I do not know if this is a red herring, but I have here Ray Westlake's "Tracing the Rifle Volunteers'. There is a photograph there of a rifleman (18th Middelsex RVC) having a horizontal rifle with two stars above on his left lower arm.
But, the rifle looks a bit different (has a sling underneath) and the stars ate four pointed.
In the caption it says:
Quote:
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.... The photo dates to around 1860s, the badge at this time given in Volunteer Regulations as an award to a Volunteer that had obtained 7 points or more on a range extending 900 yards. ....
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