The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-12-31

the long range army guns now that q
lead bullet couldn't stand. If you were
to put charge of smokeless- powder in
one of the old style rifles jam lead bull
let down on it and fire It, 1t would spread
the lead and blow out the nipple if ii
didn't burst the gun. Only steel jacketed
bullets can be used with the best powder
When I was boy 1 used to make rifles
by hand in my fathers shop, and l could
make one now, but 1 can buy a better
one. We used to buy solid cast steel
rods, bore them out and rifle them all by
hand They were mighty accurate guns
up to $50 or 200 yards, but beyond that
they were not much good.'
How are rifles tested?" asked the
seeker for information.
THE, government test Is very severe
when choice of arms is being made
The exhibitor of the gun is required to
demonstrate it's accuracy and Its fitness
for practical service in divers ways Tie
must show that it can be shot rapidly
and truly without getting out OF order
The sand or dust test is the most trying
on the machinery, particularly OF mag
azine gun. The weapon is placed in q
box with the magazine open and empty
and subjected to a blast of fine sand OIL
dust for two seconds. Then it is taker
out and the surplus sand removed by
blowing in it with the mouth and Wlplne
ii with the bare hand. With an add
tionaI cleaning 1t must be loaded anc
fred twenty times.
Gums submitted to the government un-
der contract are not tested one by one.
The inspector takes one from each stack
of. say, ten, has 1t taken apart, then
mixes the part of all the specimens
and orders them put togssner again II
thew fit 1t Is proof that the parts are in
Interchangeable and made according to pat
tern.
TT Is different when man orders a
rife for a particular purpose. Say you
were to order me to make you target
gun. Do YOU think 1 would let you see
me test it? No, sir. After l had put
on the sights 1 would try it on mark.
7 would aim directly at the bull S eye, II
the bullet went three inches to the right
I would aim at the bulls eye again. Ii
the second bullet went to the right and
SO did the third and fourth. L would know
that the gun was all right ana | would
only have to shift the sights. The idea
in testing a gun is to ascertain whether
the sights are right or not. The maker
Is supposed to know that the barrel is
true. but putting on the sights Is neces-
sarily a matter of guesswork. But II
won't do to let the man who Is testing
the gun know too much.
LARGE CALIBERs.
Reverting to the matter of muzzle-load-
ers. the man who wanted information
asked IL 1t were not true that the old
Enfield rifles were supposed to shoot
more than II mile.
Maybe they were supposed to- but they
didn't do it," said the expert The En-
field carried big, heavy ball and a large
charge of powder, and when bullet from
1t struck a man 1t stopped him. but Its
accurate range was much less than g
thousand yards. The Springfield rifle
With which the Union troops were armed
during the latter part of the Civil war
| shot harder and better. 1t Vas 5S-cali-
ber-think of that in these days of sinai
| caliber guns! Later the caliber was re.
duced to 20. and then TO 40. They ole
make an Enfield that would shoot more