SPORT WITH THE RIFLE.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 625, 30 September 1909, Page 4

SPORT WITH THE RIFLE.

. OPENING OF THE SEASON. ■.. {.'','.' 'A FOREWORD. I. .... . (B? KciIELON.) e- Ever since March-lust, a peaceful calm hi ?y lain upon .tho : Trentham riflo range. "Fisl to tails," "corkscrews," "rear-winds" have friske :s, uncomplimonted.over tha deserted mounds an es, empty butts. The echoes have slept.. -V fold disrespectful sheep, and cattle havo occasionall o- "paraded" at tho range, strolled about, th mounds, and found convenient shelter from th as -winter weather iu-'the leo of' tho canteen, th J: ID.R.A. Executive Council buildings', ammun 3r tion store, and refreshment shed, \But on Sa' 10 . urday.-next this peaceful calm will bo "rudel ig- broken by the crack of some- 300 rifles, and th io whistling of flying bullets, heralding tho rill '" 'shooting season of 1909-10. In many respect [j the season: should bo a notable one, for at th > end of it is the certainty of the biggest cai ~± nival that has ever, been arranged for, rifleme: • in New Zealand— the . D.R.A. .meeting o " MaTch, 1910, the programme for which ha ° been : already issued, and reviewed in the col 19 mmns of Tiie,.J)omikion. ! .; _.•.;..;'.; ,;;', : l ' •■'■■.■.' The>Lessons of Bis.loy,; ISO 9. ~ ' 0 On: the other side of the world, while Tren ,f >tham has slept, Bisley has been wide awake 6 In July last.wasi successfully carried .out : a (. .Bisley,.; the jubilee carnival of tho Nations ~': jßifle Association, the biggest and most brilli g font, gathering'of skilled marksmen ever >re r forded-in the history of rifle shooting through :. ;out the world. It is at Bisley that new ideas j ; new.'rifles,',new, sights, andv.new everythj.ni x else in ' the ;bewildering paraphernalia, stow« »' away in. the shooting kit'of the ; bull's-eyi jj-' !marksmen,-;airs brought.under tho criticism, o j crack shots;:and adopted or,cast aside, .accord j ing to .tho diota of doughty, champions. . Thi j eyes of riflemen throughout the' Empire' ar< j used upon ; the-Bisley carnival, tor it is fron i : there that tho, oversea dominions—to - say 1 no i thing of other nations—cot their ideas. . From Bisley, has. been heard tho last wore j concerning the controversy ovor-the "bull's-cyi • v., service, target" truostion.'<Experientia docet No longer do.they in England.regard,buli's?cyt '■. shooting ;nnd. service shootipg as'belong'ipg.tc : two different, not jto say,/ opposite schools oi military, thought, but ps two necessary,system! : in.the art of,teaching:niusk"etry,'ito; ba intelli- . gently correlated. '-Tho besti shot, in the fulldsl ! sense o^ t the:term, is still..considbred, and al--1 ways will be considered to. be,, the marksman i who excels.with the rifle.under servicocondi•l tions. . But-it has been conclusively/shown i that the best service marksmen have been noted ■' bull's-oye. shots. So 'the fact - ..remains ; that > before, a riflemen .can achievoifame in -service i shooting, he must first'endeavour, to win'.his • spur£ on tho mqnnds' facing ■-,• the .„bull's-eye. [; Hence it should now be accepted as an article :. of .musketry training: that the rifleman': should •' be'taught to, shoot.well at fixed targets ovor .! known. : distances'-.before- -wtfstin? his: ammuni- ■ tion in futilejattempts to establish a reputation as a service shot.. / .- :• ,-. j. Tho official 'nrogrammo for tho P/B.A. meet-' ing of '1910, offers.-sufficient evidence: that tho wisdom of correlating what have hitherto been opposing-systems;of musketry has beenproi porly'.appreciated. But what-of.ithe sranllor Associations in. Now Zealand?' Tho official i programme i pr,' the North ■•: Wnirarana'.:. Rifle ; Association's meeting,: which" took place,'.the other day, 'was a bull's-eye . programme; nil through. Nor will there bo any change to be ;' -looked for. in'the programmes of.such affiliated . bodies .as. the-Wanganul, Wairarapa. Mana-w4tu;.'Auckland,--Ha'wko's Bay,' and. Wellington' Garrison Rifle. Associations—to mention ,a few I T-unless tho'.recent trend of events.,at Bisley nnd'clscwhere is intelligently considered now, , :and.,.thj; .programmes made; to: , conform".-• to : modern f"idefl's.'-':'-'-In-'' this: 'connection"''it "-is-.eh'-cnuvagingto note that, the KaTorißifle^Club, , of Wellington, has ; , placed no 'fewer' than 'three service -,matches- on its 'programme'..'for', the coming season. ; : ; ~';., .' ! ; ; ■'./"the ''Aperture" Sight. A good deal hasvlatejy been heard from • Bisley of the, "Bisley". face' and tho, "aperture" sight. .Tho aperture sight 'i is,- a - new device with wiich' remarkable ..rosults :.wera • achioved at Bisloy, this year.'; Unfortunately for.-its', users, .the sightvis. 60, fixed, that, tho sharp recoil of the. riflo brings Ipart- of tho attach-' ment ; somewhat-/violently, against .tho marks-: malt's.face..and ; in nine cascs';Out,of less.. tlio ;' rifle, is : handled' 'with; duo" circumspection,"'tho fa'co: : ,is /."liable.:. 1 .At.;,Bisley,: it was.'not necessary .' in . a largo , numberof ;cases' .U6 ,nsk;.Va "rifleman ..whether; he had tried, the- new "Aperture"'.flight. The stioking-plaster , on'.hisVinceV offered 'sufficient' evidence,of the fact that he-had! Noverthe-. less;, tho "aportnre" sight, will- no doiibt come into .favour hero, .especially: since the P:R,'A, has /sanctioned its: uso,.for .the .New, Zealand 'mooting.;': In reply to,a" question:in the House of .Commons not very -long agb','.Sfr. ; Haldane,:-British'-Minister for: War,'said, 1 that A "for; military purposes the superiority of the 'aperture' sight had not been' definitely proved. Experiments had been carried out, "and the Small -Arms Commitlee,had '.reported, against the .Mpptipri,'of'the' 'ajiertufo\ sight for'tho'prosent rifle;, but. it 'would -be again cdnsideted event of any new. pattern- rifle being adopted." Defence Rifle;:Glubs'r^Association^:j* : One; important matter, that 'should bo' determined before, 'the season is for advanced is the iftto- of the 'Defence Rifle Clubs'. Association. This body: has c i ce( j nn (. ; a pjecarjoyg M i s t onco for some. time. and. for -the good of: district nlle shooting generally.- the fact' should. now ..bo recognised that,, in the .'Wellington: district, there is.-room. for. only-'ono'.'livo body-tho Garrison Eifle.'.Association'. Dcfeiico rifleclubs are; corps tho meaning of-the Defonco Act, and there, is no. reason at all why thev shon d- not throw; in their 16t with "the •more solidly r established/ body,; to. tho end / that ; a successful.-two-days' rifle,.meeting for' district championship honours bo" established as an : annual-event. •- , ~ ..: ~.,.-;, -..,"". J./:'/.:; ; WoclnosdayShootino." .'■'' ■''..'•' i'Wedncsdavi; afternoon /shooting' competitions '■hoye.becn talkod..of.for a-Jong while.'but there is-reason : to:,.believo that, .in' the immediate future,, steps'will, be Jakeh to: properly rfrganiso ;tho,e,- as.nmch-in .the-interests of volunteers ' I TI O^ 0 - pf^y;™;Saturday afternoons .as;in -tho ■ the.sport generally.. * .'■"■••■'■), .'...•.'., Opening of "the "Season, .-'.'. -..'i .Tho'scason.-wiil.formally,; open on' Saturday '^fS, ™ Xt arrangeraenffwM bo .thesamo as-.for. last .year, viz." leave We lington for^Trentham'at 1.50 p.m, and Trei on the return journey at