The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-02-28
THE NEW RIFLE.
The New Springfield is Wonder in ss the Way of a Firearm.

The New Springfield is a Wonder in ssf the Way of Firearm.
 Denver Republican.
 When the new Springhel rife is. issued to our army, the United States will be equipped with the most serviceable and powerful military rife in the world. It embodies the best features of the pres ent Krag-Jorgenson and the Mauser rife, and has been given the most exhaustive tests under conditions likely to be met with in active service, says the Review of Reviews. These include placing the rife in water So that some of its parts might rust, and also throwing sand in the mechanism.
 as the chip-loading magazine gun, being provided with a cutoff, which enables the firer to use it as a single loader with tfc contents of the magazine five caIt- ridges) in reserve.
 At present, only few of these guns have teen Issued to expert shots in the army for firing tests, but about Decem- ber, 1903. their manufacture for issue to the entire army commenced. Sixty thou sand will be required, and they will be turned out at the rate of about 250 per day. In case of emergency. however, a large number can be turned out, and pri-
 
 to make the rifles. The arming of the militia with the new rife will be com pleted as soon as possible after the army is equipped with them.
 The new Springfield weighs 9.49 pounds. against the 10.W for Krag, and its bar rel is 24 inches, while that of the Krag is g. Over all the new piece measures 43 inches. against 49 inches for the Krag. Although the caliber of both rifles Is the same-namely, 30-the shooting pow CT of the Springfield is vastly superior.
 While the bullets of both rifles are of the same weight. the smokeless powder charge of the new rife Is increased to 43.3 grains, that of the Krag being 376 grains. The increased charge gives the new Springfield a muzzle velocity of 23OO feet per second faster than the Krag, and increases the muZzle energy from 1852 foot pounds to 2,5S2.
 This increased energy causes the bullet to travel in a fiatter trajectory, the rise above the ground at the highest point of the trajectory being much less. This in- creases what is known as the danger space covered by the bullet at a height above the ground not exceeding that of a man. Thus. in shooting at 1000 yards. the bullet at its greatest height, which is at 800 yards, rises only 20.67 feet in the new Springfield, whereae the bullet in the | Krag rises 25.S feet.
 As an example of the tremendous de- l crease in the height of the trajectory of modern arms and the increase of the dan- ger space by the flatter trajectory. it is | interesting to note that in shooting at 300 yards with the smooth-bore muskets used before our Civil War the bullet rose at the turning point of the trajectory 12S feet in the air. This turning point wae at 175 yards.
 | The new Springfield has a range of five miles. although it is, of course, impossi- ble to see a human target at that dis tance. The piece will be sighted up to at least 5000 yards; but even this distance is too great for actual aiming at a man or house, but will aid in dropping shote at random. At 1000 yards a line of men resembles broad line. the uniform width of which is broken above the line of heads and below the line of legs. At 1,2OO yards cavalry is distinguished from infantry | and movements can be seen. At 2.00( yards. bodies of troops can be distinguish | ed. and man or horse appears like a dot. The whites of a mans eyes can be seen at 30 yards. At distance of S3 feet the new Springfield has penetrated 54.I feet of pine boards, and 6.3 feet at 1,5Ot yards.