New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-08-05
SOLDIERS WILL GET NEW GUNS
EXPERIMENTING WITH ARMY RIFLES.
AMERICAN OFFICERS TESTING FOREIGN "rN
poys AND sMoKELESS POWDER

.,trprCAy OFFICERS TESTING FOREIGN VIA
poys AND sMoKELEsS POWDER.
snc. the Government decided TO dispense with inc
aEcaibre rife now used in the Army. ana 10 aus''
in rs place 30-calbre arm. the Board on h dSuNr'
small Arms has been conducting Interesting e~Por
no,.s on Governors Island with the arms u.eo ny
rnronoan armies. The Belgian Mauser and the Ger
nan infantry rifles arc being carefully tco
ndo tho rules formulated by the Board, which con-
i, % Lieutenant Colonel Robert ii. Hall, 1oth HI
tantrv: Major George w. Mckee, ordnance peP'''
mani. Major Henry b. Freeman, 9TH infantry ''p
tain stanhopc L. Blunt, Ordnance Department. "
corier; and Captain George S. Anderson o'h |"'
airy. ~ -, .o, The
ooa &c fired from the shoulder at a target feet DV
feet At a range of 100 feet; twenty shots are nreo'
and the time required for firing them ana the huno
Of hits are recorded. Then come the numoer OIL Ai'
and hits firing for two minutes and using tho gun d"
q single loader then the same test. nslng the pl o"
magazine arm. The second test Is for rapldlN WIN
ont considering the hits. The gun Is nred rom 'H'
hin in this trial. The third test Is to fire ooo col"
,ioue rounds without cleaning, using the magazine
,ben N fire 100 continuous rounds using the gun rs
single loader. ., -,, On,
The fourth test is 70 determine whether the gun can
successfully Withstand being carried through INC NS
Western deserts and remain In serViccaDie ooh"i'i
50 that Il may be Immediately fired. Ihe "Pp"
used for this "dust" test as 1t Is Called Is IuH'
shallow covered box, with square receptacle Ike V
hopper of mill leading into the top WINS INC "o"Nl
~ a great bellows opens into the side Inc hoppei
Is fu OF the finest kind of sand ana aiter 'he ".'
loaded gun is laid in the box and the cover uS"t"
closed an assistant works the bellows Ior t"o H''l
ues When the gan comes ont oil the DON ~ - 'O
petey covered with thick white coat Oh 'ho ~,
and every part of the interior mechanism IL pono
nv the gritty n,rtjces Twenty rounds are then hreu
allowed is that which soldier might employ !" e"o
eo,d namely blowing on II and wiping with the pare
hand After The twenty rounds have been hreu INV
gun is loaded and again subjected to the "uust t9 val,
Roth rho BeIran ard German guns behaVeu "eh
Yesterday the German being slightly superior III "
dust" test The next trial was TOT uc'el u'i"o ~
.treng+b Of the gun with defective cartridges. Inc
belgian was the only tried yesterday c'r't'uso
coes died on the head to nearly the thickness Oh c
metal ras inserted, and piece OF whiie paper ""'
tied around the brecch to denote the eecaPo VI e'
The explosion bent the extractor so that ti'e gun ~
came disabled which would Of course make II "o''i',
No. g., = battlc After repairing 1t a cartridge cut
around the rim was fired off, again disabling olo
weapon Gas escaped so violently rom 'No 80
,h,s time that the paper burst The tests lo'
excessive charges and of Manipulation VIII ''"
Mace today when the German arm VIII also 10
further tested besides tho Portuguese gun Inc VIC
man rife which has been adopted th'"us"oue ~
German Army. IS handy weapon, Welsnins cue 10y
over e,ght pounds. The mechanism Is exceedingly
10 ond ~ e. adaptcd for rapid firing. 1t Is a
five shot magazine gun. An apparently uSeiess ed''
In this as well as the Belgian gun, Is the jacket o'oi
tho barrol II Is designed 10 prevent RAPID he"'in
of the latter but has rather the contrary c"o'',
onIy adds to the weight of the arm IL Is proDao''
,Ia+ ,Ie American rifle will be without his JacheV
The tests are being carried on in order 10
, hind If a rife will be best TO replace the spring
In
has been decided to get rid Of this gnn' WHICH caf
A,callbre cartridge loaded with seventy grams VI
| common black powder and 5Oo-gIaih DulieV' nc
rife IN replace 1t is TO carry 3o-cailOre odrulue
| loaded with thirty-siX grains OF smoheie99 "o'
| novder and carrying bullet Of only -"o grains,
with this latter cartridge velocity OIL l'oo lc0'
| fat trajectory of 600 yards are attained Whe VIII
Tho nrescnt 45.calibre cartridge velocity OF ohll
os5 feet with a fiat trajectory OF only lOo yaiu'
| ara obtained Smokeless powder Is eVldehtN u''
nov,der of The future. All tests with IL nave 30 la
been satisfactory and TIE trials yesterday sho"e" i
superiority in many ways. The fainest pun Oh snoN0
hare,v .dscerpible. was generated by each discharge
and IL dissolved in the air Immediately. snort us
lance from the rife no smoke whatever couu oo 9o'"
| AcaIr # fous the weapons slightly. A pail OF "a'ei
| a. which pun had been cleaned at least hlF ule
,ros stlu almost entirely clear curious th's aDo"
| tho German cartridges was tho odor 1t was that o
| fresh pneapples, both before and after hrihS'
| The Board has received at various times iatel'
| sracimen arms of those adopted by Denmark
! Switzerland Belgium, Germany, Ausuia' Io''us"'
| I.nan and the one experlmentally adopted by Eng
| ,ond Whom the new gun for Russia, which the CA
h oided prlsonally in designing is finished, inc bodN
will receive one as we'll the Italian gun fIaIU
defined to furnish to this country one Oh 'nc arm
ue The psns taken by the members of the BOARD an,
the careful and intricate eXpGes donti6n Of per
by them will no doubt result I'll Sie "u0p"'' "a -
| feet arm for the American army