The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-06-24
THE NEW MILITARY RIFLE
Experiments at Angel Island
With the krag-Jorgen-
sen Gun.
1t Appears to Be a Most Ingenious
and Effective Weapon OF
Modern Warfare.

Although it is some time since the Krag-
Jorgensen rifle was adopted as the weapon
of the United States army, it is only with
in the last few weeks that the troops on
this coast have been furnished with that
peculiar and most effective gun. At Angel
Island the soldiers have been practicing
during the week with the Krag-J orgensen.
1t is, in all respects, a most singular rifle.
The caliber is 80 and 412 grains is the
weight of the cartridge. The powder used
is smokeless and the shell is combination
of "copper" nickel and steel, and something
over four inches long. The pull is what is
technically known as light and creeping
trigger, and when the release point is
reached would be four pounds.
The gun has a magazine carrying five
shells, but can also be used as single
loader. The explosion is accomplished by
needle falling on the shell, and this alb
sence of the projecting hammer may lead
to complete change in the manual of
arms. The support and carry need the
projection of the hammer, as does the pre-
sent, to be properly executed. Therefore
some substitutions in the positions will be
necessary.
The penetration of the piece in remarka-
BILE. The result of experiments made at
| Angel Island showed that the bullet fired
at fifty PAGES would pass through thirty
seven pine boards one inch apart, and
would bury itself sixteen inches in sea-
soned oak. The velocity is about 1000 feet
at the muzzle or fifty feet therefrom. The
recoil is about seven pounds.
The gun will shoot point blank at 400
yards, and is sighted up to 5000 yards
which puts the man behind it in the pre-
| dicamenJ of guessing whether the object
at that distance is COW or a cavalryman.
| With the Krag Jorgensen the new bayonet
has been served out, which is nothing
more than refined shovel or intrenching
knife. The expert marksmen find one
fault in the new weapon, and that is it
casts decidedly to the left.
! But the object of advanced military
warfare is accomplished in this rifle.
| Soldiers hold that to disable man is much
better than to kill him outright. The
| bullet from the Krag-Jorgensen, fired at a
| and bone. In battle when a wounded
man drops two of his uninjured comrades
will pack him off to the rear. Therefore a
successful shot virtually removes three OF
! the enemy. Should the bullet penetrate
another man six are disposed of-unless,
| indeed the officer in command insists
upon the wounded taking their chances
until the skirmish is decided one way OF
| the other.
The bayonet is a marked improvement
on the old weapon. AS an entrenching
weapon it is invaluable, and every man
can dig his own hole in short space. To
resist a charge of cavalry it is as potent as
| the old three-cornered affair, if such q
thing as a body of horsemen rushing up
against phalanx of men armed with
repeating rifles could be imagined.
The soldiers take kindly to the novel
rifle, which, although so effective and in
genious, can be taken apart and put
| together without the assistance of an
armorer. Brown Bess, with which England
won her battles, would laugh in her old
fashioned bonnet at this light, simple but
deadly weapon of modern warfare.