NRA Journal - Spring 2007 - National Rifle Association

T REX – TICKING AWAY IN HIS BOXSpotted with my Eagle EyeWell, excuse me for being right! I seem to remembersome issues ago that I blethered about the Eagle Eyeconundrum. It, the conundrum, ran something likethis. When is an Eagle Eye foresight plus a lens inthe backsight not a telescope? Answer: when it is anEagle Eye foresight plus a lens in a pair of prescriptionshooting glasses. “Doh” said Homer (not the greatand ancient writer).I did not understand the difference then becauseI laboured under the misapprehension that thebacksight (or glasses) lens was a prescription lens.It was only when I read the excellent explanation byPaul Monaghan in the last edition that it all becamea bit clearer – I think. I now see that it all dependsupon the type of the lens and whether or not it isa true prescription lens or something rather moresophisticated.Even so I am still not sure that I can see why shootingglasses are allowable in conjunction with an Eagle Eye,but a backsight lens is not. It occurs to my addled andaching brain that you might have a variety of lensesin your box to screw into your shooting specs, noneof them totally in accord with your reading or normalvisual prescription. Enter the sight police. I can seeit now. “Could you please read the batch number onthe ammo carton at 15 paces, sir?” Response: “Whichammo carton?”I am infernally grateful to our opthalmic colleaguesfor proving me right, or not, I think. We need a clearand simple rule.BBC TV Sports Personality of the YearWhat an intriguing little show. New venue, new glitz,same old schmaltz, same old tedium – except if youwere winning and then it was fourfold amazing. Ihave no problem with the winner, because she is aworld champion. Of course people will vote for thepartnership of two and four legs, and why shouldthey not?No, my interest lay in the process. The BBC seem tohave taken input from just about every source thatthey could think of. Their website carried the detailsof the groups that were consulted to supply theirchosen lists of ten people. Stuck in between all theselists was the one from BBC TV viewers.National dailies, magazines and other journals(such as Nuts and Zoo) were asked to submit theirpreferred final ten. Their selectorial panels rangedfrom readership to editorial and journalist choice.Close inspection revealed the name of Mick Gaultin just one list. Guess which - that’s it, the BBC TVviewers’ list.As far as I understand the process, from readingtheir own website, BBC then filleted the selections byawarding a point for each time a name appeared inthe various lists. The final ten were reviewed brieflyat the awards ceremony along with other notablecandidates. There were mentions of CommonwealthGames successes, but not in the shooting world.True there were passing flashes of Kerwood andParrish on the background screen, but no out and outcommendation.So, just in case we forget, the home nations accountedfor 22% of all the shooting medals and 16% of all themedals won by the home nations in all sports. AndMick established a new individual record for medalswon by an England athlete.And I seem to recall Hazel Irvine was so supportivein her comments at the Melbourne closing ceremony.Funny old world . . .Predictions for 2007Having consulted my lump of Jurassic crystal I findmore than the usual fog in the future. One thing seemsreasonably certain, that at some point we shall findFuscusaurus in the country’s top cave, untroubled byany populist election.My water feels that the Monarch’s Prize may justattach to a lady for the third time, or possibly to ayounger brother. Aggregatus maximus may go theway of a thrusting youngster. The Palma: just watchout for the USA who are almost on home turf, not thatthe hosts or Citylimits would wish to hear any suchprospect canvassed.A belated happy New YearT Rex30