The true Democrat. [volume] (Bayou Sara [La.]) 1892-1928, 1898-05-28
|SNOKELESS CARTRIDGES.
DESTRUCTIVE MISSILES FOR THE
NEW ARMY MAGAZINE RIFLE.

NEW ARM1 MROALiNE nlrII'
The Interesting Work Tint Is Going On
ut The Frnnkford Arsenal, Ph'iadelphl"
Testing the Modified Krag-Jorgensen
Gun Before Givin. 1t to the Regulars.
Tie work going on at the Frankford
arsenal, Philadelphia, founded by the
United States government in 1916,
should be now OF more than common
interest. Exact scientific experiments
have been in progress at the arsenal
for years, and, while much OF the
work is secret, enough is made public
to show the great Importance Of the
results sought. There is an elaborate
laboratory filled with the most deli
cate instruments, and all sorts OF de-
structive inventions are tested at the
factory. There is proof
where over three hundred kinds OF
smokeless powder have been expert
mented with, and hospital ready to
receive any unfortunates who may be
blown up accidentally. The workmen
in the factories take their lives IN their
hands daily.
One of the most important works
performed at the arsenal in recent
wears has been the testing and manu-
facture of the new thirty-calibre
smokeless powder cartridges for the
so-co]led United States magazine rifle.
This is the rifle used in our army. 1t
is really a modified Krag-Jorgensen
rife, but tits superior to that instru-
meut. 1t is peculiarly an American
magazine rifle, and its design is not
| generally known outside of army cir
Giles. The rife weighs only eight and
half pounds, but it carries five cart
ridges in it's magazine, and it can be
reloaded so rapidly that soldier can
shoot forty times in minute.
The cartridges for this rife are now
being manufactured as rapidly as pos
sible. Yankee ingenuity has invented
the most complicated but effective
machinery to turn out these cart
ridges, and it is worth visit to the
/ arsenal to see them made. The shell
enters the machine in the shape OF a
!, , small disc of metal, and after passing
: automatically through fifteen different
perfect machines it drops out finished.
! Then the shells, powder and bullets
q are all fed into another machine, which
a is almost human in its actions. AS
! each she'll comes into the machine
/ certain quantity Of smoke'ess powder
pours into it from large Aaring fun
i mel, and then the bullet is inserted
!. mechanically and the neck ofthe shell
o crimped. Each cartridge is tested be
4 fore it is turned over to the authorl
n ties for use.
i Before these cartridges were select
- ed, long series of tests was mad
+ with them at the arsenal. 1t wa
r found that the small cartridges woul
W travel much further than the old-fasf
" toned forty-tive calibre bullet, an
=, . that they would penetrate deeper, an
~ be less likely to kill They weigh onl
q, 22O grains against the old 500-gra1
ball, and they require only thlrt!
"a seven grains of smokeless powd'
~ against seventy grains of the oil
Il Thus, soldier can carry seventy ii,
ia Of the new cartridges as easily as
To could 100 of the old. The shootlr
" range of the new magazine rife is 4o(
irl yards.
he AS an illustration of the technic
nd work performed at the Frankford a
senal. mention should be made of Il
Iat experiments in trajectory ma
with the new rifles. When a solid
bit takes one Of the new magazine riH
,ir and attempts to hit mark at a certo
les distance of, he is pretty sure to mi
st. it unless he has been drilled. This
is due to his ignorance of the t"a;eeto
are of the bullet, which simply mean;
Of curved path of fight the bullet mi
eal take in shooting at distant mar
The old Springfield rife would Sc
lot! its bullet over forty-three feet abe
the the line VI S1SuO al OAVeA w "
led 1000 yards off: Similarly the n Il,
he magazine rifle must be so sighted Il
ak allowances can be made for this
Who ward curve.
All of the rifles have to be tested
but the arsenal to see that they are peri
- in this respect. To make the sl'
exact, screens are set up loofeet az
and the bullet is sent crashing tlro'
them. The first screen is struck n
,ald the middle, but each succeeding
TOUT is perforated higher up until the up
pain side Of the curve is reached, and W
over the line of curvature is downwt
Then the height Of all the holes II
:" the ground is measured, and b;
and mathematical formula the traject
lied. curve is ascertained. Soldiers
be- drilled with these rifles find g
be- difficulty in hitting the mark, .
but little familiarity with them Great
see remarkable change. When &C
said. toned to handling one q soldier
- g. k,co work than will