RIFLEMAN'S MECCA.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 37, 13 February 1926, Page 15

RIFLEMAN'S MECCA.

THE TRENTHAM GATHERING. ' ARMY AND NATIONAL MEETING FACTORS IN EMPIRE DEFENCE. The riflemen of the Dominion will make their annual pilgrimage to Tren- I _ tham next month, when possession of the ' ; Ballinger Belt, the "blue ribbon," so to , 1 speak, of New Zealand marksmanship, 11 will again be the object of keen competi- i ] tion. j "• In actual fact, there are now two rifle !' meetings at this yearly gathering of New ! Zealand marksmen each March. One is ' the Army meeting, opening Tuesday, ' March 9, and probably closing on Friday, 1 March 12. Then will follow the competi- i ; tion of the National Rifle Association. ■ The Army Meeting. , The Army Association, though still j" quite a young body, has made sturdy ' • growth, and each meeting has marked ' an advance on its predecessor. Last i year, owing to the "LP." epidemic, no gathering was held, so this year's com- . petitions will hold enhanced interest. While the conditions governing the two meetings are widely different, their object ; is. the same, viz., the improvement of J rifle shooting as a means of Empire I defence. r The Army Association, to quote the ' official pronouncement, was formed with ! the object of promoting interest in ; weapon training for service purposes by j means of individual and collective competitions, framed as far as possible to j induce practice in methods which will j lead to increased efficiency on the battle- j field. " j Shooting at the Army meeting is therefore carried out strictly under ser- | vice conditions. Competitors are required 1 to carry out their practices as if they I were on the field of battle, with the enemy ahead of them in place of targets. 1 It must be understood—and it is gener- j ally understood—that the competitions j have not been devised with a view to ! making those who take part keen for j war, but rather with the object of making them prepared for the eventualities of war. "'Slickness" Essential. The man in the front trench in time of war must possess two outstanding { qualities—alacrity and accuracy. He j must be ready at a minute's noticed to I spring to the attack, and once ont the ' attack to waste as little ammunition as possible. In the matches arranged for j the Army meeting opportunity is given I to the competitor to acquire both these I qualities. Here are some instances: j In match No. 1 (the Army champion- ! ship (competitors are required to fire ■ four practices—rapid firing (at 3001 yards), snap-shooting in the open (at ! 300 yards), deliberate shooting (at 600 ' yards), and fire with movement (at 600 j to 100 yards). j In the rapid practice ten rounds are j served out to each competitor, and these [ must be kept in the pouch, cartridgecarrier, or bandolier until the target appears. Until the target is hoisted the chamber and magazine of the rifle are to be empty. The target is exposed once —for a brief 40 seconds, and unfired [ rounds are forfeited. I In the snap-shooting the target is ! exposed ten times for three seconds each time, and each exposure is made at a different point on a front of 20 feet for each, target. Then in the "fire with movement" the competitors have to advance from the 600 yards mark to the 100 yards mark, firing at set intervals at targets which are hoisted for 45 seconds from the time the advance commences. Competitors shoot in the prone position at 500, 400, and 300 yards, in a kneeling position, at 200 yards, and in a standing position at 100 yards. It will readily be realised that in such work as this "slickness" is a sine qua non. In addition, there are competitions ! with tbe Lewis, Vickers, and Hotchkiss guns, and at next month's meeting night firing will be introduced. The National MeetingWith the exception of the service matches on the first day, shooting at the ; National meeting is of a more leisurely description than at the Army meeting, but skill and shrewd judgment must be brought into play in order that success may be gained Time limits are allowed as follow:— Ten-shot match: Eleven minutes at 300 ! yards, thirteen minutes at 500 and 600 ■ yards, fifteen minutes at 800 and 900 : yards, and sixteen minutes at 1000 yards. Seven-shot match: Nine minutes at 300 . yards, eleven minutes at 500 and 600 j yards. In a competition in which there I is a time-limit, range officers may grant an extension if time is occupied in the j making of a challenge against score signals. ■ ■ The programme for the National meeting next month is on the lines of that ! for last year's meeting. The first day j will be occupied with the service matches, ! which are compulsory for all competitors | at the meeting, and probably the whole or part of the Opening Match (which I does not count for the Ballinger Shield) j will be decided. With the Opening Match completed, a start will be made with the belt matches, which will be as follow: Marlborough Match (300 and 500 yards), Auckland Match (300 .and 600 yards), Wellington Match (500 and 600 yards), Canterbury Match (600 yards). Otago Match (800 and 900 yards), Hawke's Bay Match (900 yardst.'Taranaki Match (800 yards), and the Kings Prize Match (900 yards). All points scored in these matches count for the Ballinger Belt. In addition there are several extra matchs and teams matches. Indications are that record entries will be received this year, and the meeting promises to be one of the most successful in thi*\istory of the association.