92 TARGET PRACTICE IX FOREIGN COUNTRIES. 



and regulating arms. In the railroad and telegraph troops 

 10 rounds are reserved for field firing, 5 for individual fire, 

 and 5 for collective fire ; the other reservations are the same 

 as for engineers. 



INSTRUCTION FIRING. 



This firing is intended to demonstrate the ballistic proper- 

 ties of the rifle, and serves not only to form a well-trained 

 staff of instructors, but to instruct the men as to their con- 

 duct in battle when direction of fire fails. The more elemen- 

 tary exercises are directed by the company commander, for 

 the benefit of the noncommissioned officers and men at the 

 beginning of the firing instruction season ; important ones are 

 conducted by battalion commanders. All are carried oh 

 under the most favorable conditions, sources of error being as 

 far as possible eliminated. Some examples are : 



TO SHOW THE ERROR OF DIFFERENT RIFLES. 



A good shot seated behind a table fires, from a rest at a ring 

 target at 350 meters with the same point of aim, shots from 

 an accurate rifle, 9 from one shooting high, and 9 from another 

 shooting low. The center of impact of each group of shots 

 will measure the error of the weapon, and show what point 

 of aim should be taken with eacli rifle. 



DEMONSTRATION OF THE ACCURACY OF RIFLES AT DIFFERENT RANGES. 



Good shots, seated, the rifle at a rest, fire 25 shots at each 

 of the distances 350, 500, and 600 meters, at a ring target or 

 at a white target of the same dimensions, having marks to 

 serve as points of aim. 



A comparison of the extent of the several shot groups with 

 the size of various objectives in war, illustrates the reason for 

 fixing the distance, determined by the accuracy of tlie weapon 

 itself, at which a liit may be expected. 



Other exercises are arranged to exhibit the trajectory of the 

 bullet ; the effect on fire when the bayonet is fixed ; penetra- 

 tion of the l)ullet into various substances — earth, wood, iron 

 plates, etc. 



FIRING UNDER SPECIAL CONDITIONS. 



Single men in shelter trenches fire at 200 meters at targets 

 placed behind cover, screens, sandbags, etc., through open- 

 ings about 4 by 2 inches (100 by 50 millimeters), or targets 



