Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1899-11-27
THE D0ER'S RIFLE
A Better Weapon Now Than it was
twenty Years Ago.
THE BoER A WONDERFUL
MARKsMAN, SHOOTING ouAn-
ny AT 700 YARDS. AND Emu
LIsH OFFICERS AS FAT 40
TrrE1P INSIGNIA CAN BE SEEN.
JOIIBERT,s WAR RECORD.

played Ceadly deeuA' ,;se
hut their weapon than was very ui
on+ from the arm used at Dundee, says
washington letter to the New iorh
c,n THE rife of 20 years ago was
built ON lines of the BRUSH MAJ LII
- was hammerless arm OF ABOUT
nine pounds weight, with 9o-inch nan
ootaoon barrel and shotgun putI
stock. The calibre was 40 WIN pui-
let weighing from 4O5 to 4oo grains
The powder charge was ~ grams III
o brass drawn cartridge case. The rifle
was sighted up to 1000 yards. BE-
sides the usual stationary sight 1t haa
a reversible front-that is. slght cap
able of being used as an ordinary front
sight. and by single motion, 1t was
changed into a fine pinlead sight COW
cred with ring to keep it from helng
knocked off. On an occasion when par
ticularly fine shooting was demanded
this front globe was furnished covered
with the a thimblesh shaped hood, shad-
ing it perfectly. The usual standing
rear or fixed sights were on the barrel
! while on the guns grip was turn
down peep that was regulated by a
side screw to an elevation of 1000
yards. The pesp and globe were never
used under 700 or 500 yards
Il was very much interested in the
Boer rifemen and their weapons" said
Archibald Forbes. who was with Sir
Evelyn Woods column in South At
RIGA in 1880. They are marvellous
rife shots. They shoot their antelope
and other game from the saddle, not
apparently faring to get nearer to their
quarry than GOO or 700 yards. Then
they understand the currents of air.
their effect upon the drift of a bullet,
and can judge distance as accurately
as it could be measured by a skillful
engineer They can hit an officer as
far as they can discern his insignia of
rank. Sir George w. Colley, the COM
mander in South Africa, was killed at
distance Of 1,400 yards at Majuba
Hill. We lost terribly in officers at
the fight mentioned, and also at Laing's
Mex and Rorkes' Drift from the deadly
rifles Of the sharp-shooting Beers"
The Boer weapon that did such ex-
ecution the other day is the sporting
model Of the Mannlicher, a German
arm, perhaps the most powerful weap-
on of its calibre and weight in the
world. The military MannIicher is used
in the armies of Austria, Holland,
Greece, Brazil, Chile, Peru and Rou-
mania The ideal Mannlicher is a
sporting rife known as the Haenel
model. 1t is beautifully finished arm,
weighing about eight pounds, and cost
ing in South Africa 200 German marks.
The rife barrel is 80 inches long, the
carbine "a. 1t has a pistol grip and
sling straps, and is hair-triggered. It's
calibre is go This rifle has an extreme
range Of $500 yards, and a killing
range of 1900 yards. At that distance
the bullet will go through two inches
OF solid ash, and nearly three inches Of
pine, quite enough force to kill, if the
bullet struck vital part. At 20 yards
it will shoot through so inches of pine
The bullet for war is fuil-mantled, with
a fine outer skin of copper or nickel
That for game shooting is only half
mantled, leaving the lead point ex-
posed SO that it opens back or mush-
rooms when it strikes. For deer, elk
and bears there can be no better arm
Though the bullet makes but a small
orifice where it enters, the expansion
causes 1t to tear a hole as large as a
mans finger when it makes it's exit.
Travelling at the rate of 1000 feet a sec
ond, the force of this bullets blow is
tremendous There has been much dis
cussion over the Dum-Dum bullet. 1t
Is a soft-pointed missile, but by no
means so deadly or destructive as is
this HaenelM annlcher bullet which
tuO loOClS are lAS4HS. II IL SVTlk6S at
close range, of 1000 yards or under.
and does not flatten, the MannIicher
bullet bores hole through a bone
without splintering. But when it up
sets the shock is terrible. The bullet
literally smashes the flesh and bone
into fragments. 1t has been charged
that the Beers are using the soft-point-
ed bullet in their deadly Haenel-Mann-
lichers.
Gen. Joubert, commander OF the
Transvaal troops, has prestige Of hav-
ing twice whipped the British. He was
IN command of the Beers at Maiuba
Hill, in which engagement, aside from
the question of bravery, the Boer forces
displayed the better generalship. Gen.
Joubert is now nearly 70 years of age
His period of service to the Transvaal
is nearly as long as that of President
Kruger, himself, and he is the most in
fuential man in the Transvaal next to
the President.
1t is a curious fact that neither Of
these men is of Dutch descent. Krueer