Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1897-05-08
TRAJECTORY AND PENETRATION OF THE NEW NAVAL RIFLE

its range will be shorter and it's fight
more curved at all ranges over 500 yards.
Happily there is no dissatisfaction
felt regarding the action of the naval
board. The American Lee straight-pull
rifle has undoubtedly the best military
icton in the world, and should the 23G
bore fail to give satisfaction it will be
an easy matter. although perhaps an
expensive one, to replace the first issue
Of arms by rifles of heavier caliber This
many experts believe will eventually
have to be done. When it was decided
to rearm both land and sea forces with
modern small-bore, highvelocity, re-
peating rifles, naval and military boards
we're convened 10 select weapons for
their respective services, it soon became
apparent that there was divergence
Of opinion. The army men decided upon
foreign action, the Swedish Krag-
Jorgensen, to which they joined a 30
caliber barrel, having four grooves.
The navy was more patriotic and Sc
lected the American Lee straight-pull,
and chose the smallest caliber of all
those in use by the great powers, viz,
,236, and, seemingly, would have gone
still further in their experiments had
they not discerned that owing to the
enormous pressure set up the cartridge
case, or shell, had to be so enormously
thickened that nothing could be gained
in weight of ammunition by any further
reduction.
Since the United States decided on
rying so small a caliber, attaches of
the various European governments have
been on the alert to find out if it were
likely to be success, and in case of a
favorable result no doubt the navies of
England, France, Germany, Russia and
Italy would have been speedily re-armed
with rifles of .23G caliber.
Prof. Hebler, of Switzerland, was
the pioneer who discovered the merits
Of the new small bore, metal-covered
bullets and nitro powders, fired out of
suitable barrels. After various expert
ments he concluded that .205 caliber
was the best, though he thought it pos
sible that n rife of .197 inch Give milll-
mcters) would be practicable When
/ once the powers had decided that re-
penter was desirable, their aim was to
/ tighten the ammunition, 50 that the SOL
/ der could carry a greater supply, as
otherwise he was likely to run short at
critical times, and they also aimed TO
! add to the range and to lower the ira
! jectory.
The smallest bore in practical use in
Europe is the .257 of Italy and Rou-
mania, and the great success of this
tiny caliber doubtless melted the United
States naval authorities to still further
reduce the bore of their experimental
! rifle, thereby gaining in all the points
! to which allusion has been made. It
looks as though they had gone too far.
! for the Roumanian model carries bul.
let of 162 grains, while the American
rifle now has a projectile of but is
grains, and is likely to lack killing
power and range in consequence.
Ten thousand of the new rifles will be
available by July, and they are being
rihed and chambered for this new bull
let. Though the penetration and range
will be considerably reduced, the rifle
will be capable of better work at all
distances up to 500 yards, while the re-
luction in the weight of the cartridges