13-282 Garand Picture of the Day - 93rd INF Div

[browningautorifle]

30/45/60 degrees of a marked sling.

I don't quite follow this part Chris...

[emmagee1917]

You would mount the sling to the rifle , loosen the lower loop , place your foot on the sling , and raise the rifle till the sling was taut. Use a clinometer ( usually from your local MG crew ) , find the three places your foot needs to be on the sling in order to have the sling taut while the rifle is angled at 30 , 45 , and 60 degrees . Mark those points on the sling with strips of white adhesive tape ( usually from your local medic ) . By placing the butt toe on the ground and your left foot on the proper strip and bringing up the muzzle til the sling is taut , the rifle would be angled at the choosen number of degrees.
If you had the time , you could dig a little trench so that the full butt plate ( or a good part ) would contact the ground to help prevent splintering.
Chris

[browningautorifle]

raise the rifle till the sling was taut. Use a clinometer

Gotcha...quite a procedure, I'll bet it was abandoned in action for a point and "Right about there..." approach.

[emmagee1917]

No , because this was preping the gun. In combat you estimated the range , refered to the charts if you needed to , slipped the grenade on as far down as needed and chambered a cartridge , then just step on the sling where needed and raise it tight , lay your windage and fire . The M15 sight was about as fast and a lot more precise because of the spirit level .
Chris

[Mark in Rochester]

In the 50's a frend was trained by WW2 combat vets.

He related that the vets could drop a practice grenade in a 55 gal drum at 200 yards.

At least that was his story

[browningautorifle]

In combat you estimated the range

That's what I meant Chris...

[emmagee1917]

It was no problem to drop practice AT dummies into an open convertable at 100 yds and most of the time I could pick the seat on a bet. Was not real hard at all. I would bet a trained vet could do it at 200 , so the story is quite possible on a calm day ( we don't get many of those around here ) .
Chris