The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-09-04

nance officers by officers in the field,
who said that after a period of rapid
discharges the rifle barrels became so
hot that it was sometimes necessary to
cease firing for a, time to permit them
to cool. In many cases men in the
heat of battle had the skin burned from
their hands by the hot barrels.
The wood-covered barrel is the re-
suit 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 and
the new gun and in other features,
which are not apparent to the ordinary
observer, but which have the greatest
weight with ordnance experts, the new
arm is far superior to the old. The bore
of the new rifle is smaller, the caliber
being about 80 inches while the initial
velocity and penetrating power are
both greater.
shorter Than Recent Guns.
The new gun is also several inches
shorter than the old arm-about the
length in fact of the old Springfield
carbine, with which the United States
cavalry were armed after the Civil
War. Indeed, if it were not for the
wooden covered barrel and the peou-
liar loading and ejscting mechanism,
the gun would be almost a counter
part of the famous cavalry weapon.
The ~. S. Magazine Rifle, Model of
1903" as the new arm is technally
known, will, it is believed, prove ex-
ceptionally popular with the enlisted
force of the regular establishment. In
addition to the covered barrel feature,
the ejecting lever, which on the rifle
now in use projects at right angles
from the piece and has been the cause
nf VArnfanffU m fhn Of thn
enlisted men than any other portion
of his entire equipment, projects down
ward in the new arm, and is some
what shorter. The magazine has a
capacity of five cartridges, and can
be filled with ease and quickness. The
gun, fully assembled, weighs a trile
over eight pounds, and according to
the ordnance experts, is exceptionally
well balanced, making ease of dis
charge and accuracy of aim feature
of importance.
30 shots a Minute.
Some idea of the efficiency of the
new arm can be gained when It is
known that 20 aimed shots have been
fired in one minute with the rife, used
as a single loader, and rs shots in the
same time, using magazine fire. Fir
ing from the hip without aim q shots
has been fired in one minutes, using the
one minute from the magazine.
With an ordinary service charge the
powder pressure in the rife chamber
is about $4,000 pounds per square inch.
the maximum energy Of free coll is
1903 feet pounds and the maximum Eff
fective fighting range Alb yards. The
exceptional penetrating powers of the
rifle were illustrated in a test held
some time ago. With full service
charge, the rife fired at a distance of
fifty feet, drove its steel missile 545
inches into white pine butts, and
penetrated steel plate nearly one
half an inch thick. The bullet which
will be used in the arm has a core Of
lead and tin composition in jacket
of cupro-nickel and when fired with
a service charge has a muzzle veloc-
ity of 1900 feet a second.
A Complicated Weapon.
The army officers on duty In wash
ineton say that II will be only little
while after the regular army Is suppl
ed with the new guns before about
half of them will be back In the arsen-
ais In need OF repairs. The enlisted men.
as IL has been found for long ex-
perience, r. mighty set In his ways, ana
h takes him a long time 70 get used 20
anything new IN his lighting equip
ment Consequently, when new rife
81 issued % him he proceeds 20 take "
10 pieces 10 find out how II works. In
the case OF the modern rife, this ~
rather a formidable undertaking ana
she army regulations prohibit an en-
listed man from experimenting IN
this manner. The new Gun has nineiN