The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1902-03-14
WHAT rs GOOD sHooTINap
This War Has Caused Englishmen
to Have New Ideas of Military
Workmanship.
London Pail Mall Gazette.

II there is one point In connection with
the South African campaign regarding
which enlightened opinion Is practically
very much to be desired. The public has
a last woke UP to the Importance OF the
subject and now recognizes the value OF
poss essing large number of men among
the civilian population accustomed to
Many efforts are being made with the
object Of bringing about this desirable
result. The Commander in Chief never
permits an opportunity to escape him OF
dwelling upon its Importance. and now
we have the announcement that the Ma
tional Rifle Association is setting to work
to discover the best method Of using the
10000 pounds recently presented to II, with
the object Of bringing the use Of the
rural districts All this is satisfactory
enough, and may lead to results most
gratifying, provided that we have the
good sense to ignore tradition and to
profit by the hard lessons Of the last
two years
To many who have seen shots fred in
anger 1t does not appear that either the
experts or the nation at large are clear
as to the result to be aimed at. I'm
ed. but to say that Is only to beg the
question. Most of those who have writ
ten on the subject as experts regard the
champion Bisley shot as their ideal, take
u
a model to the aspiring young rifemen.
Only the other day writer who was evil
IDENTIFY anything but ignorant Of his sub
ject( In discussing the question of the
gravey gave his verdict in favor Of a
bore smaller than 1903. on the ground that
It was possible with II to make a much
smaller diagram on target than with
the ordinary Morris-tube-titted service
weapon! Probably a very great number
OF military men would be found to agree
with his premises-that is to say, that
the shooting likely to be valuable In war
is the same sort Of shooting that wins a
man prizes at the ranges. As natural
sequence they would argue that constant
practice at the latter under existing con-
ditions Is the best training for making
a man efiicient in this respect for WORK
IN the field.
The whole argument is really based up
on the most obvious fallacy. as ought TO
be at once discerned by any one who mas
learned a lesson from this war. What
Is called straight" shooting Is not OF
much use In the field for the many, al
though now and again II might come In
handy to a chased scout or a small out
post. But is 1t not apparent that in bat
ties where the enemy are rarely seen as
individual men. perhaps not seen at all,
where ranges are being continually alt
cred and conditions of light and air shift
ing. that the ability to hit small bulls
eye with all the affecting conditions as
CSTLdtHeQ DSIOTbndnQ, anu tHe IdHEFSs IL
not absolutely fixed. at all events be-
tween certain defined limits, will avail
a man little or nothing? The Beers have
realized that, and the knowledge has en-
Abled them to stop us on many an occa-
sion. Not by what we term good shoot
ing. but simply by decent judging Of dist
ance, and then by pouring In hail OF
bullets at the proper elevation. Not by
waiting till they saw something to IRE
at and then taking a careful aim; not
by bothering much about direction.
tut merely by maintaining hot ire
upon the ground which we were holding,
or over which we were trying to advance.
There 10 certainly one British General
" no has served in South Africa who
has expressed his approval of this poi
icy. That it is highly eftectua most
men who have had practical experience
Of the way in which it works can tes-
tify.
What we want. then. is the ability to
direct our fire at the proper elevation. not
so much to hit definite small objects as
to make our bullets fall there or there
about. This will depend upon accurate
judging of distance: quick and correct
sighting. and a steady pull off. ' Wind
age" about which so much Is talked
on the ranges, may be neglected as, in
as the IRE Is neither too high nor very
low (for ricochets count in the field 1t
matters little whether the aim of the in
dividuai Is too far to the left or to the
AiBHt. - diioNNpNoAAy
the main thing. and of this our troops
and amateur rifiemen cannot have too
much in all lights and all weathers, and
II possible. with all sorts of backgrounds.
Next in Importance comes q matter that
nearly every writer on the subject seems
to have entirely overlooked-that Is. the
ability to get the right elevation without
continually shifting the backs.ght. The
ranges ie. good enough so Tar as II goes,
but thera To- no reason. save old-esta.h-