, 1888-01-04
RIFLES OF THE FUTURE.
EUROPEAN COUNTRIES ALL ENGAGED
IN REDUCING THE CALDER.

Iet-CcfInahN's hnuScr ana the frcnch
LobcI-.ustria's New Eepeater-other
Well known Systems.
Two features in infantry rifles are now
absorbing attention in all parts of the
world, the caliber and the repeating
apparatus. France, Germany, Austria,
England. Holland and Italy arc all en-
Gagged in reducing the caliber, and here in
our WI country Gen. Benct says, in n re-
cent report, that "the question Of n re-
duced calibor for smaA arms Is now under
consideration by the Departmental
statement which speaks volumes. With
a smaller clliber are joined n steel cnsed
bullet and n compressed powder, or
else far more powerful powder, which
gives greater range and penetration,
while many additional cartridges of the
the smaller size can obviously be carried
by the soldier. This last advantage is the
more important, since the tendency to
fire too rapidly is increased by the repeat
ing arms.
Germany, in order to supply her army
with magazine guns ahead of France,
kept her factories ut Erfurth, Spandau
and Dantzic working day End night; and
now that she has completed the arming of
her troops at large cos, she is to begin all
over again with n new small bore rifle,
because the French have n small bore.
80 - NANAA AAAAA ~ A'sAH Ahh 90 A"n ~ AAA%AA
may do for the reserve and militia, is the
Mauser of sixteen years ago, refurnished
with n magazine of eight cartridges,
pushed by n spring into the barrel. Col.
Arbuthnot, superintendent of the Enfield
factory, considers it the worst repeater he
has seen. 1t is certainly both heavy and
ill balanced, although it has the advan-
taSe that n simple movement turns it
to n single loader, and it requires no new
manual of drill. But it is doomed before
it has been really used, because n better
gun is found in France. The caliber of
the new German rifle is 10 be eight MILL
meters, which is only .315 inch, while
that OF the Mauser is eleven millimeters,
or .433 inch.
THE LEBEL RIFLE
The Lebel rifle, adopted by France, is
ot only .307 inch caliber, and carries
eight cartridges in n magazine under the
barrel. Its sharp pointed steel bullet,
about the size Of n pea, driven at n Won
dcrful velocity by n new smokeless pow
der, has great range and accuracy. The
soldier @ln carry nearly twice as many of
its small cartridges as of the old style.
TIL trajectory is almost fat for range
customary, with n consequent gain in
precision; the recoil is scarcely percepti-
bic, and even the noise of the report Is
trifling. The French Pralon rifle is an
other remarkable small bore, of 1915
caliber.
Italy has n small caliber rifle under con
sideration in the invention of Capt. Freddi.
II is of .325 inch bore, md elects the empty
cartridge, opens the chamber and cocks
the piece. The Pieri is of about the same
bore, but of u greater muzzle velocity,
this gun and the Lebcl and the HELLER
being the most remarkable of the recent
inventions in that respect. The HELLER
j. very light, and is of only .206 inch
culiber.
The Schulhof repeater. the invention of
nm Austrian. Inns been tried with much
thoroughness in England. 1t takes ten
cartridges, introduced from II cardboard
box, and can also be used MS a single
lcader. 1t would cost less than the Eng
lish Martini-Henry. But England, out of
the large number of magazine guns open
u her, is trying by preference tho i'm
proved Lee and the Lee-Burton. The
Lee, so favorably known in the United
States, has n detachable magazine, and
this is preferred by some experts; but tho
British apparently decide in favor of ~
lag the hopper fixed, lest the movable one
should be dropped in the heat Of action.
They follow the movement for small
caiibers 10y fixing on II 81 bore, whatever
the selection OF the magazine rifle system.
Tic large charge Of compressed powder
aud long bullet will secure high velocity,
Hat trajectory and accuracy Of shooting.
Great Britain has had an experience some
thing like Gcrmauy's, since she had just
~iusroduCed the new Enfield Martini 40
c"!iDcr rs an Improvement on her Martini
Il.ary, which has II 40 bore, like our
Springfield. Over 100, 600 have been com
plutcd, with new sword bayoncts, but the
small caliber will superscde them.
A~UsIRIA's REPEATER.
Austrin's new repeater, the Mannlioher,
fIes accurately aud rapidly, and can 30
held ut the shoulder until its series of
cartridges are delivered. Its detachable
magazine is carried in n frame which has
an ingenious apparatus for feeding the
cartridges into tho barrel. In its freedom
rom alteration OF aim between shots and
is9idity Of loading, it resembles the Lee,
pAt the latter can be used as n single
loader, While the Mannlichcr cannot.
-hu5trin is also among the recent converts
to the small caIibcr, which will allow
more cartridges than the original Mann
E"hcr. Tho Styria mandatory has re-
ccived orders TO deliver NJ more Of the
I-rye calibcr rifles,
other we'll known systems are the
Iiutchkiss, Chnnce-Reecc Winchester,
C4iband Spencer of American invention,
with the krOpatsChek, NCttcrlt, Jarmann
EIl others in Europe. switzerland WIS
jIe first country TO Guily arm her troops
With rcpgatyTf, adopting the Nctterli,
which - the heaviest OF all the magazine
E,us, Weighing ten pounds eight ounces,
or even SIX ounces more Than the Muuser.
!, caliher - Ala. The Jmmanu is the
{ ..2IJer Of Norway and Sweden, is Of
"5Jut the weight Of the Mallsr-, with
l-,rh muzGlc velocity, and the smallest
..!iber, .;iJ5, among the older magazine
ir.i3. Tho KrUpatsChck has for years
EPan used as a repeater in the French