Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-04-10

In long range firing the shooter is per-
mitted to rest his gun upon some object
to steady it, though the best usage re-
quires him to take some part of his own
person for the support. Thus he may
kneel with one leg while resting his ell
bow on the knee of the other, or he may
lie on his back and rest his gun upon his
foot or between his knees or across his
leg. But in shooting game it is always
best to rely on hand firing.
From the beginning of his practice it is
necessary for the shooter to study quick
ness and accuracy of movement, so that
in time he may be able to aim and fire all
at once without the slightest hesitation
or appreciate pause. When he can do
this he may begin shooting at moving
objects.
Habit is everything in shooting; if you
form correct firing habit at the outset
of your practice you will soon be able to
shoot wit hout knowing how or when you
take your aim. The best marksmen in
the field never see the sights of their
gun. AT least they are not aware that
they see them while firing. The act of
shooting should be as involuntary as the
act of lifting the hand to ward off
blow. Many expert rifiemen close the
left eye while aiming, but do not ap-
prove of this. Keep both eyes wide open,
but aim always with the right eye. This
Is cardinal rule with me. Lifting the
gun, aiming and firing should be but one
motion, performed by direct movement
and without pause. 70 some persons,
however, this mode of firing is so difficult
to master that it must be given up and
the old deliberate sighting method be
followed.
The best way to learn to aim at run
ming or flying game is practice at PEN
dulum target, which is simply q target
of any sort swung by a string, so that it
oscillates to and fro like a pendulum.
A round wheel of wood rolled on the
ground is also q good running target.
At first it will be best to fire at short
range, say twenty or thirty yards, and
you will need an assistant to swing the
pendulum and roll the ball for you.
There should always be bank of earth
or some other obstacle behind the target
to prevent the ball from ricocheting and
perhaps hurting some one far away. 1t
is fine practice to shoot at a potato or
other small object tossed into the air by
an assistant.
In shooting at game few good rules
must be ever kept in mind. The first is:
Never "'poke' after the object Of your
aim. By ''poking'' is meant following
the flying or running game with your
aim, which is the worst Of all faults that
a shooter is apt to acquire. Always aim
a little ahead of an object moving across
the line of your sight. Aim abovs ris-
ing object and below q falling one.
These rules apply more particularly to
long range shooting; at very short range
aim directly at your game.
At all times in using long range rife
in thickly populated country it is abb
solutely necessary to remember that your
weapon may kill or injure some person or
some domestic animal In the distance.
To prevent the possibility of such thing
you can not be too careful Next TO the
safety of others comes your own, which
is to be preserved chiefly by keeping the
muzzle OF the gun always pointing away
from you.
No gun is worth having if II is not
worth keeping clean and in good order.
The interior of the lock and the inside of
the barrel are the principal parts that
need to be especially watched for the
least appearance of rust or dirt, which
must be removed at once. As rule the
lock will not need cleaning oftener than