The record-union., 1898-06-01
A MODERN RAPID-FIRE GUN,
HOW 1T DIFFERS FROM OTHER
CANNON.
The Use Of Fixed Ammunition
Saves Time in Loading-No Sep
arate Primer or Swabbing Out
Required Automatic" and
& "Semi-Automatic" Guns.

In describing the armament of a war
vessel, nowadays, it is customary to
speak OF her big rifles, having a caliber
OF from eight to thirteen inches, her
s-rapid-fire" (or quick -firing'D guns of
smaller caliber, and her torpedo tubes.
II sne mas any. The aforementioned
means of offense need not be discussed
at present. But the difference between
o rapid fire" gun and any other can
non OF the same size is not we'll UNDER
stood, perhaps, as it might be.
In the first place, it should be borne
In mind that both kinds of ordnance
are adapted to the use of shells or solid
Hhot, Which ever the gunner may pre-
Ter. Again. while there are dissimilar-
Fles in the breech mechanism of the
Two styles of gun, these are immaterial.
F1naily, the distinction is not one of
size. although the peculiarities of the
rapid-f1re system were first adopted in
small pieces, like 1-pounders and
b-pounders, which have bores of LA
and 2.4 inches. respectively. Suisse
quently, the idea was applied to 4-inch,
b-inch and 6-inch guns. which discharge
36-pound, lO-pound and 100 pound shot.
And now for the last three or four years
there has been a good deal of talk Of
S-inch "rapidfire" guns, capable of
throwing 250 pounds of steel in one
Chunk
The essential difference between the
old gun and the new is in the method
OF loading. Formerly, the breech hav
ing been opened, the projectie was in
serted in the bore from the rear, and
the powder was put in afterward. The
far incl in, 1;crl,t Hay nJ
bunting cover, which would burn
quickly when once 1gnited. 1t was
necessary, too. to apply primer Then,
after firing the piece, the interior was
swabbed out, to remove the products
of combustion. These various opera
tion consumed a great deal of time.
For rapid-fire guns the ammunition
is prepared as it is for modern small
arms. The powder and ball are COM
bined in single cartridge having a
metallic case. The primer is in the CEN
ter of the rear end of this case. and is
detonated by the firing pin of the gun
mechanism. The smudge left by the
burning powder sticks to the inside of
the case, which is extracted automatic
ally when the breech is again opened.
Swabbing out is unnecessary. No time
or thought need be given to the primer.
In the Hotchkiss rapid-fire gun there
is a vertical slot, in which the breech-
block moves up and down. A lever at
the side of the piece and normally
pointing forward, is pulled upward and
backward, when operations begin. The
first effect of this movement is to cock
the hammer, then the breechblock is
seen to slide downward. AS it does so
the extracting mechanism pulls on the
empty cartridge shell in the gun, slow
~ at first and then quickly The case
is elected by the time the block has
stopped sinking The gunner then
drops into the hole on top a cartridge,
and starts the point of it into the bore.
He pushes it in only half way. On re-
versing the lever-that is, throwing it
forward and downward-the breech-
block is brought back into place. AS it
comes upward it forces the cartridge
home and completes certain other pre-
limnaries for firing. There is trig
ger however which must be pulled in
order to discharge the piece. This may
be operated with a lanyard, or short
rope, if the gunner desires.
number of styles of rapid-fire gun
have been devised. They differ only
in what to the novice would seem mere
details. These relate to the form and
tractor, protection against premature
explosion and rust. and other features
of the breech mechanism. There are
also several different kinds of mount
or support. more perfectly to adapt
these guns to the varied service eX-
pected of them. A rapid-fire gun de-
signed for use in a mountainous region
would not have the same sort of a
carriage as If its operations were to be
confined to a level country. Again. the
naval mount is unlike a movable sup
port.
Besides those rapid fire guns which
are discharged only by pulling a trig-
ger, after loading there are others
which are fired by the screw move
ment of the lever which restores the
breechblock to its position and drives
the cartridge home. These are known
as 'semi-automatic." Then there is
the automatic" gun, of which Max
inns is good specimen. and which not
only feeds itself but fires itself. after
once being started. The cartridges are
arranged parallel to one another, cross
wise on a ribbon. This is fed into
the gun automatically. The extraction
of the empty cases, their election, the
loading and finally the firing all result
from the recoil of the barrel and a
powerful spring that throws ii forward
again before each discharge. From Go0
to loo rounds a minute have been
fred from automatic" guns. This
speed is possible however. only with
ammunition suited to infantry rifles.
whose caliber is somewhere between
quarter and two-fifths of an inch.
The automatic" is hardly to be classed
with the "semi-automatic" and other
rapid-fire guns.
In a test of rapid-fire guns under the
auspices of the United States War De-
partment three or four years ago. the
following speed was IN de with some
G-pounders (224 inches caliber). 10.
time required TO fire one hundred shots
was minutes and 26 seconds for the
Hotchkiss: 4.35ia for the briggs Schro-
der. AL for the Maxim Nordenfelt, and
4561, for the Sponsel. These figures
show a frequency of from 20 to - a
minute without any attempt at aim.