The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-09-21

Krag. The gun may also be fired with
greater rapidity and has the advantage
of being fed by cartridges in clips.
which results in an appreciable increase
In the efficiency of fire. as the eye need
not be taken from the target during
the firing of each five cartridges.
The new rife is covered with a wood
en- case up to within two inches of the
muzzle, to protect the soldiers hands
during rapid fire. In the old rife
practice the garrel became so hot with
rapid and continuous firing that the
users hands were sometimes blistered.
The magazine is entirely within the
stock. and altogether the new weap-
on is more symmetrical than the old
as we'll as lighter. 1t weighs a few
ounces less than nine pounds.
The rifle uses a csnnelured cartridge
shell, with forty-four grains of smoke
less powder, and a smooth, sharp
pointed bullet weighing 220 grains.
The muzzle velocity is 1900 feet per
second. 300 feet per second faster
than that of the Krag. The powder
pressure is $4,000 pounds per square
inch. The rifling in the barrel makes
one turn in ten inches.
1t is the intention of the War De-
partment to require the new refie to be
used as a magazine gun, and not as
single-loading weapon, though the
mechanism permits either method, as
well as firing with the magazine only
partly filled. But the practice Of
charging with the clip. holding Ave
cartridges, will result. 1t is believed in
greater accuracy of rapid firing, on
account Of the fact that the Marks
man may keep his eye continually on
the target during each series of FIVE
shots. Used in this way, a greater
rapidity of fire and greater accuracy
may be secured than with any other
rifle known.
There are only ninety component
parts to the new rife. as compared
with ninetynine parts in the Krag
model of 1898. The bolt and magazine
mechanisms can be taken apart and
assembled much more readily. The
energy of the recoil is slightly greater
than that of the Krag, but that is
thing that cannot be avoided if great
er velocity is to be secured. The
weight of the new rifle is 16 per cent.
less than the KraR, which weighs
1864 pounds.
An army officer, explaining the fine
points of the new rifle, called atten-
ton in a cold-blooded way to the SUI
pemority of the rod bayonet over the
old knife bayonet.
This rife, you see, has a bayonet
shaped just like a ramrod,' he said
with sharp point. Now, you don't
know how much easier 1t is to pull this
kind Of a bayonet out of human
body. The old knife bayonet used to
stick so fast that soldier In the thick
OF fight was often compelled to drop
his gun. But with this rod bayonet
you can jab II in as deep as II will go,
pull II out and ram il into the next
fellow that comes along"
The bayonet lies under the barrel,
like the old fashioned ramrod of a
shotgun, and is brought into use in a
second by pressing a spring catch. This
spring catch holds the bayonet when Il
is extended for use and the Old fash
toned bayonet scabbard becomes a
thing of the past. In the butt Of the
gun is a slender can. half of II filled
with oil and the other half occupied by
a cleaning thong.
In general appearance the rifle differs
little from the service gun now In use,
except that IL is shorter and more sym
metrical. The real sight is practically
the same as that used on the Krag,
but the front sight is so arranged as
to be available for open or peep sight,
as desired.
The velocity OF a bullet fred with
smokeless powder varies considerably
with the temperature. increased tenn
perature giving additional initial We
lOcity The changes IN velocity with
temperature, as determined az Frank
ford arsenal, range from a loss OF 50
feet per second at zero % "a gain OF SO
feet per second IA 100 degrees above,
the mean being al 20 degrees.
With the new rife twenty-three aim-
"a shots have been fired Ia one minute.
used ns q singie-loader. and twenty
I've in minute, using magazine IRE
Firing from me hip without aim, twen-
iYraeYen shots have been fred ln
minute AZ a single. loader. ana thirty.
i've with The maEaEi1e, The maElnun