Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1893-12-16
Improrlng do Armr RIfle.

II is stated in army circles that
there is a growing opinion that the
new snall-caliber rife for the army
will not be a favorite with sharp
shooters. General Y speaking. there
appears to be little foundation for
this belief other than the knowledge
that in most European services where
small-caliber rifles are in use no at
tempt is made 70 provide the new arm
with finely gradual. ID sights
Brigadier-General ID. w. Hagler.
chief of ordnance, United states
army. in his last report on the small
caliber arms of foreign services. pre-
scented TO the small-arms board, says:
ut Is distinguishing feature Of the
sights. as compared with our own SER
vice sight. that none are adapted for
accurate target shooting; nor would
they prove satisfactory for sharp
shooters use in action. The rear
sights are generally adapted only for
fxed elevations and have no arrange
ments by which compensation can be
made for drift or windage allowance.
and for ordinary ranges only the plain
open notch. either square or V-shaped.
is provided. 1t APPEARS that the eX-
treme graduations of the sights range
from $40 yards, in the Belgium SER
vice, to $500 yards. in the British,
while the average is approximately
2,2OO yards
The new Krag- Jorgcnsen rife,
adopted for use in the United States
army, gives an initial velocity close
to ], $50 foot seconds. The Springfield
arm, which for so many wears has
done excellent service in the United
80
seldom exceeding 1.29O foot seconds.
With the low initial veloeities Of the
Springfield arm remarkable sharp.
shooting work has been done by Off
GERS and enlisted men of the army.
Much Of the excellence attained by
the-Spriugfield gun has been due TO
the use Of closely graduated sights
and wind and draft gauges. and yet
nOtso delicate as to make a ready adj
lustment of the sliding leaf impOssi-
BILE.
Tbe new Krag- JOrgensen arm, with
its high muzzle velocities. ii fitted
with sights as excellent in comparison
sas those given TO the old Springfield
gun. sllould be capable, it Is declared
0frrnnning up target scores hardly
within the realm of the Springfield
rIfle.
The high initial velOcities of the
Krag4Jorgensfn gun mean low traiee-
tory, less error arising from atmos.
pberie, conditions, and from the fact
that in lOngifights the ball traverses
plane in which atmospheric phases
are more certainly known. securing
greater accuracy. Assuming that Gem
eral FlAgler pays to the sights of the
Krag-JOrgensen gun tke same atten-
ton which the ordnance department
of the army has devoted in the past N
the sights of the Springfield gun, it il
deemed extremely probable that the
sharpshOOtsr of the army viii soon
find Themselves in possession of an
arm capable OF remarkable shooting
work.
The Springfield gun has been made
to do good work oyer ranges not
exceeding leo yards. The Krag-
Jorgensen gun, If fitted with good
sights, can be made to do close 4pork
over ranges up to $500 yards
ShaTpshooting has long been
feature with American troops. IL was
because of the superior rifle work of
the Ameri aans in 1912 that undrilled
levies were able TO successfully con-
tend with the veteran regiments of
Great Britain, and il was an important
factor in securing the independence
of the United States. The familiarity