Shoot very slowly and deliberately. There is no hurry. The time limit of two minutes would be ample within which to fire twenty-four shots—and you have only to fire six.
If you are dissatisfied with your aim, or your arm is getting tired, or a gust of wind comes, put the revolver down without firing. Look down on the grass to rest your eyes, and wipe your hands; a little sawdust is a good thing to rub them with on hot days.
When it is gusty, putting up the pistol just as you think a lull is coming, instead of waiting for the lull, gives you a better chance of being “up” when the lull does come, and you can then “snap” the shot before the next gust.
If you have to shoot in a very high wind—as in a match, or in shooting off a tie—it is best to “snap” your shots (see chapter on Rapid Firing) and not try to hold against the wind.
If a shot strikes a little too high, or too low, or too much to either side, aim “off” the “bull” the next shot to correct it.
Do not keep altering the amount you see of your front sight if you hit too high or too low; you will never make a good score in that way. If you are out half an inch at “X o’clock,” aim your next shot at half an inch off “V o’clock”; if you hit half an inch above the bull at “XII o’clock,” aim half an inch below “VI o’clock” with your next shot; do not take a “coarser” sight. This is where a practical shot has the advantage over a mere “target shot.”
If a shot is in the “bull” (I will assume you can easily see shots in, or partly in, the “white” at twenty yards; I can see them at fifty), and you are not sure of its exact locality, examine it with your glass.
If you are “holding” exceptionally steady, and have shot well into the “bull,” though not actually central, do not aim differently to try to get the actual centre with the next shot; as a rule, if you are anything more than half in the “bull,” it is better to let well alone and “hold” the same as before. I remember on one occasion I had five shots in one ragged hole at “V o’clock” in the “bull” on the sliding target; and for fear lest I should put my last shot through the same hole and have it counted as a miss, I tried to hit the “bull” at “IX o’clock” clear of that hole, and got just out of the bull.
If you have several bullets in one ragged hole, it is advisable, if there be time, to draw the range officer’s attention to this before you fire the next shot, so that in case you go into the same hole or group again, he may record it and not think it a miss. If he watches the target whilst you shoot, through his glasses, he will see where your bullet goes, even if you do go into this group.
At the stationary targets, and at those only, it is advisable to use both hands in cocking. In cocking, if using a revolver, if there is not a distinct click, or if the action feels “woolly” or soft, put it back at half-cock, and open the revolver and see what is the matter. Most likely a bit of fouling, or piece of metal from a cartridge or bullet, or a cartridge with too thick a head or protruding cap, is the cause.