< Previous12 THE N AT I O N A L S M A L L - B O R E P R I Z E M E E T I N G A t H A M A N D P E T E R S H A M SATURDAY, 7th, and MONDAY, 9th, to SATURDAY, 14th SEPT., inclusive Open to all members of the S.M.R.C. Entries close 28th August, 1946 PRELIMINAR Y PROGRAMME SPECIAL NOTICE R E C L A S S I F I C A T I O N As it is not possible now to use the old classifications of Expert, In e x p e r t , Ty r o s , e t c . , i t I m b e e n decided to introduce a new system, based, for a start, on competitors' averages in S.M.R.C. and County Competitions and failing sufQcient cards in the last six months then club competition cards may he taken at either 15, 20 or 25 yards, which must he certified as correct on the entry form by the league or club secretary. When making his entry a competitor must give his average for the best eight of his last ten competition shoots and he will he classed accordingly. If he makes no average return, or it jf he will he classed as an" A " marksman and can enter only in that Category. CLASSES. Class A, average 98.5 or over. Class B, average 97.00 and under 98.5. Class C, average 94.00 and under 97.00. Class D, average under 94. Lower classes may enter higher classes, hut not vice versa. CONCURRENT SHOOTING. When the conditions in any of the following competitions are similar^ concurrent shooting will he allowed a s b e l o w : — Rule No. 34 reads as follows " Not more than two single entry tickets may he placed on any one card, hut an unlimited entiy ticket or unlimited entry tickets of any class (A, B and/or C, D) may he placed on a card in addition to a single entry ticket or two such tickets provided tot the card he initiaUed by the Range Officer or by any one of his assistants before it is shot. On no account, however, may two single entry tickets in the same aggregate or in the same competition he placed on the same card." All tickets in the Class " A " ag- ^egate wUl he stamped with an " A," those in the Class " B" will he stained with a " B," and those in the Class " C " and " D " aggregates wiU ^ stamped with a " C " and D respectively. No two tickets hearing an " A" I may go on together, neither may two hearing a " B " nor two hearing a " C " or two hearing a " D." A " D " may go with one " C," " B " or " A," or a " C " may go with either one " B " or one " A," or a " B " may go with an " A." AMMUNITION. The only ammunition which may I he used at the meeting will he the I brands on sale at the S.M.R.C. issuing i point on the range. j As we go to press with this pro- I gramme we are assured of having both I . C . I . " R i fl e C l u b " W i n c h e s t e r " Leader" and Remington Kleanhore f o r s a l e . : Therefore, the use of ammunition j identical with these brands wiU he ; allowed. j If other brands become available in the meantime, a similar allowance will he made, and a notice of the particular I brand or brands posted on the range. I This regulation has had to he made by I t h e C o u n c i l i n f a i r n e s s t o a l l c o m - I petitors. H O M E C O U N T R I E S INTERNATIONAL MATCH FOR THE M A P P I N C H A L L E N G E S H I E L D . Open to teams of ten, representing England, ScotJand, N. Ireland, Wales and the Isle of Man. Each team will be selected by a Com mittee formed of the members of the Advisory Committee for the respective countries, who may also nominate five reserves who shall be taken in the order set down if required. A s e c r e t a r y m a y b e a p p o i n t e d i n a d d i t i o n , a^d he, as well as the Captain, may shoot o r n o t , p r o v i d e d t h a t i n n o c a s e s h a l l t h e team shooting exceed 10. Qualification of members of the team B i r t h o r p e r m a n e n t r e s i d e n c e . No competitor having since 1st January, 1910, represented one country may repre sent any other without first having made at least one month's previous application in writing to the S.M.R.C. for adjudication by t h e p r o p e r a u t h o r i t y, a n d r e c e i v e d t h e i r sanction. Each Captain is required to give the names of his team, and reserves to the Statistical Officer at or before 12 noon on the day of shooting. Conditions—30 shots per competitor—10 each at 25, 50 and 100 yards. A time-limit of seven minutes is allowed for shooting each card. No sighting shots will be allowed. T h e d r a w f o r p o s i t i o n s w i l l b e m a d e according to Rule 21a. The teams will be squadded. 1 E a c h t e a m w i l l b e a l l o w e d t w o s p o t t e r s . E a c h m e m b e r o f e a c h t e a m w i l l r e c e i v e a n I n t e r n a t i o n a l b a d g e e m b l e m a t i c o f t h e c o u n t r y h e r e p r e s e n t s a s a m e m e n t o o f t h e occasion. Additional date bars only will be awarded to those already in possession of a badge and ribbon. This competition will take place on Friday, 13th September, at 3 p.m. H O M E C O U N T R I E S LADIES' INTERNA TIONAL MA TCH. U n d e r s i m i l a r c o n d i t i o n s w i t h a w a r d s a s a b o v e , b u t f o r t e a m s o f fi v e l a d i e s . T h i s match will be held at 5.30 p.m., on Thursday, I2th September. C a p t a i n s t o h a n d i n t h e n a m e s o f t h e i r teams to the Statistical office by 4.30 p.m C O U N T Y " S E X T E T T E " C O M P E T I T I O N F O R T H E S I R E L L I O T T L E E S challenge shield. Holders : Essex, 1939. Te a m s o f s i x f r o m a n y C o u n t y. Single entry competition. 20 shots each competitor—10 at 50 yards and 10 at 100 yards. C o m p e t i t o r s m u s t b e r e s i d e n t i n t h e County they represent. C o u n t y A s s o c i a t i o n s t o a p p o i n t o n e o f their members, who will be at the Meeting to act as captain and with power to select the team. 1st prize, the shield and six silver medals. 2nd prize, six antique bronze medals. These medals have been specially designed for the " Sextette " competitions. Entrance fee, 3s. Entries may be made on the range, but not later than Wednesday, 11th September. T H E " N E W S O F T H E W O R L D " CO.MPETITION Open to all registered Certificate holders. Single entry. Rule 12, para. 3, excepted for this com petition. 30 shots—-10 each at 25, 50 and 100 yards. 1st prize, small cup and ... £4 0 0 2 n d p r i z e , s i l v e r m e d a l a n d . . . 3 0 0 3 r d p r i z e , s i l v e r m e d a l a n d . . . 2 0 0 4 t h p r i z e , s i l v e r m e d a l a n d . . . 1 0 0 5th to 10th prizes, £1 each ..i 6 0 0 11th to 14th prizes, 15s. each... 3 0 0 15th to 26th prizes, 10s. each... 6 0 0 2 6 c a s h p r i z e s £ 2 5 0 0 All registered News of the IForW certificate h o l d e r s f r e e . Others, entrance fee, 4s. All the prizes in this competition have been kindly given by the proprietors of the News of the World. T H E " D A I L Y M A I L " C H A L L E N G E CUP . Holder : The late Ivor Booth, Guildford and District R.C. Open to all registered certificate holders. To be held for one year by the Club of which the winner is a member. Single entry. Rule 12, para. 3, excepted for this com petition. 30 shots—10 each at 25, 50 and 100 yards. 1st prize, the cup, small cup and £4 0 0 2 n d p r i z e , s i l v e r m e d a l a n d . . . 3 0 0 3 r d p r i z e , s i l v e r m e d a l a n d . . . 2 0 0 4 t h p r i z e , s i l v e r m e d a l a n d . . . 1 0 0 5th to 10th prizes, £1 each ... 6 0 0 11th to 14th prizes, 15s. each... 3 0 0 I5t-'1 to 26th prizes, 10s. each 6 0 0 2 6 c a s h p r i z e s £ 2 5 0 0 All registered Daily Afoi/certificate holders free. Others, entrance fee, 4s. All the prizes in this competition have been kindly given by the proprietors of the D a i l y M a i l . THE 'DAIL Y TELEGRAPH" COMPETITION Open to all registered Certificate holders. Single entry. Rule 12, para. 3, excepted for this com petition. 30 shots—10 each at 25, 50 and 100 yards. 1st prize, small cup and £4 0 0 2 n d p r i z e , s i l v e r m e d a l a n d . . . 3 0 0 3 r d p r i z e , s i l v e r m e d a l h n d . . . 2 0 0 4 t h p r i z e , s i l v e r m e d a l a n d . . . 1 0 0 5th to 10th prizes, £I each ... 6 0 0 11th to 14th prizes, 15s. each... 3 0 0 15th to 26th prizes, 10s. each 6 0 0 2 6 c a s h p r i z e s £ 2 5 0 0 All registered Daily Telegraph certificate h o l d e r s f r e e . Others, entrance fee, 4s. All the prizes in this competition have been kindly given by the proprietors of the Da il y Tele gr aph . S . M . R . C . L I F E A N D A N N U A L MEMBERS' COMPETITION F O R T H E S . M . R . C . C H A L L E N G E C U P. Holder : T. A. Hayden, Stalbridge R.C., 1939. Open only to Life Members and Annual Members of the S.M.R.C. Note.—One payment of two guineas constitutes a Life Membership and an annual payment of 5/- constitutes an Annual Membership of the S.M.R.C. Single entry. 30 shots—10 each at 25, 50 and 100 yards. Istprize, thecup, smallcupand £3 0 0 2nd prize 2 0 0 3rd and 4th prizes, £1 each 2 0 0 5th to 10th prizes, 10s. each... 3 0 0 11th to 20th prizes, 5s. each... 2 10 0 20 prizes £12 10 0 Entrance fee, 3s. WWW.RIFLEMAN.ORG.UKSummer, 1946. T H E R I F L E M A N 13 T H E R A R E R O B E R T S M E M O R I A L C H A L L E N G E C L P . T H E N A T I O N A L C H A M P I O N S H I P . Holder: G. A. J. Jones, W ;ilIh;imslow Ensign R.C., 19.19. T h e w i n n e r l o h ; i \ e l i r e t i t l e o f t h e C h a m pion Smtill-hore Rifleman of the year. CONDITIONS. Single entry squadded. Any competitor who is not present when h i s s quad eom m e ne e s w il l b e d is q u a l i fied. To be competed l"or in two stages. The tiggregate score of the two stages to give the result. The First Stage to be shot squadded on Wednesday, Ilth Sept., at 9.0 a.m. The rota of squadding for all competitors in this.competition will be c.vhibited in the Competitors' Tent on Tuesday. • Conditions :—40 shots : 20 at 50 yards, 10 each at 2 cards and 20 at 100 yards, 10 each at 2 cards. The leading 20 coiiipetitors in this stage will be awarded a Silk Badge and will he entitled to shoot in the Second Stage. Ties for the last position will be decided by Rule 38. The .Second .Stage will be shot on Thurs day, 12th September, in squads. Competitors must be on the firing point at 10.30 a.m. Their positions will be posted on the notice board. Conditions ;—40 shots : 20 at 50 yards, 10 each at two cards, and 20 at 100 yards, 10 each at two cards. Each competitor will be allowed a practice card at each range previous to his competi tion cards. A prize of lOs. will be awarded to each of the leading 20 competitors who do not qualify for the Second Stage. 1st prize, the cup, silver replica a n d . . . n S 0 0 2nd prize 10 0 0 3rd prize... 5 0 0 4 t h p r i z e - 2 X X 5 t h p r i z e , ? S 9 6th to 20th prizes, £I each ... 15 0 0 P r i z e s o f 1 0 s . t o e a c h o f t h e l e a d i n g 2 0 c o m p e t i t o r s w h o d o n o t q u a l i f y f o r t h e S e c o n d j Stage 10 0 0 4 0 c a s h p r i z e s £ 7 0 0 0 Entrance fee, 7s. 6d. T H E E N G L I S H C H A M P I O N S H I P F O R T H E C H A L L E N G E C U P O F T H E R O YA L S O C I E T Y O F S T, G E O R G E , H o l d e r : G . A . 3 . J o n e s , Wa l t h a m s t o w Ensign R.C., 1939. C o n c u r r e n t w i t h t h e E a r l R o b e r t s O p e n Championship the above-mentioned trophy and a small silver cup will be awarded to the > English competitor who makes the best score. ELIGIBILITY . Open to individual members of the S . M . R . C . o r m e m b e r s o f a l l i l i a l c d u n i t s . situated in Great Britain and Northern Ireland, such members having been born of English parents. C L A S S A C O M P E T I T I O N COMPETITION 1. , T H E N O B E L S T A T U E T T E , Holder : W. SaviUe, G.P.O. R.C., 1939. ; Single entry . Open to all-comers. : 40 shots at 25 yards, 10 each at 4 card^ 1st prize, the trophy and ... £4 0 0 2nd prize 2x9 3rd prize 2 9 9 4th and Sth prizes, £I each... 2 0 0 ^ 6th and 7th prizes, I5s. each... I 10 0 : 8th to Ilth prizes, 10s. each... 2 0 0 12th to 15th prizes, 7s. 6d. each I 10 0 16th to 31st prizes, 5s. each... 4 0 0 31 prizes £20 0 J) i Entrance fee, 4s. A speeial silver medal will be awarded to the Veteran, not under 60 years of age, who h a s t h e h i g h e s t s c o r e i n t h i s c o m p e t i t i o n . Will veterans please mark their entry forms " Veteran," but should he be in a lower class the seores he makes in either competition. No. 6, II or 15, will count. Should he enter more than one class the score in the lowest class will be taken, £10 of the prize money in this competition ; has been kindly given by B.S.A, Gtins Ltd. 1 COMPETITION 2. THE CLASS A 50 Y ARDS CO.MPETITION Single entry. Open to all-comers. 30 shots at 50 yards—10 each at 3 cards. 1st prize £4 0 0 2nd prize ... ... ... 3 0 0 3rd prize 2 0 0 4th and 5th prizes, £1 each ... 2 0 0 6th and 7th prizes, I5s. each... 1 10 0 Sth to Ilth prizes, lOs. e,ach ... 2 0 0 12th to I5th prizes, 7s. 6d. each I 10 0 16th to 31st prizes, 5s, each... 4 0 0 3 1 p r i z e s £ 2 0 0 0 Entrance fee, 4s. COMPETITION 3. T H E C L A S S A 1 0 0 Y A R D S COMPETITION. Single entry. Open to all-comers. 30 shots at 100 yards—10 each at 3 cards. 1st prize £4 0 0 2nd prize 3 0 0 3rd prize 2 0 0 4th and 5th prizes, £1 e.ach ... 2 0 0 6th and 7th prizes, 15s. each... 1 10 0 Sth to Ilth prizes, 10s. each... 2 0 0 I2th to 15th prizes, 7s. 6d. each 1 10 0 16th to 31st prizes, 5s, each ... 4 0 0 3 1 p r i z e s £ 2 0 0 0 Entrance fee, 4s. COMPETITION 4. T H E B . S . A , C O M P E T I T I O N , , C L A S S A S O A N D 1 0 0 Y A R D S , Single entry. Open to all-comers. 40 shots. 20 at 50 yards—10 each at 2 cards and 20 at 100 yards—10 each at 2 c a r d s . 1st prize £4 0 0 2nd prize ... 3 0 0 3rd prize 2 0 0 4th and 5th prizes, £1 each ... 2 0 0 6th and 7th prizes, 15s. each... 1 10 0 Sth to Ilth prizes, lOs. each... 2 0 0 12th to 15th prizes, 7s. 6d. each 1 10 0 16th to 31st prizes, 5s. each... 4 0 0 31 prizes £20 0 0 Entrance fee, 4s. £10 of this prize money has been kindly g i v e n b y Vi c k e r s A r m s t r o n g s L t d . COMPETITION 5. T H E I . C . I . C L A S S A A G G R E G A T E , T H E S P O O N E R C H A L L E N G E C U P . H o l d e r : L e n s b u r y a n d B r i t a i m i c H o u s e R.C., 1939. The aggregate of Competitions 1, 2, 3 and 4. Open to all-comers. 1st prize, the cup, replica and... £10 0 0 2nd prize, silver medal and ... 5 0 0 3rd prize, silver medal and ... 3 0 0 4th prize, silver medal and ... 2 0 0 5th and 6th prizes, £2 each ... 4 0 0 7th and Sth prizes, 30s, each... 3 0 0 9th to 12th prizes, 20s. each... 4 0 0 13th to 30th prizes, 10s, each... 9 0 0 30 cash prizes £40 0 0 Entrance fee, 5s. All above prize money was kindly given b y I . C . I . ( M e t a l s ) L t d . C L A S S B C O M P E T I T I O N S . Class B competitors may enter Class A competibons if they wish. Entry fees for both classes must be paid if competitors wish to shoot in both. COMPETITION 6. THE CLASS B 25 YARDS COMPETITION Single entry. Open to- all-comers. 40 shots at 25 yards—10 each at 4 cards. 1st prize £4 0 0 2nd prize 3 0 0 3rd prize 2 0 0 4th and 5th prizes, £1 each ,,, 2 0 0 6th and 7th prizes, 15s, each.,. 1 10 0 Sth to 11 til prizes, 10s, each... 2 0 0 12th to 15th prizes, 7s, 6d, each 1 10 0 16th to 31st prizes, 5s, each ... 4 0 0 COMPETITION 7. T H E C L A S S B 5 0 Y ' A R D S C O M P E T I T I O N Single entry. Open to all-comers, 30 shots at 50 yards—10 each at 3 cards. 1st prize ... £3 0 0 2nd and 3rd prizes, £2 each... 4 0 0 4t,h and Sth prizes, £1 each ...2 0 0 6th to 14th prizes, 10s. each... 4 10 0 15th to 20th prizes, 5s. each ... 1 10 0 0 0 20 prizes £15 Entrance fee, 3s. COMPETITION S. T H E C L A S S B 1 0 0 YA R D S COMPETITION. Single entry. Open to all-comers. 30 shots at 100 yards—10 each at 3 cards. 1st prize £3 0 0 2nd and 3rd prizes, £2 each ...4 0 0 4th and Sth prizes, £1 each ...2 0 0 6th to 14th prizes, 10s. each... 4 10 0 15th to 20th prizes, 5s. each ... 1 10 0 31 prizes £20 Entrance fee, 4s. has C L A S S C C O M P E T I T I O N S . 0 020 prizes £15 Entrance fee, 33. COMPETITION 9. T H E C L A S S B D O U B L E 5 0 A N D 1 0 0 Y / Y R D S C O M P E T I T I O N . Single entry. Open to all-comers. 40 shots—20 at 50 yards—10 each at 2 cards, and 20 at 100 yards—10 each at 2 cards. 1st prize £-1 0 0 2nd prize ... 3 0 0 3rd prize 2 0 0 4th and Sth prizes, £1 each ... 2 0 0 6th and 7th prizes, 15s. each... 1 10 0 Sth to Ilth prizes, 10s. each... 2 0 0 12th to 15th prizes, 7s. 6d. each 1 10 0 16th to 31st prizes, 5s. each ... 4 0 0 0~0 COMPETITION 10. T H E C L A S S B A G G R E G A T E COMPETITION. F O R T H E L E V E R B R O S . C H A L L E N G E CUP . Holder: E. A. Owen, Inland Revenue R.C., 1939. The aggregate of Competitions 6, 7, 8 and 9, 1st prize, the cup, replica and... £5 0 0 2nd prize, silver medal and ... 2 10 0 3rd prize, silver medal and ... 1 10 0 4th prize, silver medal and ... 1 0 0 Sth and 6th prizes, £1 each ... 2 0 0 7th and Sth prizes, 15s. each... 1 10 0 9th to 12th prizes, 10s. each... 2 0 0 13th to 30th prizes, 5s. each... 4 10 0 3 0 c a s h p r i z e s £ 2 0 0 0 Entrance fee, 5s. COMPETITION 13. THE CL.ASS C 100 Y'.ARDS THTPI Tz COMPETITION IRIPLE Single entry. 30 shots at 100 yards-10 each at 3 cards 1st prizd ... r-j |\ 2 n d p r i z e - " • ^ 1 S s e f S ^ " 9 s o i - ' e a c h ; ; ; 3 0 0 5th and 6th prizes, 20s. each 2 O o 7th ^d Sth prizes, 10s. each:;: ? 6* o 9th to 14th prizes, 5s. each ... l lo o 14 prizes £12 10 0 Entrance fee, 3s. COMPETITION 14. THE CLASS C AGGREG.ATE. ^^The aggregate of CompeUtions 11. 12 and 1 ' S t p r i z e £ 3 0 0 1 2 n d p r i z e . . . 2 0 0 i I f n 3 0 s . e a c h : : : 3 0 0 5th, 6th and /th prizes, £1 each 3 0 0 12th to 19th prizes, 5s. each ...2 0 0 1 9 p r i z e s £ 1 5 0 0 Entrance fee, 3s. 6d. i ,. the prize-money in this competition j has been kmdly given by I.C.I. (Metals) Ltd. ; CLASS D COMPETITIONS. Class D competitors may shoot in Classes A, B and C if they wish, but the entry fees for these classes must be paid in addition to ; their own class. I i C O M P E T I T I O N 1 5 . T H E C L A S S D 2 5 YA R D S , j Single entry. 40 shots at 25 yards—10 each at 4 cards. 1st prize £3 0 0 1 2 n d a n d 3 r d p r i z e s , £ 2 e a c h . . . 4 0 0 4th and 5th prizes, £1 each ... 2 0 0 i 6th to 14th prizes, 10s. each... 4 10 0 15th to 20th prizes, 5s. each ... 1 10 0 The prize money in this competition IS been kindly given by I.C.I. (Metals) Ltd. 2 0 p r i z e s £ 1 5 0 0 EiUrance fee, 4s. COMPETITION 16. T H E C L A S S D T R I P L E 5 0 Y A R D S . Single entry. 30 shots at 50 yards—10 each at 3 cards. 1st prize £3 0 0 2nd prize 2 0 0 3rd and 4th prizes, 30s. each... 3 0 0 5th and 6th prizes, £1 each ... 2 0 0 7th and Sth prizes, 10s. each... 1 0 0 9th to 14th prizes, 5s. each ... 1 10 0 Clasi C competitors may shoot in Classes A and B if they wish. Entry fees for all classes must, of course, be paid u they desire to compete in these classes m addition : t o t h e i r o w n . COMPETITION 1 1. I THE CLASS C 25 YARDS COMPETITION ; Single entry . ; 40 shots at 25 yards—10 each at 4 cards. 1st prize ••• ^^9 9 2nd and 3rd prizes, £2 each... 4 0 0, 4th and 5th prizes, £1 each... 2 0 0 6th to 14th prizes, 10s. each... 4 10 0 15th to 20th prizes, 5s. each., 14 prizes £12 10 0 Entrance fee, 3s. COMPETITION 17. T H E C L A S S D T R I P L E I C Q Y . A R D S . Single entry. 30 shots at too yards—10 each at 3 cards. 1st prize ... £3 0 0 2ud prize 2 0 0 3rd and 4th prizes, 30s. each... 3 0 0 5th and 6th prizes, £1 each ... 2 0 0 7th and Sth prizes, 10s. each... 10 0 9th to 14th prizes, 5s. each ... 1 10 0 1 1 0 0 20 prizes £15 Entrance fee, 4s. — 0 0 , 31 prizes £20 0 0 Entrance fee, 4s. COMPETITION 12. THE CLASS C 50 Y^DS TRHli COMPETITION. SofbotTat'sO y.ards-10 each at 3 cards j 1st prize ^0 9 9 ! 2nd prize ... ••• ? 9 9 j' 3rd and 4th prizes, 30s. each... 3 0 0 1 Sth and 6th prize* 20s, each... 2 0 0! 7th and Sth prizes, 10s. each... { 0 « 9th to 14th prizes, 5s. each ... 1 10 0 j 14 prizes £12 10 0 :• Entrance fee, 3s. I 14 prizes £12 10 0 Entrance fee, 3s. COMPETITION 18. T H E C L A S S D A G G R E G A T E . The aggregate of Competitions 15, 16 and ist prize, silver medal and ... £3 0 0 2 n d p r i z e X 9 9 3rd and 4lh prizes, 30s. each... 3 0" Sth, 6th and 7th prizes, £1 each 3 0 .0 Sth to Ilth prizes, 10s. each ... 2 0 0 12th to 19th prizes, 5s. each... 2 0 0 19 prizes £15 0 0 Entrance fee, 3s. 6d. £10 of the prize-money in this competition has been kindly given liy I.C.I. (Metals) Ltd WWW.RIFLEMAN.ORG.UK14 T H E R I F L E M A N SUMMIiR, 1946. S W E E P S TA K E C O M P E T I T I O N S . T I M E - L I M I T C O M P E T I T I O N S . OPEN T O ALL-COMERS. C o m p e t i t i o n s 1 9 t o 2 4 c l o s e e a c h d a y except that there will be only one at each range for the Friday and last Saturday of the Meeting. The prize money will be paid out on the r a n g e o n t h e M o n d a y f o l l o w i n g t h e fi r s t S a t u r d a y a n d t h e r e a f t e r t h e d a y f o l l o w i n g each shooting day. The value of each Sweepstake will be d e t e r m i n e d b y t h e n u m b e r o f t i c k e t s fi r e d in it during the period the Sweepstake is o p e n f o r c o m p e t i t i o n . Each Sweepstake will be divided as follows, one-third of the entrance fee being first r e t a i n e d b y t h e S . M . R . C . PRIZES. When the gross Entrance Fees for each distance do not exceed £5 : Ist, I 3rd of gross entrance fees; 2nd. 1,5th; 3rd, 2,15th; additional, none. When the gross Entrance Fees for each . d i s t a n c e e x c e e d s £ 5 ; I s t , £ 1 1 0 s . ; 2 n d , £ 1 ; 3rd, IDs. ; additional, as many prizes of 5s. e a c h a s t h e b a l a n c e w i l l a d m i t . L'nlimitcd entry competitions 19, 20 and 21 arc open to all. E a c h t e n s h o t s m u s t h e fi r e d i n 9 0 s e c o n d s . i The followini; time-limit competitions. I Nos. 26 and 27 must be shot .Stiuadded ! between the hours of 2 and 4 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday until entries are completed. Competitors to advise day or days most suitable for tbem. COMPETITION 26. 2 5 Y A R D . S T I M E - L I M I T . Single entry. 20 shots at 25 yards—10 each at 2 cards each in 90 seconds. Ist prize £2 0 0 2nd and 3rd prizes. £1 each ... 2 0 0 4th and 5th prizes, lOs. each ... I 0 0 6th to 25th prizes, 5s. each ... 5 0 0 2 5 p r i z e s £ 1 0 0 0 COMPETITION 19. 2 5 Y A R D S S W E E P S T A K E , CNLI.MITED ENTR Y. 10 shots at 25 yards. Entrance fee. Is. CO.MPETITION 20. 5 0 Y A R D S S W E E P - S T A K E , L.NLI.MITED ENTR Y . 1 0 s h o t s a t 5 0 y a r d s . Entrance fee. Is. COMPETITIO.N 21. 1 0 0 Y A R D S S W E E P S T A K E , U.NLIMITED ENTR Y . 10 shots at 100 yards. Entrance fee. Is. Unlimited entry competitions Nos. 22, 23 and 24 are open only to C and D Classes. S i m i l a r c o n d i t i o n s o f p r i z e m o n e y a s for competitions 19. 20 and" 21. C O . M P E T I T I O N 2 2 . 2 5 Y A R D . S . S W E E P S T A K E . UNLIMITED ENTR Y . 10 shots at 25 yards. Entrance fee. Is. COMPETITION 23. 5 0 Y A R D S S W E E P S T A K E , UNLI.MITED ENTR Y . 10 shots at 50 yards. ■ Entrance fee. Is. COMPETITION 24. 1 0 0 Y A R D S S W E E P S T A K E . UNLI.MITED ENTR Y . 10 shots at 100 yards. Entrance fee. Is. Entrance fee, 2s. 6d. COMPETITION 27. 5 0 Y A R D . S T I M E - L I M I T . Single entry. 20 shots at 50 yards—10 each at 2 cards each in 90 seconds. Ist prize ... £2 0 0 2nd and 3rd prizes. £1 each ... 2 0 0 4th and 5th prizes, lOs. each ... 10 0 6th to 25th prizes, 5s. each ... 5 0 0 2 5 p r i z e s £ 1 0 0 0 P R A C T I C E T I C K E T S . Practice Tickets for any range, at 6d. for 10 shots, will be on sale. No Prizes. Not more than 10 shots per card. Competition rules apply. COMPETITION 25. T H E 1 0 0 Y A R D S T E L E S C O P I C S I G H T COMPETITION. Open to u!l-comers. Rifles fitted with ANY Sights may be used i n thi s co mpetitio n . Unlimited entry. The value of this Sweepstake will be de termined by the number of tickets fired in it during the meeting, and will be divided as follows—one third of the entrance fee being first retained by the S.M.R.C ; Prizes. When the gross Entrance Fees for a dis tance does not exceed £5 : 1st. I/3rd of gross entrance fce« ; 2nd. l/.'^ih : 3rd,2/15lh; ad ditional, none. Entrance fee, Is. Entrance fee, 2s. 6d. COMPETITION 2H. T H E P A R K E R - H A L E L T D . TIME-LIMIT AGGREGA TE. Aggregate of Competitions 26 and 27. Ist prize ... £2 0 0 2nd and 3rd prizes, £1 each ... 2 0 0 4th and 5th prizes, IDs. each... I 0 0 6th to 25th prizes, 5s. each ... 5 0 0 2 5 p r i z e s £ 1 0 0 0 Entrance fee, 2s. 6d. The prize money in this competition has been kindly given by Messrs. Parker-Hale Ltd. COMPETITION 29. T H E L A D I E S ' C H A M P I O N S H I P FOR THE H . R . F I . T H E D U C H E S S O F K E N T C H A L L E N G E C U P . Holder : Miss I. Lec, Hcndon and Cricklc- wood R.C., 1939. Open to all women members. Single e n t r y. 6 0 s h o t s — 1 0 e a c h a t t w o c a r d s a t 25, 50 and 100 yards. Ist prize, the challenge cup, replica and ... ... ... £2 0 0 2nd prize, small silver medal and 1 0 0 3rd and 4th prizes, lOs. each... 1 0 0 5th to 10th prizes, 5s. each ... I 10 0 10 prizes £5 10 < Entrance fee, 3s. COMPETITION 30. T H E L A D I E S ' 2 5 Y A R D S U N L I M I T E D E N T R Y . Open only to all women members. 1 0 s h o t s a t 2 5 y a r d s . Ist to 10th prizes, 5s. each ... £2 10 0 10 prizes value £2 10 0 Entrance fee, 6d. N O T E . — E v e r y c o m p e t i t o r s c o r i n g a possible will receive a prize of not less than 2s. 6d. W O M E N S R J F L E ASSOCIA TION. ^fhc following competitions, Nos. 31, 32 33, 34 and 35, are open only to individual m e m b e r s a n d m e m b e r s o f c l u b s a fl i i i a t c d t o t h e W o m e n ' s R . A . E x c e p t f o r t h e i n d i v i d u a l g i f t s o f p r i z e s a n n o u n c e d f o r t h e s e fi v e e v e n t s t l i e r e m a i n d e r o f t h e p r i z e s a r e a w a r d e d b y t h e W. R . A . No. 31 is open to all as above, but Nos. 32, 33, 34 and 35 are for Classes A, B. C and D respectively, as per S.M.R.C. classi fi c a t i o n s i n t h i s p r o g r a m m e . C o m p e t i t o r s must give their average when they enter if they wish to enter categories below Class .A. COMFETIT iON 31. T H E W . R . A . O P E N . M E E T I N G C H A M PIONSHIP OF GREA T BRIT AIN AND NOR THERN IRELAND. T H E • ' F L O W E R S " T R O P H Y . This challenge trophy and prize money a r c o p e n t o a l l m e m b e r s o f " t h e a b o v e Association in Great Britain and N. Ireland, and will bo awarded to the competitors who make the highest scoresf// cillwr the S.M.R.C. meetings at Edinburgh or Ham and Peter sham. They may only enter once. Single entry. 30 shots each competitor, 10 each at 25, 50 and 100 yards. Ist prize, the trophy, medal and £3 0 0 2nd prize, medal and 2 0 0 3rd prize... I 0 0 4th to lith prizes, 10s. each... 4 0 0 11 p r i z e s £ 1 0 0 0 Entrance fee, 3s. £ 5 o f t h e p r i z e - m o n e y h a s b e e n k i n d l y presented by Mrs. K. Herring, of Colchester Women's Unit R.C.. and £5 by Mrs. G. O. S a l t e r, o f M i t c h u m a n d To o t i n g R . C . COMPETITION 32. F O R T H E R E G I M E N T C H A L L E N G E CUP . Holder : M''ss H. Millar, Pcrlli City and County R.C., 1945. C L A S . S A ; .Single entry. 10 shots at 25 yards. Ist prize, the cup, medal and ... £1 10 0 2nd prize 10 0 3rd to 12th prizes, 5s. each ... £2 10 0 12 prizes £4 10 0 Entrance fee. Is. COMPETITION 33. C L A . S S B . Single entry. 10 shots at 25 yards. I s t p r i z e H ) 0 2nd to llth prizes, 5s. each ... 2 10 0 1 0 p r i z e s £ 3 0 0 Entrance fee. Is. COMPETITION 3T C L A S S C . Single entry. 1 0 s h o t s a t 2 5 y a r d s . Ist prize ... 10 0 2nd to llth prizes, 5s. each 2 10 0 I I prizes £3 0. 0 Entrance fee, Is. , One guinea of the prize money has been k i n d l y p r e s e n t e d b y M r s . E . C . B a l l i n g a l l of the Stirling Ladies' R.C. COMPETITION 35. C L A S S D . Single entry. 10 shots at 25 yards. Ist prize 10 0 2nd to llth prizes, 5s. each 2 10 0 I I p r i z e s £ 3 0 0 Entrance fee. Is. COMPETITION 36. W. R . A . J U N I O R S ' U N L I M I T E D E N T R Y COMPETITION. F o r W . R . A . m e m b e r s w h o h a v e n o t reached the age of 19 years as at advertised date of close of entries. ^ Proof of ages required. Linlimited entry. 10 shots at 25 yards. 1st prize 10 0 2nd to 4tli prizes, 5s, each ... £10 0 4 prizes £1 10 0 Entrance fee, 6d. COMPETITION 37. W . R . A . T E A M C O M P E T I T I O N . Teams of four. Open to teams from clubs afliiiatcd to the W .R.A. Single entry. 10 shots at 25 yards. 1 s t p r i z e , 4 s p o o n s a n d . . . £ 1 0 0 2nd prize ... 1 0 0 2 p r i z e s £ 2 0 0 Entrance fee, 3s. per team. One guinea of the prize money lias been k i n d l y p r e s e n t e d b y W. W. B i r r c i l , E s q . , of Otford R.C. A competitor may enter for a higher class than that for which she iiiialilics. hut not a i lower. The cost of the individual membership to the W.R.A. is 4s. cnlranctv fee and 2s. p e r a n n u m . . , The Council t>f the W.R.A. control the activities only of its own membership, whilst ladies in rifle clubs not yet afliiiatcd to the A s s o c i a t i o n r e m a i n u n d e r t h e c o n t r o l o f t h e S . M . R . C . T n c R a n g e C o m m i t t e e o f this meeting has full control of the com petitors therein. COMPET iriON 3S. T H E D O U G L A . S E Y R E C H A L L E N G E CUP . T H E J U N I O R S ' U N L I M I T E D . H o l d e r : A . I I . W . B a t t e n . H a m a n d P e t e r s h a m R . C . , 1 9 3 9 . Open to all-comers who arc 18 years of age or under on advertised date (4' close of entries.^ Proof of age required. Unlimited entry. 10 shots at 25 yards. Ist prize, the cup. medal and... £1 0 0 2nd and 3rd prizes, lOs. each... I 0 0 4th and 5th prizes, 5s. each ... 10 0 6th to 9lh prizes, 2s. 6d. each... 10 0 9 p r i z e s £ 3 0 0 Entrance fee, 6d. CO.MPETITION 39. T H E " D A I LY S K E T C H ' J U N I O R T E A M COMPETITION. Holder: J. R. V. Brown, W althamstow Ensign R.C., 1938. Te a m s o f f o u r. S i n g l e e n l r y. 20 shots each competitor at 25 yards, 10 each at two cards. 1st prize, the cup, 4 medals and £110 0 2 n d p r i z e , 4 m e d a l s a n d . . . 1 0 0 3rd prize 10 0 3 p r i z e s £ 3 0 0 Entrance fee, 2s. 6d. per team. Open to teams of girls or boys, or teams c o m p o s e d o f b o t h g i r l s a n d b o y s m a y compete. • COMFETmON 40. T H E W E B L E V A N D S C O T T P I S I O L COMPETITION. Single entry. 20 shots at 20 yards—10 each at two cards. S . M . R . C . P i s t o l t a r g e t . P i s t o l s w i l l b e provided on the range, but conipcttlors may use their own if they comply with Rule 2 of the ofTicial S.M.R.C.. .Pistol regulations. Ist prize, a Wcblcy and Scott .22 pistol, value ... • ... £7 10 0 2nd prize 1 10 0 3rd prize 15 0 4th and 5th prizes, iOs. each... 1 0 0 6lh to lOlh prizes, 5s. each ... I 5 0 10 prizes value £12 10 0 Entrance fee, 2s. 6d. ' The first prize in this competition has been kindly presented by Messrs. Webley and S c o t t . T h e l o a n o f . 2 2 p i s t o l s c a n n o t b e guaranteed by the S.M.R.C. COMPETITION 41. T H E P I S T O L U N L I M I T E D . Unlimited entry . 1 0 s h o t s a t 2 0 y a r d s . S . M . R . C . P i s t o l target. Pistols will be provided on the range, but competitors may use their own if they comply with Rule 2. 1st prize, silver medal and ... £l 5 0 2nd prize 15 0 3rd prize 10 0 4lh to 6th prizes, 5s. each ... J5 0 6 p r i z e s £ 3 5 0 Entrance fee, Is. NOTE. -All pistol shooting must be with o n e h a n d a n d f r o m t h e s t a n d i n g p o s i t i o n w i t h o u t a n y s u p p o r t . WWW.RIFLEMAN.ORG.UKSummer, 1946. COMPETITION 42. T H E I F, . \ . \ n 5 0 T K . A M C O . \ I P E T I T I O N . Te a m s o f f o u r. S i n g l e e n t r y. 20 shots per competitor - 10 each at 25 and 50 yards. I s i p r i z e . A s i l \ e r m e d a l s a n d . . . £ 2 0 0 2 t u i p r i z e . 4 m e d a l s a n d . . . I 0 0 3rd to 6tli prizes. |0s. each ... 2 0 0 6 p r i z e s £ 5 0 0 Ian ranee tec. 5s. per team. COMPr .TITION 4.3. CITY OF LONDON CORFORA TION C H A L L F , N G L C U P . Holders: Addiscombe R.C.. \W. 1 0 0 ^ A R D S T K A M S H O O T . Te a m s o f t o u r. S i n g l e e n t r y. 10 shots per competitor at 100 yards. 1st prize. 4 silver medals and... £2 0 0 2 n d p r i z e , 4 m e d a l s a n d . . . I 1 0 0 .3rd and 4th prizes, 17s. Od. each I 15 0 T H E R I F L E M A N 15 4 p r i z e s £ 5 5 0 COMPETITION 44. T H E S H A R P S H O O T E R . T H E C H E V L E S . M O R E C L P. ! H o l d e r s : H u l l R . C . . 1 9 3 9 . 1 eam^of three. SinglccnirN*. Squadded. ( Te a m s o T l e s s t h a n t h r e e w i l l n o t b e : accepted.) C o n d i t i o n s . — T h e t a r g e t s w i l l c o n s i s t o f I 12 breakable white discs di\ided into sets I of six separated by a distinguishing mark, at 100 yards distance. Teams will be drawn in pairs. Two teams lie down together, and on the word "Commence'* shoot at the d i s c s f a c i n g t h e m . T h e t e a m w h i c h fi r s t d e s t r o y s t h e d i s c s , o r w h i c h h a s m o s t destroyed at the word " Cease." which shall be given at the expiration of three minutes, w i l l b e d e c l a r e d t h e w i n n e r o f t h e h e a t . N o d i s c w i l l b e r e g a r d e d a s b e i n g " d e s t r o y e d " s o l o n g a s a n v p o r t i o n o f i t r e m a i n s o n t h e n a i l . N u m b e r o f s h o t s unlimited. ' 1st prize, the cup. and three i S . M . R . C . s i l v e r m e d a l s , v a l u e £ 3 5 0 , 2nd prize. S.M.R.C. metal «ilt | medals, value £| I5 0 ! 6 p r i z e s v a l u e £ 5 0 0 j Entrance fee. 5s. per team. The cash prizes In this competition have" been kindly given by .1. A. Cranmer, Esq. Entrance fee. 3s. 6d. per team. This competition will be shot on Saturday 14th September, at 4.30 p.m. Our Bulls -eyes " A R G U S " I N T H E D U B L I N E V E N I N G H E R A L D ll seems that we have scored a bulls-eye—two bulls-eyes, as a m a i l e r o f f u e l , i n o u r n e w l i l l e p i e c e . Before ihe artist bloke gets all bucked-up by the news and puts in for another increase of salary, let me hasten to add that he has merely succeeded in arousing in the breasts of members of the City of Dublin Miniature Rifle Club an aching memory of the days that were. The President of the Club, Mr. Kevin G. Walsh, P.C., writes :— "The second letter in both 'Town' and 'Topics' reminds me forcibly of the bulls-eye at which we used to shoot. I say ' used to shoot,' because for some years back we have been unable to obtain the necessary .22 ammunition." He encloses one of the standard 25 yards targets so that 1 can see the resemblance. Jt would be a distinct pity, I think, if the Club, which was estab lished ten years ago, were to remain inoperative for lack of ammunition, now that the emergency is past. I was talking about the Tricolour. Well, this Club was the first to hoist the National Flag at Bisley. That was when the members rcpre.sented us in the international competitions of 1937. G O O D W O R K F O R S T A T E T h e C l u b f o r m s a l i n k w i t h t h e n o w f a m o u s B a n b a R i fl e C l u b of 1907, and'the Irish Volunteers of 1914. In the early dtiys of the L.S.F. (before the L.D.F.) it provided training facilities for thousands of our citizen-soldiers, and all the Club members placed their services at the disposal of the authorities un^udgingly. B y t h e w a y, w h a t a b o u t w o m e n r i fl e s h o t s ? We d o n ' t s e e m t o have any Irish organisation for them, but in other countries the ladies take a very active interest in this sport, and I have seen an a f fi l i a t i o n f o r m f r o m t h e W o m e n ' s R i fl e A s s o c i a t i o n w h i c h w a s hopefully despatched to Mr. Walsh's Club as a result of its continued affiliation with the S.M.R.C. Possibly there are some men who might consider that women should not be encouraged to shoot—men whose theme song is " Lay that pistol down, Babe "—but 1 think vve could risk it, first making it clear to them that they must not go gunning for us promiscuously. At any rate, I cannot see why the City of Dublin M.R.C. should still be deprived of ammunition when much less worthy bodies seem to be able to obtain all they require. The Aberfeldy R.C. prize-winners in past season's competitions were :— Haggarl Cliampionsliip Cup—George Maclrcisii : runner-up. J. Dorward. Jutiilee Rose Bowl—A. Morton ; runner-up, Peter MacKercliar. Cuilaluirn Cup— A. Gardiner : runner-up—George MacOniisli. Coronation Cup—George MacLeish ; runner-up, James Eraser. .Silver Quaieh—E. Bettie ; runner-up, A. Morton. E > r. l l a i P s P r i z e — A . G a r d i n e r : r u n n e r - u p , V V. C a m e r o n . M r. A . C l o w ' s P r i z e — J. C. Cunningham ; runner-up, J. Dorward. Captain's Prize—D. Canipliell. Certil'icates—T. M. Stewart, A. Stewart, D. Campliell and George Stewart. Plizes were handed over by Dr. A. Petrie Hall, who presided. The New Commander-in-Chief of the A.T .C. Air Vice-Marshal Sir Alan Lees, K.C.B., C.B.E., D.S.O., A.F.C., has now assumed the appointment of Commander-in-Chief, R.A.F. Reserve Commtmd arid Chief Commandant and Director^General of the A.T.C. Like his predecessor, Air-Marshal Sir Leslie Gossaae, Sir Alan was born in Lancashire, and most of his 51 vears have been spent in the Services. Gazetted to the Royal West Kent Regiment in 1914, he was attached to the Royal Flying Corps in France and taken a prisoner of war three years later. In 1922 he qualified as a flying instructor and in the following year was posted to No. 45 Squadron, Iraq. He commanded No. 50 Squadron (.Air Defence Great Britain) for three years, and later went to India to command No. 1 (Indian Wing) Station, where he remained until 1938. He was awarded the D.S.O. during this period. He then commanded R.A.F. Station. Driffield, Yo r k s h i r e , f r o m 1 9 3 8 u n t i l t h e o u t b r e a k o f w a r. In 1939 he was appointed Training Staff Officer at H.Q. Bomber Command, and two years later becaine Air Officer Commanding successively No. 8 Group in Bomber Command. Since 1938 he has been mentioned in despatches five times. Sir Alan, who has always been a keen athlete and a staunch sup porter of Sert'ice sport, has represented the Services at cricket, hockey and golf. " Forces Day " I ndividual Competition In aid of the Incorporated Soldiers', Sailors' and Airmen's Help Society. Open to competitors in the Army (at Home and Overseas), the Senior and Junior Training Corps, the Army Cadet Force, the Police and Au.\iliaries, and Rifle Clubs affiliated to the S.M.R.C. Competitors should send their entries to the organiser of the service they are entitled to shoot for. For e.xample, members of clubs in the Police Force should send their entries to the Police or ganiser and not to the S.M.R.C. Competitors are not permitted to shoot in more than one section. There will be special prizes for each section. The winner of each section-will shoot in the final for the Challenge Cup. The final will be entirely in the hands of the S.M.R.C Entries are now open-and will close 31st July, 1946. First Stage to be completed by 31st "August, 1946. Entrance Fee I/- for a set of three cards, 3/- for three sets. Please send to the Secretary, S.M.R.C. for conditions and an e n t r y f o r m . The S.M.R.C. County Knock-out Competition Teams of 20 from any County affiliated to the S.M.R.C. Cou nt ies will be f or m ed int o Zo nes . C o u n t i e s i n a Z o n e wi l l b e drawn against each other and the surviving county in each Zone will shoot a set of cards to decide the winning County. Ten shots at either 15, 20 or 25 yartls in each round. Entries close 30th June, 1946. Entrance Fee ID/- per team. Please apply to the Secretary, S.M.R.C. for conditions and an e n t r y f o r m . The Public Schools' "Old Boys" .22 Rifle Team Competition for the " Fletcher " Cup kindly presented by Sir Lionel Fleteher, C.B.E., Chairman, S.M.R.C. To be shot at either 15, 20 or 25 yards. Open to teams of five Old Boys from Public Schools. Schools may enter any number of teams. A member of a team must have beeit a student at the school he is shooting for. Each team will shoot a set of cards at any time up to 31st December, 1946. E n t r i e s c l o s e 1 s t J u l y, 1 9 4 6 . E n t r a n c e F e e 1 0 / - p e r t e a m . Please apply to the Secretary, S.M.R.C. for conditions and an entry form. WWW.RIFLEMAN.ORG.UK16 T H E R I F L E M A N SUMMJiK, 1946. TECHNICAL THOUGHTS ON WEAPONS OF WAR—By the late Lieut.-Col. H. de L. WALTERS 3. Rifle Shooting in War Too many people imagine that it is only necessary to be in possession of a rifle and ammunition to be able to shoot. Unfortunately for these thinkers there is a rude shock coming. Shooting is a science that needs severe training, infinite patience, good instructors and, above all, the will to learn. The percentage of shots fired in a battle that hit their mark is extremely small. The highest standard ever reached by the British Army was in 1914. Since then the standard has been very much lower. It must be appreciated, however, that on the outbreak of a war the expansion of the Army is enormous, and'the Regular soldier forms only the nucleus. It must be the aim of every officer and N.C.O. to be a good shot himself, and to ensure that those under him arc given proper training. It must be the ambition and pride of the soldier to know his weapon, to look after it, and be able to shoot it. He must appreciate the fact that his own life and maybe that of his comrades will depend on his ability to use it. PRELIMINAR Y TRAINING. The initial stages always seem to be tedious and boring. It is' here that the instructor has the chance to prove himself. A " live wire will keep the men's interest going the whole time. This period of the man's Army upbringing should be devoted to such lessons as Care of Arms, Holding and Aimitig, Aiming Off for Wind, Judging Distance, etc., every one of which is vitally important i n b u i l d i n g h i m u p t o b e a g o o d s h o t . , It is surprising how many young soldiers are quite unable to ami correctly until they have had continuous practice. Then many of them cannot hold their rifles tightly, so that the judicious introduction of muscle exercises is necessary. - In fact the man must not be allowed to go on a range until he is master of his weapon, i.e. he knows all about it and how to use it. It is all important, too, that the man should be correctly fitted to his rifle. In other words, make sure that a short man has not got a long butt or vice versa. , F I R I N G . The next stage is for the soldier to be taken on to the range and learn to shoot. M I N I A T U R E R A N G E . Should a miniature range be handy then the best possible training [ts to start him oft' on this at 25 yards. This type of range has tha following advantages ;— 1. It can be used in all weathers and at any time of day or night. 2. The rifle does not kick, and there is no report when the round is fired. 3. The target can be examined easily. 4. All types of practices, except rapid, can be carried out. Of course the main disadvantage is that the man does not have his own rifle. But at this stage special care and attention is being paid to his position, holding, breathing, etc., so that t h i s d o e s n o t m a t t e r s o m u c h . In fact it can be said that the use of a miniature range is an essential part of a man's training. The Open Range. This is the next stage and the man is now able to put into practice everything that he has been taught. Two things are essential :—• 1. That there is a coach to look after him. 2. That the rifle is carefully zeroed by the man himself. As regards (1). The man is going to shoot at a greater distance than he has done so far. There is going to be a loud report and a slight kick, which he is quite unused to. In fact, any bad impressions obtained at this period will be most difficult to eradicate and may remain throughout the man's shooting life. It is obvious, too, as stated in (2) that the rifle must be accurate. There must be no question that bad shots could be due to the weapon and not the man. As the rifle belongs to the man, he must zero it himself. A known good shot must NOT do it for him. The coach, who is a most important individual, must be able to look for and correct faults, advise the man, and, above all, have inestimable patience. He, too, can mar the man for ever by a bad manner and fliilure to correct faults. The coach must always lie down alongside the man, adopt a conversational tone to give confidence, never " bite the man's head off" for a bad shot, give fulsome praise for the good one, and generally give the man the feeling that shooting is a very pleasant sport. In shooting there arc two major points that must be watched with great care :— (a) The Position. When using a rifle, the man docs NOT lie directly behind and in line with it. His body should be at an oblique angle to the left with his legs wide apart and his.heels flat to the ground. T h e r e a s o n s f o r t h i s a r e : — 1. The left hand can reach forward and both grip and support the rifle at the point of balance. 2. The shoulder is " opened " so that the butt of the rifle beds in to it-comfortably. . 3. The position is a comfortable one for the firer, who is in no way cramped. The heels must be flat to the ground as there is always the chance •of their being seen moving by the enemy. When behind cover this position is altered, and the body is behind the rifle with the legs together. The reason is so that the firer can take full advantage of the concealment that the cover affords him. FIRING BEHIND COVER. 1. 2. 3. WRONG. On left side of cover . Legs apart: Rifle not rested against cover. CORRECT . Reproduced by kind permission of Messrs. Cafe & Polden Ltd., from their book " Lectures on Battle Training," (b) The Hold. This is all important in shooting. Unless the rifle is pulled bitck hard into the shoulder and is rigid at the time of firing, the man will never be a good shot. In order to obtain this grip, remember that the/?// hand is the most important one. The left arm is the front support for the rifle, and the fulcrum of any movement is at the point of balance which is being gripped by the left hand. This grip should be so " fierce " that the knuckles should show white, while at the same time a backward pull into the shoulder should be exerted. At the same time a tight grip should be maintained with the right hand, and a steady, easy pull on the trigger with the forefinger. WWW.RIFLEMAN.ORG.UKSUMMtR, 1946. A sure test tliat the rifle is being gripped properly is to fire rapid. After eacti sliot tlie aim sliould be nearly in the same place. This part of a man's training is vital to his efficiency as a shot. Tlie grip required cannot be obtained without plenty of practice, which entails carrying out the type of muscle exercise, such as remaining in the aim for minutes on end. Some of the best Bisley shots used to go through exercises every morning, when they got up, and every evening before they went to bed. The very best shot needs plenty of practice. General Points. Once the man has adopted the correct position and is holding the rifle properly, then the coach must watch for the host of minor mistakes that the firer may commit. A few of the obvious and most usual ones a r e a s f o l l o w s : — 1. Holding the breath. The man must be taught to breathe quite naturally even after he has taken the first pressure. Then, when his foresight is on the aiming mark, he holds his breath arid steadies his aim for the fraction of a second before firing. 2. Dwelling in the aim. A very common fault that must be eradicated. The longer the man remains in the aim the more unsteady he will become. It is only necessary to come up, align the sights, and fire—a matter of seconds. 3. Flinching. This is caused by anticipating the discharge of the rifle, and, in bad cases, the man will shut both eyes. It can be overcome by continuous practice, and encouragement. The shots on the target are usually low right. 4. Shifting position between shots. This is a sure sign that the man was not comfortable"tit the start, and the coach is at fault. Once " put " and the man must " stay put." PRACTICES. Every man should start off by grouping at 100 yards, using a rest. The excellence or otherwise of a man as a shot is determined by his ability to put five consecutive shots into a small area. This is known a s a g r o u p . 17 The standards at 100 yards are Good shot ... ... ... ... 4 inches Av e r a g e s h o t 8 i n c h e s P o o r s h o t 1 2 i n c h e s Once the man is able to group then he is ready to start on .Applica tion Practices. The range now, at which he fires, is increasecf, and he i s t r a i n e d t o d o w i t h o u t c o v e r . Then he is ready for Rapid, Snap and Fire with movemeht practices, after which his shooting instruction on the range is concluded, except for continuous practice. It should be emphasised that cover should never be used as an assistance after the grouping period. The use of cover gets the man into the very bad habit of resting his rifle and not gripping with the left hand. The man will also learn on the Open Range how to aim off for wind, the effect of bright light, correct and quick alteration of sights and the effect on the bullet of a hot rifle barrel. FINAL TRAINING. The man will now graduate from the Open Range to Field Firing and Battle Practice Ranges. Here his initial training will prove to he vital and must come automatically as he has to think quickly as various emergency situations occur. So it is that the soldier is built up into a good shot with full confidence in his weapon and a thorough knowledge of how to look a f t e r i t . In the presence of a large gathering at Fairstead Pit, Spexhall, recently, the Spexhall and District R.C. range was officially opened by Major W. J. Artis, M.C., who fired the first shot. The Rector of Spexhall and Wissett, the Rev. J. L. Cornell (chairman of the club, was present. The range is open on Wednesdays and Saturdays) and all comers (including ladies) will be welcomed. T H E R I F L E M A N ^6^ SlURDV ff Featiifes of the laSA CADET that ensufe VependabiiUy and Lonqet Sefvice T h e B . S . A . C a d e t A i r R i fl e i s a . 1 7 7 b o r e m o d e i o f t h e b r e a k d o w n pattern, sturdily built, yet light, with graceful lines. It has a fully rifled barrel, giving amazing accuracy and power with excellent r e s u l t s u p t o 3 0 y a r d s — a n d a s B . S . A . " P y l a r m s " P e l l e t s a r e t h e o n l y a m m u n i t i o n r e quired, it is the ideal model f o r k e e p i n g i n p r a c t i c e f o r competition work. Price £4 Purchase Tax 19/3. Total £4 , 19 . 3 You can get full details from the S.M.R.C. B.S.A. Guns Ltd.' Birmingham, II WWW.RIFLEMAN.ORG.UK18 T H E R I F L E M A N SlJM.MFR, 1946. Aperture Rear Sights By Robert O. Sinclaire in The Aniericcm Rifleman Aperture rear sights were used as long ago as the days of the Romans on crossbows. Early firearms, however, had such a low degree of accuracy that many years passed before it was necessary to go beyond the most elementary devices. No notable improvements were recorded (nor would they have been of much use on the weapons then available) until a short time after the American Civil War. William Lyman appears to have been the first to design and manufacture a first-class aperture rear sight, which remains essentially unchanged to this day. It was then but a relatively short step to the receiver sight, and to its latest form, the target-type micrometer job, accurately adjustable for elevation, windage, and, m some cases, distance from the eye. In principle, all aperture rear sights arc based on the use of a small hole, placed as close to the eye as recoil will safely permit, the ^ntre of the hole lining up with the front sight to make a straight frotn eye to target maintained in definite relation to the axis 01 the bore. The purpose of such an arrangement is to secure the greatest possible distance between the sights, thus reducing the effect of small errors in sighting and, more important, to eliminate the difficulty of focusing the eye on rear sight, front sight and target, all at the same time. By looking through a small hole close to the eye we entirely dispose of the necessity of focusing on the rear sight ; and, siiice the front sight is already at a respectable distance from the eye, it is not so hard to focus on it and on the bull's-eye. Optically, very little change of focus is imposed on the eye when the object locused on is changed from target to front sight ; hence, there is a great reduction in eyestrain. It might be thought that the eye could introduce a decided error into the line of sight by simply moving away from the centre of the aperture. This is true, from the point of view of geometry. But, m practice, unless the eye is deliberately moved off centre, it will automatically seek the centre of the aperture—for the simple reason that It secures the greatest amount of light and the clearest vision at that particular point. In other words, if the shooter will forget about placing his eye in the centre of the aperture, his eye and brain will instinctively take care of the matter for hipi. The next question is how big a hole should we use and why ? To find the answer, let's divide rifle shooting into two general classes : target shooting and snap shooting. Snap shooting will include military shooting and hunting, where, m most cases, shots are fired at comparatively short ranges and at objects on which there is no well-defined bull's-eye. It is, therefore, n^dless to complicate matters by adopting the refinements necessary when we are thinking of hitting a lO-ring that is only a couple of .mmutes of angle in diameter. On the other hand, game is apt to appear suddenly and remain in view only a few seconds, so speed in picking up the line of sight IS vitally necessary. It is-also necessary to have as large a field of view as possible in order to watch the movements of the target, and ^ much light as possible in order to see well under hunting conditions. Hence, the only sensible solution is to use a large aperture with a thin rim around it. With little practice, such a combination will produce excellent results with no mental effort on the part of the shooter, and the degree of accuracy will surpass anything possible with an open sight several inches up the barrel. It will be noticed on most modern military rifles that the rear usually around one-tenth of an inch jn diameter. Hunters should not try to use a smaller aperture than this. In fact, if much shooting is to be done in the woods, where the light is dim, it would t3e desirable to use a one-eighth-inch aperture, or even larger. The pupil of the eye, which is the window through which light passes into the eye and is focused by the crystalline lens on the retina, varies in size according to the intensity of the light falling upon it ; a wise provision of nature to prevent injury from too much light and also to perrnit vision tmder conditions of low intensity. Under v^ bright light, this window becomes as small as about .07 inch. The rear aperture must be at least that size if we wish to take advantage oi all the light there is. Normally, the light is not as bright as this, however, ancl the pupil of the eye will average somewhere around .125 inch in diameter. If vye use an aperture smaller than the pupil under existing light conditions, we cut down the light that affects the eye and handicap ourselves in seeing our mark. With poor light conditions, the pupil will become very much larger, and we ought to use a still larger aperture. For military weapons, large apertures are staiularti equipment for these very reasons, and those of current vintage place the aperture close to the eye to take full advantage of the requirements de.scribcd above. In target shooting, other considerations become important. We tire no longer in a hurry and a large field of vision is not so necessary. Light conditions arc not so important since we are now aiming at a black bull'.s-cye on white paper, so that all necessary light is reflected towards the eye, at least until late in the day. Since most target shooters now- use front aperture sights, the problem is to centre a black bull's-eye in a circular aperture by making the white ring around the bull's-eye of equal thickness at all points. We now must have not only adequate light, but a sharp outline of the front apertuie and, if possible, of the bull's-eye also. The pupil of the eye performs the same function as the diaphragm of a camera lens. It serves as a light valve to regulate the amount of light falling on the film. In addition, changing the size of the diaphragm increases the depth of focus. In other words, reducing the size of the hole enables the lens to record a sharp image of objects - at varying distances, as well as at the distance on which we actually arc focusing. Within certain limits, objects near the camera as well as those in the background will be sharp, and the smaller the hole in the lens, the'greater will be this range of sharp focus. We may do much the same thing with the eye by reducing the size of the aperture in the rear sight—with the diO'erence that we- cannot go too far on account of the reduction of light that will occur at the same time. In a camera the film may be exposed for hours, if need be, until a very faint image will be recorded ; but with the eye, if the amount of light reaching the retina becomes too small, we just can't see at all. Perhaps the easiest way is to experiment a little, using one of the sighting discs having holes of several sizes, or having an adjustable diaphragm as in the Merit disc. For our example, we will adopt the Merit disc, since in it the hole varies by small steps controjjed by clicks; but any other system would do. First, let us close up the aperture in the disc to its smallest size which will be around .037 inch. Examining our front aperture and bull's-eye through this, we find that the bull's-eye is dim and indistinct, although the edges of the front aperture are sharp. We find that the bull's-eye is too indistinct to make it possible, without great eye strain, to be sure it is perfectly centred in the front aperture. This a p e r t u r e , t h e r e f o r e , i s t o o s m a l l . Open it up, click by click. Immediately we notice an improve ment ; and finally we find a point at which the bull's-eye is again as clear, black and distinct as to our unaided eye. As the size of the aperture increases still further, we find that the edges of the front aperture begin to become fuzzy. The best adjustment for the normal eye will be one click smaller than this point. This adjustment should provide a clear, distinct view of both target and front sight aperture. It unfortunately happens, however, that many of us do not have normal eyes ; that we have reached the age where our power of accommodation (the ability to shift the focus of our eyes from one distance to another) is becoming reduced. Jn such cases, it will be found that, when the disc is open far enough to give a clear, black bull's-eye, it is too large for a clear view of the front aperture. The solution, then, is to aid the eye by using a weak lens in the sight disc, or to use suitable glasses, the first alternative being preferable. Since we are neither trying to fit reading glasses nor distance lens, if possible the shooter should have his optician bring a few test glasses to the range and try them in front of the rear sight disc until a suitable power is found. Normally, it will be found that this lens will be very weak. If one tries to go too far in sharpening up the front aperture, the bull's-eye will become so indistinct as to be impossible to centre. Some fuzziness can be tolerated in the bull's-eye without spoiling accurate shooting, providing the bull is kept black enough by using enough light ; but there is a limit. When that limit is reached one's iron-sight days are over. It is really amazing how far some shooters will go in their efforts to secure an accurate line of sight by using small rear apertures, due to their fear that a large aperture leads to variations in eye position. One manufact-urer of sights wrote me some time ago that he received several hundred orders each year for discs with the ridiculous size of one-sixty-fourth inch. This is so small as to be almost unusable, WWW.RIFLEMAN.ORG.UKSUMMLK, 1946. T H E R I F L E M A N 19 niid the handicap that such sliootcrs infilct upon themselves by such reasoning unquestionably will account for the loss of many good scores. They wonder, no doubt, why they fail to shoot as well as i they should, and never dream that their trouble is simply -due to ' inability to see properly. ft is doubtful if an aperture smaller than .050 inch is of much use. and probably an. aperture of one-sixteenth inch (.063 inch") will get better results for most shooters for target purposes. In practice, it just doesn't happen that the eye will remain oH'-eentre to any important degree, and the errors in sighting brought about by lack of light will more than overcome any fancied advantage to be derived from the small aperture. If a still larger hole can be used it will be desirable, and younger shooters will thus secure some advantage from their more flexible eyes. After all, the eye is an optical instrument and must be used as | such. The retina, which receives the impressions to be transmitted to the brain, h,as just a certain degree of sensitivity, like the film in a camera. If not enough light reaches it, either no signal will be sent to the brain, or a weak signal will not make an adequate impression. Like all optical instruments, the combination of eye and brain requires ; a d e fi n i t e a m o u n t o f s t i m u l a t i o n , n e i t h e r t o o g r e a t n o r t o o s m a l l , I to function at top efficiency. We sometimes let ourselves get so overwhelmed by the geometry of gun sights that we completely overlook the other factors affecting the situation. U n d e r c e r t a i n c i r c u m s t a n c e s , t h e r e m a y b e t o o m u c h l i g h t o r glare to make it easy to centre a black bull's-eye in our front aperture and the first tendency might well be to make the rear aperture smaller. That cuts down the light all right, but it also greys up the black disc we are looking at. In cases of this sort, the preferred solution would be to reduce the light by using tinted glasses rather than to tamper with the optical elements of our sighting .system that give maximum results. It will be htud at first for shooters acaistomed to small apertures to feel at ease with large front and rear apertures. But a little practice will be convincing. Average groups will become smaller, the number of X's will increase, and your pleasure will be greater. Properly selected sights are perhaps the easiest of all the details of good shooting to get perfect. That done, one can devote his time to the study of^he remaining essentials. Remember, you can't hit what you can't see plainly. Don't waste time tvnd strain your eyes trying. Between toiTcntial rain and hail showers the first post-war open shoot by Messrs. Stewarts and Lloyds (Corby) S.B.R.C. was held on the Weldon Road range on Sunday. The meeting was well attended, and representatives from Kettering, Harrowden, Ecton, Finedon, Wellingborough, Oundle, and Nottingham were in a t t e n d a n c e . T h e r e s u l t s w e r e : — Ctiampionsliip of the meeting : 1 T. K. McEwan, Corby, 863 ; 2 R. Ronnie, Corby, 861 : 3 G. Frew, Corby, 827. Competition 1. 25, 50 and 100 yards.— 1 A. E. Barker, Ecton, 292. Competition 2. Handicap.—1 H. J. Loveder, Ecton, 297. Competition 3. Double metric. 25 yards.—1 R. Rennie, Corby, 195. Competition 4. Double 50 yards.— 1 A. W. Leadbeater, Corby, 195. Competition 5. Double 100 yards.—1 T. McEwan, Corby, 192. Novice competition. One card at 25 and 50 yards.— t S. Martindale, Corby, 196. Team shoot. One card at 25 yards, one at 50 yards.—I Corby A—A. W. Leadbeater 194, G. Frew 193, R. Rennie 193 and T. K. McEwan 191. 2 Ecton— A. E. Barker 194, W. .Seamark 190, W. F. Wells 187 and H. Cake 185. 3 Corby B— T. Cash 187, T. S. Strachan 185. P. Kennedy 184 and S. Martindale 184. The Cheani R.C. give A and B figures of a recent match against Trinidad under National League conditions—two cards at 50 yards and two at 100 yards. C h e a m A . T r i n i d a d A . W C S t u b b s 9 9 9 9 9 7 9 8 3 9 3 A . F o r d . . . 9 9 9 7 9 8 9 6 3 9 0 T F e r g u s o n ' 9 9 9 8 9 8 9 7 3 9 2 E . T r a fl b r d . . . 9 6 9 8 9 7 9 6 3 8 7 T. F r a n c i s . . . 9 6 9 9 9 7 9 6 3 8 8 T. S p r i n g e r . . . 9 8 9 7 9 7 9 5 3 8 7 J S t e w a r t . . . 9 6 9 8 9 3 9 8 3 8 5 P. D i a z . . . 9 6 9 6 9 6 9 8 3 8 6 S . F r a n c i s . . . 9 5 9 2 9 6 9 8 3 8 1 R . V V. S k i n n e r 9 6 9 8 9 5 9 6 3 8 5 "iW 19.39 C h e a m B . T r i n i d a d 1 3 . F. G . H a r t . . . 9 9 9 3 9 8 9 8 3 8 8 C . F o s t e r . . . 9 5 9 6 9 7 9 6 3 8 4 ivi H. Sears 97 98 97 94 386 H. Warren ... 93 96 98 96 383 G . W . E d s e r . . . 9 8 9 8 9 3 9 5 3 8 4 P. M a y . . . 9 6 9 8 9 2 9 7 3 8 3 H. E. Lester ... 98 95 96 95 384 H. S. Hicks ... 96 96 93 96 38 F. W . H o l m e s 9 6 9 9 9 5 9 2 3 8 2 H . M a y . . . 9 6 9 7 9 1 9 7 . 3 8 1 Review 1924 1912 The Englishman and the Rifle, by Lord Cottesloe, C.B. Longman and Green, in I90L published The Book of the Rifle, by Col. the Hon. T. F. Freemantle, V.D., 17 years prior to his succession to the Peerage. It is an excellent history of the National Rifle Association from its inception. In his present book he continues its history to date. Its 27 chapters co\er 262 pages, with severar illustrations, a comprehensive Index, and is published by Herbert Jenkins, Ltd., London. Price 12s. 6d. From its inception the N.R.A. became invaluable to the War Department since its appearance coincided with the arrival of the transition period between the passing of Muzzle and coming of Breech loading. To this end it provided a rifle range on Wimbledon Common, which it continued to occupy for 30 years, during which it collected gunmakers from Irome and abroad to show their goods, a clientele of the best marksmen in the Volunteers to test them, while it evolved contests under conditions adapted to prove the desirable virtues, with adequate rewards for their assistance. W h e n i t v a c a t e d W i m b l e d o n a b o u t 1 8 9 0 i t t o o k p o s s e s s i o n o t Bisley, a costly operation, nevertheless it continued to hold its July meetings much as before, with little change, until 1899, when our forces m South Africa met with several reverses at the rifles of.the Boer farmers. The public, rightly or wrongly, attributed it to the inferiority of our marksmanship. The Working Men's Clubs where upon started rifle ranges in their clubrooms in the hope of improving on the present methods. From these evolved the Society ot Minia ture Rifle Clubs which successfully increased the amount of rifle practice, but also without little improvement until it introduced aperture sights to the miniature rifles used in their contests. The N.R.A. almost simultaneously took similar action which, eventually, ended in adding aperture sights to the Service rifle, and admitted their use in their chief contest, the Queen's and St. George's, and others. Since the variety of subjects dealt with in the 262 pages, and in view of the scarcity of paper, introduction to the readers of The Rifle man of the excellent book Lord Cottesloe has recently published, must be harshly condensed. From his youth he was highly proficient with every rifle known then, or developed since. Chapter XXV describes in simple language instructions how to hit bulls-eyes at all distances, in all weathers, particularly with the Match rifle up to 1,200 yards, the Service rifle, the Miniature .22, and the Sporting rifles used in stalking deer, etc. There can be no better authority for everything he wrote, consequently this critic may safely discard nearly all, and confine his remarks to very few. On page 244 he wrote, "short cuts to skill, such as aiming indicators, etc., have their value, as has the .22 rifle in a very much higher degree, but nothing can take the place o f frequent practice with the real rifle and full-size cartridge at the full distances in the open range. the S.M.R.C., from its inception, now nearly 50 years ago, main tained that short-range shooting with .22 rifles, outdoors, provides more practice than any nation could afford if the Service rifle with its ful charge were essential to the cultivation of its practical use. The average member of the rifle clubs are not boys, but mostly highly proficient riflemen, with not only the .22, but any other rifle they may be required to use. It is the quantity of practice alone that develops and adapts tne faculties,concerned, and this the rifle clubmen gets much more, at less cost; and in less time. Moreover, the bulls-eve grouping advocated by the N.R.A. dilters only in size and distances with those used by the miniature rifle clubs ; is just as artificial, and just as useful, where war and hunting are c o n c e r n e d . . . ^ , r - l e With purposes so akin, if the weight of opinion ol the Councils of the N R A. is added to the Council of the S.M.R.C., it might perchance induce the Ministry to relax the existing prohibitions, assist in the creating of many, many more rifle ranges, and speed up the operations of the Armaments Design Department to provide this nation with more efficient low-energy cartridge, and rifles to shoot them. l O t / i J u n e , 1 9 4 6 . E - N e w i t t . West of Scotland Small Bore Rifle Association Have pleasure in announcing that the programmes for the SEVENTH OPEN PRIZE MEETING at Croftfoot, Glasgow, on 1st to 4tli August, 1946 (Inclusive) may be obtained from your Club Secretary, or on application to D. McGlLLlVRAY, 22 Thorncroft Drive, Glasgow, S.4 WWW.RIFLEMAN.ORG.UK20 T H E R I F L E M A N SuMMliK, 1946. Why is Miniature Rifle V I E W S O F C O L O N E L T. S U T T O N " W h a t i s t h e a t t r a c t i o n o f m i n i a t u r e r i fl e s h o o t i n g ? " A n Eastbourne Gazette reporter put this question to several enthusiasts at the distribution of the trophies of the Eastbourne and District Small-Bore Rifle League, held at the Golfs Drill Hall recently when the Mayor "(Aid. E. C. Martin) distributed the prizes. Major G. Gower, chairman of the league, replied that one reason for the popularity of the sport was that anyone, male or female, could take part in it, irrespective of age, calling, social position, religion or politics. It called for the highest combined effort of brain, eye sight and hand. F I T N E S S E S S E N T I A L At this moment the speaker was called upon to take his turn in a team competition, so he recommended our representative to ask the views of the league secretary, Mr. Tom Ward. This marksman's first words were that rifle shooting was a clean sport. It was also one in which a person learned self-reliance and the importance of looking after his " tools," otherwise he would get nowhere. One also had to be as fit as a fiddle in order to succeed. If one was slightly off colour physically, it would show itself in one's shooting. For instance, a man could not expect to-shoot well after drinking a lot of beer. Smoking, however did not make very m uch difference. Mr. Ward also pointed out that rifle clubs were serving a useful purpose in maintaining the friendships formed in the Home Guard. ' I T G E T S H O L D O F Y O U " The opinions of Mr. G. Russell were next sought. He considered rifle shooting was a fine hobby for young people who, if they became sufficiently interested in it, would not be satisfied "until they had ptnchased their own weapon and tried their luck in some of the big competitions. " It gets hold of you," he declared, and we could well believe it when we heard of the speaker's success in various contests. He has been on the winning side in two railway international matches and has been to the Bisley meeting about a dozen times. In the Coronation competition in 1937, in which there were 11,000 entrants, he was the only Sussex man to win the silver medal,- scoring a treble possible (300 out of 300). Last year he was one of 20 in the final of the English small-bore championship and finished ninth, only three points behind the winner. Shooting So Attractive ? A N D O T H E R " S U S S E X M A R K S M E N Membership of a rifle club, he said, costs very little—perhaps 5s. a year, and the price of ammunition was about 6d. for 10 rounds. " W O M E N A S G O O D A S M E N " Lastly we approached Lt.-Col. T. Sutton, M.B.E., president of the league, who has captained Great Britain against America on several occasions and has frequently shot for England. This is what he said :— " Rifle shooting requires a very high degree of mental and physical fitness. It is suitable for all ages and need not be given up, like football and other vigorous sports. A man can shoot nearly as well at 65 as he did at 25. " It is the only sport in which women compete with men on equal terms without any form of handicap. Women shots are not better 'than men, but they can be as good. " There are many branches of the sport which give employment and interest to people who never lire a round themselves. The secretarial work, statistical work and record-keeping have frequently been lifetime devotions of men and women who do not shoot. " One of the great attractions of the pastime is the opportunity it gives to a keen shot of seeing different parts of the country when attending open meetings of the Society of Miniature Rifle Clubs. "There is no social distinction in rifle shooting. Everybody is absolutely equal, and, by the peculiarity of the sport, the man who is a great shot one day may be right off form the next, so that the ' rabbit' has a level chance of beating the star crack some time or o t h e r d u r i n g h i s c a r e e r i " L O C A L V E T E R A N ' S M A N Y S U C C E S S E S Among the local celebrities present was the veteran, Mr. Harry Dyer, one of the founders of the Eastbourne Rifle Club. He was champion of Eastbourne at least six times and won two cups out right. He has also secured the small-bore championship of Sussex, the service rifle championship of Sussex, and the rifle championship o f S u s s e x B . H e h o l d s t h e N a t i o n a l R i fl e A s s o c i a t i o n r e v o l v e r b r o n z e medal, and three English 20 district bronze medals. At Bisley he has carried off five St. George's badges, the King's badge, and the silver cross of St. George. Another notable shot present was Mr. Harry Thwaites, of the firm that presented the shield that goes with the league championship, first division. courtesy of "People's Journal," Dundee. Out of the 86 entries from all over Britain, rifle team of the Dundee High School Cadet Company took first p ace in the junior winter competition of the S.M.R.C. The High School crack shots were G. R. Linton, 39, Forfar Road ; J. A. Duffus, 8, Park Avenue, Downfield : R. A. Brown, 30,'Maryfield T c r r f l c e * \ a / p u s r v k i _ j ' • • / and W. E. Stark, High Schoo! Lodge. Junior Smali-bore Champion of England, E. COULTHARD, Lea and District R.C. Winner of the St. George*s|Chajlenge Trophy. WWW.RIFLEMAN.ORG.UKSummer, 1946.T H E R I F L E M A N 21 Empire and County Associations Canadian S.B.R.A. SUMMER OUTDOOR PROGRAMME, 1946 With the resumption of the Dewar mateh (Vol. II, No. 4), practice under competitive conditions becomes more important than at any time in the last four years. You should therefore attend any matches that are held in your locality, and you should enter the C.S.B.A. 1 9 4 6 S u m m e r O u t d o o r P r o g r a m m e . Last year's programme atracted a record entry and, with more leisure time at our disposal this year, we are e.xpecting to do even better. So talk the programme over with your shooting friends, complete the enclosed Entry Form, and mail it soon so as to give yourself as much time as possible to fire the matches. F e a t u r e s o f t h e 1 9 4 6 p r o g r a m m e a r e 1. Last year's programme repeated in its entirety, with the addition of a five-man team match fired concurrently with the Grand Aggregate. 2. The 1946 Outdoor "All-Star" Team. To gain a place on this team, it is necessary to enter matches totalling 2,000 points (excluding the " 50-meter " and the " Any Sights " matches), 800 of which will be in the " Four-position " Match. 3. The C.S.B.A. Classification Systeni. Matches 1 to 4 (the Grand Aggregate) are fired under the system which ensures that each competitor will shoot only against those of com parable ability. And, undiSr this sy.stem, equal treatment is given to each clasS in the allotment of prizes. 4. The Association Champion Crest andjor Tab will be awarded ' to the high-scoring competitor in the Grand Aggregate, the Any Sights, and the Four-Position Matches. T H E C L A S S I F I C A T I O N S Y S T E M Each shooter who has participated in our Summer Postal Matches or Outdoor Tournaments since 1940 has been given an official classi fication based on his scores of the most recent year. Details of the various classes are given below, and a former competitor should consult the alphabetical lists of official averages to determine his class. There is nothing to prevent any competitor from selecting a higher classification if improved ability warrants such action. Master.—Those with an official outdoor average of 97.5 or better. Expert.—Those with an official outdoor average of 95.0 to 97.5. Marksman.—Those with an official outdoor average of 92.5 to 95.0 Rifleman.—Those with an official outdoor average of less than 92.5. It is left to the honesty and good sportsmanship of any person whose name does not appear on the official list and/or who is new to the shooting game to classify himself on the basis of his most recent scores. Note carefully.—If a competitor's 1945 Official Average was .5 or more over the minimum average for his class, and his new (1946) average (based on his 1945 scores) does not fall more than .5 below that class, he will remain in that class. Example.—Joe Smith's 1945 average was 98.2, placing him in the Master Class. His 1945 scores give him an average of 97.3. T h e r e f o r e h e r e m a i n s i n t h e M a s t e r C l a s s . OFFICIAL C.S.B.A. OUTDOOR AVERAGES, 1946. Master Class.—J. P. Allsfn, Calgary, 98.0 ; G. R. Angell, Riverfielcl, 97.8 ; Miss B. Armstrong, Vancouver, 97.6 ; M. R. Atkinson, Streetsville, 98.9 ; Mrs. G. Barnes, Wyoming, 99.1 ; G. W. F. Barwick. Montreal, 97.7 ; B. Bernechc, Montreal, 98.5 : Miss P. Berube, Montreal, 98.6 ; A. R. Bjornebo, Calgary, -98.5 ; G. S. Boa, Toronto, 99.3 ; J. Boa, Toronto, 99.1 : J. Boa, junr., Toronto, 97.7 ; W. Brass, Vancouver, 98,6 ; G, R, Brown, Hamilton, 97.9 ; A, F. Bull, Montreal, 98.4 ; E. J. Burke, Farnham, 98.0 ; J. M. Burrows, Nanton, 97,6 ; C. E. Cantelon, Streetsville, 98.1 ; C. Caves, Streetsville, 97.8 ; G. F. Chadwick, .Montreal, 97.9 ; R. Chandler, Vancouver, 98.5 ; W. R. Chandler, Vancouver, 97.7 ; W. V. C. Chisholm, North Battleford, 98.1 ; D. Clement, Pcterboro, 98.5 ; J. P. McD. Costigan, Toronto, 97,8 ; L, Cudney, Montreal, 98,9 ; I, L. Deugau, Edmonton, 97,5 ; J. R. Edmunds, Medicine Hat, 99,2 ; A. J, Edwards, Montreal, 99,0 ; N. J, Esdon, Cornwall, 99.0 ; R. L. Fairbairn, Winnipeg, 97.6 ; W. Finnsson, Winnipeg, 97.5 ; C. D. French, Winnipeg, 98.0 ; E. Gagne, Montreal, 98.9 ; A. Gourlay, Calgary, 97.5 ; G. K. Gray, Montreal, 98.4 ; R. T. Heninger, Wrentham, 98.2 ; G. E. Henthorn, Brantford, 99.1 ; J. C. Hiebert, Nanton, 99.6 ; J. A. Irvine, Vancouver, 97.0 ; T. L. Jamieson, Montreal, 98.5 ; S. Johnson, Calgary, 98.0 : Miss K. M. Jones, Lethbridge, 98.1 ; W. Macnab, Calgary, 97,0 ; R. Mcintosh, Winnipeg, 97,9 ; C. C, Meredith, Streetsville, 99,1 ; C. R, Nash. Edmonton, 97,6 ; P. J. Niemi, Montreal, 97.8 : H. Nurse, Georgetown, 99.3 ; M. Ostergaard, Calgary, 99,3 ; C. Paulson, Calgary, 97.6 ; J. F. Peacock, Toronto, 98.6 : W, H, Pringle, Craik, 98,0 ; D, G, Rae, Montreal, 98.1 ; L. Rispler, Medicine Hat, 97.5 ; O. Rollag, Whitehorse, 98.5 ; W. R. Savage, Lethbridge, 98.9 ; E. J. Scott, 98.3 ; A. W. Seaman, Montreal, 97.6 ; W. F. Stevens, Calgary, 99.4; C. A. Stroud, Manton, 99.4 ; K. A. Sutherland, Montreal, 98.2 ; S. H. Thompson, Wyoming, 99.4; Mrs. S. H. Thompson, Wyoming, 98.1 ; W. V. Thompson, Timmins, 99.3 ; J. R. Turcotte, Montreal, 98.1 ; C. N. Van, Medicine Hat, 97.5 ; L. N. Walker, Toronto, 97.7 ; A. B. Young, Toronto, 98,2. Then follows a list of the Expert, Marksman and Rifleman Classes. Aberdeen and District S.B.R.A. Final league tables of the winter competition :— Portlethen B Portlcthun A Keith A Portlethen C Bonaccord A Tu r r i f f A Portlethen D ... Ellon A B o n a c c o r d B . . . C u l t e r A Bonaccord C ... Strichcn A K i n t o r c A Stonehaven A... B a n c h o r y A . . . Peterhead A ... Inverurie A ... P o r t l e t h e n E . . . H u n t l y A Mintlaw St. A Bonaccord D ... D u r r i s A Logie-Durno A Stricften B Banchop' B Inverurie B O f d m c l d r u m A Portlethen F ... B o n a c c o r d E . . . K i n e fl a r A DIVISION 1. S. to ... 10 ... 10 ... 10 10 ... 10 DIVISION 2. S. 10 ... 10 9 10 10 10 DIVISION 3. S. 10 to 10 9 9 10 DIVISION 4. S. 11 It II II 11 II 11 DIVISION 5. S. Ellon B 11 11 Ellon C Inverurie C 11 Mintlaw St. B 11 ... 1 1 Bonaccord F Portlethen G 11 H.G. Association A ... 11 Kinlore B 11 Tu r r i fl ' B 10 Strichcn Juniors 11 Portlethen H ,11 B a n c h o r y C . . . 11 DIVISION S. Inverurie E 11 Keith B 11 11 D u r r i s B Bonaccord G ... 11 Strichen C 11 O l d m e l d r u m B 11 Inverurie D 11 11 H u n t l y B L o n m a y A 11 H.G. Association B ... 11 B a n c h o r y D . . . 11 10 H.G. Association C ... QIVISION Ellon D n' Portlethen I ... Strichen D Glen T anar Keith C Stonehaven B Mintlaw Station C H.G. Association D Spring Garden A Maud A T u r r i f t " C B a n c h o r y E . . . Logie-Durno B D u r r i s C Strichen E A.U.S.T .C. A O l d m e l d r u m C K i n e l l a r B Stonehaven C H.G. Association L o n m a y B H.G. Association P o r t l e t h e n J . . . N e w h i l l s A , , . 11 II 11 II 11 11 II 10 ... 1 1 9 DIVISION 8. S. 11 11 II II n 11 II II 11 II 11 9 w.D.L. P. 10 00 20 st4 11 50 510 4 06 8 3 1 6 7 208 4 W,D. L,P. 8 0->16 63 r 15 5 t3 11 4 5 9 2 1 7 5 -> 08 4 W.D.L.P. 70 314 70 3 14 5 0 510 4 0 s 8 4 0 5 8 30 7 6 W. D. L.P. 9 02, 18 8 1 217 8 1t 17 7 ]315 605 12 60 5 12 515 11 5 06 10 40 78 308 6 3 0 8 6 0 0 11 0 w.D.L.P. 731 17 8I 2 17 71 3 15 5 3 ■ 3 13 6 14 13 60 512 5 15 11 5 06 10 50 510 3 08 6 20 9 4 20 9 4 W, D. L.P. 911 19 90 218 8 03 16 70 4 14 704 14 6 05 12 51 511 50 610 407 8 308 6 209 4 00 100 W. D,L. P. 10 8 0 1 20 0 3 16 8 0 3 16 60 5 12 5 06 10 58 610 5 0 6 10 4 07 8 4 07 8 40 7 8 209 4 20 7 4 W, D. L. P. 9 02 18 9 0 213 8 03 16 8 03 16 6 14 13 5 06 10 50 610 5 0 610 30 8 6 28 5 209 4 20 7 4 Agg. 5913 4895 4865 4885 4885 4822 Agg. 4862 4877 4378 4849 4836 4822 Agg. 4845 4835 4827 4345 4296 4832 Agg. 5305 5300 5294 5332 5298 5288 5248 5286 5261 5238 5227 5126 Agg. 5297 5283 5263 5264 5254 5220 5251 5245 4777 5205 5161 5141 Agg. 5213 5256 5231 5191 5176 5186 5172 5177 5129 5084 5087 4028 Agg. 5244 5144 5106 5062 5151 5146 5139 5108 5096 4627 4977 4139 Agg. 51-88 5145 5152 5150 5120 5042 5042 5033 5039 4991 5098 4090 WWW.RIFLEMAN.ORG.UKNext >