Automatic Pistol Shooting Part 3

As your four-inch bull's-eye is too large for real shooting at ten yards, you must remember that the sighting of the pistol should put the bullets _one inch only into_ this size bull at "VI o'clock," not into the middle of it. The reason is that, practically, the trajectory of a pistol is the same at twenty as at ten yards; and as the English regulation bull at twenty yards is two inches, you want the twenty-yards sighted pistol to put the shots into the centre of the two-inch bull when you aim at the bottom edge. In other words, you want it to shoot an inch higher than your aim at that distance. Therefore, if with your four-inch bull, aiming at the bottom edge, you go into the bull one inch up, it means a central bull's-eye shot on a two-inch bull. The reason I recommend aiming at the bottom of the bull's-eye instead of at the middle of it is that if you try to put a black bead in the middle of a black bull's-eye, you cannot see either properly; if you whiten the bead of the fore sight, then you cannot see it clearly against the white of the target in "coming up" to a bull. n.o.body can hold _absolutely_ steady on the "bull" for more than a fraction of a second; you have to "come up" from below and "squeeze off"

as you get your sights aligned.

It is best to have your cleaning appliances on the table, or otherwise handy, when shooting, and every now and again to have a look through the barrel and a wipe-out; you might otherwise be inclined to attribute to bad shooting what may be caused by leading or hard fouling in the barrel. I have a little cupboard under my table with a lock and key, in which I keep my cleaning apparatus, cartridges, etc. (but _not_ the pistol), to save the trouble of carrying them to the range.

Always clean a pistol as soon after shooting as possible, and clean very thoroughly.

For real work, I prefer a pistol when it is half worn out, as everything then works smoothly and there is less danger of jambing. Rust in the rifling may entirely spoil accuracy, as, if you work it off, the bore gets enlarged and the bullets "strip." I never like to compete with a perfectly new pistol; all pistols have their peculiarities, and it is necessary to get used to one, to "break it in," before trusting it to obey one's slightest hint.

It is sometimes useful to be able to shoot with the left hand; as, for instance, if the right hand is disabled, the right arm held, etc., and for an officer with a sword in his right hand. If the novice has resolution enough to divide his practising, _from the beginning_, between both hands, he will be able to shoot nearly as well with his "left" hand as with his right. I have put quotation marks round "left" as I mean by this the hand not usually employed; a left-handed man's right hand being in this sense his "left."

I have also noticed that a left-handed man can shoot more evenly with both hands; that is to say, he is not much better or worse with either hand, not being so helpless with his right hand as a normally handed man is with his left. In all the directions for shooting, for left-handed work merely change "right leg" to "left leg"; "right arm" to "left arm," etc.

CHAPTER VI

RAPID FIRING

Rapid firing, in my opinion, is the most practical style of shooting; a pistol is not a weapon for deliberate shooting, but for lightning rapidity at short range.

If you are using a revolver it is necessary to get one which works as loosely and as easily as possible. A half-worn-out revolver is best, as it works freer. Next, file the mainspring as weak as it is possible to have it without risk of too many misfires. If it has one misfire in every twenty shots, or so, it does not matter, the great thing being to have it c.o.c.k easily. An automatic pistol is the weapon for this, a revolver being quite out of date. A very big front sight and a big "U" in the back one are advisable.

As the target rises, "come up," quickly, increasing the pressure on the trigger as you "come up," so that the pistol goes off the moment it is horizontal and the sights are _about_ right. I say _about_ because there is not time to correct the aim.

Be sure to _squeeze back_--not jerk off. It is possible, with practice, to get this "snap shot" into the "bull" or touching it. As this first shot goes off, _be especially careful to take all pressure off the trigger_.

Unless you are very careful you will keep a slight pressure on the trigger with your first finger, and if you are using an automatic the next shot will go off before you mean it to.

Your right arm--and in fact, the whole of your body--should be immovable.

Your aim at each shot ought not to be disturbed enough to be more than a few inches off the "bull."

After each shot begin a steadily increasing pressure _straight back_, and _without a jerk_, trying at the same time to get your sights as near the "bull" as you can before the pistol goes off again. You can fire as quickly as you can get your aim.

If using an automatic pistol, all that you have to do is to _release the pressure on the trigger the moment each shot goes off_, and _instantly_ begin to squeeze again as you get your next aim. Do not keep on too long; half a dozen practice scores are ample at a time. One only gets erratic and wild if one continues too long, and the pistol also gets hot.

The sighting may have to be different in this from that required for slower shooting. Some men shoot up in one corner when snap-shooting with the heavy trigger-pull of the automatic pistol; and it is preferable to have the sighting so that one can aim straight under the "bull," instead of having to make allowance for the jerking off. The trigger-pull should be as light as is deemed compatible with safety, but the automatic pistols so far on the market have a very heavy trigger-pull.

Wearing gla.s.ses to protect the eyes against half-burnt powder fumes is very important in shooting an automatic.

CHAPTER VII

TRAVERSING TARGET

_Target Moving Across the Line of Fire at Twenty Yards_

This is not so difficult as rapid-firing. The chief difficulty is that when your aim is right horizontally, you may be wrong vertically, and _vice versa_.

When first practising, have a target made with a black band two inches wide running down the middle of the target, instead of the usual bull's-eye. Begin your practice at this, having it first put up with the black band vertical, and then with it horizontal. Shooting at it vertical will show you if you are getting the right allowance in front in your aim.

When it is horizontal, it will show you if your elevation is correct. This can be elaborated by having black bands painted or pasted on the back of an ordinary target, and, with its back towards you, shooting at them.

Then, by turning it over after the six shots have been fired, you will see what score you would have made on a regulation target. The reason for this practice is that there are two things to attend to. One is the "_allowance_" _in front_, the other is the "_elevation_"; and if a beginner tries to think of both at once, it will confuse him.

If, after you have got pretty certain of your "allowance," you go to "elevation," you will most likely lose your "allowance," and have to go back to the vertical band; and so on, alternately, till you can trust yourself at the regulation bull.

Most people, unless they use alternate hands, find the "run" one way easier than the other.

I prefer higher elevation in sights for this compet.i.tion. Instead of aiming to touch the "bull" at "VI o'clock" to get a central "bull," the aim should be at the actual elevation you want the bullet to go, so as to enable you to aim off at "III o'clock" and "IX o'clock" for right and left runs respectively.

Some people who are slower on the trigger--that is, who take longer to give the order to the trigger-finger when their eye says the aim is right--may need more allowance.

There is in astronomical work a technical term ("reaction time") for the process of timing first contact in eclipses, and each observer deducts his own personal error, which seems constant to him. This allowance varies in revolver shooting with different men.

Some men aim at a spot, and wait for the target to come up to it; but this is useless, as any one knows who has shot moving game with a gun.

Stand absolutely square to the front, or perhaps a little more toward the side on which you find it most difficult to follow the target. Plant the feet slightly farther apart than for other compet.i.tions, _and swing the whole of the upper part of the body from the hips_. Do _not_ swing your right arm, keeping the rest of the body still. The shoulder-joint does not give so smooth a horizontal swing as swinging from the hips. Moreover, if you swing the arm, you have to turn the head, or else have to look out of the corners of your eyes, instead of straight before you.

Let the whole of the upper part of your body be held rigid, and swing only on the hips. Lift your pistol from the table as the target appears, and swing with the target, bringing up the pistol on a diagonal line (this is the resultant of the vertical rise from the shoulder and the horizontal swing of the hips). Let the sights come horizontal to the eyes a little in front of the proposed allowance; and, as you keep your arm moving in front of the bull, gradually let the bull _overtake you_, till it is the right allowance behind your sight; and _still keep on swinging_. All this time be gradually squeezing the trigger, so that it squeezes off just when the aim is right. _Be sure not to stop swinging before the pistol goes off._

I do not think there is any advantage in keeping your arm up between runs of the target; it tires the arm, and you cannot make the diagonal swing up to your spot in front of the bull.

I do not think it is of any use deciding to fire upon a certain part of the "run": it is best to fire when you feel you are aiming right, and you may get this feeling sooner in the "run" on some days than on others.

There is a tendency to "follow" too long, and then, owing to lack of time, to jerk off just as the target disappears. I have made "bulls" when the target was almost out of sight, in fact, I did so in my record shoot, at Bisley, where there used to be such a compet.i.tion: but this is a bad habit to contract, and a risky sort of shot, as it is almost sure to be too far behind, or even to be fired into the shield in front of the target; though, of course, if you have not a good aim, it is better to delay as long as possible, rather than to shoot earlier with a bad aim.

Be sure in your range that your shield is bulletproof, or you may get into the habit of making "bulls" when the target is "sitting" behind the shield, by shooting through it. To economize s.p.a.ce, you can have this target run in front of your disappearing-target apparatus, putting the latter out of the way when not needed; this latter will also serve for stationary-target purposes, and to hold the fifty-yards target. Do not have a target which runs by gravitation, as shooting at a target which is running downhill requires quite different sighting from that needed with one running horizontally.

CHAPTER VIII

GALLERY SHOOTING

A private gallery can easily be fitted up in the cellars of large country, or even town, houses. All that is needed is a gallery of a certain length--ten yards will suffice at a pinch, with the targets and b.u.t.t (such as I describe in the chapter on Stage Shooting) at one end. The targets should be lighted from above, preferably by a skylight in the daytime, and by gas, lamp, or electric light at night. When artificial light is used, it should be screened, so that from the firing-point the targets are distinct, but the source of light invisible. At the firing-point it is difficult to get a satisfactory light. If this gallery is not made in a greenhouse, which, of course, would give ample light to sight by in the day, I think there is no use in trying to get the light to shine on your sights. If it is behind you, you stand in your own light. If enough above you to prevent this, the light only shines on the top edges of your sights, and is thus worse than useless. I find it best to have enough light behind you to enable you to load by, and to trust to seeing the sights in a black silhouette against the target. You may, for this reason, have to alter your sights from the elevation which suits you out-of-doors.

You should have a ventilating shaft straight above the muzzle of your pistol, and, if possible, a fan to draw off the fumes and smoke; one worked by electricity or water-power is best.

It is expedient to use only the lightest gallery ammunition, and it deadens the sound if you have the walls covered with some material hung loosely. Boiler-felt is very good for the purpose. Also, if you shoot through a hole in a part.i.tion screen, it helps to deaden the sound.

I prefer a big-calibre pistol in compet.i.tion, as it gives a better chance to score; a shot which would be just out of the bull with a small bullet, may just cut the bull with a large ball. The bullet-hole is also more easily seen, but the bullet must be spherical, or you will have to use too heavy a charge of powder to propel it.

The self-registering targets, such as are used for miniature .22 calibre rifles, I do not find very satisfactory; the larger size of the bullet makes it liable to strike two compartments at the same time, giving you a double score, and the impact of the bullet is, moreover, too heavy for the mechanism. I prefer card targets or the Gastinne Renette target which registers. .h.i.ts at the firing-point.