DEFENCE NOTES.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 931, 26 September 1910, Page 5

DEFENCE NOTES.

[Edited' By Echelon.] APERTURE RIFLE SIGHTS. THE AMERICAN CITIZEN SOLDIER. A . .-. - ' '■ \ His Majesty the King has been graciously pleased to approve of, tho regimentof yeomanry now styled "The King's Colonials" being in future designated "King; Edward's Horse (The-King's Oversea Dominions Regiment);" ■

One result of - the extraordinary high standard of .shooting during .the,, recent, Bisley meeting was , a question raised in the House.of. Commons as to what the War Office proposed to "do, in. the matter of adopting some pattern of aperture sight for the Begular'.Army.<-llr.- Hal-; put into his'mouth'By the: officials of the : Master General: of Ordnance Department; was to the'effect that such sights were not at present suitable' for military purposes. Tne Small Arms Committee, constituted under' the direc-' uon of. the Master, General of Ordnance to deal with all improvements in, Tiile sights,! has : been very busy .during: the past few months carrying out exhaustive trials of various aperture sights- on. .the market with 'a- view to selecting one .. suit-, able. for use iu the. army' and on .active; service..,' Tip ;to the present it has met with little success, and gunmakers and other experts, will, have to invent something <.superi6r< to 'the ../aperture--, sights used at present. Experts like Cols, ton, Cowan, /and other well-known War Office marksmen have expressed 7 the; opinion that ' an. aperture sight will have to be adopted for the" Army sooner or later, and (hints "Mara" in : - the, "Military Mail"),, when .the present supply. of ball ammunition -.is ; exhausted,, a new , and higher, class of ammunition"with a pointed bullet' and similari .trajectory to that ofthe German "S" bullet will be taken into .-use.; ... At the : same time the - short rifle will bo fitted with' ani-aperture; sight selected by the Small Arms 'Committee; The following .circular to members has recently been issued by the National Rifle Association,".;' VV.,. "The - council' having undertaken/ in accordance ' .with the following - ' resolution passed ,'at'the general-meeting ; in -Februr ary, 1910, 'to.obtain ,prior ,:'to August 31, 1910, tho opinion of all competitors at the annual . Bisley : Meeting 'in : 1910,. and . also of all membersof the ' association on'-, the Register on; July 14, 1910,; oft'the' adoption of 'the figure, target as ! proposed,' would bo glad of your' replies , to the questions on the enclosed postcard before' the date mentioned; , ' : ' - : '.7: : ;. ; : 1. Are you in favour, of. its being used at any under.soo. yards? . ■ 2. Are you in favour: of' its'' retention at 500 yards?. -.. ': -v .: :' 1 ;- 3. Are. you; in favour of its being used at Tangcs over 500' yards.■'■}-.; V • •: ?V: -?:vi . "The sole purpose of rifle training for the .soldier,", .states'.a;paragraph;in -the American ' Musketry Regulations of Vl9lO, "is to make of . him a good shot : under war. conditions, and ; a' scheme.' of -'-instruction; will;.be effective in so far as it,-tends to produce..that result. Such a scheme .shodd-ra .progre^ye'in. character,'beginning with' simple /and easy : exercises :and ; advancing <by. stages to the. more coriiplos: and' difficult .'field, firing exercises, which represent "as nearly.' as possible conditions which will 'confront the' officer. and soldier in action.:' The preliininary 'drills and the range practice;in : sequence are a preparation for -field practice, in which war conditions aro simulated,- and in each-of these classes. of ; -intraction the idea .of■ progression .from ;, the ( 'simple,to;! the more ' diffi.cult .is kept; in: view. .'.The course outlined American regular as well as citizen soldier is as follows:— :i ' : . ! "(1). Nomenclature of the ■ rifle; : cafe and' pi.eservatidn; of..;,the;: rifle;;'" -(2); i . sighting drills;, (3), position 'and; aiming drills; : (4) .gallery,;practice-vwith small bore :aminu,nition;.;(s).',deflection and elevation .correct tion drills; (6); estimating, distancedrill; (7) individual; known distance iJfiringV instruction"; practioe; ,(8) ' known distance firing, 1 record practice; (D) - field : practice,, individual', and bollective;,' (10) company-proficiency | test,; by ; which .companies are classified (similar-to. tho 'system;in vbgue forvartillery'units'.in.NewZealand). • . -

■; Apropos of _the : reference..to tho decline of Bisley; which : -appeared • in-these notes two; weeks ago, ex-Colour-Sorgeant -E'.MaTshi (2nd Boyol .Fusiliers; City, of Lon- ■ don Eegiment), writingfrom Dargaville, Auckland, throvrs; some \ fresh lighton '.the'.subject. .;He;states: that; as ■'an. • old volunteer,: and. a 15 years' • competitor at • Bisley,,his opinion with'.-regard to thei<fe- : cline of the English.'Bisley - is;'that;''the" great:'slump this: year ;in individual entries has not been brought about by tho high.; standard of :,but- has' come with the advenfc of the Territorial., -As a volunteer;he was enrolled, and the corps received a.'caprtation;graat for each man. This; grant produced battalion funds. \lt was. thought tobe'-th'e 'correct; thing* for.' all corps to send representatives to. Bis-, ley, and they did so.' My own corps used .to Send six men, .who jWere -selected, lay the highest. aggregates:.of. 'five?v'shoots,' . 'King's . five-stageconditions. Their'. eh-.tranCe.fees-of■ 255. for tho 'King's 1 : and 15s; for the 'St; George's' were' paid by, . the corps, *as -also , were targets for' practice. Corps . at' a' distance had railway fares, ar.d one Surrey'corps I know ha<l new rack;' barrels for-its representatives. All this has come to an end, hence •'■' the slump in entries. -My. chum .'This year.;the 1 corps has' not granted-.- a single round - of.; ' oi; pracßce target, and has', paid no entrance fees. 1 • This is 1 ono instance of a loss, of .£l2 .to the N.R.A., which, of really means more,. sinceeach,.competitor- must. obtain some-practice, on thespot at 'sid£ shows, and the cheapest are 2s. 6d., or, if' 'egg-pools,' ; sixpence .:per; shot'. : The Territorials, are an enlisted force; and its finances are controlled by'the county associations. The War Office dges not permit. tho associations to spend; money in entrance fees for ..Bisley ..or. elsewhere;: the result -being ■ that corps are. not sending men to compete as •'formerly.v, The„Territorial who ■: wishes to compete at Bisley finds >it : too: expensive; '" The 'Alexandra.'(21.), 'Trince,- of. Whales (10s,),.;and .'.others; at' 7s. 6d.—it is ' inecessary' to;: enter . for these, if. one- goes' there—andlie other expenses cost me <£16, yet when I como. away with i!iß or *,£2O I am. termed , . a; 'pot hunter'. by those'; who never spend onevpenny.on:,the rrifle in order to, excel in rifle shooting. Theso 'same. ■ gentry, would 'like to control the conditidns, but; 60 lone .is- the"competitbf;has'to" pay:;the piper lie will insist on. -choosing-some .of tlie • tunes, and that is'why -one"annual meeting is,held : 'in the umbrella tent, in order, to give xompotitors on the spot a hearing.' \Wien the i Post' and others; of j tho same kidney pay all the' expenses they . .will; then ,m : : able ;to; use : .the' 'oatchias^afcch^eaft'' conditions' of.'the Hythe School' of; Musketry. -; The idea of ■ compelling a; man. to,use the; rack; rifle as served out to him is absurd, for in the' majority of .caises tie barrels, are .no. bet-' tor ■ than a bit : of gas-pii>e. and the sights (are an invention of .the ancient Britons." My correspondent apparently holds strong" views on -the--sport, of rifle - shooting, thoughhis references to the "gas-pipo" barrels and "ancient. British", sights mark him' 1 as. an extremist,; a.nd; not at all incline to meet even halfway his friends from. 1 the Hythe .School of Musketry..

A number of iclviews , of military- text: books which" have - come ■;. to. ; hand,■ from various sources will appear in-next .week's notes. -Among/these may be mentioned "Service' Notes"—for the ■ we ■' of young officers and men of the Territorial Forco —written and compiled by Captain ;H. F.' Skey, of the Carterton Rifles (Fifth Wei-; lington Rifle Battalion); /UigM;.Operations for Infantry," by Colonel C.. ..T:, Dawkins, C.M.G., . Eastern Command (Great Britain),' published by Gale and Poldeh, Ltd., London; "The A.B.C. of the Army (Galo and Poldcn, Ltd.); 1 to Keep J?it" (Surgeon-Cap-tain 11. Waite), and others. ■ "■ ' '■' ; : ' ; ;; :