70 
OKEHAMPTON EXPERIENCES, 1893 . 
were placed in echelon at eight different ranges. The total time in 
action was 19 minutes, during which 69 rounds were fired and 62 
dummies hit out of 86. 
The time each target was under fire was estimated to be the same as 
infantry would have taken to advance from one to the other. 
They were certainly not too long, as on the day of the field firing 
the infantry took from 50 minutes to an hour doing the same distance. 
Drill. 
The new drill was much liked. The relief of the No. 1 of laying 
worked very well. He was able to look after his detachment better, 
and when casualties occurred, could see that they were replaced without 
delaying the service of the gun. This was especially noticeable at the 
experiment on the 29th June, when it was found necessary to relieve 
the layers after 50 rounds. Also when the “ deliberate ” method was 
employed, it was a great advantage having the Nos. 1 left with the 
guns, and more than compensated for the disadvantage, that on these 
occasions the gun-layer knew the target before the Nos. 1. 
With reference to this, it is interesting to note that the first nation 
to relieve their No. 1 of laying were the French, and they did it under 
the first Napoleon, when they probably had more experience of war than 
any one else. Both they and the Germans have gone a step further 
than we have, as their No. 1 only acts gun captain. 
A minor difficulty of the new drill was that of No. 4, encumbered as 
he is with a sight, taking down the portable magazine. It is hoped 
that, as soon as the question of carrying the magazine is definitely 
settled, he will be relieved of this duty. Undoubtedly the best place 
for the portable magazine is on the gun carriage, if they can be carried 
there without entailing much extra weight, if not, they must be on a 
shelf at the back of the limber. The drawback to the limber is, that 
in the hurry of action it nearly invariably happens that at least one or 
two are carried away on the limbers, and if the supply is from the 
wagons, a gunner has to run some distance to fetch them. 
Equipment. 
There were few casualties to the equipment. The setting of the 
tangent scales is still a cause of many errors, and complaints were 
frequent that the clamp was unhandy and the marking coarse. The 
extreme difficulty of setting them accurately, between hundreds of 
yards, is, however, probably the reason of most errors. It would be a 
great advantage if the sight radius could be made sufficiently long to 
allow of every 25 yards being marked on the tangent scale for all ranges 
over 1500 yards. There is certainly the objection of the long tangent 
scale, but even if the fore sight were put at the muzzle, the present T 
scale would be long enough for ranges up to 3500 yards, and beyond 
that there are Scotts J sights and clinometers to fall back on. 
From India, also, the same thing is heard. Thus, Colonel Murdoch, 
in his report on Muridki, remarks, “All batteries but one gave 
elevation in degrees and minutes, the reason given being that hundreds 
of yards are not subdivided. The tangent scales are only marked in 
hundreds of yards; they certainly should have 25 yards marked on 
them,” 
