Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1888-11-08
IMPLEMENTS OF WAR.
Great Improvement in and Variety of
Brcech- Loading Rifles in Recent
Years.


of Bullets-One of the Latest Develop
ments Claim ID b. France Is a Smolseless
Powder, the Secret of Which Is Kept.
Rumors OF war aud the fact that every
where in Europe war preparations are being
made suggest a reference to a small arms
systems OF the principal nations of the world.
In future II is predicted that battles will be
won not by cannon but by breech loading
rifles, and that army having the best rife,
other conditions being equal will achieve
victory. Since muzzle-loading arms became
obsolete there has been great activity In the
invention OF improved models of breech-
leaders, and an almost endless variety OF these
are now in practical or experimental use.
The number Of these is now nearly fifty,
known by the names of their inventors or by
the place Of manufacture, and still the end
is not yet; while the list Of rifles intended
for military service, but which are not any
where in use as such, number not less than
sixty, says the Chicago Times. 1t may be of
interest to the reader to know how the prin-
cipal nations of the world are armed in this
respect, and for this purpose an expert has
compiled the following from reliable data;
United States-Sprlngfeld rife.
Great Britain-Enfeld, Snider, Martini
Henry, Burton-Lee, Lee-Remington.
France-Delvigne. Chatillerault, Qras,
Tramond-Lebell, Chalons Pralon.
Germany-Dreyse needle, Mauser.
Austrla-ManlIcher.
Italy-vetterli, vitalI-yettcrlI, Freddi.
Pieri, Gel.
Russa-Keen ne Remington, Berdan, karle-
Krenk, Mossin, repeater.
Sweden and Norway-Remington Tarman.
Turkey-Peabody, Martini Henry, Mauser.
Spain-Remington.
Such once wel-known arms as the mimic,
the chassepot the Peabody, the Cossack OF
Russia, the Federal OF Switzerland, the Spen-
Ger, Burnside, Colts Winchester, and Sharp's,
among Others, are now marked as Obsolete"
and new inventions or adaptations to the
number Of ten or a dozen are as yet on the
experimental list,
Al the close OF the civil war our muzzle-
loading Springfield was callbre 5S-inch. Not
much was then known Of the proper relation
between the three quantities. charge calibre,
and bullet or Of the necessity that the other
, attributes of the arm conform to the require
ments OF this relation. The prejudice against
the breech-loader had not been overcome.
After the breech. loading rife and metallic
udu Otcu llNtutcu, lut
next efforts to make an Improvement in our
ordinance system were almost exclusively dl-
rected to etfectiug an Improvement in the
bullet The deslderatum, 1t was thought,
was bullet that could be easily loaded and
made certain to take the grooves. The revo-
luton In favor Of small callibered arms had
not begun. People knew that there was
certain deviation peculiar TO all oblong rifle
projectiles called Drift" and that vixen
bullet moved through arned barrel II receiv-
! ed a motion OF rotation around its longer axis,
the direction Of which aIial motion was de-
termined by the way the grooves inclined to
the axis Of the barrel. In palmer language,
that the bullet spun. But at the close OF our
I civil war effort and invention were almost
solely directed toward an Improvement Ia the
bullet whereby accuracy aud suiiciency OF
rotation could be given 1t and excessive
''esdng' and foullng Of the bore could be
prevented.
A bloodless battle is now being fought in
Europe. The combatants are large calibercd
bullets versus small calibered projectiles.
The question OF reduction of caliber was at
first based upon the deslrabilty OF decreasing
the weight that the soldier should carry, not
upon any principle OF necessity or ballistcs.
In all countries, save our own, large bullets
are every year becoming less and less used for
military arms and spherical bullets are super
seeded by forms better suited for military
rifles. These forms are si1gularly numerous.
The particular form and make of expanding
bullets varies in most military services. The
general principle is that when cartridge is
exploded In the chamber of a rife a large
amount OF highly elastic gas is suddenly
developed which, expanding and pressing
against the bullet, impels 1t forward with
Increasing velocity until 1t reaches the muz.
Zle.
Thirty years ago the regulation English
bullet was of caliber .517 inch, weighed $40 IA
grains, aud was fired from barrel having
one twist IN as inches. The old British, OF
Pritehett, bullet had perfectly smooth exte-
rior. 1t had conical plug OF lockwood in
serted in the opening. This was not so much
! TO aid the expansion OF the proiectile In It's
passage through the bore as to aid In pre-
serving the form OF the bullet In transporta-
tion. England used for time the Boxer
bullets. They were made by pressure and the
| lead had e-thirteenth part OF tin. The
Martini-Henry or Boxer caiber AS bullet was
Issued to English troops In 1871 and differed
| from the Enfield In that 1t had two cavities
and three grooves. 1t weighed $50 grains
and was fred from barrel having one twist
! in twenty-five inches Last year England re-
! duced the gauge and made 100, 00J stand OF
Enfield. Martini rifles. Each carried q 3S6-
grain bullet caliber .402 inch. A few months
later change of caliber was again decided
| on. CALDER 40 plus was determined to be too
| large q bullet aud one of calber 81 inch,
which is no thicker than an ordinary lead
pencil, was adopted. England discarded all
! previous calbers, aud now such of the big.
! bored guns and big bullets as are not sold
will be sent to her colonies.
The efficiency and celebrity OF the Tlge
muskets (carablne a Tige), 1S50-lS6l, sue
ceeded by the famous Chassepot, was wholly
duo to the elongated proectile. In l670-1S7l
the superiority OF the infantry armament OF
the French to the PrussIan was due to the
superiority OF the Chassepot over the paper
cartridge Of the Dreyse needle-gun then used
! by the Prusslans. Before the caution of the
Prussian had overcome the prejudice against
metallic-cartridge cases three distinct bullets
were employed In the French army. The first
was heavy and was intended to be used at
long ranges only 1t was held that expert
ence had demonstrated that bullet to be
effective at distances In excess OF ], 100 yards,
should weigh over 500 grains. 1t was cited
that the cross-bow bolt OF Robin Hood weighed
$50 grains and IL was believed that a bullet
to have force and accuracy at long distances
should be a mass OF metal rivalng the Incl
dence OF the cannon OF the days OF Paul
Jones. French sharpshooters were therefore
armed with the Citations rifle and bullet The
second pattern OF French bullet was light aud
without much accuracy. 1t had, however, a
fiat trajectory, which increased the chances
| Of hitting line OF men at the usual fighting
distance. The bullet weighed 176 grains and
was fred from a barrel having one twist in
| x ihar