420 



FOEEST AND STEEAM. 



RIFLE 



PRACTICE OF THE 

 GUARD, 1 877. 



NATIONAL 



XA7 E ,,c g to acknowledge the receipt of the report issued 

 V V by col. Geo. W. Wingate, general inspector of rifle 

 practice, and Brigadier-General John B. Woodward, inspector 

 general of the State of New York. From this interesting 

 document we make the following abstracts : 



" lUfie Ranges. — During the past year nine new ranges 

 have been completed, viz. : at Albany, Watertown, Plica, 

 Elmira, Ellicottville, Westfleld, Warsaw, Batavia and Lock- 

 port. This does not include several ranges established by 

 separate companies. One range, that at Ithaca, has been 

 been closed for want of use. The official ranges now used by 

 the National Guard are twenty in number, and are situated at 

 Creedmoor, Albany, Watertown, Mount Vernon ( Westchester 

 County), Yonkers, Poughkeepsie, Syracuse, Ulica, 

 Auburn, Binghamton, Oneonta, Rochester, Elmira, Buffalo, 

 Ellicottville, Westfleld, Warsaw, Batavia and Lockport. 

 Tins is exclusive of several ranges established by various sep- 

 arate companies as to whicb I have received no report. 

 During the year most, of these were personally inspected by 

 me unci found to be in good condition. During the past sea- 

 son the range at Creedmoor has been used by over 8,000 

 troops practicing under orders, and if the addition be made of 

 individual practice, the total number would be 12,000." 



Coi. Wingate gives the following excellent advice in regard 

 to the construction of ranges : 



"Heretofore the tendency in constructing rifle ranges has 

 been to make them too large and too costly. This has been 

 checked as far as possible and always should be. Prom 500 

 to 000 yards is the longest distance required for military 

 shooting, and it is to military shooting that a range must look 

 for support. The number who desire to shoot at greater dis- 

 tances is always small, and it is difficult and expensive to 

 procure a range which will accommodate them. Neither is it 

 necessary that a range should lie exactly level, as inequalities 

 of the ground may be overcome at a slight expense by the 

 erection of raised firing points. Where a range has cost too 

 much it suffers in the end. Its resources are consumed in 

 keeping down its debt and its operations are constantly 

 crippled. In establishing a range it never should be for- 

 gotten that if it is not convenient and easy of access it never 

 will become popular or successful. This is too apt to be 

 overlooked from an erroneous idea of the necessity of having 

 a 1,000-yards range. Neither is it necessary that a range 

 should be purchased or be devoted exclusively to rifle prac- 

 tice. Generally the right to shoot over it upon as many days 

 as are necessary can be secured at a moderate rent, Where 

 the companies of a regiment are detached it is better to have 

 several company ranges, though of the cheapest and most 

 primitive description, than one first-class regimental range. 

 The former plan will result in improving all~the companies, 

 while the latter will only help those located near it. As a 

 general thing the saving in the transportation of detached 

 companies will, in a single year, go far toward fitting up sepa- 

 rate ranges for them. 1 think this should be borne in mind 

 in making appropriations for ranges during the next year." 



" Improvement in Marksmanship. — The great improve- 

 ment in skill that has been shown in the practice of the troops 

 in the past two years still continues, although the general 

 ignorance in regard to the use of the rifle, which was univer- 

 sal a few years ago, is so rapidly diminishing that the time 

 will soon arrive when the percentages of annual improvement 

 which have hitherto been shown can no longer be attained. 

 This period, however, has not yet been reached. Not only has 

 the number of those qualifying in the lower classes increased 

 during the past year, but the skill displayed by those shooting 

 is of a much higher, grade. This is specially shown by the 

 great increase in the number of marksmen. ' The aggregate 

 number of men of whose practice reports have been received, 

 was 13,343, as against 10,946 in 1876, and 7,670 in 1875. Of 

 these 8,024, or about 68 per cent, qualified in the third class 

 (at 100 and 150 yards), as against 5,341 in 1876 and 2,235 in 

 1875. Of these 4,930, or about 61 per cent, qualified in the 

 second class (at 300 and 400 yards), as against 2,909 in 1870 

 and 802 in 1875, a gain of 08 per cent. The total number re- 

 ported as qualifying as marksmen was 2,120, as against 918 in 

 1876 and 533 in 1875, being 16 per cent, of those shooting, 

 and a gain of 131 per cent." 



In regard to actual practice on the range, Col. Wingate re- 

 ports : 



" In order to make rifle shooting attractive, it is necessary 

 that when men are taken to the range they should be kept 

 shooting. If they spend an entire day, and are allowed to 

 lire only ten shots (as was frequently the case in previous 

 years), they feel as if they bad wasted their time. Moreover, 

 the great object to be kept in view is, not the. training of a 

 few skilled marksmen, but the instruction of the entire rank 

 and file so as to enable all to have a fair degree of skill with 

 their rifles, and those men who fail to qualify on the first 

 trial are precisely the ones in regard to whose instruction the 

 most attention should be paid. During the practice season 

 volley firing was practiced in the First, Second and several 

 of the other brigades shooting at Creedmoor. The result was 

 beneficial, but the practice was obliged to be discontinued 

 from the injury to the targets and glass caused by the shock 

 of so many bullets and the resulting -'splash." This can be 

 Obviated by the use of temporary wooden targets placed be- 

 ■ the present ones, which might be covered with paper, 

 so that each squad might have a target, which could be re- 

 moved when its practice is completed, so as to save time in 

 counting the shots. 



" Volley firing and also file firing are valuable as giving the 

 men that " tire discipline " upon which so much stress is laid 

 in the German army, and which accustoms them to the con- 

 ditions of actual warfare. It is, however, a portion of in- 

 struction which should not be taken up except by those who 

 acquired sufficient skill in individual practice as to 

 qualify as first-class shots. 



"I think the number of these have now become so great as 

 to make it proper that some practice of this description 

 should hereafter be permitted. A prize for volley or file 

 tiring by company teams would be useful, and I hope to see 

 such a match introduced by the National Rifle Association 

 and the other rifle associations of the State." 



In revising the Inter-State match, and comparing the scores 

 made with similar matches abroad, the report of the Inspector- 

 General presents the followipginteresting facts : 



If the scores made in this match are compared with those 

 made in a recent contest between the English Volunteers and 

 Regulars, it will be seen that the Volunteers (Queen's West- 

 minster), using the Snider, averaged 38.4 at 200 yards, and 

 36.80 at 500 yards, total average 74.30 ; the Regulars (Scotch 



Grays j, using the Henry-Martmi, averaged at. both distances 

 72.10. In the Inter-State match the averages of California 

 were 41,58 at 200 and 41.33 at 500--total, 82.91, and of New 

 1 ork 40 at 200 and 40.58 at 500— total, 80.58. The oompari- 

 son at 209 yards may not be valuable, as the English shot 

 lying down and at a smaller target, but at the longer distance 

 the conditions were the same. 



The inspector pays the following merited complement to 

 the victors : 



The pluck and interest manifested by the California team 

 in coming such a distance to participa te in this match, and 

 the skill they have displayed is worthy of the warmest com- 

 mendation, and no regret should be felt, at their success. On 

 the contrary, their victory has done much to increase the 

 public interest in this competition, and to make it a national 

 instead of a local contest. 



As to accidents, Colonel Wingate is happy to state that he 

 knows of no serious accident. The changes in the form of 

 the butts introduced last last year having prevented the injuries 

 to the markers from the "splash" of the bullets, which for- 

 merly were apt to follow from firing on a wrong target, and 

 which threatened to become a serious drawback to the use of 

 iron targets. 



The report, is very thorough of its kind, and embraces the 

 practice of all the various regiments with percentage of im- 

 provement, and many details, from which we find that the 

 Seventy-first Regiment is the first in order of merit, their 

 figure of merit being represented by 85.62. In a future issue 

 we propose entering into further details in regard to thisreport. 



A CURIOUS RIFLE BALL. 



Editor Forest and StrkItt : Montreal, Nov. 27, 1S77. 



For the past twelve years I have annually hunted the red deer in the 

 same locality— on one of the southern tributaries of the Ottawa River. 

 The "Bush " is about tweive miles in diameter, and is surrounded by 

 settlement- 1 , which go far to preclude the chance of deer from other 

 parts wandering into these. I do not exaggerate when I say I Em 

 familiar with the makes of all the guns that have been used by others 

 in that district during that period. Last month I shot the largest stag 

 I have ever seen. All hands said it must weigh undressed at least 400 

 pounds ; it had eleven points on one horn and ten on the other. When 

 the skin was removed, I noticed on that portion that covered the 

 neck a lump, the cause of which I at once proceeded to investigate 

 with my knife, when I extricated from a compact mas3 of gristly 

 matter on the skin, a bullet, the like of which 1 have never seen before ; 

 neither have any of the old settlers in that neighborhood seen an arm 

 discharging such a missile. This bullet I have sent for your inspec- 

 tion by a friend residing in New York, who leaves this city to-day. I 

 refer this matter to your wide experience, that you may express your 

 views as to the arm which discharged the shot, Tour conclusions 

 may also tend in some measure to throw further light ou the question 

 of tiie duration of life of the red deer, iaasmuch as many years must 

 have elapsed since this strangely formed bullet bored lis way through 

 the deer's hide. 

 Touts truly, -r. h. Kilby. , 



[We have carefully studied over the bullet sent by our cor- 

 respondent, of which we give a fac-simile. The diameter of 

 this nondescript ball is 74-100 ; length, 15-16, and length of 

 bearing in rifling 17-32d of an inch ; weight, t| oz. The ball 

 has twelve grooves and bands . We think it is a ball belonging 

 to a system of arms in use fully fifty years ago. The bullet 

 was expanded laterally by mechanical force, applied with the 

 ram-rod. This seems quite evident, as the folds of the paper 

 cartridge are indented on the base of the ball We think the 

 arm which fired this bullet was of French or German make. 

 We should be glad if any of our readers would further en- 

 lighten us in regard to this ball.] 



GEN. PORTER ON AMERICAN ARMS. 



A public dinner in this city, without a response from Gen. 

 Horace Porter to one or another of the toasts, would un- 

 doubtedly leave a fit of indigestion upon the diners. He, 

 quiet and sedate himself, raises such rolls and peals of laugh- 

 ter, so sidc-splittiug efforts in cachinnation, as to positively 

 endanger the lives of many of his hearers. The " Army and 

 Navy" is the general peg on which Gen. Porter hangs his 

 witticisms, but as he has given up the profession of arms for 

 the more peaceful calling of managing the Pullman Palace 

 Car Company, hence it was necessary to change somewhat 

 the usual toast ; but Yankee ingenuity was equal to the task 

 at the dinner of.the New England Society, at Delmonico's, on 

 the evening of the 22d, and it was our pleasure to hear an- 

 other of his sparkliDg talks in response to the toast ; 



" internal Improvements— The triumph of American invention, the 

 palace runs on wheels. ' When thy car is laden with (dead) 

 head;, good " Porter," turn the key.' V 



Secretary of State, Evarts, speaking of the readiness of the 

 people to sustain their rights by arms, said that "Bayonets 

 are not an institution to be sat upon." Gen. Porter supple- 

 mented this by continuing : 



"The Secretary of War has told you that bayonets are not 

 an institution to be sat down upon; they are equally bad to 

 be tossed upon. If these things go on, and bayonets are to 

 be encouraged by the secretary to such irregular proceedings, 

 and hold up such terrors to the army, a man won't; know 

 where to wear his breast-plate. [Laughter.] A little time 

 ago, when some of us youngsters in the war thought we were 

 doing well enough to shoot people with the single-loading 

 rifle, along comes the inventive Yankee, and then Ave had 

 Gatling guns and repeaters and magazine guns, and pretty 

 soon we. shall have weapons we can load upon Sunday to last 

 us through the week. But not only in the guns, but in the 



style of using them as well, we have turned things about 

 Now, when a man is about to shoot, he flops down on his 

 back, twists himself about a rifle barrel, rests the end of it. 

 on his big toe, looks through a complete set of astronomical 

 instruments, and hits every time. [Laughter.] It used to 

 be the man who was shot, but now it, is the man who shoots 

 that drops on his back and cocks up his toes. Not content to 

 do our own experimenting in arms, we have inveigled other 

 nations to war by our tempting little pieces. Russia and 

 Turkey got our arms, and went to war to try them, and 

 little Greece got a schooner load, and is itching to take a hand 

 in somewhere to see how they work." 



— •--♦* — 



A Reply to Sie Henby Halfoed.— The Volunteer Ser- 

 vice Gazette, of the 15th of December, publishes an interest- 

 ing letter of Mr. Geo. S. Schermerhorn, Jr.,- secretary of the 

 N. R. A., in regard to the practice of the Americans as a 

 team. From Mr. Schermcrhorn's letter we take the follow- 

 ing extracts, in reply to Sir Henry Halford, who writes : 



"The team we had to contend against had been at work cm 

 a team since April last, with its staff of mockers and spotters 

 in whom its men learned to place the utmost reliance, upon 

 the very ranges on which the match was shot. On the other 

 hand, our men were only able to have three days? practice to- 

 gether as a team." 



The secretary of the N. R. A. makes the following stale 

 ment : 



" I think Sir Henry is very much in error in this statement, 

 as I shall attempt to show : It was not until June 9, 1877, 

 that the Board of Directors of the National Rifle Association 

 adopted a programme for the selection of the American team 

 of 1877, and appointed therein a series of four competitions of 

 two days each, viz., July 17 andlS, 24 and 25, 31, and August 

 1, 7 and 8. On the 14th of August the American team was 

 selected in accordance with the terms of this programme. 



" The first practice as a team was upon August 21 and 22 ; 

 the second practice was held August 28 and 29, and on these 

 last two days the range was also occupied by our welcome 

 guests, the British riflemen. On September 1 the British 

 practiced, but the Americans did not ; on September 4 and 5 

 both parties practiced; on September 8 the British again 

 practiced, but the Americans did not. To recapitulate, the 

 Americans practiced [as a team only two days before the 

 arrival of the British team and four days afterward — a very 

 different thing you will admit from 'practice, as a team from 

 April last.' 



"It is true that Sir Henry Halford, exercising his judg- 

 ment, practiced nine men even on the very last day for prac- 

 tice ; but it is also true that the British riflemen practiced six 

 days upon the range before the week of the match. No one 

 will be likely to claim that during the competitions for places 

 on the American team, when each man was striving to secure 

 for himself, and without the privilege of coach or spotter, one 

 of these coveted places, that this was team practice." 



In our issue of December 6 we published similar informa- 

 tion in regard to the actual practice of our American riflemen 

 as a team, and are only too glad that the secretary of theVN. 

 R. A. substantiates the facts then advanced by us. 



Magazine Guns.— The Secretary of War, it is reported, 

 will invite inventors and manufacturers of magazine guns to 

 submit their models before a board of officers, which is to 

 meet some time early in April ; calibre must be .45. We have 

 always affirmed that the magazine gun is the gun of the 

 future. 



JPu Mqnnql 



To Cokbbsfondbnts.— Those desiring us to prescribe for tbetr dogs 

 will please take note of and describe the following points in each ani- 

 mal: 



1. Age. 2. Pood and medicine given. 3. Appearanoe of the eye; 

 of tho coat ; of the tongue and lips. 4. Any changos in the appearance 

 of the body, as bloating, drawing in of the Hanks, etc. 5. Breathing, 

 the number of respirations per minute, and whether labored or not. 

 6. Condition of the bowels and secretions of the kidneys, color, etc 7. 

 Appetite; regular, variable, etc. 8. Temperature of the body as indi- 

 cated by the bulb of the thermometer when placed between the body 

 and the foreleg. 9. Give position of kennel and surroundings, outlook, 

 contiguity to other buildings, and the uses of the latter. Also give any 

 peculiarities of temperament, movements, etc., that may be noticed 

 signs of suffering, etc. 



RABIES CANINA. 



920 Pouetkenth St., N. W., Washington, D. C. 



JiiDITOE FOEEST AND SlBEAAI : 



I have just returned from seeing a case of hydrophobia, the 

 history of which may possibly prove of interest to yourself 

 and readers, and I am the more anxious to send you this ac- 

 count, as it gallows (at least clearly to me) that the nitrate of 

 silver (lunar caustic) is not the agent we should employ to 

 cauterize wounds made by a rabid dog. In October last, the 

 20th, I think, a yoimg lad, seventeen' years of age, living near 

 Jenallytown, while standing in front of his father's house, 

 saw a nound-dog coming down the road, and as the 

 animal appeared to be astray, and as he wanted a dog for 

 rabbit hunting, he approached it, and finally took it in his 

 arms, intending to carry it to the stable. "He patted and 

 fondled it, the dog meeting his advances kindly j but when 

 he playfully prilled its ears it turned and bit him slightly on 

 the left hand near the base of the little finger. Going into 

 the house he recounted the circumstance to his mother, who 

 at once took him to a physician, -who, in view of the fact that 

 the animal had evinced no symptoms of madness, did not 

 deem it necessary to cauterize or excise the wound. Two or 

 three days afterward the wound commenced to tingle, burn 

 and throb, and he was again conveyed to a physician, who 

 applied lunar caustic. The wound healed kindly, and nothing- 

 more was thought of the matter, but on Dec. 15 he com- 

 plained of a feeling of soreness in the throat, with a ser. 

 constriction in the precordial region ; shortly after he had a 

 slight chill. Upon attempting to drink water he found it im- 

 possible, and was nearly suffocated at each attempt. The 

 family physician was at once sent for, and recognized bis 

 dangerous malady. He grew rapid! i | bad 



paroxysms of partial delirium, with occasional fits of as- 

 phyxia, during which his breathing would cease for s 

 siderable period. A consultation was called of a numb 

 the most eminent men of the profession, and everything was 



