Musketry Small Book for the Australian Imperial Force 1916

8/8/2019 Musketry Small Book for the Australian Imperial Force 1916

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.?”? ..I*(. , , ,

for KQgping a RecoFd O# the Resul t of t h e

BY , , _.‘ I

ANGUS R O E & R T ~ ~ .. LTD.MILL1AHY ‘PIBLISHERB

9.1 c A sT LE REA^ H ‘ S ~ RE ET, SYDNEY

.I



THE MUSKETRY COURSE ,’OR THB

I U T 1tA.LIAN IMI’ E R lAL PO 1tCE.

-._ _

PERSONAL PARTICULARS. . . . .

Unit .................. Regimental N o............. Rank and Name .................................. Company ................ Platoon ................ Address.. .............. No. of Rifle..... Mark of Rifle . . . . . Barrel N o. . . . .

I n correcting, the Iqtcral throw of the rifle by

iiieans of the wind-gauge, adjust i t in the opposite

direction to which the rifle throws.

Eznniplc.-If a rifle shoots about D inches left at200 yards correct it by lrolf a division right o n t h e . -wind-gauge.



2

NORMAL ELEVATION AND THROW OF RIFLE.

Variations in weather conditions, ammunition,and eyesight from those used in the experimentalfirinm on which the nraduations of the sieht leaf~~~~

~~~~ ~~---- - ~ -was based, prevent &me rifles froill firing veryaccurately at a given range when the sight is set

at the exact elevation indicated for that range onth e sight leaf. T h e “normal elevation” f o r a particu-lar range is the elevation which must generally he

used in order to hit the centre of the bull’s-eye.If possible you should determine, by careful trialon days of ordinary weather conditions, th e“normal elevation” for each range and the “throw”of your rifle, and record them in the places set outbelow.

HINTS O N SHOOTING.

In order to become a good shot it is essentialthat the elenientary principles of aiming and firingarc understood, and that the qualities of deterrnina-tion and will power arc developed, so that thesoldier can hold the rifle steadily, have perfect con-trol of the trigger finger, and can aim correctly.

You must not flinch, Flinching is a startledclosing of the eyes and a shrinking of the body justbefore firing. I t is a form of nervousness which

can only be overcome hy constant practice, with adetermination to overcome it.

Declaring the point of aim is one of the hestways of preventing flinching. This means tellingyourself, or someone else, imrnediatcly af ter firingthe exact place on the target where you were aim-in g a t the instarlt that the rifle w v fired.

You cannot do accurqte shooting unless you ad-

just your sights correctly. Pa y close attention to



8

instruction i n setting the sights. and practice untilsure you are making 110 mistake. The distance be-tween the elevation marks and between the wind-

gaugc marks are small, and a slight error will makea grcat difference where your shot strikes.

ESSENTIAL POINTS FOR ALL FIRING

POSITIONS.

1. Sights perfectly upright. If this is not donethe shot will go low and to the side to which theback sight is inclined.

2. Firm grip with both hands. Loose holdingshows lack of determination, and results in un-stradincss, and also leads to snatching the trigger.

3. The butt firmly placed in the hollow of theshoulder, and not o n the muscles of the arm; thisincreases the consistency of aim, and lessens therecoil of the rifle.

4. ,The eye and cheek well back from the cock-ing-piece; with the eye well back, the sigh ts aremore clearly defined.

5. Comfort and ease with an entire absence ofconstraint in the position assumed.

ESSENTIAL POINTS IN AIMING.

1. The sights must he kept upright.

2. Th e left or right eye must be closed.

3. Sights to be quickly aligned on the object ormark.

-1. See that the tip of the foresight i s in line withthe shoulders of the U of the backsight.

5 . Always aim at the centre of the lowest pa rtof the mark, leaving a fine line of white betweenthe sight and t h e bull’s-eye so as to prevent theone running into the other.



4

HOW TO USE A FOLD IN THE

. G R O U N D .



LYING (Side view). Position when Firiug.

~%?ii5 to 9zoLe:-1 . lloily obliqiie to h i e of fire.z . LWSsewatea.3. IleelS on ground.4. Good bed for the butt.5. Virm erin with both lieiids6. €?ye&iback from the cocking-piece,7. Sights perfectly upright.. S . Virst pressure on trigger.

LYING (Front view). Positiotl when Firing.roi71i.v :-o l i ~ ~ t

I. llody oblique to line of fire.

5. Firm xrip with both Iinnds.





7

The following diagrams show how the sightslook when correctly aligned ard when incorrectlyaligned.

Correct. IToo little fcre-

sight.

The shot will golow.

Too much fore-@ sight.

The shot will g ohigh.

Foresight notproperly centered

Shot ~ ~ 1 1 1o tothe left.

A



8

Foresight not

properly centered.

Shot will go tothe right.

Sight s inclined t o

the left

Shot will go tothe left and low.

Sights inclined tothe right.

Shot will go tothe right and low.

TRIGGER PRESSING.

The soldier should, by constant daily practice in

soapping, accustom himself to the exact pressurerequired to release the trigger of his own rifle, andto apply the final pressure the instant he sees thathis aim is correct.

Th is perfect control of the trigger can only heacquired by concentration in aiming carefully, hold-ing steadily, and pressing the trigger gradually, sothat the factors of recoil and report are blotted

from the mind. 1.



0

Particular attention must he given to the follow-ing points:-

1. The first joint of the forefinger should beplaced round the lower part of the trigger:

2. The small of the butt should be gripped firmlyby the thumb and three fingers.

3. In pressing the trigger, the thumb and fore-fi ng er, should bc forced gradually towards each

other.4. The first pressure should be taken as soon as

the rifle has been brought into the position foraiming, the second when the sights are aligned on

the mark.5. I n order not t o disturb the aim, the brcathing'must

be restrained when applying thc second pressure.0. Point of aim to be declared before removing

the rifle from the shoulder.

Fig. 1.

Fig . 2 .

This diagram shows the proper position of the

hand whilst Dressina lhe trigger.



10 CARE O F THE RIFLE.

T h e rifle should be thoroughly cleaned before

firing, to ensure thst the barrel and chamber arcfrcc from oil, as an oily barrel will throw the shotshigh. I t must also be cleancd after firing, butshould not be cleaned between practices, as it wouldmake the elevation uncertain.

The sights should he black and clean and all oilremovcd; d o not use flannelette in cleaning them.as it makes them “flufiy” and indistinct.

I t is advisable to lift out the platform of the

magazinc when cleaning the rifle, and wipe out witha dry rag.

When blank firing prccedcs practice with ball.tlic rifles will be thoroughly cleaned before hallpractice comnicnecs, particular care being taken tosee that no cordite remains in the bore.

’The backsight should be kept thoroughly clean,

and the‘slide lef t a t the lowest point on the leaf,

as a slight knock will damage it.When cleaning your rifle be careful to draw thcpull-through straight up thc bore in one motion,otherwise the spot where the flannelette is allowedto rest will not be properly cleaned, and do not letthe cord rest against eithcr side, as by doing so youwill in time wcar a small groovc in the bore, whichwill cause inaccurate shooting..

Daily Cleaning.-The outs ide of the rifle should

bc cleaned daily, and all parts of the action wiped. with an oily rag. The bore of the rifle will always

be.left oily. Once a week this oil will be removedand the bore re-lubricated.

THE SIGHTS.T h e sights will be used as issued, without altera-

tion oi any kind. They may not be blackened: the

browning is renewed by an armourer when required.N o additions, marking, or colouring are permitted.nor are orthoptics allowed;“



11

How the l ine of fire is deflected when using the wind-gauge.

Line of sight. Line of fire.

y aking out thc bolt and looking through the bore it will hc louncthe line of sixht is dirccled at the p n t aimed at, the l iue 0poiuts to the or left, as the c w e m n y be.

Keeping clevation when aiming off the mark.

he clifficoltyin kc cpelev;dion when aim-off the mark can bc

by keeping thcon the sir o'clockeo that the hull's

, or inark, can bc seenthe shooldicr of th e

nt?dswingingrifle off the req~ired



i a

POSITION AND RESTS.

In range practices the regulation positions areobligatory except in firing from cover, when therifle should be rested and the position adapted tothe cover. This includes resting the ar m as well,i f suitable, but the cover is not to be specially con-structed as a rest for the rifle, but except whenfiring from cover, or when rests are authorized,

the rifle is to be supported by the arms only.

ELEVATION.I n order to allow for the fall of the bullet it is

necessary to direct the line of departure as muchabove the object to be hit, as the bullet will fallbelow it if the axis of the bairel of the rifle ispointed a t the mark. This r a w n g of the barrelto allow for the curve of the trajectory is termed

.gwing elevation," for which purpose the sights

arc placed on the rifle.T h e sights should be adjusted for every altera-

tion 'n the range, and aim taken at the lowest partof the mark.

Always study the atmospheric conditions at thetime of shooting, in order to decide what elevationshould be used.-

I t should be remembered that in a dull light theforesight is less distinctly seen than in a goodlight, and more of it is unconsciously taken whenaiming, therefore slightly less elevation is requiredo n a dull than on a bright day.

It should also be h o me in mind that the bullet

meets with more resistance on a cold day and withless on a hot day

I t will generally be found that more elevationis required on a bright. dry or cold day, or when

there is a head wind blowing; o n the other hand,less elevation is rcquired ,when it is a dull, weto r hot day, or when there 1s a rear wind blowing.that is a wind blow@ggto;yards tJc tarvet.



13 EFFECT OF RAISING THE SIGHT.

A n npproximate effect of rnising the sight at variousdistances is as follows :-

200 yards- 200 to 300 1 ft.

300 yard- 300 to 400 2 ft.

400 yards- 400 to 500 3 ft.

500 yards- 500 to 600 4 ft.

_._ - ._

600 yard+ 600 to 700 5 ft.

For alterations oi 50 yards I ~ l fhe above,

WIND.

The soldier should be able t o discriminatebetwccn mild, frcsh, and s t rong winds by the effectwhich they exercise on natural objects, and to notethe direction of the wind as front, rear, rightangle, or oblique by turning his face full towardsthe wind.

A mild wind is what is generally regarded as a

gentle summer’s breeze-say, about 10 miles perhour.

A fresh wind is one that would easily blow one’shat off-say, about 20 miles per hour.



-

1 4

A strong wind is one that is nearly half a gak-say, about 30 miles per hour.

The approximate allowance t o be made for thesevarious winds, when they are right angle winds, i .e.,

blowing from 3 or o o'clock, should be as follows:-

Dem.W2~!05 UriYLi iCTlOX D ~ ~ ! ~ ~ . ~ ; C T I O N

500 yards ... 2 feet 4 feet 6 feetI O O O , , ... 3yards 6 yards 9 yards1500 ,, ... 6 ,, 12 , I 18 I ,

2000 ,, ... 12 ,, 24 I , 36

F o r winds that are oblique the above allowanccs

aliould be halved.A variation of one division on the wind-gauge

scale is equivalent to 6 inches on the target per100 yards oi range. A ready method of ascertain-i n g the required adjustment is to multiply the num-ber of feet, or fractions of feet, of allowance forwind by two and divide the product by the numberai hundreds of yards in the range. The result willbc the number of divisions which the wind-gauge

must be moved.A wind from the right makes the bullet strike

fur ther towards the left than it would o n a calmday, and t o allow for this the sight must be movedto the right. If it blows from the left the sightmust bc moved to the left. Always move the sightagainst the wind.

The amount that the bullet is blown sideways

depends upon the force or velocity of the wind

. ,



and upon the direction from which it blows. The

wind-gauge adjustment to allow for this dependsul,on the same things.

How to aim off to allow for wind.



? O

I t should he remembered however that a t long

r a g e the allowance for wind is out of all propor-

tion to that necessary at shbrt range.

No alteration of the wind gauge or of the fine

adjustment will be permitted in any classification,or standard test practice after the first shot in thepractice has been fired.

G R O U P I N G PRACTICES.Individual grouping is a n exercise in firing a

scries of shots (usually five) at a definite aimingpoint without alteration of aim or sighting duringthe series.

T h e term. “group” is used to define the diagrammade on the tatget by the series of shot marks.

The value of such a group is determined by therelative closeness of the sho t marks. I t is measured

by means of rings of various sizes, and points areallotted according to the size of the ring which willcontain all the shots, or when specially prescribed.all the sh ot s but one, which is called a “widc shot.”When the ring is applied so a s to contain all the

shots, the point where the centre of thc ring fallson the target is regarded as the point of meanimpact.

T h e posit ion of the point of mean impact, withreference to the mark aimed at, has no influenceon the value of the group. I t s position is, however,

of great importance for instructional purposes.hecause it indicates approximately the error of t h e

rifle and gives information a s to any constant faultof th: firer.



17

Tile groups will be measured with wire rings of

4: 8, and 12 inches diameter, counting 25, 20, and15 points respectively; 10 points will be allowed fora 12-inch group with one wide shot.

T h e ring, which will contain all the shots, willbe recorded as the measure of the group. A shot isincluded urithin a ring when it cuts the circumfer-ence of the largest circle which can be describedwithin th at .ring by means of a pencil held a t rightanglcs to the. target.

All shot marks found on a target will be in-cluded in the group to be measured. No pointsw i l l be allotted to a group u n k s s there are fiveshot marks at least o n the target.

If more than five shot marks are found on thetarget there will be n o score, and the practice willbe repeated.

When the ring is placed to includ: all the shots,the centre of the ring will be taken as approximatelythe point of mean impact: its distances from, anddirection with reference to the point aimed a t willbe recorded (e.g., 7 inches, 4 o'clock).

SOME GROUPS AND WHAT THEY

INDICATE.

A widely scattered group indicates unsteadinessgenerally due to lack of determination o r to somehabitual excess such as cigarette smoking.

A high group usually indicates a tendency toflinch from the shock of discharge or too muchforesight

A group low right indicates that the trigger isjerked by the wrist instead of being pressed by

a nindependent action of the finger, or that the sightsare inclined. +



A group l ow left may show th at the firer moves.

his shoulder forward to meet the shock of discharge,or that the sights are inclined.

The instructor should carefully note thepositions of good groups as well as bad ones, forsome constant error in aiming or fault of the riflemay thus be discovered, which will escape noticeiv application practice when every shot i s signalledand error i s attributed to wind or other cause forwhich allowance i s easily made in sighting.

As group ing practices a re fired a t 100 yards,with sights at 200 yards, the point of mean impactof a correctly placed sr oup should be between 5a n d 1.0 inches above the point aimed at.

ANALYSIS OF FAULTS.A complete analysis of the faults of the firer

and his rifleshould

be made before leaving therange , and he should be tested until it i s foundwhether the faults are due to his aiming, firingposition, trigger pressing, eyesight, or to Iwk of

determination.The analysis should be made in the following

"3a""er:-1. If the rifle is suspected, it should be a t once

fired under similar conditions by a reliable marks-

man. Should the marksman also make a bad group,the rifle should be tested and if found."inaccurate"the man to whom the rifle belongs should be allowedto recommence the course with a fresh rifle.

2. If the rifle is proved accurate the soldier's

aim should be tested by the triangle of errormethod.

3. Next test his let-off (or trigger pressing) by

means of the aim corrector, causing him to aimm d press the trigger a t some good aiming mark.The aiming disc may be used for this test.

~~~ ~ ~~ /II



4 . H i s e;esight may he tested by causing him to

read printed mat ter held 'a t a reasonable distance.and by describing natural obects at mediumdistances.

5 . T h e most serious fault usually found in thistest is lack of determination (no control of nerves)resulting in flinching and gun shyness. This iscaused by some habitual excess, such as excessivecigarette smoking, and is th e most difficult f i u l t toovercome. Muscle exercises a re very useful t o in-

crease determination, and rope-climbing and gym-nastics are recommended.

APPLICATION PRACTICES.

Whcn n recruit is shown by the result of hisgrouping to have acquired sufficient skill in aiming,holding, and trigger pressing, he will be instructedin applying his sh ot s to a definite m a r k This form

of practice, in which aim or sighting is . altcred asmay be found necessary is called Application.

Instruction is given .in making allowances {oralmosphcric influences, chiefly cross winds; but it isnot desirable that trifling changes of wind shouldbe mct by minute adjustments of the windgaugc.T h e instructor should call u p o n the soldier toestimate the wind before firing, and tell him the

corrected allowance which he is placing on hissights. Subsequent alte ration should he unneces-sary. Similarly, small errors in elevation shouldke met by aiming up and down, and not by fineadju:tment, though the ta rge t mus t always be kepti n view.

Grouping standards are in some cases attachedto application practices in order to emphasize the

iniportance of care and consistency in shooting.'1



20

SNAPSHOOTING PRACTICES.

In snapshooting practices, not only the exposure

of the target but also that of the firer should belimited; strict at tent ion must be paid to positionsbehind cover, and to firing with the least possiblemovement apd exposure.

Timing in rapid practices should be reckonedfr om the word of command “Rapid Fire,” and fireshould be stopped by the command “Cease Fire.”

The command “Rapid Fire” should be given as

soon as the target appears. T h e target should belowered at the end of the time allowed for firingunder orders of the officer on butt duty, but theoficer superintending at the firing point should alsotime the practice, a n d order “Cease Firing” at $hcend of the time allowed for firing, reckoned fromths command “Rapid Fire.”

Four points (three points in practices in whichthe highest vnlue is three per hit) will be deducted

f o r every sh ot fired after the order to cease firehas been given.

In rapid practices, unless otherwise stated in theinstructions f or the conduct of th e practice, therifle will be loaded before the target appears.

RAPID PRACTICES.

The timed exposure of targets for snap-shooting

and rapid fire practices will be reckoned from thetime when the target is in position and stationary,to the time when it is again moved for lowering.

COVER.

In firing f rom behind cover the position adoptedmust be such as would enable the firer to obtainthe fullest protection fr om the cover, having due

regard@

the efficiency -of his fire. I n the proneposition, the grip of the’left hand must be main-



ai

tained on the rifle and there must be no undue ex.posure of the shoulder or Icgs.

Thebutt

ofthe rifle will he in contact with the

ground, and the firer will rennin in observation, butotherwise complctcly covercd, until the command"Rapid Firc" is givcn in rapid fir ing practices, orthe ta rg et appears in "Snapshooting" and "CrossingTarget Practices."

SNAPSHOOTING IN THE OPEN.

When snapshooting, or firing rapid in the open,

the rifle will be held in the loading or aimin,gposition as preferred.

' INSTRUCTION O N T H E F I R I N G

POINT.

Instruction o n the firing point is an indis-pensable form of Musketry training for youhgsoldiers, but if i t leads to continual alterations ofsighting to meet errors in shooting the firer is con-firmed in his errors , and his faults are only obscured.During the firing the instructor should watch therecruit, not th e target, and should insist o n beingtold the probable result of the shot before it issignalled. No departure fr om correct firingpositions should on a n y account be permitted; theriflc must be gripped, the face kept back from the

right hand. and thcre should be no constraint.T h e management of th e breathing, and the let-offmust be noticed, and the recruit reminded of themcontinually, so that his mind m a y be centred on themore important details of shooting, and not onchanges of wind or light, with which he will becomefamiliar later.

During instruction practices the instructor willinsist on the soldier declaring his point of aim at the

moment the r i f lc is discharged.



22

THE M U S K E T R Y " C O U R S E

SOB THR A U S T R A L I A N . I M PE R I AL FOF!CE.

PART I.

I 2nd Class Groupiug .ying with 5shotse l C " l C , , - rest 12 in.

tnry bulls circleeye

,ying, slow 5 shotson tar

get or12points

4 Do. Rapid



__

.29

PART I1

-Pr"EliCC. uis, Rcrnnrks.

-

ipplica-t iOD

300 5 Stnwliugtaking covei n treucli 0 1

behind wall

ro teachthrow ofrifle, &E. , at

300 yards.

DO. h pshooting

300 5 Standing asi u 5 butfiringthroughloopholes.Exposure 5secs. eachshot.

Do. Lapid 300 IO Lying.RiEe to beunloadeduntilconitnand"rapid fire'is given.Time. FJsecs.

irst Clnsfigure

Lpplic:i-tion

500 5 Lying. slow ro tencheffectofwind. &c. ,at this ratmeand siglitiilgof rifles.



24

METHODS OF SIGNALLING.

~ul l ' s -eyeor t l y r e .For Practice 23,Table "B, Ap-pendix I ," seeNote 2 , below

I n n e r(remainder

of inner circle)

Magpie (remainderof large circle 011

figure target)

Outer (remainderof target)

Ricochet or miss ...

Polished nietal or white disc 4 pointsplaced 011 shot hole.

3lack disc waved twice 3

,,RC~OSSthe face of the tar-get end placed a n theshot hole.

Disc revolved in front of 2 ,,the target and thcnplaced on the shot hole,black side showing.

Rlack disc moved vertically KCinslnderof eleaieli-

U p and dO w l l the left of

~~~$~~~the tsrget arid t h e n terget I poit,t, ex-placed on the shot hole. cept in mapilioot-

iuc practices whenthe outer is bliown" ~ I ,"~._

Red and white Aag showu Nilon the same side as thedircction of the miss. Ifthe directiou cannot hedetermined the flag willbe waved .across the faceof the target.



t 100 yards, 5 shots in 12 inch ring; at 25 yards, 5 shots i n 3 inch ring.

Ronorkr-This is n t e s t 01 th e man's l e t -o f f .aeriir~cyen d Eorwistancy: th e man l earns the throw ofcine. If unable t o r m u p , no urther firing Ihonld be nllawed u n t i l t h r fault is eliminated.

TAROET. Znd Class. H l e m e n a w Bull's Eye.

N o......... Ammunition ......... Practice No......... Aunnunitioa ......... .............. Positiou............... Distance .............. Position...............

I 0 N u

4.





?7

PRACTICE 2.

APrLICATloN Practice, 200 yards ; lying, slow ; 5 rounds.

%ANDARD.-5 shots on target or 12 points.

Iyiug pesitiou i s the most comfortable position to

iuen to apply what is learned and to give confidence.

scores. NO!CL

Piace........ uatc.,...... .-.. Wind A I 1:m.ai? c c .,,,.

Light ....... . . ...........!

Elevation ......., ,.., .. . i

h



S N I P S H O O T ~ G .

hole froxu trench or over parapet of logs or, Swdbags.., $spa~ ~ c o u a s . . f o r ~ach~stiot. i t ,'.' r , . * < : ' . , ' , i

- .. S T A N D A R D . % O I l q -

Rbr,iar~s--Theoneiiiy woiild not take more than 4 s c c o d s to !

shoot at this raiige.

NOT%-Hits outside the magpie ring are to be signalled os 01

and hnve no numerical value, and will be recorded 011 t h e regist

H, signifying hit.TARGET.. d C l a s s Flgure.

U I H

@

...L

Scores. P( 5. Score% N

> .

l..Place..._.., Date:....._ I ' .j Place........ Date........ -

Wind Allowatice .f: _.__ Wind Allowance _._....

Light ..................... 2 Light. ...._...._.__.._.....Eleratiou .?..?3..f.., .d

' y 7Eleviltion ...............



28

PRACTICE 4.

fixed. KiAe to be“-Fire” is & ’iven.

nmrRs.-This practice emphasises the necessity for quick andloading, and eotting down an attnck.

TARQET.--2nd Cl888 FIEuPe.

Scores. Notes Scores. Notes.

Allowance..%. W i u d Allowance........ ........-.......... Light .........................Hm._.. Rlcvallon ................



35 PART 11..

PRACTICE 5. A F ~ I . I C A T I ~ NRACTICE.-300 yards, 5 rounds, standing ; tak

cover in trench or behind wall.

Remwks.-The object of this practice is to teach the mall

throw of his rifle, etc., at 300 yards.

TARQET.-Znd Class F l g l l ~ a .

I

ScoreS.

1T;T”T;T;l”fNotes. Scores. N

-l7TrT-j Place ........ Date........ Place ........ nnte........Wind Allownrice ....... Wind Allowauce .......Light ..................... 1,icht .....................13leviiliou ............... Elevation ...............





39

PRACTICE 7.

a-RAPID Y R A c T K ! r . . 9 9 e y n n l s , di-rounlds, lying : rifle to be

loaded until coturnand "Rapid Pire" is given. Time,

secouds.

TARGET.-2nd Ola66 F l ~ u ~ e .

Scores. Notes. scores. N0tCs.l

Place........ Date........ Wind Allo~vvnuce....... Wind Allowance ........ -Elevation ...kF

Light .......................ight ....................... I... Elevation ................

1



33

PRACTICE 8.

APPLICATION P ~ n c r r c ~ - 5 0 0yards, 5 rowids ; y i ng , slow.

/Zen,nr.k.r.-Tlie object of this practice is to teach the effect of

etc., at this range, and sighting of rifle.

TARGET.-1st Class Figure.

Scores. Nates.

r T m . f $Placa:

.,

...... Date........ Wind A l l o w m ~ c e....... Light ......................Elevetiou.' .................



- -

Dntc.

....................

....................

.............

....................

....................

....................

..................................

....................

- . SI

MISCELLANEOUS SCORES.

To be used for Part 3 i f fired

Practice. Distance. Rounrla. Score

....... .................... ........................ .................... .................... ........................................... ............ .................... ............................................... .................... ....................

.................... ............................................ .................... ....................................

..................... ...... ............. ..............................................

.................... .................... ..............................................



3.5

INDIVIDUAL FIELD PRACTICESCORES.

Remarks.

................................................................................................................................... ....................................................................................................................... ...................................... ..........................................................................

............................................................................



36 HINTS ON JUDGING DISTANCE.

Correct judging of distances by eye is of the ut-most importance to all ranks in order to know therange when firing. I t is impokible to rely o n anyone method of judging distance, as there is nosingle method which will suit the varying con-ditions of light and background.

Distances may be judged by the followingmethods:-

1. The Uni t of Measure System.-By measuringthe intervening ground with the eye i n terms ofsome familiar unit such as 100 yards, and reckoninghow many times this unit is contained in the f u l ldistance.

2. Appearance of Objects.-Every soldier shouldmake a careful study of the visibility of the humanfigure, standing, kneeling, and lying down at knowndistances, particularly noting-

1. Details of clothing, such as buttons, cap,badges, etc.

2. The distance when the face is no longer seen.

3. Wh en the ou tl ii e of the body begins to taper.

4. T h e appearance of the head an d shoulders.

5. When the head and shoulders can' no longerbe distinguished.

Objects arc over-cstimated-

When kneeling or lying.

When both baclground and object are of asimilar colour.

On brakcn ground.In avenues, long streets, or ravines

d



37

When looking over a valley or undulatingground.

When the objrct lies in the shade.Whcn heat i s rising from the ground.

When the objcct is only partially seen.

Whcn the object is viewed in mist or failinglight.

Objects are under-estimated-

When the s u n is ieliind the observer.In bright light or clear atmosphere.

W h e n botli background and object are ot adifferent colour.

When the intervening ground i s level.

When looking over water or a deep chasm.

When looking upwards or dpwnwards.

Whcn th e object is large.

3. Using the Foresight.--The blade pattern forc-sight covers a man standing at 400 yards, and a inankneeling st about 250 yards.

4. If the bolt is taken out and a glance is takenthrough the bore it will be found that a man stand-i ~ gust fills the bore at 300 yards, while two men

f i l l the bore a t about 550 yards.

5 . By making a maximum and minimum estimateof the distance, and taking the mean fo r correct.For example-If the distance judged on is not lesst han 800 yards, and i s n o t over 500 yards, decideo n 900 yards, which is the mean as your estimate.

6 . Estimate the distance to some object half way.then double your estimate.

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.'*:' <a'$J'UDGING DISTANC

For use'$it'judging distance practice and tests.





4 0

TESTS IN JUDGING DISTANCE. .The tests will be conducted on unfamiliar

ground, half of the objects consist ing of fatiguemen or dummy figures representing skirmishers,hnd half of natural -objects, making fire position, +

scch as would be occupied o n service.

The observers will lie down or kneel behindcover and estimates w e made by adjusting thesights in multiples of 50 yards and recorded in theregister.

Half a minute will be allowed for each estimate,reckoned from the moment when the object ispointed out, or a shot is fired to draw attention tothe position of the object.

Errors in judging distance are usually recordedas a perccntage of the whole distance.

Men whose mean error exceeds 20 per cent.,

will be regarded as inefficient.To find percentage of crror of any distance,

nudtiplJi error by 100 and divide by the correct dis-tance.

Example-Estimated distance, 5 5 0 ; correct dis-tance, 500; error, 50. Pcrccntagc of error, 50 t 100

500

= 10 per cent.

Documents

Musketry Small Book for the Australian Imperial Force 1916