The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1899-02-25
USING The GUNS.
Figures on Rapid Shooting
With Rifles.
BELGIAN AND DANISH PATTERNS
Pieces Of the SpanIards and Anne
ricans-Manufactur OF 400
Guns Each Day
BELGIAN AND DANISH PATTERNS


80. and the Danish Krag-Jorgensen.
caliher 80. that 20 shots could be fred
with a good degree OF accuracy from
either arm in about fitty-four seconds.
and that fired ut will. that Is. without
aiming. 90 shots could be fred in about
forty seconds. The continuity OF the
from either OF these arms. used as
single leaders (broken clips in the
Mauser), was also illustrated by firing
40 shots with a good degree OF accur-
acy in two minutes. The continuity OF
magazine fire with these arms did not
exceed the rate OF fire OF that OF the
same arms when employed I'm the SINH
lar test for single fire. An excellent
practical test was also made with the
two rifles. which We're under favorable
the Belgian Mauser), and the record
showed that these weapons when
handled by a number of men who had
never before manipulated the bolt guns
and were accustomed only to the
Springfield swinging block system.
were OF such quality that 90 shots
could be fired in about one minute and
fifty-two or fifty-five seconds with n
fair degree of accuracy. Even the rea-
sonable and deliberate rate of fire. ten
shots per minute. exhaus,s the soldiers
normal supply OF cartridges G20) in
about twelve minutes, and Indicates
that too high an estimate may be put
ON "rapIdity OF fire. which. IL carried
to an extreme, may exhaust the SOL
dier's normal supply OF cartridges In
aoout six minutes. This consideration
is a new call upon discipline. not mere
ly the obedience which inclines the
soldier to heed his officer. but the
training which gives him the power
to do so. to control himself and act
with GOODNESS either at his own initi-
ative or in response to orders. The
terrible effectiveness OF fire under
these conditions, when the intrenched
defenders are at rest and covered. and
the attacking party is exposed and dis
turbed Jy movement. Is shown by the
fact that firing from near the ground.
with the 80 caliber U. $. \. magazine
rifle. sighted for an object $50 yards
distant. the bullet will not rise above
mans head, hence the whole range
| is a danger zone. This range Is twice
the Instance passed over in Hawkins
final charge on Fort San Juan, or
Chanees on the Stone Fort at Caney.
1t is a noteworthy circumstance that
the army has passed from the 40 cali
bers of the early sixties, through de-
scending scale OF IS, 80. .i5 and so.
and that the country entered the re-
cent contest with an adversary pro-
vided with even a lesser caliber-.275-
as against 80.
The modified Belgian Mauser." now
denominated 1.-THE Spanish Mauser,
closely resembles the arm from which
it derives, except ii may be. in the
matter of caliber. The lesser weight
of bullet for the Spanish Mauser. Ia
grains, and OF caliber. .275, may or may
not be found in future tests to COM
pare favorably with the go grain 80
we are still uncertain when the argu-
lment IN favor OF minor calibers shall
reach its legitimate conclusion.
The manufacture OF 400 Krags daily
at Springfield calls for force OF more
than 1000 men and pay roll OF 5000
900 a month. The Parkhurst clip
: holder is before a board. If adopted u
will give one of the best, IL not Tn,
J very best. clip-holding and magazine
loading systems in the world, anC
place the Army on an equal footinI
with any other in respect to capacit!
OF fire. The views which have beer
held by the ordnance officers in respec
to the waste which might be causes
by rapid fire are perfectly sound, bu
! the correction applied-to remove tn
. power of magazine loading-was a cor
r rection in restraint OF the command
ing officer who might be in a situation
!: where all this prudence would be value
= less and even harmful. II the Krag
brought to its fullest efficiency the re
lsponsibilitv for controlling the fire
o left TO the line officers. where IL be
longs. Apropos Of the assumption tha
a quick-firing gun is n dangerous arr
!, because it may lead the soldier
y waste ammunition. the fact is brouSt
: forward that in the war OF 1866 IN
s PruSsians who had the quicker gu
fired fewer shots than the Austrian
There as elsewhere IL was the trainin
or the soldler and not the make I