63 TARGET PRACTICE IN FOREIGN COUNTRIES. 



MACHINE-GUN PRACTICE. 



This matter is now being studied, but as no type of gun lias 

 yet been definitely adopted for infantry battalions, nothing 

 has been put in practice concerning target practice for them. 



SCHOOLS AND INSTRUCTORS OF INFANTRY TARGET PRACTICE. 



There exists at the great camp of Chalons the Ecole Normale 

 de Tir, a thoroughly equipped and most efficient school of 

 infantry target practice. 



The object of the school is: 



1. To form a body of technical specialists for the school 

 itself, for the military schools of Saint Cyr and Saint Maixent, 

 and for the technical section of infantry at the ministry of war. 



3. To form for each infantry regiment a number of target 

 practice instructors (capitaines de tir) having a thorough 

 knowledge of everything concerning target practice and small 

 arms. 



3. To determine upon models of arms and munitions intended 

 for the infantry ; to test all modifications proposed ; to seek 

 modifications or improvements by research and experiment ; 

 to examine all matters submitted to it by the minister of war 

 concerning the rifle, ammunition, or target practice; to 

 experiment with, and test all rifles used in foreign services. 



4. To test all rifles coming from the government factories 

 (trimonthly) and all ammunition being issued (monthly). 



5. To lay down the rules for infantry fire; to indicate mod- 

 ifications of the drill book made necessary by changes in the 

 arm or ammunition ; to propose means for keeping the army 

 informed of all foreign progress in rifles or target practice. 



The instructors of the school consist of 15 infantry officers; 

 there is a polygon reserved solely for the use of the school, a 

 complete workshop of arms and ammunition, 78 enlisted men 

 and 7 civilian employees. 



The students are all captains of infantry who have been 

 recommended by their superiors ; each regiment or battalion 

 of chasseurs sends an officer every other year to follow either 

 course No. 1 or No, 3; this makes the number of student 

 officers in all about 140. 



Course No. 1 lasts five months, from February 1 to June 30. 

 It includes ballistics (a complete study thereof), the efl^ects of 

 fire, construction and fabrication of arms and ammunition. 



