RIFLE SHOOTING.

Globe, Volume XX, Issue 1508, 16 December 1878, Page 3

RIFLE SHOOTING.

By Maeksman. The interprovincial match with Otago is over for the present your, and resulted, as was anticipated, in ;■ victory for the Southerners, but the beating was not so severe as they thought to give our men. The Otago Rifle Association's gathering ia a very large one for the colonies, and the scoring made this year is wonderful ; indeed I venture to say that, at few meetings of so large a number of men has such scoring taken place. A competitor would congratulate himself on the good score of 20 out of a possible 28, and then bo beaten. The "possible" was made at several ranges. Of our men, Fox made it at 500 yards; Buckley made 27 at 200 yards ; Chapman and Appleby each 27 at 400. The " possible" was made at 400 yards several times. The prizes brought to Christchurch are a 3 follow:—For the second match : J. B. Hunter, 3rd prize ; Corporal Chapman, 4',h prize ; J. Cameron, range prize, at 200 yards. In the third match Fox was the only one to secure prizes, [taking the range prize at 500 yards, and the second prize of the match. In the fourth match Buckley secured Ihe range prize at 200 yards with 27 out of 28, also the ninth prize, Fox taking the seventh. Several of our men had scored 70, 7.1, and 72, in the latter match, but none tinder 73 got a prize. In the aggregate of the four matches Buckley and Chapman got the sixth and seventh prizes respectively. Altogether our men brought away nine prizes. First-class scoring scarcely carried off prizes this year, so many extraordinarily good scores were made. The weather during the first two days, was execrable. The range is situated at Musselboro, near the Ocean Beach, and is reached by train. There were two small targets in use, for the 200 and 300 yards, and two each for the 400, 500, and *6OO yards. The targets are at the base of the sandhills running along the Ocean Beach, and the background is not one to afford a good lino when aiming off the target. The range ia along a swampy piece of ground, now nearly dry, but the surface is so lumpy that a good position could not be got. Straw was scattered at each thing point to keep competitors off the damp ground as much as possible. With such a large number of (arrets a match was quickly got through. The system pursued was as follows :—Four men of the squad would fire their full number of shots at the 200 range, proceed immediately to the 400, to the 500 and 000 yards, and complete their firing at each respective range, so that by the time the sixteen men had completed at the first range, the first four would have fired through four ranges, and be ready for another competition. This is an admirable plan, but it is one whereby a competitor may havo bad or good luck. For instance, at the late meeting the majority of the competitors would be on the ground and commence firing at 5 a.m. so as to get through a match before the wind should commence to blow. This it usually does after 9 a.m. Such an early hour may not, disturb tho mind or shake the nerves of those who are used to rising betimes in the morning, but it is a " little " too early for those who are not used to it. Tho match is continued at 0.30 a.m. and the chances are that the second batch of competitors will have a strong side wind (o contend with. Again, in such a wet place as Duuodin surely is, one half of tho competitors will get fine weather, the other half wet. No greater hardship of the system could be experienced than in the fourth match on Thursday. Some of the men fired through the match during a heavy down].our of rain, but the wind and rain increasing a postponement took place, and the match was finished at 5 a.m. on Friday morning in most delightful weather. This was rather hard upon those who had made good scores on the previous day under great disadvantages. Of the arrangements oil the first day the least Paid will be soonest mended. On the subsequent days there was an improvement;, but tho meeting lucked the order and discipline which ought to prevail at such times. It is to be hoped, however, that a little more consideration will be triven to Canterbury men when next they visit Dunediti. The Scotch sis a race are proverbially reserved, and keep thorn* selves to th emselves, but such sc ant court esy was extended to our men as will not be readily forgotten. Beyond Major Wales, Captain Wilson, and Secretary Creagh, there was not a man on the ground whov cnturedto ask after the wants of the Canterbury men,and the gentlemen named received hearty thanks for what was done by them. It must not bo forgotten that eacli man was for himself, and that gold was in the result. This will explain away much that occurred, but the feeling was not of that kind which should be extended to strangers, indeed the conduct of one or two who should have known better called forth very severe comment from our men. The [nterprovincial Match was not much of a walk over for the Otagonisns. A decimal over six points per man is not much out of thirty shots. Unfortunately for our side, the light changed at the commencement of the last range, and caused several of our best men to lose three or four shots apiece, otherwise the result, would not have been more than about seventy points to the bad. It is almost laughable to think about that in Canterbury, scarcely twenty good shots can be got together, whereas Otago" had 130 firing at the meeting last week, all first-class shots to a man. From 130 Otago took the first fifteen aggregate scorers to compote against us; these men had stood the test of four matches, so that wo had tho picked men of Otago to compete against. The odds were very unfavorable, but as the match is but the first of many to come, let us trust that it will be the means of infusing a little spirit into volunteers and others to place themselves on a par with our neighbours, and wrest the laurels from them when the match shall bo fired on the Christchurch range next year. Our men wevp entertained at dinner on Friday evening by their opponents, Lieut. - Col. Stavely and Major Wales ocoupying tho chair and vice-chair respectively. A short but pleasant time was spent after dinner, and a visit to the Caledonian Grounds closed the affairs of the day. It w:is no pleasure trip for our men—only part of the forenoon of Friday being available for sight-seoing—but all returned to Ohrietchurch by Saturday cxpreas iti good cheer.