The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1900-01-19
IIE LoER AND HIS RIFLE.
There Are Differences Between the
weapon Used Now and Twen-
ty Years Ago.


In the war of 1S79-Sa the Beers dis
played deadly accuracy with the rifle,
but their weapon then was very differ
ent from the arm used recently at
Dundee. The rifle of 20 years ago was
built on the lines of the British Mar
TIM. 1t was hammerless arm of about
nine pounds weight, with 30-inch
half-octagon barrel and shotgun-butt
stock. The caliber was As, with bull
let weighing from 405 to 450 grains.
The powder charge was 90 grains, in
brass-drawn cartridge case. The rifle
was sighted up to 1000 yards. Besides
the usual stationary sight it had re-
versatile front-that is, sight capable
of being used as an ordinary front sight,
and, by single motion, it was changed
into a pinhead sight, covered with
ring to keep it from being knocked
off. On an occasion where particular
fine shooting was demanded this front
globe was further covered with
thimble-shaped hood, shading it per-
fectly. The usual standing rear, or
fixed, sights were on the barrel, while
on the guns grip was turn-down
peep that was regulated by side screw
to an elevation of 1000 yards. The peep
and globes were never used under 700
or 800 yards.
81 was very much interested in the
Boer rifemen and their weapons" said
Archibald Forbes, who was with Sir
Evelyn Woods column in South Africa
in 1sT9-S0. "They are marvellous rife
shots. They shoot their antelope and
other game from the saddle, not ap-
parently caring to get nearer to their
quarry than 600 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 skilled
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 1,4oO yards at Majuba
Hill. We lost terribly in officers at the
fight mentioned, and also at Laing's
Mex and Rorke's Drift, from the deadly
rifles of the sharpshootipg Beers"
The Boer weapon that did such exc
cution the other day is the sporting
model of the Mannlicher, German arm,
perhaps the most powerful weapon of
it's caliber and weight in the world.
The military Mannlicher is used in the
armies of Austria, Holland, Greece, Bra
zil, Chilli, Peru and Roumania. The
ideal Mannlicher is q sporting rifle
-. Al II t.,
beautifully finished arm, weighing
about eight pounds, and costing in
South Africa 200 German marks. The
rifle barrel is 80 inches long, the car
bine "a. 1t has a pistol grip and sling
straps, and is hair triggered.> Its cal
iber is 80. This rifle has an extreme
range of 4,5o0 yards, and killing range
of 1900. At that distance the bull
let will so through two inches of solid
ash, and nearly three 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 full-mantled. with fine outer
coating of copper or nickel. That for
game shooting is only half mantled,
ledNlHS the ledu punt SAPoSSu 81 thdt
it opens back or mushrooms when it
strikes. For deer, elk and bears there
can be no better arm. Though the
bullet makes but small orifice where
it enters the expansion causes it to
tear hole as large as mans finger
where it makes it's exit. Travelling at
the rate of 1000 feet second the force
of this bullets blow is tremendous.
There has been much discussion over
the dum-dum bullet. 1t is a soft-point-
ed missile, but by no means so deadly
or destructive as is this Haenel-Mapn-
licher bullet which the Beers are using,
If it strikes at close range, or 1000
yards, or under, and does not fiatten,
the Mannlicher bullet bores hole
right through bone, without splinter
ing. But when it upsets the shock
is terrible. The bullet literally smashes
the flesh and bone into fragments. 1t
has been charged that the Beers are us
ing the soft-pointed bullet in their
deadly Observation-Disclosures - Chicago
Inter Ocean.