Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1904-11-04
THE ARMY's NEW WEAPON.
A Magazine Rifle That Can Fire Thirty.
five Shots a Minute.

1t is a fact, although not generally
known, that the ordnance experts of the
United states Army. after months of
work, have at last succeeded in construct
ing a magazine rifle which is believed to
be superior to any In use In foreign ar
mics at the present time. Every govern
ment arsenal in the United states with
the necessary facilities is working night
and day Just now turning out the new
arm, and forty thousand of them have
already been completed. None will be
issued to regular troops, however, until
a hundred thousand guns-the number
requisite to supply the maximum strength
of the army on war footing-have been
completed At the present rate of prog
ress this date will probably be December
l. when their issuance will be immedi-
ately begun. The old rifle. such as has
been I'm use since the Spanish American
war, will be returned To the arsenals and
later reissued to the various military or
CARNATIONS now armed with the ancient
Springfield rifle. which is regarded almost
as obsolete as the old nintlock or percus-
sion cap gun.
During the Spanish American war as is
well known, many Of the regular troops
and all Of the militia were stlll armed
with the old Springfield. firing black
powder and carrying a .45 calibre ball
that made a great deal Of noise, did lit
tie damage and was absolutely ineffective
! at long range. The disadvantages I'M
! der which the United States troops Ia
! bored as n result of their obsolete small
| arms are too well known to the public
| to bear repetition. but 1t is interesting to
note that the Spanish American war II
it did nothing else. awoke the army ~---
! thorities to the necessity for keeping
! abreast of the times I'm ordinance con-
struction. The United States magazine
/ rifle which was being introduced in the
| army when the war began was consid-
/ cred q good weapon, but the advance I'm
the last few years as a result Of care
| full study and exhaustive experiments
! may he understood when It is known that
the rifle now in use and the arm which Is
to be introduced next December have no
| two points in common.
! The most noticeable difference between
| the old and the new arm is in the barrel
| Of the latter arm, which is entirely COW
| cred with wood. This innovation was the
| result of practical suggestions made to
| the ordnance officers by enlisted men Of
the army Following the campaign I'm
| Cuba and In the Philippines many COM
plants were made by officers In the field
who said that after a period OF rapid dis
charges the rifle barrels became so hot
that 1t was sometimes necessary to cease
firing for n time to permit them to cool
In many cases men in the heat of battle
had the skin burned from their hands by
rel Is the result of these suggestions the
steel being entirely covered to within two
inches OF the muzZle OF the gun.
In almost every other particular. from
stock to forward sight, there Is an i'm
portant difference between the old anC
the new gun, and in other features. which
are not apparent to the ordinary OBJ.
server. but which have the greatest
weight with ordnance experts, the new
arm is far superior to the old. The Dor,
OF the new rifle Is smaller. the calibr,
being about 80 inch, while the initial We.
locity and penetrating power are boti
greater. The new gun IL also severa
inches shorter than the old arm, abou
the length OF the old Springfield carbine
with which the United States cavalr,
were armed after the civil war. Indeed
II It were not for the wooden covered bar.
rel and the peculiar loading and ejectinl
mocha nism. the gun would be almost
counterpart OF that famous cavalry weap
on
The United States Magazine Rife
Model OF 1902 as the new arm Is tech
nically known. will. 1t is believed, prov,
exceptionally popular. In addition to tn,
covered barrel feature. the ejecting lever
which on the rifle now in use projects a
right angles and has been the cause o
more profanity on the part OF the enlisted
man than any other portion OF hi!
entire equipment. projects downward a
small angle in the new arm and Il
somewhat shorter. The magazine has
capacity OF five cartridges and can b.
filled with ease and quickness. The gun
fully assembled weighs a trifie over eigh
pounds. and. according to the ordnanc,
experts. is exceptionally well balanced
making ease OF discharge and accurac.
of aim a feature OF Importance.
Some idea of the efficiency of the new
arm can be gained when II is known tina
twenty-three aimed shots have been fire,
In one minute with the rifle when use,
as single loader. and twenty five shot
in the same time with a magazine fire
When fired as n single loader from tn
hip without aim. twenty-seven shot
, have been discharged in one minute. an
with the use OF the magazine thirty fiv
! shots have been fired In one minute. Wit
an ordinary service charge the powde
pressure In the rifle chamber is abou
10000 pounds a square inch. the maxi
mum energy of recoil is 1905 feet pounds
) and the maximum effective fighting rang
: 4,7Sl yards. The exceptional penetratin
powers OF the rifle were illustrated In
l test held some time ago. With fun ser
vice charge, the rifle. fired at dstanc
! of fifty feet, drove its steel missile 81
Inches into white pine butts. and pene
: trated a steel plate nearly one-half a
inch thick The bullet which will be use
I In the arm has core of lead and II
1 composition In jacket OF cupro- nicke
9 and when fired with a service charge ha
a muzzle velocity OF $500 feet a SECOND
The army officers on duty I'm Washing
: ton say that 1t will be only little Will
D after the regular army is supplied wit
the new guns before about half of ther
will be back in the arsenal in need c
U repairs. The enlisted man, as 1t has bee
:, found from long experience, is most sc
In his ways, and 1t takes him long tim
t to get used to anything new in his fight
| ing equipment. Consequently, when
new rifle is issued to him, he proceeds I
take 1t to pieces to find out how it work.
! In the case of the modern rifle this Is
rather formidable undertaking, and tn
army regulations prohibit an enlisted ma
' from experimenting in this manner TIL
: new gun has ninety component part.
and is so complicated that it is freel
predicted that if an enlisted man takes
to pieces he will land in the guardhous
and his rifle in the repair shop before