206 
MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS OF 
The distances thus found should, if unknown to the officer, be care¬ 
fully tested by observations, leisurely taken with large bases, and the men 
should never be allowed to sacrifice accuracy to rapidity. 
In taking the range on sands, from which the tide has receded, the 
pointing of the guns is affected by the sinking of the wheels; the 
remedy for this is to take the object as if it were moving ; it is not fair 
to judge of a squad’s proficiency by its answers the first time on such 
very peculiar ground, but when once the men recognise the source of 
error and make their observations rapidly, the ranges will be as reliable 
as on land. 
Short Account of the Infantry Kange-Finder. 
The infantry range-finders are worked separately or in pairs ; the only 
difference between the two instruments of a pair is that the positions of 
the mirrors and of the figuring are respectively inverted. 
The infantry range-finder may be made to work independently of a 
musket, but the description given is that of a range-finder adapted to the 
stock of a Snider rifle; it consists of a sextant and of a mechanical cal¬ 
culator ; the sextant fits on one side of the stock of the rifle, the calcu¬ 
lator on the other. The sextant does not. resemble the ordinary pocket 
sextant; it consists of a stout steel plate, about seven inches long, and 
two wide, to which is screwed a mirror; on this plate a tangent screw 
moves a steel limb with a second mirror attached. 
The sextant plate is fastened to a stock, recessed for the purpose, by- 
hinges, and shuts snuff-box fashion, making no change in the shape of 
the stock when not in use. 
The observer receives the base in paces, but gives the answer in yds. 
A tape graduated in paces and a pair of rifles will give the range in less 
than half the time occupied by a single rifle. 
The infantry range-finder has been tried before two committees. The 
first was held in November, 1870, and consisted of Major Kirk, 91st 
Highlanders; Captain Chapman, Deputy-Instructor of Musketry; Lieu¬ 
tenant Creagh, 42nd Highlanders. 
The chief trial in this case was a match between the instruments 
(worked by private soldiers), against six picked judges of distance, at 
ranges varying from 500 to 1,000 yds., the distances being taken on in¬ 
fantry soldiers. 
Correct distance 
980 
790 
600 
505 
935 
830 
745 
590 
Error of Range-finder - - 
40 
5 
12 
13 
5 
10 
30 
20 
,, Private Spillman - 
20 
50 
20 
65 
5 
50 
115 
20 
,, ,, Read - - 
40 
10 
100 
145 
5 
130 
. 95 
80 
,, ,, Campbell- 
80 
90 
100 
125 
35 
80 
95 
10 
,, „ Huggin - 
90 
40 
80 
15 
65 
60 
25 
50 
,, ,, Hammill - 
80 
40 
100 
115 
45 
70 
35 
10 
,, ,, McDonald 
0 
50 
80 
145 
35 
10 
5 
40 
