The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1880-01-30
American Cartridges.

Russia was among the first tomake use
of the American metallic cartridges, and
she attempted in vain to initiate them
After wasting 100000 of cartridges
made of inferior material, she wisely con-
cluded to buy here, as other foreign ma
tions have since done. Some of the
American cartridges sent to Russia were
subjected to the unparalleled test of a
five weeks soaking in the waters of New
York halbor, the vessel carrying them
having sunk off Staten Island on her
way out. They were fished up as good as
new, and, triumphantly passing the or
deal of new test of their firing quality,
went on their way again, and have, no
doubt, long since added their quota to
the return of casualties. For good cart
ridges American copper is needed, fact
which the Europeans are beginning to
learn. Even SO long ago as the days of
the moundbuilders it was discovered
that our Lake Superior region produced
a copper ore of uncommon purity. Ore
of eq' al purity is not, it would seem, to
be found elsewhere, and perhaps the pro-
cess of annealing is not so well under
stood abroad. At all events, the brass
made of the foreign copper, abounding in
the sulphurets, lacks the necessary
strength and ductility, and for some rea-
son the metallic cartridges made abroad
are liable to deteriorate in quality. Dur
ing her war with Turkey, Russia pur-
chased large quantities of brass here, one
Connecticut firm alone supplying So, ,0OO,-
600 worth of sheet brass. Other govern
ments have, no doubt, been purchasers
Ready-made cartridges have also been
sent abroad in snch quantities that mil
lion has become the INIT of calculation.
Three forms of cartridges are
given in the illustrations one showing
the United States Government cartridge
another the Peabody Martini cartridge,
and the largest the Sharp or Remington
special long-range cartridge. The Gov
ernment cartridge contains seventy grains
of powder and hardened bullet, com
posed of one part of tin and sixteen parts
Martini has eighty-h five grains of powder
and bullet of the same composition,
weighing 4S0 grains. The long-range
bullet has one part of tin to fourteen
parts lead, and weighs $50 grains, the
charge of powder being 100 grains. The
advantages of the heavier cartridge are
well known in the experiences of the
Turkish war already referred. Whatever
else they may lack, the Turks have GER
tainly shown superior intelligence in the
armament of their troops. The English,
WHO use tue Sdmc gun, uau Oi u SIndllef
scale an experience similar to that of the
Turks. The rifles used by the rife bri-
gade in the campaign against the Afgbans
were sighted for 1000 yards, and at 2,100
yards were found effective. The rifles
with which our own army is provided are
sighted TO 1,200 yards, as will be seen
from the cut on page $50, showing the
military sight. Some of the sights used
by rifemen in loDg-range shooting are
also shown, the Vernier sight and sight
combining a spirit-level and wind
gauge. The ordinary Vernier will regis
ter to the thousandth of an inch, and
Verniers have been made so as 10 regis
ter the twenty thousandth of an inch,
these finer sights being used to regulate
the ordinary sights. These very fine
sights are not adapted to military SER
vice, in which the rifle is subjected to a
very differest usage from that prevailing
at Creedmoor. where the long range rifle
man is able to give his weapon all the
care that musician would take of his
precious Stradivarius violin or his Tourte
bow.-Scribner's Monthly.