Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-05-23
GEN. CROZIER'S REPORT
ONE NEW EXPERIMENT MAGA-
ZINE RIFLE.
Information Which is Still Desired
From Infantry and Cavalry
Boards.

General Crozier, chief Of ordnance, has
submitted to Secretary Root the report OF
the board which conducted the tests of the
new experimental magazine rifle.
THE question upon which a specific de-
termination is now desired" says General
Crozier, lis as to whether a compromise
arm with a 24-inch barrel would be suitable
for all arms of the service All other nee
essary information as to the merits of the
experimental rifle has been furnished this
department in the reports of the board
above referred to, and will. as soon as the
official information now desired is obtained,
be placed before the Secretary Of War for
final decision as to the adoption OF the new
arm. 1t will be gathered from the report
that in the firing exhibition of the new arm
at ten different posts. whose strength ag-
gregated 4,GG9 enlisted men and 223 Of
ficers, the new rifle was received with great
favor, and that the opinion of the officers
and men was practically unanimous in
favor of a compromise arm having a "a
inch barrel for all arms of the service. 1t
! is proper however, to have the question
taken under advisement by the boards
created for dealing with matters of special
concern to the infantry and cavalry
branches.
Reports From Other Boards Desired.
ut is therefore recommended that this
letter, with the Enclosures, be referred to
the infantry board at Fort Leavenworth,
Kan, and to the cavalry board at Fort
Riley, Kan, for the report to this depart
ment as to the following: is a rifle with a
24-inch barrel suitable for all arms Of the
service? Two new experimental rifles are
forwarded herewith, and 1000 rounds Of
ammunition will be ordered shipped by ex-
press to each of the two posts named above
for the use Of the boards. The rifles sent
oil no irfr
from the tests made by the small arms
board -
1t would be most desirable to obtain a
report from the infantry and cavalry
boards within a period Of two weeks. as
the manufacture of arms Is being delayed,
awaiting decision on the question propos-
ed. Extensive firings are deemed neces-
sary, sufficient trials to determine the
relative accuracy OF the twenty-four-inch
and thirty-inch barrels have been made
by the board convened by special order
No. 10, of which Capt Frederick s. Foltz,
I'd Cavalry, was president
In it's report the board gives several ia
bles, showing the general accuracy of the
new rifle. Each marksman was required
to make target on the same day with
all the arms tested. in order that the con-
ditons of wind, light, temperature, ETC.,
should be as nearly identical as possible
for the target made by him at each range,
and the results obtained be comparable.
These arms consisted OF the experimental
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twenty-four-inch barrels; the United
States magazine rifle model 1885, and the
experimental carbine. A number of targets
with the three rifles were obtained at 500,
1000 and 800 yards, and they show that
the experimental rifle is more accurate at
the 1850 yards range than the present
service arm and that the twenty-four-inch
is practically as accurate as the thirty
inch barrel These results at 1500 yards,
together with those obtained at 500 and
1000 yards, the board says, show that
the barrel of the experimental rife can
be reduced in length from thirty to twenty
four inches without sacrifice of apprecia-
BILE accuracy.
Some Alterations Necessary.
The board in it's conclusions says the
general design of the experimental rife
is suitable for the service, but that some
alterations are necessary in the clip, and
when that and some minor defects are
remeded its substitution for the present
rifle will be justified Among the reasons
given why it is a better gun that it
is .72-hundredths pounds lighter. has the
same accuracy and can give equal velocity.
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