RIFLE AND RANGE

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18575, 25 September 1928, Page 5

RIFLE AND RANGE

WITH THE .303

FIXTURES. September 29—Opening Day at Kaiapoi. October 6—Opening Day at Tai Tapu. December 26—Canterbury Rifle Meeting at Redd iff s. February 7—National Rifle Meeting at Trentham. Easter—South Island Meeting at Blenheim. 3€ tt 3f Reading Mirage. At a rifle range “mirage ” is one of the most difficult problems a rifleman has to contend with. Some ranges are very bad in this respect, especially on a hot day. The following article by “ Telescope,” which appeared in a recent number of the English publication “ N.R.A. Journal,” should prove both interesting and instructive, especially to those in search of knowledge on this most elusive subject. The writer says;— “ Most of us know that the real experts use the “ mirage ” —or heated air rising off the range—to judge the. amount of wind allowance that must be made for each shot. Most of us have seen that self-same mirage, and many of us have cursed it on a very hot and steamy day when it has made tfie bull wobble like a seasick balloon. But how many of us have learned to use it with ease and confidence when the flags are blowing all ways at once? The "Secret.” “ For many years I tried to find out the secret of using ‘ mirage.’ I consulted all the experts, both those who write and those who talk, but I could make very little of it until I read the chapter on 4 Wind Judgment ’ in 4 Rifles and Ammunition.’ Here is the paragraph which 4 put me wise.’ As I believe that the book is now out of print and dfficult to borrow from lucky owners, I will quote it in full. 44 4 It frequently happens on a da" of rapid changes of lateral air movement, particularlv at ranges beyond 800 yards, that one movement, say, from the left near the tareets, may have a counteraction from t.be left near the firer. It may be that one of these movements may be of greater strength or velocity than the other, or it may be that one movement exac f - counteracts the other, necessitating actually no lateral wind allowance at all. In appearance such a complexity of movement is another source of perplexity to him who relies on his telescope.

Choosing Rightly. 44 4 lf one air movement—say, from the right—is near to the firer, while another is at some considerable distance, the latter on l - may be observable through the telescope. This would arise owing to the focus of the telescope being set for infinity, which would prevent the clear definition of anything in close proximity. If the near movement should be too near to be in the focus of the telescope, and so not observable, it could probably not be sufficientl” strong to have effect upon the flight of the bullet. If, however, both air movements are in proper focus and one is moving directly against the other, the appearance through the is somewhat similar to a twelve o’clock or a six o’clock air movement. By altering the focus of the telescope it is possible to discern each movement, particuthe near movement, by pulling out the eyeoiece of the telescope and the distant movement by pushing the eyepiece slightlv in. Having by this means ascertained the double movement of the mirage, it is possible by close observation, with the telescope in correct focus for infinity, to determine whether the right or left air movement predominates and to make a reasonably accurate allowance for it. It will be appreciated that such atmospheric movements are seldom violent, and at the most a small lateral allowance is called for.*

44 There is the whole secret. By slightly altering the focus of the telescope it is possible to see the air movement when mirage is showing on any part of the range, and to make up our minds which is likely to have the greater effect on the bullet. In this connection it is well to remember that wind blowing near the firer is never so important as that farther up the range, because the bullet is travelling at its fastest during the first portion of its flight. If we are shooting at

By

“ TRIGGER.”

1000 yards and a steady wind is blowing across the range over its whole length, then the greater portion of the resulting wind deflection will take place, over the last 500 yards of the range—and the deflection will also be greater over the last quarter of the range than over the third quarter. This is always well worth remembering when, we have the means of determining fairly well the direction and force of winds of a light character that may be blowing differently on different parts of the range. Once we have got hold of these facts and have learned to know the look of a “boil,” which is the appearance of the mirage when the movement is straight up or down the range, then we are in a position to learn to use “mirage” really usefully. As one cannot draw useful pictures of movement, it is not possible to get printed indications as one can with flags. For this reason it takes much longer to learn to use “mirage” than it does to use the flags. It is well worth while to learn to use it, however, because the flags may and can and do tell lies, whereas the mirage, being the actual air in movement, never lies. You may misjudge it I You may be looking at it where it is not actually affecting the bullet very much; but it is not the mirage that is deceiving you; you are deceiving yourself. One thing is absolutely necessary when attempting to judge wind in this manner, and that is an absolutely steady telescope stand. A telescope that is trembling is no use at all, because it prevents you from seeing so tenuous a thing as water vapour. The telescope should give a clean, clear image, and have good light-pass-ing qualities. A high power is not as a rule useful, unless it is associated with a large object glass, so that the lightpassing qualities are not interfered with by the high power. Wind judging by the aid of “mirage” is most fascinating, and as mirage is usually associated with “tricky” conditions,' a mirage shoot is usually a very interesting one. One final word from my experience. When the allowance on the sights gets up to about six minutes at 1000 yards, it is better to rely on the flags, as the judging of changes in pace when the pace gets big is a very difficult matter indeed^ Si Si Si Jottings. Opening day at Kaiapoi on Saturday next, September 29. A private letter received from Wellington states that the New Zealand national meeting will commence. at Trentham on February 7 next. An amicable arrangement has been come to between the Kaiapoi Defence Club and the Sydenham and Railway Clubs whereby the latter clubs will be able to fire their competitions at the Kaiapoi range. The Christchurch Defence Club will open the season at the Tai Tapu range on Saturday week, October 6. Si si Canterbury Rifle Association. The annual meeting of the Canterbury Rifle Association, which was held last week, was largely attended by delegates. The “Oakes Shield” rules were revised. Arrangements have yet to be made for the competitions for the “Jack Shield,” which most likely will be fired for during December. Owing to counter-attractions on New Year’s Day, the annual championship has been very poorly attended in the past, and Boxing Day has been fixed as the date for this year’s meeting. The election of officers resulted as follows: Patron, Colonel M. M. Gard’ner; vicepatrons, Messrs J. K. Archer (Mayor of Christchurch), G. J. Wallace (Mayor of Timaru), R. J. Galbraith (Mayor of Ashburton), A. M’ln tosh (DeputyMayor of Kaiapoi), A. W. Rowse (Mayor of Rangiora), W. H. Nicholson (Mayor of Sumner), and A. W. Owles (Mayor of New Brighton); president. Major J. P. Oakes; deputy-president, Mr W. S. Wharton: vice-presidents, Lieutenant-Colonel F. B. Creswell, Major R. A. Row, Captain W. Murphy, Captain Bowen, Messrs L. F. Tisdall, W. Ballantyne. A. Goodhart, J. Wheeler, A. Webb, P. Jack, C. R. Walker, D. F. Keir, C. Roswell, D. W. L. Mehrtens, L. M’Farlane, N. Wood, and J. Buschl; chief range officer. Colonel F. B. Creswell; hon auditor, Mr A. C. Hullett; hon secretary and treasurer, iMr R 11. Neill.