RIFLE SHOOTING

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 4296, 4 March 1901, Page 5

RIFLE SHOOTING

KAROEI CLUB v. WELLINGTON NAVALS. The Karori Rifle Club fired a match with the Naval Artillery Volunteers at Miramar on Saturday afternoon; ranges 500 and 600 yards, seven shots at each which resulted in favour of the Karori Club by 69 points. Following are the scores:— KARORI.

WELLINGTON GUARDS. The A and B Classes of the Wellington Guards held the third competition for class trophies at Karori rifle butts on Saturday, the ranges being 500 and 600 yards, ten shots at each range for A Class (handicap), and seven shots at each for B Class (handicap). Sergeant Leslie and Private Raven put up two fine scores, making respectively 88 and 85 out of a possible 100. The shooting on the whole was very good. Below are given the best scores made: A CLASS.

MARTINI v. .303. There has been ai general discussion of the subject since the appearance in the “Times” of Friday last of the opinions of several prominent local shots on the proposal of the New Zealand Rifle Association to make the .303 arm concede a handicap to the Martini weapon. It may bo that there is, as asserted, a majority of opinion among the colony’s riflemen that the Martini should receive a concession, but the fact remains that Wellington marksmen are practically unanimous in holding that the two arms taken all round ars on an equality. Narrowed down, the objection of the local men is to the giving of any handicap to the match rifles of private makers —and there is some talk of a ‘‘round robin’’ of protest to the Council of the New Zealand Rifle Association against the handicap rule. The latest illustration of tho accuracy of Martini rifles is the shooting of the two leading marksmen in the match between the Karori Rifle Club and the Wellington Navals on Saturday. Tho marksmen referred to Messrs Marshall and Hawthorne, fired with Martinis, and they made much better scores than any of the men who used the .303 rifle.

It may be of interest to publish two items relating to recent Victorian shooting. In each case both .303 rifles and Martinis were used. The first paragraph refers to a competition held atlWilliamstown butts under somewhat unfavourable weather conditions, andruns as*follows: “a choppy front wind"puzzled shooters at Williamstown on Saturday last, and first-class scores were few and far between. Towards the close of operations, however it steadied considerably, and two performances worthy of special mention were executed. Operating at 400 yards, Mr E. T. Hopkins made 13 bulls-eyes in succession, his first shot being a magpie. At the fourteenth shot he ceased' firing rather inadvisedly, for had he continued he might have made another half-dozen bulls. At 500 yards. Private Waugh, of the Army Service Corps, put in ten shots, nine of which were bulls and one an inner. Mr Hopkins used a Martini-Henry rifle, and Private Waugh a Lee-Enfield. In the second instance, however, it will be seen that the later arm secured, better aggregate results than the Martini, though the two highest scorers represented resnectively each arm; —‘‘The Glen A 1 vie and Jumbunna Clubs engaged m a teams match,’ nine men a-side. seven shots at 400 and 500 yards. The former were armed with .303 rifles and won by 40 points, the Jumbunna men using Martini-Henry weapons/*

500 yds. 600 Tl. G. Hawthorne ... 31 27 58 H. Marshall ... 27 30 57 G. Halliday ... 31 23 F. Wickens ... 25 27 52 J. Burns. ... 25 25 50 R. Bandell ... 27 21 48 W. Jackson ... 19 27 46 II. Bunkenberg ... ... 21 25 46 B. Claridge ... 23 i 20 43 G. Harris ... -.. 25 8 33 Total ... ... NAVALS. . ~487 P.O. Naylor ... 29 19 48 Gunner Baker ..., . ... 24 23- : 47 P.O. Ross .■.. ... 26 21 47 P.O. Martin ... ... 24 21 45 C.P.O. Harris ... ... 22 oo 44 Gunner Jansen ... ' ... 28 16 44 Gunner Ford ... 24 16 40 Gunner Shearer... ... 16 20 36 P.O. Powell ...' 19 15 3-1 Gunner Muir ... 21 12 33 Total 418

500 COO Hdcp. Tl. yds. yds. Sergeant Leslie ... 45" 43 0 88 Private Eaven 45 40 0 85 Private Aamodt ... 40 37 0 77 Col.-Sergeant Love 39 35 ■ , 0 74 Private Macaskill 41 33 0 74 Private Stevenson 32 30 .5 67 . B CLASS. Private Clark .:. 26 18 10 54 Corporal Holland 24 28 0 52 Sergant Tinney ... 24 27 0 51 Private Keller 23 20 0 43