LESSON #1: Introduction to Marksmanship and Combat

Introduction to Marksmanship
  Marksmanship describes a person’s ability to shoot a firearm accurately.
Definition of Terms
 1. Firearm
  It is a device which projects either single or multiple projectiles at high velocity through a
controlled explosion.
  This process of rapid burning is technically known as deflagration.
  In older firearms, this propellant was typically black powder, but modern firearms use
smokeless powder, cordite, or other propellants.
 2. Handgun
  Refers to small arms, such as pistol revolver.
 3. Marksmanship
  The skills of the marksman especially in firearms (rifle and handgun).
 4. Pistol
  A hand firearm usually applies to single shot and automatic loading.
 5. Revolver
  A hand firearm in which a rotating cylinder successively places cartridges into position for
firing.
 6. Rifle
  A type of weapon fired from shoulder.
Basic Marksmanship Principles:
 a. The shooting position and hold must be firm to support the rifle.
 b. The rifle must point naturally at the target without any undue physical effort.
 c. Sight alignment and sight picture must be correct.
 d. The shot must be released and followed through without undue disturbance to the position.
Combat Shooting
  Combat pistol shooting is a modern martial art that focuses on the use of the handgun as a
defensive weapon for self defense, or for military and police use. Like most martial arts, combat
pistol shooting is practiced both for defense and for sport.
Fundamentals of Marksmanship and Combat Shooting
  It contains the study of firearms which includes the handgun and the rifle together with their
characteristics and functions; safety rules and procedures, principles of use, maintenance and as a
form of combative sports discipline.
FAQs:
 1. Why is Marksmanship considered an art? Marksmanship is considered as an art because it
refers to the skill of using a firearm, such as a rifle or a pistol.
 2. What is the difference between a marksman and a sharpshooter?
Is that sharpshooter is a person trained to shoot precisely with a certain type of rifle; a
marksman while marksman is a man or person skilled in shooting.
LESSON #2: Origin of Firearms and the Evolution of
Weapons
Firearms
  Technical Definition: It is an instrument that is used for the propulsion of projectiles by
means of expansive force of gases from the burning powder.
  Legal Definition: It refers to any handheld or portable weapon, whether a small arm or light
weapon, that expels or is designed to expel a bullet, shot, slug, missile or any projectile, which is
discharged by means of expansive force of gases from burning gunpowder or other form of
combustion or any similar instrument or implement. The barrel, frame or receiver is concerned a
firearm (Sec 3, RA 10591).
Origin of Firearms
 As long as man has used tools, weapons have been among those of foremost importance.
They have been used to provide food and protection since the formation of the earliest social
units. For centuries, and continuing through today, men and women have used firearms as the
most effective weapons individuals can wield.
 The origin of gunpowder is unknown, and may have occurred in China, Turkey, or Europe.
The first record describing the combination of charcoal, sulphur, and saltpetre, to produce a
rapidly burning powder is a coded writing by Franciscan monk Roger Bacon shortly before 1250
AD.
Development of Firearm
 The development of modern weapons started in 1364 with the first recorder use of a firearm
and ending in 1892 with the introduction of automatic handguns. Man, never satisfied with
himself, he is always trying to improve himself and its surroundings. Man created some crude or
primitive weapons, which were subsequently developed into sophisticated firearms of modern
times.
The following are the stages of development of man’s weapon:
 1. Stones
 2. Clubs
 3. Knives
 4. Spears and darts
 5. Slingshots to hurl objects
 6. Bows and arrows
 7. Cross-bows
 8. Guns
 9. Missiles
 10. Guided missile
FAQs:
What is a gunpowder?
The propellant in a cartridge or shotgun shell is the gunpowder which, when ignited by
the primer flash, is converted to gas under high pressure and propels the bullet the
bullet or shot charge through the barrel and to the target. Refer to the chemical
substances of various compositions, sizes, shapes and colors that an ignition, serve as
a propellant.
 Why are the first firearms inefficient?
First firearms were inefficient because it was large and heavy, making it difficult for a
common soldier to carry.

LESSON #3: Personalities Behind Firearms and Its

Important dates
Men Behind Firearms
 1. Horace Smith and Daniel B. Wesson
  They formed a partnership in 1852
  They managed by producing what is probably the best double action revolver in the world.
(Dan Wesson left the company to set up his own firearms business).
 2. John M. Browning
  Born in 1856
  Started the production of a single shot rifle that was adopted by Winchester.
 3. John T. Thompson
  Born in 1960 in Newport, Kentucky
  Pioneered the making of Thompson submachine gun in 1920.
 4. David “Carbine” Williams
  Maker of first known carbine.
 5. Alexander John Forsyth
  Father of the percussion ignition.
 6. Elisha King Root
  Designed machinery of making Colt firearms.
 7. Eliphalet Remington
  One of the first rifle makers.
 8. John Mahlon Marlin
  Founder of Marlin Firearms Company
 9. John Wolfe Ripley
  He development of the model 1855 rifled musket
 10. Samuel Colt (1814-1862)
  Produced the first practical revolver
 11. Henry Derringer
  He manufactured pocket pistol
 12. John C. Garand
  He designed and developed the semi-automatic US rifle, Cal.20 M1 garand in 1931, known
as the world’s first self-loading rifle.
13. Oliver F. Winchester
  He led the formulation of the Winchester Company
Important Dates in Firearms History
Handguns
1364 First recorded use of a firearm.

Handguns are known across

1380
Europe.

1400s The matchlock gun appears.

  Before the matchlock, guns were fired by holding a burning wick to a “touch hole” in the
barrel igniting the powder inside. A shooter uses one hand for firing, and a prop to steady the
gun. The first device, or “lock,” for mechanically firing a gun is the matchbook. Powder is held
in a “flash pan,” and ignited by a wick, or match, in a movable clamp. Both hands remain on the
gun, vastly improving aim. Early matchlock guns are extremely rare. The matchlock shown here
was made around 1640, and is typical of the muskets used by militia in Colonial America.
1498 Rifling principle is discovered.

Invention of wheel lock (rose

1509
lock).

  The next major advance, the wheel lock, generates a spark mechanically. With no wick to
keep lit, the wheel lock is easier to use and more reliable than the matchlock. However, wheel
locks are expensive to produce. Matchlocks, at half the cost, remain in common use.
1540 Rifling appears in firearms.

1607 Settlers arrive in Jamestown, Virginia.

1630 The first true flintlock.

  Expose or protect the powder, the lid had to be moved manually. The flintlock mechanism
was designed to push back the lid and spark a flint at the same time. The flintlock ignition
system reigned for two centuries, with virtually no alteration. The flintlock pictured here is a
typical British “Brown Bess” musket. Marks on the gun indicate what it was used by German
mercenaries during the American Revolution.
1637 First use of firearms proof-marks.

1750-1850 Dueling pistols come into fashion.

  Around 1750, men stopped carrying rapiers, and guns became the weapon of choice for a
duel. Various guns were used, until a true duelling pistol was officially standardized in 1777, as
“a 9 or 10 inch barrelled, smooth bore flintlock of 1 inch bore, carrying a ball of 48 to the
pound.” Often lavishly decorated, the pistols are made until duelling falls out of favor in the mid-
1800s. This pair of 1786 flintlock pistols was made with ivory stocks and unusually elaborate
decorative details.
Percussio
Detonating principle patented.
n
1825 ca. Percussion-cap guns are in general use.

1835 The back action lock appears.

1835 The first Colt revolver.

1836 Pin-fire cartridge.

  Developed by Le Faucheux in 1836 was probably the first self-exploding cartridge to come
into general use.
  Samuel Colt developed the first mass-produced, multi-shot, revolving firearms. Various
revolving designs had been around for centuries, but precision parts couldn’t be made with
available technologies. Colt was the first to apply Industrial Age machining tools to the idea.
1840 Guns begin to use pin-fire cartridges.

1847 The telegraph is invented.

1850 True shotguns in common use.

  In the second half of the 18th century, musket design branched out. This period produced a
number of single-purpose firearms. The forerunner of modern shotguns was the fowling piece,
developed specifically for hunting birds.
1854-56 The Crimean War. The last war to use only muzzle-loaded guns.

1859 The first full rim-fire cartridge.

1860 Spencer repeating carbine patented.

  Introduced at the start of the Civil War, Spencer repeating guns were technically advanced,
used cartridges (a recent development), and could fire 7 shots in 15 seconds. But the Army didn’t
want a repeating gun, fearing that soldiers would fire more often, constantly need fresh
ammunition, and overtax the supply system. But in 1863, President Lincoln test-fired a Spencer.
His approval led to the purchase of 107, 372 Spencer repeating carbines and rifles (of 144, 500
made), and the Spencer became the principal repeating gun of the Civil War.

1861 Breech loaded guns in common use.

1861-1865 American Civil War. Both breech and muzzle loaded guns used.

1862 The Gatling Gun is invented.

1869 Center-fire cartridge introduced.

1870-1871 The Franco-German War. Breach-loaded guns are dominant.

 1871 First cartridge revolver.

1873 Winchester rifle introduced.

  Winchester rifles were affordable and produced in such great numbers, that the Winchester
became the generic rifle. The Winchester had such a powerful hold in some regions that it
actually became known as “the gun won the West.” In 1887, Winchester came out with their first
repeating shotguns. The next major milestone for Winchester came in 1903, when the company
introduced the first automatic rifle that would become widely used.
1876 Custer defeated at Little Big Horn.

1877 First effective double-action revolver.

1879 Lee box magazine patented.

1892 Advent of automatic handguns.

  The first automatic pistol was created by Joseph Laumann in 1892. But the Borchardt pistol
of 1893 was the first automatic with a separate magazine in the grip, and this remains the
defining feature of the breed. More automatics came in rapid succession, including Browning,
Luger, Mauser, and Colt models. By the turn of the century, just 8 years after Laumann,
automatics were firmly established.
FAQs:
 1. When is the birth mark of gun powder?
1313 – Gunpowder as a propellant. The age of gunpowder began with its first use as a propellant
for a projectile. Such use has been recorder as early as 1313.
 2. Who invented the first gun in 1364?
Samuel Colt developed the first mass-produced, multi-shot, revolving firearms.

LESSON #5: Four Types of Firearms

Types of Firearms
Handguns or Short Arms Revolvers

A repeating firearm that consists of multiple chambers and at least one barrel for firing.
As the user cocks the hammer, the cylinder revolves to align the next round with the
barrel, which gives this type of firearm its name.
Pistols
A handgun in which the chamber is part of a barrel, usually applied to a single shot and
semi-automatic loading. A firearm designed to be held in one hand when used, with the
other hand supporting the shooting hand. This characteristics differentiates handguns
as a general class of firearms from their larger counterparts.
Long Guns or Shoulder Arms
 3. Shotguns
A firearm that is usually designed to be fired from the shoulder, which uses the energy of a fixed
shell to fire a number of small aspherical pellets called shot or a solid projectile called a slug.
 4. Rifles
A firearm that is usually designed to be fired from the shoulder, with a barrel that has a
helical groove or pattern of groves (rifling) cut into the barrel walls. The raised areas of
the rifling are called “lands”, which make contact with the projectile (for small arms
usage, called a bullet), imparting spin around an axis corresponding to the orientation of
the weapon. When the projectile leaves the barrel, the conservation of angular
momentum improves accuracy and range.
FAQs:
What is the important of identifying firearms?
The importance of studying firearms identification determined if a bullet, cartridge case
or other ammunition component was fired by a particular firearm.
 Why are no two firearms the same?
Studies have shown that no two firearms, even those of the same make and model, will
produce the same unique marks on fired bullets and cartridge cases. Manufacturing
processes, use and abuse leave surface characteristics within the firearm that cannot
be exactly reproduced in other firearms.

LESSON #6: Parts of Rifles and Handguns and their

Functions
Parts of Handguns, Rifles and Shotguns and their Functions
All Firearms have three basic groups of parts; these include the Action, the Stock, and
the Barrel.
Action
  The action is really the guts of the gun. It includes all the moving parts that load, fire, and
eject the firearms shells or cartridges.
Stock
  The stock (or Handle) of the gun is composed of two pieces (the butt and the fore-end).
Barrel
  A guns barrel is the long metal tube, bored out to provide an exit path for the discharging
projectile.
  Once the projectile is fired, it’s forced down the barrel and out of the muzzle by expanding
gas forces. In a rifle or a handgun, the bullet travels through the barrel; in Shotguns the Shot or
the Slug is shot through the barrel.
Handguns are handled short-barreled firearms.
Long Guns Firearms
  A firearm that is usually designed to be fired from the shoulder. Most firearms have similar
parts.
 Shotgun is a type of firearm that fires shells containing either shots (small round pellets) or a
slug (a solid projectile).
Breakdown of the basic components of a Firearm:
  Barrel
Initiates the path of a bullet.
  Bore
The bore in the inside of the buns barrel through which the projectile travels when fired.
  Breech
The Breech is the area of the firearm that contains the rear end of the barrel, where the cartridge
is inserted.
  Cylinder
The Cylinder is the part of a revolver that holds cartridges in separate chambers. The Cylinder of
a revolver rotates as the gun is cocked, bringing each chamber into alignment with the barrel.
  Grip
The Grip is the portion of a handgun that’s used to hold the firearm.
  Frame
Houses the internal parts.
  Hammer
The Hammer on a revolver is the part that strikes the firing pin or the cartridge’s primer directly,
detonating the primer which discharges the gun.
  Magazine
A Magazine is a spring-operated container that can be fixed or detachable, which holds
cartridges for a repeating firearm.
  Muzzle
The Muzzle of a gun is the front end of the barrel where the projectile exits the firearm.
  Trigger
The Trigger is the lever that’s pulled or squeezed to initiate the firing process.
  Trigger Guard
The trigger guard is the portion of a firearm that wraps around the trigger to provide both
protection and safety.
FAQs:
 What is the importance of a barrel of firearms?
 It provides an exit path for the discharging projectile. Once the projectile is fired, it’s forced
down the barrel and out of the muzzle by expanding gas forces. In a rifle or a handgun, the bullet
travels through the barrel; in Shotguns the Shot or the Slug is shot through the barrel.
 What do you thing are the main differences between rifles, shotguns, and handguns?
The main differences between rifles, shotguns, and handguns are their barrels, their
intended targets, and the type of ammunition used.
LESSON #7: Different Cartridges and their Basic Parts
and Functions
Cartridge/Ammunition
  There are different words used to describe ammunition: bullets, shells, projectiles, rounds,
shot, slugs, cartridges, munitions. In reality, anything can be used as ammunition, whether it
would be a stone you are throwing or words you are using in an argument. In the world of
firearms, it is most commonly referred to in the informal context as ammo.
Legal Definition vs. Technical Definition of Cartridge
 Legal Definition: Shall mean loaded shell for rifles, muskets, carbines, shotguns, revolvers
and pistols from which a ball, bullet, shot, shell or other missiles may be fired by means of
gunpowder or other explosives.
 Technical Definition: It is a complete unfired unit consisting of a bullet, cartridge case,
propellant or powder charge and primer.
The four (4) components of an ammo/cartridge (shell for shotgun) are the
following:
 1) Case or casing
 2) Primer
 3) Powder or propellant
 4) Bullet or projectile
  Casing
The container that holds all the components together. The case can be made of brass, steel, or
copper for pistols and rifles. Shotgun “shells” are a plastic case, with the vase covered in a thin
brass covering.
  Primer
The Primer is an explosive chemical compound that ignites the gunpowder when struck by a
firing pin. Primer may be placed either in the rim of the case (rimfire) or in the center of the base
of the case (centerfire).
  Powder
The gunpowder is an explosive consisting of a powdered mixture of saltpetre, sulfur, and
charcoal.
  Bullet
The projectile typically made of metal containing lead, cylindrical and pointed, that is expelled
from the barrel.
Classification of Cartridge
 I. According to the types of firearms where it is used
 a. Revolver cartridges – used in revolvers
 b. Pistol cartridges – used in automatic pistols
 c. Rifles cartridges – used in rifles
 d. Shotguns – used in shotguns
 II. According to the location of primer
 1. Pin-fire
  A pocket of fulminate was placed on the sidewall of a copper case. A brass pin was installed
on the opposite side of the case, the intended pin rested upon the fulminate, then the hammer fell
on the side of the case, driving the pin into the fulminate.
 2. Rim-fire
  The priming mixture is located in the cavity, inside and around the rim or circumference
around the base of the cartridge.
 3. Center-fire
  Priming powder is located at the center area of the base of the cartridge.
 III. According to rim
 1. Rimmed Type
  The diameter of the rim is greater than the diameter of the body of the cartridge case. E.g.
cal. .38 and cal. .22.
 2. Semi-Rimmed Type
  The diameter of the rim is slightly greater than the diameter of the body of the cartridge
case. E.g. cal. .25, .32 auto, super .38.
 3. Rimless Type
  The diameter of the rim is equal with the diameter of the body of the cartridge case. E.g. cal.
5.56, .30, 9mm, .45.
 4. Rebated Type
  The diameter of the rim is smaller than the body of the cartridge case. E.g. cal. 8mm x 59.
 5. Belted Type
  There is a protruding metal around the body of the cartridge case near the rim.
FAQs:
 1. What was the first centerfire cartridge?
The first centerfire metallic cartridge was invented by Jean Samuel Pauly in the first decades of
the 19th century. However, although it was the first cartridge to use a form of obturation, a
feature integral to a successful breech loading cartridge.
 2. Why are bullets called rounds?
Bullets are often called rounds because the first bullets were literally little round metal
balls. The earliest guns were all smooth bores.