J\ fC 11^ ma 



eo. M. Petersen yf 



^■'*--\w>d«f*3 



IN these times, when efficiency for military 

 service is the principal requirement of 

 men, it is well for everyone to understand 

 thoroughly the handling of firearms and how 

 to use them most effectively. Not only is 

 such knowledge a protection, but the Govern- 

 ment gives increased pay to those men who 

 can qualify as sharpshooters or experts. 



Of course there are numerous exercises 

 which may be practiced to good advantage, 

 but there is nothing which will perfect your 

 shooting like real firing on a range. 



Even as a mere pastime, shooting is 

 beneficial, as it trains the eye, the hand and 

 the entire nervous system so that they may 

 be kept under absolute control. A rifle 

 range can be laid out and built anywhere 

 where there is space enough to get the 

 different ranges or positions desired and to 

 care for the bullets after they pass through 

 the target. 



The most common methods of construct- 

 ing the pits or "butts," as they are termed, 

 are shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, the latter type 

 being the most generally used. The type 

 shown in Fig. 3 is for pistol and small-caliber 

 rifles only, and should never be used for high- 

 power sporting or military rifle work as there 

 is a possibility of the bullets passing through 

 the wooden retaining wall and injuring 

 someone. - 



The best ground for a rifle range is smooth 

 and level or it has only a moderate slope. 

 The targets should preferably be on the 

 same level as the firer or slightly above him. 

 Firing downhill should be avoided. The 

 light should also be considered when laying 

 out a range. If possible, the firing should be 

 toward the north or slightly east of north so 



that a good light will be on the targets 

 during the greater part of the day. Security 

 and suitable ground are much more im- 

 portant than direction of light, however, 

 so that naturally they must be considered 

 first. 



As high-power sporting and army rifles 

 have a range of from two to three miles, it is 

 imperative that an effective bullet stop be 

 provided behind the targets to prevent the 

 bullets passing through the targets and 

 killing or injuring someone in the far 

 distance. Where the butts are situated on 

 the bank of a large body of water, so that the 

 bullets will drop into the water without doing 

 any harm on the way, it is only necessary to 

 have a lookout stationed at one side of the 

 butts and high enough so that he may 

 observe the entire field of fire with the aid of 



One of the common methods of constructing 

 a pit or butt, behind which is the target 



field glasses. This lookout is responsible for 

 stopping the firing when a boat is passing 

 within range of the rifle fire. He accom- 

 plishes this by lowering a large red flag to 

 half mast. As soon as the person in charge 



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