For indoor practice at a target, the .22-caliber rifle is best. By fitting up a suitable backstop, shooting may be done safely in the cellar or attic. A satisfactory backstop may be made by fastening a plate of iron into a packing box, 3 ft. square, as shown in [Fig. 3]. The plate must be set at an angle so that the bullets will be deflected to the bottom of the box.
In order that the rifleman may check up his work, it is desirable that a standard target be used. The American standard target, shown in [Fig. 3], has been adopted by practically all rifle clubs, and, as the majority of records are made upon it, the sportsman should become familiar with it. The paper targets are inexpensive, and it is easy to draw accurate homemade targets from the original. By the use of disks of black and white paper—known as gummed target pasters—one target may be used several times.
If convenient to do so, the novice should shoot a string of shots every day, in the various positions. Do not try to hurry, but shoot deliberately at first, aiming to secure a good average, rather than a few bull’s-eye shots and many wild ones. With reasonable practice, it is not difficult to score eight bull’s-eyes out of ten shots, when using the prone position. Having attained this proficiency, the sportsman may be regarded as a fair shot, and is ready to take up outdoor target practice with the high-power rifle.
Fig. 2
J, Mechanism of Lever-Action Repeating Rifle; 2, Breechblock; 7, Cocking Lever; 19, Firing Pin, Front; 21, Firing Pin, Rear; 29, Guard Finger Lever; 34, Hammer; 36, Lifter; 37, Locking Slide; 45, Mainspring Plunger; 46, Mainspring Plunger Seat; 63, Trigger
K, Mechanism of Falling-Breechblock, Single-Shot Rifle; L, Gold-Bead Front Sight; M and N, Combination Rear Aperture or Tang Sight, Raised and Folded; O, P, Q, Folding-Leaf Rear Sight, Used as V-Crotched Sight, Straight-Bar Sight, and Folded Flat to Barrel
For outdoor target shooting the .22-caliber, long-rifle cartridge will give very accurate results up to 100 yd. The standard target has a bull’s-eye measuring 6 in. in diameter for 150 yd. Shooting may be tried for a while at a fixed range, then the target may be moved to an unknown distance and angle, and the marksman can try his hand at estimating distance. Instead of changing his sights at varying distances, the sportsman should learn how to estimate the distance of the mark and the approximate elevation of the sights to land the bullet within the circle. This is valuable practice for good shooting in the woods.
After considerable practice at the stationary target, quick firing may be varied by rigging up a sliding trolley arrangement, like that shown in the [page illustration]. It is easily made by setting up two poles, properly braced, one about 30 ft. tall, and the other about 10 ft., spaced 30 ft. apart. Between the poles, about 8 ft. from the ground, stretch a length of stiff telephone wire, and make a wooden target block W, with a metal sheave wheel, so that it may slide freely along the wire. On the tallest post, a little above the wire, fasten a metal pulley, Z, and at the top of the pole place a sash pulley. Then attach a stout cord to the target block, reeve it through the two pulleys, and attach a sandbag, or other weight, to the end of the cord, On the shorter post, a latch, or trigger, Y, is fastened to hold the target, which is released by pulling a string. With this easily constructed device, much valuable practice may be had, for if the pole is fairly high, the weight will cause the target to slide as rapidly as the average game bird travels. In using this moving target, just as good practice is obtained with a .22-caliber repeater as with a high-power gun. In fact, the high-velocity ammunition should be used only on a regular range, or where a suitable backstop is erected to stop the high-power bullets. Such a backstop may be constructed of heavy lumber, like old railroad ties, in the form of a crib, which is filled in with sand or earth. When a natural background, such as a mound or hill, is at hand, this may be used with safety, but a rocky hillside is not satisfactory, for it is likely to deflect the bullets, and may cause injury through stray shots.
