PRIZE FIRING.

Evening Star, Issue 3287, 2 September 1873, Page 3

PRIZE FIRING.

To the Editor. Sir,—lt will be in the recollection of our representatives who attended the Colonial prize firing at Nelson last season, that Mr Soall, of Auckland, advocated a change in the color of the targets—arguing (correctly too, I think), that an enemy in the field is not likely to make himself more conspicuous than h© can help, therefore Volunteers ought to accm tom t he mselves to fire at targe tsof various colors according to circumstances, withcut the bull’s eye or centre d lined, except to the marker in the butt: and also without altering the sight on the rifle, at least for the shorter ranges. To become a good shot and an expert marksmen, without any defined central marks on the target, a soldier must exercise a considerable amount of ingenuity. He must understand all about the “lineof sight,” “ line of tire,’’ and the “ trajectory and he must be able to judge his distance to know where to aim, so that the bullet might hit the target; iu short, to know at what distances to aim at an enemy’s head or feet, so as to hit his heart.

This matter appears to be attracting some attention amongst Volunteers in the North. The enclosed clippings from the Auckland papers, sent to me by Mr b’oall, ma/ (if you will kindly insert them in your columns) interest your Volunteer readers, and enable them to compare the results of firing at both kinds of targets under similar circumstances. —Yours, Ac., N. Y. A. Wales, Dunedin, August 31.

The rifle match at coloured targets, with the tracing lines of centre and buL’s-eye disceruable by the markers only, came off on Saturday afternoon, and considering that the targets were assimilated to what would be the actual circumstances in the field, the shooting was remarkably good. The result of the firing also disposes of the fear of not being able to make a good score at other than a white target with the defined bull’seye and centre, the said white target not being like any probable enemy or bis surroundings. The following are the scores made:—

The prizes were won as follows :—lst prize, E. Cooper ; 2nd prize, Skinner; 3rd prize, Kitchen. A match is to bo fired on Saturday by the first twenty arriving on the ground at Mount Eden, by two o’clock sharp, at 300, 400, and 500 yards slate-colored targets, tracing lines of centre and bull’s eye discernable by marker’s only. It will doubtless be remembered by our Volunteer readers that a resolution was passed unanimously by the representatives for the Colonial prize firing at Nelson, requesting the Government to adopt at least two matches in future Colonial prize firings upon this system, and as there is every probability of such matches forming a part of the programme in Colonial contests for the future, it behoves our aspirants for the belt, etc., to make themselves acquainted with the matter both by practice and otherwise.

300 400 500 yds. yds. yds. Tl. E. Cooper 44434 43434 43344 55 Skinner • 42443 43334 43334 51 Kitchen ■ 34434 44343 43330 49 Partington - 33334 42434 23334 48 Hay . 34334 33444 04r44 47 Soall - 34434 44344 32023 47 C. Cooper 32324 32233 30334 40 Reed 24344 23303 22422 40 Bowden - 43433 43402 02322 39 Cameron 22034 40343 02433 37 Pultman 33242 22302 22333 30 Kolm - 00034 43243 30243 34