VOLUNTEER GUNNERS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 412, 22 January 1909, Page 6

VOLUNTEER GUNNERS.

; ;;\ FOR /RECORDS.' : : v '■■:•;:, SPLENDID RESULTS; -,; .■'■ I, ,'Testerday. moraing the Volunteer gunners at MaliangfV-Bay put. up fresn records on tho rt-inoli:; B.L.gun; : and tlie . 12-pounder quickfirers.- To get.off.sk rounds and find the target .at; 4300, yards \ with five"of the projectiles in the-remarkably, short space of 8 minutes and 15;6cconds by the stop-watches of the' EoydlNe'w Zealaiid; Artillery •. officers'. who were standing by, is. an,achievement of,which the Wellington ; Navals may well bepioud. ■ A glance at-the targets:',sho\vn hereunder reveals , the deadly ac- , curacy of'the fire, and testifies-to the excellent degree of efficiency to,whicli this artillery company has.; been raised. Nothing but the' keenest enthusiasm,; inspired:by. the-healthy spirit, of. competition 'which-prevails amongst the, artillery corps of New Zealand, oould have produced suoh; A ..highly; j satisfactory result, in* a. volun- , teer ;company,,• % ■■;.■.■■ ■■.'.• ; , ' . ■•'■. .•■:',■■•:■ . ... ■;; . ■Amon'gi : the officers, present : were' Colonel Da vies, Inspector-General;, Lieut-Col. Campbell, P.C. Division G:A.V.; Major Hume, R.N;Z;A. ; (who acted as umpire); and Captain Biehardson, .Instructor>:pf Artillery. l l '■■ ■ ..i- '■■,■ ■'■ ---~

.•:Six-incU'.B.L. ■ gun/datacKment.::Range, .4300 yards;.number of rounds, .6 ; . hits, s;,time, 8 mihutes..4s. : 6ec6nds— ; a;record for' Garrison : Ar-' ■'tillery shooting''in' New. Zealand.. ■'■ :■' Eesults:—No. 1, minus 10; No. 2, plus SO; No. 3, plus 20;:Np.;4,.p1u5.20;.N0.-5 1 .:plusl0; No. 6;" minus; 55 : (a 'miss).- Battery-Commander*, Lieut.i'Mereditli.;,: -;:.''■..::■. ..V ■ :-,::y..:- [ ~ '■;■ ; -On, Wednesday' evening a service series- was fired from the 8-in'oh; B.L. gun at Tort Gordon, .at a range 'of ',4900, yards; ■■~.'". Five .rounds.' Avere fireclj' three .were. : hits.:. The time of. the ; 6eries. was,9min. 25sec.;. ' ~;:,.:. '; • . The quick-firers : did exoellent •; work, as their targets:show, and their painstaking gun : group. commanders .have. been.'fittingly rewarded -for their, efforts.'to go a lot'• better than ■ the pre.viousyear's'results. The 12-pounders are.deli■oate pieces of: .mechanism, as complex in their construction; as., watches, and,. the least little error: will reduce the efforts'of .the., gun-layer: to nought; They aTe fitted with .autpmatio sights,, which when -properly:.adjusted act as ■rangefinderß, as well as gun-sightsi'.thereby eliminating they necessity of 'raiige-finderSi-- and other elaborate adjuncts for transmitting ranges;. .;. No; -1 detachment l fired 18. rounds -altogether; scoring: 17' hits; but No. 2 detachment,, having .to,find its series just:as the target 'passed: out of:the safety arc, was only able, to fire 10 rounds;, but it scored 90 per cent, of hits, all the. same. t ;ln both ; series; shot after shot fell practically .ort the .rope between -the two' targets (the water-line, 'in:fact), and it was impossible tcobserye from the.battery how much over,or round fell. - '.: .' ~: ,■ \- ■ >i. J wo 12-pounder\tt,F. Records.'

.-■, No; 1.; detachment, -i2-pounder. Q.P.' Battery';i (Petty-Officer, Ross, G.G'.C. j Gunner Day, gun-1 layer); 18 rounds, 17 hits.:. . '■"■■., •, ■ , ■■.•■;■. ■■-■■■!

'■•■ No. 2- de'tachm'ent,- 12-poimdei%.' Battery (Petty-Officor Steele, '. G;G.C.;:. Gunner Nation, : giih-layer); 10 rounds, 9 hits.-.';. \ • ■ •': ,; -.-", ■ Twelve-pounder; Q.P.guus. arc;designed for. attacks on torpedo-boats. At present, the' tar-gets.-are.towed through the water at anything from- 2,J to !) or, i knots,, a speed which, to the lay mind,, appears to.be very 'much slower than that which would be adopted by a hostile vessel attempting .to;"run past." Having , .established a fast: rate of fire, and accuracy in , range : finding, the; next step in the education- of the garrison gunner, will probably be practice at a more, rapidly moving target. After that, "let them all come!"' . . ■ . . :.