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Milty's Mag, issue 9, March 1943

Page 5

Jan. 6, 194x3 gad

Things are getting mixed up chronologically, now. The last paragraf on the previous page was composed on the stencil as an afterthought on 1/3/43. But I didn't get around to running it off until Feb. 7, which was when I added that cartoon in commemoration of the heavy dew we had recently. The 1/6/43 noted above really applies to the date of composition of the rest of this page, because I'm making this up on the stencil Feb. 14 ... The psychological tests on the previous page turned out to be a slightly half-baked idea of the lieutenant, who is an enthusiastic amateur psychologist. However, we're still giving them, altho I don't know what they're worth. There's a whole set of them: inductive reasoning, structural visualization, observation, etc. There most interesting they disclosed was the fact that many of the instructors hwere have studied psychology. We really have a cultured bunch of guys here at the Instrument Repair section.

Well, back to fanmags:

Censored: Congrats on producing that rarity: a story in a fanmag with an original idea. This business of setting the sights on a rifle for different gravities is very interesting, and one that, as far as I can remember, has never been mentioned before. you know, shooting a rifle is not the simple business of getting the target centered in the sight and firing. If you are shooting at greater than point-blank range you must correct for the variations in trajectory. On the Springfield rifle I used a couple of months ago there was an ingenious little sight which did three things: (1) The peep sight was on ta slide which could be set along a vertical scale calibrated to correct for the drop in trajectory due to gravity and air resistance. (2) The vertical scale was slanted to the right to compensate for the horizontal drift of the bullet caused by the reaction of its rotation against the air. (3) A little knob and worm wheel arrangement moved the entire sight horizontally to correct for a lateral wind.

Now, to go shooting on various planets you need two more adjustments -- or rather one new adjustment and a change of No. 2 above from a constant to a variable value. You need a knob to adjust for variations in gravity, and you have to take the correction for horizontal drift due to the bullet's rotation and make that adjustable for varying atmospheric densities and viscosities. Methinks it would be simpler to use non~rotating bullets with fins and eliminate that correction entirely --- oops --- you'd have to have a rotating bullet in a vacuum. Fins no use there. But then no correcting necessary.

Possible solutions are: (1) Attach a new sighting mechanism everytime you change planets. That would be a delicate operation. (2) Use an adjustable gravity correcting sight, but eliminate rotatory drift by using finned bullets in an atmosphere and rotating bullets in vacuo. That means two separate guns.

Don't underestimate the rotatory drift. It will throw you off several inches at a 500 yard range, which is a fair distance for a rifle to shoot.

Possibly, the only accurate solution is to change the entire sight at each planet, because atmospheric density and viscosity will be varying independently of gravity and it will make a hell of a mess to calculate. On a small-arm you want simple mechanisms. On artillery it doesn't matter. All you would have to do there is change the range drum on your range quadrant and make the necessary lateral corrections with the panoramic telescope.

SPACEWAYS: Speaking of fantasy music, I came across an item recently which I don't thin has been mentioned before. It is the ballet "Giselle," by Gautier, which I just saw the Ballet Russe doe in LA. It's about an incognito prince, and the pretty but poor maiden he woos. The villain discloses the prince's identity, and the girl, knowing that she cannot have him because of sociological reasons, kills herself. Then in the next act the prince comes to her grave,

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Jan. 6, 194x3 gad Things are getting mixed up chronologically, now. The last paragraf on the previous page was composed on the stencil as an afterthought on 1/3/43. But I didn't get around to running it off until Feb. 7, which was when I added that cartoon in commemoration of the heavy dew we had recently. The 1/6/43 noted above really applies to the date of composition of the rest of this page, because I'm making this up on the stencil Feb. 14 ... The psychological tests on the previous page turned out to be a slightly half-baked idea of the lieutenant, who is an enthusiastic amateur psychologist. However, we're still giving them, altho I don't know what they're worth. There's a whole set of them: inductive reasoning, structural visualization, observation, etc. There most interesting they disclosed was the fact that many of the instructors hwere have studied psychology. We really have a cultured bunch of guys here at the Instrument Repair section. Well, back to fanmags: Censored: Congrats on producing that rarity: a story in a fanmag with an original idea. This business of setting the sights on a rifle for different gravities is very interesting, and one that, as far as I can remember, has never been mentioned before. you know, shooting a rifle is not the simple business of getting the target centered in the sight and firing. If you are shooting at greater than point-blank range you must correct for the variations in trajectory. On the Springfield rifle I used a couple of months ago there was an ingenious little sight which did three things: (1) The peep sight was on ta slide which could be set along a vertical scale calibrated to correct for the drop in trajectory due to gravity and air resistance. (2) The vertical scale was slanted to the right to compensate for the horizontal drift of the bullet caused by the reaction of its rotation against the air. (3) A little knob and worm wheel arrangement moved the entire sight horizontally to correct for a lateral wind. Now, to go shooting on various planets you need two more adjustments -- or rather one new adjustment and a change of No. 2 above from a constant to a variable value. You need a knob to adjust for variations in gravity, and you have to take the correction for horizontal drift due to the bullet's rotation and make that adjustable for varying atmospheric densities and viscosities. Methinks it would be simpler to use non~rotating bullets with fins and eliminate that correction entirely --- oops --- you'd have to have a rotating bullet in a vacuum. Fins no use there. But then no correcting necessary. Possible solutions are: (1) Attach a new sighting mechanism everytime you change planets. That would be a delicate operation. (2) Use an adjustable gravity correcting sight, but eliminate rotatory drift by using finned bullets in an atmosphere and rotating bullets in vacuo. That means two separate guns. Don't underestimate the rotatory drift. It will throw you off several inches at a 500 yard range, which is a fair distance for a rifle to shoot. Possibly, the only accurate solution is to change the entire sight at each planet, because atmospheric density and viscosity will be varying independently of gravity and it will make a hell of a mess to calculate. On a small-arm you want simple mechanisms. On artillery it doesn't matter. All you would have to do there is change the range drum on your range quadrant and make the necessary lateral corrections with the panoramic telescope. SPACEWAYS: Speaking of fantasy music, I came across an item recently which I don't thin has been mentioned before. It is the ballet "Giselle," by Gautier, which I just saw the Ballet Russe doe in LA. It's about an incognito prince, and the pretty but poor maiden he woos. The villain discloses the prince's identity, and the girl, knowing that she cannot have him because of sociological reasons, kills herself. Then in the next act the prince comes to her grave,