The Victoria University .303 rifle club was founded with the object of encouraging and fostering interest in outdoor rifle-shooting.

What then is rifle-shooting? It is a science, the study of a lifetime in which you may exhaust yourself but never your subject. It is a contest, a duel, or a melee, calling for skill, strategy, and self-control. It is a test of temper and a trial of honour requiring a pride of craftsmanship and demanding both mental and physical ability.

Shooting is over five different ranges—300, 400, 600, 800 and 900 yards, during a season which extends from October to May, using No. 4 and SMLE rifles, with aperture sights as issued by the army.

Target dimensions are increased as the ranges become greater, but are not proportionate. The 300 yards target is 4 feet square with a 37-inch radius bullseye. At 500 and 600 yards it is 6 feet square with 7 1/2-inch radius bullseve, and at 800. 900 and also 1000 yards it is 10 feet wide and 6 feet high, with a 15-inch radius bullseye.

It calls for considerable precision to constantly hit the bullseye at these ranges under wind conditions which may move the bullet many feet during its journey. Over long ranges it is usual for wind allowances of ten or twelve feet to be required.

The estimation of the necessary allowance is made by means of flags some 30ft up, spaced at 200 yards interval, between the butts and the firing point, and on calmer days by certain natural indicators, such as mirage.

When every flag shows a different wind direction and remains steady for only seconds at a time, there is a constant conflict between snapping your shot away while the wind is still holding at the expense of accuracy, or firing a good steady shot only to find the wind has altered while you were aiming, again with a disastrous effect on the score.

Makes Demands

Shooting makes demands of the individual.

He must be able to cope with a variety of conditions to produce good scores under weather conditions which vary from wet to fine, calm to windy, and under variable light. Yet it is also a team sport. Teams matches are usually over several distances and involve two separate elements: shooting and coaching.

A coach in a rifle match is a vital part of any successful team, for it is his responsibility to assess the changing wind allowance required while the rifle man fires his shot.

This year the university club was active in club shooting on Saturday afternoons throughout the season. Several members also attended prize meetings in various parts of the country, including the Wellington and national championships held at Trentham. On two occasions Victoria competed successfully against a touring Australian universities rifle team, due mainly to our greater experience of shooting under difficult wind conditions.

First Possible

At Easter tournament the team was unfortunately placed a close fourth, not performing to capacity on the day, although Roger Girdlestone laid the foundation of his New Zealand blue by scoring a record 145 X 150 points over 300, 500 and 600 yards, including the first possible "50" at the 600 yards range.

The club now has a number of experienced and able shooters and can provide considerable assistance to newcomers. It is not generally known that ammunition is available to members of rifle clubs through the National Rifle Association for use on the range at greatly reduced prices, so that shooting is not as expensive as is often claimed. Three rifles are held by the club and are available to newcomers and members who do not possess their own.

It is emphasised that deer stalkers and other rifle enthusiasts can gain a great deal of value from participating in .303 target shooting, particularly through association with people who have shot actively for many years.

For those who wish to discuss rifles and ammunition and the technical side of marksmanship, the club afternoon at Trentham provides opportunity to meet and talk with these men. who include experienced gunsmiths and armourers.

Others who would shoot simply to test and improve their ability as marksmen, will probably bo surprised at the initial results but amply rewarded by an active season with the club.

This winter a series of morning shoots will be held to practise for and compete in the Imperial Universities Rifle postal match—an annual competition open to all universities within the British Commonwealth—and it is hoped some members will be awarded Imperial Universities shooting "blues."

A team will also be entered in the "Frank Albert"—a similar competition open to universities in Australasia. Some experimental shooting may also be held on an adapted target at 700 yards if time and weather permit.

Shooting is the oldest organised sport in New Zealand —annual championships have been held for 105 consecutive years. It has both a history and a tradition. If this article has interested you, contact one of the club officers through the Studass office.