The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-05-13
The KRAG-JoRGENSEN GUN
ACCURACY OF THE NEW AMrR,c.N
ARMY RIFLE.

rests to Ascertain the Natural nr,s.
OF the Bullets and the Influence n,
the Wind-sOme Surprises for Ord.
I nance Experts and Mnrksmen.
From the New York Tribune.
Ihe modified -Jorgensen rife. which
was adopted by special small arms hoard
for the United States army four or FIVE
years ago, has been the subject of consid.
cradle criticism, some of 1t unjust. Der
maps and some of it just. One of the re-
spects In which, at first, it proved a dIsap-
pointment was its seeming lack of accu-
racy in the hands of good marksmen.
Partly on this account and partly for
other reasons an elaborate Investigation
was held during the summer and fall in
1906, and again in 1897, to ascertain the av.
erage drift" or deviation from a straight
line, of the bullets, when fired at different
distances from a target. These tests were
conducted chiefly at range laid out be-
tween Chicago Falls and CRANKY. Mass
only few miles from Springfield. where
the rifles are made.
A number of different marksmen were
employed, and several rifles were tested In
order to secure proper average. In all.
about 5000 shots were fired. Careful obser-
yations were made in regard 10 the wind.
Those shots which were fired during a per-
feet calm showed the drift of the bullet
due to peculiarties of the gun itself, while
the Others indicated the influence Of the
wind at various velocities. Each ''tareet"
consisted of a series of ten consecutive
shots. The vertical and horizontal distan
ces from the center of the bulPs-eye were
measured and tabulated, as basis for fu-
ture deductions
one of the most interesting facts dis
covered by this investigation was that the
mean drift with the modified Krag-Joreen
sen gun is to the left and not to the right
IL had been supposed that when the rlhing
OF the barrel twisted to the right the bali
would deviate in that direction The old
Springfield rifle, with a .45-lnch caliber.
had right-hand twist and its drift was
70 the right. 1t Is now believed that the
soldiers who had used it took it for grant
ed that the new .30-inch army rifle would
behave in the same way. This gun has
right-handed rifiing, too. But 1t now ap-
pears that their reasoning was unsound
AT least the facts do not fit their theory
L nc ulliL Oh the IlOukIleU hfdR-J Or2eDSGn
rife bullets Is TO the left
At short range the deviation in perfectly
calm weather Is greater with the new gun
than with the old. AZ 100 yards the drift
is 20 inches for the former, and only 1.3
for the latter; at 200 yards 81 for the for
mer, and 80 for the latter: at 300 yards
the deviation is the same in amount 81
inches, though in opposite directions From
that point onward the drift is less for the
-Jorgensen than for the old 45-cali-
Der rife. At LOCO yards, for instance, the
former showed a mean deviation OF "a
inches, and the latter 1872 inches.
The DETECTING influence of the wind has
been found to be less with the new arm
than the old, for two very good reasons
The bullet is smaller and 1t flies faster
The wind has less area to work on and less
tige in which to operate. Az 1000 yards
a wind blowing at the rate Of one mile an
hour ian exceedingly light breeze would
defect the .45-caliber ball twenty-five
inches and the .30-caIber ball only seven
teen.
one series of tests were made with the
new gun. conducted by good marksmen
but not by "sharpshooters, to ascertain
Inc general accuracy of the piece. IT may
be presumed that these persons had been
enlightened In regard to drift and defec-
ton before entering upon this particular
task THE Springfield Republican," which
gives an extended account of these trials.
defines accuracy" as used by ordnance
experts, to be THE radius of a circle that
will include ten successive shots fired by
a good marlfsman." The published figures
show that at all distances the modified
Krag-Jorgensen gives better accuracy, In
this sense, than the Springfield rife. AT
1000 yards. the bounding circle has a RAJ
dious of 140 inches for the new gun, while
that for the old is 21.4 inches.
The partisans OF the army rife are en-
deavoring 20 convey the impression that
the Lee gun. adopted by the navy, has too
small a calibre (236 inch) for good execu-
ton. Two stories are now being circulated
to strengthen that opinion. 1t is related
that some tests were made at Fort Riley,
Kan, a year ago or two ago, in which
both weapons were tried on the same dead
bodies. It Is alleged that the Lee bullets
did not show sufficient power of penetra-
ton at long range. Besides they were less
humane in their action, for they would
shatter bone into fragments, instead Of
piercing il. The other story is that the
Abyssinians won a victory over the Ital-
ians not long ago, not because of greater
courage but because the Italians had such
small-bore rifles that the bullets went
through the Abyssinians without being no.
ticed, or at, least without doing serious
harm. The Italian (Cracano) rife has a