172 
SHOOTING OF COAST ARTILLERY. 
Nature of 
gun. 
Case one. 
To load, run up, lay and fire. 
To load only. 
Average time. 
Maximum time. 
Average time. 
Maximum time. 
f9-inch R.M.L. 
10 „ 
11 „ 
6 „ B.L. 
9*2 H H 
10 „ 
1 min. 10 sec. 
1 min. 20 sec. 
1 min. 30 sec. 
2 min. 
2 min. 
1 min. 15 sec. 
1 min. 30 sec. 
1 min. 45 sec. 
1 min. 
1 min. 45 sec. 
1 min. 45 sec. 
0 min. 23 sec. 
1 min. 19 sec. 
] min. 10 sec. 
0 min. 25 sec. 
0 min. 50 sec. 
0 min. 60 sec. 
Then as to the actual shooting : — 
The -figure of merit , or qualification of a company as to its shooting 
should clearly be made upon the results of the shooting, as to time 
and accuracy, and upon nothing else. 
It seems highly illogical to mix up, in any system or competitive 
prize firing, the appraising of a company by marks, (given or taken 
away,) for its so called “ fire discipline.” 
For “ fire discipline,” after all, whatever we may actually take it to 
mean, is simply one of the means leading up to the end i.e., the results 
obtained. 
The existing system in which this is done is not only illogical, but 
it is very unsatisfactory, for the amount of marks given or taken away 
for it by different umpires vary much with the individual judgment 
and ideas of the umpire. 
Whereas the evaluating of a company solely by the results of its 
shooting can not vary with any personal idea of an umpire, but de¬ 
pends solely on the efficiency in shooting of the company firing, as 
shown by the results, and upon the accuracy of the recorded data, by 
which we determine exactly what those results are in each case. 
There might of course be errors in the records, but they would be 
errors of fact, or of judging, and not of judgment, and would pro¬ 
bably be common to all the series fired. 
Before the element of time was introduced into the results by which 
credits were gained at competitive prize firing, there was a certain 
amount of ground for marks being given for so called “ fire discipline,” 
for the element of time was introduced into the latter; even then, 
however, it was introduced in one of the means towards good practice 
results, (as to time and accuracy,) and not in the results themselves, 
and so was faulty. 
It appears advisable that the “ drill series” of the existing system 
of competitive prize firing, (for the purpose of adjudging the value of 
a company in shooting,) should now altogether be abandoned. 
Not that the so called “ fire discipline ” should in any way be under¬ 
valued, as a most necessary means to an end, but the means should 
not be mixed up with the end itself. 
Fire discipline should be much more thoroughly carried out and 
much more severely judged than it is at present. 
That is to say, the fire discipline of a company judged, (irrespective 
of the shooting of the company towards which it is a means,) in the 
same way as any other points of discipline and drill are judged, e.g. :— 
