MARTINE VERSUS .303.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 4294, 1 March 1901, Page 3

MARTINE VERSUS .303.

''A MATTE!:. OF iIA NI j IHA V\' IN (1. A! A i;.us.\l I,’-; !' AT 1! •,’ A TEWED, A rrqu-ewi.laliv.-' „i 11,,- Zf'=, Inixf V"’'",’ .-■"‘-'■'■nlay AWnm -cl of Iv- leading 10-al on tin; *,ib- ■’ V*', ,! ' JI ■’ 11owe i.' v the rouw.ii 41: the riciv /i-Ban-.; ~: il - ■ Association has il;r<;r(!C<l I.bull lu> jir-'o \ t y rnnif.otif urn ’! ; siiu r 1 li ,k .*IWJ 'r»fir* | |>fr lu vjMi 1 l;o MurMui *- 1 T.r rMl {, „i. .VMjyMx, | CODytU. ■nnl ti ill /1h in • nr’ii !jut t ' ii. C'fjn.-nni-.i,-: ;j i 'l'.ninii was fonm! fo bu snwnvt.nr.-'Mn to Hi?* inii-ivi!-A y.-w-w! u;miu.;i lijyJ; fin Mur'.iii: \.’:m su:-*-r i»r to Iho .‘JO-’} in u iiwi, itml it a* i's Su-M Unit, the udvan■•i'/. 1 ' whin!) it. in f.hul, wu y j.n'.-nssfi] yomfjJ’Msuhii.l Fur nny 'l'lviiulyn- which the Mtuvur urm mh'iii pfS'C-n in a still u\iiiositlicrc. One i-nii i'-nniun who v.m-• inliTviyv.y'i w»*nl -jo i;»r ;»s to sh / that t.lwwy wory ‘unalt-h’' Martinis in N'-sv /''yula-M which wnro la r superior to < D-- on Ik ot tin* rifle*:.

Tin 1 muMer u’i' a cncmsil ion was hehl tr toe ;i tin tor fulliijA; for non.-i‘i**r;ilion -when h n n<lic;i ps were to he nrnlo. It wan ?;,eniione'l by oiw volnnlaer who was inmrvicwrd Mini, on it local rifle ranye iccintly three cariri'lyt’s uiw of len in u

puckcL aMcwiul to he chafyiHl with oonutu <‘ontuine<l h! 'u;k powdir*. A similar piuint, it. was Hah', hail keen made in Wanr'ani'i. Thu hope scen s to he general!-/ held a :/■ ..nj' iptemliiiLC com petit orn Jhuf. ::f, (ht* Wanyann? rn‘*<‘finp r arra iiL'CH'<'ii( p'i'V ho C'l’oe io fjllicr tl. t-i 1 !;e present intention uf imliin" a point e ! idwjui'l'. ()p (he ntimi' hand it should f,D- mentioned }l;at the 'Dm ision as to Jjj!tdii'a;> »»lU' inurc-eihs tlie ermof culuniel outninp on M;e tnafl I r. :ln;ra ni'-li as ri 'v-u in m ‘'"id, round to

«oi:111 and ccn! res ot t.npulation askin -- fur <■■■ pff inn ; of opi'eion. I -ionl V»lop» 1 CoHom. when spoken to. H ai4 h> «-onsid'Mcd that. any ex])ressiou ni opinion IVmn him would he out of jfAnco swdn<; Mail Ip* was one of the counr'l of Urn association. Me. however, monied onf thal, hi'‘id .-Colonel ttommerviiie had Imen (o a lot of tifnihlo to f* f, t a ennora] rxpne sieti of n;dnio;i on (ho S'lhjnnt..

[’rivnlo Tnrn~r, of tho Highland Hides, Hi'" present ludilor of f!■ r» rnrhiiie challenge rni). Saul Ilf thought dm nrnnosiil to ha'inieiio the Martini arm inil'd’i'iisihlo —(lift was tn say, ihi' spi’i'ia 1 ly-eum--t nii'teil weapnn of private mahcrs. sin'll lIS Vdehler. AVilh flir, iii'iliuait riii'li ride nf Hid di"'-

r* I'M in ioi li ;i ha iiilit a p mtgh! possibly ho fivi'ii, ' hough lip iviis not pi fi m red In say what a Mown riff sliiinld If 111: • (I' ‘. Some fine records liad been put op with Ilm Marliui v'cirs ;i"n pud tn l argued tint ■ivliiil had liiifn clone I>i‘fiire cniiM In* done airain. For i 10.(11 mo. SeiT'eaui Wulcclvn. nf < ■lirisii'lniivli, in Vovi ruber. IBH. using a 'lari ini mil on 100 paints mil of a pussilllf 1(1,1 at 'too, .-,00 ami OOP vards. am! wilhin tun dav i, niiido T) under similar immlll inns. T« - |> imnit hs later Private A. dalliugei'. of Wellington ’.vitli the sllll'i' aim. made IV) out of a possible inn

lit, .‘1(10. MIO and COO yards. n colonial r"crnl ni, i hat- linm. and wilhin two nnir.U nf a. world’s record his scores fur (Ilf rpoi'.tii'f ranges being 112, 05 and 82. Priv.,!p Turner pointed out further flint f-ilfad’nan. of WlmmforM made y “nipnjlde” ill 700 yards wildi the Martini v'-fn firing Ilf |)io asaoei'd inn meeting in Wniif."iii11’ in (801). ’I lie effect ol the rdawy.ice laid do'"'! hr (he ' im.suchitinu now would mean I lint llir; 808 arm would have to ennemi'' 20 points' liandlean in the comiiniit.ioii for dm "liiinininnsiiui —u most unfair iillmi'iireii he con?idfred. The winner o ! ’ tlie i'h ainll ion all i P hpi at last mpi'F ii,r.' 'Private Turner pointed nut, made avit hill 82 of the nossible srere. and tin. result of an addition of 20 points In (Cat total v-onld mean I hat a. pm rl.-sman firi"'.; •villi Ihe .8011 must, mahn nd ever centres In i"iu.

I’riv.aln A Ballinger (Wellington Onarils and Pedum Hi flu Club), v.-ho has won colonial champinn-hjp ivJ.i sminewhat guarded iu his expressions ol opinion. He had heard that the Now South Wales authorities had abolished the handicap concession to Martinis, hut 5m had noted, when competing at the fomnionwealth Mooting, that the ellpet of tho change had hoen {n greatly limit the use of the Martini, die had hoard locally, though not authoritatively, that ,there was a chance of the compeUt/>rs having to use colonial ammunition at tho \\ anganm ■meeting. If such shou'ul prove to lie dm ce.-e he was of opinion that the mint von id he I" place the two weapons on an connUtv. or ptwsiblv to pi v e ! ’n advantage to i he‘Martini. Tim cclmial ammunition. said Private Balling t. "ad been specified to he used at the (.reytown nmn'ing, hill; on mm-rsm.t ationa be>P« made by tho Petone Bide d'nb on bebah of its njoniliers the res trim 1 ion had been removed. Bevelling to the subject ot 'Martinis, (.ho spender said there was no do,ilit that Um score made by Bandmaster Kiim ((he winner of the ehampioimhio Pell' at last meeting of the -N’e«; Zealarnl Bide A'soeia(ion) was a stanumir testimmiv (o the excellence ol die Martini rifle; hut H must. nn the other hand, be paid that (die record spoken of was altogether exceptional.

Private Head (ini old Aucklander). who ban for inJmv yearn competed at Men' /ph land Kiflo Association meetings, pointed out Hint, the linn-lcaii system as between the Martini and the .dnd idle 1m beru tried in New South Males and found wanting. M’hen it was in vogue in that colony, the Martini secured mod of the prizes, and the result was that at the Commonwealth meeting this year no allowance was made. There was tms further advantage for the Martini m New ZoaUtnd as compared with that which it had in New South Males: although the now arm in each colony was .303 hors the New South Wales weapon was a Lee-Mot-ford magazine rifle, whereas the New Zealand arm was a single fire MartiniEaihdd an inferior weapon to that ot tie mother colony. Private Hoad instanced a trial of the Martini held at Bislev some yenra ago, in which that weanon hold Ms own with more recent rifles at the longer ranges. There had to lie considered, i - ho Iho mailer .Vuimii-VM* ion ■*.*" blnt-k pownlor wliit’li whs n il ' ; * 01 ) j ie \hi rf ini carl ridges was not aoprecia iDaffected Ly Hie weather bn* conhto ami similar prude 1 ™! powders in cold weather had not the same propelling power ns they had under warmer conditions and it was a fact set out in the text hooks that a cold day affected elevations of the -TM cordite cartridge by four feet. Taking the question bv-niul-large Private Hoad was of on in ion that the two arms should start “'off the mark."