The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-05-05 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION.

The preliminary prize list for the forthcoming
annual meeting at Wimbledon has been issued by the
National Rifle Association. There are very few
alterations from the list of last year, but what few
there are denote a continued disposition on the part of
the council to encourage beginners and hitherto un-
successful competitors rather than crack shots.

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An entirely new competition, for £lOO in 52 prizes,
to be called "the Tyro," will be open to all efficient
volunteers except those who have won a prize at any
of the meetings of the association.

The Nursery aggregate for £l5O, in 50 prizes, will be
open to competitors who have never been in the
Queen's Sixty, and the scores which will count will be
those made in the Alfred, the Glen Albyn, and the
St. George's.
Increased encouragement is also given to volunteers
who excel in the military positions by offering a new
prize, to be called "the Bodine,' presumably as a
complimeiat to Colonel Bodine, of the American
National Rifle Association. It will be shot for stand-
ing at 200 yards with military breechloaders during
the meeting, not more than two entries each day.
The Alfred will again be at 200 yards standing.
The Mullen's prize has by the liberality of Mr. J. A.
Mullens, and an addition of £5O by the Association,
been increased from aloo to £253. This series of
prizes will be competed for at moving targets, at
unknown distances.

The Brinemead Challenge Shield will be shot for at
disappearing targets, and it is to be observed with
respect to both these prizes that ricochet hits will
count as clean hits. A ricochet shot is one where the
bullet strikes the ground before it hits the target.
Formerly these shots counted nothing in the score, but
as the tendency of all musketry firing is to aim too
high, and as a ricochet hit would kill a man as surely
as a clean hit, it is quite fair that-such hits should
score. The targets are to be red and black to repre-
sent a soldier, but as scarlet is soon to be superseded
by grey, it might be askel whether the targets should
not be of the new colour.

One of the great attractions of the meeting will be
the international military match between the British
Volunteers and the Nati3nal Guard of the United
States of America, which it is proposed shall be shot
for in uniform under the following conditions :—Teams
of 12 a aide, seven shots at 200, 500, and 600 yards on
one day, and seven at 800, 900, and 1,000 on another
day. The positions to 'be—standing at 200 yards, prone
or Bitting at 500 and 600, and any position at the other
ranges.

The yeomanry have this year for the first time been
admitted as competitors for the Queen's prize, and
they will also shoot amongst themselves with the
snider cavalry carbine for a series of prises at 500
yards, eight men from each regiment. The prize will
be a Challenge Cup.

The preliminary prize lists, with several additions,
will be submitted to the members at the spring general
meeting, which will be held at the Royal United
Service Institution, on the 28th of May, at three
o'clock, and not on the 22nd of May, as previously
announced.

The programme, will, as usual, be issued.soon after
the spring general meeting.