The Savannah morning news., 1904-10-02
FIGHTING AT
LONG DISTANCE
RIFLES TO KILL AT 2 IL MILE
FURTHER THAN THE EYE CAN
TELL AN ENEMY FROM LANDSCAPE

~ Seen at 30 Yards, Mt 400 Yards
His Face is a Mere Dot and at
1000 Yards IA Man Usually Looks
Like Speck, Yet Uncle Sans
New Rifle is Equipped for a
Fighting Distance of 4,9SI Yards.
Washington. oct. 1.-The probability
that Congress will make provision at
its next annual session for large an
nual appropriation to he devoted to
the purchase of ranges, the equipment
of ranges, indoor and outdoor. distri-
button of ammunition to organizations
of rifiemen. etc, in accordance with
the plan drafted by the National
Board for the Promotion of Rifle
Practice, is responsible for renewed in
terest in rifle and revolver shooting
There are three. yea, even
four" as the Psalmst might
say, requisites to good mark
manship; a gun, a target ammu-
milton and a place to shoot. The Ma
tional Board has announced its desire
to secure an enrolment in the Nation
al Marksman's Reserve. of from $780,
900 to 100000 men and il Congress is
really in earnest adequate provisions
must be made for the guns, ammuni-
ton. targets. and above ALL ranges.
Estimating Distances.
Pending appropriations for this pur-
pose, those desiring to learn to shoot
i IL =
experience that will be valuable later
with a rife by undertaking to esti-
mate distances. In the days to come.
more and more attention will be paid
to shooting at unknown distances and
to get into the front rank of shooters,
skill in estimating distances is essen
tial. Practice in this can be obtained
very easily by first learning to step dis
tances correctly one step to the yard,
and then, i'm course of stroll through
town or country selecting an object,
estimating the distance and counting
the number of steps necessary to reach
it.
Not Easy to Guess.
This practice appears to be a sim
pie one, but it is more difficult than
it seems and the results, especially if
the trials are made by parties of four
or more, will be amusing as well as
instructive. Some time ago a party
of thirty-five or forty gentlemen, the
most expert rifle shots in the country
were gathered at Sea Grit, N. j., foi
the matches on the result of which de-
pended the selection of a team to GO
to England to shoot for the Palma
| trophy Some one asked how far Il
was to a certain fence and immediate
ly and every man estimated the dis
lance. After much good natured ban
tering the distance was paced and the
result was ludicrous. Every one had
over estimated it, the closest guess be-
ing fifty yards out of the way, while
the majority exceeded it by 200 yards
Yet twelve of those same men went tc
England and won the biggest inter
national rifle match the world has
| even seen.
Objects at Diherent Distances.
Do you know?
That at thirty yards the white of q
mans eye is plainly seen and the eyes
| Themselves up to eighty yards?
That at 100 yards all parts of the
| body are seen distinctly, slight move
ments are perceptible, and the minute
details of the uniform can be distin-
| guished?
That at 200 yards the outlines Of the
| face are confused and the rows OF
! buttons look like stripes?
That at 400 yards the face is a mere
dot. but all movements of the legs
and arms are still distinct?
That at 600 yards details can no
longer be distinguished, though files of
a squad. if the light is strong, can be
counted?
That at 800 yards the men in a squad
cannot be counted. nor their individ-
ual movements distinguished?
How Things Look 1 900 Yards Away.
At 1000 yards a line of men resem-
BILE a broad belt; the direction Of their
march, can, however, be readily deter
mined. At 1900 yards cavalry can be
distinguished from infantry and at
1000 yards a mounted man usually APP
pears as a mere speck.
Yet in these days of long range
weapons battles are fought at a dis
lance of 1000 yards and 1t is desirable
for marksmen to qualify at that range.
The new rife with which our troops
are to be equipped. has a maximum
effective fighting range of 4,7S1 yards
or more than two and one-haf miles.
In other words, bullet from this rifle
win kill OF disable at a greater dis
lance than the man firing 1t can dis
tinguish an individual enemy from the
surrounding landEcapQ