H. Onslow Curling

“ Many a young gentleman calling himself a sportsman knows little of the capabilities of the weapon he wields, and cares less; his whole aim is to see how many head of game he can bag, and to blaze away is the order of the day, to the astonishment of poor Ponto, who, if he chance to run within range, sometimes gets a charge of shot in his tail.
In the Royal Navy the use and practice of [11] the pistol, and latterly of the revolver, has always been kept up. Consequently the Jack Tar knows more about the pistol and the military revolver than most men give him credit for. ”

“ To place a weapon from full to half-cock, by not lowering the hammer to the full extent of the spring, and then drawing it back to half-cock as before described, is a most dangerous practice, as the hammer may not be properly inserted in the clip, and an accident might be the result. A man once having taken up his position at the firing-point, and [28] having loaded his piece, should never return into the company of his comrades till his piece (particularly if a pistol or revolver) is discharged, or till all its chambers have been expended. ”

“ No weapon of any kind should be carried or put down, or left at full-cock, and no loaded weapon should be left unprotected. They should, if loaded, be in the charge of some trustworthy and responsible person; but in the time of war no [33] man would be so foolish as to relinquish his piece, either by night or by day.
To sportsmen and others, with the great facilities for loading and unloading afforded by the breech-loading system, there can be no excuse for leaving a weapon charged when it can so easily be rendered harmless. ”

“ The thoughtless practice of relinquishing one's weapon into the hands of a friend, or, even worse, a stranger, is against all military rules, and in any case is strongly to be condemned, and no excuse will palliate such an offence ”

“ A weapon should never be brought within the portals of a man's house loaded; the breech-loading cartridge can be easily withdrawn. If the piece is a muzzle-loader it should be discharged after the day's sport is over; ammunition is really not so very costly as to require to be husbanded at the probable cost of a serious accident, or perhaps a fellow-creature's life. ”

“ Accidents in properly regulated families should never happen. Since the introduction of the breech-loader there is no excuse for any man carrying a loaded weapon and swinging the muzzle of it about when carrying it on his shoulder (which is often done) , bringing every one in his rear in the line of fire of the piece. A man can load his piece now when he arrives upon the ground in a moment; and should a bird rise, with the present facilities given by the breech-loader, there is ample time to load and bring the bird down without the slightest difficulty. ”

“ As a fact, the closing of one eye in taking aim is unnecessary. The complete angle of sight upon a given object can only be obtained by the use of both eyes. Consequently two objects cannot be seen distinctly or clearly at the same instant, one is clear while the others are blurred or misty; hence it stands to reason, that in laying a gun the top of the notch of the hindsight, the apex of the foresight, and the object, can be brought into line as accurately with both eyes open as with one closed. ”

“ The abominable practice of those to whom firearms belong, or those in the charge or care thereof, of keeping or leaving such weapons loaded, so that they may at any moment fall into the hands of children, or perhaps, what is worse still, inexperienced adults, is most seriously to be condemned, and may be designated really as a criminal act, which ought to be summarily punished. ”

“ An artilleryman can lay a gun perfectly without closing one eye. The eyes should not be less than 12 inches from the hindsight, if from 2 to 3 feet so much the better, [22] and a more accurate aim will be the result.
Upon the principle that the hand follows the eye, a sportsman fixing both eyes upon his bird can take as perfect an aim as he could with one eye closed.
This rule applies equally to all arms.
A man when in the field or at practice should keep his eyes about him; he should remember whom he is with ”

“ Up to 100 yards the range is point-blank, that is, aim direct on the bull's eye; for 200 yards, raise the muzzle, say one foot above the bull's eye; for 300 yards, two feet above the bull's eye, and so on. A few trial-shots will soon settle the question, and practice makes perfect. A man will thus be independent of the back-sight of his rifle. This refers to shooting in the open. Of course, under cover, when time and circumstances admit, the back-sight can be used with great advantage.
A man in shooting with a pistol or revolver has to judge his own distance and the necessary elevation. ”

“ All ammunition should, as a rule, be kept in some secret and safe place, and always under lock and key. Every man knows that edged tools are dangerous, consequently that the leaving loaded firearms within the reach of anybody who may chance to come across them is simply leaving means of destruction unprotected, and he should bear in mind that this mischief of his own neglect might accidentally at any moment be wielded against himself. ”

“ No one should, upon any pretence whatever, place himself, or be allowed to place himself, on, or even near, the firing party's left side. The reason is obvious, as it will be found invariably in practice that a man, when loading with a breech-loader, will naturally incline the muzzle of his piece, and so innocently place those immediately upon his left within its range. ”

“ It should be borne in mind that a man is a large object at which to aim; that so long as he can be crippled there is no necessity to kill. To disable a man so that he can do no more mischief is sufficient.
Any man can make a scale of elevation in his own mind, and, with practice, fire at any range without putting up the sight, and can fire standing. ”

“ Men are too prone to carry their weapons at full-cock. This should never be done. If alone, when getting through a hedge or over any impedimenta the weapon should be laid on the ground, parallel with the hedge, if possible. After getting upon the other side, the weapon should be drawn through with the butt end towards the person.
If you have a comrade or keeper with you, hand him the weapon, muzzle up; get through yourself, and then take the weapons from him, muzzle up, and he can follow you with safety. ”

“ There is infinite satisfaction attached to the winning of an honour, when that honour has to be obtained under difficulties which must be surmounted. The more difficult the task is, the more merit in overcoming it. ”

“ If it is necessary to address a man when at the firing-point all interlocution should be addressed to him on his right; so the Instructor should place himself on the right and rather behind the practitioner, and as close to him as convenient, so as not to incommode his freedom.
Some men are naturally nervous, particularly when at ball practice, and for this reason all but novices should be left alone, as they will perhaps make better scoring if not interfered with. ”

“ Firearms generally, and particularly revolvers, when loaded or unloaded, should never be laid upon a table so that the muzzle can accidentally cover any one. If they must be relinquished by the owner they should be placed in a corner of the room farthest from the door, leaning against the wall, muzzle down, so that they cannot fall. If loaded they may, when practicable, be laid upon a side-table, muzzle towards the wall. Guns or rifles should be stood muzzle up in their place in the rack, or, if there is no rack, then in a corner of the room farthest from the door, to prevent surprise. ”

“ To the inexperienced, the revolver is, [12] perhaps, as deadly a weapon as can well be handled; and to no class is this fact so well known as to naval and military men. The many deplorable accidents resulting from the incautious handling of firearms is terrible to contemplate; and sportsmen and military men have frequently fallen victims to carelessness, to say nothing of novices. The unfortunate part is, that foolish and inexperienced people often inflict misery upon innocent persons ”

“ The difficulty in using even an ordinary pistol with accuracy is, and always has been, an acknowledged fact, as it requires great practice to enable a man to make his mark as a crack shot. Some men would perhaps miss a haystack at twenty yards, while others, with little practice, soon become excellent shots at very small objects. ”

“ It is marvellous the accuracy with which the professional burglar has of late years used his revolver against the police and others; but it may be accounted for by the fact that these men use a small, light weapon, easily carried and much easier wielded than the military regulation revolver, which weighs 2 lbs. 8 oz.; that they invariably take what may be termed flying shots—and it should be remembered that a full-sized man at comparatively close quarters presents a very large target. ”

“ The real reason why we have such excellent shots in the Volunteers is accounted for by the fact that they not only take an interest in the work, but take pains in everything they do, the result being success. ”

“ Every Englishman belonging to the auxiliary forces should hail with pleasure the opportunity offered of making himself master of this useful weapon; one that in skilled hands is most deadly at long or short ranges, and [5] a thorough knowledge of the use of which might at any moment be the means of saving another's life from an opposing force when no other weapon was at hand. ”

“ If no one fired over a ducked body the habit would soon fall into disuse. Sportsmen and others would do well to bear in mind that an accident deprives the injured man from earning his livelihood, and the poor wife and children suffer: better to forego taking [19] a shot for safety sake and let the bird escape for another day than run any risk. ”

“ All firearms require constant attention, and should be kept clean. After use they should be immediately attended to, and never put away dirty; should be kept in some dry corner where rust cannot destroy, and they should be occasionally overhauled and oiled when necessary. Really valuable weapons are sometimes ruined by neglect. The man who takes no pride in his gun is no sportsman. ”

“ At ball practice men should refrain from talking, joking, and that ungentlemanly pastime known as horse-play. Their attention should be directed to what they are about to do and what others are doing, and they should leave frivolities for some other time. ”

“ When shooting, a man should be as much upon his etiquette as he would be in my lady's drawing-room; should mind his P's and Q's, and remember that when in a china-shop he should refrain from carrying his umbrella under his arm. ”

“ Let a man leave all such effeminacy and tomfoolery at home, and shoot like a man, taking circumstances as he would find them in the open field with an enemy before him, using such cover only as nature and circumstances provide. ”

“ The left shoulder can be relieved in a similar manner, i.e., pass the left hand to the small or neck of the butt, at the same time seize the butt with the right hand, raise the gun to a perpendicular position, and carry it across the body and place it on the right shoulder. Never present, much less fire, when any person, whether keeper or beater, intervenes or is near the bird. Never fire over any one, even if he what is called 'ducks,' or stoops to allow of your doing so. A keeper or beater should never be encouraged in, or allowed to 'duck' or stoop ”

“ The responsibility of those possessing firearms is great, and proper precautions and proper care cannot be too strictly enforced. Care costs nothing, and may be the means of preventing loss of life and many a deplorable accident. ”

“ If it is necessary for him to rejoin his comrades after his piece is loaded, or after any of the chambers have been expended, he should leave the weapon behind him at the firing-point, and should place it, muzzle down, in a hole or slot purposely made in the table before him to receive it, which hole in the table should have the word 'Loaded' written legibly near it. ”

“ When the piece is loaded, the finger with which the trigger is drawn should on no account be placed within the trigger-guard till the weapon is raised and the aim about to be taken; and with the rifle until the weapon is presented, after being put upon full-cock. ”

“ This target can be used over and over again, as, after use, the perforations can be pasted over with small pieces of paper, and when well riddled, it can be re-covered; and the thicker it becomes the better.
No one should attempt to fire ball-cartridge anywhere but at a proper range. Firing in small back-gardens, against brick or stone walls and trunks of trees, should never be allowed. Bullets will rebound or go off at a tangent, and do serious mischief. ”

“ A brother-comrade in the same regiment is, perhaps, the only exception; but even this is objectionable, except in extreme cases. As a rule, a soldier should never relinquish his piece, even to a General or a Field Officer. ”