34 
FOREST AND S T R E A M 
January, 1919 
i 
THE TYRO’S PRIMER 
CERTAIN TERMS. PHRASES AND IDIOMATIC EXPRESSIONS 
USED BY MILITARY RIFLEMEN ARE DEFINED AND EXPLAINED 
By CAPTAIN ROY S. TINNEY 
(CONTINUED FROM LAST MONTH'' 
Funny thing 
happened 
the other morning in the Pullman dressing 
room. You know there is always one 
youth who tries to conceal that it’s his 
first Pullman trip by getting dressed be- 
fore six and then sitting in the dressing 
room for two hours, smoking, and taking 
up room needed for bags and suit cases. 
One of these pests recently added light 
conversation to his other offences. 
“I see you use *Mennen’s Shaving Cream,” 
he said to me. ‘‘I was reading an ad about 
it yesterda 5 ', written by a wise guy named 
Jim Henry. He’s a hot-air artist aw’right. 
Is the stuff any good.^” 
Then he caught sight of my name en- 
graved on my bag, and the dressing room 
became less crowded immediately. 
Since the Boss made me start writing these 
ads, over a million men have become addicts 
to Mennen’s, and I suppose ten million have 
become familiar with my name from seeing it 
so often; yet I doubt if a hundred people, 
outside of my customers, know that I am Jim 
Henry, Mennen salesman. 
It’s a big satisfaction, though, to know that 
each morning a million men build up a creamy 
Mennen lather without rubbing in with fingers; 
using cold water if they like — and lots of it; 
and then enjoy the sort of shave that gives 
one a hunch that it’s going to be a pretty 
good day after all. 
“Jim Henry” may not mean much to you, 
but Mennen’s Shaving Cream will mean pleas- 
ant shaves for the rest of your life if you will 
send 12c. for one of my demonstrator tubes. 
Target Terms 
Possible — A full score— to eat up the 
target. To obtain every point the target 
can give — every shot a bull’s-eye. On 
military targets the bull counts five 
points and a “ten-shot possible” is ex- 
pressed “50 X 50,” fifty points scored out 
of a possible score of fifty. On the deci- 
mal targets used for civilian competitions 
the bull counts ten points and a “possible” 
is indicated, “100x 100.” When express- 
ing a score in numerals the first number 
shows the number of points made and the 
second number the highest possible score, 
for example, 42 x 50 or 82%, the score a 
man must average to qualify as an “Ex- 
pert” over the “Militia” or Outdoor 
Small-bore Qualification Course pre- 
scribed by the National Rifle Association. 
Bull’s-eye — The black circular division 
in the center of the bull’s-eye target. 
Sighting Bull — The circular black spot 
on the decimal and reduced military tar- 
gets made large enough to permit being 
seen through the sights without eye- 
strain. The size of this aiming point is 
based upon the laws of optics and bears 
no relation to the graduations upon the 
target. Scoring Btdl — The center of the 
sighting bull, indicated by a fine white 
circle invisible from the firing point. A 
bullet must either cut or strike inside 
this hair-line of white to count as a bun’s 
eye. For example: The quarter-size re- 
duction of the military “A” target, 
known as the “A-4,” has a three-inch 
“sighting bull” and a two-inch “scoring 
bull” counting “5”; and the standard 
small-bore, decimal target for 100 yards 
has a six-inch “sighting bull” and a two- 
inch “scoring bull” counting “10.” 
Nipper, also known as a Wart on the 
Bull , — A shot that just cuts or touches 
the edge of the scoring bull, and while it 
counts 5 or 10 points, as the case may be, 
the larger part of the bullet hole is in the 
first ring, so that the print made by the 
ball just nips the bull and stands out like 
a wart. 
Pin-wheel — A shot striking almost or 
exactly in the center of the bull’s-eye. 
Group — The cluster of shot holes made 
on the t.arget. The accuracy of arms and 
ammunition is usually determined by 
groups of ten consecutive shots fired at 
the various standard ranges; i. e., 100, 
200, 300 or 500 yards and the group is 
measured in three ways: (1) By a circle 
indicating the maximum spread, the di- 
ameter of this circle being determined by 
the distance from center to center of the 
two shot holes that are the greatest dis- 
tance apart. A “two-inch group,” means 
that the entire ten shots are inside of or 
upon the circumference of a two-inch cir- 
cle. (2) By a rectangle that will include 
every shot fired. This figure shows 
whether the greatest deviation was ver- 
tical or horizontal. (3) By the “mean- 
absolute-deviation” from the center of 
impact. This is a mathmatical calcula- 
tion that gives the exact degree of accu- 
racy displayed and can not be expressed 
in a mere definition. 
On the target — To get on the target or 
find the target. When sighting in a new 
rifle the most difficult thing is to so ad- 
just the sights that the bullet will strike 
somewhere inside the target frame and 
on the paper, permitting the marker in 
the pit to spot the shot with a spotter or 
disk. Once this is accomplished the final 
correction of the sight adjustment is a 
comparatively simple matter. 
Sight in — To adjust the sights of a 
rifle so it will hit where it is aimed over 
a given range under the existing condi- 
tions of wind, atmosphere and ammuni- 
tion. This must be done by the shooter 
himself as the difference in eyes renders 
a standard sight adjustment impossible. 
Disk — A long stick with a circular disk 
on the end, used by the marker in the pit 
for signaling the results of the hits on 
the target. The bull’s-eye of the military 
target counts “5” and a hit there is sig- 
naled by placing a ivhite disk over the 
shot hole against the black of the bull. 
A “4” or “center” is signaled by a red 
disk; A “3,” also known as an “inner’’ 
or a “magpie,” is signaled by a black- 
cross painted upon a circular white disk, 
and a “2” or “outer” is signaled by a cir- 
cular black disk. 
Spotter — The man who, during slow 
fire, observes the target, usually through 
a telescope, and calls out the value and 
position of each hit made. Usually the 
result of each shot is announced orally 
and recorded on the black board or score 
card, and sometimes the spotting is 
graphically indicated at the firing line by 
pins stuck into a wooden target placed 
there for the purpose. The term spotter 
is also applied to an octagonal or circu- 
lar cardboard disk, white on one side and 
black on the other, and pierced in the 
center by a wire or pin. When the target 
is pierced by a bullet it is drawn into the 
pit and the spotter is placed over the 
shot hole so that when the target again 
rises into view the exact location of the 
last shot fired is indicated by the spotter. 
If the shot is in the bull the white side of 
the spotter is exposed, if outside of the 
bull the black side is tow'ard the firing 
line. 
(TO BE CONTINUED NEXT MONTH) 
( Mennen Salesman ) 
