Accurate revolver shooting is so easy to learn and so important in an officer's profession that it seems it should not be neglected as it has been in the training of officers for the service. This accomplishment is not limited to a few gifted artists, born to shoot a revolver, but is easily within reach of any ordinary man who is willing to give to it a little work and attention. In most cases a little conscientious practice, properly directed, will make a poor shot into an expert; that is, progress at the beginning is so rapid and the results are so obvious that mere interest changed to fascination and one keeps on shooting and developing until he reaches the highest stages of the shooting game.
It is the object of this article to point out the details of a system used to attain the best results with a service gun.
Remember first that the revolver is a very dangerous weapon, especially when not loaded.
Position of the Body.—The proper position is to stand facing nearly at right angles to the target, the left heel about 3 inches to the left of, and about 12 inches to 18 inches to the rear of the right heel; the feet in the most comfortable position to suit the individual firing. (See Fig. I.) Take the weight about equally on both feet, throw the abdomen slightly forward, and brace the body with left hand grasping left hip; right arm fully extended toward the target.
The conventional position—right arm bent, hand grasping lower part of stock, thumb around handle with the little finger underneath—cramps the arm and prevents the best control of the weapon.
The method of holding the piece is very important. The proper position is shown in Figs. 21 3, 4, 3. Grasp the piece lightly, hand high on stock, entire thumb (all three joints) to the left of and extending along the upper part of the frame. (See Figs. 2, 3, 5.)
In sighting, place the tip of the front sight even with the top of the rear notch, then bring it under the bull's-eye, leaving a thin line of white. Do not cant (Fig. 5). With sights so aligned, gradually tighten the grip, increasing the pressure on the trigger without independent movement of the trigger finger. It will be found almost impossible to keep " on " for any length of time, so there must be absolute control over the trigger finger to enable one to fire at the proper, instant and to prevent firing when not "on." After continued practice the trigger finger works almost involuntarily, so that when you will to fire you do fire without being conscious of any additional pressure at that instant. It is well to fire as soon as the sights are steady on the bull's-eye, for the arm soon tires and causes the piece to "bobble." If you are not able to get the shot off before the arm tires, take a rest and try again; don't let it go when you know you are not "on."
Acquire accuracy before you try for speed.
Rapid Fire.—In this method of firing the single-action should always be used. Commence squeezing the trigger as soon as the piece is cocked, gradually increasing the pressure so that by the time the sights are aligned on the bull's-eye the trigger is pulled. This is also a good plan to follow when firing in a wind. In rapid fire take a coarse sight and risk no chance of losing your front sight in the middle of a string. Most of the time is used in cocking the piece, and the following method is found to be the fastest: As soon as the piece is fired allow it to jump up with the recoil, release the trigger, place the thumb on the hammer, loosen the grip, allowing the muzzle to swing to the right bringing the thumb across the hammer, draw hammer back. When the piece is cocked let the thumb slip over to the position on the left side as the hand is closed. The position of the arm is not changed and the sights will be found on, or nearly on, the bull's-eye as soon as the hand is closed.
Practice is all important, and by practice is not meant the firing of a great number of shots for the sole object of making large scores. Practice is not measured by the number of shots fired, and the score is the last thing to be considered.
After snapping the piece a number of times to get the position, fire a string of shots and plot those fired when the aim was good. Find the center of impact and note its position with reference to the point of aim. The bunch may be moved to the right by increasing the pressure of the thumb on the side of the piece, to the left by decreasing it. If the bunch falls off the bull's-eye when the aim was good then the holding is at fault and can be corrected with proper attention.
Flinching is the anticipation of the recoil and the contracting of the muscles to withstand the expected shock. This is the most common, and the hardest to master, of all the faults a revolver has to contend with. It is shown in its worst form by the beginner shooting into the ground near his toes. It is extremely hard to overcome entirely; that is, to be able to hold as well when firing as when snapping the empty piece. The best way to overcome flinching is to be sure you can hold on and snap, then keep the idea before you that you must hold the same when you know it is going to fire. Get the position so that you are not afraid of the recoil, hold the gun lightly, and practice. A good method, much used, is to fill some of the chambers and leave some empty; then give the cylinder a whirl and close it so that you will not know whether you are going to fire, or to snap when you pull the trigger—you will notice the flinch when you strike an empty chamber. Correct it.
As soon as the shot can be placed in a small, well placed bunch, the actual firing may be discontinued, except that a few strings should be fired from time to time to prevent growing away from the position learned.
The firing is now superseded by snapping at the target. This gives good practice and has the advantage of being cheap and convenient.