A NEW BATTLE-PRACTICE TARGET.
[To THY EDITOR OF TER "SPECTATOR."]
SIR,—Those of us who have anything to do with rifle clubs know the difficulty of preserving the interest in shooting after, say, a year of practice. Shots fall naturally into classes, and these classes are apt to become stereotyped, because the margin of improvement is limited. The work tends to become uninteresting merely because it is artificial target- work with no relation to the conditions of actual warfare. At the headquarters of the 28th County of London Regiment on Monday, in the presence of many distinguished officers of the Regular and Auxiliary Forces, an exhibition was given of Mr. Solano's new battle-practice target, which seems to do more than meet the difficulty. It reproduces in miniature actual landscapes. On these landscapes models, made to scale, of men, horses, and guns move at the direction of the officer in command by a simple system of wires. Each landscape is coloured in natural tints, and can be elaborated by the addition of trees, houses, &c., to any extent desired. Simple coloured sky backgrounds are also provided. For example, on Monday three specimen landscapes were shown at the same time on the target, representing the North-West Indian Frontier, the Egyptian desert, and Northern Europe. The whole target was then devoted to an English landscape on which some very interesting battle practice took place.
The mechanism is extremely simple. Indeed, any attempt to explain it gives a false idea of complexity. Mr. Solano, of 4 Park Lane, W., will be very glad to give any one further information. It is not only simple but cheap. The complete target with all accessories will cost little more than £10, and the models of men and horses can be supplied at from 108. per thousand. The target can be used, as was shown on Monday, indoors, and it can also be constructed outdoors by means of a bank of earth moulded and coloured to represent a landscape. In the second instance practically the only cost would be for the models and the traction mechanism.
The merit of the invention is that it trains men to detect and hit war marks against natural backgrounds, and also teaches them the meaning of cover under war conditions. The different ranges of fire are all to scale with the target and the models, so that the conditions of actual fighting may be more or less exactly represented. In battle practice the collective-firing exercises will train men in the minor tactics
best adapted to different kinds of country and different engagements, and it will also train them to detect and hit war marks against the different colours, lights and shades of different countries.
It seemed to me and many other spectators that Mr. Solano's new target provides a far more efficient means of training than exists for both Regulars and Auxiliaries in marksmanship, minor tactics, and, what is exceedingly difficult to teach, the detecting of war marks in strange environments. It is also a fascinating game which should do very much to popularise rifle practice among the British people. Of course, it is miniature-rifle practice, and therefore suffers from the draw- backs of this form as compared to a full-size range ; but in all other respects it seems to me infinitely superior to the old- fashioned target. It enables training to be given under something very much like war conditions, and it gives to what is often a dull duty the interest of a sport.—I am, Sir, &c.,
JOHN BUCHAN.
[Mr. Solano seems, from Mr. Buchan's account, to have invented a new form of war-game,—a war-game at which the private soldier can practise the art of marksmanship.—En. Spectator.]
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