70 SHOOTING TO LIVE pit in tho floor, keeping it covered over when not required. Tho 100so flooring only requires a very simple bit of mechanism , worked from tliu control room, to make it give way slightly when lvalkcd on. ‘hrgcts, always Iifc-size, are drawn or printed on tho cheapest paper and pashxl on to a backing of hcssian, old cloth or canvas ; anything will do. This l.mcking is tacked on to frmncs which aro slid into trolloys, or hung on wires which uro designed to providf3 tllo runners, bobbers, charging men, etc. to which rcferonco has been made. !l’hese devices are all very simple cm-l only need a litth ingenuity to work out for any requirements. ‘l!he target frames do not merit anything but tho cheapest wood and roughest workmanship sinco they very quickly get shot to pieces. Special attention must he given to tho ventilation of the rmge, omd thero cannot well be too many exhaust-fans to carry away the powder furnea. Continued cxpo9uro to powder fumes is lid-h to procluco an rdfoction of the eyes which is in all respects similar to and imlcccl difTlcult to clistinguish from conjunctivitis (“ pink-oyo “), !l’lm persons most liablo to auffcr from this complaint am tho control room operators who spend much of their time in patching largots, and that is just where the fumes oollcct most thickly when flri.ng at the very short distances which wo advocato. The first signs of any inflammation of tlm oycs shoukl bo the signal to re-pxamino tho ventilating system of tho ra.hgo.
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PRACTICAL PISTOL RANGES 71 Wo havo found that tho most prmctical flooring for tho romgo is bcaton earth. Wo think, too, that ~n cmrthcn floor helps to re(.luco noise, which of courso is consi(lcraMy more in am indoor than Qn outdoor rn.ngo. ~oiso can bo rcdncc(.1 further by the uso of millboard on tho siclcs of tho building and by curtains sufipondc[l fimm tho roof or coiling, ‘MO matter is IM.gcly ono of oxpcrimcnt, and cxpcrimcnts in tl~is direction aro lilccly to ho WO1lworth tho trouhlo involw.xl.
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CIIA1’I’NN VII STOPPING POWER W1! iLppro&cll tl~is subject with considcruMe diilclcnco. Wc rcgmd it M essential].y onc in }v}lich theory should bc discam]cd in ffivour of prmctico, bllt oven lmctice, m ovidcnccd in carcrul]~r l~ohxl records over CL number of ycms, does not lrmd us to oily finali Ly in tho matter, InstmrLd, it providm lW wiLh so ninny conLrrdicLions tlmL wo feel that ony Lhil\g approd~ing dogmatism would hc most unwise. ‘1’0 clcm tho grolmd for discllssioll we can climinato at onto tho . 22’s mld ‘25’8, kmving only tho larger culibrcs avmilublo in modern revolvers and automat,io pistols. ‘l!hom ~vill bo crdibrcs .32, 038 rLnd 046, or up]nwximmtcly Lliuso sires. Wo were brought up ill Lho bcliof Lhak a heavy hllllct of soft Icad, truvclling in tho .h3isurcly manner of Lygono days, could not be improved upon if it was desired to dispose of one’s llumcm foes in a (lccisivo and clean-c~lt ]nfil]llcr. \Vo bclicvccl that f+ilCh(L bUllCt \VOlll(l lllllsllroolll, iLll(l that Cvcn if it did not do so, tlic im],)wct of slldl n formidable mass of lend ]voultl in filllibly (lo }\ll Lllat was rcquirccl, incluclillg kl~ocking tllc cllelrly Gl(?itll oIT his feet. IV(3 equal nlso bclicvcd tlmt blillcts of t~pproxim;ltcly weight, jnckcted ]vitll cupro-nickel and 72 ----
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STOPPING POWER 73 travclling at perhaps & greater velocity, provided penetration n.s opposed to shoclc rm.1 wero thereforo unsuited to their purposf3 ; and wo had no faith wlmtovcr ill Iigilt l..)ullots driven ut a much higher velocity, unless they could bo HO mdo as to sccllro cl~cctivo oxpmsion shortly afLor impwct, IGxpa.nding l.)ullots, howovor, am burred by tho rules of tho gamo as wo llavo lmd to pluy it, so for prmctical purposes wo must confino oursulvcs to solid bullets, Wo arc not so suro Ilow of thcso bulicfs. I’orllnl)s tl~o rcmolls for o~lr doubts \vill bo ]lloro cn,Nily uppmvnt if wo recount somo actllul oxpcrionccs from tllo long list in our rccorcls. Wo shun mako ovcry effort to bo impartial, and can assuro our renders that in each caso all data bearing on tho subject was cn,rcfully sifted wt tho timo and nothing has been prcscrvcd but ~ctu[Ll facls, WO shall cllooso for our first instrmco ono rolaLing to tl~o big Icad bullet driven o.t fL rnodwwLo vclociLy. On this occasion, u Sikh constablo fired six sl~ots with his l 4H5 Wcblcy at an armed criminal of whom l~c was in pursuit, registering fivo hits. ‘1’ho criminal continued to run, and so did tho Sikh, the latter clinching tho matter finally by l.mttoring in tho lmck of tl]o crimimd’s l)cmd with tho butt of his revolver. Subsequcl~t ilwcstigations showed the-Lt one bullet only, and that Imrcly clcformod, romaincd in tho body, tho other four having passed clean through. A very similar incident toolc place more recently —though it rolutcs to a diffment weapon. A
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74 SHOOTING TO LIVE Iluropcau pntrol-sorgcantj hcming d~ooting n.nd S}louts of “ Ch’iang-’lho “ (robber), rushed to a rico shop which sccrncd to lm tho ccntro of the tumult, and there saw an urmcd Chinese robbing tho till. Tho chil~cse immcdimLcly opened firo on tho sergeant with rm automatic pistol at about 6 yn,rds, firing sovcral shots nntil his pistol jammed. I..ortunalmly none of tho shoL9 took effect, and meunwhilo tho scrgcomt returned the firo swiftly and effectively wi(h w l 45 Colt automatic, commencing at about 10 feet and firing l~is sixth and last shot at 3 fcot as ho rapidly C1OSCCI in on Ilis oppononti. Later, it wrw fo~~nd that of tlloso six shots, four had struck fleshy parts of the body, passing clean through, while one bullet rcm~ined in the shoulder and another had lodgccl near tho heart. Yet, in spito of all this, tile robber was stjll on his feet and was knoclccd unconscimls by tl~c butt of tho scrgcmt’s pistol as 110wzs attempting to cscnpo by climbing over tllo counter. Hero wo llavo two hcm.vy ja.ckotccl ~ulicta which did not wasto tl~cir substunco on mcm penetration, ono of tllcm inflicting u wound which c~mo near to being fald. !In tllcory tllcso two heavy bullcta slloulcl havo stopped tl]o mull ill his tracks, but tllo facts m-o aa related. Gun unyono explain ? Ilcsccn(ling ill tl]o scn.lo of culibrcs and bullet wcightw, the only record. wo havo of ~ man dropping instantly when shot relates to the pcrformrmcc of a l 380 Colt automatic (pocket model). In this instance ,1 single bullet pctwtratccl froln front to bmckl lodging
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STOPPING POWER 75 Very near tho spine. Tho victim novcrthclcw rccovcrccl hin)so]f quickly and wn.s ublo to get on his feet again. Wo think this caso is prolmbly mwlogous to tho numerous instances that big-gwnc hunters will rccdl of animals dropping instuntly to neck shots thnt just miss tho vcrtcbrm, only to get up again a fow n]o!ncllts nfter and disappcnr over tho horizon. !l’urning now to tl)o IIigll velocity smidl cmlibro ~vcal)on9, wo lmvo seen tcrriblo dmnago cuuscd by o Mauscr nutomuti?, calibre 7“63 mm., of militDry pnttcrn. }Ve huvo in mind tllo caso of a man who wns hit in tho arm by a solid full- juclmtcd bullet from & wca.pon of this typo. Though he was in hospitnl within half n.n hour of being shot, nothing could be clone to avoid amputation, so badly were the bone and tissuo laccratccl. I?crlmps “ pulpc(.1 “ would convoy our mcrming more exactly. lrct in theory at ]QasL tl~o bllllot lOulCll~avo cfi~~scd far loss sl~oc]c than it obviously did. 11’rom wlmt wo IInvo road, tllo bullet hm.1 something of tho effect that tho latcsti dovelopmcnts in ultra high velocity smull-boro rifles u.ro reported to lmvo on gomo n.nimrds, Wo might add that in tho pnrticulur sorvico from whoso records wo hnvo boon quoting, nothing is so fcarccl, rightly or wrongly, ns the Mauscr miliLary automatic. T11O mention of tllo word is sufficient, if thero is troublo afoot, to send men in instant scrwch of bullet-proof equipment. WO have tried to Yolvo by exporimont this question
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76 SHOOTING TO LIVE of the knock-down blow, but them is no satisfactory way of doing it. Tho nearest Jvc l~avo cotnc to it ll[w been to al[ow ourselves to bo snot at while l]olding n bullet-~nwof sllicldo Tho cllicf vuluo of thnt experiment was a concIusivo clclnonstrution or tllc clllcacy of Lllo blliclcl. Novorthclcss, ib clicl onal.)lo us to form some icloa of tllo disconcerting offcct of tho explosion wllcn a pistol is fired at one at very sl~ort range. l’hcso cxpcrimcnts with bullet-proof shields nrnount to no lnoro Lllnn tho fir[IIg of vurioufl types of 1)111101s at a very llnrd surfucc or contiidcrubln area, (Icxibly supported, i.e. by tho arm. T11o shock of itnpact increased in proportion to tho velocity of the bu[lets ljllt in mll CMCS W:W ncgligiblo, tlIo sul)porting arm uIIly recoiling ]nillutcly. ‘1’lko rcwlts to tlio builds wcro cxmctly wliut might lluvo been cxpcctm-1. Soft Ic:u1 bu]!ok nt ]O!V vclociby nlusliroo]ncd pcrfoct]y, jwkcLcxl bullcts tLL moderato vdocity broko into sizul-do and greatly doformcd fragments, whilo }Iigh velocity j:~ckotcd bullets practically disintcgrmtcd, I.lut if tho firing lmd been against a human body instcul of a slliold, it would not bo wiso to concludo either thab Lhc shock of impuct would havo been so slight or that tlm various bullets would havo behaved exactly as they did. Other tests, carried out by firing into wood of varied thiclcncw am-l hardness, very rarely showed uny apprcciablo deformation of bullets, even if they woro of soft lcM1.
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STOPPING POWER 77 ‘1.’llcsI3little experiments left us, however, with m query which wo havo not been ablo to nnswcr. IIow mllcll, if anytllil]g, of clcforma.tion or disintegration is duc to tllo sudden nrrcstution of tlic rotary motion lvl~cn Lullclls Nrc firccl from a ri[lcd l.mrml nt objects ll~rd onougll to resist thcm c~octivoly ? To sum up, all tl~at we llavo dono in this cllnptor is to proviclo il)stmccs of now various t.ypcs of wcfLpons rmcl their 10JM1Sl~uvo not run truo to form. I’rcconccivcd iclcas, basc[l on theory or pcrlmps Ilmrsny, scorn to l~avo Loon upset. Wo my “ scorn “ Mlvisw.lly, for ill sl)ito of tllo longtll nmd variety of our ~ccorcls wo do not consiclcr tllfit wo lmvo had, oven yet, sufficient visual proof of tho lmhaviour and effects of bllllots firc(l into humnn targets to Onal.)lo 11s to lay down lLlly llfir(l-rm(l-flwt Xvllwl. W(3 dO nob ]CllO\Vt,fNLt CL big SOft ~Od bUI]Ct Wi[l not llnvo tl~o kllock-do~v]l o~cct gcmmmlly claimwl. All Tvo can say is LlirLt wo }lavo novcr soon it. Wo do not lKnoJv for ccrtnill, either, tlmt a full-juclcctxxl high-velocity sl)lall-calibro bu]lct will always have tho effect dcscrihcd in tllo particuhw instanm which wo huve given, Wo inclino to tllo belief that tllo human factor must influcnco to somo oxtont tllo lmlmviour of hullcLs, A pugilist at tho top of his form com stand vrw~ly moro punishment than a man who is “ soft “ and untrained. CapcLcity to resist shoclc am-l pain appears to bo 01s0 a function of tho nervous system, and nmrkcd dilTorcnccs occur in this rospoct as botwccn
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78 SHOOTING TO LIVE individuals of diffcront races. I?mhmpa that partially explains why somo men are not knockticl out by bullots when they ou@lt to be. Again, if a bullet caught a man off ImAmco, might not that aid in producing tlio appcammce of w lcnock-down blow ? l~o lmvo matlo no mention yet of an aspect of this mattcm which wo havo obsorvccl timo a.ftor tinm in tho course of years. A hit in the abdominal region almost invariably ca.uses a mrm to clrop anything he may havo in his hands and to clutch his i3tomach convulsively. We may add that such o hit almost always has fatal results, and that is am excellent reuson for such equipment m effective bullet-proof vests, ut least for tho use of polico. If tho ideal to be uttained is a weapon that, wijth a body shot alono, will drop a mm-i in his tracks with ubsoluto certainty, then thero is something lacking in tho best of modern rcmolvers and automatics. It could bo clone, cloubtlcss, with Q weapon of greatly increased calibm and power, but tho mldcd weight and sizo of such a weapon would almost certahdy render it unsuitable for average requirements. So perhaps wo shall have to maim the Lest of such weapons as a.ro available to us. Thoso readers who have had the paticnco to follow us so far will most lilcely bo justifiably irritated by our inconclusiveness. Wf3 can imagine them saying, “ But there must be one or two kinds of pistol that two better than all the others. Why cm earth can’t tl.my tell us what they m-o ? “ ..—
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STOPPING POWER 79 If that quoation is mskccl, wo should reply that, for ourselves, wo should chooso tho pistol which, whilo being easy to curry and convenient to use, would conform most nearly with tho following roquimmcnts :— (1) !l’ho mrmimum of stopping power, (2) Tho maximum volumo of fire. (3) llo nmximum Epced of dischorgol To nttnin tho first rcquircmont wo should chooso a carLridgo tkt roprcsonts whl~t wo cons”klcr u safo mickllo courso, i.e. wi~h a bullet of rcmcmubly largo calibre and weight, driven at a very high velocity. As regmds tho second rcquircmont the rmuder will hmvo gathered from Chmptcrs m and rv on training tlmt wo huvo o prcfcrcnco for firing in “ bursts “ of two or moro ~hots. Wo think that lack of stopping power inhercnb in tho carbridgo is compensated for in somo dogrco by tho added shock of two or moro shots in very rapid succession. IUcdical ovidenco tcncls to cordhm thi5 lmliof, which is strengthened rnomover by tho cwidcnccs wo havo aeon of tho terribly clcstructivo offcots on human trmgcts of subrrmchino-guns of tho Thompson typo. Obviously, this boliof of ours implies tllo necessity for 0 lrwgo volurno of fire, quito apart from tho desirability on otlmr grounds of having as many rounds as poisiblo at ono’s disposal without having to roloacl. Throughout this book wo havo dono our best to
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80 SHOOTING TO LIVE omphasiso the vital need for extreme rapidity of fire. Nor ourselves we can uccom~)lish this, our third desideratum, most casiiy with am automatic. Tlm moro clomly our own pistols rcsemblo machine-guns tl]o better wc lilc~ it, — —
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OIIAPTllIl VIII MISCELLANEOUS Holsters. Care and CleanlnE of Pistols. HOI,sTERs for scrviccmcn T}’11o nrorcquircdtocmry u pistol opcl)ly whilo ill uniforlll nlusb obviously ho of a st:mdard pnttorn, and thoro is littlo room for all tho rofillcmcnts tllwt go to tho m[d{ing of a rc~lly good l~olstcr wl]cro individllnl rcq~lirolncnLs are tllo only consklcmtion. Ncvcrthclcss, tho design of scrvico l~olstcrs might WC]l bo given (L Iittlo mom thought than is often tho ca.so. It is not possible, perhfips,to coml.)inoservico lmccls with the fucilitics for tho ligl~tning-quiclc draw whic]l somo flpccid designs provido, but tllcro aro o11o or two tilings thrLt.i cm bo dono to llolp in tho l~~ttcr rcspoct. ‘1’llo butt of tho pistol Sllol]ld probmdo from tho llolshm su[ficicntly to l~llow tl]o user to goh i~ Ivdl into Ilis hund m quickly ns possiblo ; Ijllcro should bo no fumbling. lf there is, there is something radically wrong with tilo design, Tho front of tho holster should bo cut [Lwny to allo)v tllo forofmgcr to ontor tho trigger-gwml without rwiskmco and without tho stubbing of tho finger-na.il on Llm leather that is so often noticccl. !L’ho gun can bo sccurccl in the hoklwr either by a flup or a strap, both fustoning cm a motul stud. ‘1’hc strap is, of courso, no wicler 81
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02 SHOOTING TO LIVE mu, 20. than it mlwt ho to effect its )lr])oso, ‘Nio flup offcra boLhx protccLion from t)~o wcntllcr, and wc do not think its grcmtcr width makes nn y rcd d i[rmcllcc to tho sped with which tho pistol can bo drawn. ‘1110 bottom of tho holslwr Aouhl k open 80 IJlot in cxwo of rain or accidental immersion tho wntcr dots not rcmu.in i]wi(lo ml(l tho I]olsLcr CILII dry out more q~lickly: !l’ho bottom of t]~o holster r.u.nnot bo entirely open if tl~o design of tho pistol is such that it will slip too fm+ clown, but it is always possiblo to hmvo an Npcrhlro or aper- tures of I’ldcqtmtto sizo for draining. Thcro rcm~ins to bo con- siclcrcd the IJosition in which the holster should be worn. ‘1’ho writers hnvc n prcfcroncr3 for weurillg Llic gnn on tllo I)cIL at tllc 10R si(lo of tho ho(ly. In tlla.t position (sco 11’ig. 20) Lhc wcmwr is able to draw his pistol at reasonable spcecl, and apart from those
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MISCELLANEOUS 83 lcc~sions lvllell ho is obliged to sl~oot, ho cum lJIW(CCL it ~viLll l]is loft llilll(l fLll(l fol’L!ill’1)1 f~Olll tltlcllll)ts to s]llltch it from t]lo ]lulstcr. I.’olicclncn find tll:tt Such n.ttcml)t.s arc l.)y 110 lncxlns in- frcqucll~ ill a crowd or on tho parb of “ drunks “ resisting urrcsto ‘lo guard Iu[tllor against tl)is dnmgcr (Qncl it may WC1l Lo serious), wo rcconl- ]c~l([tl)o uso of o sLout ]llyurd uttacl~cd nt ono otld to Ll]o swivel in tho pistol butk. ‘TIIo other cnd sl~oulcl lmss ill n loop over tllo right shouklcr, tho slIollldcr s(mLp of tl)o uniforn~ I)rovc]lting tho hmya.rd f’ro])l slil)I)ing ofl. hTcvor wcrw Lllo in.ny:wcl round tllo JICC1{,rLSN_ollmvo somc~imcs seen it CIonc, for llcccllcss to siLy,SIIClL fL pmcticc is liablo to add to tho ckmgcr very collsidcrably. Wllatcvcr the posibloll in whic]l tllo hoktcr is worn, grc~t cu.ro sl~oukl L)c taken to cnsuro that its clcsign uncl mctho(l of ntkchn)cllt to tllo ML provi(lo tllo l:]xil~lunl of rcsisLmco w]lcn tllo ljisLol is drawn. To nmko our ‘Incuning clcarur, tllc ]]istol should slip c:wily out of tllo llolstcr, hut tllo llolstcr itxclf’ should 14cmaill WY ncorly immovable m possiblo. Otherwise, when tho pistol is drawn, tho holster has u tenclcncy to wccoml)any it, and tho result is a slow rm(l clumsy dl”wlv. W’itll n lolscr worn on tdlo right thig]], tho ]Icccssrwy nmount of rcsistmco may lmvo to bo provikl by n tl]ollg or string f~~skmccl Lo L11obotlom of tllo hokkr nml ticcl roun(l tho Icg. ‘Ulough so fur wc llnvc been referring solely to holsters to lm worn openly JYl~cn in ~lniform, it will bo obvious thnt the
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84 SHOOTING TO LIVE Ilcccssiby for resiskllco oxish iur mll ottior lulst’r~ ilY \vell, ‘1’urning ]low to Ilolstcrs for otllcr puryoscs, wo strongly rccolnrncnd tho rcrdcr to 1)0 saLisficd oldy with tho bcsk M](1 to tLLlcomy amount of troublo in ordm to get it. IIaving provided yourself with tl}c pisLol of your cl~oicc, consider next how it will suit you best to carry it. IXtcrminc whether it is to be carried openly or conccmlcd on tllo person. If tho lnttor, do you prefer ib un(lcr t]~elcft arm (rigs. 21 rmd 21A, pp. 85, 8(I) or around the vmist (SCOigs. 22, 22A, 22B, pp. 87, 88)? Hwving dccidcd Llleso points, got in touch with orm of the rcliablo and well-known makers of holsters. If unablo to visit him personally, proviclo him with such information m is appropriate to your rcquirc- mcnts. Dcpcncling on thoso rcquircrncnts, such information might well consist of ‘1!110 mako and model of the pistol. Your cl~cst, waist and shoulder mcmurcments. Length of arln. Sizo of hand und lcngtll and t}lickncss of triggor- fillgor, A pllotogrupl~ of yorsclf, showing the clothca usLudly worn. lVith these particulars in his possession, the mrJccr will bo ablo to clcsign a Lolstor suitcf-1 to your requircmcmts in ovcry w[Ly, including the corroct anglo ut wl~ich to worm it. ‘1’his latter is n most —
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MISCELLANEOUS 8s Irxa. 2 l.-Slloulcior IKolaLor. .—
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86 SHOOTING TO LIVE I?IG. 21A.—Shouldor Holstm. -.
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MISCELLANEOUS FIG. !22,—1301t.Holstor and Pistol.
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88 SHOOTING TO LIVE FIO, ~~A .—Bolt-Holster c+nd Pietol. ??10. 22n.—@t.down Revolver.
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MISCELLANEOUS 89 important aid to u quick draw. Though the foro- going may appear to the uninitiated M uncluly meticulous, if not alto@ her too “ fl.nicky, ” it is only in this way that you will bo able to get tho utmost out of thf3 pi5tol of your ohoico. That, Wo prosumo} i~ your objoot, and that to attnin it you will bo proparo(l to go to tho noccwwy troublo rmd oxl)onso. Supposing now that you hwvo obtuinml m good Ilolstor, do not put it uwny rmcl forgot it. Mmo pos~cwion is not suilloiont. ‘no boat holstor ovor retie will not nmke you any quicker on tho draw without praotice, ancl plenty of it. Nothing can OXCO1 “ dry “ practice in front of a mirror, and a fricmcl with a stop-wa.toh oan often help you materially. Though it is a s~fe general rulo to sook tho assist- ance of a momufrmturor of roputo, we EIhoukl bo tho first to aclmit that tlmm am plenty of other ingenious peoplo capable of thinking out, clesigning and even m&ing extremely effootive holsters for thommlves. Ono of the fastest holsters we hove evcx seen was dosigncd mnd mox.lo ‘by un amateur for um wl]cn on mohr-o,ycll) l)l~trol, lbshionwl from n oll tdlown sorvico liolHtor and fmtoncxl on with piooos of string, tlm flnishwl profluot was not a thing of kmuty, but it wn.s 100 per cent. practiad. It hung slightly below his bolt in the oentro of his body and enabled him to drop his hand & few inohes from the handle- bar of the oyole on to the butt of tho gun with complote oertdnty and lightning speood. IUoroovor, tho holster held the gun aeourely even when riding
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90 SHOOTING TO LIVE over very rollgh ground. Hero is a case of a man who not only hml sufhcient ingon[]ity to mako 0 llol~inr which exactly mot his prwticular rcquircrnenta, but suilcicnt application to perfect himself in its uso by assiduous “ dry “ pmctico. Another instanco of ingenuity on tho purt of m-i mnatour, tl)ollgll it rclutcs mom ncur],y to ~ “ gndgot “ tl~an m holstm, wm furnishcrl by a doctor wlloln ono of tho nutl)ora met in San Diego. ‘1’llia dovico WU9 intcnclccl to copo wit!l u “ llold-u~) “ when driviilg lli~ motor-cm+. A slight fliclc of }~is hrmds and tho next irmtant tho doctor was grasping a pair of “38 rovolvcrs, d rcmly for instnmt action. The observer’g impression was that tl~o guns appemxl from nowl~erc, and far too quickly to cnablo ono to get any ideu how it was dono. Had tho doctor been actually hc$d ~lp at tho moment, it is more than likely thd his ~ssuilfint would have keen completely befitcn by tho utter unoxpcctcdnoss of tlm thing. We al~ould not attempt to describo tho dovico ovon if 1{’o could. It is sufllciont to sny tdl~t it was tho result of mrmy weeks of planning, adjustment and “ dry” pr:cico, nll of which the doctor found to 1)0 “ well worth tlio trouMo, rml grcnt fun bcsiclesc” On tho smno clny, tho author referred to waa privileged k watch tho Martin Brothers at quick-draw work with their fhrnous front-draw ho]ators, one Htrappccl down on each thigh, ancl ho left firmly convinced thot S~m Diego would be a very good town for bad men to keep away from.
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MISCELLANEOUS 91 In ono rospoct tho pistol rcsomblos tl~o automobile cngino or othor pioco of nmchinory in thn,t it S11OUM bo “ run-in “ mncl mlbsequontly “ Luncd-ul) “ to romovo an,y small clcfocts and mporitic~. TJ)is upplios witl~ grw~Lor forco to Outoma.tiwl, nn(l i11tl~oir 011.sotllo “ rut]lling-ill “ xrocos m(~y WWI1conit of fIRy rou~]ds of mpid fire. If tdl Ixmxing-purts uro then smoothwl up by an rwmouror who knows his business, tllo pistols will not only bo ploasanbcr to ~hoot with but will Iost much longer. Where a number of mon are el)gqyxl in clen.ning their pistok at tho same tilno, care must bo taken that all parts which havo bcon dismounted m-o rensscml.decl on the right pistols. To this end, it is of great advantage if such parts are all stamped plainly with the numbers borno by tho respective pistols to which they belong. This also ensures that pistols aro oorroctly rmwsomblocl by tllo rmnoumrs after m goncrul ovorhuul. Cleaning in thcso clays is a simplo maLtcr. I?roviclo yoursolf with ~ colluloicl-covorwl clorming rod, tho tip thrmuled to rocoivo mly of tllo following im. plemcmts-o brass wiro brush, o slotted jug, and a l.)ristlo brush, I?roviclo yoursolf also with un aqueous aolvont (of tho rmtum of “ Chloroil “ or Young’s l 303 Clemer), some flrmnelotte patches and ~ tubo of gun grewm. If tho pistol permits of it, clisnmntlo it, to facilitate
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92 SHOOTING TO LIVE the cleaning of tho lmrrol, Attncl~ tho bra.m wiro 1.)ruf3hto tllo rod, clip it into tl~o solvont, nml rlln it tl~rougll tho lmrrol mvor[d titno~ to 100son tllo fouling, and moro particularly, if your ammunition has tho older typo of primer, to removo tho potassium chlorido which in that case will havo been dopositcd. ‘1’hen, using tho slotted jag, run tl~rough mvera.1 patches soaked with tho solvent, finishing with one or two dry patohes. Tho last dry patch should boar no traces of fouling. I!’inidl with nn npldicotion of the gun groaso on th13 brif3tlo brush. ‘1’hero should be no more grcmse thsm is ncccmary to coat tho inside of the barrel with a very li~ht fbn and neii?her beech nor muzzle sJt.ould be choked or clogged up. II’ cam is exr3rciscd in thcae respects, tho pistol may be fired subsequently without having to wipo the barrel out first. Whenever the design of the pistol permits it, always clean the barrel from the breech end. All tho foregoing rommks apply to lmrrola of omtomatio pistole and lmrrols and oylindors of rovolvora. lncidontally, nickel fouling clue to jackotcd l.mllota dots not appear to exist. If it does, it is so rdight as to bo of no account. ‘1.’lmmajor part of tho tadc is now finished. U’or tho rest, wipe over with o slightly grea9y rag all other metal parts, paying particular attention to the breech face, and. in the caso of revolvers to the other parts whoro fouling is apt to colbct,
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MISCELLANEOUS 93 If Lllo pi~bol i~ to bo l)ut nwny for uny Iwlgtll of Limoj wipo (lry o,nd olom all mohd pmtfl otlior t]m]l tllo lmrrol (wl~iotl ilm boon uttcnclocl to ulrouly), ripply a film of gun grwum (most cmsily dorm with tho brietle brush) and wrap in greoxmproof paper, making sllro that yo~l do not IOCLVO finger-murlw on tho motn.1, A pistol trontocl in t!~is momnor and put uwa.y in its box or ca.so, if you lmvo ono, may bo 8torcd for a long timo without abtontion. Novor storo in Q l~olstm ; tho lcatl~or is suscol)tiblo to clamp and will ormso rusting of all metal in contaot with it, We do not favour the um of oil. If it is too thin it is not a good prmorvolivo, und if it is too thiok it is lin,blo to become gummy, to the clotrimont of moving purts. Almost invariably, too, its uso is ovorclono, with tllo result thut tllo pistol overflows with oil which cannot all bo romoveci I.)eforo firing. l..iring, and moro portioukwly rapicl firing, is apt to causo the user to bo bespatterod with this excess of oil. It is neither useful nor pleasant and is best avoidod altogether, Lubrication of suoh moving parts ~ cm bo aeon is just as well accomplishocl by use of tho gun grease, nppliccl spmingly with tho bristle brush. ‘lMo grouso doos not molt, dry off or spatter. Lu?.)rioation of locks, oto., should bo a matter for tho armouror, Loolcs do not ncod much lubrication in any CMO, and me ordy liable to be gummed up from tho usurd practim of squirting oil into the interior of the mechanism through ovory QvfLilablo aporturo.
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AI’ PIONDIX AMMUNITION “ Rwolvlng Credit “ System, On p. 60. referred to ‘33x..u unit quantities given in l’ablo I am approxi- mately those which have been found to answer our own purposes, but oa.n bo varied, of course, to suit diffment rmeda or the roquimmonts of larger or smd.lor numbma of men. l’or greater simplicity, ‘1’uble I is assumed to provide for u force of ] 000 men. TABLU I Bequircrnenti over Twelve Month To be carried in daily use by each Roundfl man, 12 rounds . . . x 1000 = 12,000 Praotico o.nd training, 36 round9 pm man ..,. , x 1000 = 30,000 In reserve, 30 rounds per man . x 1000 == 30,000 78,000 An initial purohaso is made of the total quantity indiookl by Tablo I as required over a period of twelve months and, for added clarity, we shall aasume that it is on hand at tho end of December. D4
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APPENDIX 95 ‘I!arm 11 Di8p08al OJ Initi.ul Pwck.m 1st Jrmuo,ry— ltouncls .l?lmm to mmrvo . . . . . 30,000 18m18 for chily uw . . . . 12,000 Issue for training and pruotioo . . 12,000 lst! Tvliiy--- Witkchw 12,000 issmxl l.sb Jonumy (for daily ifisuo) and um for truining and praotico. llopluoo for doily um, by frosl~ iesuoof . , , , . . 12,000 1st &>pton~bor-- Withdmw 12,000 irwmod let Thy (for daily um) and use for training and praotioe. ~q>]aco for daily use, by fresh issue of , 12,000 78,000 In twelve ruonth~, thmefore, 30,000 rounds have boon uotwdly expended in training m-d pradico. M’eanwhilo, D moond but smdlor purchase haa been made and is OT1 hand I-Lb tho end of Docembcm, twelvo months after tho first purohaoe arrived, so that the Etook of s,mmu.nition is a.s shown in the next tal.do. ‘rADLE ~1 stiCk & end o>{ ~irst !f’wchm ~~O?lfh Rounds Inrosorw..,. . . . 30,000 In daily use (imuwl 1st F@tembm) . . 12,000 Amount of moond puruluwe . . . . 30,00(2 78,000
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96 SHOOTING TO LIVE Wo commm-mo tho second yonr with a atook of tho ammo quantity M that with whioh wo began originally and so are able to repeat exaotly the processes of tho first year. There is ono difference to be noted, however. The second pur,clmse is not drawn on until the first is exhausted. Thus on 1st January of the second year, 12,000 rounds, issued for daily use at the beginning of the proceeding Soptomber, are withdrawn ~nd issued for training and praotice, their placo being taken by 12,000 from reserve. The May issue, 12,000, smd half the September issue, 0000, com- pletely exhausted the 30,000 originally placed to reserve, Our two basio conditions aro therefore fulfllhd, i.e. : F/o ammunition in daily use longer than four months. No mnmunition in ~tock longer than two years. As long as the prograxnme is adhered to, the prooessos outlinocl aro merely o matter of repetition year after year,
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RE: Shooting_to_Live_Fairbairn_and_Sykes_FMFRP_12-81 [Part 1/4]