RIFLE SHOOTING

Press, Issue 22599, 3 January 1939, Page 2 (Supplement)

RIFLE SHOOTING

ESSENTIALS OF GOOD MARKSMANSHIP

EXPLANATION OF BASIC PRINCIPLES (By BULLSEYE.) It must be distinctly understood that the following remarks are based on the assumption that quite a lot of tilings that can and do affect accurate marksmanship are (a) non-existent, (b) assumed to have been provided for and controlled. Defective rifles and ammunition, adverse weather, temperamental and ‘physical defects of the firer. and a number of other things which will readily suggest themselves to the rifleman will come under

either classification. Experience will soon serve to demonstrate to the observing rifleman that, with the stipulation above Indicated, the essential principles can be reduced to three. First, that from the moment of trigger release until the bullet leaves the muzzle, the rifle must be held steady; second, the aim must be absolutely true; third, the trigger release must co-ordinate with and represent the initial act of the first essential, For the purpose of brevity these essentials are given In order as "holding," "aiming." and "trigger release.” Two well-defined schools of thought exist on the subject of holding trigger release. First, there Is the ante which believes that in the trigger release is to be found the solution to all that stands for accurate, high-class marksmanship. Second. there is the ether which pins its fait/i to a rooic-lifce hold. In the first place, reliance is placed on the fvrer’s ability so to maintain a pressure on the trigger that will result in the release of the firing-pin without disturbing tire aim. If it were not for the fact that to accomplish this end successfully necessitates that the rifle be held perfectly steady for an appreciable length of time before the release of the trigger all would be well. But short as the period is, the ability to hold the rifle steady from the moment of trigger release until the departure of the bullet from the muzzle imposes a sufficiently difficult task on riflemen without adding to the difficulty by an extension of the time required. The impossibility of knowing definitely when a grad-ually-pressed trigger is going to release is a handicap which advocates for this system have to cope with, and cannot, in its application, be entirely overcome. Little need be said about aim. Obviously, to obtain perfect results it must always be perfectly true, i.e., the firer must alwaysfeee the same picture when he aligns the fore-sight on the target. Contrary to the generally accepted opinion, keen eyesight is not absolutely essential for this purpose. Actually, the marksman with abnormal keenness of vision has definitely no real advantage over one with normal, or even sub-normal vision. The ability to see the same picture all the time is all that counts.

Holding is something that can only be acquired by practice. Physical strength is not essential. Any rifleman can acquire the art of holding the rifle perfectly steady for the 14 10-thousandths of a second which ensues from the moment of trigger release until the bullet is on its way.

Successful trigger release depends upon the flrer’s ability to manipulate the trigger mechanism with a definitely sudden movement, with a total absence of jerkiness, at the precise moment he desires, and at no other time. The ability to accomplish this is dependent upon practice. What the Americans call "dry shooting," namely, going through the actions of holding, aiming, and trigger release on one’s lawn or other convepient place is excellent practice for them all. Three-Range Competition The Sydenham Defence Rifle Club fired its fifth competition at Redcliffs on Saturday. Fine weather prevailed, but a variable wind which at times reached gale force made conditions difficult, especially at 600 yards, and was responsible for some low scores at this range. The conditions were two optional slghters and seven shots at 300, 500, and 600 yards. The following were the results:— 300 yds. 500 yds. 600 yds. Hp. TI. C. Thom ..34 32 29 2 97 R. Nelli .. 34 30 33 scr 97 F. Hodge .. 31 32 33 scr 96 W. Tritt ..30 32 32 2 96 C. Poulsen .. 31 33 28 6 96 E. Paton .. 30 30 33 2 95 W. Barrett ..32 32 31 scr 93 S. O. Hay .. 33 32 29 scr 94 J. McCarthy .. 32 34 26 scr 92 P. Morgan .. 25* 31 30 3 89 A. Webb ..32 27 22 5 86 R. Poulsen .. 29 27 29 scr 85 E. Fox .. 26 24 28 7 85

Canterbury Championships

The weather was most unfavourable for the seventeenth annual championship meeting of the Canterbury Rifle Association, which was held at Redcliffs on Boxing Day. Entries, however, were large, and more than 90 marksmen competed, representing clubs throughout the South Isand. A notable competitor, Captain W. N. Masefield, of Blenheim, who was captain of the New Zealand team which visited Australia last February, won the championship by four points from J. R. Keoghan (Westport). This was Masefield’s initial success at the Canterbury meeting. C. Thom, a prominent member of the Sydenham Defence Rifle Club and the United Miniature Rifle Club, won the tyro aggregate with the fine total of 175. For the first time for many years a woman competitor. Miss K. Bland (Staveley), competed throughout the series. R, Leslie, jun., the youthful Dunedin marksmen who won the title in 1637, was among the competitors. Fixtures January 7—Christchurch Defence Club’s three-range competition, at Tal Tapu. January 7—Sydenham Defence Club’s sixth competition, at Redcliffs. March 2-B—National rifle meeting, at

Trentham. , March 18— Canterbury Rifle Association s Jack Shield competition, at. Redcliffs. April 7-10 —Otago rifle meeting, at Dunedin.