RIFLE SHOOTING.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5838, 3 April 1897, Page 6

RIFLE SHOOTING.

Under the title of "The Fighting of the Future," Captain (now Colonel) lan Hamilton, an experienced officer and rifle shot, wrote, a few years ago, a little book which is worthy the serious attention of every volunteer. In it he showed how enormously the value of the soldier as a fighting man would be increased were he taught to use his riflo to the best effect possible; in other words, were he a marksman. This is, probably, pretty generally admitted; but it is, presumably, held by many persons that it is practically impossible" to make the soldier a marksman, and that the present system of rifle instruction turns out as efficient a substitute for an army of marksmen as can be obtained under present circumstances. Both of these ideas Colonel Hamilton combats with vigour and effect. After referring to the enormous waste of ammunition which takes place on every battlefield, he proposes a revolution by unhesitatingly recommending that drill bo abolished, Avith the exception of "marching and wheeling in line and column, forming fours, and from them forming line to the front on either' flank ; forming . lino from column, and column from line ; forming square from line or column ; skirmishing : the attack, and outposts." Tho time saved from drill he proposes to devote to improving the individual shooting of the soldier ; and in his method cf doing this the colonel is radically opposed to the notions at present prevailing. " The present course of musketry," he says, "is admirably adapted to teach men how to hit a fixed target when all the conditions are favourable. This is merely the ABC of shooting, and it is in rating it at a higher value than this that our system has hitherto erred. It is very essential that our soldiers should be able to hit a standing target before they attempt to master the style of shooting which will stand them in stead when fighting for their lives." He proceeds to give the following very striking instance of the inutility of present methods when subjected to the stern test of war : — " The writer has seen flying Afghans missed repeatedly at very close ranges by soldiers who had been considered very good shots at the butts. They had nothing to shake their nerves, for the enemy were on the run ; but after a shot or two they became careless and, as a sportsman would say, fired into the brown. At first, being under the impression that if they could hit a target they could hit an Afghan, they really took pains ; but when they discovered that this by no means necessarily followed, they began to chance their aim, from that moment throwing away all the little good they had derived from years of musketry instruction. But why were the first shots missed ? The reason is not far to seek ; they had always been accustomed to fire at a regulation target. With us a target stands quite still and bolt upright ; and even now, when, under the new orders, the head and shoulders of a man are painted on it, the colours employed are jet black and dazzling white. Now, a Hying Afghan is neither still, upright, nor black and white : but, on the contrary, is a rapid mover, crouches, and is of the colour of mud. No wonder, then, if the soldier fails." Colonel Hamilton proposes that regiments should be " allowed to educate themselves for war by living on the rifle range " and should be given an annual grant of four hundred rounds of ammunition per man, which he suggests miglit be expended as follows : — (a) Fifty rounds at 2Coyds, standing, the rifle to be used as if it were a gun, hand and eye working together, and no looking along the barrel or use of the sights to be permitted. This practice will, the Colonel says,^' givo the soldier confidence in himself at times when he may be forced to fire hurriedly ;. he will see that if he keeps cool, the rifle is deadly even when he does not use the sights." (6) Sixty rounds at from 800 yds to 1200 yds, where the length of the range permitted iti; any position and according to the old style. This " will keep his eye in training for the longer ranges, so that he may make the most of those opportunities which, chiefly at the commencement of an action, will arise for slow and deliberate firing." (o) Sixty rounds, "celerity and pro- ' cision." This practice '■ should be at 250 yds range, at- a 6ft by 4ft standing target, painted light-brown with a darkbrown figure on it. Twenty rounds should be expended at a practice, and should be fired as fast as possible, time and hits both being taken into consideration when adjudging tho number of points scored." («'<) One hundred and forty rounds at moving objects. — Colonel Hamilton objects to the "running deer, "the most common moving object met with at riflo meetings." ! " The enemy," he very truly says, "is . rarely seen gliding along sideways, besides ' which tho competitors get to know the ! exact line the deer will take, and throw ] their rifles up to fire at some chosen fixed ' point in advance of it, and on the course it must follow. . * * * The targets known 1 to men as * Jumping Jimmies ' are free from \ this objection, and aro easily and cheaply made. By a simple contrivance of wire 1 and string, the marker causes a represen- < tation of a man's head and shoulders to rise up out of the ground, re- ' main upright for perhaps two seconds and then fall forward on its face. Eight { of these targets might bo used— four along 1 the face of the butt, three 15yds in front ' of it, and the last two an additional 10yds out towards the firing-point. Throw of dice should determine which figure the < marker should raise, and the firer should not stand farther than 200 yds from the 1 butt for fear of ricochets, and should not . have an idea at which point his mark was going to appear." £ (c) One hundred rounds field firing. This last most practical of exercises the Colonel J does not discuss, saying curtly that its ' execution lies far beyond tho capacity of the half trained soldiery of the present. I The above is a brief outline of the aim ' and scope of a remarkable little book, the j statements and arguments in which apply * with very great force to volunteers who, ? when they have to meet an enemy superior t in drill and discipline to themselves, as l they very probably will some day, can only ' "hope to avert defeat and destruction by \ skill as marksmen. i