The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-05-17
THE MAGAZINE SMALL Arm.



sieA Of = Repeatise Rise.
WARRINGTON. May 18.-Is our army to sx.
change It's stakeholder for magazine gun 7
The answer to this question cannot long be de-.
layed. since during the coming weeks tho
Board having the subject under consideration
will conduct its final experiments.
This Board. consisting Of four cavalry and
infantry and two ordnance officers began it's
sessions nearly q year and half ago. II pro.
cured for trial not a few famous foreign maya
Zine small arms. including tho Lee. Speed
Mark 1 OF England. tho Mannllcher Of Aus.
tria- the Krag-Jorgensen Of Denmark. the
Mauser OF Belgium. tho Infantry Rife" Of
Germany. the Kropatschek OF Portugal the
Marata OF Japan. and the Schmidt OF Svltzer.
land. American inventors. however. were
slow In coming forward. apparently Whiting
to perfect their devices or to see what they
had to compete with. To assist them the
Ordnance Department issued to them at cost
price .30.calibre barrels. such as Il had manu-
featured for It's own use at Springfield, and
also smokeess powder cartridges made at the
Frankfort Arsenal with the Belgian wetteren
powder. which It had imported for the pur-
pose OF these experiments.
The conclusions arrived at from last years
tests OF the Board were embodied in the re.
port OF Gen. Flagler that they have not DEM
arms which have been adopted By the foreign
nations as was expected. and have not shown
such perfection In any one OF them ns could
warrant its adoption for our service. It Is
hoped that this country can produce better
arm. and until 1t can. or certainly until It hos
been demonstrated that 1t cannot, It would 10
wise to defer change from the excellent sin-
Gle-loader now In service to a magazine sys-
TEN. II this conclusion seems rather un-
promising. consolation may bs derived from
anptner passnge in the sRmo report declaring
that us American inventors have produced the
s best small arms 10 The world Under the cid
to,the new Conditions '' "oAp'''S themselves
eTed tSs to
t tEis D,p5sGss W. shsfs n "a;
q the Ordnance Department. and one by Mr..
Wilson OF Springfield. There nre also. It is
aea SS tSp Rfas
tR WHY infe mt lot OF the k5ag -Iorgensen.
calibre. whether for single loader or as i ros
ast?n ons.thrd from the sm mhlSn rs r. H.
should be offered with suitable smokeiess
our will Fst gun
these Investigations viii be such an arm. VI
10 Win regard to powders, the question is still
fssa mads 70 w saH Ffns M.. hH
the Nobel. tho Du pont the Walsrode. tbs,
French 3 n. the Wetteren. and so on, but IL
appears that the right one yet remains to be
Schuprhaus Of Brooklyn and Mr.. Houghton OF
Nqttn Adams is spoken OF as promising.
many foreign nations have actually armed their
troops with magazine guns no better than
those that have already been tried By the
very weapons. that, they should all be pro.
nounced unsatisfactory for us. They are Of
various patterns. with different styiea az
magazines. carrying four or 1--WE. and in
some some cases eight or ten. cartridges. Some Of
sive. But with all their good points the pres-
now to be tried will be found one that can be
iully commended. or that can be improved SO
as to command acceptance. At all evAnts the |
end OF the present search approaches since
after the last day Of this present month no |
more guns can be offered for trial