DEFENCE NOTES.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 288, 29 August 1908, Page 9

DEFENCE NOTES.

(Br. Echelon.) ;.' The. riflemen's season opens at Trentham oil.. Saturday, October 3. The volunteer ''special." will run as last year—leave AVellington; 1.45 p.m., leave Trentham on return 6 p:m.,- arriving at Wellington at 7 p.m. _ Maior C. T. Tatum (states the " Manawatu Standard") has 6ent in'his resignation- as commander .of the Third Regiment of Mounted Rifles; It is probable that the appointment will be offered to Captain D. Pringle, who is next in seniority. ; Captain Pringle lias always had the interests of volunteering at heart. As an oflicer, he is thoroughly efficient and .competent, and has.ibeen so long connected with volunteering that his appointment would be a popular one. The Wellington Civil Service Rifles (Captain Marshall) are putting in a lot of steady work in - preparation for the physical drill events at the' Military Tournament to be held at Palmcrston on November 9. Last year, the'company's team did very well, losing the first place'by a very narrow margin of point's.'

STRAY SHOTS ,FROM BISLEY. - Appended are a few interesting news items culled. from the reports in tho Home papers of the great annual riflo carnival at'Bisley, which took place in. July last: — -During the progress of the shooting a sensation was created by the sudden appear-ance-of. a cow within the zone of fire.-' It intercepted a bullet' aimed at the bull's-eye and fell dead. The ocenrrence furnished another coincidence, the cow shot being the property of the tenant of Cowshot Farm. • It need hardly be added (says the London "Standard) that the match rifle shooting on this occasion is without parallel in. the. history of the meeting. Favourable. weather has undoubtely helped to. bring about these results, but' perhaps the principal. factor has been the improved quality of the ammunition now_ in use. A year ago the pointed bullet had just come into vogue, and' remarkable scoring was the outcome, but once' again the records have been-broken; In his introductory notes written on.the eve of the opening day at Bisley, the special reporter of one of the big dailies thus refers ,to the schoolboy marksman from New Zealand:—; ■ '

■ A schoolboy marksman from New Zealand was.there, Cadet Colour-Sergeant Fryer.' He has come Home to join the City schoolboys' camp at Bislej. New Zealand haa popularised this movement, and sends a selected boy to aid . in* the", development of Dr. Hanson's training scheme here. He comes as .an officiaFguest, for the Government of the sputh'ern Dominion has paid his expenses to , : tho extent of £50. This "catching the soldier young" is a fine plan, and to-day _ one could observe that the Btrong defence line always inovidcnco at- the public schools-may soon have its counterpart in . the secondary and elementary schools, .owing to the : careful nursing, by .the-National Rifle Association and ■ the committee .of Lord Roberts' Boys. ...'. The Springfield Rifle.- - ,It:;is: very; doubtful,' states one' of the reports, whether the British rifle is as fine* a weapon by the Americans.. The :War 'Office should now have ample* food for reflection."The'rifle used by the winners waa the new Springfield, which has a 24-irich barinch shorter than the 6hort LeeEnfield .with which the:fast line of the British, Army are 1 equipped, and six inches-Bhbr-•ter than the barrel in the hands of: the Territorial Force. " The. interesting point which' .must; not . .be' overlooked is that the skilled marksmen of- the Territorial Force, or old •Volunteers, have never, had an opportunity, .of testing .the short rifle. They shot-splen-didly. in'the international match, notwithstanding that. they, were beaten. Some of their success was. probably; due of oonrse. to the use of the pointed bullet,-; which was also fired by America and Canada. The Ross Rifle. of the rifles Bisley ,'ineeting'.'toofcVan unexpected tiiniYjto-dayi-, (wrote o tied special reporter of .thes.fiondon iff Standard" on' July 14), when'attention was diverted" from ' the' American' Springfield' and ! the other arms to the Ross rifle, which hasvheeu adopted, by the Canadian Government.!.., Only one or two marksmen seem to have. broSght ;the Ross to Bisley, as the Canadian .team still use the Lee-EnSeld; but the successful marksman, Mr. l . F. .W. Jones, won both, the big long range matches to-day—the Halford and the Edge—with it, finishing ahead of Springficlds, Enfields, Mannlichers,' and all the field of the .world's rifles; Mr. Jones, who is a member of the North London Rifle Club, has thus demonstrated the worth of the Dominion's new .280 arm, although-he used a special ammunition in the 180 grain Ross-Eley oartridgo. It is interesting.;tp rooord j that Sir Frederick Borden has decided 'that"-'the Canadian forces shall receive';.the 'rifte within'a' year,' so that at' next 4 , Bisley meeting the Canadian team will • brings the now arm to make records, perhaps, as the Americans have done. The new rifle has. been a long .time'in' opining forward to perfection, "butr-it'-'has nbrc'arrived.at.its final.stage, and: Sir Charles Ross, the' Scots inventor,.-is'a happy man'to-day in -having, supplied at least one army with - his - fine weapon.; At 1000. yards v the;: Ross: requires over 40 degrees less: elevation than the Lee-Enfield,and Sir Charles Ross himself has even, reduced/the elevation by 54 degrees; in other words, the rifle then used-shot to 1000 yards as the pr'e-sent'-1303 British shoots to ; To him also'belongs much of ;the credit for the sharp-nosed bullot of to-day. Mr. F. AV. .Jones, the successful demonstrator of the new arm, is a resident of Chingfordj and is a chemist in explosives. He haa carried out tests, for many of the' great'.ammunition firms; . including .the Ross Company.. The; Springfield ■ rifle has' a' bolt ; and, breich' specially built :to take highi'Vdocity ammunition; be'.fired from;it which, would very much strain the Enfield..'. The, muzzle velocity is about.27oo feet per second; and this gives so straight a flight.'that the advantage in accuracy is "obvious. :. Added to this the'aperture sight is beyond question the best on the: ground,: Mid when a team of men equal in, shooting skill to our own have this superiority in their arm they "can command victory.' .. We • havo now a; Canadian and a United States'rifle, which show us some j»ints, in progress towards the ideal, and it is for our G-overnment-"to>mbve .in the* matter and place us on a level with the equipment of other nations.. The Government experts 6ay > that they could improve the shooting qualities of our rifle to-morrow if they were allowed/ but that reasons of economy, which are unknown across the Atlantic, keep them back.' - Having such a stock of metal and rifle parts on hand, they cannot obtain permission "to "scrap" .it all, and get forward from-the dead level. Thus, to-day, we ore. fitting obsolete parts into new' rifles; that is to say, they are obsolete when judged • by " tie strength of, other rifles. .