New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-11-11
A NEW AUTOMATIC GUN.
EXPERIMENTS CONDUCTED
AT INDIAN HEAD.
-FOUR HUNDRED ROUNDS FIRED IN ONE MINUTE
AND FoRTY-NINE CONDs-DEsCRIPTION
OF THE MECHANISM.

| Washington. Nov. 10.-A board of Naval officers
of which Lieutenant n. f. Mason is the senior men,
Der. has submitted to Captain Sampson, chief or
the Bureau OF Ordnance. a report the perform
ances at Indian Head of a novel American rapid
fire arm-the Browning automatic gun. The nven-
ton is remarkable for simplicity and strength or
mechanism and ease and rapdity of action. Lieu
| tenant Masons board says that the gun was sub
| jected to a number of trials. The report
gives the following summary Of some OF the expert
ments
| One hundred rounds fired deliberately; no inter
ruptons. One hundred rounds fired rapidly; no in;
terruptions. Twenty rounds were then discharge
eighty rounds Yp in fourteen seconds and 100 rounds
toriy throughout, the automatic gear operating a
smoothly and with precision, except twice Wnel
the Sf stops som IN ise secOn
and 400 rounds In one minute and forty seconus
but none Of such consequence as materially to de-
crease the rain OF lead In each case OF cneGhase
finger again the automatic acton Expert ssd
mens were made with dqn MA Of he gun AZ
extreme elevation and extreme depression; Win Win
ton; With but trining, delays the mechanism na
worked evenly and speedily With the eatIe see
| onds. The concluding experiments were conductea
to test the endurance of the gun ara TO de.er dd
ment of the best results. Still 1853 cartridges "ere
| exploded. one being a misfire
Two ranges were fired over. 500 and 1000 yards
| respectively. The firing was not as accurate ds
could be desired, but the report attributes thls ia
ure to the uneven pressure of the powder gas caus-
| ing the bullets to strip and tumble. The tempera
ture developed in gun was hgh, out no serious
accidents occurred
Accompanying the trial boards report Is ue-
scrpton of the Browning gun, which SHOWS IL u
consist Of a single barrel OF .236 calore attached
TO breech casing in which the mechanism Tor
charging firing and eecting Is contained Inc gun
fs q on
tached by a horizontal pivot that may be readily
elevated or depressed. The support is provided with
a vertical pivot. which fits In the socket oil iishu
gun carriage or OF a tripod. in the sockets pro-
vldeI the rails and mastheads or vessels III
which the gun be turned in any direction inc
cartridges are automatically fed TO the gun by
means OF belts. which coiled In boxes readily at
tached to the breech casing, and moving with the
latter the supply Of ammunition is not disturoei ny
the vertical or horizontal movements OF the gun.
The boxes contain leo. go and 800 cartridges eacH
The dimensions and weight OF the gun are Suen
that it may be transported and shifted with the
greatest The gun weighs forty pouhus' inc
| tripod and mount seventy POUNDS Tne autoinatic
action Of the gun is effected by means Oh the pres
| Of the powder gases in the barreI ai'ei '"e
protectiIe has its ma imum velocity and
therefore. without decreasing the range OF pene-
tration OF the latter This object is attained oy 'he
following devices:
small radia vent in the barrel somewhat IN ho Sre
rear Of the mrzzs opens Witch fits in gas
cylinder surrounding the outer eage G , is hung
in bracket on horizontal pivot, so as 10 swing ing
thereon In a vertical plane below ana par sDirai
| barrel Two tubes under the barrel contain sprhl
| springs which are connected by rod ana INNS
with short crank arm OF the lever IN sucn i ayer
in a certain position, with the piston closing TN, .ne
VENT Al point between wee c6 tine pis'oh a With Side
which. guided below the barrel extends Iearwa ara
Bsy s b6 6 a 4bs 5oa is IS Tsnsed to
backward and forward in opening ana cosS Ind of
the bolt swings downward. turning on sne from
and fulcrum, and In TINS position bs is rest
A central rib OF the breech bolt fits into slot IN
the end Of He d s1a 1 the
connecting the breech bolt with the slide causes me
Of the breech bolt. hereby unlocking it, then to
it opening the orwsn ne Srseca
bolt. and finally forces its end down. thus closing
am In rear of the breech bolt hammer is ar
ranged, the stem of which. and spring IN H. are are
guided in an extension which closes Inc
This hammer is also used as piston lor an ar an
PbnmPb Ta and through the BARREL removing particles
of unburned powder immediately after the empty
forces back the hammer The trigger and scar
to retain the until ns orese av be- ss4
leased by pull on the trigger cohneGton Ie
| hammer Automatically each time the breech is
closed. II the pull on the trigger De continues. ny
4
The f feed belt IS entered through an opening in the
successfully over a feed wheel which is rotated by
slide and levers so that at each stroke OF me slide
attached to the slide. and by it the cartridge is
rsec b The on no e eed belt from the
gun through an opening N me rSnt sce OF 'e
eject from the the empty cartridge shells In the
The read end of the carrier Is provided with
spring dog which yields TO the slide in It's rearward
movement. and causes the first Of the forward
rier and to present the cartridge thereon to the
e by the s HS h that
be struck by the hammer only when the breeeh bolt
is firmly locked, transmits the blow from the ham,
In operation the feed belt Is entered at the open
through that on the right side 1t Is then re-
leased. when spring win cause It to swing for,
ready for firing automatically, 1t transfers the
T b 20 hS op bre e D also cocks h
and closes and locks the breech on pulling the
pa isssi the S VENT and before its exit from the
muzzle, the powder gases acting through the vent
u hese on ,Re Sreech mechansm open the brech
| eject the shell and feed to the carrier another
movement in the springs causes the gas lever to
return force home the cartridge In the barrel and
| ger is continued the same operation VIII be re-
eea sS 0hs n with sop
| 1t from rotating backward. which can be released
As the automatic action OF the gun is due to the
direct effect upon the lever OF the pressure or the
Class Of antomatc arms in which the recol OF the
barrel is depended for actuaton the delicacy OF
the parts necessary In the latter class IL avoided
In the Browning invention. Thus the barrel and
the storage springs OF greater strength and yet
effective with small charges.
safety lock Is provided. which securely locks the
hammer and prevents 1t from striking the irng-pln.
This is 10 be used only when loaded cartridges
left in chamber. The handspring, hring-pin and
extractor can be replaced easily and as quickly
as in the ordinary bolt gun, all these parts can
be removed from the rear Of the arm without dis
placing a single screw.
The barrel OF the gun is OF such strength that its
accuracy is not disturbed by the vbra lions incident
to rapii firing; and not heating readily as the
light barrels OF other systems, the troublesome
water Jacket for cooling is not required The posi-
lions OF the swinging gas lever una OF the piston
upon which the gases act are so favorable that the