Originally, doubtless, that petty-officer's function was the instruction of the men in the use of arms, sword or cutlas. But very long ago, owing to the advance in gunnery making hand-to-hand encounters less frequent and giving to nitre and sulphur the preeminence over steel, that function ceased
puhekieltä The firing of guns
1920, (w), "Exposure" in Poems, London: Chatto & Windus, p. 18, https://archive.org/details/poemswilf00owenuoft
Northward incessantly, the flickering gunnery rumbles, / Far off, like a dull rumour of some other war.
1973, (w), {w|The Good Soldier Švejk, translated by (w), London: William Heinemann, Chapter 5, p. 438,
The 12th march company telephoned claiming that someone in the office had heard that they were waiting to do some shooting practice at moveable targets and that they would only leave after gunnery practice under front conditions.
puhekieltä A place where guns are tested, or where people are trained in their use