Fine; Full.)

{ (a) Sighting drills. (Importance and purpose;
{ Point of aim; Triangle of sighting.)
{ (Verifying the triangle; causes of errors.)
{ (b) Position and aiming drills. (Objects
2. Preliminary drills. { [3]; Position exercise; Aiming exercise;
{ Trigger-squeeze exercise; Rapid-fire exercise;
{ Kneeling, sitting down, and prone.)
{ (c) Deflection and elevation correction
{ drills.

3. Gallery practice. (Object and importance.)

4. Range practice. (Instruction practice; Range practice.)

5. Other Instruction. (Use of sling; Designation of winds; Zero
of rifle; Estimating distances [with the eye, by trial shots, and by
trial volleys]; Wind; Temperature; Light; Mirage; Care of rifle, etc.)

INDIVIDUAL INSTRUCTION

Sights and Sighting

_Theory of Sighting_

=1349. The trajectory.= As the bullet passes through the air it makes
a curved line something like this:

[Illustration: Fig. 1]

This curved line is called the _trajectory_.

The resistance of the air and the force of gravity (the force that
pulls all bodies toward the earth) are the two things that make the
path of the bullet a curved line, just the same as they make the path
of the baseball thrown by the player a curved line.

The resistance of the air holds the bullet back and the force of
gravity pulls it down, so that the two acting together make the
bullet's path curved.

The longer the range the more will the path of the bullet (the
trajectory) be curved, as shown by the following drawing:

[Illustration: Fig. 2]

=1350. Sighting or aiming.= Now, on the rifle there are two
"sights,"--the _front sight_ and the _rear sight_,--which enable the
rifleman to regulate the path of the bullet, as the ball player
regulates the path of the ball.

If the ball player wants distance, he throws the ball high (raises the
path, the trajectory), using his eye and guesswork, and likewise if
the rifleman wants to shoot at a distant target, he, too, shoots the
bullet high (that is, he raises the muzzle of his rifle), but he
doesn't have to depend upon guesswork. It is all worked out for him by
experts and all he need do is to set the _rear sight_ for the proper
range,--that is, for the distance the object is from him.

Ai