78. Reports. The following reports of automatic rifle record firing will be submitted to the proper headquarters on the forms prescribed as early as practicable after the completion of record firing: a. Report of individual classification in automatic rifle firing. b. Consolidated regimental report of classification in automatic rifle firing. 79. Preparation, examination, and fowarding of reports. The provisions of TR 150-10, covering the preparation, examination, and forwarding of reports, apply also to reports of automatic rifle record firing. 80. Time and place of competition. When directed by the Secretary of War, corps area, department, and Army automatic rifle competitions will be held. The requirements and duties of corps area and department commanders, in connection with the time and place of holding these competitions, are the same as for rifle competitions (see TR 150-10). 81. Selection of competitors.-a. Officers.—(1) Each regimental commander will report to the corps area or department commander the names of any officers of his regiment who desire to enter the competition and whom he can recommend for that purpose. In each case, a statement of the proficiency of the individuals in the use of the automatic rifle should accompany the recommendations. From these reports and such additional reports as may be required, the corps area or department commander will select as competitors, one officer from each regiment of Infantry and Engineers, and any officer that he may desire to select from other organizations armed with the automatic rifle in the ratio of 1 to an equivalent of 9 Infantry rifle companies. (2) In case a regiment is divided between two or more corps areas or departments, the final selection of the officer from such a regiment will lie with the Secretary of War. b. Enlisted men. The commanding officer of each company of Infantry, Engineers, and Chemical Warfare Service, armed with the automatic rifle, will select from the enlisted men of his organization the most suitable soldier, with due regard to excellence in shooting with the automatic rifle, as well as to the character of the contestant, and will report the name of the man so chosen to the regimental commander. Enlisted men of other organizations armed with the automatic rifle may be permitted to compete and will be selected as in Infantry organizations. The names of the men selected will be reported to the corps area or department commander, who will order them sent to the competition at the proper time. c. Other competitors.-At the discretion of the corps area or department commander, enlisted men and officers of the National Guard and of the Organized Reserves may compete when the circumstances are such that this is practicable. They will be selected in the same manner and in the same ratio as the competitors from the Regular Army. 82. Assembly. The officers and enlisted men thus selected will be assembled at the time and place designated for the competition and, after the prescribed preliminary practice, will take part in an individual competition. 83. Preliminary practice.-a. First phase of preliminary practice will be 10 shots, slow fire, semiautomatic, at 300, 500, and 600 yards each, conducted as in record practice, qualification course; the second phase will be 40 shots, timed fire, semiautomatic, at 200, 300, and 500 yards each, conducted as in record practice qualification course. b. Battle sight will not be used in either preliminary practice or competition. No assistance will be given the firer during firing. 84. Competition Firing.—a. The first part of the competition firing will consist of 1-minute firing, rapid fire, semiautomatic, with no limit as to number of shots, at each of three ranges, 200, 300, and 500 yards. Positions and targets for these ranges are those prescribed in record practice, qualification course. It will be found advisable to use alternate targets, whenever possible, thereby avoiding firing on wrong targets; the second part of the competition will be 1-minute firing, from a sandbag rest, with no limit as to number of shots This firing is directed at a screen behind which is placed a target 10 feet long and 6 feet high, ruled into 60 squares, each 1 foot by 1 foot. This screen is placed at any range between 200 and 600 yards from the firing point. Each square struck counts five points and each hit on the target counts one point additional. The sum of these points constitutes the score. This score, plus the score of the first firing, is the score for the competition. b. During the competition, any stoppage not due to the fault of the firer, in the judgment of the officer in charge of the firing, entitles him to fire that part of the competition over again. c. The order of the sequence of firing is determined by the officer in charge of firing. d. In case of a tie in the final score, the high man is determined according to the following order: (1) The man who fired the least shots. (2) The man who has the least misses. (3) The man who hit the most squares on the screen. 85. Prizes.-a. Gold, silver, and bronze badges of suitable and distinctive design will be awarded to enlisted men according to the order of merit and in the ratios, and to officers according to the rule, prescribed for rifle competitions. b. Presentation of prizes will ordinarily be made at the same time and place as presentation of the rifle prizes, and winners of prizes are governed by the same regulations. 86. Rules and regulations.—a. Only the automatic rifle (Browning) as issued to the service and service ammunition will be used. b. The conduct of the competition will be governed by the regulations prescribed for rifle competitions, except where otherwise prescribed in this section. 87. Care of the automatic rifle in the field.-a. The automatic rifle is so constructed that it will function properly, even though dirt and sand have worked into the receiver. These should be removed as soon as possible to prevent their getting into the chamber. To protect the receiver and the chamber from dirt, the bolt should always be kept in the forward position and a magazine in the magazine opening. b. When advances are being made during the fire fight, the automatic rifleman, before each advance, should lower the magazine, allow the bolt to go forward, and then push the magazine into place. Although this method is slightly slower than rushing with the gun cocked, it will keep the gun in action much longer, since it reduces the probability of dirt getting into the chamber and the magazine. c. During cessation of fire, the automatic rifleman should take every opportunity to clean and oil the gun thoroughly, paying special attention to the chamber. d. At every cessation of fire, all empty magazines should be reloaded. 88. Rates of fire in combat.-a. Squad leaders are responsible that the automatic rifleman fires at rates which are proper under the varying circumstances. b. The automatic rifle can equal the fire effect of a number of riflemen. For example, if the squad is at a range where the riflemen are firing at a rate of about 7 or 8 shots per minute, the automatic rifleman can ordinarily fire at a rate of about 30 or 35 shots per minute. As the range decreases, the rate of fire of the automatic rifle can increase to not more than 60 aimed shots per minute. c. In the assault, the automatic rifleman advances on line with the remainder of the platoon, firing steadily at a rapid rate. d. The following table shows the maximum effective rates of fire that can be attained by the best men. It is not to be expected that the average well-trained automatic rifleman can attain these rates. e. In the offensive, because of the difficulty of the ammunition supply, a rate of fire of 10 to 60 shots is ordinarily used at ranges less than 500 yards. Only fire that is effective, shot by shot, should be employed. In the delivery of assault fire, the rate of 40 to 80 shots per minute may be employed. f. Beyond 500 yards, in order to conserve ammunition for the shorter ranges, a rate of 10 to 12 shots per minute is not generally to be exceeded. In the defensive, when the ammunition supply is more plentiful, the maximum effective fire may be delivered. g. Plate 6 indicates the efficiency derived from various kinds and rates of fire. (1) Graphs 1, 2, 3, 5, 9, 11, and 13 were fired by four expert riflemen; (dotted lines). Graphs 4, 6, 7, 8, 10, 12, and 14 were fired by eight average shots. APPROXIMATE PERCENTAGE OF HITS AND SCORES FOR EACH TYPE OF FIRE Example - Graph *1- Percentage of hits and score at 200 yards = 97, at 300 yards 93, at 500 yards-82 Plate 6. (2) Graphs 1 and 4. Graphs 2 and 6. Graphs 13 and 14. Graphs 5 and 8. Semiautomatic with rest. 40 shots per minute. (3) Ranges are indicated on top and average percentage of hits and scores indicated on right edge. A study of the graphs will show (a) Semiautomatic fire with rests is the most effective. (b) The semiautomatic fire by the expert rifleman averaging about 15 per cent better than fire by the average rifleman. (c) Automatic fire is relatively inefficient even at such short ranges as 200 yards. (d) An expert automatic rifleman with a rest is able to deliver semiauto- (e) The decided drop in all graphs between 500 and 600 yards. 89. Endurance test of the automatic rifle.-a. The following tests were fired with an automatic rifle, in a machine rest, with a new barrel for each test. The effect of overheating is observed when the shot group shows a considerable enlargement. When keyholing occurs, the gun has almost lost its effectiveness. (Keyholed bullets, instead of revolving around their longer axis, tumble and pass through the target in every conceivable position, usually sidewise.) Keyholing is caused by the enlargement of the overheated barrel and the consequent failure of the lands to give the rotation to the bullet. b. In each kind of firing, the shot groups were practically of the same size as the various stages of heating were reached. c. Plate 7 presents specimen shot groups, selected to illustrate the loss of efficiency as the gun overheats. (NOTE. The forearm will catch fire before overheating starts. The gun lost its effectiveness after Group B or overheating started.) d. The gun was still functioning perfectly after Group D was fired, although the gun had lost its effectiveness after group B was fired (when overheating started). After Group D was fired, the barrels were allowed to cool. They were then fired and gave accurate results. The shot groups were as small as those made when the barrel was first used and there was no change in the distance of the center of impact from the center of the target. e. The firing indicated in Plate 7 was conducted on a 1,000-inch range. The targets were 8 by 12 mils and were changed each minute without interruption to the fire. A rate of 60 shots per minute, semiautomatic fire, was maintained in the specimen shot groups used in this plate. f. Explanation of groups. (1) Group A: First minute of firing, 60 hits; size of shot group 2 by 3 mils. (2) Group B: Twelfth minute of firing, 60 hits; size of shot group, 4 by 5 mils (overheating starting after 720 rounds). (3) Group C: Fifteenth minute of firing, 42 hits. Keyholing starting. The gun started to lose effectiveness after the twelfth minute. (4) Group D: Firing was stopped after this group, in which practically all shots were keyholing. Seventeenth minute. |