Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-09-26

| regiment buying them for its team and re-
serve. Finally they appeared In the interstate
or Hilton trophy matches. Just in proportion
a. these innovations have gained ground q,
Creednoor the outside attendance has become
! smaller. Expert xifemen have watched the
performance of the Remington as compared
with their own handicapped weapons and have
derarted never again to return The members
OF state and army teams have witnessed the
gradual abandonment Of every military fea-
| ture except tho man in uniform; have bias
| phemed thereat and vanished from the ranges
for good.
DEVICES TABooED SAVE AT cREEpMooR.
We all know how to do this sort Of thing.
We know that the accuracy of the Springfield
can be increased by reloading with bullets
coated with soft lubricant, and that il we let
the bullets project 70 that the cannellures re-
main outside the sdel it will shoot still better.
Then we can get in more powder and gain
greater force at GOO yards and greater uniform
lty. But TO what purpose? We cannot en-
pioy these devices anywhere except at Creed
moor, because they are not tolerated elsewhere.
We can go still further and get the long
range, six.grooved Observation-Disclosures for
q long shetland can make hard bullet weigh
Ing 5SO grains so that it will stand eighty-hve
grains OF sporting powder, and Ipresume could
insert these bullets an eighth of an inch in the
smell and smear them with soft lubricant and
| use them at Creedmoor, but we don't want to
WIN that way. This latter plan did occur to me
this year after learned exactly what New York
would use. even went 80 far as to arrange
Tor the rifles and as this outfit is several buck
leberries better than the New York persimmon
we might have won.
STATISTICS OF cREEDMoon vAuuELEss.
The folly Of this procedure would appear
when you try to base any sort OF calculation
upon the results Neither rife nor ammuni-
ton is that employed by the National Guard
OF our District or Of New York. or what value
to the adjutant general of the state of New
York are all the statistics of Creedmoor? No
general OF brigade or division would tolerate
single box Of this special ammunition in active
service. 1t wouldn't stand transportation or
exposure to weather; could not be carried in
belts or In cartridge boxes without losing all
the lubricant, and it results that the adjutant
general referred to has a mass of statistics
ABOUT sharpshooters and marksmen based upon
condition OF things that could never be du-
phcated In service. Efficiency on paper was
surely never before carried to such degree.
Imagine an ammunition wagon loaded with
cartridges, such es described, after month of
Joltlng over mountain roads. Still further,
imagine 1t passing-the animals at gallop-in
rear OF the firing line and with two or three
men throwing out boxes of ammunition right
and left, these boxes striking rocks, trees,
stumps with such force as to break and scatter
cartridges in all directions. I have seen the
like more than once.
Imagine the guardsmen gathering their am
munltion up-a shell here. a bullet there-and
tenderly wiping off the mingled lubricant and
sand; doing all this with an enemy pressing on
In front to reach the coveted position 800 yards
away, where the Remirgtons could not be used
against him.
Or fancy skrmish rush forward, and that,
after the manner of administers everywhere,
the men carried from three to six cartridges in
their mouths bullets first. Not to mention the
taste this would leave, there would be great
lde on the part of the medicine men as
to the coating Of the soldiers stomachs. And
what complication would ensue when at close
quarters, for the New Workers still another
variety OF ammunition at 200 yards.
THE DISTRICT TEAM SHOULD HAVE WITHDRAWN.
OF course if we had provided ourselves with
the long-range .Springfeids mentioned we
couldn't have used them in New Jersey against
friends armed with the service rife, and
wouldn't have done 80 if we could. still be-
neve our pest course at Creedmoor was the one
determined upon before Gen. Ordway came
VIZ: to withdraw without a contest: but in
difference to his wishes the match was con-
tested, and as matter Of course we lost Not,
as our New York friends kindly put it, because
We we're handicapped by fairy stories" for at
two hundred yards We tied in one match and
won in the other, but because not single round
OF ammunition used in winning these matches
complied with the rules of the association under
whose supervision the matches were contested,
anu because large proportion of the rides
THE MATCH OF 1887.
The Springfield service rifle never did and
never will make record in such weather equal
to that Of the New York team in these matches.
In 1887 acted as coach to one-half of the Mas
sachusetts team on as perfect a day as ever
made Creedmoor visible. The big score which
has since stood as the record, at l. O96 points.
was rolled up without variation OF a Quarter of
APPOINT OF right wind and every shot was care
fully discussed at each Of the longer ranges.
Inc service rlne was at its best, in the hands Of
team OF experts and on a day of absolutely
perfect conditions. The engineers were close
up with 093 points. New York was third. with
LOSS points. Many, II not all. of the New York
team used the service ammunition made by
the winchester company and the service
New York broke the record at 500
yards by seven points That same day
Massachusetts, made 734 points at 500 and coo
yards, New York 731 and the engineers 732
points at the same distances. At zoo yards the
scores were unprecedented all around Massa-
chusetts 1862, the engineers 96l, New York 357.
pennsylvania 351, the latter total being the
highest previous team record. These figures
alone are sufficient to portray the weather con-
ditiOns.
In the Hilton match of 1891 the Springfield
required from three-fourths of point to one
and half points Of right wind at both 500 and
6Oo yards, and varied within these limits in a
single score. At 200 yards New York made 335
points, or n below the record. and this because
OF the wind aud storm. At 500 yards. in spite
OF the wind, she broke all records and at 500
and 600 yards made 730 points or within four
points OF the best previous records.
NO RESTRICTION FOR NEW YORK MARKsMEN.
have gone thus infinitely into statistics in
order to show that after much experimenting
New York has at last perfected her target rife
and the ammunition therefor and has accom-
plished this by removing all restrictions Each
regiment has its own theories and practice:
each makes its own ammunition. The GUAM
tity Of powder is only limited by the capacity
Of the shell. and varies from eighty to eighty
four grains of the best sporting powder. The
bullet is as heavy as they choose to make it.
There is bare pretense Of inserting the bullet
in the shell, but would suggest that this is
wholly unnecessary, and thar still greater ac-
curacy will follow the plan outlined at the be-
ginning of my remarks. 1t will be but one step
further in the departure from all military
usage, but as already explained there is now
nothing left of this in New York but the uni
form.
Colors Of Glasses for the Eyes.
From Chambers Journal.