108 



** 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[September 8, 1881. 



necessity for the term point-blank, as 1 have defined it iti my 

 article. Then why speak of "the exact distance from the 

 muzz e of the piece at which the bullet ceases to travel in a 

 straight line." There is no such distance in rifle shooting. 

 U< further says : " The scientific point-blank adopted by the 

 British artillery mean- the etcaet spot where a ball fired with. 

 out elevation, i. e.. with the axis of the barrel set quite 

 horizontally, will ttrsi graze the equally horizontal earth." 



.1 Ust so : arid all British artillerists and authorities will sav, 

 that the ball, as Hans Bask states i r , falls in a curved path 

 from beginning to eod. In this assertion I but vindicate the 

 intelligence, of'tho British officers and nation. This defini- 

 tion, like the American and French, recognizes in practice 

 and theory that the axis of the bore points above the object 

 when the 'piece is discharged, and both alike make a point- 

 blank with a falling ball— the American by falling to the line 

 Ofsigbt , irit< hbyfalling to the around. Both point- 

 blanksai ate and distinct from the VrwQifira— 



:,n , ,i i: Ic shots Can never be made along. this line 



axis of the bore continued, and why ■ Let Hans Busk 

 .he says, "If the axis of the piece be directed 

 upon an object, the bullet will never hit it, but will always 

 pass 'below 1 it." Tlrsis just what my article taught. Then 

 why present the delusive idea of straight shooting ? Ic can- 

 n t be done, spicily speaking, for the length of one barley- 

 that sjme persoaa, but nit " autfwfiUes dis- 

 " as to what constitutes true point-blank. He further 

 The time occupied in reaching this exact spot (on 

 the ground) is exactly the same as that during which the 

 ball wou'fl have fallen to the ground from the muzzle 

 of the fire-arm." 



Ex ctly so. The horizontal velocity imparted to a rifie- 

 bttll how ver great it. he, does not prevent, the bullet from 

 falling, just as "if it had no velocity. Philosophical experi- 

 ments wA ordinary rifle practice, as well as theory, all es- 

 tablish this fuel, which we will call Fact No. 1. 



Facl No. 2 is that we know'the law governing the fall of a 



bullet as well as we know the alphabet. Fact No. 3 is the 



itself, viz., "The spaces passed over by a fading body 



,,.,. p ,,,. i' ;,,,: to the squares of the times occupied in fall- 



ine:." 



"fact No. 1 under tbis law is that if the riOo-ball falls 



igha space, which we will represent by 1, in oue time, 



it will Ml through a space represented by 4 (the square of 2) 



, , o limes, and by in three times, and by Iti in four 



! , ...n. the times being regarded as equal and the 



fall in a vacuum ;'no air) 



Facl N >. 5 is that these falls, 1, 4, 9, 16 and so on, correct- 

 ly iudic ite the effects of gravity on the ball after it leaves 

 the muzzle and when considered as lite s of fall, they locate 

 the bullet and thus establish four points in the curve or tra- 



up. He goes on: "The point-blank of our artillerists is not 

 accepted by those of other countries, as with them it is the 

 extreme horizontal distance reached by the bullet, before it 

 falls under (or cuts the second time) the line of sight." 



The parentheses are ours. He here evidently refers to the 

 French and American point-blank, though not quite clearly. 

 I will now insert this definition as I gave it in my article, 

 which he copied. For a full explanation of it see the article 

 itself. 



" By POINT-BLANK is meant the SEOONDpoinl, where 

 the trajectory or curved path of the ball cuts the line of 

 sight. 



" This second intersection of the line of sight by the ball 

 is made in its descending flight, after having first cut it near 

 the piece in ascending." (Figure 1.) 



With the present article 1 further contribute a very impor- 

 tant drawing, clearly illustrating this definition and the prin- 

 ciples of ritlc shooting. 



He continues : "This principle (the French and American 

 system) Dougall in his treatise on the art of shooting, consid- 

 ers a better definition than the British, although it is open to 

 the grave objection that it ■misleads by not admitting that 

 there may have been a curve in the flight of the ball before 

 cutting the level of the sight (or line of sight)." 



Now, I have never seen the treatise of Mr. Dougall, a prom- 

 inent gunmaker in England, and, 1 believe, of Express rifles, 

 but I will assume that his meaning is correctly represented 

 above, if not quoted exactly, and will reply accordingly. 



I am unable to see that the definition is open to any ' 'grave 

 objection" whatever. It is simply the announcement of onb 

 plain fact, which every point-blank shot verifies. It does 

 not profess to define the nature of the path of the ball in any 

 part of its flight. This evidently was not its original object, 

 but only to fix a mathematical point from which, as an ele- 

 ment, in combination with others, the trajectory could be 

 mathematically determined and plotted. This fixed point 

 and the one at the centre of the bore determine the length or 

 base of the curve. From these points and the base we can 

 reason, and so solve the problem, but without them we are 

 helpless. Point-blank is also made a very useful term of 

 reference in works on gunnery as well as in ordinary prac- 

 tice. Whether any part of the trajectory is straight or not 

 is left for scientists and practical men to say, but certainly 

 the definition, in the general application of which Mr. Dou- 

 gall sees "grave objections," repudiates the idea of the tra- 

 jectory being anything but a curved line throughout its 

 course. , 



As we have before illustrated, the law of gravity settles 

 the nature of the trajectory, and this fact sets aside the coin- 

 plai'.t made hv Mr. Donsall. It has no bottom to it. 



,1 Nf>r Definition,.— The editor continues : " The true and 



FIGURE 1. 



J2S— 



- , n „ „ f c i„i,t liktiiPMnw cn !s the line of Are. or axis nt the hore prolonged; the barrel always rotnts above the target 

 v ,^'^T In*,? ,^ «*"'" '«W-.M««.'*. Kis the near point-blank. The 



Buiu'sluii will centre both at K and B anil nowhere else. 



honest point-blank range he [Dougall] holds, and we [the 

 editor] agree with him, is the extreme range attained with- 

 out sensible curve or trajectory, so that up to that range the 

 shooter has to make no calculations or allowance in firing, 

 but to aim ' dead on ' to the exact point he wishes to hit." 



The above is very easily said. Now, let us see if it can be 

 done, and notice the sad results of such shooting. 



But first in order. Why use the words " true and honest" 

 before p ant-blank range? This "side-hit" calls for the 

 definition of point-blank range, and is taken from my article. 



"By Point-BLANK RANGE is meant the straight line or 

 shortest distance from the piece to the point-blank, or in 

 practice, to the target whose centre is struck at this point." 

 — CB Diagram No. 1 . 



OonStWtion*— Now draw a horizontal line, A B, from left 

 to Tiffht to represent the axis of piece and the "line of lire, 

 Which lis but the centionof the axis of the gum Draw it 

 gov 10 inches Ions, then divide it into 10 equal parts, each 

 nart to represent -one yard and one equal time-the whole 

 line thus representing 10 yards and 10 equal times. I r >nl 

 •' '» considered as the muzzle, the path of the trajectory 

 ....nimences and you wish to represent it further To do so 

 from the divisions 1, 2. 3 and 4, and numbered from the 

 muzzle let fall four vertical lines, whose length* shall be 



:::„;; '^cU i, 4, «, t«, etc-r-io, mo, 9-10, 10.10 m. 



will be found satisfactory and easy to plot. 



Now draw a curved line from the muzzle through the 

 lower ends of these lines and you will have a cur/cd irajec 

 v for the first ten yards of the range, though greatly dis- 

 torted and the values of the falls are unknown I; is the 

 principle that I am illustrating. The point of all this is that, 



Now, in both the English and American point-blank 



FIGURE 2. 



Mi'- 1. .n ' '' ' " ■ ' '"' ",'': "- ' ' 1 .'" S „.,-.. levatt 



■■ ' '' -'■" '-' ' ■" ' : ', ' ','' ',■■ ' ',,',. !.".„i.-', I '•■„' 1 .»< ;,'. Hi- 



Ilf in-e. par -iH'-l. ■-' 1 . .ne. cusume iium luci -m. 



with these facts before him, no oue can deny that the first 



ten yards of the trajectory is a curved line (as will be proven 



hereafter), or assert that it is a straight one for an inch. 



Re 1 ember that fall and voce both begin at the isstant of 



discharge We specially invite the attention of Mr. Van 



Dyke. "The Still Hunter," to this point. The difler, mce oj 



ill of the bullet in taovo or iti air is inappreciable tor 



ten yards, also any change in the velocity of the ball, and thus 



the limes are virtually equal for each ten yards of the range. 



The same law of gravity governs a trajectory for one yard 



and fur one inch as it does for ten yards. _ 



Then why, with the law of gravity storing them in the 



..,.„; ,:,,: , curved trajectory throughout, do'Bome 



- ic ooolrary ? I do not 



-ut. ratbif ii»Mg 



■ yjhg);, " nfl«K}«wrt 



for two shots First, the horizontal allot, 01 winch the curve J shows 



1 the obllniie sl-.r.r "f.( which I lie em •, r- •> shows t lm In Ik'ln lurn above 

 ,.|., .,„, ill ;,.■, ,:.i,.|[ 1 M MJ in hot:; in.. Hie iiv,|i !er la '.--I-:. •'-. .' i am! 

 ine ol Sight 



ranges the distances are measured in practice. ^ There is, 

 then, no want, of "truth and honesty " iu tbis. So also are 

 the two given points defined as point-blank. There is, then, 

 no want of "truth or honesty" in either of these. Thus, 

 both definitions define only plain, positive tacts, ami fuels 

 necessary to be known, in order to nail the trajectory just, 

 where die fads in the case place it. 



Query— May it not be possible that these stern facts serve 

 to nail it too exactly in its true place? I confess I sometimes 

 think so and that, some persons, having a hobby, would like 

 1 he true awards of the definitions, that is, measure 

 for measure, without regnrd to this or that kind of rifle. 

 I'lms the definitions, both American and British, are "truth- 

 One might infer from Mr- Daugali ? re* 



igSiViflinti' w it app*w», m fl» wtyM it r> 



point-blank. I regret this, for I do not understand whether 

 he completely ignons such a. lleed point or not. Be this as 

 it may, his dtfiuition does not allow of any ehtmg'e of eleva- 

 tion or variation in the mode of sighting for his ideal range, 

 and this we will Twld, him to. 



To my mind, however, it appears as if he wishes to have it 

 understood by the public that ceitain rifles (his express, per- 

 haps) shoot so nearly straight at long hunting distances that 

 no elevation is required, nor judging of distances necessary, 

 nor varying the aim, but that the shooter has only to draw 

 si»ht up and " to aim dead on the exact point he wishes to 

 hit " iu order to hit it. 



For Mr. Dougall to c'aim the right (he may not J of any 

 elevation for his ideal range 1 think is inconsistent with his 

 loose definition, but I will allow him a point-blank elevation 

 for each range and so treat the subject. 



As he failed to commit himself in regard to the length ot his 

 range, or of any range, we are obliged to hunt for it, as best 

 we can. Tlvs may be done by asking questions iu regard to 

 the range and then applying the approximate results of rifle 

 I - i i ig to answer them. In the fufure we hope to learn 

 from Mr. Dougall himself his approximate results ia rifle 

 shooting— I mean genuine results, not guess work. The pub- 

 lic wants facts. 



" Sensible curve or trajectory," as will 1)2 seen, appears to be 

 the ruling fact in determining i he length of Mr. Dougall's un 

 defined range — hence I put these questions to him : 



First — What amount of curvature in the trajectory consti- 

 tutes "sensible curve or trajectory ?" 



Second— At about what distance from the muzzle will 

 this amount be found 1 



Third — Under his definition for " point-bl lank range " is a 

 point-blank recognized? 



Fourth— If so, what determines it, and where is it found V 



Fifth— Is the definition for "point-blank range" iu his 

 ideal range general, in its application, or only applicable to 

 this or that rifle? 



Sixth— Can his definition or definitions be used in science 

 to calculate the trajectory and to plot it ? 



Seventh — What advantages have they over the British and 

 American definitions that he should prefer them ? 



Explicit answers to these questions, especially to the first, 

 and second, will throw much light on this subject. Facts 

 only must settle the doubtful questions. 



To proceed iu the inquiry for the ideal range, I will first 

 assume the rifle or rifles to have a point-blank elevation for 

 200 \ards and 100 grains of " FG " American powder for 

 loads. 



Q. 1. Can the range be 200 yards ? 



!No, unless we wish to shoot about 7 to 10.-J inches over a 

 turkey's head at 110 yards, when " aiming dead on the exact 

 spot " we wish " to hit." 



Most surely such wild shooting as this will never bag the 

 turkeys in the United States or Canada, nor will it in hunt- 

 ing kill any but large deer, though i f may frighten the smaller 

 ones away with their wdiite flags a-flying. 



This 7 to 10{ inches gradually diminishes to nothing at ' — 

 first and second intersections of the line of sight by the bul- 

 let, as fubv explained in my previous article. 



In the next case I assume the rifle's point-blank to be 150 

 yards. 



Q. 2. Can the range be 150 yards ? 



No, unless we wish to shoot a' out 3Uo 5| inches over at 75 

 and SOyards, "aiming dead on thecxact point we wish to hit." 

 Such shooting would be very apt to miss a deer's head or a 

 turkey, while all small game along mid-range "aimed dead 

 on" would escape. This will never do. 



This 3J to 5J inches gradually diminishes to nothing, as 

 remarked above. 



Thus "aiming dead on" is again a failure, especially in the 

 case of all- small game shot at along the range, between 

 about 30 and 135 yards. 



I next assume the point-blank to be 100 yards. 



Q. 3. Can the range be 100 yards ? 



No, unless we wish to shoot about ljto.3', inches, "aim- 

 ing dead on the exact point we wish to hit," at 40, 50, GO and 

 70 yards. 



This " sensible curve or trajectory " will never answer to 

 give us the best results, as, for instance, where the object is 

 to knock off a squirrel's head along mid-range. No 1 you 

 will shoot right over four times infiveby aiming "dead ou" the 

 centre. Every person who has used the rifle much knows 

 this to be so ; then why set forth absurdities or issue lessons 

 pointing to them ? But in hunting large game— deer, ante- 

 lope, bear, wolves, geese, turkey - , etc. — aiming "deadonj" 

 will usually answer. Thus "aiming dead on" the exact po nt 

 we wish to hit is a failure iu Shotting along the 100 yard 

 range, for the rifle will certainly shoot overall small game 

 along mid-range. To this rule there is no exc ption, no 

 matter who makes the rifle or what is its name. This error 

 of 1| to 24; inches (too high) at or near mid-range, diminishes 

 gradually both ways to nothing, as before described. 



I next suppose the rifle to have a point-blank for 50 yards. 

 • Q. 4. Can the range be 50 yards - 



Yes, for all hunting purposes, though the rifle will shoot 

 over about one-quarter to one- half inch at 35 yards. But 

 " aiming dead on" will not win the prize in Conlm's gallery. 

 unless the rifle has the proper point-blank or the aim is a 

 little changed on the face of the target. Strictly speaking, 

 aiming "dead on" can never nio, for the ball falls below 

 the object aimed at. 



NO ELEVATION. 



I have now presented the sad results of aiming " dead on" 

 (in accordance with Mr. D ugab's Iheoiy) under the most 

 favorable circumstances, by allowing the rifl: to have four 

 different elevations. 1 will next r,-;t -d the case of no eleva- 

 tion, or point-blank, which I think [allies with his definition 

 or views. 



First.— If the rifle has no e evatiou of sight, then it will 

 always sho r 'l too lo-v and can nev; r make a point-blank, or 

 centre shot, at any dislancs. The instant the bullet leaves 

 the muzzle it is nearer the centre of the target, considered 

 vertically, than it will ever be again throughout the range. 



Bedond. — If "aimed dead on" the centre, the bullet will 

 miss a pigeon or a 3-iuch ciicle at. 50 yards, a large tui k 

 a 13-inch c=rcle at 110 yards, a large buck or B 84-iheh circle 

 at lollvards, and the largest, elk or a 48-inch CTClo ai 200 

 yards. " Here I stop, for the animals are becoming too small 

 in proportion to the distance to be hit in the "dead level 

 Bights, " aiming right on the. centre." 



We therefore fee that aiming "dead on " with "dead level 

 sights" and making good shooting is preposterous. I am 

 ready to prove that point-bla.uk shooting, which is always 

 made under an '' ' rear ficbts. ir: o.t ■ ■ ■ 



. mpBtloi W " dead -'chie 



' -at gn. 01 tin 



