3036 RCACC

MARKSMANSHIP

HANDOUT

Safety

The MOST IMPORTANT aspect of marksmanship is safety. All cadets handling the air rifles and participating

on the range with our unit MUST adhere to the safety guidelines. The Range Safety Officer (RSO) has the

authority and responsibility to ask you to leave the range if you are unsafe. This is for everyone’s safety.

In order for you to safely handle the rifle, you must first know the parts of the rifle.

Butt plate – Directly in contact with the marksman’s shoulder.

Spacers – Used to vary the length of the rifle.

Small of the butt (Pistol Grip) – Curved area directly behind the trigger guard.

Stock – Complete wooden portion of the rifle.

Sling – Made of nylon, used to support most of the weight of the rifle.

Sling bracket – adjustable metal clasp used to affix the sling to the rifle.

Trigger – Moveable device that releases the spring and releases the rifle mechanism.

Trigger guard – Metal band that surrounds and protects the trigger.

Safety catch – This cross-bolt type device prevents the rifle from firing when engaged. Black side indicates

the rifle is unable to fire (safe) and the red side indicates the rifle is ready to fire. The safety should be engaged

at all times, unless firing.

Bolt – Metal lever used for opening or closing the rifle.

Pump Handle – Metal lever used to compress the air required to fire the pellet.

Front sight – Global front sight that uses aperture inserts.

Rear sight – Micrometer sight adjustable for windage and elevation.

Muzzle – Front end of the barrel equipped with attachable barrel weight.

Barrel with barrel weight – Steel tube through which the pellet travels. Barrel weight is for balance.

Bore – the interior of the barrel has spiral grooves cut into it. The lands are the ridges of metal between the

grooves. Together, the grooves and lands are called rifling.

Feed track – Delicate area where the pellet is inserted manually onto a single pellet adapter.

Chamber – Location where the pellet is held before firing.

Safety Precautions Safety precautions are essential to ensure everyone’s safety on the range. Every time a cadet picks up a rifle,

or, steps on a range, they MUST have safety in mind and check to ensure the rifle is safe. Even when a rifle is

presumably safe, it is to be checked again.

Removing a rifle from the case

1. Place the rifle case on a flat surface.

2. Open the case.

3. Cock the action and leave the bolt to the rear.

4. Confirm the safety catch is ON.

5. Confirm that the pumping lever is partially open.

6. Slide the safety rod in the barrel towards the bold until it can be seen in the feed track.

7. Remove the rifle from the case.

8. Remove the safety rod when you are on the firing line.

Safety catch and security measures

The safety catch is a mechanism that, once engaged, prevents the rifle from firing by locking its trigger into

place. It is located just in front of the trigger, on the trigger guard. To engage the safety catch (ON) it must be

pushed towards the right so no red can be seen. To fire, turn the safety off. You should be able to see red.

Safety rod

To ensure that air rifles are not removed from the firing point or stored with a pellet in the chamber or barrel, a

safety rod is to be inserted in the barrel from the muzzle end. It consists of two sections of doweling joined

together in a “T” shape, and may be made of varying materials. The tip of the safety rod is normally coloured

red or orange, so it is visible in the feed track with the bolt fully to the rear.

Safe rifle status

1. In the rifle case:

- The safety catch is on

- The bolt is forward

- The action is not cocked

- The safety rod is in the case but not in the barrel

- The pump lever is partially open (5-8cm)

2. On the firing line

- The safety catch is on

- The bolt is to the rear

- The pump lever is partially open

3. Off the firing line

- The safety catch is on

- The bolt is to the rear

- The safety rod is in the barrel (visible in the feed track)

- The pump lever is partially open

Individual safety precautions: These are steps you follow to confirm the rifle is safe. Safety on, bolt open,

pump lever open, safety rod in barrel.

Safety regulations

Safety regulations are all common sense and are easy to apply when people understand that they are necessary to

help prevent accidents with the air rifle. Regulations include:

Treat the rifle as if it were loaded at all times

NEVER point the rifle at anyone

Hold the rifle vertically when moving to and from the firing point

Leave fingers off the trigger until ready to fire

Wear Safety glasses

Wash your hands after every practice, or if there is a break, after you fire and before you eat

ACTS

Assume the rifle is loaded

Control the muzzle direction at all times

Trigger finger must be kept off the trigger and out of the trigger guard

See that the rifle is unloaded – prove it safe

Characteristics of the Daisy 853C Air Rifle

Action: Single pump pneumatic, straight pull-bolt

Total length: 97.8 cm

Total weight: 2.5 kg

Calibre: 0.177 calibre (4.5mm)

Front sight: Global type with interchangeable aperture inserts

Rear sight: Fully adjustable peep rear sight with micrometer click adjustment

Muzzle Velocity: 150.8 metres per second

Loading: Single or auto indexing five-pellet clip

Stock: Full-length, sporter-styled hardwood with adjustable length.

Safety: Manual cross-bolt trigger block with red indicator

Barrel: Lother Walther rifled high-grade steel barrel with weight: crowned 12 lands and grooves, right hand

twist. Precision bore sized for match pellets. Approximate length is 53.1cm.

Maximum Range: 235.4m

Sling: Adjustable competition web

Trigger weight: Minimum 3.5lbs

Chamber: Open loading and made of steel

Pumping force: 20lbf (lbf = pound-force)

Principles of Marksmanship

Standing position

The standing position is fairly new to the Canadian Cadet Movement; however it is now used for evaluation in

competition and is weighted at 1/3 the total score.

In the standing position, the shooter holds and aims the rifle while standing erect over a small support surface

established by two feet. For a new shooter to have a relatively steady position, it must exhibit three features:

1. The feet must be positioned to turn the body 90-100 degrees away from the target

2. The body must be configured in such a way that the position provides a straight, solid column of support

for the rifle and upper body from the left foot up to the rifle and

3. The rifle-body weight stabilized by that column of support must be relaxed and balanced over the feet.

The keys to getting the support column straight are making sure the left elbow and left hip are both directly

under the rifle. The shooter must inwardly control balancing the body-rifle system over the support surface, but

the good news is that even first-time shooters can quickly learn to sense when their positions are balanced.

There are 6 steps in building a new standing position. They are described here for a right-handed shooter.

Simply switch left and right for a left-handed shooter.

1 – Orient the body

Step to the firing line and orient the body by turning it 90 degrees

away from the target and the left side points towards the target. If

done correctly, imaginary lines drawn through the hips and feet will

point directly at the target. At this point, how far apart the feet are

placed is not important. Within reason, how close or far apart the feet

ar spread does not affect stability, but turning the body so that the left

hip and left foot end up directly under the rifle does affect stability.

2 – Shoulder the rifle

To start to build the position, the rifle must be placed in position on the shoulder.

Do this by grasping the rifle with the left hand just ahead of the trigger guard.

Keep the left wrist straight while doing this. Seat the butt-plate in the right

shoulder and drop the left arm down on the side or hip.

3 – Position the left elbow

With the rifle at the shoulder, shift the left elbow position so

that it is directly under the rifle. In most cases, that will

require moving the elbow forward. Be sure to also keep the

left hip over the feet and directly under the rifle while doing

this.

4 – Position the butt of the rifle and shooters head

The correct position for the butt-plate is determined by the correct position for

the head, not vice versa. In the correct position, the head remains nearly erect so

that aiming is easy and comfortable. Determine where to locate the butt-plate in

th shoulder by slightly lowering the head down to the cheek-piece to look

through the sights. If this movement is small and the head remains reasonably

erect while looking through the sights, the butt location is good. If the head

must drop a lot to look through the sights, correct this by raising the butt-plate in

the shoulder.

5 – Relax and balance the position

Before going to the final step of selecting the correct hand-wrist positin to

support the rifle, it is necessary to relax the left shoulder and arm down onto the

side or hip. It is also necessary to stand so that the weight of the body-rifle

system is balanced over both feet. This may require leaning or bending the body

slightly to the right and rear to counterbalance the weight of the rifle, but most

new shooters do this automatically.

6 – Select a left hand-wrist position

With the rifle in position on the shoulder, the left

shoulder an arm relaxed onto the side or hip and the

weight of the body-rifle system balanced over the feet,

look through the sights. Do they point at the target or

do they point above or below the target? At this point

it is critical not to force the rifle up or down to get the

sights pointing at the target. The correct way to do this

is to select a left hand-wrist position that fills the

support gap between the left hip and the rifle fore-end. A good mid-range

starting position is to keep the wrist straight and either set the rifle on top of a

closed fist or support the rifle between the thumb and first knuckle.

Hand-Wrist Positions for the Left Support Arm, from lowest (on left) to highest

(on right)

As a new shooter, it is important for you to review these steps before each shot until you become more familiar

and comfortable with the position.

Prone position

The prone position is one of the most important foundations in marksmanship. Having a good prone

position will help you be more comfortable and more stable while you fire. An excellent prone position will

not guarantee you an excellent performance, but a poor position will have a substantially negative effect on your

performance. As this is such an important skill, you will spend a lot of time developing your prone position.

Characteristics of a good prone position

The following characteristics are to be used as a guideline for establishing your own individual position.

Cadets may alter some fo the suggested characteristics for personal comfort as long as the position remains

technically correct. If you are not sure how far you can deviate from the standard, ask a senior cadet or adult

staff member.

1. The body should form a 5-20 degree angle with the line of fire. The body must not be twisted and the

spine should be straight.

2. The left leg must be parallel to the spine. The left foot should either rest on the instep or be slightly

turned inwards.

3. The right leg should be raised towards the body at an angle of between 30-45 degrees. The knee

should be bent in order for the lower part of the leg (below the knee) to be parallel with the left leg. By raising

your right leg in this way, your body is slightly turned on its left side, which makes breathing easier.

4. The left elbow should be positioned slightly to the left of the rifle. When you are in the prone

position, you can use your shoulders as reference points for the correct placement of your left elbow. The

elbow should be positioned slightly to the left of the centre point between your shoulders.

5. The left forearm must form and angle of at least 30 degrees with the ground in order to be within the

rules.

The following pictures demonstrate the above mentioned points:

6. The left hand should be pressed against the sling swivel when in position. The fingers should

not grip the forestock. Your hand must be relaxed and the rifle should rest on the palm.

7. The right hand should grasp the grip with consistent pressure from shot to shot. The actual

amount of force applied by the right hand should be light. The right hand should never have to support

the rifle. Once in position, you should be able to remove your right hand and have the rifle remain

supported and on aim with the target. If you find that your right hand is applying significant pressure on

the rifle, then there is some aspect of your position that must be changed.

8. Your right thumb should be placed wherever it feels comfortable. It may be placed directly

behind the bolt or around the pistol grip.

9. Once the right hand has grasped the grip, the right elbow should then drop naturally to the

ground. It should be placed in such a way to ensure that the fundamentals of marksmanship can be

implemented. The right elbow should only have a small amount of pressure on it.

10. Your shoulders should be straight and form a right angle with your spine. They should be

relaxed at all times.

11. The butt plate should be placed firmly in the shoulder. It is extremely important that it be

placed in the same place for every shot. The most effective way of doing this is to grasp the butt with

your right hand and use your thumb to guide the butt into the same location every time. This motion

should be incorporated into your firing routine. Generally, the butt plate is raised when firing in the

prone position.

12. Your cheek should rest comfortably on the cheek piece. Your right eye should have between

5 and 8 centimetres of eye relief from the rear iris. When you place your face on the cheek piece, your

head should be straight and in a comfortable position. You should be able to look directly through the

rear sight without any strain to your neck. If your head is not straight, ask someone to help you adjust

your position to correct this.

In order to achieve good results, each of the above points must be repeated for every shot. Your

elbows should always be in the same position; your head and shoulders should be straight and relaxed;

your eye relief should be consistent; your left leg should always be straight and parallel with your spine

and your right leg should always be raised in the same position.

Establishing a good prone position will likely be uncomfortable, maybe even slightly painful at

first, but with repeated practice, you will quickly settle into it. Be patient and give yourself time to get

used to it. You will see the benefits of a quality position as time goes on.

Natural Alignment

Once a comfortable prone position has been established, you must now make sure that you are

aiming properly at your target. As mentioned previously, it is important that th rifle be supported by your

bone structure and not your muscles. An effective way of accomplishing this is through natural

alignment.

Natural alignment can be defined as being the process of having the rifle aim towards the desired

target without the use of muscular tension. In order to know if your position is directly in line with your

target, observe the following steps:

1. Assume the prone position, look through your sights and acquire a proper sight picture as a

starting point.

2. Close your eyes, take several normal breaths and relax into a comfortable position.

3. Once you are comfortable, open your eyes and look through the sights again. If they are

perfectly centred with the target, then you are naturally aligned and you are ready to begin firing.

4. If you are not directly centred with the target, you will need to adjust your position slightly. To

do this, you will need to pivot your body on your left elbow. Specifically:

a) If you are aiming too far to the left, move your lower body slightly to the left

b) If you are aiming too far to the right, move your lower body slightly to the right

c) If you are aiming too low, move your lower body slightly back (if this does not work,

you may have to tighten your sling)

d) If you are aiming too high, move your lower body slightly forward (if this does not

work, you may have to loosen your sling)

5. Close your eyes and do a final check on your alignment. If you are still not perfectly aligned,

then you must start over! Always remember to keep your left elbow in place if you have to adjust your

position.

Aiming

Now that you have learned about the prone position and natural alignment, you are ready to

proceed to one of the most important fundamentals of marksmanship, aiming. Before we detail some of

the characteristics of aiming, there are two topics that must be explained first.

Using a blinder: All cadets are encouraged to fire keeping both eyes open. The reason for this is that

your eyes are used to working together. If one eye is closed, then the other will strain itself to

compensate. This strain will cause your vision to be affected in a negative way. A blinder is used to

block the non-aiming eye while allowing it to remain open. This way, both eyes remain open and your

aiming eye will be more comfortable and better focused.

A good blinder should be translucent so that images are blocked even though light can penetrate it.

Your blinder should be easily attachable to the rear sight.

Eye relief: This is the distance between the rear sight and your right eye. Your eye should not be

touching the sight, there needs to be a bit of space. If not, you will scratch your shooting glasses.

The aiming process

When you are in the process of taking a well-aimed shot, there is a three step process that you

should follow to ensure that you have correct aim every time.

1. Get into a comfortable position

2. Make sure that you are naturally aligned with your target.

3. Align your eye with the rear sight, the front aperture and the target to aquire a perfect sight

picture.

Perfect sight picture: Once you have established a comfortable position, you are ready to begin the

actual aiming process. The key is having perfect alignment between your eye, the rear sight, the fron

sight and the target. Since your eye is not able to focus perfectly on these three points at the same time,

your line of sight must travel from one to the others until they are all aligned. When you fire the shot,

you should have a clear image of the front aperture. The image of the target must be perfectly centred in

the front aperture when you squeeze the trigger in order for your shot to hit the centre of the target.

If your vision becomes blurred while you are in the aim, you must resist the temptation to fire the

shot. Close your eyes and re-start the aiming process. If you try to fire when your vision is impaired, the

chances of firing a good shot are fairly slim.

Breathing

Now that you have learned about the prone position, natural alignment and aiming, you are ready

to learn how breathing relates to marksmanship. When you breathe, the osygen you inhale is used to

supply your muscles with energy. This ensures the optimal potential of not only the muscles used to

support the rifle, but also the muscles in your eyes.

In order to be as stable as possible when you fire a shot, you will actually have to stop breathing

for a few seconds. It is very important that you fire the shot within 5 to 7 seconds of holding your breath.

Optimally, you would fire within 3 to 5 seconds, while not rushing your shot. After 5 to 7 seconds, your

muscles will start to tense up because of the lack of oxygen. Your eyesight will also be affected

negatively.

When you inhale, you will see the sight picture lower in reference to the aiming mark while

exhaling will cause the sight picture to rise. The goal is to coordinate your breathing rhythm so that the

sight picture travels above and below the aiming mark. As you get closer to firing the shot, your

breathing should be getting shallower. You should slowly exhale, causing the sight picture to rise until it

centres directly onto the aiming mark. This is the point where your breathing should stop and you should

fire the shot.

In order for you to develop your breathing rhythm, use the following diagram as a starting point:

It is VERY important that you re-start your breathing cycle if you feel that your body wants to

breathe again. Teh extra strain caused by holding your breath for an extended period of time will likely

cause the end result to be poor. You may find it difficult at first to have the discipline to restart the

breathing rhythm if necessary but remember that it may be required in order to improve your level of

performance.

Trigger Control and Follow Through

The final steps in the firing routine are trigger control and follow through. A smooth and

consistent trigger squeeze, in conjunction with the other principles of marksmanship, will assure you that

your shot will land where you planned.

In order to have quality trigger control, there are a couple of things that you will need to practice.

Position of the hand on the rifle: You should have a relatively light hold on the pistol grip with

the bottom three fingers of your right hand. Your thumb should either point upwards and rest in a relaxed

position behind the rear sight, or point sideways so that your right hand forms a fist around the pistol grip.

The exact position of your right hand should be such that you are comfortable when you fire.

Trigger finger position: Your index finger should be placed on the trigger at the first joint. It

needs to be placed here so that you will have the necessary control and leverage to effectively squeeze the

___kg trigger. The index finger should never touch the stock of the rifle or the trigger guard and it must

be vertically centred on the trigger.

Squeezing the trigger: You should only start to apply pressure on the trigger when you are ready

to fire the shot. Make sure that you squeeze the trigger straight to the rear by bending the second joing of

your index finger. Use constant pressure to squeeze the trigger and fire a controlled shot within the 5-7

seconds that you are holding your breath.

When you squeeze the trigger, you should be doing it in such a way that when the shot is released,

it will be a surprise. This is known as firing sub-consciously. When you fire sub-consciously, your body

will not have a chance to anticipate the recoil, which may cause you to tense your muscles.

A good way to practice trigger control is by dryfiring. When you dryfire, you are able to simulate

firing a shot without recoil. This will allow you to confirm that your rifle remains steady when you

squeeze the trigger.

Follow through

Follow through is defined as the act of remaining in position for a few seconds after the shot is released.

This is something that requires both mental and physical effort on your part. Even though the pellet is

travelling at a very fast speed, a minimal movement of the rifle can cause the path of the bullet to be

affected. This is why it is very important that you remain in position for 1 or 2 seconds after you have

squeezed the trigger.

Calling shots

During the follow through, you should continue to look through the sights to check where your sight

picture ends up. If you have properly applied the fundamentals of marksmanship, then the sight picture

should return to the same place it was before the shot was released. By observing where the sight picture

ends up, you can “call” the location of the shot. For example, if the sight picture ends up to the right of

the aiming mark, you would call the shot to the right. This means that the shot will likely be to the right

of the intended target. A called shot may be the result of careless shot or it could mean that there may be

some aspect of your position that needs correcting.