The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-02-25
camp Perry is PopuIar .

Camp Perry Is Popular.
 The decision of the National Board for the Promotion of Rifle Practice to hold the next annual matches on the Ohio State range, at Camp Perry, on Lake Erie, has met with substantially unanimous approval. The matches will begin August 26. and will be pre-. ceded by the matches of the National Rifle Association, which will begin. probably, August 19. All matches VIII be shot with the Krag rifles, and the Board ruled that any machtne-made ammunition manufactured in this coun- try will be admissible under certain conditions.
 There was considerable discussion as
 to the place for holding the matches, but no difference of opinion. The
 Board held that as far as possible the
 matches should be shot in different parts of the country where suitable ranges could be procured At least
 forty-five targets should be available at each range, and the Ohio range will
 have fifty. General Critchfield assured
 the Board the contracts had all been let, and the range would be completed
 by May l. The question of whether
 the matches Of the National Rifle As-
 sociation should precede or follow the national match shot under the auspices of the National Board. has been a sub
 ject of discussion among rifemen since
 the last match at sea GlFt
 There has been some complaint from team captains that when the National Rifle Association matches come first
 they must enter them or their teams do not get practice. At the same time, it is realized that if the National Rifle Association matches are shot last. the attendance would not be nearly so
 good. It was therefore decided that the National Rifle Association matches should come first but that during the two days immediately preceding the national matches, the range should be open to preliminary team practice Dy teams entered for the national match. Team captains will notify the executive officer at what ranges and times they desire to practice. and arrangements will be made accordingly The matches of the Ohio State Rife Association will be held about the same time.
 The KraR to Re Used.
 The decision that the Krag shall be used instead of the new Springfield will interest the entire National Guard. Everyone believes the National Guard and the army should be armed with the same weapons as far as possible. but in the absence of legislation 1t was thought out of the question to arm the militia in time for adequate practice with the new Springfield Consequent Iy. if that weapon had been adopted it might have been charged that certain States which are equipping themselves with it, had been unduly favored. The army is using 1t, but 1t has demonstrat- ed that it can also shoot the Krag with accuracy. It was therefore thought best to use the Krag in the matches this year.
 The ruling to admit ammunition of private manufacture will be very pleas ing to most marksmen, as 1t will give them choice hitherto inhibited. The Board has always held that so far as ammunition and weapons are concern
 ed. service conditions should prevail. but as the government is purchasing
 some ammunition from private manu-
 lecturers in the United States which
 will be used in target practice and as in time of war, this ammunition would
 be very extensively used by our troops,
 1t should be admitted in the national matches.
 Naturally. the teams wish to use in practice the ammunition they will shoot in the matches. and the fact that government aRssnunition exclusively was used in these matches prevented them from buying much ammunition for outside practice; at the same time, as any ammunition was admitted to nearly every other match, some of the marksn1en were using different makes
 of ammunition at different times. to the confusion of many. Finally the
 Board thought that Ihdnu1aclurers Wno
 prepared the necessary machinery, to
 furnish ammunition in time of war
 should be encouraged by being given
 something of a market in time of
 peace. Those desiring to shoot private
 ammunition in the national matches
 will therefore. notify the War Depart
 ment prior to March 15, specifying the
 make and the number of rounds want
 ed for preliminary practice, which will
 be issued and charged against the
 States appropriation The State team
 will then shoot the same kind of aIn-
 intuition In the national matches. the
 ammunition being issued by the Ord
 nance Department at the firing point
 to the competitor.