THE REAL TEST.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXI, Issue 54, 6 March 1911, Page 8

THE REAL TEST.

"SHOOTING AT LONGER RANGES. WEATHER FAVOURS MARKSMEN. TRENTHAM AT ITS BEST. ,TO-DAY'S EVENTS. (Per Pigeon Express.) The clouds have broken at last, find the sun. is shining on Trentham. It is an ideal day, calm, peaceful, warm — a •day to silence the most inveterate grumbler and apologist for bad marksmanship. When shooting commenced at 8 o'clock this morning, there was not a breath of wind. The smoke from the cookhouse chimney was rising in a straight filmy pillar and the flags on the -janges hung disconsolate about the posts. Trentham can be nice as well as nasty, -and to-day she is on her best behaviour. Only on that peculiar Tange, the Seddon, with its hills in front and hill on. the I dlank and swamp all about, was there j much difficulty in finding the vicinity j of the big bull's-eye. The Seddon, with its idiosyncrasies, is easily the hardest i range of the three 1 . It tries unaccountably the best marksman. There must be many invisible air currents there, and the vapour from the swamp in the hob sun creats a mirage very deceptive to the eye. The first of the long range matches is the Nelson. It is really half and half a link between the short ranges and the long ones. It starts with 10 shots at 500 and finishes with 10 at 800 yds. At the longer ranges th« big bull'seye is used and 800 yds compares in i easiness with 500 — these being the easiest of the whole lot. The 800 to-day is important as giving an idea of how the marksmen are going to do at the 900 and 1000 yds. Meanwhile, it may be worth while to mention a few of the best scores at the first range of the Nelson. AT THE 500 yds MARK. There were two possibles in the first stage of the Nelson, Sergeant-Major Drummond, of Westport, at the Somlnerville, and Rifleman R. J. King, of Opaki. Williams ( Feather ston), Parnell, (Wanganni), Patrick (Auckland?, got 49 ; Caldwell (Karori), Swaneon (RuaWe), Watson (Christchurch), Ryder (Hastings), W. S. King (Christchurch), Humphries (Taranaki), M'Kenzie (Opaki), Evans /Taranaki), Logan (Blenheim), Fisher (Stoke), Pearce (Sandon), each 48; Wickens (D Battery), Hollard (Hxttt), A. Hyde (Hastings), Stubbing* .(Ngapawa), Yates (Napier), Stewart (Weber), Sandford (Christchurch), Ongley (Oamaru); v Glaie (Timaru), Kennedy (Napier), Osborne (Feilding), M'Lean (Thames), Lang (Westport), Bennington (GeraldineJ, Cox (Auckland), Duncan (Millerton), Coombes (Auckland), each AT THE SEDDON RANGE. 'No lees than four possibles were r« gistered at the 800 yards range this morning, eloquent testimony to the'improvement in the weather condtions. D«epite this undoubted change for the better, however, many were the windy tricks, devised, seemingly to 'prevent marksmen .from attaining their highest hopes. An adverse factor, the subjedof numerous expressions of disgust, was the dreaded mirage on the Seddon Range. It did not inconvenience the first squad, but when the sun came up strongly over the swamp it caused the rising of the mirage, which could be seen to be run ning like water, changing its direction every few , minutes from left to right and vice versa, greatly interfering with the view of the bull's eye. The wind almost of a negligable quantity at the commencement, rose quickly and varied from several degrees left to four or five right. The best possible was notched by Rifleman A. Henderson, Sounds Rifle Club, whose third shot was a 5 she rest being excellent V 5. "I found I got a good passage," he said, "so I just banged them in. I fired dead in, allowing practically no wind." The figures were— VVSVVVVVVV. The next best possible on this range was negotiated by Rifleman Feast (Opaki Rifle Club), who varied his windage from dead in to two degrees right. He was troubled with the mirage. His score was VVVSSVSVV. Rifleman Harris (Karori Rifle Club), allowing four degrees left, which he never altered, except from ,his initial three degrees, made the following—sVVVVVVssV. This scorer of the possible said he was not inconvenienced seriously by the mirage. Gunner Cvoxton (Wellington Navals) made the possible as follows :— SVVSVVSVSS. Coming to the lesser lights, Rifleman Glacken (Hautere Cross Rifle Club) gained 49, which! included 5 V's, a 4 causing his set back, a puff from the left putting him off. . Private Thompson (Napier Rifles) secured 6 V's in his 49, a 4 causing the downfall. SergeantMajor Evans, in his tally of one less than the possible, had 5 V's, the fatal* 4 again being in evidence. ' SOMMERVILLE RANGE. As in the case of the Seddon Range,, conditions for' shooting were, at the start, well nigh perfect. .As was only to be expected, 'shooting opened up brilliantly, five possibles being registered' within fairly close time of each other. There was also a fair sprinkling of;, "forty-nines," while "forty-eights" were-, also fairly common. This, however, was before the sun came out. The names and the separate shots of some of those who obtained possibles are as follows :—: — Watt, Westport, 55VW5V5V5V— 50 ; Smaill, Kaitangata, SVV VVVSVS5 — 50; Duncan, Millerton Rifles, VW555 WSV— SO; Private George, Bluff Gaards, 55555V5555— 50 ; Rifleman Turner, Suburbs R.C., 55V555W5V— 50. The only other possible on the range was that of Lieut. Comes, Ohinemuri Rifles ; his shooting all along has been pretty coni sistent. Turner, in his shoot, started "dead in," getting three on the left. He put on two degrees right and got a bull. His last shot landed fairly in the middl« -of the inner centre. George's shots were all studded around the edge of the* bulr with the exception of his only centre. Six shooters mada 49. Their names are : Private Richardson, Greymouth Rifles ; Lieut. Bolton, P. and T. Rifleß ; M. Jarvis, Taradale ; ElHngham, Auckland ; Private Hunter, Invercargill ; Sergeant Wickens, D Battery. The following are ' a few selected detailed scores : — Richardson, 55V5V5VW4; Hunter, 55554 V SWV; Jarvis, 5W4W555V. Other big totals included :— Capt. Cox, Auckland ; A. France, Karori R.C. ; Chees•.man; Moselem, Kaitangata ; Goodall, a&reymouth Rifles; M'Morran, P. and T. Rifle* ; Burford, Timaru Port Guards; ,J. Whiteman, Upper Hutt; Hill, Tavainaki Guaedsj Capt. W. King, Linwood ; Alexander, Akaroa R.C. ; C. Williams, Ohnra ; Kennedy, Napier Guards ; Hen--Sounds R.C. NELSON MATCH. Eollcwvdng is the prize-list in the -JNefson Match : — *£s—Qgvt^Sfogor-Drummond,5 — Qgvt^Sfogor-Drummond, Westp't 98 <£4r-Ljeufc. Duncan, Miilerton ..." 97 £4— Sgt. Patrick, Auckland 97 J33— Sgt.~ Wickens, D Battery ... 96 <yjs— Cant. King, Linwood t!6 ,SS— CoL-Sgt. SmaiU, Kaitangata ... 95 JE2— Sgfc. Kennedy, Napier 95 t££— £yi. Logan, Blenheim 95 i£2—lsSn Henderson, Sounds ... 94 g^^.JSfe# x jS^orJt _„ __, 84,

£1 each— Rfin. W. K. Williams, Ohura, 94; Sgt. Law, Dannevirke, 94 i Rfln. P. Williams, OhuTa, 94 ; ' Capt. Cunningham, Wanganui. 94; Rfln. Cheeseman, Tuamauina, 94; Rfln. Sandford, Ghristchnrch, 94; Pte. Cox, Auckland, 94; Bdsnin. Swanson, Ruahine, 94; Sgt. Purnell, Wanganui, 94; Rnn. Harris, Karori, 93; Rfin. Jarvis, Taradale, 93; Lieut.- Ellingham, Auckland, 93; Rfln. Moselen, Kaeo, 93; Rifln. Winslade, Opaki, 93; .Rfln. Nix, Featherston, 93; Sgt. Hugo, Zealandia Rifles, 93; Rfln. Rutherford, Mauriceville. 93; Rfln: Craw, Charlton, 93 ; Rfln. M'Kenzie, 'Opaki, 93. Following are additionaLprize-winners in the Nelson Match, the official prizelist, of which is now being issued (2.45 p.m.) : — Rfln. Turner (Suburbs Rifle Club), 92; Gun. Croxton (Wellington Navals), 92; Rfln. Comes (OMnemuri Rifles), 92; Sgt. Evans (No. 1 Company Engineers), 92; Rfln. J. Whiteman (Upper Hutt Rifle Club), 92; Rfln. C. Whiteman (Upper' Hutt Rifle Clu-b), 92; Pte. Harding (Blenheim Rifles), 92 ; Pte. Martin (Wellington Highland Rifles), 92; Pte. James (Napier Guards'), 92; Lieut. Crimp (Green Island Rifles), 92 ; | Col.-Sgt. Ching (Waimea Rifles), 92 ; Quartermaster-Sgt. Fater (No. 1 Company Garrison Artillery Volunteers), 92 ; Pte. Boys (Timaru City Rifles)^ 92; Sgt. Biel (Linwood Rifles), 92; Pte. Storkey (Napier Rifles), 92; Cadet Coombes (King's College Cadets), 92 ; Pte. Glue' (Timaru Port Guards), 92. All the above receive £1 each. LEADING AGGREGATES. The following are the leading aggregates up to 2 p.m. to-day_: — Rfln. Penny, Sandon 228 Efln. S. P. Hay, Karori ... 228 Rfln. L. Loveday, Woodville ... 228 Col-Sgt, Smaill, Kaitangata ... 226 Sgt. Frank, Nelson 225 Rfln. Grover, Okapo 225 Lieut. Duncan, Millerton . . 224 Lieut. Comes, Ohinemuri 224 Cpl. M'Kay, Civil Service Rifles... 223 Col.-Sgt. Harrison, Wanganui •... 223 Rifln. Turner, Suburbs 223 Rifln. Moselen, Kaeo ... "... 223 Rfln. Cuthbertson, Tuamarina ... 222 Lance-Cpl. Bryden, Kaiapoi ... 222 Col.-Sgt Moss, Bluff 222 Sgt. Law, Dannevirke 222 Pvt. Farley, Auckland 222 Sgt. Moseley, Kaitangata 222 'Sgt. Wickens, D Battery 222 Pvt. Nicholls, Dunedin 221 Pvt. Storkey, Napier 221 Rfln. C. Williams, Ohura ... 221 Sgt. • HopeweU, ElthanT ... : ... 221 Pte. Eyles, Dannevirke 221 Rfln. G. Hyde, Opaki 220 Lieut. Perston, Auckland 220 Rfln. Engstran, Opaki 219 Rfln. Creswell, Tuamarina ... 219 L.-Cpl. Hunt, Zealandia Rifles ... 219 Sgt. MacMorran, P. and T. Rifles 219 Sgt. -Major Drummond, Westport ... 219 Rfln. M'Kenzie, Opaki 219 Pte. Logan, Blenheim 219 Capt. Skinner, Active List (unattached) 219 Sgt. Preece, Gore 219 •Lieut. Shanks, Gore '218 Pte. Manley, Oamaru 218 Sgt. Kennedy, Napier 218 Capt. Sandford, Christchurch ... 218 Pte. Cox. Auckland 218 Lieut. Crimp. Green Island ... 218' Sgt. James, Napier ... 218 j Major-General Godley, Commandanb of Defence Forces, visited the camp this afternoon.