The herald., 1893-02-26

and plugged and breech action closed ;
the butt of the gun to be inserted to the
height of the chamber in q solution OF
sal-ammoniac for 10 minutes, exposed
for two days to the open air standing in
rack, and then fred 20 rounds, load
ing magazine and holding it in reserve
until remainder of cartridges have been
fired, using gun as single-loader, then
firing those in magazine.
Explosions in magazine.-The liabil-
ity to accidental explosion of cartridges
in tubular magazines will be tested by
charging the magazine and then giving
the gun vertical jolting motion for two
minutes, repeating with the magazine
but half loaded.
Dismounting and assembling The
comparative ease and relative time re-
quired in dismounting and assem- mbling
the breech and magazine systems OF the
different guns will be determined.
To further determine the comparative
rapidity of fire and facility of manipula-
tion of various arms each gun will be
fred 20 shots by three men to be selected
by tine board, loading from the cartridge
box and firing from the shoulder, with
aim at an "A' target 100 yards distant.
| The average of the three trials to be the
recorded time of firing 20 rounds. The
magazine to be loaded from the cart
ridge box before the start, the remainder
of the cartridges to be fired away first,
using the gun as single-loader, and the
magazine to be emptied last.
Such additional tests or repetition of
previous ones as may seem ad Gisable
will be made by the board in its discre-
tion.
"What is the general magazine sys-
tenn" was next asked.
with the exception of some weapons,
such as the arms adopted by Portugal
and Japan, the magazine is commonly a
clip or packet, or receptacle for such,
holding from four to six cartridges and
inserted into the piece either above or
below the barrel. A bolt working lon
gitudinally serves to close the breech.
When. this, bolt is withdrawn to the
rear it releases q spring or other
mechanism in the magazine which pro-
| jects cartridge into the chamber. The
closing (or forward motion) of the bolt
shoves the cartridge in place, causes the
firing pin to be engaged by the trigger,
and when the bolt is locked or secured
the piece is ready for discharge. The
withdrawal of the bolt causes the with
drawal and election of the discharged
shell and the projection of another load
ed cartridge into the chamber"
"Was any decision arrived at by the
board ?"
eyes. After the most careful tests
the Krag-J Jorgensen gun was finally se-
lected by the board as the weapon pos
sessing the greatest merits. 1t would
take too long to give you the details of
the careful examinations of the various
arms, both new American models and
those officially adopted by foreign pow
ers. L should mention here that the
weight of these guns with magazine
empty, ranges from to 10 pounds. AS
a result of the tests the Krag J Jorgensen
seems to have had the best OF it, six
different models of this weapon being
submitted before the requirements Of
the board were apparently met with.
This weapon is a modification of the
arm adopted by the Danish army. The
gun, as recommended, weighs pounds
IA ounces with magazine empty, and
uses magazine of five cartridges,
to be held in reserve. With
the magazine full, the weight is
8 pounds 21s ounces. The muzzle veloc-
ity ia 1000 feet. In the test for 20 shots
it WAS found that 15 shots as o single
loader, and 5 shots as magazine gun
scored 16 hits, the whole in "a seconds,
8 seconds being consumed in firing the
magazine. The German rife (also firing
| Is shots as a single loader and 5 as
magazine) required 81 seconds, IA sec
onds to discharge and fire magazine. As
a result of firing 500 shots, the board re-
ports as regards the German infantry
rife: "Much force frequently required
to free cartridges from loading packet.
As to the Krag-Jorgenson worked well
and easily Other tests of come defec-
tive cartridges, etc., seem to favor this
arm"
1.-THE Krag-Jorgensen gun, as now in
use in Denmark, is calibre .315. The
magazine holding five cartridges is of a
fixed type, horizontal, under, and also
to the side of the receiver. The gun has
a cut off. The magazine can therefore
be held in reserve while single loading
fire is conducted. Notifications, how
ever, of this system were submitted to
the board to conform to the require
ments OF this government, both for cali
bre and shape of cartridges"
''The board in it's report statea:
'"This arm was placed in the hands
of three eoldiers of the ordnance detach-
|
marine corps, one in the Tenth infantry,
and one in the Second cavalry none Of
these men were considered particularly
expert in target practice. A distance of
100 yards was selected, and target (the
one commonly in use for short range
practice) erected. Before commencing
firing, the magazine was charged and
put in reserve. Commencing firing, Is
shots were delivered as a single loader,
loading from the cartridge belt, in l
minute and 28 seconds. The magazine
was then turned on and it's five cartridges
fired in % seconds. Total for 20 shots,
| minute and 80 seconds.''
Compare this with the Springfield
(single loader), our present system, a
gun of 80 caliber having been specially
submitted for the test. The board re-
ports: "After ten preliminary shots
(eight failures in the automatic seating
of the thumbpiece) the gun was fred by
the recorder. loading from the cartridge
belt, at an "a target, at range of 100
yards, 20 shots in two minutes and six
seconds, 16 hits, Time OF firing was un-
duly prolonged by nine failures in the
automatic seating of thumbpiece and
the considerable force required to operate
| block after each discharge"
1t would seem, therefore, as result
of the present investigation that the
Krag-J -Jorgensen gun, as modified, is
about what we want, and is 30 recon-
mended by the board. A number of