The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1880-01-02
American Cartridges.

Russia was among the first to make
use of the American metallic cartridges,
and she attempted in vain to initiate
them. After wasting 100000 of cart
ridges made of inferior material, she
wisely concluded to buy here, as other
foreign nations have since done. Some
of the American cartridges sent to Rus
STA were subjected to the unparalleled
test of a fve-weeks' soaking in the
waters of New York harbor, the vessel
carrying them having sunk off Staten
island on her way out. They were
fished up as good as new, and, triumph
antly passing the ordeal of new test
of their firing quality, went on their
way again, and have 40 doubt long
since added their quota to the list of
casualties. For good cartridges Ameri-
can copper is needed, fact which the
Europeans are beginning to learn.
Even so long ago as the days of the
mound-builders it was discovered that
our Lake Superior region produced q
copper ore of uncommon purity. Ore
of equal purity is not, it would seem, to
be found elsewhere. and perhaps the
process of annealing is not SO well under
stood abroad. At oil events, the brass
made of the foreign copper, Astounding
in the sulphurets, lacks the necessary
strength and ductility, and for some
reason the metallic cartridges made
abroad are liable to deteriorate in quail
ity. During her war with Turkey,
Russia purchased large quantities OF
brass here, one Connecticut firm alone
supplying 100000 worth of sheet
brass. Other Governments have, no
doubt, been purchasers. Ready made
cartridges have also been sent abroad
in such quantities that million has
become the unit of calculation. Three
forms of cartridge are made-the United
States Government cartridge, the Pea
body-Martini cartridge, and the largest
the Sharps or Remington special long
range cartridge. The Government car
fridge contains seventy grains of powder
and a hardened bullet, composed of one
part of tin and sixteen parts lead, weigh
ing 405 grains. The Peabody-Martini
has eighty-fve grains of powder and q
bullet of the same composition weigh
ing 480 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 advan-
tages of the heavier cartridge are well
shown in the experiences of the Turk
ish war, already referred to. What
ever else they may lack, the Turks have
certainly shown superior intelligence
in the armament of their troops. The
English, who use the same gun, had, on
a smaller scale, an experience similar to
that of the Turks. The rifles used by
the rifle brigade in the campaign
against the Afghans were sighted fol
1000 yards, and at 2,l00 yards were
found effective. The rifles with which
our own army is provided are sighted
TO 1900 yards. Some Of the sights
used by rifiemen in long-range shoot
ing, as the Vernier sight, combine 9
spirit-level and wind-gauge. The ordi-
nary Vernier will register to the thou
sandth of an inch, and Verniers have
been made SO as to register the twenty
thousandth of an inch, these finer sights
being used to regulate the Ordinary
sights. These very fine sights are no
adapted TO military service, in which
the rifle is subjected to very different
usage from that prevailing at Greed
moor, where the long-range aifeman il
able to give his weapon all the care thai
musician would take of his preciou:
Stradivarius violin or his Tourte bow
| Col W. G. Church. in Scribner.