Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1888-11-08

| each Il scharge until the grooves almost hlled.
| The result was reformation OF the bullet. i'm
| perfect rotation, unequal distribution of stress
| and vibrations OF the barrel These results
| affected the accuracy OF the arm. With the
| increase In twist the magnitude OF these
| faults also Increased. The consequences was
a change In arm IN caliber, and IN the mate
rial OF the French bullet-a change which
most modern nations interested In the sub
| ject OF small-arm development have Initiated
| or Will initiate
The new French rife and bullet are called
the Lebell from the inventor CO.. Lebell.
BY some IL is called the Trsmond- Lebell The
| rifle is a single loader or repeater ~ will. Gu
| ly the government possesses as vet the requis-
lite plant for turning out the Lebell pattern
| rife, and this was imported from the United
| States The rifle has tubular magazine,
| holding eight cartridges, under the barrel,
and the cartridges are so small that each sol
| dler carries 220 rounds OF ammunition. The
| bullet Is OF low grade steel, weighs 1856 grains
aud the caliber is mlllimetres, or, bv our
! classification, .3l5 inch. The length Of the
| bullet Is about nine times its caliber. A pro-
| jectile OF this length can only be given stead
mess by Increasing its rotation. This can
only be effected by increasing the twist The
| obvious effect of increase OF twist Is to in
crease the retardatlon. Another fact Is that
FOR bullet OF given number OF callbers In
| length decrease OF caliber causes an increase
retardation. Now, as each reduction of cali
Der Is at the expense OF a sacrifice OF power,
the motive force mist be increased, otherwise
there will be a loss OF power. Increase of
power is not necessarily attained bv increased
recoil One OF the latest developments claim.
ed by France Is a new motive power 10 Is
called "smokelessn powder It's composition
Is kept a secret 1t is said that In addition TO
the absense Of smoke there Is also
very little sound II being difficult
to hear the report IS yards An In ltla velocity
OF 9, 1884 feet is claimed for the Lebsll bullet
IL is said to revolve az speed OF 1000 revolu-
lions a second aud II Is claimed that the gun
has no recoil whatever. carrying power is
attributed to II greater than any rifle hereto
fore in use. II Is said TO deliver bullets with
precision and rapldity hitherto unattalned.
At an elevation OF Is degrees a range OF near
" 3, 800 yards Is claimed for the Lcbell. Our
knowledge OF the details OF this arm is not
complete aad the data given here are from
French sources.
The French government Is paci fcslly max
ing these guns at ST. EtIenne (Loire). Cha
tellerault and Tulle. The entire French
army is to be endowed with this small DO re
repeater The French soldiers call IL II he
little gun" Ii is said to be surpassed 10y
the Pralon, another French rifle which car
ries a steel-jacietsd bullet. The Lebell
cartridge Is 2S per cent lighter than the Gras
bullet and Its trajectory is inferior to the
PERI recoil rifle OF Italy. The Lebcll is be-
leved to be deficient In shock" all light
bullets are. In illustration OF the meaning
OF this term one must consider the difference
between a perforation and demolition. IL
a light projectile OK small caliber but great
velocity strikes a ship or a target plated with
armor II may make a hole as clean cut as
though IL had pierced o pumpkin aud the
hole Is easily plugged up. But IL a large
heavy ball OF low velocity having fair
amount of energy and momentum, hits the
armored vessel 1t may make only an indenta-
ton in the particular plate struck, but will
loosen a dozen other plates and start as
many bolts and create leaks In many
places. The "shock" OF tho last projectilc
VIII prove more damaging to the ship than
the former. Each reduction OF calber is
obtained .t the sacrifice OF power and
shock
In 1912 large part Of the Prusslan infantry
was armed with the breech-loading needle-gun
which may properly be termed the original OF
the modern military rife. The needle gun
weighed twelve pounds. The popularity OF
the cartridge case then used BY Prussia was
that 1t was paper, not metal, hence could not
stand exposure; escape Of gas was great and
the relations between the charge, caliber and
bullet such that its balllstic properties we're
poor. An admirable feature OF the cartridge
was the fixing OF the point Of ignition at the
front instead OF at the rear OF the charge. To
reach the illuminate, however, a long needle
had to penetrate the entire length OF the
charge aud was naturally liable to rust, cor
rode, and break. The existence OF the needle
gun failed to disturb the equanimtY of the
nations OF the world using the muZzle-loading
system. 1t was criticised because 1t permitted
II allowed the soldier to waste his ammunition,
the latter especially being looked upon as a
fatafdefect In 1889 Prussia had two rifles
In use-the needle-gun, calibcr .6l, bullet 45l
grains, length In calibers 1853, twist As inches,
and the sharpshootcr's rife, callber $40, bul.
let 4S9, length In calbeTs 80, twist 81 inches.
In lS64 occurred the Dano Prussian war.
Eminent military men and military
students felt that Prussian success was
due more to their soldiers than TO their
rfn In ha tod NJ bo
Prussans with their breech-loaders occasion
ed general rush by all important military
powers to small arms loade1 from the brecch,
not from the muZZlc. The hammers and
anvils OF the civilized world were set at work
10 make the weapons OF death more deadly.
The German fighting -machine of lSf0-1l was
inferior to the Chassepot, but the Prussian
behind the machine was in discipline and
perseverance superior TO the Frenchman The
genius Of American invention was applied
and the needle guu discarded for the Mauser.
The machinery necessary to be used In alter
ing the German Mauser is now at Erfurt,
Suhl, aud Spandau, but the machinery was
made after the drawings OF American patents
and American inventions. The cartridge for
the Mauser had the American Berdan pattern
primer. The interior OF the cartridge shell
was covered with a coating OF varnish 10 pre-
vent the metal from acting injuriously on
the powder charge. This varnlsh was applied
bv means OF IN ichines devised and made at
Hartford, Conn.
Germany next adopted our Winchester idea
in attempting to alter about 1900 90 Mauser
rifles by placing a tubular magazine under
the barrel. This conversion is the principle
of the Winchester Henry rife and was invent
ed In America before the Prusslans had
abandoned their Dreyse needlegun. The
Mauser first adopted b. Prussia was a modifl
cation OF the Chsssepot and weighed 800
pounds. 1t was adop ed to the use OF the
metallic gas check cartridge The balistic
properties of the Mauser converted magaz ne 4.
gun are SO far behind the modern standard
that total change OF armament Is now
under consideration. The Mauser is csliber
49, bullet 1856 grains, cartridge 663 grains,
length OF bullet in calibers 2.42, twist one
turn in 2l.G6 inches. 1t can be used either
as a single loader or repeater and carries
eight cartridges
An AcrObatic Fish
1t is not unusual when near body OF wa