The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-01-12
4nE so. clLIBnE RIrLE AMnCNf1roN.
TIE Sweets ~ FIri~E bsrrs srs s-rii Hu'-
ists-Tbs best Material tor The JseHet.

The EWset- ~ Ftrt~e L.rrs ssa S-ru Hui-
tst.-Ths Hrs, Material tor the Jacket.
wAsHIxGroS. Jan. 1.-THE award OF con-
tracts both TO the Leonard and the Peyton
powders. to be used in experimental car
tridges with tho new army magazine rifle, Will
furnish an opportunity for Interesting and i'm
portant comparisons.
In the current report n Gen. Flarier acme
valuable details ars given in regard to tho new
weapon. Assistant Surgeon La Garde OF tho
Medical Department and Lieut.. Donet ot tho
Ordnance Corps were inatructed some tiunc
ago to experiment upon tho relative effects Of
the old .45-ralbre and the new .3O-calibre
Springfield rifos against the human body at
the same ranges and using tho same ammunl-
tIon. Not to 90 into details. the general con-
clusion was that the severity OF the wound
was much lcss with the smaller cnlibre. and
will be further lessened by using a bullet
seldom or mover altered In shape at tho
highest striking velocities against tho
hardest human bones. The report shows
that wounds produced in mon by n
.3O-calibre bullet may I've worry slight,
and experiments have been made In Germany
and lloumania with small calibre bullets hnv-
ing the Jacket or covering removed ut the head.
80 ma to expnnd tho load. tho object being to
make tho bullet mushroom on striking,
tnuR increasing It's lTOnlnge anu ElNlUk mOlo
shock. StIll. II il assumed that such n bullet
will not be deliberately adopted for warfare
besides n bullet which will not be deformed Is
preferable on account OF It's penetrative
power. ana it's ability to wound several men
instead Of only one. 1t Is noted ms signil-
| cant that experiments with n deformablo bull
let nre en- UP at this timo in common with
the tendency to reduce the callbro OF rines
As Gen. Fiagler aays. tho question regarding
the nature OF the wound produced. aud
whether It will compel man to leave the line
OF battle. must have nm important bearing
upon the choice OF calibre since bullet not
readily detormed is best. 1t should be heavy
entpgh to produce a serious shock on pene-
| trailing. While. ns has bean stated in other
! discussions Of this subject, gun barrels having
rs small n calibre as .1oi havo actually been
made, and our own navy has actually adopted
the .234 and Italy. lioumania. and Holland
| the .1JH yet the smallest calibre used in hos
tilties hitherto Is about .al5. with bullet
weighing about 235 grains. our new army
rinr is 80. with u bullet 81 20 grains.
Tho reduction from the originally proposed
weight Of the bullet rs 10 gram prodnci1g a
| inch while German silver IL substituted for
the. opper covering or Jacket ot the bullet.
which ~ made without canncures and not ~
| lrcAted. Tho bullet within tho cover "a made
q an alloy Of S1'a per cent lend ana ~. IN.
may bc iisnIaced by one oi cupro- nick ed
steel which has shown better results. both Tor
generation and reris,anee t. deloriaa,ion.
| feet. the German silver iacketed bullet
gave a penetration Of only ,53 inches.
nlckellrd steel and the cupro-nickel steel in
which the bullet was not deformed gave 100
OF OIL tho Two litter. and especially OF ths last is
therefore manifest II may he MENTIONED also
that conner Jacket 2in.grnin bullet was
inchec or not ne much as the German silver.
while the uncoyered - Springfield bullet
gave only 81 inches at % feet. the bullet be-
The iirings at .sadavers already spoken OF
were WIN me 80 nu we al s meraR gSr
| effects and changes in the form OF the bullet
| generally occurred. up TO 800 Yards with the
cupro- steel Jacket these effects would
doubtless have been greatly reduced. or per-
| haps not even at NIL. except possibly ut dis
As to the mbrication Of bullets. some inter.
| esting experiments prove to TO rat her against
~ sp,cymeni nor % SSbriE%Sy van mgT"n n
| cannelures on the bullet, covered by the neck
| Of the cartridge case. while tho non-l ubrcht-!
| hullets were not cannelured. One .SD-cnlihre
| rifle was used for each Kind Of bullet. and 1000
| rounds were fred from each. in series OF NIFTY
| shots each fo5 velocity and accuracy respect
| inent OF bore could he detected in either rifle
during, tho first thousand rounds with 80
grain bullets; but In tho second thousand
! with 22O.grain. the uniformity OF velocit' with
| tho non; Iubricated AMMUNITION was supe;
toward the end Of tho flrings," and its
| rlno showed n slight increase in diametei
between the lands throughous tho bore" the
| other rife used with the fabricated ammuni-
| tion. showing a similar increase In some
! places and also toward the seat of tho bullet
| n der ositIng Of metal that caused q reduction
| 81 even n hUndredth OF an inch In diameter
| This deposit resisted ordinary cleaning and
! wns only with some difficulty scraped on with
| q wire. So. as has been said the general con.
| clusion was that a lubricant was not required
| with n German silver bullet, and 1t only re,
! mains to hear OF tho test OF cupro-nickelled
| these iirings was 81 grains Of sieved Wetteren
| smo elrss powder.
| II is evident TINT no pains have been or will
| be spared by tho Ordnance Department Ia
| make exhaustive experiments on this subIec,
| OF the best ammunition