< Previous-"C- 20 T H E R I F L E M A N • 2 Spring, 1946. Handicapping- By H. A. S. Bayley This article is addressed, without shame, to the "Belly-Buster." While we must all agree that field shooting requires more experience and teaches its devotees more about their favourite weapon, there is a lot to be said for target shooting as a pastime— at least " aimless " is not a suitable adjective. Sport or pastime, call it what we will, it has a fascination all its own and the intense concentration required prevents the exponent from thinking about his business cares, or her household worries, while the availability of ranges approved as safe by the many authorities who are required to do so, means that many more people have a nodding acquaintance with the rifle than would otherwise be the case. It is hoped that the leading writer in this country on the subject of rifle shooting will appreciate this point of view and sympathise with those whose circumstances prevent them from visiting the moors—baht hat— with their rifles, since they live in an area where the only open spaces are scheduled for pre-fabricated,houses. May we take it, then, that there is some good inahe target game, that clubs should be encouraged to practise it, in the absence of anything better ? We may ? Thank you. The average small-bore club has a great difference between the highest and lowest standards of skill and as the club ages, the lions tend to become more leonine, while there will be an annual intake of novices whose knowledge, despite the hopes of Lord Roberts and us, his disciples, that Britain should be a nation of riflemen, is re stricted to expecting the bullet to come out of the little end of the weapon and precious little else. Both extremes, however, pay the same subscription to the upkeep of the club and, naturally, it is only fair that they should have equal consideration from the committee, in being able to enter for events, with a chance of winning something. It is, therefore, necessary to devise some means whereby lion and lamb can lie down together, on equal terms. N o w , h o w c a n t h i s b e d o n e ? At the moment there are several methods of handicapping, one of which is purely a gamble, while the others have the fault of favouring one extreme or the other. Perhaps the most widely known is the " Dropped Point Handicap System " wherein a handicap is given to each competitor, by the committee and each actual gunscore has an equiv^ent for every handicap value. The highest handicap that can & given is 98 and a " highest possible " score of 100, from any haiidicap, is only equalled by a " possible " from any other com petitor, whatever his handicap—note this ! If, however, the lion can shoot occasional " posses," what chance has a poor lamb off 71 against him. In short, Larry has had it ! This was pointed out, some time ago, in The Rifleman, with an alternative suggestion of giving an allowance to be added to the actual gunscore. Considering, though, that a scratch man shooting 100 receives 102, while a 71 man—and lambs are notoriously erratic —shooting 80 gets 109, the lion has not even an ordinary cat's chance. There is the " Choose your own Start," wherein the competitor selects his own addition to his gunscore, with deductions for exceeding 100. The inexpert thinks that he has a chance, until he sees the expert, who can shoot eights or nines, at will, though more difficult than deliberate bulls, produce an even century, practically every time. A modification of this system, forbidding the use of the telescope for spotting, is the gamble previously referred to, and does not really interest either extreme if they are real enthusiasts and not " pot hunters " since any trophy would have little real meaning. Besides, the forbidding of telescopes is considered by the experts to be a damper on improvement. Readers, it must be faced ! The systems mentioned leave a lot to be desired and if we are to retain the interest of the novice—the expert of tomorrow—something must be done to remedy the short c o m i n g s . W h a t s h a U t h i s b e ? The " Dropped Point " system was, undoubtedly,' successful when the " possible " was a rarity and, therefore, seems to offer greater scope for bringing into line with modern conditions—to suit the present standards of average club shooting. We can, of course, redesign the targets so that the bull is ever so small and this we know to be under discussion, but printing restrictions, settling the shape of the aiming mark and the expert's " Chaddish " question " Wot ? No Possibles? " lead us to consider other possibilities. The dotted " Carton " is the smallest aiming mark in use at the present time and it can be assumed that the 10-carton possible is rare, at least outside the real expert class. Let us then make the lOX possible the maximum and the only score that will win from any handicap, allowing each carton to count 10.1. That there will now be 300 different gunscores from 101 to 71—the range covered by the present system—we will worry about later. Now we will find the formula used to work out the familiar equivalents of the-present Dropped Point System, which we find to be— 98—H N = A - i ( 1 0 0 — A ) 101—H where N is net score, A is actual gunscore, and H is handicap. As mentioned above, the present system stops at 98, but what happens if a handicap over 98 is applied to the same formula is that, with H being greater than 98, the numerator becomes algebraically negative and if we also carry out our decision to take 101 as the maximum, the formula becomes, for handicaps above scratch— H—98 N = A — { 1 0 1 — A ) 101—H and for handicaps below scratch—• 98—H N = A d ( 1 0 1 — A ) 101—H We now find that the rifleman whose handicap is over 98 loses more than one full point net, for every full point lost on gunscore. This seems to be really interesting, when it is found that, with a handicap of 100.9 (if anyone could hold it) a competitor scoring a bare 100 returns only 71 and drops 2.9 points each time the carton is missed. That should twist the tail of the lion until, by comparison, a corkscrew is straight. This is, of course, an extreme case, but the table following shows the sort of thing that can be expected. G u n - H a n d i c a p s . score. 100 99 90 85 82 71 101 100 99 95 92 101 98 95 83 74 101 99.5 98 92 87.5 101 100.73 100.45 99.36 98.55 101 100.81 100.62 99.88 99.31 101 100.84 100.68 100.05 99.58 101 100.9 100.8 100.4 100.1 —a feature being that a gunscore equal to/the handicap is always a 98. So far, so good. We shadl require, at least, forty-four different handicaps and this seems to want 300 calculations for each, that is 13,200 equivalents, surely a Herculean task; actually it is not so difficult when it is realised that the drop for each point is constant for the same handicap, but oh! the amount of paper and the writer's cramp involved—the whole to produce a nice little booklet; unfortunately the practi- bility of having it printed is defeated by the limited demand, even if all the four thousand-odd rifle clubs adopted it. Working out from the formula each time would be possible yet tedious and a graph, accurate enough, would be too big. Is there another way round ? It has been possible with the aid of logarithms to construct tables which can be shown on a sheet three feet square and from which, by simple addition and a short search for the sum so arrived at, in another part of the table, the system outlined above can be applied. For the pure mathematician, it should be explained that a little " fiddling" with the characteristics has been necessary to obviate explaining to the uninitiated the mysteries of " one-bar." Since it is hoped to try this on my own club, where the handicapping problem is acute, and after which I have named the system, several copies will be required, so that the chart has been transferred to tracing-cloth, whence the politician's favourite, the blue-print— more often white these days—can be made. Whether the demand will be great enough for someone to print copies, the opinions of my readers alone will show, but the comments of club officials in the correspondence columns of The Rifleman will be awaited with interest and while these ladies and gentlemen are considering the subject, perhaps they would care to consider another aspect of handicapping. Even if the scheme outlined is satisfactory, there remains the ever-present headache of the handicapping committee, the assessment of the standard of each individual, that is, deciding from which of the forty-four standards one, John Doe, will compete. In this district, there appears no set method, so that a man who is a member WWW.RIFLEMAN.ORG.UK21 of two clubs may have two handicaps, dependent upon the experienc® of the handicapping committee. Is it safe to assume that this con dition is general tliroughout the movement? We will, anj'way. Has anyone considered the advantages of a universal method ? One's handicap is fixed, wherever one shoots and inexperienced officials would have set rules for guidance; for some years, there have been no open meetings and since there is icnown to have been a large intake of riflemen into the small-bore world during that time, many of whom have reached quite high standards, has anyone realised that, at the eagerly awaited meetings, these men and women will all be eligible for the Tyro class ? It is felt that many people, other than the usual Experts, would attend meetings and shoot, if there were handicap events in which they had a chance of success. Is such a system impossible to work out ? Primarily, there must be some incentive for every person to try to qualify for the highest possible handicap. Let us ask some County Association to father the idea of fixing Registered County Handicaps for the riflemen under its wing. The incentive is the publication, say every half-year, of a list of all men and women, in handicap order, showing the name of the club for which they shoot and the handicap t h e y h o l d . T h e s e l i s t s w o u l d b e s e n t t o e a c h a f fi l i a t e d c l u b a n d John Doe would be known to all as " Handicap 99 " and would have pride in his ranking, just as a good golfer can be proud of being known as a " Plus " man ; it is not suggested that riflemen should wear those once popular knicker-bockers supposed to denote extreme proficiency, but perhaps a small insignia for attachment to the shooting jacket might have some appeal to the " badge conscious." Then, every month, there would be circulated to all clubs a promotion list. Here is a draft of rules that might govern the scheme :— 1. Every person desiring a Registered County Handicap, being a member of a club affiliated to the County Association, shall shoot, under S.M.R.C. postal conditions, a set of six cards, during one calendar month and shall send them, via his club committee, to the County Association or its delegate. The handicap shall be fixed as the average of the three highest cards to the nearest fi^e available in the table, provided that this be greater than the previous handicap on record for that person, except as hereafter. 2. A person without a Registered County Handicap at least three months old may not shoot in any handicap event organised by the County Association and those who have them shall shoot off the latest revised figure. 3. No person may claim a reduction of Registered County Handicap before six months have elapsed since the last change. 4. Separate handicaps shall be issued for the following ranges : 25 yards—proportionate targets used. 50 yards. 100 yards. There, ladies and gentlemen, are ideas for your consideration as to their suitability to your club. May they be discussed in those places where riflemen congregate and bring forth criticism—con structive if you approve of them, destructive if you feel that way about it. The writer feels that something of this nature would help to foster the small-bore target game, particularly in small new clubs—where the officials have little experience—the big clubs of the future ; he does hope that he will not be too unpopular with the officials of the County Associations, if more work is involved, but their prestige is essential to give value to the handicaps and they would have definite information as to the capabilities of the riflemen in their county. The debate is now open to the House. Questions to Ministers In the House of Commons during the second week of February, Mr. Gordon C. Touche (Member for the Reigate Division) asked the Secretary of State for War whether ex-Service men of the Regular Forces were entitled to join Home Guard Rifle Clubs. Mr. Lawson replied : No, but the whole matter of civilian rifle shooting in this country is at present under examination. Asked by Mr. Douglas Marshall (Con. South-East Cornwall) if he would allow approved rifle clubs to acquire all .22 rifles handed to the police during the past few weeks, the Home Secretary (Mr. J. Chuter Ede) said that all such weapons were handed to the Central O r d n a n c e D e p o t . H e d i d n o t t h i n k i t w a s d e s i r a b l e t o a u t h o r i s e any departure from this practice, but the Minister of Supply was prepared to consider applications from clubs for .22 rifles surplus to requirements of our armed forces. A Sportsman's Dream {Continued from p. 17.) f u r t h e r s h o t s . T h e u n a v o i d a b l e m o v e m e n t o f w o r k i n g a b o l t or lever is often sufficient to upset this. As regards accuracy, although an auto is theoretically inferior to a fixed breech loader, I cannot say that in practice I have been able to detect any inferiority in the best types. As a final refinement, the butt of this rifle should be bored to contain an oil-bottle and a two- or three-piece cleaning rod and loop. One does not generally clean a .22 rifle in the field when using non- corrosive ammunition ; but if you happen to get the muzzle stopped up accidentally with earth, and have no cleaning tackle, you are in an awkward fix. I always carry a " push-through " for this emergency— but the proper tackle should be there, in the rifle. As to barrel length, one must always compromise between the less noise and steadier holding of a long barrel, and its clumsiness in carrying and stalking as against the handier short rifle. I consider about 25 inches the best compromise, and personally I should prefer the total weight to be about 7-V lb., on account of the labour of carrying a heavier weapon for any ^eat distance. If you are able to visualise this proposed weapon, you should see it as a beautiful production of high finish and workmanship with perfectly smooth lines like a gtm, in which there are no breaks for bits and pieces and projections and weak spots. It is of the highest class of accuracy, can be aimed accurately at any range without adjust ment, and is of such construction that with any but deliberately rough handling it will never go out of adjustment or fail when wanted. What a boon all this would be can only be appreciated by the experienced hunter of game. And I refuse flatly to believe that any such man—and they are legion, especially in country places—could resist purchasing such a rifle if only it existed. How can you have a "demand " for what nobody has ever seen ? Did anybody ever " demand " refrigerators, vacuum cleaners, even gas stoves, before they existed ? Did anyone ever " demand " a petrol driven engine or even a bicycle ? Very well, then. There is, I am convinced, a market for specially designed small-game rifles of the highest class, if and when economic conditions permit t h e i r m a n u f a c t u r e . Army Cadet Force The Army Coimcil has been authorised by the Government to maintain the Army Cadet Force as an efficient organisation. In a letter to all commands announcing this decision, the Army Council say they conceive it to be their duty to weld the administration of the Army Cadet Force with the life of the community on the one hand and of the Army on the other. They believe that the mechanisms of the three defence services provide a ready and efficient means of furthering this object, and for their part they intend to support the interests of Army cadets by every means at their disposal. The Army Council intend to blend the military and social activities of the corps in such a way as to provide a general introduction to military training while at the same time meeting the demands of youth training in its wider sense. For these reasons the emphasis of the training of Army cadets will be upon fostering and developing qualities of leadership rather than upon securing the attainment of an advanced standard of individual military skill which must in general be acquired after joining the Regular Army or its auxiliary arms. The Council feel that the opportunity should not be lost of infusing new blood and vigoiu" into the movement and of obtaining as officers and warrant officers for the force a considerable number of officers, warrant officers, and non-commissioned officers who have themselves had experience of war and have witnessed at first hand the qualities required of junior leaders in the field. They have no doubt that many such men will desire to continue to give public service when they have returned to civilian life.—The Times. At the annual general meeting of the Wimbledon Park R.C. on 11th March, 1946, it was announced that the members numbered 50; Mr. P. G. Richardson was elected President, and as Vice-Presidents, His Worship the Mayor of Wandsworth (Aid. F. T. Jordan, J.P., A.C.I.I.), the Rt. Hon. Sir P. O. Lawrence, Messrs. J. R. Lancaster, J.P., C. J. March, H. Seys Phillips, W. Lister Barber, J.P. Other officials are : Hon. Secretary, Fredk. Earl ; Captain, H. E. Turner; Vice-Captain, R. E. Percival; Hon. Treasurers, joint, G. Barrow and F. J. Tigar. WWW.RIFLEMAN.ORG.UK18 T H E R I F L E M A N I Spring, 1946. TECHNICAL THOUGHTS ON WEAPONS OF WAR—By the late Lieut.-Col. H. de L. WALTERS 2. Shortened and Lightened Rifles The present tendency is to alter the existing rifle to one that is lifter for the soldier to carry, easier to handle, and yet retains accuracy up to at least 600 yards. It will be interesting to note the factors introduced by doing this. T H E S H O R T E N E D R I F L E . In this case the rifle retains its identity except that the barrel hp been shortened, let us say, by six inches. The result of doing this will: (1) Alter the point of balance. (2) Increase the ^flash. (3) Increase the recoil. (4) Shorten the sight base. The Point of Balance. As long as the rifle is not cut down too drastically, the alteration in the point of balance is not such as to cause discomfort. When marching the soldier will use the sling. Whilst on patrol he wUI either grasp the rifle in both hands and be ready for instant action, or have it slung. Flash. The increase in flash must be compensated for by the introduction of a flash eliminator. This need not be very large, but must not interfere with the fixing of the bayonet. An overall length on one inch is quite sufiBcient. The shorter the barrel the greater the flash. FLASH ELIMINAT OR, ACTUAL SIZE. Recoil. The effect of shortening the riffe barrel is to (1) Decrease the muzzle velocity. (2) Increase muzzle blast. (3) Increase recoil. (a) Momentum of Recoil. Now let us take sub-para. (3). Increase of recoil. In order to appreciate the effects, the first thing we must find out is the momentum o f r e c o i l o f o u r r i f f e . T h i s i s d o n e b y u s i n g t h e e q u a t i o n M = ( W I 4 - K w i ) V. Where M=the momentum in second poundals (i.e. lbs. x ft. sees.). Wi=the weight of the bullet in lbs. Wi=the charge in lbs. V=the muzzle velocity in F/S. K=the numeral constant, found by experiment, which l i e s b e t w e e n 1 a n d 2 . In this case the equation would be : 174 -f If 37 M=r / 174 -f If 37 V \7000 7000/ 2367 k7000 7000; ( 174-1-64-75 \I 2 3 6 7 7000 / M = 80.7 lbs. X ft. sees. NOTE. 1. It will be seen that the muzzle velocity has been taken as 2367 f/s. This figure is derived by taking the muzzle velocity as haviiig been reduced by about 3 per cent from 2440 f/s. This is approximately correct. 2. The value of K has been put at If. This is near the high limit owing to a short barrel giving much higher muzzle blast energy. (b) Recoil Velocity. Now that we know the momentum of recoil the next thing to do is to discover the recoil velocity. This is done by dividing the weight of the rifle into the recoil momentum. In this case we know that M = 80.7 and W=7.75 so, 80.7 The recoil velocity= = 10.4 ft./secs. 7.75 (c) Recoil Energy. The recoil energy can now be found by using the formula • 7 . 7 5 X 1 0 . 4 2 WV2 ■ft. lbs. Recoil energy= 13.02 ft. lbs. 64.4 ( d ) C o m p a r i s o n . It will be interesting to compare these figures with those of the existing S.M.L.E. We i g h t M o m e n t u m o fRecoil Recoil Gun.of Gun RecoilEnergy Velocity Lbs. Lbs. 4- Ft./Secs.Ft. Lbs. Ft. Sees. S.M.L.E. 9.081 11 . 09.0 Shortened S.M.L.E.7.7580.7 13.0210.4 It will be seen that by shortening the barrel we have : (1) Reduced the monentum of recoil. (2) Increased the recoil energy. (3) Increased the recoil velocity. Taking the weight of the shortened S.M.L.E. together with the recoil velocity we see that although there will be more sensation of recoil, the rifle is still well within the limit above which gun-headache i s s u r e t o e n s u r e . Short-sight Base. The longer the sight base, the greater the accuracy of the rifle. When the sight base is shortened a small movement of the foresight will make a large error. When the sight base is long a much larger movement of the foresight will have to take place to produce the same error. For example, take the sight base X. To get an error to D. the foresight must pass through the distance C D. WWW.RIFLEMAN.ORG.UKSpring, 1946.T H E R I F L E M A N 19 Now take the short sight base Y. To get the same error, the foresight has only to pass through the distance A B. Another subsidiary reason for inaccuracy with a short sight-base is that the eye is so much nearer the foresight that focusing the sight and aiming mark is more difficult. T H E L I G H T E N E D R I F L E . We have now seen the effect of shortening a rifle, which has incidentally lightened it to a small degree. Further lightening by removing furniture, metal, etc., will have the effect of increasing the recoil, both velocity and energy. A stage will now be reached where rubber butt pads and recoil reducers may have to be incorporated, which will mean further manufacturing processes. The introduction of the recoil reducer does away with the flash eliminator, with the consequent increase in flash. Great care must be taken over the removal of metal, otherwise such troubles as over-heating and increased inaccuracy will be encountered. GENER.4L. The ideal seems to be the shortened rifle which has the following a d v a n t a g e s : — (1) Lighter to a small degree than the existing rifle. (2) More manoeuvrable. (3) Easy to manufacture. (4) Accurate to 600 yards at least. (5) Slight increase in recoil, but not sufficient to require either a butt pad or recoil reducer. (61 Plenty of existing spares. Incentives to Maintaining Scores in Small-bore Shooting By W. H. Fuller, Hon. Sec. Herts County Association HAVE always felt that the newcomer to small-bore shooting has rather a thinner time than the crack as I r e g a r d s a w a r d s . , ^ . At, the present time, shooting with worn out club hacks, and even worse, cheap American pre-service rifles, and with all due respect to those concerned, erratic and variable ammunition, I feel even more concerned about the newcomer. There are a few rifles about, which, in spite of the ammo., will maintain a high standard, always providing of course that the user also maintains his or her own high standard in handling the weapon. But these rifles rarely pass into the hands of the newcomer. They are cared for by their owners with the respect which is due to them, plus a lot more owing to the present conditions. The newcomer, who, after a period in the right hands, is scoring 97's and 98's is doing just as well as we were with everything in our favour before the war . ... . „ I therefore consider that these people do deserve some small token of their ability. After some thought on the subject I have evolved a scheme which I think will help the marksman who is on his way up. I have undertaken to give to any marksman shooting in Herts League Competitions a small printed label wmch he can paste in a book, or on his locker door, or if he belongs to a club which takes a very particular interest in its lower members, can be pasted on a long strip under the member's name on the club wall. I call these labels " Merit Tabs " and one of these is produced here. It is printed in blue and black and is quite attractive. They cost very little to produce, and if every Herts marksman now shooting in Herts League matches, takes one for every card he shoots, my children will net be placed in any danger of walking the highways and byways of Hertfordshire shoeless. ^ . I should like to have undertaken to give one of these tabs tor any card shot by Herts marksmen, but the trouble of looking up and checking records is no light matter, and therefore " Merit Tabs," for the moment at any rate, are confined to League matches only. They are given when a marksman equals or improves his score. Thus- starting with the commencement of this season's matches, if a marksman scores 90 in his first match and 90 in his second, he may claim a " Merit Tab " for 90. If he scores 90 in his third match he can again claim for another " Merit Tab " for 90. Or if he scores 91 or 92, he claims a " Merit Tab " for the higher score and each time after that that he makes the higher score he claims for another tab. In this way he will have a series of tabs showing when he maintained his score and when he improved upon it. The making of the records to control the issue of " Merit Tabs " is simple. The club secretary is asked to state the last score and the round in which it was shot, and the new equal or higher score and the round in which it was shot. The records are checked from the results sheet and the man s narne and score entered in alphabetical order in a book. When he makes his next claim, it can then be very quickly checked from the book, or if it happens to be his first application, then recourse to the results will then be necessary. Claims can only be made from issued scores which reduces the chances ol GorresDondence with regard to claims on estimated scores. mv excuse to him is that " Poss. Tabs " are given as an incentive and a small record to those wno stiii regaru a posMuic j Y We all ought to score possibles every time we have a card put up, but we don't, and most of us I think have done pretty weU when we do, " Lives there a man with soul so dead— " I have extended the idea to Herts County Competitions and one of these "Poss. Tabs" is gi^^n for every possibk^ etition. As they can be issued direct from the card and no record has to be.searched for, they are issued wta^^ issued and it is hoped that a further token, possibly in the form of a medal "for ^ervi^s to Hertfordstoe to Sf-fom we Sed been earned, will be possible, but as no one has yet approached this figure, the matter is at the moment in abeyance. Ninety tour were issueu b e t w e e n M a y a n d D e c e m b e r , 1 9 4 5 . t - u . . u It should be noted that " Merit Tabs" are not issued to marksmen who received "Poss. ^bs " ^Hwewr when a issued for scores lower than the highest score recorded after the first match the 1945-46 Wmter Season s Leagues. However, wn n a marksmen makes his first possible he will receive a " Merit Tab for 1(X) and a Poss. Tab. WWW.RIFLEMAN.ORG.UK22 T H E R I F L E M A N Spring, 1946. T h e . 2 2 M a u s e r R i fl e By G. E. PiROUET The pre-war .22 Mauser bolt action rifle seems to be exciting some very belated interest, and as Mr. Forrest suggests that photo graphs should be published in The Rifleman, I enclose two cuts, one of the model De Luxe Target, one of the miniature military model; which cuts you may perhaps be able to reproduce in The Rifleman. These models are not to be confused with the early model, first made shortly after the 1914-1918 war. Even the early model was years ahead of competition in its time, and very accurate, but other wise there is no comparison between the two types, the actions being e n t i r e l y d i ff e r e n t . Opinion on the question of reparation appears to be very touchy and mixed. England, however, must not take too much from Germany, or we'll spoil our own markets and Germany will be permanently crippled, and quite unable to sit down in comfort, joyfully to prepare f o r W o r l d W a r N o . 3 . M s 3 5 0 B . Firing Pin travelled a little more than i inch. Bolt could be stripped without aid of tools in a matter of seconds. Safety. Mauser type " wing" safety bolt. The most secure safety made—and to those accustomed in its use as speedy as any shot gun safety. Trigger Pull. Double pull off, adjustable by screw for weight of pull down to about lbs. Absolutely smooth, free from side play, c r e e p o r s l a p . - Magazine. Feed was perfect, the cartridges were fed to the chamber without effort, and were so fed free from scratches on case, o r b u l l e t . J a m s u n k n o w n . _ < Accuracy. As good (or better) as any other .22 rifle of the same weight. I owned one of the light 6i lb. models in those happy days before this last unpleasantness, and though not as good as my Vickers —or a B.S.A. No. 12 when shot prone with sling tension (who'd expect it to be at 6i lbs.) yet it grouped in 2ins. at 100 yards, and MAUSER .22 BOLT ACTION MAGAZINE RIFLES. S t a n d a r d M o d e l . L i g h t M o d e L f A i l i t a r y ' 9 3 T y p e . If 6 It lbs U or V reversible, detachable adjustable tangent 25-200 yds. Adjustable 25-200 yds. Interchangeable elements, blades, beads, apertures, etc. sliding from front Into Fixed Miltary dovetail in foresight block, spring tension stud holding element In place. Capacity ... Single shot, or 5 shot magazine. 10 shot magazines at optional extra, wooden dummy magazines to convert to single shot. Action had male dovetail grooVe for German 'scope mounts. A . T h e " S P O R T S " M O D E L . B . T h e C H A M P I O N S H I P D E L U X E M O D E L . Barrel Overall We i g h t Sights, Rear... Sights. Fore ... Single shot. And that would never do ! When No. 3 does come along, may I not be there to see. This last one was plenty ! ! But, at any cost, what we should get out of Germany are the Mauser rifle plants, and the Walther pistol plants. Then we could give all our S-M.L.E.s, our No. 4s with their dinky little fixed bayonets, our comic " Sten " guns, and even our quite good, but clumsy P. 14s to the Chinese. We should, however, keep om- Webley revolvers—and perhaps even the Enfield—and then with the German plants working in Britain for us, we could afford to smile. At long (how long) last, we'd have the best rifled small arms in the world—for war if we must, for peace if we can. Should the S.M.R.C. be interested enough to wish to examine the .22 Mauser, there must be a few in England now, in the hands of members—as Parker-Hale must have sold one or two pre-war, in spite of restricted sale for such dangerous articles. In any case, there must be hundreds in the hands of our forces in Germany, and probably a few specimens could be obtained for examination and trial. And these .22 Mausers are worth examination ! Firing Pin. In one piece, half-cocking on opening bolt. Lock Time, short and very smooth and quite free from the vibration or "snap,which so many "speeded up" bolt-action locks have. Seemed almost too soft* for good ignition, but gives no ignition trouble with any make of .22 Long Rifle cartridge. * Like the Lugcr ParraboUum. shooting oif rest and sighted with a P.H. targetscope this light model put 30 consecutive shots into one hole ^in. square at 50 yards. My Vickers couldn't do any better for me ! Moreover, the 81b. 6oz. model Mauser would hold its own right along with any other .22 rifle, no matter what make, when suitable aperture sights were mouiited. The Germans used to fit a crude peep-sight, key adjustable, on the small of grip. But Parker-Hale used to fit their " Sportarget " sight, which was much superior to the German effort. (One must bear in mind that the Germans were looking ahead, and not really woirying about peep-sights. Their military '98 Mauser had open sights, so why train the kids on " peeps " ? And the snipers would use low power 'scope sights anyway—so again why worry about " peeps " ?) But aperture sights for bolt-actions should be fitted to the metal— not to wood—so I had a Lyman 48 fitted on the right-hand side of the receiver just forward of the bolt handle, and with an extension eye-piece it worked, but just wasn't quite the job one's heart desired. This Mauser had the typical Mauser bolt-stop on the left-hand side of the receiver, and while it is a fine bolt-stop it prevents the fitting of any of the standard aperture-receiver-sights in the place where these should go, i.e., on the left-hand side of the rear end of the receiver. Possibly one of the more recent American extension sights could be fitted. I don't know. But Parker-Hale, the sheet anchor of riflemen in England, did manage to produce an aperture receiver sight to fit the P.14 (which has the same type bolt-stop, the P.14 bemg only a glorified, and clumsier, Mauser anyway) and, did the demand warrant the effort, I'm sure Parker-Hale could produce an excellent receiver sight to fit the left-hand side of this .22 Mauser. WWW.RIFLEMAN.ORG.UKSpring, 1946.T H E R I F L E M A N 23 Quality and Workmanship. The name " Mauser" should be enough guarantee. " Quality " English shot-guns and double-rifles are not" factory " products, even though in some cases the component p a r t s m a y b e . O n t h e o t h e r h a n d , n e a r l y a l l b o l t a c t i o n r i fl e s a r e " factory" products. The German Walther Pistols (particularly the P.P. and " 38 " models) and the genuine Mauser rifles and pistols are not excelled in quality, workmanship and design by the product of any other factories—British, Belgian or American—not even by Webleys, Colts, Smith and Wesson, or Winchester, and that means something ! Of course B.S.A., Vickers, etc., could design, and produce, a rifle equal to the Mauser, the Winchester 52, or the Remington 37, and while Mr. Forrest is right in thinking our firms lacking in originality and variety in design, there's reason. They may well be ! ! Ah, but what of our air-rifles, and air-pistols. Plenty of originality and variety here, in the Webley, and the Lincoln Jefferies Patents, etc. And even today my small son is rejoicing because he has' seen an advert, of a new pattern air-rifle, shortly to be released for sale. Though I do seem to recall having seen something, somesvhere, sometime, years ago ... but why bring that up ? Plenty of variety and originality, and plenty of misspent effort. Why is it that so few air-rifles and air-pistols were made in U.S.A. compared with the almost countless .22 Rim fires, let alone other c a l i b r e s ? T h e w h o l e t r o u b l e i s , o f c o u r s e , t h a t o u r fi r m s h a v e t o make something they can sell, and the sale of air-rifles was unrestricted by silly and futile " anti" laws. Our firms have their bread and butter to earn (and it's just possible they like a little jam as well) and they've got to sell their rifled firearms to somebody. But who and where? Not in the U.S.A. ! Not in Europe ! Probably not in Canada 1 And certainly not in England ! With our crank anti-firearms laws, our British firms just haven't got a chance ! Winchester used not to keep a model in production unless sales warranted a run of 10,000 a time. What a country ! How many No. 15s used B.S.A. to run at a batch ? How many of those excellent Mk. IV .22 revolvers did Webleys ever make. I don't know, but I wonder. Some half-dozen firms in Spain, Germany and U.S.A. have produced .22 Target Automatic pistols ! Why has Webley and Scott produced no new automatic since Webley was a small boy, and why did we have to buy all those Smith and Wesson .38s ? Why, because their sales were simply not them, they had no home m a r k e t t o m a k e i t w o r t h t h e i r w h i l e ! But Greener, Webleys and B.S.A. all tumbled over themselves to make air-guns ! Airguns ! ! No restrictions, no anti-firearms laws against these—not yet 1 I So everything is lovely, and its all for the best, no doubt. But just one " gun crime," just one " gun " accident, and what a fuss 1 T h a t ' s n e w s 1 Just a few thousand fatal motor accidents per year, and the papers don't even trouble to report them. Except to give us the " statistics " once a year . With the exceptions of the new Winchester 52 and the 75, the Remington 37 and 513, I have handled and shot practically every type and make of .22 rifle and pistol put on the market since 19(X), but I never yet saw a .22 rifle I would choose in preference to the Mauser for all-position shooting, or for general excellence. Apart from the sight problem, there was one snag. The male dovetail on the receiver was designed for German 'scope mounts, n o t E n g l i s h o r A m e r i c a n . A n d G e r m a n m o u n t s a r e . W e l l , one can't imderstand why the same nation that produced the " Leica " and "Zeiss" products amongst others, could produce the 'scope mounts they trotted out so proudly; or why the optical firms were content to allow their excellent 'scopes to be bent in order to obtain windage adjustment. But after nearly five years of German occupation, we in Jersey have come to the conclusion that the German mind passeth all under standing. British " Red Tape " is " also ran." But what dope the public is fed on, fed by propaganda, the popular press, the B.B.C. and so forth. For years we've b^n led to believe that the Germans have no sense of humour ! I What a kolossal lie ! On the contrary, the Germans are really a very happy and humorous crowd, only their sense of humour is just a trifle warped. Believe it or not, when " Mausers " first produced the Military type .22, an exact copy in miniature of their new version of the " full bore " '98, the army rifle of the 1914-1918 war, they called this military 22, the " Sport Model" I Should anyone imagine that my enthusiasm for the Mauser a little too marked, I can only say that I am in good company. The " Dope Bag " of the American Rifleman does not bestow bouquets without due and good reason—and has often handed out severe slaps or damned with faint praise their own bread and butter, the ads ertisers. But in September, 1938, " Dope Bag " wote of this .22 Mauser De Luxe—" This fine Mauser still qualifies as the most attractive and desirable ' sporter ' for the .22 Long Rifle cartridge that I have seen." A n d P a r k e r - H a l e i n 1 9 3 8 s o l d t h e s t a n d a r d M a u s e r . 2 2 a t a b o u t one-third the price of the Winchester 52 ! In fact, the action Mauser put on this .22 was almost too good, almost too much action for the cartridge, for without being in the least clumsy, the receiver was robust enough to handle the .303, or looked it I Possibly a lighter, simpler, " cheaper to make" action, of the Winchester 75 type, would serve the purpose just as well, and give just as accurate results. With regard to the use of .22 self-loading rifles by small-bore ciubs—as suggested by Mr. Hopkirk in the autumn issue, the sugges tion is perfectly logical. The infantry small arm of the future will be the semi-automatic rifle and carbine. So why not get used to the idea ? With regard to supply, the U.S.A. firm " Martin " and the German firm " Walther," were making box magazine self-loading .22 rifles years before the war. The " Walther " being the better job ! Harrington & Richardson have now on sale in the States a .22 10 shot box magazine semi-automatic rifle, similar to the model used for training U.S.A. troops during the war, a healthy, hefty looking job, but at, a healthy and hefty price without counting duty, purchase tax and the dollar problem, I Mr. Forrest's fear that these firearms are potentially dangerous, owing to that " last cartridge" is groundless; there's one simple safety. On handing any firearm to another person, always open the breech first. When picking up any firearm always open the breech imme^ately ! As to cost, these rifles sold in England pre-war, at about £5 to £7. On second thoughts, perhaps I have been a little ungrateful in the early part of this scrawl, in taking a smack at our dear old S.M.L.E. Because the best target rifle, the most accurate I ever owned was an S.M.L.E., with an " Ordnance " barrel at that 1 What good times we had together, how sweet she was to snuggle down to and shoot I While she was good, how good she was ! But alas ! She didn't stay good I Ah 1 if only she'd been a Mauser ! Footnote—Illustrations caimot do justice to appearance and finish of these fine rifles. T H E S . M . R . C . Standing and Kneeling League Teams of Five. To be shot at either 15,20 or 25 yards TARGETS Double One Bull ordinary 5 shots on each target. 20 shots each competitor, 10 each at two cards. One card to be shot standing and the other to be shot from either the . kneeling or sitting position. Entry fee 10/- per team. Entries close 31st May, 1946 Please apply for full Conditions and Entry Form if that sent to each affiliated Club Secretary has not reached you. WWW.RIFLEMAN.ORG.UK24 Spring, 1946. Disc Shooting Match " On The Air 91 The first broadcast of a Disc Shooting .22 rifle match on the air between teams over 400 miles apart was arranged by the B.B.C. and the S.M.R.C. working in conjunction on Saturday, 9th March, 1946. This was made the feature of the " Saturday Night Out" in the Light Programme at 8.45 to 9.05 p.m. The broadcast itself consisted of semi-final and final rounds of a clay disc breaking match following a quarter-final preliminary to select the teams to go " on the air " and represent Edinbur^ and London respectively. The former shot their discs at the Edinburgh Citizens 25 yards rifle range at Greenside, Leith Street, and the latter shot their discs on the London Passenger Transport Board 25 yards ranges at Baker Street Station on the Metropolitan (Underground) Railway. There were eight teams concerned in the quarter-final, four of Edinburgh and four of London. The Edinburgh teams were : Edinburgh Citizens A, Citizens B, Masonic R.C., and South Side R.C. The London teams were : London Transport, City of London Police, Lensbury and Britannic House and Witan (L.C.C. Stalf). ITie B.B.C. will present S.M.R.C. ^silver medals for the winning t e a m a n d s i m i l a r b r o n z e m e d a l s f o r t h e r u n n e r s - u p . A l l w i l l b e suitably engraved. For the London teams, the Transport Board Sports Association kindly provided the range and the light refreshments after the match. The S.M.R.C. provided the blackboards, clay discs, the ammunition, and made all necessary technical arrangements of the shooting, whilst the B.B.C. provided the necessary radio equipment. Each team consisted of three shooters and each shooter faced a blackboard 2ft. square with 12 half-inch white clay discs affixed and arranged in the positions of clockwise numerals equidistant around a circle ISins. in circumference. Thus there were 12 discs facing each shooter and 36 discs each team of three men to aim at, the team destroying most discs within a period of two minutes being the winners of each match. As above stated, the quarter-final stage was decided off the air and resulted in the following teams winning their places in the semi fi n a l " o n t h e a i r . " E d i n b u r ^ . < L o n d o n . E d i n b u r g h C i t i z e n s A L o n d o n T r a n s p o r t . „ , , B . C i t y o f L o n d o n P o l i c e . At this stage there were two commentators for London, as there were two sections of the Baker Street Rifle Range, and 6ne Range Officer, these respective officials being Messrs. Geoffrey Peck and B. G. Slydel of the B.B.C. and Mr. W. H. FuUer (S.T.C.) for the S . M . R . C . , w h i l s t i n E d i n b u r g h t h e r e w e r e M r . L . H u n t e r o f t h e B . B . C . a s c o m m e n t a t o r a n d M r . To m W a l k e r , C . R . O . , f o r t h e S.M.R.C. For the semi-final, Edinburgh shot first and this round gave the following results :— D i s c s ' D i s c s killed. killed. T ime. C i t i z e n s B 3 4 C i t i z e n s A 2 0 2 m i n s . C i t y o f L o n d o n P o l i c e 3 4 T r a n s p o r t 3 0 2 „ The grand final between Edinburgh and London represented respectively by the two teams who had won the semi-final called for a triple match decision, best two out of three matches to be declared the winners and this called for only two matches as City of London P o l i c e w o n t h e f i r s t t w o a s f o l l o w s : — D i s c s D i s c s killed. killed. T ime. City of London Police 34 Edinburgh Citizens B 25 2 mins. > > ! > 3 2 , , , , 2 3 2 , , For the Grand Final. The chief Range Officer was sited at Baker S t r e e t R a n g e , L o n d o n . H e , b y r a d i o , a s k e d t h e i n d i v i d u a l m e m b e r s of the Edinburgh team if they were ready and, when they were, he asked the London team individually if they were ready : he then said " Get Ready," gave a second or two break and then gave the order " C o m m e n c e . " He could only give the order " Stop " if a team took under the time limit of two minutes to break their 36 discs or when that time w a s u p . It is noteworthy that only in the quarter-final (off the air) did any team complete the breaking of the 36 discs within two minutes and that was when the Transport did it in 1.55 to beat Lensbury and the City Police did it just on time to beat Witan. Immediately after the C.R.O. gave " Commence," the Edinburgh and the London commentators took over simultaneously and gave the scores of discs shot down, with comments if there was time. They also gave the word " Stop " as soon as time was up or their t e a m h a d c l e a r e d t h e i r d i s c s . At half time a call-over of discs still to be shot down should have been made, but time did not permit of a clear explanation. After the broadcast at the London end, before the gathering dis persed, Mr. G. Pethard, Secretary of the S.M.R.C., expressed thanks to those who had assisted to make this the first broadcast of its type in the sport of shooting a success and mentioned in particular the following :— The London Passenger Transport Board R.C. for their range and the refreshments given. The B.B.C. and their engineers and commentators both in London and Edinburgh. T h e E d i n b u r g h C i t i z e n s R . C . Mr. W. H. Fuller, who had planned and worked so hard for the * success of this enterprise and acted as C.R.O. in London. Ivlr. Tom Walker, who had assisted the Edinburgh Citizens and B.B.C., and acted as C.R.O. in Edinburgh. He went on to point out that as a first trial the match could be regarded as fairly successful, but the most obvious future for these m a t c h e s i n t h e r a d i o w o r l d o f e n t e r t a i n m e n t w o u l d b e t h a t o f t e l e vision and to prepare for it called for the inauguration of shoulder-tp- shoulder leagues in disc shooting matches, and he asked the clubs in t h e H o m e C o u n t i e s t o s t a r t t h e m . COMMENTS. The reports received from listeners give the impression that whilst the proceedings were obvious by those who know the game, the general listeners would be confus^. A short explanation of what is afoot should precede the shooting, whilst fewer words of cornmand might be an advantage. The clock positions of the remaining or stubborn discs might well be helpful to all listeners. We were particularly pleased to get favourable comments from the City of Dublin R.C., amongst a number of others from far afield. Thirteenth R.C. held its second general meeting in the Drill Hall, Derby, on 8th January, and was well represented. Activities over the last year at the service and small-bore ranges were well reported by the hon. secretary, Capt. P. C. Garratt, treasurer C. N. Jones and the club captain E. Marks. In the re-election of officers, the meeting regretted Mr. Garratt having to relinquish his office owing to business reasons, and so Capt. Jones was elected in the dual position of treasurer and secretary. Mr. E. Marks will be club captain for another year. Col. Nutt, the club president, presented his cup to E. Marks for the best individual aggregate, covering the service and small-bore scores over the whole year. The team cup presented by Col. Longdon was won by " A " Coy., this also covered both the sections. The new committee was elected and so the meeting closed with expressions of enthusiasm for its success in the coming season. A .22 Pistol Shooting Record Following his recent achievement of a possible score with 10 shots over a 20 yard range on the standard target, Company Sgt. Major W. Meaker of the Ham and Petersham Rifle Club now presents us with a possible score at 10 yards, for which he will be awarded the special silver medal as recently promised by the Society. On the two 10 yard and two 20 yard cards he shot in the above competition the scores were iOO, 94. 91, SB- total 373. WWW.RIFLEMAN.ORG.UKSpring, 1946.T H E R I F L E M A N 25 T r a n s a t l a n t i c P i s t o l M a t c h TWICKENHAM R.C. v. GREAT LAKES PISTOL CLUB, DETROIT Those pistol-shooters who attended the Twickenham Open Pistol Meeting last year will probably remember that six Americans took part. Two of these, Gene O'Deil and " Moose " Taylor, belong to the same club in Detroit, and it was agreed that when they returned home a match should be arranged. Both are now demobbed, and plans were accordingly made for a five-a-side match in the early part of March, each shooter to fire 20 rounds at 20 yards. The Twickenham team shot on Sunday, 3rd March, and Mr. G. Pethard very kindly braved the unpleasantly cold conditions of the pistol pit to witness the shoot. The targets were not, of course, gauged before being sent olf to Detroit, but the score is estimated at 859 X 1000 (and, strangely enough, there were singularly few " squeakers " on the cards), made up as follows :— Mrs. B. Moorshead J . F . C h a n d l e r . . . L . S . H u g h e s . . . E. Dight ... M i s s G . M o o r s h e a d 180 177 170 167 165 859 The American team fired on 12th March, at the National Sports men's Show in Detroit, and made a total score of 880 (detai s not yet to hand), thus defeating Twickenham by 21 points. The latter were rather shocked to discover from the 'cable that they had been shooting against Harry Reeves, present holder of the American Pistol Championship ; A1 Hemming, another member of Detroit's record-breaking Police team ; Gene O'Dell, whose shooting over here in 1944 impressed us all very considerably ; Moose Taylor, " Distinguished Pistol Shot" gold medallist; and A. Studt—cer tainly a pretty formidable combination. In the circumstances, Twickenham do not regard their defeat as inglorious ! Next time they hope to reduce the margin—and they certainly intend that " next time " shall be very soon. Twickenham Pistol Meeting, 1946 Will pistol-shooters please note that Twickenham Rifle Club's third annual Open Pistol Meeting will be held on Saturday, 24th August, and Sunday, 25th August. As before, competitors will be classified according to their averages in competition shooting during last year, and prizes will be given in each of the four classes. Details of the competitions will be published in the near future. Don't wait until you are an expert—come and get valuable Match experience by shooting this year in the lower classes. You will enjoy the shoulder-to-shoulder shooting, and you might just as well, win some prizes on your way up to Class I. Enquiries to Mrs. B. Moorshead, 35, Kneller Road, Twickenham. Targets—and Suggestions to Economise Due to lack of material Paper Control permits of card and paper targets are inadequate to meet present day demands of affiliated units. The Society is therefore obliged to issue available supplies in small lots in order to let clubs have ^ome supply—economy in target usage is essential. We make the following suggestions :— For 25 yards. Use paper centres pasting these over shot cards. P r i c e o f c e n t r e s i s 8 s . p e r 1 , 0 0 0 p o s t f r e e . , » A supply of paper 5-bull match 25 yards and 5-bull and sighter 25 yards will be ready shortly. Please do not order more than 500, which is the limit to any one club at present. Cost 10s. 6d. 50 yards. Use the one target centre. No. 4, for practice—five shots can be put on these targets. Price 12s. post free for 500. 100 yards. Use the one target centres. No. 5, and cut corner slots in a 100 yard Match card (like a post card album) if the larger card is essential. Price 13s. 7d. post free for 500. An application by the Dover and District R.C. for facilities at the N.E. corner of the Danes for a miniature outdoor rifle range was approved in prineiple. Fuller details and plans are to be submitted t o t h e P l e a s u r e G r o u n d s C o m m i t t e e . The S.M.R.C, Junior Training Corps Small-bore Rifle Match, 1945 On Thursday, the 21st of February, the Commander-in-Chief of Scottish Command, Lieut.-General Sir Neil Ritchie, K.B.E., C.B., D.S.O., M.C., visited Glenalmond and handed over the Staniforth Cup won by the Glenalmond VIII in the S.M.R.C. J.T.C. Competi tion for 1945. The winning score of 775 was a record under the present conditions of the match and was 21 points above the next team. General Sir Neil Ritchie also presented the S.M.R.C. Medals to the VIII and then spoke to the Contingent who were on parade for the ceremony. After congratulating the team on their success. General Ritchie impressed the importance of rifle shooting as a basis for military training in the firing of all small arms. He stressed the importance in modem warfare of skill in the use of personal weapons as being vitally necessary to all men of all fomiations. The infiltration tactics of modern war place all fomia- tions, even the Headquarters in Corps and Armies, under constant possibility of attack. As a basis of efficient rifle shooting, the General stressed the value and importance of small-bore practice. Lieut.-Colonel Sir Lionel Fletcher, C.B.E., the Chairman of the S.M.R.C., was able to visit Glenalmond at the same time and was present at the parade. Sir Lionel was able to meet Mr. F. M. A. Riddell, who has since the match left Glenalmond. Besides being,, the Captain of the winning VIII, he was the winner of the individual prize that the Chairman of the S.M.R.C. had presented. Sir Lionel Fletcher also spoke to the Contingent and after con gratulating them and reminding them of some of the preUous suc cesses gained in past years, both in the small-bore competitions tmd at Bisley, he too stressed the importance of efficient rifle trammg in the Services. Full results were published on page 72 of the last (Winter) issue of The Rifleman. RIFLE RANGE WANTED.—Doncaster and District R.C. decided to ask the Corporation to cater for rifle shooting as they did other sports, and to provide a nnmicipal range. The captain, Mr. F. C. Scarborough, said such a range would be of great benefit to pre- Service training imits and schools in the district, and Mr. R. W. Anson said a range, capable of taking about 30 people at 25, 50 and 100 yards, was a feature that could well be included in the Corpora tion's proposed sports stadium. The following officers were elected : President, Mr. E. Phillips ; chairman, Mr. P. T. Warwick ; captain, Mr. F. C. Scarborough ; secretary and treasurer, Mr. G. H. Watling. Many years ago the late Judge Grantham, when opening Durh^ Assizes, advocated the use of pit heaps for rifle ranges. This is being done at Hetton, where an application has been made to the Urban Cotmcil by the Home Guard Association for a proposed rifle range on the east side of Hetton pit heap, the idea, of course, being to fire . into the heap. After the lessons of the South African war, inuch greater attention was paid to rifle shooting by the Army authorities, and in World War 1 enemy tribute was paid to the accuracy of British fire. In the late war the rifle was somewhat overshadowed by machine and sub-machijie guns, but musketry experts still hold fast to the rifle. No one wants another war, but there is no harm in ex-Home Guards, or other citizens, keeping their hand in with a little practice now and then. * » * Members of Beeston H.G. R.C., who for the past year have COTied on without a range of their own, are to take steps to find a, plot of land and raise sufficient money to buy it. They took this decision at their annual meeting in Beeston on 31st March. A resolution passed said that it " was felt desirable that the club should have its own range, to be obtained at the earhest possible moment." The Hingley Cup for the team championship was handed to the captain of the winning team. Col, Forbes, of Callander, Falkirk, has gifted a challenge trophy for the junior championship of Stirlingshire. This is to encourage boys to learn how to shoot and to become efficient marksmen. An entry of 26 has been received, and each boy will shoot 12 targets, the best ten of which will count. WWW.RIFLEMAN.ORG.UK26 T H E R I F L E M A N Spring, 1946. Presentation of News of the World " Shooting Trophies at the Odeon Theatre, Guildford, on Friday, 11th January, 1946 Lt.-Col. J. W, Bowey, T.D. (O.C. 5th C/Bn. The Queen's Royal R e g i m e n t ) ; — Ladies and gentlemen. In 1944 that very good friend of good causes, the News of the World, suggested a shooting competition for the various Army Cadet Force Units throughout the country, and they offered the magnificent trophy which you see on your left as the prize. That prize was brought home to Guildford by yoim local Company, the " E " Company of the 5th Cadet Battalion, the Queen's Royal Regiment—(applause)—and in connection with that I must say they were expertly instructed by Sergeant-Major Stent. (Applause.) The trophy was shot for for the second time last year, and the Guildford Company again brought it home to Guildford. (Applause.) In the meantime the News of the World have put up a second trophy to be competed for by the counties of this country, the ten best teams in each county to count, and the County of Surrey had the distinction of winning that cup for the first time. (Applause.) That is the beautiful trophy you see on your ri^t. We had hoped that the Managing Director of the News of the World, Mr. Aldridge, would be here this evening to present the trophies, but unfortunately he has been taken ill, and theifc has stepped into the breach Lt.-Col. Sir Lionel Fletcher, C.B.E., who is chairman of the Society of Miniature Rifle Clubs. I will now ask Sir Lionel Fletcher to take charge and present these trophies. Lt.-Col. Sir Lionel Fletcher then presented the county trophy to Major Underhill, secretary. County of Surrey Cadet Committee, the team trophy to Captain Hesketh, O.C., " E " Company, 5th C/Bn. Queen's Royal Regiment, and replicas to the ten members of the team, and said :— It is with regret that I have to announce that Mr. H. H. Aldridge, the Managing Director of the News of the World, has been taken ill and is imable to attend. Therefore as Chairman of the Society of Miniature Rifle Clubs I am requested to take his place. For the second year in succession the Army Cadets of Guildford have won the National Company Team Championship of the whole of Britain. Last year there were over 500 teams of 10 selected after a first stage preliminary, involving up to 100 boys from each Company, a n d t h i s y e a r t h e r e h a v e b e e n 4 0 1 t e a m s u n d e r s i m i l a r c o n d i t i o n s shooting with a .22 rifle at 25 yards range. The competition is shot in three stages, and the final stage is shot under special witnesses. This year the winning score of the " E " Company, 5th Cadet Bn., The Queen's Royal Regiment, which wins the Company Cup and 10 silver replicas, was 981 out of a possible 1,000 points. This remarkable score was 7 points better than the second team, the No. 2 Company 2nd Bn. Sherwood Foresters. We are glad to report that the shooting in the whole'of the com petition throughout was better this year than last year, which was the first competition of this kind. Moreover, we were glad to note that the whole of the five teams concerned in the Final and witnessed Stage of this competition all improved on their Second Stage scores, which were not oflScially witnessed. As regards the winning team, their Final Stage scores were better by 12 points than their Second Stage score. Undoubtedly they have confirmed the town of Guildford on the top of the rifle shooting world. (Applause.) Besides the Company Team Competition, the proprietors of the News of the World decided to introduce a County Cup for the best ten Company team scores made in any county whose teams had earned their qualification to shoot in the second stage of the competition, and this County of Surrey was successful with the score of 9,150 out of a possible 10,000 points, with Yorkshire following close with a score of 9,120 and Middlesex third with 8,584 points. The News of the World have provided both the challenge trophies and the silver replica prize. The Army Cadets and the Society of Miniature Rifle Qubs are deeply grateful for such generous awards. (Applause.) Lt.-Col. Bowey :—Sergeant-Major Stent does not get a special cup ; I understand that Mrs. Stent says she now has no more room in the house for shooting trophies. (Laughter.) I will now ask Major Underhill to say a few words. Major Underhill (secretary County of Surrey Cadet Committee):— Ladies and gentlemen. It is my great pleasure to express and convey to the proprietors of the News of the World the gratitude of the County Cadet Committee and the Cadets of the County of Surrey for so generously providing such magnificent cups for competition. I should also like to thank the Society of Miniature Rifle Clubs and their most energetic secretary Mr. Pethard, and his Staff, for all the work which they have done in arranging, organising and conducting the competitions. May I also thank Lt.-Col. Sir Lionel Fletcher for coming down here and presenting these cups tonight. (Applause.) Lt.-Col. Bowey :—In conclusion, ladies and gentlemen, may I offer a hearty invitation to any young fellows in the audience between the ages of 14 and 18 to join the local Army Cadet Force. If you come down to the Drill Hall any Tuesday evening. Captain Hesketh will be pleased to see you, and you will learn not only mi itary training, shooting, signalling and have the opportunity of going to camp, but you will learn the duties of citizenship and join a first-class club. We shall be pleased to see any young fellows between 14 and 18 at the Drill Hall next Tuesday. In conclusion, ladies and gentlemen, may I thank you for your interest, and also the Mayor of Guildford and the other distinguished gentlemen on the stage. I should also like to thank our good friend, Mr. Beacham, whom we are delighted to see back in Guildford as manager of the Odeon. He has been a very good friend to us in the past, and it is owing to him that we are able, to stage this little ceremony this evening. Thank you very much. (Applause.) SPOTTING TELESCOPES The features of these screw- focus telescopes are 1. Sensitive focus 2. Critical defini t i o n a s a c o n sequence 3. Alignment of Telescope on the target not e a s i l y d i s turbed. Three models are available. Specifications :— Q u i c k - F o c u s Q u i c k - F o c u s Q u i c k - F o c u s ' • R i f l e m a n " " M a r k s m a n " " . 2 2 / 1 0 0 " M a g n i fi c a t i o n . . . X 2 0 d i a m s . X 2 3 d i a m s . X 2 5 F i e l d a t 1 0 0 y d s 1 0 f e b t 9 f e e t 9 f e e t L e n g t h f o c u s e d . . 2 5 i n c h e s 2 8 i n c h e s 2 7 I n c h e s L e n g t h c l o s e d . . . 1 2 i n c h e s I I I n c h e s I I i n c h e s O . g . d i a m e t e r . . . l i i n c h e s I f i n c h e s 2 i n c h e s Price . .. .. . £5 15s. Od. £7 IDs. Od. £10 lOs. Od. The same Telescopes are also available without screw-focus eyepieces, when the respective prices are £4 15s. Od. £6 6s. Od. £9 ^s.^Od. IMPROVED LENS AT TA C H M E N T , © ® @ ® ® d ) This is proving very popular owing to the following features :— Large lens-holder t(5). Provision for both clear lens (4) correcting firer's eyesight and " Chromes ' coloured glass filter (2). Easily removed without,interfering with the lens. 6-hole Eyepiece easily manipulated. (Part of Parker-Hale's PH.62.) C, Price of Attachment complete with 6-hoIe Eyepiece, £1 Is. Od. Price of " Chromos " filter with screw-ring, 6s. Price of clear lens 5s. or 7s. 6d, according to prescription. Price of " Chromos " lens to prescription IDs. or 12s. 6d. A L L t h e a b o v e g o o d s o b t a i n a b l e t h r o u g h t h e S . M . R . C . J. H. STEWARD LTD. O P T I C I A N S A N D S C I E N T I F I C I N S T R U M E N T M A K E R S , B y a p p o i n t m e n t t o 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 . 406, STRAND, LONDON, W.C.2. ESTABLISHED 1852. F o r S i g h t Te f t i n g A p p o m t m e n t s Te l e p h o n o T E M P L E B A R 1 8 6 7 . WWW.RIFLEMAN.ORG.UKSpring, 1946.T H E R I F L E M A N27 The Noise Problem on Rifle Ranges H O W W E S T H A M A N D D I S T R I C T R . C . O V E R C A M E L O C A L O B J E C T I O N S . Reprinted from " The Rifleman," September, 1935. ■ By Dr. J. Mekelburg, Hon. Sec. A PROBLEM which is likely to prove most difhcult for outdoor clubs is that of eliminating the noise caused by the firing of small-bore rifles. We at West Ham have had to deal with it, and an account of our difficulties and the manner in which we overcame them might be of some assistance to other clubs placed in the same predicament. At the outset I must explain that our range is situated in a thickly populated area, but has only recently been enlarged to 100 yards from 25 yards. The 25 yards range has been in existence for nearly 25 years on a portion of the ground now occupied. In arranging the normal times for shooting the C o m m i t t e e h a d i n m i n d t w o f a c t o r s : fi r s t l y, t h e convenience of the members, and secondly, the convenience of our neighbours, for it was realised that s h o o t i n g a t l a t e h o u r s m i g h t b e a n a n n o y a n c e t o others. Following on a week of intensive shooting several letters appeared in the local press complaining of the noise made by the shooting. Unfortunately the writers of the letters had not made themselves fully acquainted with the fact^, and a wrong impression could have been acquired from the letters. The letters were replied to and the Committee set to work to reduce the noise. But where to start ? The firing-point has a corrugated galvanised iron roof and it was thought that the roof helped to accentuate the reports from the rifles. This was proved to be wrong by the directly behind the butts or firing-point, very few coming from other areas. This explained our members' difficulty and indicated that our neighbours were actually hearing twice as many reports as shots that were being fired. From these obsertations it became obvious o TUNNELS IN POSITION, SEEN FROM THE FIRING POINT. Dr. Mekelburg, the author, is seen (n the foreground. following experiment. Observers stationed at the butts end noted no difference in the report of the rifle when fired from well inside the covered firing-point and from about 25 yards outside the firing-point. This showed that the roof was riot the primary cause for the noise being so accentuated. A member, residing about half a mile from the range, had always been mystified when he came to the range to find only about half as many members there as he had expected from the noise that he heard at his home. This set up another line of investigation. Was it not possible that our firing was increased by echoes ? Both at the butt ends and well behind the firing-point there are some very high buildings. Now sound travels in a spherical direction from its emanating source. Some of the sound waves would therefore strike the buildings at the butts end, be reflected to the buildings behind the firing point and then again travel down the range. It was note worthy" that the complaints received were mostly from areas either T U N N E L S I N P O S I T I O N S E E N F R O M T H E R A N G E . at what had to be done was to try and absorb as m u c h o f t h e n o i s e a t i t s s o u r c e a s w a s p o s s i b l e . But how ? It was suggested by Mr. R. G. Mudd that our problem might be solved by the acoustic department of the National Physical Laboratory at Teddington, and he arranged an appointment for Mr. Traies of the I.C.I. Ltd. and myself. We received a very sympathetic reception and were shown several experiments dealing with the question of sound e l i m i n a t i o n . I n t h e r e v e r b e r a t i o n r o o m w e w e r e shown that a sound which normally did not die down for 17 seconds was considerably diminished by exposing to one side of the room an area of sound absorbing material. In this case it was " glass w ool . " T he n ex t ex periment we saw was one whereby a ringing electric bell was gradually intro duced into a long tunnel lined with a sound absorbing material. This experiment was most striking, for when the bell was only about 18 inches in the turmel 75 per cent of the ringing was not audible, and when it reached the end of the tunnel, 8 feet long, we had to listen carefully to hear it at all. With this experiment still fresh in my mind I constructed a tunnel 4 feet long and 11 inches square at the ends and lined it with three pounds of cotton-wool, and tried it out the following day, with amazing results. The noise was reduced at the firing point to the equivalent of an air gun 1 The use of this experimental tunnel, however, showed us another noise factor which had not previously been detected. Our stop-butt is constructed of <S-inch steel plates, and with the use of the tunnel a distinct " ring ""could be heard from the impact of the bullet. This had not been observed in the original experiment when we had been at the butts end and firing had taken place from in and outside the firing- point. ... The tuimels, therefore, were a practical proposition. The next problem was the kind of sound absorbing material to use. Cotton wool is a very good absorber of sound, but was obviously not suitable as the experimental tuimel had caught fire ! WWW.RIFLEMAN.ORG.UKNext >