February, 1920 
FOREST AND STREAM 
59 
matically and be accurately checked 
while aiming without loss of time. 
On the other hand when one uses a 
fine or full sight it is especially diffi- 
cult to always obtain the exact same 
amount of front sight for 3. number of 
shots. ' 
While the sights on your favorite 
shooting iron may not be as illustrated, 
yet the principle is there and can be 
applied to all good forms of open sights. 
The same principle applies to the use 
of the peep sight and it will be a great 
help if one has a horizontal line put in 
(See Line C, D, Fig. 7) that divides 
the circle equally, so that in aiming you 
can always bring the top of your front 
sight level with this line. 
Figures 1 and 7 represent the appear- 
ance of the sights, when taken properly. 
Figures 2 and 3 are incorrect for the 
normal shot, though when one has thor- 
oughly mastered the art of shooting and 
can make creditable scores such sights 
would be helpful for small increases or 
decreases of the range. 
However, this is the exception that 
proves the rule and should not be done 
except under exceptional conditions. 
Figures 4, 5 and 6, are common errors 
and should be eliminated. BE SURE 
THAT YOUR FRONT SIGHT IS AC- 
CURATELY CENTERED IN THE 
REAR SIGHT NOTCH IN THE CASE 
OF OPEN SIGHTS AND IN THE 
CIRCLE FOR PEEP SIGHTS. 
This point is important and in prac- 
tice should be watched assiduously and 
photographed indelibly on your brain so 
that when you are shooting for meat, 
any error instantly becomes apparent 
and is corrected. 
While aiming, do not breathe as this 
will derange your aim. It has been 
found that one aims best with the 
lungs half inflated. 
In practice it has been found best to 
keep your eye on the target and bring 
the rifle up to target from below. AL- 
WAYS FOCUS YOUR EYE ON THE 
TARGET AND NEVER ON EITHER 
THE FRONT OR REAR SIGHTS. 
H AVING acquired the ability to al- 
most unconsciously assume the 
proper position of both rifle and 
body and also assuming that the hunter 
thoroughly understands the principles, 
and applies them, of proper aiming he 
is now prepared to finish his education 
by beginning the all important training 
of squeezing the trigger. I say that the 
trigger squeeze is all important because 
so many game shots fail to consider it at 
all and as a result they get no further 
advanced, this being due in a great many 
cases to improper trigger squeeze or com- 
plete failure to squeeze the trigger. 
Ability to squeeze the trigger is the de- 
ciding factor between good shots and ex- 
cellent shots so I feel that I cannot lay 
too much stress on this most important 
point. 
By all means, no matter what rifle you 
prefer have some slack in your trigger; 
that is, a perceptible backward move- 
ment before you feel it take hold and the 
real business of squeezing commences. 
Jerking the trigger must be eliminated. 
In squeezing the trigger the first op- 
eration consists in taking up the slack 
and then exerting a steady, progressive, 
pressure, so that you do not know exactly 
when the rifle will be fired. Have your 
lungs about half inflated while squeez- 
ing. 
With proper trigger squeezing flinch- 
ing is unknown because you cannot 
flinch if you do not know just when the 
explosion is to take place. If you 
flinch afterward no damage would be 
done. 
The pressure on the trigger should 
come from the second joint of the trig- 
ger finger and the squeeze exerted by 
the whole hand, and not by the trigger 
finger alone. The nearest approach to 
the proper squeeze can best be illus- 
trated by likening it to the squeeze one 
exerts with the whole hand when squeez- 
ing a sponge. 
The prime points to be remembered are 
that the pressure must be steady while 
the sights are properly aligned; hold 
what you have squeezed if your sights 
come off your target and continue the 
steady pressure when your sights are 
again properly aligned. 
REMEMBER THAT THE TRIGGER 
SQUEEZE IS THE MOST IMPORT- 
ANT FACTOR IN MAKING HITS, and 
practise it until you do it properly even 
though it does become irksome at times. 
You cannot become a good shot until it 
is mastered, so in practising position, 
aiming, and trigger squeeze, the average 
man can well afford to spend the major 
portion of his time on this all important 
point. 
I have found about a five-pound pull 
to be excellent for game purposes even 
for the most difficult of running shots, 
and combined with a little slack the best 
all round combination. 
When firing at a running deer you still 
must squeeze the trigger when your 
sights are w'here you want to aim, only 
in this case the squeeze is necessarily 
faster. Your point of aim for running 
deer of course varies with the velocity 
of your bullet, distance from the game, 
speed of the game, whether running 
parallel to you, etc. To jerk the trigger 
under any circumstances is ruinous. 
K EEP your eye on the game all the 
time between shots and do your re- 
loading as quickly as possible so 
that more time may be spent in aiming 
and trigger squeezing. This is important 
for standing shots and essential in run- 
ning shots. By keeping your eye on the 
deer the rifle immediately comes into 
approximate alignment and no time is 
wasted in locating the target. Seconds 
are golden when the big buck jumps so 
you must remember to load and assume 
position quickly, thereby allowing more 
time for aiming and squeezing. 
By watching the running deer between 
shots you may, if you miss, see where 
your shots struck and be able to correct 
your error for the next shot. 
I know there are some good so-called 
“snap shots,” but I have yet to see one 
of them who could hold his own with a 
good “squeeze” shot. 
Put up a target in the back yard and 
devote fifteen minutes a day for two 
weeks, conscientiously going through the 
various exercises outlined and then beg, 
borrow or steal a .22 and fire twenty 
times deliberately, calling your shot and 
checking yourself each time to see that 
you are not committing errors, and the 
score you make will surprise you. 
Before going after that buck spend a 
little time estimating distances, that is, 
so train your eye that you are able to 
tell within a reasonable distance just 
how far the game is from the rifle. Why 
lose him by misjudging the range when 
just a little effort on your part before 
hand would have brought you a hit in- 
stead of a miss? A few shots at a mark 
before the big hunt will show you where 
your rifle shoots besides giving you a 
chance to try yourself out after having 
practised the above rules. 
I. use a 3,000 foot second velocity bolt 
action gun and have a two leaf rear 
sight; the first set for 150 yards and the 
second for 300 yards. I find this com- 
bination just what I want as with these 
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