The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-06-22
MARINES SMALL ARM
IRREGULARITIES OF THE GUN THAT
MOVED DOWN THE SPANISH.

Blank Range of Between 600 and 100
YArds-E6eotivs Mt 5000 Ysrds-Hewx 10
Compares with Spanish AIsuser Rinss.
Tho gun the marines use has sudden
" become an object Of interest, in view
OF the deadly execution Colonel Hunt
imgton's men have been doing with IL
on the heights above Guantanamo bay.
In the first brushes with the Spaniards,
before the Americans had apparently
caught the knack of the peculiar variety
of bushwhacking in vogue In Cuba,
there were complaints that the enemies
guns carried farther. Since the last en-
gagements, however, there has been no
more talk Of the Mauser's superiority.
In point of fact. the two arms-the
Spanish Mauser and the Leo gunpf the
navy-seem to be pretty evenly match
ed, 30 far as shooting power is concerned.
The navy gun, known to the trade a.
the Lee straight pull rife, is o magazine
gun with q caliber of .238 inch. II uses
smokeless powder with a hardened lead
bullet. incased in a copper jacket plated
with tin, having an initial velocity OF
1850 feet a second. The point blank
range Of the gun is between 600 and
700 yards. At the distance Of 900 yards
the bullet rises at the highest point In
its trajectory but a trife over five feet,
thus making the entire range a zone Of
danger. At the distance of l, 900 yards
the bullet rises at the highest point IN
its trajectory but "a feet, while at a
distance of five feet from the muzzle the
bullet will penetrate ga seven-eighths
inch pine boards and a half inch steel
plate. At 100 feet it will penetrate a
seven-sixteenths inch steel plate. The
gun has an effective range Of 1000 yards
and over.
The arm can DO used either rs a re-
peater or rs a single loader. Where it
is used as q repeater five cartridges at
tached at the base to a metal clip, are
inserted in the magazine at a time. By
this system it can be handled very rap
idly, as but little time Is taken up in
opening the breech and inserting a clip
Of cartridges, when five shot are ready
for instant firing. The entire five may
DO fired without taking the gun from
the shoulder, and the piece can also be
reloaded in the same position.
The gun can also be used as O single
loader, while retaining five cartridges
in the magazine for an emergency, by
the simple expedient Of placing q sixth
cartridge under the extractor. This
mode of firing con be continued indef-
initely. The gun can be used with
equal facility as u single loader, and
may be operated in this way at great
speed without even taking the gun
from the shoulder. But the great SUI
periority Of the arm over other types Of
Colt guns, according to the experts, is
In that the operation Of opening and
closing the breech is by a straight
pull instead of the customary sup
turn and back pull" Of similar arms.
The entire length Of the gun without
the bayonet is 8 feet lie inches; with
the bayonet 1t is A feet 7.9 inches. The
weight Of the arm with the bayonet fix
ed is niue pounds seven ounces; with
out the bayonet the gun weighs eight
pounds eight pounces. The loaded car
fridge used in the gun is a shade over
8 ITO inches In length, and $50 rounds
in tho metal clips is eight pounds six
ounces. The cartridge belt adopted in
the service is arranged with ID little
pockets, each containing three clips Of
Eve cartridges, and the total weight
of the resulting $50 rounds, with the
belt tho marine carries them in, is Q
pounds 10 ounces. The bayonet with
which the man is further armed is of
the knife pattern, with a blade q trife
over 8 inches long and a shade over an
inch in width.
The much talked of Mauser gun, with
which the men who carry the Lee have
been confronted In the recent battles,
has o certain superficial resemblance to
the American arm. 1t Ia about tho same
size, inserts its cartridges in clips Of
Ave and is Of practically the same range.
The cartridges for the two are practi-
cally identical, ! was informed, and their
effective range is similar. The most
marked apparent difference between the
two is that the Mauser, which is also o
Colt gun, has the up turn" pull
back" movement, which many object
to, and consequently consider the Lee
the superior all around arm.-New York
Telegram.