1. Definition.—a. Musketry deals with the collective fire of fire units. b. Collective fire is the combined rifle fire of a group of riflemen.

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c. A fire unit is one whose fire in battle is under the immediate and effective control of its leader. In our service the fire units are the rifle squad and, at times, the rifle section.

d. Musketry is the application and control of the collective fire of fire units.

2. Relation to general training.—-a. Musketry is a link in the chain of progressive military training. It is preceded by certain elements of training which are applied during instruction in musketry. Knowledge and ability once gained are carried forward and used during later training. This statement applies particularly to rifle marksmanship. During all musketry firing the soldier takes the same care with his position, aim, and trigger squeeze as during record practice. The man who is careless in musketry firing will shoot even less accurately in battle and the value of his training in both rifle marksmanship and musketry will be lost. It is only by combining the principles of both these subjects that fire can be made most effective.

b. Instruction in musketry leads up to combat training, where it is combined with other combat principles as prescribed in the Training Regulations covering combat principles, "The Rifle Squad" and "The Rifle Section." It is in combat training that the principles of musketry have their most valuable and interesting application. Without this application the musketry training of troops can not be considered complete.

c. Training in musketry is preferably begun very soon after the completion of marksmanship courses in the rifle and automatic rifle. For best results combat training must closely follow musketry.

3. Object.—a. The object of musketry training is to give the greatest possible effect to collective fire in battle.

b. The object of these regulations is to explain the principles of musketry and methods of musketry training.

c. These regulations are written primarily for the use of noncommissioned officers for the reason that, in battle, the principles of musketry will be applied almost exclusively by enlisted men.

4. Scope. a. In accordance with the general scheme of Training Regulations the scope of these regulations is limited to the principles of collective rifle fire and training therein.

b. The treatment of the subject is elementary and practical. Only such principles and methods as will be of value in battle or in training for battle are included. c. The units considered are the rifle squad and the rifle section only. Experience has shown that in battle it is very seldom possible for the platoon to act as a fire unit. d. The weapons considered are the rifle and the automatic rifle. The use of grenades is covered in Training Regulations relating to grenades and to combat principles of the rifle squad, section, and platoon.

5. Importance. Effective rifle fire is essential to victory and is the element which most frequently determines the issue of battle. Whenever a number of men are working or fighting for a common end, it is teamwork that wins. Collective rifle fire is most effective when it is the product of teamwork. Rifle squads and sections must be trained to act as efficient and dependable teams in the delivery of collective fire.

6. Scheme of instruction.-a. Preparation.-Commanding officers of infantry organizations and all officers whose duty it is to conduct or supervise musketry training are enjoined to read paragraph 56, general notes for instructors, at least one month prior to the beginning of practical instruction in musketry. Good results can be expected only when the instruction is well prepared.

b. Time allowance.-Allowance of from 35 to 70 hours is desirable for conducting instruction in musketry. This time is equivalent to about 1 to 2 weeks of straight musketry training. Instruction can be given in a solid block or during only a part of each day.

c. Use of text.-All noncommissioned officers will study the text before practical instruction begins. If this study has not been completed in noncommissioned officers' schools, the description of each step in the musketry training will be studied just before it is taken up in a practical way. This study will enable the noncommissioned officers to assist in the instruction. Officers and those who are studying to become officers should include the notes for instructors, Section VIII, in their study.

d. Instruction is progressive.-Instruction is divided into six steps which are taken up in sequence, each step including the application of some or all of the principles previously learned.

These steps are listed below:

(1) Range estimation (Section II).

(2) Target designation (Section III).
(3) Rifle fire and its effect (Section IV).

(4) Fire discipline (Section V).

(5) Fire control (Section VI).

(6) Exercises combining all of the above elements (Section VII).

Each step will be thoroughly understood before proceeding to the next, but work on a single step is not continued for so long at a time that troops will lose interest. It is not essential that perfection in training in each step be secured before proceeding to the next. It is better that satisfactory progress be made according to schedule and that perfection be obtained through the application and repetition of the principles during training in the steps that follow. This statement applies particularly to range estimation and target designation. After these are once understood, practice is best given in short periods extending over many days. Advantage should be taken of opportunities to continue this training throughout the year. Fire discipline and fire control are so closely related that most of the instruction in these two subjects is combined.

e. Procedure in teaching each step.-Each step begins with an explanation by the instructor of the object and importance of the step showing its relation to the subject as a whole. This is followed by an explanation and demonstration of the principles involved and the methods by which they are taught and applied. The troops then put these principles into practice, preferably by means of exercises which they have have just seen demonstrated.

f. Exercises. Some of the exercises are prescribed in detail because experience has shown that great care as to detail is necessary. In other cases, only the general outline and purpose of the exercise are given to permit adaptation to widely varying conditions. Most of the exercises can be given first as demonstrations, preferably using men already trained for the purpose. Many exercises may be used in the nature of tests by recording the results of the exercise. Comparison of the results will provide competition, which is always desirable to increase interest and secure greater effort.

g. Continuity of instruction.-The principles of musketry, once learned, must be remembered and applied during later stages of training. To insure this continuity of instruction, it is highly desirable that some, if not all, of the musketry instructors continue to assist in the instruction of troops or classes during the period of instruction in combat principles. The principles of musketry will be constantly borne in mind and their correct application by the troops insisted upon. The results, then, will be that these principles will be driven home and remembered by the troops and will be properly understood in their relation to other elements of training with which they are combined.

7. Importance. Target practice has shown that sights must be correctly set in order to make hits. In battle, ranges are seldom accurately known in advance, so that the effectiveness of fire depends in large measure upon the accuracy of range estimation.

8. Methods of determining ranges.-The methods of determining ranges are—

a. Estimation by eye.

b. Use of tracer bullets.

c. Observation of fire.

d. By range finders.

e. By measurement on the ground.

f. From other troops.

g. From maps.

9. Necessity for training.combat is estimation by eye.

-a. The usual method of determining ranges in

b. The estimation by eye of untrained men is little better than a guess, and the average errors of such men will be at least 12 per cent of the range. This error would cause a man firing at a target 600 yards distant to set his sight at about 530 yards or 670 yards.

Fired with these sight settings the bullet would strike about 70 yards short of the target on level ground or pass over it more than 2 feet above the point of aim. A definite system of range estimation, frequently practiced, is the only way to make estimation by eye sufficiently reliable.

10. Method of estimation by eye.-a. Estimation by eye consists in measuring the range by applying to it a unit of measure 100 yards long. The method is the same as that employed in measuring the length of a board with a ruler. The only difference is that the soldier's unit of measure is applied mentally. Thorough familiarity with the 100-yard unit and its appearance on different kinds of ground and at different distances will enable the estimator to apply it with a fair degree of accuracy.

b. Knowledge of terrain, life in the open, and training in scouting and patrolling are helpful in range estimation.

c. In Plate 1 an observer at A desires to estimate the range to the two trees at B. He applies the 100-yard unit mentally, as shown in the plate, and finds that it goes five times.

The range, therefore, is 500 yards.

d. Application of the unit of measure beyond 500 yards is difficult. For this reason in ranges over 500 yards it is better to select a point halfway to the target, apply the 100-yard unit up to this halfway point and multiply the distance by two. In Plate 1 the observer wishes to estimate the range to the tree at C. Seeing at a

glance that the range is well over 500 yards, he carefully selects a point D which he judges to be halfway to the target. Applying the unit he finds the distance to D is 450 yards. Multiplying by 2, he finds the range to the target at C to be 900 yards.

e. The average of a number of estimates by different men will generally be more accurate than a single estimate. This principle is used in musketry and in combat when time permits by taking the average of the estimates of the squad leaders or specially trained estimators.

11. Conditions affecting appearance of objects.—a. Conditions of light and terrain have considerable effect upon the appearance of objects, making them seem sometimes much nearer and at other times much more distant than they really are. The effect of these conditions are the appearance of the 100-yard unit of measure is negligible.

b. In some cases much of the ground between the observer and the target will be hidden from view, and the application of the unit of measure to the hidden portion of the ground will be impossible. In such cases, the appearance of objects is the only guide.

c. If there is a considerable stretch of visible ground extending from the far edge of a depression to the target, it is best to estimate the distance to the far edge of the depression, judging by the appearance of objects, and then to apply the unit of measure over the remaining distance to the target.

d. Whenever the appearance of objects is used as a basis for range estimation, the observer must make allowance for the effects noted below:

(1) Objects seem nearer

(a) When the object is in a bright light.

(b) When the color of the object contrasts sharply with the color of the background.

(c) When looking over water, snow, or a uniform surface, like a wheat field. (d) When looking from a height downward.

(e) In the clear atmosphere of high altitudes.

(f) When looking over a depression most of which is hidden.

(2) Objects seem more distant

(a) When looking over a depression all of which is visible.

(b) When there is a poor light or fog.

(c) When only a small part of the object can be seen.

(d) When looking from low ground upward toward higher ground.

12. Other methods of determining ranges.—a. Use of tracer bullets.—Very often the scouts will be the first to locate a new target. They usually point it out to the section by firing at it with tracer bullets. For the first shot they estimate the range by eye. Thereafter they may correct their sight setting by watching the trace of the bullets. Assume that a scout's rifle shoots normally at all ranges. Then we might suppose that if a sight setting of 800 yards puts his tracers squarely on the target he could properly announce the range as 800. Unfortunately this assumption is not true because the trajectory of the tracers is not quite the same as that of the solid bullet. With tracer ammunition a sight setting of 1,000 yards corresponds to a range of 950 yards, so that the scout would have to deduct 50 yards before announcing the range or before firing with ball ammunition.

b. Tracers are still in process of development. The early tracers, 1917, are now very erratic and entirely unreliable for ranging. The data given here are based on firing experimental tracer ammunition in June, 1922. The necessary deductions