168 
SHOOTING OF COAST ARTILLERY. 
they were in the direction in which, in this paper, improvements are 
proposed for the Coast Artillery. The mounted branches have only 
been brought in incidentally and no further allusion will be made to 
them. 
7. Defects in the present system. 
With regard then to the Coast Artillery, the two principal defects 
of the system, as originally established, and which are now patent to 
us all, are :— 
(D. 1.) That the factor “ rapidity of fire ” is practically absent, 
though within the last year a modification has been made which brings 
it in slightly and tentatively. 
(D. 2.) And that a company is judged, not by its practice on many 
occasions or throughout the whole, but by that of a single day only. 
There are no doubt, many other minor disadvantages, some of which 
are* :— 
“ A C.O. is induced to train his men more with a view to their 
“ doing well at competitive practice than to their rendering a good 
“ account of a hostile vessel.” 
That is to say, efficiency in shooting is sacrificed for success in 
shooting under limited artificial conditions, in many ways not resem¬ 
bling those of actual service. 
“ One method only of range-finding, the D.R.F. being used forcom- 
“ petitive practice; other methods are, more or less, sacrificed to it.” 
It might be said more strongly, that they are very often completely 
sacrificed to it. 
“ During his preliminary course of training, a company C.O. has a 
“ great deal to teach his men—is it to be wondered at that, when fire 
“ discipline is taken in hand, the P.F. is shirked in view of competitive 
“ practice, and all available time given to the D.R.F.” 
“ One day makes or mars a company. It is classed and judged by 
“ its competitive firing (of a single day), sufficient importance is 
“ therefore not attached to the remainder of its annual practice, includ- 
“ ing shooting with P.F.” 
The B.C. is at competitive, and still more so at other service practice, 
burdened with much detail work which would not fall to his share, 
under service conditions. 
There are many other smaller disadvantages which might be men¬ 
tioned, but the above are quite sufficient to show that a change is 
necessary if we wish to progress, even in other things besides in 
rapidity of fire. As the father, more or less, of the existing system, 
it will be evident that I can speak freely, and without prejudice. 
8. Existing arrangements as to distribution of practice 
AMMUNITION. 
Before entering upon an account of the important modifications it 
is proposed to introduce, it is necessary to explain, shortly, how the 
ammunition allotted to a station, for the annual practice is now dis¬ 
tributed. 
* The sentences shown as extracts are taken from a very useful paper in R.A.I. “ Proceedings ** 
Vol. XXIII., No. 12, 1896, by Major (now Lieut.-Coionel) P. Saltmarshe, R,A, 
