Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1895-10-29
NOT A GOOD WEAPON.
Krag-J orgensen Gun Has Be en-
Tried and Is Found Wanting.
Tested by sharpshootcrs at Fort Sheridan,
tho New Rifle Adopted by the War
Department Proves Very
Unsatisfactory.

The Rrag-Jorgensen rifle, that cost
the war department over 100000 for
its adoption, is daily proving itself to
be an expensive experiment, and the
chances for its condemnation as mil
tary weapon are steadily on the in
crease as its qualities are called into
ordinary military use.
Ever since its official adoption as the
standard rifle of the United States
army there has constantly appeared
some point that, upon subsection to the
proper test, has proved detriment to
its utility. In every such instance the
war department officials have been
called upon to designate some particu-
lar body of troops to conduct series
of tests in order that the rifle might
have fair and impartial trial in other
hands than the fault-indcrs'. The re-
suit of the test in each instance has
stripped the new rifle of all the SUI
perior qualifications that were claimed
for it. For many months prior to its
adoption by the war department the
new rifle was placed in the hands of re-
puted experts, who, without subjecting
the gun to 'any legitimate test, were
loud in their praises for the rifle.
Through their efforts many important
changes were made in its general con-
struction SO as to adapt it in way to
the requirements of the service that it
was destined to fill. With these modi-
fications the new rifle was held aloft as
being the most complete and perfect,
and without exception the most simple
IL ,.sd Ill
make for the equipment of troops.
Backed by this and kindred recon-
mendations, the army board passed
over all its defects and recommended
it's adoption, and it became known as
the Omitted States Magazine Rifle,
Cal. 80, Model 1892"
Like many other things that have
been adopted by army boards, the new
rifle was accepted owing to the infu-
ence of the inventor, rather than upon
its merit as q weapon. The tests made
were by officers whose knowledge of 6
rifle was limited to that of taking gun
from the hands of q soldier at COM
pany formation.
Early in the spring, when the new
weapon was issued to the infantry
regiments, it was discovered that even
in the hands of the most expert and ac-
curate sharpshooters it's inaccuracy of
fire was such that it could not be de-
pended upon under the most favorable
conditions, even when secured in the
grasp of wise.
From official reports it appears that
the troops that have made the trials of
!, 4
hot after twenty shots have been fred
from it in rapid succession that they
could not rest their hands upon the ex-
posed parts or execute any of the move
ments in the manual of arms. The
same defects were found to exist in the
magazine rifles that were placed on
trial in the army in 1885, for which
they were condemned as impracticable
for military use.
SzsaIn using the Krag-Jorgensen rifle for
hing ut the army posts reports
wels 4IsaAle to the effect that the men
could not fire wiitslla any degree of rapid
ity, and that the maya zine mechanism
was SO constructed as to retar9 them in
loading, as a single-hre weapon, when
deployed as slsirmishers lying down.
The wardepartment ordered the COM
mand at Fort Sheridan to cause a
thorough test to be made of the rapid
ity with which the new rifle could be
used as skirlnishing arm, keeping a
correct record of the time required to
fire ten shots and the value of the shots
as fired at the targets. Ten of the
most expert riilemen from each of the
| eight infantry companies were selected
to test the rifle. They made all posi-
BILE dispatch in the frings, but, urged
on to their very best, they could not
break the record that they had OBJ
tanned, which was from thirty EIGHT to
ninety-siX seconds for each ten shots
fired, whether the magazine was used
or not. Less than 20 per cent. of the
shots fired found the target, while the
others went wild, to the left, showing
that the new gun was a poor weapon
to depend upon in an engagement, as
the waste of ammunition was greater
than the execution done.