The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-07-09
DEFECTS or THE .IRHY RTELE.
An Expert Gives His Ideas ms to the Prncti-
cal Why of Counterncting Them.

cal W ny OF commencing Them.
COLUMBIA. :. c.. July 7.-Alluding to recent
despatch In The Sun from Washington. in
which it was snid that the Government wns
contemplating changes in the sights OF tho
Krag -J6rgensen rifle u Captain of the Sou Ii
Carolina regiment that was IN Cuba W no was
the instructor of his regiment in tho use Of tho
new rifle and is a riileman of note in tho South,
gave his opinion Of the defects OF the United
States magazine rifle and the remedy.
have tested tho gun pretty thoroughly"
ne said. both at targets and living things.
The Mauser has a slight advantage in pcnctia-
tion at the short ranges. and Is fully as nccu-
rate. but our gun will give more serious
wounds. Still, do not blame the British. fight
ing big odds in the Soudan wishing TO have n
little lead showing ut tho bullet point It's no
war,
The complaint from Washington that the
rifles shoot hlgh and to the right is a minor
m ny. shoot to the right. some 20 tho
tween twentyhvc and 200 yards frenediod
the defect in one gun by changing tho sight.
be. But ther" is the defect-the drift that is,
line of sight This is very much greater in the the
sa 5hf ho Il 1 sHE yet IN S
tho dciec the slide moving to the LETT as It wns
raised. the drift OF tho rifle being to tho right.
b.. when tn" kragIJ rsensen, riffs was alopto d
gauges on army rifles were not desirable tho
marksman. II an expert. being able to calculate
tor Tlndnge, and if not an expert the gauge
hut hut rife can hardly be called a satisfactory
.hm yarus away and you aim accurately at
hight to blow the bullet back into his ho'iy'
! ms Is m element OF uncertainty Int the su-
ilcr should he relieved from. 1t IL enough to
pino suing IN tree 600 yards away can fire "a
ali.doZen shots while n sharpshuOter is fpur.
inG how much to to- give" him with u nipc-miIcIO
n, rloch r VIM, ihnn again me wind has much
rifle than on those Of the old Springfield II Is
more ulillcult to provide q sight on the ncwgun
10 counteract the drift because Of the slight
can be done. ~
-. There is a pecuIarity about the high vcloc.
Ivy: ro.ppwdrr rifles. continued tho OK.
which TO cons adorable extent accounts for the
low trajectory claimed for thcm-the Nat ira.
leclory being more apparent than real. II haa
n it nren said In print that our new maga-
raised under 900 yards-that for 300 yards
the bullet goes on n straight line. II is truo
mat WIN The sights as now arranged, it il pos
sihlc at g, feet to strike an object the Ala
OF half dollar, and the bullet flying on would
strike another object on the same line Of sipIt.
or or N a direct line 25o yards on. But whore s
tie line of sight, The bullet rises on lcavins
me gun and does not drop tn the plane %
winch 1t was fred iii il has gone more thnn
y h. Yards And This is when drawing Tia
from 30 to 10 yards away is safe If tho MARY =.
man shoots at his head
:, me tendency for men who arc not cyrcrts
IL to take coarse sights Fatalities among tho
enemy would he much greater II soldiers wers
instructed to shoot al their feet: or IL in
trenches below the ton Of the works"