Morris tribune., 1902-03-01
NEW GUN FOR OUR ARMY
Springfield Rifle Viii Supplant
the Krag-J orgensen.
AMERICAN WEAPON DEEMED BEST

MuzzIe Velocity a New Bullet Of
! Cupro wicket Has Been invented
For Heterogeneous Piece For Direct
Fire at Three Thousand Yards.
i No longer are the American soldiers
to carry rifles designed by foreigners,
says the st. Louis Post-D Dispatch. The
| edict has gone forth from the war de
partment at Washington that the Krag-
Jorgensen rife is to be discarded, and
the Springfield rifle Of the make of
| 1901 is to take its place.
| The new rifle is said to exceed all
others in range, energy and penetrat-
ing power, and at high angle firing its
bullets will be effective, it is estimated,
| at 4, 800 yards.
The famous Mauser rifle Of the Beers
is credited with having killed British
soldiers at 3,700 yards. Lieutenant
Colonel Connynham of the Gordon
highlanders was killed at $500 yards,
and there are many well known cases
Of English officers and men falling at
from 5000 to 5000 yards.
The new American rife is the prod
uct Of the skill and ingenuity of the
government officers at the Springfield
arsenal. It may be said to be devel-
oped Krag-J orgensen, inasmuch as
many of the essential features Of the
Krag weapon are retained, while i'm
portant Improvements have been add
ed. The muzzle velocity of the bullet
has been increased from 1000 to 1890
feet a second. This is enormous veloc-
ity for ball from 80 caliber gun.
The old breechloading Springfield
yields muzzle velocity of about 1880
feet a second. The Mauser on a caliber
of seven millimeters, or less than 80
inch, affords velocity of about 1900
foot seconds. The new American gun
has a heavier ball than the Mauser,
moving at greater muzzle speed, and
the result is naturally greater striking
energy for the United States bullet.
Even If the Mauser ball possessed ini-
tiaT velocity equal to the American the
latter, owing to the greater weight,
would as the distance increased great
trating power.
The side box Of the Krag will be
abandoned. General Crozier chief of
ordnance, attributes all the cratic
shooting Of the present gun to this at
tachment. The piece is not evenly bal
anced, and General Crozier thinks that
the muzzle is DETECTED to the left at the
instant of firing by reason of the side,
box. In guns with right handed rifing
the drift or DETECTION of the bullet
should be to the right, but in the case
of the Krag-Jorgensen a drift to the
right is not noticeable until 1 900 yards
have been traversed, by which time the
effect Of the muzzle DETECTION has been |
overcome.
In the new gun the feed will be from
a magazine, centrally located, and the
five cartridges will be charged in one
motion. Not only will the piece be |
perfectly balanced, but the loading will
be much more rapid than is now the |
case.
Cartridges with cannelured heads
will be used. Instead of a rim at the |
base of the cartridge case a narrow
trough or gutter is cut around the en-
tire circumference. The prongs Of the !
sink into the trough and Sc
cure a firm grip for the pulling out of I
the shell. The doing away with the
base rim permits of a closer packing Of
head the shells lie snugly together
along their entire length.
Lead and anthony have constituted
the principal mixture for bullets Of
present day rifles. AS velocities in
creased nickel jackets were placed over
the bullets, since it was found that the
soft lead would fly to pieces under the
terrific number Of revolutions impaired.
Nickel has served satisfactorily up to
7, 900 foot seconds velocity, but at high
ar YelOcities decided tendencies to strip
off are manifested. This fact has led to
the adoption Of a still tougher. and
more cohesive jacket made of cupro
nickel At the same time cupro nickel
8 sufficiently soft to permit of taking
he rifing and thereby imparting the
necessary rotary motion to the pro-
ectile. .....l. ..i. /.
a n1uzzie velocity of $500 foot sec !
,nds would be accorded the neW Amer
can rifle, it is said, but for ting fact j
hat the corresponding presstlreSfn the
sun are deemed somewhat hig To Sc +
cure $50 feet a second at Tue muzzle
he chamber pressures approximate
$1,000 pounds to the square inch. 1t
vas deemed wise not to let the pres
ure run above $4,000 pounds, and on
his pressure it was found possible to
ecure 1900 foot seconds. The increase
yer the yelocities Of the present gun is
90 feet a second
From 900 feet second of the civil
var period to the. $500 foot seconds
f today is the advance Of forty years
low that telescope attachments have
cen devised for army rifles the new
american weapon becomes a danger
us piece for direct fire at 5000 yards.
or high angle firing its range should