3. GENERAL MACHINE GUN COURSE.
| Part I. | Rounds allotted. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Practice | 1.— | Grouping | 10 | |
| „ | 2.— | Single shot, traversing | 10 | |
| „ | 3.— | Application | 20 | |
| „ | 4.— | Vertical searching | 20 | |
| „ | 5.— | (Omitted). | ||
| Additional Practice.— | Swinging traverse | 30 | ||
| Repetition | 20 | |||
| 110 | ||||
| Part II. | ||||
| (Range 400 yards for all Practices except Practice 14.) | ||||
| Time. | Rounds | |||
| Seconds. | allotted. | |||
| Practice | 7.— | Ranging | 20 | |
| „ | 8.— | (Omitted). | ||
| „ | [[4]]9.— | Application | 20 | 30 |
| „ | [[4]]10.— | Traversing | 50 | 60 |
| „ | 11.— | (Omitted). | ||
| „ | 12.— | (Omitted). | ||
| „ | 13.— | Observation | 20 | |
| „ | 14.— | Fire at successive positions (range 600 yds. to 200 yds.) | 40 | |
| Total | 170 | |||
| Part I. | 110 | |||
| Part II. | 170 | |||
| Surplus for repetition of indifferent shots to be pooled and used at the discretion of the Commanding Officer | 20 | |||
| Grand total | 300 | |||
[4]. Classification practices.
Notes.
Part I.
1. Additional Practice.—For trench warfare, and against dense targets at close range, the “Swinging Traverse” has been found necessary. It in no way replaces the method of traversing by automatic tapping, which should still be considered the normal method. The swinging traverse is taught by teaching a man to traverse a machine gun instructional target evenly and smoothly in about 6 seconds.
Part II.
2. Practice 10.—It will be necessary to shorten the target, as 40 rounds less are allowed for in this practice. This will be done by using two 10–feet screens instead of three. Spaces will be 20 inches.
3. Practice 13.—(a) If a field firing range is not available Practice 11 will be substituted for this practice.
(b) Observation should be taken by three parties, left, right, and centre, who should change round after each firer. Section Officers should ascertain that each man has observed from each position.
4. Practice 14.—10 rounds will be fired at each of the four distances from 600 yds. to 200 yds. on the lines laid down in Musketry Regulations. These rounds will be “spaced out” before commencing the practice, and the firer will proceed to the next range on completing his 10 rounds, whether he has secured a hit or not.
Classification.
5. Machine gunners will be classified upon the result which they obtain in Practices 9 and 10, General Machine Gun Course, as follows:—
To be classified as a “1st Class Gunner” 50 points.
To be classified as a “Qualified Gunner” 25 points.
Points will be allotted in the classification practices on the same basis of scoring as laid down in paragraph 647, Musketry Regulations, Part I., 1909 (reprint), 1914.
Preliminary instruction in aiming and firing should be given by means of a Rifle Attachment.
A very satisfactory one can be obtained at small cost from Messrs. A. G. Parker & Co., Whittall Street, Birmingham.
The illustration is practically self-explanatory. The large round clamps fit on the water jacket of the machine gun and the small clamps hold the rifle, which can be adjusted to hit at exactly the same mark as the machine gun barrel is aimed at.
The trigger of the rifle is connected to the machine gun by the adjustable chain device shown.
The apparatus is in constant use at the Schools of Musketry, and is the invention of Armourer Sergeant-Major Hiscock, of the Motor Machine Gun Section.