Idaho news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1887-1891, 1888-10-27


ssch discharge until The grooves almost fillcd.
Inc result WAS reformation Of The buliet iiu.
perfect rotation, unequal district on of stress
hi,a Ylbi atioDs Of the barrel These results
hhfcled TIC. ACCURACY OF .he arm With tie
snsiease ~ lWlst Tue magnitude OF these
Ihults also Increased. The consequences was
q chhDge In arm. la CALDER, aud 10 the nate
IIal o. Tho French bnlet-a change which
most modern nations interested 10 the sub
Jeet o. small-arm development have initiated
or viii initiate.
=, The new French rife and bullet are called
The Lebel from the inventor Co. Lebell.
Da some Y is called the TTamond Lebell Tue
ilne IS single loader or repeater a. will, On
Y me government possesses as vet the reauis-
We plhht ior turning out the Lebell pattern
ssl ,, ahd THIS was imported from the United
sthIea lhe rifle has tubular magazine
hoding eight cartridges, under the barrel,
snd the cartridges are so small that each sol-
alsr carries go rounds of ammunition. The
paiIet Is OF low grade steel, weighs 1886 grains
and the CALDER q millinetres, or. bV our
elAssincation, BIB inch. The length of the
bullet is about niue tunes its ealiber. A pro-
gecpie OF this length can only be given stead
mess DY Increasing its rotation. This can
ONLY be en- ,eted by Increasing the twist The
obvious elect OF Increase OF tBiet Ia TO In
crease the retardatlOn. Another fact "a that
Tor bullet Of given number Of caIIbers ia
leng'h y decrease OF eailber causes an increase
fethrdallOn. Now, as each reduction Of cali
per y az tue expense OF a sacrifice OF power.
the motive force mnst be increased, otherwise
lhsre VIII be loss OF power. Increase of
power Is not necessarily attained bY increased
feeol One OF the latest development claim.
ca 10y France is new motive power II IL
called ''sinokeiessh pos der Its composition
J. Kept secret II Is said that ia addition 10
lhe abssnse Of smoke there is also
very little sound. IL being difficult
TO hear the reU0rt - yards. An initial velocity
o. Z. usl feet Is claimed for tie Leb,l bullet.
" Is said u regOlye a. speed 81 ,0OJ reyolu-
iiolt SECOND and II is ella med that the gun
mas no reeoil whatever. a carrying power is
attributed 10 II greater than any rife hereto-
fore ia use. II IL said 70 deliver bullets with
= precision aud raplditY hitherto uuatlained.
~ al elevation OF II degrees q range OF near
" Z, 500 yards Is claimed for the LebelL Our
Knowledge Of the details ~ this arm d NOT
eompleie had the data given here arc from
French sources
The French government Is pael acsiIy maxi
tng these guns ~ ST. Elienne (S0irsl Cha
telerauit and Talle The eutire French
srny Is 10 be endowed with this small DO re
repeater. Tue French soldiers call liz the
little guu-" il Is said 70 be surpassed by
the PrsiJn, another French rifle which car.
rles steel-jacAeted bullet. Tie LebeiI
cartridge y - per cent lighter ihaR the Gras
bullet and It's trajectory il inferior 70 the
Peri reeoil rife 81 italy. The Lebsli IL be-
iieved 70 I've dehcien, ia shock 70 an light
bullets are Ia illustration OF tue meaning
OF this term one must consider the difference
between periOrAtion aud demolition. IL
4 light prOlectile Of smali caiiber tut great
velocity strikes chip or a target plated with
srin1 y mar make hole hs clran cut as
though u had pierced a pumpkin aud the
hole Is rpsiy plugged az Bat II large
heavy bali Of low velocity. having fair
atnnHnt II epergT aud matneatrul, hits tie
sttnurel vessel II mag make Onlr an indenta-
ton Ia The particular plate struck, but will
an q aaN "a 49,
manY bolts aud - create leaks In many
places The "shock" ~ the last projrctlle
will prove more damaging u the slip thsn
Tho former. E3ch reduction ~ caliber is
obtained al tue sacrifice Of power and
sh0rig
In ls4! q large part Of the prussian infantry
uEs armed VIA tAr hrreeh.i0adlag nectle-gun
winch may prnp,Tlg Ice termed the original Of
&c modern military rifle The uecii- gun
weighed twnlrc pounds, The pecuiarjt, OF
ihr cartridge case then used by Prussia was
thai u WIS paper, ual metal hence could not
siand EXPOSURE, escape 81 gas was great aud
Tho relations between lbc charge, caliber aud
bullet sucu that lis hAllistic properties were
pyoE An admirable feature ~ the cartridge
nHs the hEing 81 tie point q ignitiOn at the
front instead Of Al The rear the charge. To
reach toe fuiminatc, however 4 long needle
had 10 penetrate ihc cniife length OF fhe
charge aud was naturally liable 90 rust, cor
rode, and break. Tie existence Of the needle
gun failed TO disturb the eqnauimtv OF the
nations Of the world usiug tle muEE c. loading
system, II WRs crit lcisea because il permitted
the cschpe ~ gas AZ the breech and because
Il allowed the sold Ter 90 waste his ammunition,
the latter especially being looked upon as
fatal defect Ia 1859 Prussia had two rifles
In nsc-thr needle-gan. cAlibrr 81. bullet 45i
gFains length In calihers l.6A tWist IS uches
and The sharushooicr's rifle, csllber h76. bpl-
let sSl length In Gathers 1 20 twist 81 inches.
Ia 1864 occurred the DRRo Prassian war.
Eminent military men Abd military
students felt that PrusRia1 success was
due moro "a their soldiers than TO their
rifles u 1855 the repeated success 81 the
Prussaus with their brrcch-loaders OCCASION
ed geuctai rush by all important nilltarr
powers 60 small arms loaded tEom the breeeh.
not from the muEElr. Tue hammers and
anyiig OF tile civilized world were set at work
10 make the wraions 81 death more deadly.
The German fighting -machiue 0i lSi0.1i was
inferior tn the Nhassen0t, but the PrussiRn
behind the machine was IN discipline aud
perseverance, superior to the FFeuchman The
genius uf American invention was applied
and the needle gun discarded Tor the Nauser.
The machinery necessary "a be used In alter
ing the German Mauser is now at Esurt,
subj and Spandau, but the machinery was
made after the drawings OF American patents
aud American inventions The cartridge for
the Mauscr had the American Bcrdan paitera
primer The interior OF the cartridge shell
WAS covered With a coating OF varnish 10 pre-
vent tile metal from acting injurouslY on
the powder charge, This varnsh was applied
bv means Of machines devised and made at
Hartford Conn.
Germany next adopted our Winchester idea
in attempting o. alter about 1900 0l1 MRuser
rifles hy placing a tubular magazine under
the barrel This conversion is the principle
Of the Winchester Henry rifle and was invent.
Ell In America before the Prussians had
abandoned their Drcysc needlegun, Tho
Mansrr frat adnntpi hy Prussia was n modih
cation OF the ChAssepot and weighed pG6
pounds II was adop ed TO the use OF the
metallic gae.check cartridge The ballistic
properties Of the Mauser converted magazine.
run are 80 far behind the modern standard
that total change of armament IL now
under consideration. The Mauser is cal her
43S bullet $50 grains, cartridge 663 grains,
length OF bullet IN cnlihers 2ia twist one
turn in 81 66 inches II can be used either
a. a single loader or repeater aud carries
eight cartridges.
LtSh