THE SERVICE OF Q.F. GUNS IN COAST DEFENCE. 
487 
Shooting depends 
greatly on Setters 
judgement and 
skill in 
manipulating 
sight. 
sights at night by the light of bull’s-eye lanterns ‘ is not practical or 
convenient.’ It was found that after a little training the setters were 
able to set their sights without looking at them , with considerable ac¬ 
curacy. 
The para ends :—“ By this means the rate of fire is considerably in¬ 
creased and independent fire could become the normal method, even 
without automatic sights, for well-trained men.” 
Method in use This plan of allowing the Setter to range the gun 
in the Royal and keep the elevation correct by watching the tar- 
Navy ' get and turning the sight up or down as the shots 
fall short or over, has been in use in the Royal Navy for several years, 
to the writer’s knowledge. 
By this method of ranging it will be remarked that 
no use is made of the yard scale on the tangent sight 
(after the first round) but the Setter puts up ‘ about 
as much as he thinks will do,’ much as the Eliza¬ 
bethan gunner did. It is a question whether our 
Setters, with the small amount of practice they get 
with service ammunition—aiming rifle practice would be apt to lead 
their judgment astray—could be brought to the necessary pitch of 
training, without some mechanical aid, for adjusting the sight without 
seeing it. 
object and Before having read the Report of the School of Gun- 
description of Aid nery, the writer, thinking over this question, had de- 
to sight-setting vised a simple means of giving the Setter an idea of 
during rapid fire. p ow muc h Scale he is puttillg Up. 
The device is merely to introduce into the sight socket a “click” 
arrangement, consisting of a blunt chisel point which is kept pressed by 
a spring against the toothed rack of the tangent sight bar. The point 
is so shaped as to jump over the teeth of the rack whether the sight is 
raised or lowered, and when it is, does so, and there is a 1 snap ’ easily 
perceptible and audible to the Setter. 
The tangent scale for the first round is set at the range in yards as 
estimated or otherwise obtained, but afterwards it is not proposed to 
use the yard scale at all. 
The proceedure would be as follows : — 
The Setter stands so that he can reach the wheel of 
the sight, and watches the group officer; he turns 
the sight up or down through one or more notches according to the 
signals or orders given by that officer. 
and proposed The gun group commander, observing the splashes, 
modification motions with his hand up or down, according as the 
of drill. sight is to be raised or lowered, the number of move¬ 
ments indicating the number of notches to be passed over. At night, 
orders, such as “ Up one,” “ Down two,” would take the place of signals. 
It is claimed for this system that— 
(1).—It retains the control of the fire in the hands 
Advantages Q f Gun Group Commander, instead of allowing 
pro'^sed f system. Setters to do the ranging of their guns, as would be 
the case in independent fire. 
Method of use 
