186 
SHOOTING OF COAST ARTILLERY. 
APPENDIX III. 
Comparison of some practice under the present and proposed systems. 
The table below shows :— 
(1) . The average results of the competitive firing of 1897-98 at 
Malta, all being from Fort A. 
(2) . Eesults of the firing of one company, the best so far, from 
Fort A in 1898, under the new system of company practice (i.e., com¬ 
petitive prize firing). 
In both cases the guns used were 6" B.L., on H.P. mountings. 
Table Q. 
Practices. 
No. of rounds 
fired. 
Time in which 
fired. 
No. of hits.* 
Hits per gun 
per minute. 
Range instru¬ 
ment used. 
Average 
range. 
1 
96 
86* 
64* 
0-167 
D.R.F. 
1837 
2 
26 
7* 
16* 
0-616 
D.R.F. 
2108 
APPENDIX IV. 
Introduction of reward of shooting by company badges. 
When in 1885, I took over the command of the military forces of 
South Australia as their commandant, I found that their rifle shooting 
was very inferior in quality to what I had expected and to what they 
themselves judged it to be. 
Their infantry forces, principally a paid Militia (i.e. practially paid 
according to the number of days called out) but consisting also partly 
of bodies of volunteers proper, were supposed by themselves and their 
public, to be at least excellent shots, and one had, before arrival there 
heard so much of their rifle-shooting that one was, until one went 
thoroughly into the matter, inclined to take the universal idea as 
correct. 
As soon however as it was possible to acquire sufficiently reliable 
statistics on the subject, it became evident that all had been labouring 
under entirely false impressions as to their shooting powers. 
Deceived as our volunteers in England at one time were, by the fact 
that there were amongst them a tolerable proportion of excellent shots, 
who showed up at every rifle contest possible, it was imagined that 
these good shots were but a sample and specimen of the remainder, 
i.e. of the large majority of their forces, whether militia or volunteer. 
As a fact they were not so but quite exceptions, for this remainder, 
i.e. the greater part of the men, shot badly, and it evidently was 
necessary to take every possible step to increase their efficiency in 
this respect. 
* At an imaginary “ Record ” target in both cases. Ricochet hits = 
