New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-02-21

..,,., -,slts with greater difficulty than lead. Is
added and after Is fused. the tin goes INTO the
crucfble When all are well molten and mixed. the
mass is allowed cool to the degree best aaapted
20 moulding. and the bullets are cast eight at a
time After moulding the bullets are sized and
the larger ends treated with a lubricant composed
OF one pound Of mutton tallOw. two OF japan wax
and one Of vaseline. The sizing and lubricatng
are effected by & single operation IN an Ideal
lubricator. The bullets then ready to be
loaded into the brass shells previously charged
with powder and primed.
while regiment can save on the allowance
OF one hundred thousand cartridges year for tar
get practice about so per cent OF the cost OF ready
loaded ammunition by moulding these bullets and
preparing our own cartridges. there Is nothing
difficult mysterious about the operation. The
only thing that IS likely to give trouble in the
beginning Is IN preparing the alloy; and this IS
soon learned. and when once acquired is not easily
forgotten The charges Of powder given by
weight It is not meant that each charge is
weighed out. but a measuring machine is used. so
adjusted to deliver the proper number OF grains
weight, according to the kind of powder used.
The other loading operations do not differ much
from those so commonly used with the old "A
caIibre Springfield with which every armory
ploye IS familiar.
From what has been said it will be that
we are not making any secret OF this matter. In
deed would be glad to see others derive benefit
from work well as ourselves. and we are
even willing to go to any reasonable amount Of
trouble in showing and explaining to other mill
tary men how to prepare this ammunition. There
are no patents and secrets about IT, The special
tools required are proper crucible and furnace,
a mould. a sizing and lubricating machine.
special powder measure and bullet loading press
all costing about $50. With these any regiment can
make its own target ammunition. ready for firing
with the new bullets. Individual experimenters
who do not feel like mourning so great an outlay.
and who would nevertheless like to try their hand
at making the new ammunition, can buy a set OF
hand tools with which equally good ammunition
can be prepared for less than s.; but the hand
tools are too slow for armory use
Another matter which 1 think Il would we'll re-
pay military men to look into Is our method
Of protecting the Krag barrels from rust and from
the corrosion of the smOkeless powder residue. We
use the formula given in DIR. Hudson's book on
rife shooting and have found Il not only effective
but a great saver Of time and hard work"
The first regiment 20 profit by the work done IN
the 9Th Is the 18th. Indeed the readiness with
which the 18th Regiment rifemen assimiated the
ideas OF their comrades in the 9Th. and that with
very little instruction. shows that they also are
men Of no little ability IN matters pertaining to
the rife. The load IS doing as good work in
the 18th Regiment Armory Il is IN the 9Th. and
full scores becoming frequent
Dr. Hudson says that. while this charge e at
present used chiefly on armory ranges. one OF his
main ideas in developing It was TO get load that
could also be used outdoor ranges up TO five
hundred or six hundred yards and which would be
as cheap 20 reload as the armory ammunition He
Is stin experimenting on powders adapted 70 this
purpose. but says that even those already men
toned will do good work up to two hundred or
three hundred yards. especially II little more tin
and anthony used IN the bullet and two or
three grains more powder put IN the she'll In de-
velopng the load at these longer ranges. the
doctor says he hopes to have the aid and en-
couragement Of his friends in the 18th. eth and list
regiments in all OF which there are rifsmen OF
recognized ability.