BIG GUN SHOOTING.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 778, 30 March 1910, Page 7

BIG GUN SHOOTING.

THE COAST ARTILLERY CUP. WON BY CANTERBURY CUNNERS. OTAGO -WINS THE HUDSON Q.F. cur. During the 'past training, season ten companies of garnson artillery, completed their annual oourse of training in fort manning- and big-gun shooting at the various defended ports of tho Dominion., In a circular memorandum to officers commanding these companies, Captain G. S. Richardson, Ohief Instructor of :Artillery, announces that as tho results of the 1909-10 service praotico at the big guns, No. 1 "Company, Canterbury Artillery . Division, has been'awarded the.Coast Artillery, Cup for shooting, The order : of morit is as follows:—'. ' : ; . ' ■ Figure .. '■ of Classifi- ■ Merit, cation 1. No. 1 Co., Canterbury 1.121. Ist 2. No. 2 Co., Otago ...... 1.021 Ist 3. No. 2 Co., Wellington 1,010 Ist ;• ■ 4. No. 2 Co., Canterbury .922 Ist 1 5. No. 1 Co., Otago ...... .896 Ist ' " 6. No: 1 Co., Wellington .716 Ist 7. No. 1 Co., Auckland . .601 2nd 8. No. 2 Co., Auckland .■■ -632- 3rd • 9. No. 3 Co., Auckland ... .431 *N.O. •" 10. No. 1 Co.) Westgort „ .351 *N.G. . . 'Unclassod. ' ■ THE HUDSON Q.F. CUP. Tho winners of the Coast Artillerj Cup (No., 1 Company, Canterbury Gar- - rison Artillery Division) obtained tho ' highest figure of merit . for ' footing from all types of guns. Both the Can- : terbury companies obtained a high: fig-- . ure 'of' merit I for shooting from the quick-fixing guns, hut their work could

not .be satisfactorily compared with tho Q.F. gun practice of tho other companies, ■ as tho practice at.- Lyttelton : ; was conducted in the daytime, using''an improved method- of; gun-laying which accelerated the rate of firo very considerably as oompared with tho more difficult conditions imposed upon the - other companies, which fired at night. _ Tho Hudson Cup, awarded for effi- • •ciency in Q.F. gun practice, was therefore awarded to No. 2 Company, Otago Division, whose reoord of six'series by < night, -with an average figure of meritof . 1.021, was .accounted excellent, re- ; fleeting careful training and a high standard of efficiency. :" The 12-pounder'_Q.F.. gun practice of- - the Wellington Navals was considered to bo accurate, but slow. That of. tho Auckland Gunners, "mdifiercnt." THE EFFICIENCY SHIELD., As the efficiency returns have not yet: been completed, the results of - the inter-company competition for tho challenge shield for general efficiency. : will not bo announced, until later. ' SOME CRITICAL REMARKS. The following table shows that wbila there has been a marked increase in; the percentage of hits to rounds fired,, there has been a • falling-off; r .in, tho figure-,of merit:— ■ Percentage Figure of of Hits. Merit. • 1904-5 36.10 .421 1905-6 46.60 - .510 1906-7 ............... 51.09 : : :.622-, . 1907-8 62.45 .855 • 1908-9 71.50 .970 1909-10 83.60 .704 j This falling-off in the figure of merit is accounted .for in- the . report 'by. the -:: ■ creation, of now and . more difficult standards.Of.. efficiency—night-firing; . for Q.F. guns; increase in the-.-mean- 1 : range for B.L. gun practice; prevention of the use of pickcd detachments for the company service': practios. ;-Th«/ 8.L.; gun practice w»s not so good this year as last, but the light Q.F. gun.. " records are superior in accuracy. and-: rate of fire, an advance of over 12 per. : . cent.''.in the hits recorded: having been made on the previous year's figures. 1 Tho' memorandum further states, that: "the night-firing from _6pr.. Q.F.: guns .was good, and .considering that it was tho'first year that Q.F.night firing was compulsory, the results exoeeded expectations. : : A ? now,-.system, rf - laying which was: introduced at the commencement of- the. season was largely responsible for; the >increased. accuracy: and rapidjty of fire.' During tho coming year frequent, aiming rifle: practice by., 'night should be earned.out. . "The. poor shooting from, tho B.L, • guns: in. tho Auckland, district-'is re... sponsible'- for- lowering", .-.the ' figure of merit for the Dominion below that, of "last year. . Of,the eight series'fired by tho three companies inAuck- . ' land, only-two were "first class" series.This was duo to. want of training, soma. of. the-companies :' being, too large to permit of .all: the men receiving proper; 1 , instruction on tho limited number of guns available. • _ "There, is no reason why companies, ' with the facilities they now have' for training,': should not always obtain'a first, class figure of merit* from ,6in. B.L, guns; Training camps are for ■ . company ; training, but if companies go into camp with a large percentage. of raw recruits, individual training is all that can be carried . out', , ana good' Bhooting is impossible. It is a mistaken: idea .to -estimate' the efficiency' of a- • garrison artillery company by numbers. It is efficiency alone that counts. To get efficiency a sound system of individual training. .is required before •• recruits:are allowed to participate in-, company practice, and this, is impossible when the numbers aro too- great - for' the : instructors and the- material available. . "The _ Westport Garrison Artillery l ; .. fired this year, from its new equipment (12pr. Q.F; guiis mounted on railway - * trucks), but not having had opportunities of prelimioary training, owing to the guns -being only issued just previous to the camp, did not get very satisfactory results." '