New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1861-06-02
THE MIME WHAT 1T rs.


vague idea has taken possession Of the public mind
that tie SoutherIrebes are abundauty supplied with
better arms than ourselves, and that Floyd stole from
Northern arsenals all The best Mimic rifles, leaving us
nothing but the oldfashoned muskei This idea CIV
ing much unessiness to timd minds, with whom there
exists a sort of indefinite forebOding that whichever
rarty may be armed with weapon which they have
been taught to believe deadly will be certain to
extermnte the other But Ne truth in relation TO this
matter will dissinate world ofeor, ADD restore equa-
nuity to many dsorganized 10 the rst place.
though this e ia really the effective in use in
this country or fact anywhere else yet not
steal al We had on hand nor have the rebels any the
machinery by which hey made, except that por-
ton bich escaped destruction at Harpers Ferry, oy
means of which they ere now cobbling up about 10
rifles daily according to their story, which is Ike
IL TO be much exaggerated. All other factories are IN
the North and the embargo is perfect thai there
Is itte probability Of their receiving further supplies
from any quarter with strong prospect OF the chanes
of coming battles resulting in dmiuuon Of the guam
tty now in hand. At the time, all our factories
are producing them in large number, while our por~
are open for us many we mas desire to import
judging by what ore reads daily in the newspapers,
or WI at lie hears in conversation, 1t does not seem 70
be generally understood what rife really is We AL
know that an ordinary gun, such musket or fowl
ing-pieee. il furnished with barrel the inside Of
which IL perfectly smooth. NJ gun and
cut o" wy n'"e es rho u, 81 three four grooves All
running from the breech to tue muzho' spn"'f' hAea
oork-screw, aud the gun becomes what :. A'V"' 90
rife. II cut in muske il is called riaed muske'>
J ia cannon, rhed cannon. The operation can 10
| performed on any weapon, new old. The rihingd
cannon is modern invention Of Sir William Arm
strong, hence when the Armstrong gun is spoken Of
IL is Understood to mean rifed cannon. The object
of thus ring guns il to greater certainty Of the
ball striking the target, whether it be beast, 40
well being able TO kill at greater distance than from
"A smooth-bore weapon. The rifle aecomplsbes both,
by giving the ball. it is driven out spinning mo-
ton in consequence of its following the winding
of the grooves on the inside Of the barrel. IL
turns in tie piece often the entire curve is re-
peated IN the length of the bore, and continues tho
same notion after it leaves the muzzle. The deviation
of ball is caused by the resistance to its passage
offered by the air. The effect Of rifing ball Il 10
make il keep the part always TO the 'front.' hence
the retarding effect of the air is much uniform
Il an il would otherwise be. The process Of riding
gun is extremely simple; but vast patience science,
skill and experimental trial have been devoted TO the
business Of determining how many grooves are
best, what curves are most seryieeablo how long tho
barrel shoud be, bow much It's diameter, win tn"
shape of the ball, together with the relative sa'
periority of loading at the muzzle or breeeh. Tho
invention ofthe percussion cap sprung from hese eA
perments Then followed the saber.bayobet, ena
finally the bullet now known as the Mimic. These
combined have converted the ordinary rifle Of half
century ago into n weapon Of unsurpassed efficiency
Many attempts have been made to produce brseci-
loading rss az all sgch be loaded and fired moro
rapidly. The principal those of Col, Hail. Sharpe,
and Burnside. But none of these have been adopted
into our army though iaycries ~ private hands mi,
ary writers contend that soldiers 10 ACTION nre loo las
already and that it only adding to the eVi s~
them the means of firing four five times 10 As'
placing breechoading guns in their hands Even WIN
the improved rife this result is still realized Az ."
ferino the Austrisns fred o0O0 times !et IueS
killed but 1900 Of the enemy and wounded
100 charges to every msn hi and 200 for every msa
killed. iii reality it required H2 pounds Oh e'a 70 H
a nan, and this on the assumption thai TIE AusfA"
artillery did no damage. The which 10 popiHfVA
bat most enormously, called the Mimic rife, amo"
identical with that now manufactured at Enfield, IN
gland for tie British Government and with thas "s'o
at Springfield Massachusetts for the American a'pJ.
Captain Mimic invented the bullet-not the rne anu
his bullet can be used IN any rife which Il may 90
made to fit Ii is this Mimic ball which Is 30 feaui
missile. IL is an elongated cone, having MAJ os'o
which is nnmed down ON the powder the osse osias
followed out ike thimble. When the charge - hs'
the explosion instantly expands the leaden shell pe
ing the lead into the grooves, and by preventing 'A'
escape through them of any portion OF the gas se's
ated by the explosion concentrates the whole energy
of the charge upon the ball. No wsdding is used -
loading. The powder is poured into the muzze. 'hea
the bail ia inserted with the hollow part down"s~
AID when down is rammsd gently on the powder, %
70 force it up into the cavity Of the ball. Tie 'Ss'sf