The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-04-09
THE BURST RIFLE.
A Krag- Jorgensen Rival
at Shell Mound.
BULLETS IN IRON TARGETS.
Another Pistol Record Broken
by Hovey.
BULLETS IN IRON TARGETS.
sTREcKER's MARVELLOUS SCORES
The Local Crack ExceIs In Pool
Shooting-Closing Day of the
Pigeon tournament.


the range on the Berkeley shore yesterday
were afforded an opportunity to aequaiut
themselves in measure with the weapon
which Is soon to replace the old Spring
field. A rife of more thoroughly im-
proved pattern than any ever seen on the
coast was at their disposal for an entire
afternoon, and had the ammunition lasted
they might still be competing for honors iu
new school Of Workmanship. The burst
rife. so called from its inventor, is very
like the Krag-Jorgensen gun, which was
adopted few months ago by the national
Government for use by the army and
State militia. 1t is the arm which for
some time challenged comparison with the
Krag-J orgensen and was generally con-
sidered TO be even more in favor with the
army experts than the weapon they after
ward selected. In the matter of mechan-
ism it differs from the new army rife in
very few particulars, and additional in
terest conferred in the ole used Yesterday
for the reason that 1t is the only burst
ever manufactured and the one entered in
recent trials in the East. The burst gun
is even now entered in a competitor for
adoption by the naval forces of the United
States.
Some very interesting experiments were
made with this rife at Shell Mound. Com
pared with the Springfield. which the mi
litiamen now use. it showed some very
novel and marve lous differences. The
bsence of recoil and the use of smokeless
powder were striking features in the lew
matches in which the Burst has been used.
A crowd of State soldiers went out on the
beach and saw a long thin bullet pillow into
solid Oregon pine aud show itself again
alter passing through a thickness OF
twenty-five inches. They were more sur
prised when the steel-jacketed bullet was
removed unbent and without an abrasion
of any kind.
There are two massive iron targets at
Shell Mound, and upon these the burst
was trained by several euardsmen in turn.
Not only did the rife shoot true It nearly
200 yards, but the bullets were afterward
found completely imbedded in the solid
iron disk. The small leaden cylinders are
about an inch in length, and In every In
stance the iron door was penetrated to a
depth corresponding 10 the lengtl of the
bullet.
The guardsmen were not little jutilant
over the results, for only short time will
elapse before Krag-J orgensens are issued
TO them. The trials had yesterday were
the best possible illustration of what ex-
traordinary results will soon tie expected
of military marksmen, and what surpris-
ing changes must be made in the school of
the rlflem an when the wea pons of improved
pattern come into general use.
There was a pistol record broken at
Shell Mound yesterday. Ed Hovey pro-
Claimed it, and Hovey has broken enough
records before this to know. In the match
held under the auspices of the Columbia
Pistol and Rife Club for the champion
medal he made the excellent score of 90
out of a possible 100 1t Is conceded that
no pistol marksman on the Pacific Coast
has ever done as well, and few have else
where. The score-b book showed the fol-
lowing figures:
Hovey...........1o 10 10 10 10 10 1876
A. 81. Pape won the first class cham
pioDship by score of 81. and a. Gehret
the honors of the second class with 81
credits.
The contest tor the Blanding medal re-
suited in a victory for S. Carr, who scored
81. A. 81. Pape made 90, Lee o. Rodgers
SO. E Hovey &c. II. l.. Pendleton SO, C. NJ.
Daiss So and A. Gehret 50.
Besides the revolver competitions the
Columbia Club also held several rife
matches. In the first of these DR.. Rodgers
won the champion class medal by a score
of 81. The first class honors went to P
Bohr, who made "a. and among the second
class men c. NJ. Daiss was the victor with
SO points. In the Rnos medal match P.
Bohr won with IS credits. A. Gehret was
second with 81. and f. Gehtet third with
total of rs. l.. Pendleton scored "a in
another contest with the Springfelds, and
was awarded the Glinderman medal The
other winners and their scores were:
Irving b. Cook &c. A. Gehret &C. w. Kirk
man 60 and T. Gehret Ga
Companies and q of the First Infan-
try. known generally in National Guard
circles as the Nationals" were presentat
the Shell Mound range and neld a competi-
tion for class medals with gratifying re-
suits The scores of marksmen in the two
companies were as follows: