The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1889-06-14

10 single loader, anu IT requires no new
manual of drill. But it is doomed before
1t has been really used, because q better
gun is found in France. Tho caliber Of
the new German rifle Is to be eight MILL.
meters, which is only .315 inch, while
that of the Mauser is eleven millimetcrs,
or .432 inch.
1 THE LEDEL RIFLE.
The Lcbcl rifle, adopted by France, is
OF only .307 inch caliber, and carries
eight cartridges i'll magazine under the
barrel. Its sharp pointed steel bullet,
about the size of n pea, driven ut Won
derfnl velocity by u new smokcless pow
der, has great range and accuracy. The
soldier can carry nearly twice as many of
its small cartridges as Of the old STYLE
The trajectory is almost fiat for ranges
customary, with consequent gain in
precision; the recoil is scarcely percepti-
bic, and even tho noise of the report is
trihing. The French Pralon rifle is an
other remarkable small bore, of .315
calibcr.
Italy has small caliber rifle under con-
sideration in the invention of Capt. Freddi.
1t is of .eaa5 inch bore, and elects the empty
the piece. The Picri is Of about the same
this gun aud the I.cbcl and the HELLER
being the most remarkable of the recent
inventions in that respect. The HELLER
Is very light, and is of only 1896 inch
caliber.
The ScEulhOf repeater, the invention of
IN Austrian, has been tried with much
thoroughncss in England. 1t takes ten
cartridges, introduced from cardboard
box, and can also be used us u single
loader. 1t would cost less tlnn the Eng
lish Martini-lIenry. But England, out of
the large number Of magazine guns open
to her, is trying by preference the i'm
proved Lee and the Lee-BurtOn. The
Lee, SO favorably known in the United
States, has Il detachable magazine, and
this is preferred by some experts; but tho
British apparently decide in favor of hav-
ing the hopper fixed, lest the movable ono
should be dropped in the heat Of action.
They follow the movement for small
calibers by fixing OH 81 bore, whatever
the selection of the magazine rifle system.
The large charge Of compressed powder
and long bullet will secure high velocity,
flat trajectory and accuracy of shooting.
Great Britain has had an experience some
thing like Germany's, since she had Just
introduced the new Enfield Martini 40
caliber as an improvement OH her Martini
Henry, which has AS bore like our
Springfield. Over 100, 900 have been COM
pleted, with new sword bayonets, but tho
small caliber will superscle them.
AUsTRIA's REPEATER.
Austria's new repeater, the Mannlichcr,
fires accurately and rapidly, and can DO
held Mt the shoulder until its series of
cartridges are delivered. Its detachable
magazine is carried in frame which has
IN ingenious apparatus for feeding the
cartridges into the barrel. In its freedom
from alteration of aim between shots and
rapidity Of loading, it resembles the Lee,
but the latter cum DO used rs single
loader, while tho Mannlicher cannot.
Austria is also among the recent converts
to tho small caliber, which will allow
more cartridges than tho original Mann
lichcr. The Syria mandatory has re-
ceived orders to deliver no more of the
large caliber rifles.
Other we'll known systems are tho
Hotchkiss, Chaffcc- Recce. Winchester,
Colt and Spencer Of American invention,
with the Kropatschek, Vettcrli, Jarmann
and others in Europe. Switzerland was
the first country to fully arm her troops
with rcpeatcrs, adopting the Vetterli,
WHICH, IL Ine heaviest OF al the magazine
guns, weighing ten pounds eight ounces,
or even six ounces more than the Mauscr.
It calibcr is Ala. The Jarmann is the
repeater of Norway and Sweden, and is of
about the weight of the Mauscr, with
high muzzle velocity, and the smallest
caiber, 1897, among tho older magazine
arms. The Kropatschek has for years
been used as q repeater in the French
navy; but for her land forces France had
male notifications rather of the Gras
rifle, on the system of Lee, Robin, Picard
and others, prior to her selection of the
Lebel. The Picard seems little affected
by the presence Of dust or sand. Portugal
has the Gueles, q modification of the
Kropatschek, with small calibcr, 1923,
aud high velocity. Italy was very rapidly
arming her troops with Vetterli,
changed into repeater OIL the Vital
system, but will be found dcvoting her.
self henceforth to small caliber arm.
1t is not alone the advantage to be
gained by tremendous volume of fire ut
a critical moment which makes all these
and other nations so eager to secure tho
best possible repeating gun. They thor.
oughly appreciate the vast effect on the
soldiers morale Of understanding that he
carries at least as gool q weapon as the
one in tho hands Of tho cncmy.-Sew
York Sun.