TWENTY YARDS STATIONARY TARGET
I have already described how to stand and shoot at a stationary target.
There are a few points to be observed, however, which specially apply to
this range when shooting at Bisley. Before competing at any one of the
limited-entry competitions, it is well to be sure that you are shooting up
to your proper form, as mistakes cannot be corrected after once
commencing.
Personally I think it best (if shooting every day or most of the ten days)
not to enter in a limited-entry competition till after the first two days
of the meeting, as one gets steadied down by then and grows more
accustomed to the surroundings.
As sighting varies from day to day, and even from hour to hour, it may be
as well to have a pool shoot for sighting purposes first; but I personally
never do so, as I think it is a pity to chance wasting a good score in
pool. The moment you have "found the spot," leave off pool; do not stop to
finish a score.
I prefer doing my sighting on an "unlimited-entry" competition ticket, so
that in case I make a "highest possible," that score is not wasted.
The early morning, from 9 till 11 A.M., is the best time for shooting; and
then, perhaps, late in the evening. One should watch for a good time when
the light is favourable; often the wind will drop late in the evening,
half an hour before "gunfire," after blowing hard all day.
There is often a good light after rain. I rather like shooting in the
rain, and have made some of my best shots in it. The light is then good;
and there is then no glare on the target; bullets make very big, ragged
holes on a wet target; and sometimes a shot which would not cut the bull
on a dry target may do so on a wet one, owing to its making a larger
hole.[1] The flat-topped bullets make very big, "clean" holes.
[1] At Bisley a bullet must _cut_ the bull to count; at the clubs if
it _touches_ it scores a bull.
If you have a target with a doubtful shot, that is to say, one for which
you think you are entitled to a higher count than the range officer gives
you, do not touch it, or thrust anything (your finger or a pencil) into
the hole to demonstrate that the shot cuts into the bull's-eye or the line
you claim. If you push anything into the hole you will spoil its outline
and destroy all evidence of the point at which the bullet had cut. In
doubtful cases, the range officer puts a bullet of the same calibre
(which has been pushed with a rod through a revolver barrel previously)
into the hole, and examines it whilst in this position with a
magnifying-glass.
Accept the range officer's decision as final; _never_ "protest" a decision
of his.
Look at the target through your glass and see that it has no bullet-holes
in it before you begin to shoot; and refuse to shoot at a patched target,
except at pool. A patch may fall off a shot made by a previous competitor
and confuse your score, besides making the target indistinct and throwing
doubt on a record score by you if you should happen to make one on such a
target. Also see that the bull's-eye is black; some are badly printed, and
the "bull" is grey and indistinct.
Shoot very slowly and deliberately. There is no hurry. The time limit of
two minutes would be ample within which to fire twenty-four shots--and you
have only to fire six.
If you are dissatisfied with your aim, or your arm is getting tired, or a
gust of wind comes, put the revolver down without firing. Look down on the
grass to rest your eyes, and wipe your hands; a little sawdust is a good
thing to rub them with on hot days.
When it is gusty, putting up the pistol just as you think a lull is
coming, instead of waiting _for_ the lull, gives you a better chance of
being "up" when the lull does come, and you can then "snap" the shot
before the next gust.
If you _have_ to shoot in a very high wind--as in a match, or in shooting
off a tie--it is best to "snap" your shots (see chapter on Rapid Firing)
and not try to hold against the wind.
If a shot strikes a little too high, or too low, or too much to either
side, aim "off" the "bull" the next shot to correct it.
Do not keep altering the amount you see of your front sight if you hit too
high or too low; you will never make a good score in that way. If you are
out half an inch at "X o'clock," aim your next shot at half an inch off "V
o'clock"; if you hit half an inch above the bull at "XII o'clock," aim
half an inch below "VI o'clock" with your next shot; do not take a
"coarser" sight. This is where a practical shot has the advantage over a
mere "target shot."
If a shot is in the "bull" (I will assume you can easily see shots in, or
partly in, the "white" at twenty yards; I can see them at fifty), and you
are not sure of its exact locality, examine it with your glass.
If you are "holding" exceptionally steady, and have shot well into the
"bull," though not actually central, do not aim differently to try to get
the actual centre with the next shot; as a rule, if you are anything more
than half in the "bull," it is better to let well alone and "hold" the
same as before. I remember on one occasion I had five shots in one ragged
hole at "V o'clock" in the "bull" on the sliding target; and for fear lest
I should put my last shot through the same hole and have it counted as a
miss, I tried to hit the "bull" at "IX o'clock" clear of that hole, and
got just out of the bull.
If you have several bullets in one ragged hole, it is advisable, if there
be time, to draw the range officer's attention to this before you fire the
next shot, so that in case you go into the same hole or group again, he
may record it and not think it a miss. If he watches the target whilst you
shoot, through his glasses, he will see where your bullet goes, even if
you do go into this group.
At the stationary targets, _and at those only_, it is advisable to use
both hands in cocking. In cocking, if using a revolver, if there is not a
distinct click, or if the action feels "woolly" or soft, put it back at
half-cock, and open the revolver and see what is the matter. Most likely a
bit of fouling, or piece of metal from a cartridge or bullet, or a
cartridge with too thick a head or protruding cap, is the cause.
When the revolver is at full-cock, take the cylinder between the
forefinger and thumb of the left hand, still holding the stock in the
right hand and keeping the muzzle towards the target, and gently try to
revolve the cylinder towards the right. This, at least, is the normal
direction, though some makes revolve to the left. You will, perhaps, once
in a dozen times, find that it goes over an appreciable amount till it
locks.
Any revolver, even the best, may sometimes not bring the cylinder round
quite true to the barrel; and if it does not coincide, the shot will not
be accurate, owing to the bullet not going into the barrel true, and thus
getting a small shaving taken off its side. A bit of fouling, metal from
cartridges or bullet, "proud cap," or thick cartridge-head may cause this.
By attending to the cocking in the elaborate way I have indicated, this
cause of inaccuracy is avoided. (This is very important in cases where a
miss would be dangerous: as when shooting objects off someone's head, or
those which are held in the hand or mouth, or for the last shot on which
everything depends in a match or a record score.) Also every time you open
the revolver, look to see whether the caps have been hit absolutely true
in the centre.
By my way of cocking, even if the revolver is not acting quite perfectly,
the chambers ought to come true. If they do not, clean them very
carefully. If, in spite of this, the caps are still hit on the side, it is
useless to continue with that revolver until the maker has put it right.
Shoot with the smallest charge, lightest bullet, and largest calibre the
rules allow, as it is easier to shoot with a small than with a "kicking"
charge, and the bullet of larger calibre is more apt to cut into the bull.
(This applies to all competitions at ranges not over twenty yards; beyond
that distance, a big charge is more accurate. See chapter on Fifty-Yards
Target.)
I do not like too small a front sight. I think that one which, in aiming,
you see easily is the best. The semicircular "U" of the hind sight should
be wide enough to enable you to see all round the bead of the front sight.
In pistol-shooting, the chief difficulty is in "holding" and "squeezing
off" without disturbing your aim. There is no need to strain your eyes
with a microscopic front sight and it makes you slow and every fraction of
a second is valuable in practical shooting.
Another fault of too fine a front sight is that it is liable to get bent,
just enough to spoil your aim, yet not enough to be noticeable until too
late. If you try to straighten it, the odds are that you break it off and
then have to waste a day or more getting another fixed, which, most
likely, does not suit when done.
I always have my Bisley sights made solid with the revolver, without any
screws, and have some made to shoot higher, others lower, each on a
separate revolver. If I find that the light, or my shooting, does not suit
one sort of sight, I take another revolver. I have some fifteen revolvers
prepared in this way.
The permission to have a hind sight adjustable by being hammered to one
side is worse than useless. The sight works loose, gets knocked askew, and
when you begin shooting you find it is constantly shifting and spoiling
your shooting. I do not call it by any means a practical military sight.
If you only have one pistol have it with my front sight, sighted to your
normal or average shooting, at twenty or fifty yards, to whichever you
decide to confine yourself, and both back and front sights made fixtures.
Wear nailed boots, or those with corrugated rubber soles, so as not to
slip. The rubber, however, is rather apt to get cut in standing on spent
cartridges. A broad-brimmed cowboy hat, or sombrero, is the best headgear,
except in a wind, as it keeps the glare off your eyes. I took to using
these years ago, and now I see them in use by nearly all shooting men, as
well as in the English army, though (unlike in the U. S. army) often
rendered less serviceable by having the brim looped up on one side. I keep
some of various widths of brim, and use the one most suitable for the
occasion. Also a Swedish leather jacket is very good when it gets chilly,
as it is very light and does not hamper your right arm as a heavier coat
would do. If you do not possess one, an extra waistcoat will serve, as
this will leave your arm free. An overcoat or mackintosh hampers your
right arm. You are freer in a flannel shirt with turn-down collar, loose
round the wrists, and no braces. A silk handkerchief tied loosely round
the neck, cowboy fashion, keeps the sun off the nape of your neck.