THE RIFLE CHAMPIONSHIP.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 757, 4 March 1910, Page 6

THE RIFLE CHAMPIONSHIP.

4 r THE COMING MEETING AT TRENTHAM. FOREWORD AND REVIEW. REMARKS ABOUT SIGHTS AND CONDITIONS. [By Echelon.]

' To-day, the first shot of the New Zealand Rifle Championship meeting will ring out over the range, at Trentham, and reverberate among the low hills behind the targets. Trentham, the most difficult shooting ground in the Dominion, will for the next week serve as the altar whereon many doughty reputations will be offered up for sacrifice, for Trentham is at once the cradle and the grave of reputations. It is a fine distinction to become tho champion rifle shot of one's country, for its achievement implies the possession of high personal qualitieskeenness of vision,, nerves under perfect discipline, cool judgment, steadiness of hand,'clean living, and abstemious habits. It is not the last-ten shots of the competition, not any individual effort at any stage of the competition, that counts. It. is steady and consistent shooting throughout one.big match after another, over different ranges, under weather --conditions which change every day of the period of the contest, that, places the marksman in front, of his fellows. Standing, as it were, on the .threshold of the New Zealand championship meeting of 1910—the most important occasion in the history of the Dominion Bine Association —it may be of interest to glance back over- the past yew, and review certain of tho more important events which have been of immediate significance to riflemen, and of some interest to the public generally. ■ .

BULL'S-EYE SHOOTING. figure.targets for the king's ;.' ;■ . 'prize. , '-.-.: Some time ago. the National Rifle Association,- which.controls the famous Bisley Rifle Meeting, f6urid itself in conflict with the British Army Council-over the subject of service shooting. Tho Array Council considered, and quite rightly, that valuable as bull's-eye target-shooting was as a preparation for good marksmanship, it did not, in itself, constitute the whole art of musketry. ,' No training in musketry could be considered adequate which did not include the higher, and most essential, practice with the rifle which imposes conditions approximating those of actual war; which did not set tor the marksman, after he had graduated from the' preliminary practice of bring over a known distance at a stationary black disc on a white ground, the study of firing at objects "over unknown distances-objects designed ■' to resemble khakwilad soldiers lying> on the ground

Objects in. View. '"The. attainment of- a good average standard of proficiency-by a large number of men," argued the council, "is infinitely more important than phenomenal skill developed by a few champions or tho compilation of scores in excess Of any previously recorded. The competitions should be suited to the rank and experience of the competitors . . . Championships lend interest to a meeting, but do not directly assist the object in view. If a championship is awarded to, an experienced competitor for skill in some elementary form of shooting, such as an exercise in applying fire to a bull'seye target when the range is known and each, shot ,is signalled, money, and ammunition are wasted, young soldiers are discouraged and false ideas as to musketry training are disseminated." In the opinion of the Army Council, individual skill in military shooting implies:— ■.*'.' ' ; ■ 1. .Quickening the eyesight. 2. Judging distance. 3. Individual grouping at short ranges. i. Application (applying , a series of shots to a mark); •■■■■■ 3. Snap-shooting (quick aiming and firing). . ■ ~ ■ | 6. Rapid fire (quick loading, aiming, and firing). 7. Use of cover. 8. Firing and movement (attack). 9. Firing at advancing targets (defence). ' 10. Observation of- fire. U. Firing at crossing targets. 12. The combination of these exercises under conditions approaching those of active service as tests of advanced training. ■ '■■!'. Merely a Sports Body.

The National Eifle Association then considered its position. It had originally been established as. an institution for the general encouragement of rifle shoot-, mg. It took no part, did not concern itself in the least degree, in the training of riflemen. It was simply a controlling sports body, becoming annually more powerful. It encouraged rifle shoot ing as a national sport, not as a preparation' for war Indirectly, however, it exercised an immense influence on musketry training in the army, for the chief end and aim of musketry training gradually evolved itself as a preparation for the winning of honours at Bisley. The Army Councillatterly saw that this immence influence was capable of being put to profitable use in the • preparation °f riflemen for the more serious business of hitting men in war. . For a while a' fierce, controversy raged between the two schools of musketry thought, and the last Bisley meeting witnessed an animated conference in camp among various distinguished marksmen.

Possible Alterations at Trentham, Nothing, however, was done until about three months ago, when the Executive Council of the N.R.A. fired a bombshell into the "bull's-eye" camp. To the horror and consternation of the conservatives who desired the retention of the good old sport of bull's-eye shooting in all its purity, the N.R.A. announced that at the next Bisley meeting (1910), one of the championship matches would be a service event—figure targets. Instantly there was a howl from one end of the 'United Kingdom to the other, and the winter meeting of the N.R.A. on [February 7 last—the report has not yet reached New Zealand—was expected to be a stormy one. The N.R.A. is at present divided against itself, the views of the conservatives being summed up and circulated in a letter of protest which was signed by nearly fifty members. As every modification of the policy of the. N.R.A. is adopted by the British oversea rifle associations, the result of this controversy will be followed with interest. Colonel R. .T. Collins, Chief Executive .Officer of the Dominion Rifle Association- has already indicated, in the columns.of The Dominion, that should the figure target appear in one of the N.R.A..championship matches this year, the New Zealand, programme for 1911 will be .modified accordingly. Tho Argument Against. The main points set out in tho letter of protest previously referred to, are herewith reproduced, without prejudice in this article:— ' "It has been decided by tho Council of the N.E.A. to mako a change in the targets in the Thing's' and other competitions, this change consists of tho substitution, for all shooting at the. 500 yards range, of a multi-coloured figure target in place of the present bull'sUyo targot. The new target will be similar to that used in the 'Pixley' Competition last year, and not unlike that used by the Territorials in their annual musketry course. This is. only the first of a series 6f .changes which are contemplated bv the . authorities \ at the War Office We hear, on the best, authority, that the introduction of this new target is admitted .by .the. military authorities to be the thin end of the wedge, and it is

intended that, within one or two years.the Army Council Memorandum—or rather tho revised form of it contained in Chapter VIII. of the Official Musketry Regulations, 1909, shall bo insisted on in its entirety, nt Bislcy. Can any shooting man realise a 'lung's' Prize under conditions such as are contained in these musketry regulations? Any and every competition conducted on such lines would be the wildest possible gamble. Para. 594, Musketry Begulations, 1909, lays down that an clement of chance is regarded as advantageous. Tho Bisley meeting could never be conducted successfully if the element of chance outweighed the element of skill. It cannot be denied, then, that, the adoption of this new target at 500 yards marks the beginning-of a new era in the history of the N.R.A., and of rifle, shooting, and, in onr opinion, one fraught with many dangers and with farreaching effects. / "The issue is clearly defined. The Army Council insists on the total abolition of the bull's-eye for competitive purposes. We advocate its retention. The proceedings of the Army Council are, in this respect, very high handed, and could.only be justified by the absolute soundness of their theories. At present we have no more proof that these theories are sound than we had in 1899, when the War Office insisted that the only positions of real use in war were the "standing" and "kneeling" positions. The Army Council apparently is not certain of the soundness of such theories, otherwise steps would by this time have been taken to supply all regular and territorial battalions with . the means .of carrying out trainings on the.full lines of the-memo-randum. I

'_ "We know that this has not been done in the case of either regular or territorial. battalions, and in the ■ case of the latter that the provision of means forcarrying out the annual musketry, train-, ings are wholly inadequate and the train-, ings themselves are in most cases a mere: farce. ■ All' territorial, officers and men will be aware of this. We'submit that the truth of the statements. contained in the Army Council's memorandum and Musketry Hegulations has not been proved, and rests entirely on theory. No musketry returns of the British Army are published, so that it is impossible to judge of the correctness of the Army Council theories by results, although it is well known that the standard of efficiency in musketry in the Regular Force is extremely low. The King's Prize conditions for any year govern, by common consent, the whole of the preliminary practice of the riflemen, territorial and civilian (excluding miniature) throughout the Empire, and in particular govern the conditions of nearly all county, club, and territorial regimental competitions held during the year.

Ruin of tho N.R.A.? "On tho effect, of such competitions-of the changes proposed we cannot do better than quote the chairman of the N.R.A. He said: "Tho attempt to introduce unknown distances or semi-visible targets raises difficulties in maintaining equal conditions as between different individuals or squads.. If conditions are not equal competitors will not enter, and thus inequalities become of commanding impo,m,nce aad kill.all interest in shooting.' Wo would.point out that the changes proposed will handicap colonial and provincial competitors at the Bisley Meeting as against tho Metropolitan rifleman who will practise at Bisley throughout the aud the local knowledge 'so obtained of the effect of the wind weather, and light will be of much greater importance than is'the'-case at present. This will be accentuated if wind Hags are abolished. As between competitors the element of. luck will be very great,, in rapid .firing competitions, owing to the variable .nature and colours or tho backgrounds, change of light weather, etc. The unqualified adoption of the principles laid down by the War Office can only lead to either (1) the ruin and extinction of the N.R.A., or (2) the ultimate surrender to the Army Council of the entire control of the N.R.A., and the sacrifice of our proud position as a Wational. Institution, the pioneers of rifle shooting throughout the Empire for the past. 50 years." ' We. shall see.

"PEEP SIGHTS." SOMETHING ABOUT THE APER. TTJRE. During the past season, a tremendous crazo for aperture or "peep" sights came into vogue among riflemen. When our men came back from the Commonwealth Kino Meeting at Sydney some time ago, they brought back strange a!nd wonderful tales of the scores that had been .piled up, and the reputations that had been made, by enterprising marksmen, on' "the other side," who had gone in for what, after all, is a very old device. Aperture sights were designed years ago, but never caught on till this year, when two of the leading British small arms •firms introduced special aperture devices, constructed to conform to the requirements of the National Rifle Association. These were instantly popular. Old sports who sadly imagined that the lustre' of their pristine prowess had dimmed with advancing years, joyfully discovered that with the assistance of the "peep" their cunning had returned. Young shots came, more rapidly to the front, and the general standard of .shooting noticeably improved. Though tho modern aperture sight does not relieve the marksman from thinking—ho still must accurately gauge the elevation for distance and light, and allowance for the strength of the wind—it helps him to bring his calculations to a successful issue.

TJp to, and including the year 1005, all competitors had to use the military rifle and sights strictly in accordance' with the patterns issued liy the Government lor the arming of the troops. The fore-

sight consisted of the ordinary barleycorn, whilst the back-sight had.to bo of the usual tangent leaf variety with a plain .bar (without lateral movement) carrying the lines or notch according to the usor's fancy. At the spring general meeting of the National Rifle '.Association in 1906, it was announced that-the council had received official-.intimation that a slide'containing a-moveable piece for the use as a wind-gauge/and fitted with a scale, had been sanctioned by the War Office for use with the-L.M. and L.B.'(long) rifle, and that it would take the place of the match slide which had previously been omcially recognised for use in Service Rifle shooting. The match slide could however, still be used if preferred. In consequence of this intimation, the definition "Service Rifle," for N.R.A. purposes, was . altered so as to admit of the use of this slide, as an alternative to the fixed match slide'. An even greater advance was made in 190S, when the N.B.A. again altered the sight rule to read: "The back-sight may be removed, and there may be substituted for it any back-sight (which may include a vernier, ...ventomehter, or aperture sight, any or all)." The substitute had to be in the opinion of the A'.E.A. Council sufficiently strong and suitable for military purposes, but it had to be attached to the rifle solely by the withdrawal and re-insertion of the "hinge-pin" of the Government pattern sight.

• Opinions differ as to which was the more important of tho two departures made by the N.R.A. in regard to sights in tho year 1908—the admission of screw adjustments, or of aperture sights. In view of later developments and future possibilities, the. latter must be-placed first. _ In 1908, aperture sights, although permitted, were not generally . used for the simple reason that.an aperture sight —in other words, the substitution of a hole in place of the ordinary notch-

What -9ie "Peep-hole" Discloses. Looking through the aperture' of . the sight, which, looks no bigger than a pinhead—not even as big—the target, foresight, and-part of the barrel of the rifle are seen when aligned with the bull's-eye. The area of vision possible through such a small aperture has frequently astonished those using the sight for the first time. A' peep-hole camera affords another illustration of the scope of "picture," which can be focussed through a minute aperture.

presented an inappreciable advantage in the case of experienced shooters. The aperture cannot fairly be compared with when both are'fixed' in the position <whioh only suits one of them. Service riflemen' accustomed-by years of practice to aiming through a, notch or over a plain bar, were naturally hot to be expected to. take up aperture sights under conditions which produced'little or no better results. But the departure served a very useful purpose, inasmuch as it has ■ partly led" last year to the location of aperture sights in the proper position, i.e., near to tie eye. It is well known that the human eye cannot focus at the same time two or more objects at different distances,''even when they are super-imposed as are the back-sight.notch, the fore-sight, and the m.the act of aiming with open sights. The eye, in this case does its best by adopting a compromise focus

Warranted Not to "Scratch." When the modern aperture eights,' as used by shooting men during the past season, were first introduced by the B.S.A. Company, Ltd., and the Wesley Richards S.A. Company, Ltd.,.at the last English Bisley, they became, popularly known as "nose-scratchers." They wer<) so placed on the rifle 'that the recoil-of the weapon brought the sight mechanism in collision with the shootist's nose. Erfles equipped with these had therefore to be handled with caution, By the last mail, Mr. W. ; H. Tisdalli of Wellington, has received an' announcement by tho B.S.A. people that certain alterations in the design of the aperture sight have removed all danger of facial disfigurement. As will be seen by the above illustration the sight is pivoted in' the forward end of a plate fixed on the "seating," where the ordinary long range aperture stem is usually attached, about one inch or a little more, further away from the rifleman's face than. previously. At a slight cost the original pattern No. 9 sight can be converted to the new design.

which shows the three essentials with varying degrees of clearness and the quality of the result shows that a relatively high degree of accuracy has been attained. The requisite skill is difficult of attainment with the best of eyes, and tho results are unduly influenced by changes of light and other conditions. Correct aiming with open sights,, therefore, depends upon the highly specialised .skill practised by the shooter in aligning the rifle under conditions which import unnecessary difficulties into the task. An open back-sight, in order to be seen at all clearly, has necessarily to be placed on the rifle some distance from the eye when in the shooting position, and even then the additional aid of orthoptic spectacles is frequently necessary. The comparatively short distance between the open back-sight and the fore-sight is thus a defect peculiar to the old-fashioned system. The aperture works on opposite principles, thereby lengthening tho sight radius and proportionately enhancing accuracy.

It is a fairly safe thing to prophesy that wherever this kind of sight is allowed, the others will go by the board; perhaps not at once, but certainly with a rapidity that will astonish those who have held .that, the ordinary hack-sight in the middle of the barrel did all that was required. The need for orthoptics disappears by the transference to the rifle of the peep-hole. The marksman looks through the little aperture and sees no thing but the fore-sight and the target .Ho lays tho one over the other, and' it the adjustment is correctly made all goes well when the trigger is pulled' If the wind changes, or the position of the shots indicates that the sight adjustment if-not quite perfect, lire vertical or aternl adjustment of the screw provides the necessary connection.