The Sun.
London, England, 1864-01-15 00:00:00

RIFLE CONFERENCE.

The third and concluding meeting of this conference was
held yesterday, and was well attended. Lieut.. Col. Halford
(Leicestershire Wolunteers) presided, in place of the Duke
of Wellington, who was prevented by an imperative engage-
ment from attending. Mr. Rigby, of the Dublin Rifle Club,
read a paper upon the proper conditions of rifle matches.
Mr. Melford, of Clifton, next read a paper upon the same
subject, in which he condemned the proposal to handicap
men as unjust and injurious. If all were brought down to
a dead level of mediocrity, the final result would be left en-
tirely to chance, and a deterioration in the general quality
of rifle shooting would follow the practical exclusion of the
best men from matches. The handicapping of weapons, as
the Enfield against the small bore, was also objectionable,
if not impossible. Mr. Parsons (lion. Artillery Company)
followed with a paper, in which he suggested an arrange-
ment of prizes into three classes for various degrees of skill
in the competitors. Capt. Tyrrell deprecated handicapping
of either men or weapons, but recommended that prizes
should be less in amount and greater in number. As to the
nature of the prizes he believed a majority of the competi-
tors would prefer hard cash, but the best plan would he to
give either money or an object of equal value, as the win-
ner might elect. Mr. Thornby thought that handicapping
would be a mistake. Capt. M'Gregor read a letter from
Lord Ducie, in which an opinion was expressed that the
small-bore weapon now used in matches was useless as a
warlike weapon. Capt. 111‘Gregor proposed a scheme for
dividing competitors at rifle matches into three classes, the
National Rifle Association to give to certain prizes the cha-
racter of first or second class. In the course of the general
discussion an unanimous opinion was expressed against any
system of handicapping, although one gentleman suggested
hat upon the ground of expediency, and to maintain the
financial success of rifle meetings, some modification of the
present system must be adopted. An increase in the num-
ber of prizes, and a diminution in their value, was also ad-
mitted to bo desirable, £3O being regarded as the highest
sum that should be given at any ordinary meeting as one
prize. The question of telescopic and aperture sights evoked
much remark, and considerable diversity appeared to pre-
vail as to their relative merits, and to the propriety of their
being used at all. Col. Rutley and Mr. Collette, of the Ist
Middlesex Artillery, urged the claims of carbines as a
match weapon, the latter gentleman stating that with his
own ammunition the carbine made as good practice at short
ranges as the Enfield. Captain Page announced that the
National Rifle Association intended giving a prize for
carbine shooting at Wimbledon this year. The chairman
having briefly summed up the results of the discussion, and
congratulated those present upon the success of the confer-
ence, which he was sure would be of great benefit, the pro-
ceedings were then brought to a close by a vote of thanks
to the Council of King's College and the contributors of the
various papers,