The Sun.
London, England, 1864-09-09 00:00:00

National Rifle Association.

The Secretary of the National Rifle Association
presents his compliments to the Editor of The Sun,
and will feel greatly obliged by his inserting the
accompanying amended rules of " Rifle Trial" in
the columns of his paper.

, East, Sept. 8, 1864.

CONDITIONS FOR COMPETITIVE TRIAL
OF RIFLES FOR 1865.
I. The annual competitive trial of rifles shall take
place at Woolwich, commencing at 11 o'clock a.m.,
on the 22d of November next.
11. Each competitor shall furnish six complete
rifles of precisely similar description.
111. The conditions as to bore, weight, pull of
trigger, stucks, sights, shall be as follows :
A. Bore—Minimum, 451.
B. Weight—Maximum, 101 b. The barrels and
stocks not to be weighed separately.
C. Length of barrel, 33 inches.
D. Pull of Trigger—Minimum, 61b.
E. Stocks—Half-stocked. All the barrels of any
one set of rifles may be fired from the same stock.
F. Sights—Regulation Enfield, but so arranged
as to admit of any other sights being subsequently
fitted to the rifles.
IV. Any person intending to compete shall, on or
before the 22d of October next, pay an entrance fee
of £lO, and shall at the same time sign a letter to
the secretary in the annexed form accepting the
conditions of competition as here laid down. Each
competitor may enter more than one description of
rifle, subject to these regulations and to the payment
of an additional entrance fee of £lO for each addi-
tional set of rifles.
V. The rifles shall be delivered at the office of the
association before 11 o'clock a.m. on the 21st of
November, and shah he tested and examined be-
tween the hours of 12 and 5 p.m. on that day, in
presence of the council, by the superintendent of
the Royal Small Arms Factory. The rifles deli•
vered by any competitor will not be accepted with-
out the certificate of such superintendent that the
conditions Noe. 11, and 111. have been complied
with by each competitor.
VI. Each competitor shall, previous to the trial,
fill up and sign the annexed paper, stating the par-
ticulars of his rifle and ammunition, and the price
of the rifle.
VII The charge and ammunition used by the
competitor at the trial shell be the same in all re.
spects as stated by him in such paper.
VIII. The price of the rifle shall in no case ex-
ceed £2O, and shall include the cost of a disc aper-
ture back-sight with Vernier scale, and a covered
slot foresight with graduated lateral adjustment.
The rifles must admit of these sights being fitted to
them.
IX. Three rifles of each set shall be taken indis-
criminately for trial, and these shall be numbered
from one to three.
The rifles shall be tried in the order in which
they are numbered.
X. The order of shooting shall be determined by
lot to be drawn by the secretary, not less than 15
days previous to the 22d of November. A letter
will be assigned accordingly to each competitor for
each set of rifles delivered by him. Notice will be
given to each competitor of the letter drawn for
him.

XI. Letter A, rifle No. 1, shall commence the
trial; letter B, rifle No. 1 will then be taken, and
so on in succession ; and after the rifles No. 1 have
been fired, then rifles No. 2 will be fired, commenc-
ing with letter A.
The firing shall be continued from day to dny
with the letter and number next in order after the
rifle last fired on the previous day.
XII. The rifles shall be fired from fixed mecha-
nical rests. Government rests shall be assigned by
lot to such competitors who do not bring their own.*
XIII. Each competitor shall be responsible for
the adjustment, fitting, and general condition of the
rest used by him during the trial.
Each competitor shall either be present to fire his
rifles, or shall appoint a representative to do so,
XIV. The distance fired at shall be 1,000 yards.
Eight trial shots shall be allowed for each rifle
before the 30 competitive shots are fired.
Thirty competitive shots shall be fired consecn•
tively from each rifle.
XV. No cleaning during the 30 competitive shots
shall be allowed.
XVI. The diagrams giving the mean radial de-
viation and taken as at the School of Musketry, at
Hythe, shall decide the figure of merit of the rifles.
XVII. The description of rifle that gives the best
figure of merit shall be selected as the one with
which the Queen's prize, second stage, shall be cora-
-1 peted for at the ensuing prize meeting of the As-

sociation.
XVIII. The figure of merit determining the best
description of the rifle shall be the average of the
three rifles of one description.
XIX. No mechanically fitting leading rods shall
be used.
XX. Competitors may use the clinometer to take
the angle of elevation, which shall be recorded by
an officer appointed for that purpose. The clinometer
may also be used to readjust the angle of elevation
during trial, but only in presence of this officer, and
with a sanction of a member of the council, or some
person appointed by the council.
XXI. No telescope shall be used by comp
or etitors
spectators after the trial shots.
Competitors shall either he present them-
selves or appoint some ono tobe present at the target
when the diagrams are taken off. They or their
representatives shall sign the diagram, which shall
also be countersigned by the secretary, or by some
person appointed by the council.
XXIII. The secretary shall select one of the
three successful rifles to be kept by the council as
a pattern arm.
XXIV. The successfe
ul
eseocompcautitor sh
b all be re-
quired to suppl h
y to titien, y the Ist of
May, 1865, 60 rifics which bhall in every respect be
Aimilar to the pattern arm, except that they are