144 
OKEHAMPTON EXPERIENCES, 1892 . 
“ yard ” graduation not only does away with the trouble of teaching 
gunners to read the vernier, but obviates the necessity for range tables. 
A tangent sight with every hundred yards marked in figures was 
tried. Also, a new foresight with a single blade substituted for the 
cross-wires. Both were much liked by the batteries using them. 
Case Shot Pockets. 
Case shot pockets of two kinds—leather and steel—were fitted on 
the side of the trail, with the view that every gun may always have 
two rounds of case ready for an emergency. 
Some 4 ft. 7 in. wheels were sent down to Okehampton for trial. 
Of course, from being lower they increase the stability of: the carriage 
and decrease its weight by about 100 lbs. The difference in draught 
was not apparent, but theoretically it must exist. 
These few notes, though not very full of detail, will give some idea of 
the efforts that are being made to respond to the wishes of the Regi¬ 
ment, and to show the direction in which improvement is being sought. 
(Cheers.) 
DISCUSSION, 
Colonel Bainbridge —Before any discussion takes place on tlie lecture to 
which we have been listening, I should be glad if Captain Blunt would tell us 
the result of this year’s practice. 
Captain Blunt —The average ranges for the last four years have been 2200, 
2300, and 2200 again; there is not very much difference in that. The average 
time in action has been steadily diminishing. In 1889 it was 17 mins.; in 
1890, 12 mins. 11 secs.; in 1891, 11 mins. 57 secs.; in 1892, 8 mins. 3 secs. 
The rate of tire has, on the other hand, been steadily increasing from 1'2, 1*7, to 
2'15 and 2’6 rounds per minute. That, of course, includes all the ranging 
rounds, and it includes the fire at every sort of target. The rate of ordinary fire 
in rounds per minute was this year, for all the batteries, 4'01 rounds per minute. 
This is the first year, I think, that it has been taken. The six-gun batteries 
averaged 4'2 rounds per minute, and the four-gun batteries averaged 3*4 rounds 
per minute. They neither of them got up to the result of one round per gun 
per minute, which is what one aims at in ordinary fire. The Germans, I believe, 
in ordinary fire, fire about 7 rounds per minute in the battery—that is, of course, 
better than one round per gun. The hits per shell have steadily decreased. In 
1889 they were 3T ; then they went to 2'08 ; then they went to P5 ; however, 
now we have got back to 2*3, something between 1889 and 1890. The casualties 
per shell in the same way have steadily diminished, the figures being *831, *806, 
*697 ; but this year, whether by the arrangement of the targets or for whatever 
other reason, we have made a jump, and got to '91 of a man killed for every shell 
fired. The targets, I think, have been rather bigger; I know the average size 
of each target this year is just about 60 ; that is to say, for each series fired there 
have been about 60 dummies put up to be shot at. The percentage of the target 
destroyed per minute has been steadily going up ; it was 2T7 in 1889 ; 2'9 in 
1890 ; 3*43 in 1891 ; and 3*65 in 1892. 
