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twelve more plates, and the two ring of
twelve plates of irregular shape to conform
with the shape of the rectangular
target.
If the marksman hits the paper target,
which is set up about six feet ahead
of the machine, in the four ring at a
spot that would be one o'clock of the
clock face, that particular plate moves
back under the blow, makes the contact,
and drops the annunciator on a corresponding
target in miniature at the
tiring point. Whereupon the scorer says
"Private Blank, a four at one o'clock,"
and presses a button which resets the
annunciator.
Like the colored gentleman's load of
shot which was there as soon as it
started, the whole process takes less
than two seconds from the bang of the
rifle to the fall of the annunciator, and
the next man may fire as fast as the
scorer can call off the shots and reset the
annunciator.
A TARGET THAT SCORES ITSELF 491
The great value of the device is in the
time and labor saving it makes possible.
At the official test at the Army School of
Musketry, a company of 64 men fired
10 shots each in one hour and twenty
minutes with four targets in operation
under the old pit and hand-marking system.
The same company of men fired the
ONE TARGET KEEPS FOUR SHARPSHOOTERS BUSY
Each shot, from the pulling of the trigger of a rifle to the resetting of the annunciator dial—shown on the left—by the
pressing of a button held in the officer's left hand, takes but two seconds.
same number of shots in one hour and
forty minutes on one single self-scoring
target without any crew required, with
scores that averaged 3 points higher per
man out of the 50 points possible to
make.
This is a patent economy, besides offering
what appears to be a far better opportunity
for good scores.
Any old spot may be used for such a
target, provided there is room behind for
stray bullets. Marshes, rocky land, and
hillsides are plenty good enough for the
location of the newly invented self-scoring
target.