The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-09-04
l'v|''|E|::''N;I'CUiN FOR D |
OUR ARMY
Covered With Mood From End md
~ End and Very 55.8
4 3Ss ~ Compact.
FORTY THOUSAND 4.
None IVill@be Issucd Until One
Hundred Thousand Have III
Been Made. VI

Special to AThe Times-D Dispatch,
svASlI1NGTUN, d. CT. sept, 81 ts g
( fact. altfough4no generally known. that
the ordnance experts Of the United States
Army after months Of work, have q 7 last
succeeded In constructing a magazine
rifle Which is believed TO be perior TO
any In use Iii foreign armies at this time.
Every government arsenal In the United
States wlth#the necessary facilities Is
working night and day just now turning
out the new arm and forty thousand OF
them have N already been completed.
None Will be Issued to the troops Of the
regular esta blishnlent however, unit ~ 100,
GOETHE number requisite to suppl y 4 the
maximum strength OF the army on a war
footing have rbeen completed. s555 i.
At the present rate Of progress this
will probably be about December 5slst
and their Issuance will be lmfnealasely
begun. The old if1e--or L ra tier the rife
which has been in use since the sSpa.ni si,-1
American wa will be returned to the
arsenals and later reissued to the various
militia organizations now armed wit h the
ancient Springfield rife. which Is gard
+ ed as almost as obsolete. as the 4 OH
s flntlock orr percussion cap guns. Ss ST.
NJ II F POORLY ARMED. gi&
@ During the Spanish American wa r. as
cit Is we'll kno VII, IL many OF 8 the reg uial'
troops and all Of the militia, were still
armed with the old Springfield, firing
#ball&that made a great deal OF noise did
little damage. and was a bsolutely inef-
fective at R long range. The disadvan-
tages under Which the United States
troops la bored as result Of their obse-
Silete small arms are too well know 4 TO
tof,sf
Interesting to note that the Spanish
American 81 war, II It did othtng Il else,
awokeN the army au thorities TO the N ces--
4 sity for keeping abreast Of the times /, IN
ordnance construction The United States
magazine rifle, which was being 3stn tro-
Sdlced In the army when the war begun.
Swas considered a good wea pom but 8 lie t-.
ADVANCE made In the las few years 3 g q
result Of n careful study and exhaustive
experiments may be understood 2INhenSi u
/ Is known that the rife now IN use and u
the q arm which is to be- introduced IN
mon. N The most no ticable d, ferenc e. be-
tween the 8old and the new q rrn, aPE pa r 81
tent att f1rst glance. is the fact tina IT. the
barrel Of the latter arm Is entirely COW.
erred with wood. This innovation was
Ylthe result Of prac tical suggestions. mace
Bof the army. Following the campaign
In Cuba and In the Philippines, b many
complaints were made to the ordnance
officers. by officers in the field who said.
that. after a period Of rapid dlscharge Xxx.
the rife-barres beca me so hot hat II
was sometimes necessary to- cease firing
Tor a time to permit hem to cool
BURNED BY THEIR G UNS.
m any cases nj en-. in the heat of pa T.
tie, had the skin burned from their y a nds
I by the hot barrels The wood covered
barrel is the result of3these suggestions
ov, al y
B in two Inches of the muzzle OF the gun.
& IN almost every other particular from
stock Ito forward sight, there is an I'M
portant difference between the old and the
new gun and In other feat lures. " fl n. On
are not apparent to the ordinary OBJ
server, butt which have YAH the greatest
weight with ordnance expert IS, the ne Y
6 arm Is far superior to the old. The bore
OF the new rife Is smaller the ca libre y,
/ being about 80 inches while the initial;
velocity and penetrating power are Doth
greater. s The new gun is also several al
inches shorter tina n the old armr-a bout:
the length, in fact, ofB the old springtield
+ carbine with which he IA United N stat
cavalry were armed after the Clvi wa VAL
Indeed II IL were not for I ne s WOODEN 2 g.
covered barrel and the petul lar loadlIn
and eJecting chanisnS the gun. would .illf
4 Be almost a counterpart OF the famous
The )"U. IS. Magazine Rife. Mod Ell OF
1907 as 1.-THE new, arm Is 2 tcchnic ally
known. will. 1T Is believed, prove exceI-
+ tionally popular with he enlisted FORCE
Of the regular es ishment In addition
to the covered barrel feature, the eject
+ ing lever. which on the rife now IN use
projects at right angles from the piece
and has been the cause OF more PR d an.
ity on the part of y the emil ted men nan AZ
any other portion OF his entire ll EQUIP i
5rncnt, projects downward In the new 2 I'm IN
and is somewhn shorter. The mai e
has capacity Of five cartridges. and
can be filled with case and uulckncss.
THE gun. fully assembled. weighs a. triil y
over eight pounds, and cordlng to ne !,
ordnance experts Is exception ~ vs. !.
balanced, making ease Of discharge and
accuracy Of aim "a feature Import g.
VERY DEFICIENT 8s II
some idea the efflclency Of the new
arm can he gnined when II Is know Ina!
| twenty-five aimed shots have been fired et
in one minute with the rifle, used a 8 q
single loader, and twenty five shots N me
same time, using magazine FIRE. rlrltls
from The hip without al atWehty-s ey y,
ing the rifle as a single loader and tE ~
ty-fye shots in one minute from the
/ magazine With an ordinary Sc ly :,
charge tile powder pressure d N inc THIS
chamber Is about 49. oo0 pounds per SO WITS
Inch, the maximum energy o. free coll j.
1s,Cs feet pounds, and the ma ximum e fec,
Tive lighting range ISL yards The az az
sccptionally penetrating powers OF the
,vide were Illustrated In a test held SONS ~ )
1ime ago. with full service charge. the
rifle. fred at distance Of nttys ieel
/ drove It's steel missile b4b inches lnt s
white pine butts. and penetrated g s vS,s
! plate nearly one-half an incll (, ~
bullet which Will be used In the arm nas
a core Of lead and tin composition u
jacket OF cuprorn lckel and len |. hras
4 with service charge has a { n'uz zle5 ~
i locIty OF $500 feet a. second, Z.
The army officers on ~ Ihn IIs
ION say that II will beYonly a llt,le $Wn.t'
j tho new guns before about hall 8of their
WIN DO back In the arsenals ~ need g
repairs. The enlisted men, as " mas ps .'.
II .fnund from lnnp II 9 xperience, Us mlghI.