This sketch depicts the marksman of the Grand International Rifle Match in the different shooting positions thought best for accuracy at the time.
This competition would see the men all compete for the Wimbledon Cup by firing at ranges up to 1,000 yards in 1875. That year the American Major Henry Fulton would win. His position can be corroborated by this other sketch, so I presume this isn’t completely satire.
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Bring back the toe gun stand!
Supine shooting positions like that first one used to be fairly common for precision shooting. Not sure what the advantage is.
I see a few. If you don’t have a bipod (which you likely wouldn’t at the time) your legs could act as one. Laying on your back doesn’t put pressure on you ribcage or elbows making it possibly more comfortable for longer periods. And it seemingly was somewhat effective:
…five used the feet-first position; seven, the head-first stomach-down stance. Comparative scores later showed that the feet-first men averaged 157 points against 154 for the conventional shooters.
I remembered this particular story about an early shooter using the supine position in a combat situation. Wild stuff, early marksmen!
Plunket is mainly remembered for a feat at the Battle of Cacabelos during Moore’s retreat to Corunna in 1809. Plunket ran forward about 90 metres (100 yd), lay down in a supine position in the snow, and shot the French Général de Brigade Auguste-Marie-François Colbert with his Baker rifle.[2][3] Before returning to his lines he reloaded and shot down Colbert’s aide-de-camp, Latour-Maubourg, who had rushed to the aid of the fallen general, which showed that the first shot had not been a fluke.
shot the French Général de Brigade Auguste-Marie-François Colbert
But luckily not before he had impregnated Stephen Colbert’s great great etc grandmother!
seven, the head-first stomach-down stance.
Implying the existence of other head-first positions.
Upside-down marksman
