreal bond fide object, and is lawless and idlein the extreme, an act which has resulted inthe death of its thousands, and the maimingof even more.A weapon should never be brought withinthe portals of a man's house loaded ; thebreech-loading cartridge can be easily with-drawn. If the piece is a muzzle-loader itshould be discharged after the day's sport isover ; ammunition is really not so very costlyas to require to be husbanded at the probablecost of a serious accident, or perhaps a fellow-creature's life. This rule cannot be too strictlyadhered to. Some years ago it was my lotto be staying with a gentleman of eccentrichabits, a man of violent temper, and when inone of these fits really not answerable for hisactions. I was aware that he kept a full-sized revolver loaded with ball, and capped,in his dressing-room. I confess I was cowardenough to let this matter trouble me. I feltI could stand up and face death with any onein the field, fighting in a good cause andarmed as others ; but to be taken advantage


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Hof at any moment, and perhaps shot downlike a dog, was rather too much. I thereforeresolved in my own mind, not only to disarmmy friend but to render his weapon useless ;but how to accomplish this was the question,as to raise any suspicion would perhaps bringdown wrath upon my own head. I thereforeresolved to leave everything precisely intacttill an opportunity should present itself. Thevery next day the time arrived, and duringthis Grand Turk's absence I hastily removedthe caps from off the nipples of the revolver,and having exploded them upon the nipplesof his double-barrelled gun, I pinched themback into their original shape and replacedthem on the revolver. I then put the box ofcaps into my pocket and felt perfectly secure,and could have sat and been fired at withoutthe slightest fear. This gentleman shortlyafterwards was seized with paralysis of thebrain, and ended his days in a madhouse.No one, I believe, ever suffered any incon-venience from the revolver, and what becameof it I know not.

If leaving weapons about is necessary


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(which I do not for a moment admit), thenmost assuredly they should be renderedharmless by being left unloaded, and thusthe means of rendering them destructivewould be kept out of the way of meddlers.All ammunition should, as a rule, be kept insome secret and safe place, and always underlock and key. Every man knows that edgedtools are dangerous, consequently that theleaving loaded firearms within the reach ofanybody who may chance to come acrossthem is simply leaving means of destructionunprotected, and he should bear in mindthat this mischief of his own neglect mightaccidentally at any moment be wieldedagainst himself.

' How oft the sight of means to do ill deeds,Makes deeds ill done.'SHAKESPEARE : King John.

The responsibility of those possessing fire-arms is great, and proper precautions andproper care cannot be too strictly enforced.Care costs nothing, and may be the means ofpreventing loss of life and many a deplorableaccident. The precautions necessary to be


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borne in mind in the safe use of firearms forone's own protection, as well as the protectionof others, are voluminous, and so varied arethey that it is with difficulty they can be alldealt with in this little treatise ; it is onlytherefore proposed to mention some of them,and detail a few important hints for theguidance of the unwary. Generally speaking,if a man will not exercise a little gumption,care, and discretion, when in the society of ashooting-party similarly armed as he is him-self, he must put up with the consequences.Accidents in properly regulated familiesshould never happen. Since the introductionof the breech-loader there is no excuse forany man carrying a loaded weapon andswinging the muzzle of it about when carryingit on his shoulder (which is often donej,bringing every one in his rear in the line offire of the piece. A man can load his piecenow when he arrives upon the ground in amoment ; and should a bird rise, with thepresent facilities given by the breech-loader,there is ample time to load and bring thebird down without the slightest difficulty.


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17For any man therefore, when not in the field,to strut about with a loaded weapon in hispossession now-a-days is simply bombastictomfoolery.To carry a gun gracefully and properly is

an art. It should never be so carried orwielded as to be a risk to the possessor,or any one. The following are a fewways how a gun should be carried : Forsafety, when commencing sport, the righthand grasping the piece at the small of thebutt, the butt resting on the right hip orthigh, muzzle up. The weapon can then, onthe rising of game, be at once safely pre-sented.When carried on the shoulder it should

be always with lock down : this mode will soelevate the barrels that the muzzles are farabove the heads of any one ; even when atclose quarters, on the march, or when ap-proaching or returning from cover, this waywill be found easiest and with the leastpossible fatigue, as the weight of the weaponis centered in the stock held in the righthand. To relieve the shoulder pass the

B


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hand up to the small, or neck of the butt ;at the same time seize the butt with the lefthand, then raise your gun to a perpendicularposition, carry it across the body, and placeit on the left shoulder. The left shouldercan be relieved in a similar manner, i.e.,pass the left hand to the small or neck ofthe butt, at the same time seize the buttwith the right hand, raise the gun to aperpendicular position, and carry it acrossthe body and place it on the right shoulder.Never present, much less fire, when anyperson, whether keeper or beater, .intervenesor is near the bird. Never fire over anyone, even if he what is called 'ducks,' orstoops to allow of your doing so. A keeperor beater should never be encouraged in, orallowed to ' duck ' or stoop ; the practice isa bad one, and should be for ever discoun-tenanced. If no one fired over a duckedbody the habit would soon fall into disuse.Sportsmen and others would do well to bearin mind that an accident deprives the injuredman from earning his livelihood, and the poorwife and children suffer : better to forego taking


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19a shot for safety sake and let the bird escapefor another day than run any risk. Thisshould be made a hard-and-fast rule amongsportsmen, and a law of sport.The left hand should never be placed upon

the gun till the bird has risen and all is clearahead. Coolness in the field is everything ;there should be no blundering, no hurry ; aman who knows the capabilities of his guncan afford to be cool. He knows but toowell there is no occasion for haste ; the coolhand would pause after the bird rose, andgive it time to get fairly away before pre-senting.A gun should never be so wielded as tobring its barrels in line with any one, orthe barrels athwart any one. When quite ayouth I remember being in the field, whenone of the party becoming fatigued fromthe effects of a tight boot handed me hisgun ; the friend, who evidently did notappreciate the confidence placed in theyoungster, kept aloof well to the right ;presently a bird rose, I hesitated ; lookingat the bird. ' Fire ! Fire ! why don't you


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20fire, sir?' exclaimed the old gentleman withsome warmth. ' How can I,' cried I, ' withthose peasants at work right in front ?' Theeffect was marvellous. The old gentleman,thoroughly appreciating the caution, at oncejoined me, and I had the benefit of my fullshare of the sport.

Firing when in thick cover and from behindhedges should be conducted with caution, andwith a knowledge that all is clear on theother side.

Little observation will show whether yourcompanion has been accustomed to the useof firearms. A man of reckless temperament,one who would blaze away blindly, a devil-may-care sort of fellow, should be avoided ;give him a very wide berth, and keep thegentleman well on your extreme left. Ifyou can shunt him altogether so much thebetter. A gun should never be carried inthe field at the trail ; should never be carriedunder the arm, hugging the lock ; shouldnever be carried muzzle down, so that byan accidental slip, or stumble, or fall, thebarrels may become choked with earth (which


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would burst the muzzle if not removed beforefiring) ; should never be carried transverselyacross the body with barrels pointing left.When shooting, a man should be as muchupon his etiquette as he would be in mylady's drawing-room ; should mind his P's andQ's, and remember that when in a china-shop he should refrain from carrying hisumbrella under his arm.As a fact, the closing of one eye in taking

aim is unnecessary. The complete angleof sight upon a given object can only beobtained by the use of both eyes. Con-sequently two objects cannot be seen dis-tinctly or clearly at the same instant, oneis clear while the others are blurred or misty ;hence it stands to reason, that in laying a gunthe top of the notch of the hindsight, theapex of the foresight, and the object, canbe brought into line as accurately with botheyes open as with one closed.An artilleryman can lay a gun perfectlywithout closing one eye. The eyes shouldnot be less than 12 inches from the hind-sight, if from 2 to 3 feet so much the better,


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22and a more accurate aim will be theresult.Upon the principle that the hand follows

the eye, a sportsman fixing both eyes uponhis bird can take as perfect an aim as hecould with one eye closed.This rule applies equally to all arms.A man when in the field or at practiceshould keep his eyes about him ; he shouldremember whom he is with ; that he maybe covered by a friend's gun or rifle atany moment, and that as the abominableand unnecessary proceeding of carryingweapons loaded, when not actually in thefield, is the rule rather than the exception,he may perhaps find himself accidentallypinked at any moment, and when he littleexpects it.

I remember some years ago the magnificentsolemnity of a military funeral was broughtto a somewhat ludicrous termination by oneof the firing party shooting his comrade inthe stern. How the accident really occurredI never could learn ; but it was a fact thatthe rear-rank man managed somehow to dis-


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charge his rifle, and pretty nearly blow offthe tail of his comrade's tunic.The wounded man, who was more fright-

ened than hurt, seemed not at all to relishthe joke. An old lady came to the rescue.

This good old soul seems to have been inthe habit of carrying a flask, and, graciouslyoffering the ' pocket pistol,' suggested a dropof the creature. The offer was most readilyaccepted, but, I regret to say, the terrorof the injured man was so great that heemptied the flask. He had evidently hadenough of soldiering and ' villainous salt-petre,' for the very next day he sent in hisresignation.At ball practice men should refrain from

talking, joking, and that ungentlemanly pas-time known as horse-play. Their attentionshould be directed to what they are aboutto do and what others are doing, andthey should leave frivolities for some othertime.Many accidents in the field have occurred

when getting over stiles, gates, hurdles, stonewalls, and even through hedges.


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24Within the beautiful glades of Kensington

Gardens stands a lasting memorial.

SPEKE.VICTORIA, NYANZA,

AND THE NILE.1864.

Here is a terrible record of an awful deaththrough carelessness. A noble life lost, sacri-ficed in a moment. Poor Speke, who hadfaced death often in many forms, met it atlast by his own hand.While out shooting, in getting through a

hedge he dragged his fowling-piece after him,the muzzle towards his own body, when, thelock becoming entangled in the brambles, hisimmediate death was the result. Such a pieceof foolhardiness on the part of a man accus-tomed to the use of firearms is astounding.Use dulls the edge of caution, and some

men, unhappily, who are accustomed to deal


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constantly with weapons and ingredients ofdestruction, become not only careless butindifferent and callous.

There is a class of men who, if not keptunder surveillance, would probably be foundsmoking their pipes in a powder-magazine, orwhile sitting upon a barrel of gunpowder.Men are too prone to carry their weaponsat full-cock. This should never be done. Ifalone, when getting through a hedge or overany impedimenta the weapon should be laidon the ground, parallel with the hedge, ifpossible. After getting upon the other side,the weapon should be drawn through withthe butt end towards the person.

If you have a comrade or keeper with you,hand him the weapon, muzzle up; get throughyourself, and then take the weapons from him,muzzle up, and he can follow you with safety.Always place your weapon upon half-cock (itshould never be at full-cock) before attempt-ing to go through a hedge or over a stile.When two or more gentlemen take thefield together, it is advantageous to work theground in the formation of echelon.


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26The whole field will by this means be

thoroughly searched for game, and each mancan fire clear of the other, commanding hisown ground and the whole field within therange of the respective guns.When about to commence practice withthe rifle or revolver the firing party should

be placed well to the front, and should neverload, or be allowed to load, until all pre-liminaries are arranged, and the words,' Ready ! go on ! ' are given.

This command or caution will, of necessity,place every one upon his guard.When the piece is loaded, the finger withwhich the trigger is drawn should on noaccount be placed within the trigger-guard tillthe weapon is raised and the aim about to betaken ; and with the rifle until the weapon ispresented, after being put upon full-cock.

In firing with a pistol, or revolver, theproper finger with which to draw the triggeris the second finger, not the index finger, asgenerally used. The index finger should beplaced horizontally along the barrel, on theside of the weapon, which is most important


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27which, as a means of securing steadiness

and leverage, tends not only to reduce thedifficulty of the pull, but also tends to pre-vent depression of the muzzle, which is sureto take place if the forefinger is used, par-ticularly when the trigger has the minimumfive-pounds' pull.When a gun, rifle, pistol, or revolver, is atfull-cock, and it is desired to place it uponhalf-cock, as is often done, it should beso altered, with great care, as follows :The hammer should be lowered gently to

the full extent of the spring, and should thenbe carefully drawn back till the distinct clickof the half-cock is heard ; then the weapon isas safe as an arm can be when loaded, andcannot be accidentally discharged.To place a weapon from full to half-cock,

by not lowering the hammer to the full ex-tent of the spring, and then drawing it backto half-cock as before described, is a mostdangerous practice, as the hammer may notbe properly inserted in the clip, and an acci-dent might be the result. A man once havingtaken up his position at the firing-point, and


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having loaded his piece, should never returninto the company of his comrades till hispiece (particularly if a pistol or revolver) isdischarged, or till all its chambers have beenexpended. If it is necessary for him torejoin his comrades after his piece is loaded,or after any of the chambers have been ex-pended, he should leave the weapon behindhim at the firing-point, and should place it,muzzle down> in a hole or slot purposely madein the table before him to receive it, whichhole in the table should have the word'LOADED' written legibly near it.

If there is no table, then the weapon should,if at full-cock, be placed upon half-cock, asbefore described, and then laid carefully uponthe ground, muzzle pointing towards the tar-get, and slightly inclined to the left thereof,so as to be clear of it, which will allow ofthe target being examined, if necessary, with-out the examiner coming within the directline of fire of the weapon ; but the table witha hole in it is the safest method, and isrecommended.A couple of stakes with a rope from the


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29firing-point to the target should be used, as aprecaution to keep back idle curiosity-seekersfrom placing themselves within danger on thefiring party's left.No one should, upon any pretence what-ever, place himself, or be allowed to placehimself, on, or even near, the firing party'sleft side. The reason is obvious, as it will befound invariably in practice that a man, whenloading with a breech-loader, will naturallyincline the muzzle of his piece, and so inno-cently place those immediately upon his leftwithin its range.

If it is necessary to address a man when atthe firing- point all interlocution should beaddressed to him on his right ; so theInstructor should place himself on the rightand rather behind the practitioner, and asclose to him as convenient, so as not to in-commode his freedom.Some men are naturally nervous, particu-

larly when at ball practice, and for this reasonall but novices should be left alone, as theywill perhaps make better scoring if not inter-fered with.


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30All spectators should take ground well in

rear of the alignment of the firing-point, andon its right flank. The practice of taking upweapons and going through the pantomimeof pointing them at the target, or pointing aweapon at anything when not at actualpractice, is idle, and is to be condemned.Weapons set aside for practice should never

be meddled with.The party who takes his turn (if firing with

revolvers) should receive his weapon unloaded,muzzle z//,with the necessaryamount ofammu-nition, from the Instructor or Superintendentin charge ; he should then step to the frontor firing-point, load his piece himself, and getrid of his cartridges as quickly as a dueregard to careful aim, &c., will admit ; thenreturn his piece, muzzle up, to the Instructor,who will carefully examine it and satisfyhimself that all the chambers have beenexpended.

Should a revolver miss fire, it is mostimportant that great caution should be used,as it will sometimes 'hang fire] which thecartridges of all weapons are liable to do at


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times.* When a cartridge does not explodethe revolver should be held in the sameposition as much as possible, muzzle to thefront, or downwards, for a few seconds ;should it not then explode it may be ex-amined, the non-exploded cartridge removedand condemned, and a new cartridge put inits place. On no account should the con-demned cartridge be placed with or near livecartridges.

Firearms should never, under any pre-tence, be pointed at anybody ; even ifunloaded, such a practice is foolish andunpardonable.' No soldier except in actionwould ever think of doing so, and no gen-tleman could.The thoughtless practice of relinquishing

one's weapon into the hands of a friend, or,even worse, a stranger, is against all militaryrules, and in any case is strongly to be con-demned, and no excuse will palliate such anoffence ; not even the assurance that the piece* I have known instances of pistols and fowling-

pieces hanging fire for two or three seconds after thehammer has fallen, and then suddenly go off.


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32is unloaded. A brother-comrade in the sameregiment is, perhaps, the only exception ; buteven this is objectionable, except in extremecases. As a rule, a soldier should neverrelinquish his piece, even to a General ora Field Officer.

Firearms generally, and particularly re-volvers, when loaded or unloaded, shouldnever be laid upon a table so that the muzzlecan accidentally cover any one. If they mustbe relinquished by the owner they should beplaced in a corner of the room farthest fromthe door, leaning against the wall, muzzledown, so that they cannot fall. If loadedthey may, when practicable, be laid upon aside-table, muzzle towards the wall. Guns orrifles should be stood muzzle up in theirplace in the rack, or, if there is no rack, thenin a corner of the room farthest from thedoor, to prevent surprise. No weapon of anykind should be carried or put down, or left atfull-cock, and no loaded weapon should beleft unprotected. They should, if loaded, bein the charge of some trustworthy and re-sponsible person ; but in the time of war no


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man would be so foolish as to relinquish hispiece, either by night or by day.To sportsmen and others, with the great

facilities for loading and unloading affordedby the breech-loading system, there can beno excuse for leaving a weapon chargedwhen it can so easily be rendered harmless.There are many theories as to the proper

way to present a pistol or revolver.Every man has some idea upon the subject,

and perhaps it would be well to leave everyone to his own devices ; but at the same timea suggestion here, as we are upon the subject,may not be out of place.The French carry the weapon muzzle up,

the lock of the piece in line with the ear.Upon taking aim, .the muzzle is graduallydepressed till the object it is desired to hit iscovered. This is no cloubt a very good way ;but when firing at any distance beyond apoint-blank range it necessitates, firstly, thedepression of the muzzle to cover the object,and secondly, the necessary elevation must betaken so that the ball may be carried therequired distance, and so hit the object.

C


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34This position of holding the weapon when

at practice commends itself on the ground ofsafety.The preferable way, perhaps, is the old

duelling style ; that is, to hold the weaponmuzzle down at the full extent of the rightarm, standing sideways or three-quarters left,showing as small a front as possible, the eyeto be fixed steadily upon the bull's eye orcentre of the target or object, then graduallyraising the arm to the required elevation.Should the distance be beyond the point-blank range, after covering the bull's eyecontinue to elevate till the required elevationis reached : by then steadily and firmly in-creasing the pressure of the second finger onthe trigger the desired result will be obtained.Suddenly drawing or jerking the triggershould be avoided.By the latter means the object is covered

at the same time as the foot of the target iscovered, so that in the event of the triggerbeing drawn before the bull's eye is reachedthe

target will be hit, and assuming thetarget to be a man he would be disabled and


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35the object gained. Another important reasonfor advocating the use of the second fingerin drawing the trigger is the fact that theweight of the military revolver (2 Ibs. 8 oz.),together with the power required to drawthe trigger (5 Ibs. pull), by the long ten-sion of the muscles of the arm, in aiming,causes a vibration, so that the farther thebullet has to travel the farther it is thrownoff the centre of the objective. The firstfinger, therefore, placed along the barrel orside of the pistol, acting as a lever, tends toreduce almost to a minimum the spasmodicmuscular vibration ; again, in drawing thetrigger with the forefinger the hardness ofthe pull tends to depress the muzzle, whilewith using the second finger as before de-scribed this depression is almost impossible.

In rifle -shooting, as also in that of thepistol and revolver, the ordinary methodshould be reversed ; that is, instead of com-mencing at 100 yards from the target, thepractice should commence at the longestrange, and the target should be graduallyapproached as if it were an actual enemy.


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In revolver practice I would recommendall who desire to become thoroughly efficientto commence at say 100 yards from thetarget, and to gradually reduce the rangeto not less than 20 yards. This wouldaccustom the practitioner to get a thoroughknowledge of the capabilities of the weapon,and to learn the required amount of elevationnecessary. It must be remembered that theMilitary Regulation Revolver will kill at300 yards.

I have myself shot with a 32O-bore revolver,eight grains of powder, bullet eighty grains,at a regulation target at 200 yards, and havemade very fair practice : in fact, the longrange is far preferable for practice, as beingnot only beneficial, but a more exciting pas-time than the ordinary range.To those who do not possess a regulationiron target, I would recommend one similarto that which I have sometimes used. ( Vidediagram.) This target is made of a simpleframework of wood, covered with canvas andlayers of paper pasted thereon. It has thedouble advantage of having the Martini-


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37Smith target in the centre, and the re-maining portion, having the exact size ofa man traced thereon, has one other advan-tage in at once showing the result of thepractice. This target can be used over andover again, as, after use, the perforations canbe pasted over with small pieces of paper,and when well riddled, it can be re-covered ;and the thicker it becomes the better.No one should attempt to fire ball-cart-

ridge anywhere but at a proper range. Firingin small back-gardens, against brick or stonewalls and trunks of trees, should never beallowed. Bullets will rebound or go off at atangent, and do serious mischief.When a bullet once leaves the muzzle of arifle, pistol, or revolver, by the evolution ofgunpowder-gas, there is no dependence uponit as to where it may stop, or what damageit may do, and bullets upon hitting hardground will ricochet ; therefore, to those whowish to enjoy security at practice, I wouldadvise the selection of ground free from habi-tation, or where no people are at work somesecluded spot where there is ample range, and,


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38if possible, a natural hill or mound to receivethe bullets.The military revolver will kill at 300 yards,

The Snider artillery carbine at 1800 yards,and the Martini-Henry rifle at 3000 yards.*Too much dependence upon the use of theslide of the back-sight for elevation in riflepractice should be deprecated for more thanone reason : e.g., assuming that a man hasbeen firing at 300 yards with his back-sightadjusted to that range, and he is suddenlyordered to advance at the double ; if, at thespur of the moment, he neglects to reduce hissight, the result will follow that every shotwill go over the enemy. It is simply idle tosuppose for one moment that in the heat ofaction a soldier could afford to fritter awayvaluable time, or even be allowed to do so, inadjusting back-sights. He would, if he wereproperly instructed, when within 300 yardsplace his back-sight level, and rely uponhis own skill in judging what elevation heshould use.

* Vide Minor Tactics, by Lieut.-Colonel Clery, 1883,


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39It is better to fire low than high. A low

shot will usually ricochet, particularly uponstriking hard ground, greensward, or a wetclay soil, and, consequently, will do damage.Very nearly two thirds of the bullets inaction are lost by going over the heads ofthe enemy.

In the instruction of men in the use of therifle valuable time is wasted, and too muchimportance is attached to useless detail. Leta man be placed before the ordinary regi-mental target, at an unknown distance, withthe figure of a man traced thereon, assumingthe target to be an enemy similarly armedwith himself; let him understand that hemust take his chance of hitting his man orbeing hit himself; and let him fire at thistarget with the back-sight level, judging hisown distance and the necessary elevation re-quired : this calculation (not a very difficultone, after a little practice) could easily become to while in the act of loading. Theresult of the first shot would determine therequired elevation, and by taking pains, bull'seyes and centres would soon be obtained.


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40It is submitted that this mode of procedure

would create an interest in the practice of thesoldier, tending to cause a healthy reaction ;men would take more pains, and try to beattheir comrades, as there would be a greaterstimulus to do so than by the present system.Men, as it is, go to their practice withoutthe slightest interest therein, and get rid ofthe ammunition as soon as possible, in orderto get off duty. The real reason why wehave such excellent shots in the Volunteersis accounted for by the fact that they notonly take an interest in the work, but takepains in everything they do, the result beingsuccess.Much significance is attached to the bull's-

eye mania. It should be borne in mind thata man is a large object at which to aim ; thatso long as he can be crippled there is no ne-cessity to kill. To disable a man so that hecan do no more mischief is sufficient,Any man can make a scale of elevation in

his own mind, and, with practice, fire at anyrange without putting up the sight, and canfire standing. My theory is as follows :


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41

Up to 100 yards the range is point-blank,that is, aim direct on the bull's eye ; for 200yards, raise the muzzle, say one foot abovethe bull's eye ; for 300 yards, two feet abovethe bull's eye, and so on. A few trial-shotswill soon settle the question, and practicemakes perfect. A man will thus be inde-pendent of the back-sight of his rifle. Thisrefers to shooting in the open. Of course,under cover, when time and circumstancesadmit, the back-sight can be used with greatadvantage.A man in shooting with a pistol or revolverhas to judge his own distance and the neces-sary elevation. Why should not the samerule apply directly to the rifle ? I have seenexcellent practice at 400 yards with a Snidercarbine, back-sight level, the man judging hisown elevation, and have been very successfulmyself, and have found the above rule apply,with slight variations.

In rifle contests all artificial nonsense, suchas coloured glasses, eye-shades, kneeling uponeider-down quilts, firing from shaded tents,blackening sights, &c., should be discouraged.

D


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42Let a man leave all such effeminacy and tom-foolery at home, and shoot like a man, takingcircumstances as he would find them in theopen field with an enemy before him, usingsuch cover only as nature and circumstancesprovide.There is infinite satisfaction attached to thewinning of an honour, when that honour hasto be obtained under difficulties which mustbe surmounted. The more difficult the taskis, the more merit in overcoming it.

Lastly. All firearms require constant atten-tion, and should be kept clean. After use theyshould be immediately attended to, and neverput away dirty; should be kept in some drycorner where rust cannot destroy, and theyshould be occasionally overhauled and oiledwhen necessary. Really valuable weaponsare sometimes ruined by neglect. The manwho takes no pride in his gun is no sportsman.

LONDON :Printed by STRAXOEWAYS AX.D Soxs, Tower Street, Upper St. Martin's Lane


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