The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-09-10
DEADLY NEW WEAPON.
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE KRAG-
JORGENsEN MAGAZINE RIFLE.

the Rifles Selected by the Leading
European Governments for Their
Armies.
From the Metz York Herald
The small arm magazine rifle board of
+bs United States army, after nearly two
Years labor and experimenting. have fin
isbad their work and made their report.
The rife recommended is the Danish
Krar-Jorgensen. This is bolt gun with a
fred magazine holding FIVE cartridges. The
magazine has a cutoff, and the rifle can be
used as a single loader. The piece is cooked
automatically, as in the new German elm
fantry Rifle, 49," with which it has many
points of similarity, having among other
things in common, a barrel cover Of thin
steel. TO which the sights are attached.
The rife derives its name from the two
inventors Of its mechanism, Capt. Kraig,
director Of the Kosigsberg Norway rife
factory. and the Battalion Armorer Jorgen-
sen.
The magazine contains five cartridges and
Is placed horizon tally under and around the
left Of the receiver, into which it opens on
the left side, the walls curving upward for
this purpose. A door placed on the right
side Of the magazine permits the introduce
zion of cartridges. The door has on its inner
face a cartridge guide composed OF lever
and carrier: plate and pushes she car
tridges from the right to the left, feeding
them SUCCESSFULLY into the receiver.
A leaver operated by thumb lug, on the
left side of the receiver when desired, par
TALLY closing the opening from the maya
zine, shuts of the supply OF cartridges.
The rifle can then be fed by hand and used
as a single loader The magazine can be
recharged before being completely emptied
OF cartridges.
As regards convenience of loading from
the kneeling or lying down positions the
-Jorgensen offers certain advantages
over those rifles having the vertical under
feed magazine.
The length of the rifle without bayonet is
4S6 feet; with bayonet. 5.21 feet; weight
with bay onet, 9.S3 pounds. There are six
grooves in the rifling and the twist is one
turn in II S inches.
The first thing that will probably strike
one on looking at the piece is the great size
Of the barrel and next the small size of the
magazine. The true barrel, however, is
concealed from view except just at the
muzzle. The outside steel casting is strong
enough to protect the shooting barrel from
injury and to carry the bayonet and sights
The air space between the two barrels pre-
vent the outer barrel from becoming SO
overheated as TO burn the hands or melt the
sights in rapid firing
The true barrel Is secured to this casing
at the breech end, but at the muzzle passes
freely through the tube. 1t can thus ex-
pand or contrast There being no bands 30
tighten nor wood to warp and swell adioin-
lag the inner barrel the liability of the rifle
being sprung thereby is entirely overcome.
There are two front sights. one placed over
the axis of the piece for short and middle
distances the other attached to the right
eida Of tho band fo-
The caliber Of the Danish gun Is 81 s, and
1t carries bullet weighing 1915 grains,
with charge SO. 8 grains of Danish smoke
less powder, giving an initial velocity OF
1883 foet per second.
The question OF procuring for the army
of the United States a magazine rifle OF re-
dOced caliber has engaged the attention of
the ordnance department for q long time,
and in December, 1890, board of officers
were assembled to consider and recommend
suitable magazine system for rifles and
carbines.
The question OF satisfactory ammunition
was the first to be decided. The reduction
in ce1iber involved a corresponding rsduc-
tion In the size OF the cartridge and In the
space occupied by the charge; consequently,
either the present charge had to Ne COM
pressed within the prescribed limits, or a
more energetic explosive employed. The
powder desired was one that could be
packed into the smallest possible space,
develop the utmost energy and
keep indefinitely under all possible
circumstances. But, up to the present time,
the board Is still in search of its ideal In
England Prof. Abel's powder, called Cord
lite, Is used in the new magazine arm. The
United States ordnance department manu-
featured 100000 cartridges for the expert
ments of their board, using nitro smoke
less compound, from the Wetterin factory
at Belgium. Thirty-six grains OF this pow
der is used for the charge, with bullet
composed of slug, nine-tenths lead and
one-tenth tin, encased in a copper jacket,
the weight of the bullet being $50 grains.
This cartridge is longer than the present
government cartridge, but il takes IT'S OF
them to equal the weight Of the old ammu-
milton.
Reports of experiments In European
countries indicate that continuous rapid
hrlng OF their magazine rifles did not result
satisfactorily In consequence of the heating
OF the gun and lack of endurance of the
soldier.
recent experiment in France gives
good idea OF the rapidity of fire possible
with their magazine small arm
len soldiers were selected to fire with
maximum rapidity at target 9S4 feet dis
tant, representing fifteen men standing a
lew inches apart.
Tor firing. and each had companion stand
ing near him to supply him with another
Ilne as soon as the enc he was using heated
10 such degree as to be unfit for use. The
MIS- averaged only s 6 per cent. The rifles
aH heated between the twentieth and
t"enty-htth shots, and new ones were i'm
mealately handed to the men. The soldiers
were all compelled. from physical exhaus-
tlon alone, to cease firing at the end of a
time, averaging ten minutes for the entire
party were 154.2.
4, In view Of the fact that expert soldiers Ia
tne United States army can now fire with
tne accuracy generally needed in battle
ABOUT twenty shots minute with the pres
enS Springfield single loading rife, the new
rifle recommended by the board must possess
superior qualifications.
The most perfect target of ten shots ever
maze In the national armory at Springfield,
MASS, was made with the new 30-caliber
springfield rife at 1000 yards-every shot
outside Of it.
A small arm for military service is Sc
verely tested before adoption. II must be
simple In construction, have no intricate or
oeilcate parts which are liable 30 get out of
order easily, and must be capable of stand
ing the toughest kind of usage and still re-
tain It's serviceability. Il must be able to
stand the maximum amount Of abuse with
sue minimum amount of injury.