The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-08-14
BREECH-LOADING ARMS.

Fromeh, EngItsus ana American expert
msnts-rho Defects of the N eedle- gun,
Etc. Etc.
An elaborate paper in the Reuue DIES DeuI
Mondes, written by NJ. Xavier Raymond, con-
tains, in connection with review of the war IN
Germany, some interesting statements concern.
ing the needle.gun and the different varieties OF
breech-loadlng arms.
He saws of the prussian weapon that its
mechanism is very simple and easily adjusted
even by the lea,t lntellio ent private. That it Is
a practical weapon IS sufficiently apparent from
the fact that 1t has been IN use for twenty-five
years, and has stood three campaigns veto
riously. Still, its detects are serious As regards
range, accuracy OF aim and penetrating po ger,
it leaves n great deal to be desired. 1t shoots
straight enough up 70 three hundred metres, but
declines above that range up TO six hundred
metres beyond which distance she does not
carry. At that range even improved bullets
will fall at the foot OF the target, whilst the
muskets OF other European armies shoot hard
at one thousand and even twelve hundred
metres. 1t is owing to this-and not, as DR..
Russell says in one of his letters to the London
Times, its small sze-that the bullet skins by
a bonen where q French or English bullet would
break it.
M. Raymond ascribes this defect to the imper,
feet closing OF the b'eech, which permits great
escape OF gas, and to the extent of the windage.
Another drawback is that the musket must be
cleaned very irequently. Iu wet weather the
residue lett by the powder takes the shape OF
thick mud, and in dry weather 1t becomes a
hard crust, which impedes the free motion OF
the sliding tube; mud or crust, 1t has 70 be
washed away, else the weapon would be useless.
N. Raymond does not appear TO be quite sure
how often this operation is necessary, but he
has heard that cleaning becomes necessary after
the musket has been fired fifty ROUNDS.
NJ. Raymond theu proceeds to show what has
been done IN France with reference to breech-
leaders. Among the various weapons which
he mentions, two are worthy OF notice. The
first is the rifle adopted by the Cent Gardes as
early as l8j3-a beautiful weapon, very
light and handy-which shoots very straight,
and carries twelve hundred metres; the bullet
is small, the whole cartndge weighing only
twelve grammes; the charge is exploded by IA
brass PIN, driven lateraly through the copper
socket hlled with Illuminating powder; this socket
closes the cartridge. THIS nusket was invented
by Colonel Treble dc Beadeu. 1t is almost
perfect as weapon, but has one fatal fault-it
IS far too costly and delicate to atand the rough
usage OF campaign.
The breech loader, however, which appears to
have found favor with the French Government
is one invented by M. ChassepOt, which has
been on trial at intervals lor the last ten years.
1t has as M. Raymond says, emerged from the
limbo OF committees and Committee-rooms; the
battalion of Foot Chasseurs of the Imperial
Guard now at the camp OF ChaOns, having
since It's arrival there, been provided with it.
NJ Raymond gives the following account OF the
results obtained by this weapon, ,|premising that
the musket was fired, not by picked men, but
by prlvates taken at random from the ranks:-
THE FRENoH BREECH-LoADHR.
GAS regards the rapdity of fire, which appears
nowadays TO be the principal desIderatum, a
man with a lot OF loose cartridges beside him
can fire the ChassepJt musket twelve times In
one minute; but chat rate tue most sklful and
robust soldier cannot keep up beyond about
thirty rounds; past that the ire perCeptiby
slacEens. The same thing occurs with the
Prussian neeGle-gun after the tRenty.ftth
round. Tle.cause Is purely physical, g. e., the
fatigue OF the man. whose left arm has often to
support unaIded the whole weight OF the wea-
pom. If, instead of having loose cartridges by
the soldiers side, he has TO take them ont OF
his pouch the rate of firing declines to six rounds
per minute; butt averages seven or eight rounds
per minute if the man is allowed TO take his
cartridges from the rght-hand pocket OF his
trousers. The accuracy OF the weapon has been
ascertaned by making the men fire at targets
two metres high by two in breadth, at a range
OF i've hundred metres, using a rest Tor the
Tlhe. Az That range a great many men firing a
hundred rounds lodged hundred bullets in the
target (or, as we should say, there were very
few wide ones). The point-blank range of the
Chassepot nlusket is fixed at five hundred
metres, the extreme range exceeds one thou
sand metres, and the weapon requires no clean
ing before two hundred and fifty rounds have
been fired. One thousand and twelve hundred
shots have been fired with the same musket
without its sustaining any damage. The Chasse-
pot musket may, therefore, sustain very
adVantageously a competition with the
needle.gun. Its superiority arises chiefly
from the more perfect closing of the breach,
the zondnddelgelCehr All the gases developed
by the ignition of the charge are utilized to
pIopel the bullet which adds to its range and
penetrating power, whilst the perfect combus
tlOn OF the powder naturally obviates the ne
cessity of frequent cleanings, which the Prussan
weapon cannot do without. Croakers will
lament that such long time should have
elapsed before its merits were recognized, bat il
must be acknowledged that the results arrived
at are Important. Let us add-but this is the
dark size OF the pcture-that If the Chassepot
rifle were adopted as The regulation musket Tor
the infantry (Which means two million oil
muskets), II would be requisite to apply for a
credit OF 100000 0OOf to manufacture them
(S2O,OOO, ,0OO."
THE AUsTRIANS AND THE EEEDLE.GUN,
NJ Raymond then speaks OF the gun in use in
the Austrian service-a muZZle loader on q new
principle, that OF NJ. Lorenz, which, both as
regards range and precision, he thinks may com
pare advantageously with any other arm on the
system; but that system is condemned. HI
says:-
I'General Benedek in an order of the day
warned his soldiers of the rapid fire of tn
needle-gun, but told them to come to clos
quarters, and trust to their bayonet
and the butt ends of their muskets. Tn
advice was worthy OF brave man, bu
was ii possible to follow 1t Tn
Needle-gun, limited as its range ls, send
a bullet five hundred Yards, and that is a lon
distance to get over under such pelting storl
of lead as the Prussian infantry can shower int
the space before il. General Benedek, who wa
at SolieriDo where he displayed no commo
energy and talents mast have known that
that battle no cavalry, Austrian or French, wa
able to come up to the infantry opposed TO then
On either side the tire disorganiZed the charge
before they could reach the squares, and TINS
spite of the unloubted gallantry OF the meI
ard yet horses charge at more rapid pace tina
men do, and on both Sides the infantry had onI
m