The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-08-18
MARVELLOUS WEAPON.
Army and Navy to Have a Gun That
Fires Itself.


The navy department at Washington has
Just ordered 30 Of the most remarkable
guns In the world Each OF them Is able TO
discharge 400 rife bullets minute and
continues at that rate until the marksman
wants TO stop More than that 1t fires It
self, only requiring to he aimed 1t 10 the
colt automatic gun.
This wonderful gun weighs only 40
pounds. 1t Is magazine rifle, with one
barrel, the caliber of which is the same as
that of tho improved rifle newly adopted
by tho navy, little less than quarter Of
an inch. This means that the bullet,
which is Of lead, with steel jacket, Is
much less In diameter than an ordinary
lead pencil The bullet Is about an inch
long, almost cylindrical In shape, tapering
somewhat and rounded at the front end.
The gun discharges seven Of these projec-
tiles each second and they leave the muz-
zle of the weapon with a velocity of nearly
half a mile second.
The rapidity OF discharge Is so tremen-
dous that there seems TO bo % continuous
stream of bullets flying from the muzzle
of the gun. So great Is their velocity,
however, that there Is actually an interval
of 800 feet between each two
Cartridges are fed TO the weapon auto
matically by feed belts which are coiled In
boxes and readily attachable TO the breech.
The boxes hold from 100 to 500 cartridges.
All the marksman has To do is TO pull the
trigger once and the gun goes on firing Of
Its own accord as long as the cartridges
are supplied. In short, the instrument is
repeating rife, with an inexhaustible
magazine and a rapidity Of fire that is al
most inconceivable. 1t uses the same bull
lets as tho new navy rifle, and they are dis
charged with tho same velocity, but the
discharge Is automatic, the firing mechan-
ism being operated by.powder gas.
The weapon may be carried comfortably
IN a boot at the side of trooper s
horse. Ordinarily on land IL is designed To
be mounted for action upon light tripod.
1t Is provided with n pivot, set into a
socket on the tripod or into similar sock
ct on the rail of a vessel. All the ships of
the navy will soon he provided with these
guns.
One OF these weapons at a distance Of q
mile might NOW down an entire regiment
within two minutes, so that hardly a man
would be left unwounded. The colt gun is
sighted ordinarily for 1000 yards, which
" a little over "a mile, but IL is effective at
twice that ssistance However, it is not
practicable to fire at individuals beyond
1000 yards.
The marksman uses both his hands in
aiming the gun, whether il is set on tri-
pod or on the rail Of n vessel 1t responds
SO readily to adjustment that he is able to
write his name with bullets upon good
sized target and to do it with considerable
rapidity.
If the weapon is mounted on tripod.
he seats himself on saddle that looks like
bicycle saddle attached TO the leg OF the
tripod, which projects toward the rear
The saddle is so adjusted that his eye is
brought directly In line with tie sight of
the weapon. Pulling the trigger once, he
simply holds il back as long as he desires
the gun TO keep on firing, varying the aim
just rs a person directing garden hose
would do.
The United States army is also going to
have guns of the colt type. The war de-
partment has ordered a trial of them.
Guns of this pattern are comparatively
cheap They can be made in quantities for
a selling price of about $500. The car
tridges cost only s25 per 1,oo0-2H cents
each. New York Journal.