RIFLE ASSOCIATION MEETING,

Evening Post, Volume LXIV, Issue 148, 19 December 1902, Page 6

RIFLE ASSOCIATION MEETING,

NEW CONDITIONS AND COMPETI • TIONS.

The second annual gathering of the New Zealand Defence Forces Rifle Association will be held at Trentham on sth March and following days. The programme just issued shows several very important alterations, and seems to indicate that the Executive Committee is determined to bring the Association under service conditions, as it has left a comparatively small number of matches to be tired under the old style. Formerly eight matches counted for the championship, but this number has now been reduced to five — the Auckland, Wellington, Nelson, Canterbury, and Otago matches — and the remainder are all service matches. These five, together with a snap shooting competition, and a cover match are open to all members of the Defence Forces of New Zealand and the Commonwealth. The fifty highest aggregate scorers in the five mentioned may compete for the King's Prize — the Champion Belt event. Several of the competitions are designed to be of special practical utility, and under this heading comes the enap-shoot-ing and the cover-match already referred to. Id both the target is a head and shoulders at 300 and 200 yds respectively, which will be exposed four seconds for the snapshooting and be stationary for the cover match, in which the time allowed' for competitors to rise, fire, and jet behind cover' again is three seconds. The remaining events — seven individual and five teams' matches — are open to volunteers only, and verniers and windgauges will not be allowed. The seven include a rapid-firing match, at 300 yds (seven shots in 45sec), a competition at disappearing targets, at 500 yds (5 seconds exposed for each of seven shots), and a carbine snap-shooting event (300 yds, four seconds for each , of seven shots), this last being open only to corps armed with carbines. The use of magnifying sights, artificial rests, shading or sheltering, or assistance of any kind when firing is prohibited. Orthoptics will be allowed in matches 1 to 6 only (counting for the championship). Competitors must not use any kind of oil or grease as a lubricant for the bullet, and will be allowed to use only the class of weapon with •which their corps or club is armed. This last is an important alteration. Members of rifle clubs will also note that they, as well as volunteers, must fire in uniform. In accordance with the new Bisley regulations, the sizes of the bull's-eye, the inner, and the magpie, have all been reduced. The Association is offering a total of £1030 in prizes as against £900 last year. Volunteers aud rifle clubmen together shoot for £560, and volunteers alone fire, for £470.