site logo

Estimating Distance

Categories: TARGET PRACTICE
Military Handbooks: The Plattsburg Manual Advanced Training

Suppose you are out hunting, and that you see a big buck on a distant

hill. Suppose that it is exactly 600 yards distant from you, that you

are an expert shot, and that you set your sights at 400 yards and fire.

Will you hit the deer or not? You must know how to guess accurately the

distance to a deer, or a man, or anything else, if you propose to have

any reasonable hope of hitting it.



The art of estimat
ng distances with the eye can be improved by

practice. When you are in ranks, observe continually your surroundings.

Call attention to and make estimates of the distances to all the

prominent objects in view. Others near you will become interested, and

the interest will soon spread to the entire company. It will be

necessary for the objects to be pointed out to those interested. This in

itself is a difficult thing to do. To be able quickly to see distant

objects that are being pointed out is a military accomplishment which

all soldiers should possess and which comes only with practice.



More

;