The evening times., 1898-09-05
sMooTH-BoRE RIFLES.
An Opinion That They Are Not So
Very Accurate.
(From Shooting anI Fishing)

rom SItGllL- anu t-lllilS
In our impression of last week we
printed 4 summary Of several Of the
important matches at the great English
rifle meeting at BisIey, England. par
ticular reference being made 70 the
Queens prize match. This great match
has three stages: The first calls Tor seven
shots at each 200 5Gt and 500 yards, pos
sible 1J5. The second stage calls for ten
shots at $40 yards and fifteen AT 800 yadds.
possible rs. or a grand total at both
stages Of 30 BESIDES the first and Sec
ond stages is final stage. eligible TO
those who have found place in the first
and second stages, loo in number. This
final stage calls for ten shots at each
$40. go and 1.0)J yards.
Those familiar with rifle shooting may
understand the skill necessary 10 find
a place among the prize winners in this
match. An English rifieman is justly
proud to find a place in the first and sec
ond stages and is regarded as a hero
if he can hold that place in the hnaI
stage We know of no severer test ot
rifle craftsmanship in the world than
TO excel in this match The prizes are
rich and the honors great for success,
and consequently the superior marksmen
of Great Britain and her dependencies
struggle for supremacy. In this match
are over Coo prizes.
American rifemen may judge of the i'm
portance of this match when We state that
this year there were LIB entries and in
the first stage there were fired in the
match and sighting shots 1882 shots; in
the second stage, 500 shots; in the third
stage. $3.50 shots. a total in the Queens
match of 81. 992 shots The winner Of the
first place was Lieut.. Yates, and he won
gold medal a gold badge and $3.50. His
score at the first stage was % out of a
possible los: second stage, 119 out of a
possible 125; third stage. 116 out of a pos
sible 80. Grand total SO out of a-possi-
BILE $50.
The council Of the National Rifle Aszo-
ciatiOn, in view of the supposed increased
accuracy at long ranges of the new small
bore English national military rifle ex-
tended the range in the final stage Of the
| Queens match to include 1C00 yariE
Those who are studying the work of the
new small-bOres at various ranges will
scan very closely the work done at BisIey.
particularly at the goo and 1000 Yards
Lieut.. Yates. the winner scored 50 out OF
a possible 80 at 900 yards. and % out of ~
at 1000 yards He missed the target four
times at these two ranges. and Sergt
Handofrd, the second man. who led by
two points at the close Of the SO0-vari
shooting, missed the target at the last
two ranges six times. 1t is interesting
also to study the scores of the prize win
ners az 800 and loco yards. Out of a pos
sible 30 but one contestant scored as high
as IL, and one only scored 40, three scored
81. and the remainder below that At
800 yards one man scored 49, one 70 three
Al, one 40. and the remainder below that
Pondering over these figures which We
regard as the best test of the new small
bore rifle and smoke ess powder that has
yet been made anywhere in the world
we assume that the rifles and ammuni-
ton shot at Bisley fairly represent the
htSheSt development of these types Of
arms and ammunition Viewed from the
points of range and accuracy alone il
seems to us that by diminished recoil
and reduction of fOuling a little greater
accuracy IS secured UP TO 500 yards but
beyond that the gain is little or nothing
over the old rifles Cf larger bore and with
black powder. We are mindful OF the ad-
vantages OF the new munitions and can
foresee that they have come to stay. on
the whole the gain is secured by the new
small-bore rifle and smokeleSS powder
| but at the same time We think the
! Bisley meeting has shown that the hys-
| tericai calm of greatly increased accu-
| rate range secured by the new rifle and
ammunition is not realized.