Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1888-11-02
IMPLEMENTS OF WAR.
Great Improvement in and Variety Of
Breech- Leading Rifles in Recent
Years.

A Il Goddess Battle Now Being Fought in
Europe TO ID 3term,ne the Proper Calib
Of Balets-One Of the Latest Develop
ments Claim ID b. Fame. Il Smolseess
Powder, the : ct of Which Is Kapt.
Rumors OF war aud the fact that every
where in Europe war preparations are being
made suggest reference to a small.arms
systems OF the principal nations OF he world.
In future 1t Is predicted that battles will be
won not by cannon but b. 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 10 the
invention OF improved models Of breech-
loaders, aud 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 Tines. 1t may be Of
Interest TO the reader TO know how the prin-
cipal nations OF the world are armed In this
respect, aud for this purpose an expert has
compiled the following from reliable data:
United s,ates-Springled rifle.
Great Brltain-Enhe.d Snider Martini
Henry, Burton Lee, Lee Remington.
France-Delvlgne, Chatillerault Gras,
Tramond-Lebeli, Chaons, Pralon.
Germany-D eyse needle, Mauser.
Austria -Manlcher.
Italy-Vetterl, Vital Vcttcri, Freddl.
Pieri, Gel.
Russla-Keene Remington, Berdan, karle.
Krenk, Mossin, repeater.
Sweden and Observation-Disclosures Tarman.
Turkey-Peabody, Martini Henry, Mauser.
Spain-Remington.
Such once ell-known arms as the mimic,
the chassepot, the Peabody, the Cossack OF
Russia, the Federal OF Sutherland, the Spen-
Ger, Burnside Colts, Winches,e and Sharp's,
among Others, are now marked as Obsolete"
and new inventions or adaptations TO the
number OF ten or dozen are as yet on the
experimental list.
At the close OF the civil war our muzzle-
ding Springfield was calibre 5s-inch. Not
much was then known OF the proper re alton
between the three quantities. charge, calibre,
and bullet or OF the necessity that the other
attributes of the arm conform 10 the require
ments OF this relation. The prejudice against
the breech- loader had not been overcome.
After the breech loading rife aud metallic
cartridge, cal bre 80 had been invented, the
next efforts to make an Improvement IN our
ordinance system were almost exclusively d-
rected 10 efiectiug an Improvement In the
bullet The desideratum, IL was thought
was bu let that could be easily loaded and
made certain 10 take the grooves. The revo-
luton in favor of small. callbered arms had
not begun. People knew that there was a
certain deviation peculiar TO all oblong rifle
projectles called Drift" aud that VIXEN a
bullet moved through arifed barrel it recelv-
ed motion OF rotation around its longer axis.
the direction of which axlal 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
civil war effort aud invention were almost
solely directed toward an improvement In the
bullet whereby accuracy and sutliciency of
rotation could be given IL and excessive
leading" aud fouling of the bore could be
prevented.
A bloodless battle is now being fought In
Eurole The combatauts are large c-libered
bullets versus small calibered projectiles.
The question OF reduction of csliber was at
first based upon The desirabllity OF decreasing
the weight that the soldier should carry. not
upon any lrinciple OF necessity or ballistics.
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 sHguarly 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 rifle a large
amount OF highly elastic gas is suddenly
developed, which, expanding and pressing
against the bullet, imp-ls it forward with
Increasing velocity until 1t reaches the muz
Zle.
Thirty years ago the regulation English
grains aud was fired from barrel having
one twist IN IS inches. The old British, or
Pritchett, 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 expans on OF the projecte In its
passage through the bore as 10 ala In pre-
serving the form OF the bullet in transporta-
ton. England used !or a time the Boxer
bullets They were made by pressure and the
lead had one thirteenth part OF tin. The
Martini-Henrv or Boxer caliber i5 bullet was
Issued to English troops In 1871 and differed
from the Enfield in that IL had two cavities
and three grooves. 1t weighed $50 grains
ard was fre1 from barrel having one twist
in twenty-five Inches Last year England re.
duced the gauge aud made 10000 stand of
Enfield Martini rifles Each carried a 3S6-
grain bullet calber .402 inch. 4 few months
later a change of caiber was again decided
on. CALDER 40 plus was determined TO be too
large a bullet and one of calber 81 inch.
which Is no thicker than an ordinary lead
pencil, was adopted. England discarded all
previous calibers, and 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 Tige
muskets (carabine q Tigc), ls50-lS6l, sue
ceeded by the famous Chassepot, was wholly
due TO the elongated projectile. In lS7O-1S7l
the superiority Of the infantry armament Of
the French to the Prusslan was due to the
superiority OF the Chsssepot over the paper
cartridge OF the Dreyse needlegun then used
by the Prussians. Before the caution OF the
Prussian had overcome the prejudice against
cases three distinct bullets
were employed In the French srmv. The first
was heavy and was intended to be used at
long ranges only. 10 was held that expert
ence had demonstrated that a bullet to be
effective at distances IN excess of !, 100 Yards,
sbou weigh over 500 grains. IL was cited
that the cross-how bolt OF Robin Hood weighed
$50 grains, and II was believed that a bullet
TO have force and accuracy at long distances
should be mass OF metal rivaling the Incl
deDce OF the cannon OF the days OF Paul
Jones French sharpshooters were therefor
armed with the Citations rife aud bullet. The
second pattern OF French bullet was light and
without much accuracy. II had. however, a