544 FOREST, FIELD, AND PRAIRIE. 



do the work of the other. A knowledge of this will save much 

 annoyance and some money. The first requisite of a short range 

 rifle is, that you shall be able to hit any mark small enough to be 

 seen over what are technically called " hunting sights," with an 

 • off-hand shot from the shoulder. Greater accuracy than this is not 

 needed. Such a rifle ought to shoot close enough to place a major- 

 ity of any number of shots within the following sized targets : 2- 

 inch ring up to fifty yards distance ; 4 in. do. 100 yards ; 6 inch 

 do. 1 50 yards, and 8 inch do. 200 yards. A good off'-hand shot 

 can do this and fire very quickly, and his gun ought to be able to 

 shoot as close as he can hold it. Major H. W. Merrill, a grey old 

 army officer who has passed half his life in Florida and Texas, in 

 and out of the saddle, has laid down the following rules : 



ist. To avoid shooting over, a finer sight is always required at and about 55- 

 looths of the range tlian at any other point of the range (say within thirty-five to 

 seventy -five yards). 



2d. The same uniform sight throughout the -whole range will give no greater 

 error than the greatest standing error of the rifle. 



3d. Hence, knowing this, the same uniform sight throughout may always be 

 used, unless one requires a different sight in order to accomplish his purpose. 



4th. In hunting, use the same fine or standard sight, within about the first 

 thirty-five and the last twenty-five yards of this range. And why ? Because the 

 standing error of the rifle is so small within these limits, that it may be disregarded 

 entirely. At the greatest, it is only about one inch, and from thence to nothing 

 at the two point blanks. So much for sighting -H-ithin the range. 



5th. But, for different distances beyond the range, as 125, 150, etc., yards, use 

 a sight '* coarser '' and coarser, " the farther off your game is." 



To summarize, the formula for sighting seems to stand thus: 

 Coarse very near the piece, with a less coarse to fine at about eight 

 yards, (centre, p. b.,) thence finer to extra fine at sixty-six yards 

 (thereabouts and greatest error), thence less fine to fine at one 

 hundred yards (centre p. b.), thence coarser and coarser (beyond 

 the range). Of course different rifles, and the same rifle with 

 different charges, etc., produce different curves, or errors. Hence, 

 in general, learn well by practice and study the deviations of your 

 rifle along the whole distance, and then (for close shooting) seek 

 to so aim as to correct them. 



Good shooting, however, cannot be done without good ammu- 

 nition. Mr. E. A. Palmer recites in Forest and Stream. "My 

 method of loading cartridges is to fill the shell, leaving only space 

 inough to put in a thin cut wad of paste board, and not over one 



