TRIAL OF THE HOTCHKISS GUN.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1367, 18 July 1885, Page 3

TRIAL OF THE HOTCHKISS GUN.

According to announcement (says the New Zealand Times), a trial was made on Monday afternoon of the Hotchkiss gun at the Kaiwarra battery. Notwithstanding very unpleasant weather, a large number of gentlemen went out by train after lunch to see the shooting. Among (hose present were the Hon, Sir G. Whitmore, the Hon. J. Ballance (Native Minister), the Hon, Major Atkinson, Major Boddam, Captain Loveday, and many members of the Legislature. In all, between sixty and seventy persons were on the ground. In the forenoon the steam launch was sent cut to place the buoys to be used as targets, and a signalling party of the Wellington Guards, under Captain Loveday, was placed on the hill behind the fort to give the direction. Two targets were put out at ranges of .1800 and 3000 yards. The gun is an exceedingly pretty weapon, and very handy. The breech action is as easy to* use as that of a fowling.piece or ordinary rifle, and the gun is fired with a trigger pulled by the finger. About thirty shots were fired in all at the two ranges, Major Boddam laying the gun and firing. The loading w’as done by members of the Armed Constabulary under his orders, a six-pound projectile being used. A strong south-east wind was blowing, which deflected the shot considerably to the left yet, notwithstanding this, very good shooting was made. The mark was a very small one, and was not actually struck, but the shoiri fell so close that had they been aimed at anything the size of a boat it would have been riddled. Afterwards, a shot was fired with the gun sighted to 5500 yards. The stand on which the piece is fixed is bedded in concrete many feet in thickness, and is as if it were fixed in a vyce, without any chance of recoil. The concrete is of the very best quality, but it has only been laid for three or four days, during a great part of which the weather has been extremely wet, and consequently it had not perfectly set. The trial was, perhaps, under the circumstances, a little premature, .as it proved that the concrete was not hard enough perfectly to resist the repeated shocks of so many rounds. The trial, however, as far as the gun was concerned, was thoroughly successful, and proved that for the purposes for which it intended it is a very effective weapon.