Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-10-23
THE GarLrNa GUN.

This deadly and most useful weapon in
certain circumstances of modern warfare
has of late undergone several notifications
IN detail at the hands of the inventor, DR..
Calling, who has recently had il on view
at the offices of Sir William Armstrong &
Co., in Great George street, Westminster.
In the old pattern gun, the cartridges were
supplied from large drum which was
placed end upwards over the gun, the car.
tridces being delivered somewhat to the
side Of the weapon, aud, therefore, out of
line with it's axis. The firing handle was
placed at the other side and the barrels
and working parts were more nr less ex.
posed. All this has now been altered, and
the modified gun presents several new
features. In the ten-bareleG weapon,
which we recently had the Opportunity OF
examining, the barrels and the working
parts are inclosed IN gun-metai casing 81
inches in leagth and 6i inches mean OUT
side diameter. Each barrel is Is inches in
length, the outside appearance of the gun
beng that of a ho8itzsr The crank
handle is now placed IN the rear, instead of
at the side, ana by a Encouragement Of the
firing mechanism the speed OF the reyolu-
ton OF the gun aud the rapidly OF its fire
has been greatly increased, SO that it is
claimed Tor it that it fires COO rounds per
minute, the ordinary rate OF rapid firing
beng 100 rounds per minute. That it is
well able to fire the larger number appears
probable from the rapidity with which it
was manipulated with dummy cartridges
on the occasion of our inspection. The
feeding is now Effected from magazines or
inur cases aaab aopa hla ,4n.ta,rs,,e, n
cartridges. The case Is placed vertically
gun, and the cartridges fall directly into
the receivers. As seoh as one case is
emptied another takes its place, there
being two attendants required, enc for this
work and the other to turn the handle.
The barrels AID locks revolye together,
but in addition to this action the locks
have forward and backward motion.
This is effected by means of cam path,
up which each lock travels and pushes the
cartridge home. It then fires II, and re-
turns down this path, ejecting the car
tridge-ease from the side of the gun as 1t
returns. The gun can be fired only when
the barrels are in motion from left to right;
and so long as the crank handle is reyolyed
and the gun fed with cartridges the several
operations OF loading, firing and extracting
are carried on automatically. uniformly
and continuously Should the crank han
die be turned in reverse direction no
harm results to the gun, as the interior
form OF the receivers admits of reversing
the motion without danger OF jamming the
cases. The trayersing arrangement has
also been simplified, and lateral play can
no 70 St, e b,,1f "a
be delivered uniformly with the firing of
the piece. 1t will thus be seen that the
gun has been greatly modified and i'm
proved, and reports from America show it
to be capable of some very remarkable
performances. both as regards rapldity and
accuracy of fire. DR.. Calling has made
one of these guns for our own Govern
ment, which will FIRE the Boxer cartridge,
he prefers the more solidly made
cartridges Of the American pattern.