Richmond daily palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1876-1904, 1901-10-03
NEW MATERlA FOR WAh
The Latest Eotchkiss One
Founder Autnatic Gun.
MoUNTINGs OF ARIoUs FORMS.
Piece weighs Aboa 3.A Pounds and
Fires a Projectse Weighing One
Pound With MrzIe Velocity of
1,64O Foot Seend. Consists. of
Thirty-three COMPONENT Parts.


The one pounde, automatic machine
gun is based on tie same principle as
that of the well kaown Hotchkiss rifle
caliber machine nn. but the details
of the mechanics have been greatly
modified in orderto simplify the con-
struction and Strengthen the breech
closure, says the New York Sun. The
gun consists of tairty-three component
parts. of which fifteen comprise the OPP
Grating mechanism In these latter are
contained no scnws or pins and only
three springs, of which one alone is
essential to the working of the gun.
All the motions of the mechanism are
parallel to the axis of the gun. and
therefore the accuracy of fire is not
affected by the vibrations. The entire
mechanism may be dismcunted or as
sembled in about thirty seconds with
out the use of tools and has been SO
designed and sinplified that i. may be
operated and cared for by any man Of
ordinary intelligence
The firing gear is arranged for firing
single shots or continuously at will. the
rate of fire in the latter case attaining
200 rounds per minute. The gun is
loaded by means of feed strips holding
eight or ten rounds or by belts of
twenty-five or fifty pounds. The rate
of fire is the same for both methods OF
loading. Both strips and belts are
made wholly of mild steel and may be
employed indefinitely without reform
ing and, being entirely metallic. are
not affected by water and climatic
conditions. The feed mechanism is in
dependent Of gravity and is not infiu
enced by the elevation or depression of
the piece.
The cartridges are not fed into the
chamber until the instant of firing and
consequently are not subjected to ex-
cessive temperature in case the firing
is suspended with the gun loaded. The
barrel is fitted with a radiator which
absorbs a great portion of the heat de-
veloped by the powder and obviates the
necessity of a water jacket.
The principle Of action may be stated
briefly thus: A gas port is drilled into
the barrel of the gun a few calibers
from the muzzle and brings the bore
into communication with cylinder
parallel to and beneath it. Within the
cylinder is a piston, and when on the
discharge of the gun the projectile
passes beyond the gas port the powder
gas enters the cylinder and throws the
piston to the rear. The rearward mo-
ton of the piston congresses the main
by the trigger. Immediately returns the
piston to its original position. The re-
naming parts of the mechanism are
actuated by this reciprocating piston
and perform the operation Of opening
and closing the breech. extraction and
election Of the empty cartridge case.
feeding, loading and firing.
The gun, weighing about 374 pounds.
has a bore of LAG inches and fires a
projectile weighing one pound with a
muzzle velocity of l $40 foot seconds.
The cartridges are normally loaded
with charge Of forty grams Of French
smokeless powder with an igniter of
two grams.
The mountingS are of various forms
for naval deck. boat, masthead, land
ing. field. barbette and casemate. In
field operations the role of the one
FOUNDER CUR is intermediate between
that of fed artillery and machine
guns. For this reason an equipment of
great mobility is required together
with provision for carrying a large
quantity of ammunition.
The weight behind the gun team is
1920 pounds. and that of the caisson
fully equipped is 2.420 pounds The
timber carries 2ss pounds and the Gals
son $40.
This piece npresents the latest i'm
provements ingun construction and is
a type of the automatic gun of medium
caliber with al its mechanism perfect
ed to the present. state of our knowl- |
edge of the subject