The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-09-15
TRIGGER pULL SHY
FACT DEVELOPED BY THE ANNUAL
RIFLE COMPETITION AT FORT
KEOGH.
NOT UP TO THE STANDARD.
GUNS FURNISHED Do NOT CONFORM
STRICTLY To THE ARMY
RULE.
NO "JooKEY1NG. TO BE ALLOWED.
Letter of the Regulation Rather
Than Its Spirit VIII Be ViO-
lated-TriaI Scores.

FORT KEOGH, Mont, Sept 14-The
fifteenth annual rifle competition of the
department of the Dakota has already
developed that the trigger pull of the
rifle, as manufactured by the ordnance
department, United States army, is less
than four and one-half pounds; that
the use of the rifle in service reduces
the maximum trigger pull; that the SOL
d1er has either to doctor" his rifle to
make 1t conform to the prescribed
standard, or that the standard of four
and one-half pounds must9be lowered
The conclusion arrived atiby Col. Bates
and Capt Reade, after careful tests,
was that few, If any. of the rifles of the
competitors of the Second, Third and
Twenty fifth regiments of infantry
would conform to the standard pre-
scribed by paragraph 632, Firing Reg
ulations for Small Arms BY direction
of the officer in charge, Lieut.. McCer-
kle, acting ordnance officer, on Sept.
III tested five new rifles just as furnish
ed by the ordnance department, and
none of which had ever been used The
numbers of these rifles were as follows:
1888, 1920, 174O3, 1858. 17476 Respec-
lively, being at full cock. they lifted only
the following weights: Four pounds,
pounds Az ounces, pounds ounces,
pounds ounces, and 4 pounds IA
ounces.
The officers then proceeded to ascer-
tain the maximum trigger pull of the
service rifles and carbines in the hands
OF the old and new guard mounted at
the post of Fort Keogh, on Sept IL
and II. Seventeen rifles and six car
pines were tested. The tests were con-
Quoted by the three officers named. to
wit: Col. Bates, Capt. Reade and Lieut..
McCorkle. The numbers of the rifles
We're: 1855, 1852, 1892, 1888. 1856. 1878, 1854.
1927, 14O4, 1858, 1851 1927, 1857, $50 75O'
300, 5S3, and of the carbines, 3379S, 1880,
1861. 33330, 33142, 33050 39O71
NO two rifles or carbines turned out
OF the Springfield (MaSS) armory have
the same number They are numbered
in the order of manufacture and a
knowledge of the serial number of
rifle or carbine enables the army Of
ficer to approximately determine the
year of it's manufacture
OF course service and use reduces the
trigger pull of a Small-arm of projec-
t1on The tests made at Fort Keogh
Sept. 10, IL and IL, showed that only
one of the pieces tested came up to
the prescribed standard of four and
one-half pounds trigger pull The OF
therefore. confronted by one of two
things, viz: either to reduce standard
or to permit the dangerous principle
of allowing the competitors to monk
ey' with their rifles
1t is obvious that all soldiers should
be trained to use the service rifle ana
its ammunition precisely as issued by
the ordnance department. No altera-
ton of the arm, other than the black
ening of the sights, is permitted.
Soldiers are not allowed to
change the notch of the rear sight
any more than they are permitted TO
file or otherwise alter the front sight,
or any other mechanism of the rifle.
This principle being established, it is
equally obvious that the competitors
now at Fort Keogh, should not shoot
with an arm that has been tinkered
with to meet the requirement +of four
and one-half pounds trigger pull. Most
marksmen prefer a light trigger pull.
The results attained in the pending
competition should be attained by the
use of a rifle and cartridge exactly the
same as is used in the service. The
officer in charge says that "jockeying"
or "doctoring" a rifle will be prohibit
ed, even at the risk of violating the
letter of regulation.
Following are the scores of the first
day, preliminary practice: