The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1905-12-14
HOW UNCLE SAM MAKES GUNS
Little Secrecy I'm the Work--Finnl
Testing of the Rifles.

It, on practically the same sites, ever
since. Early in the nineteenth cen
tury the water shops" were start
ed, nearer the river than the main
arsenal, for forging the heavier
pieces, and as the water shops"
they are known to this day.
In the two places 1,S00 men are
employed, and l 900 magazine rifles,
can be turned out in day If there
were any extraordinary pressure,
necessitating double shifts, or even
two and half shifts, as in war
time, the output would be corre-
spondingly greater.
Up to 1892 the rifle known as
the Springfield was the regulation
gun used in the army. At that time
change was made to the Krag-
Jorgensen, which was manufactured
at Springfield continuously from
that date to within the past year or
so. Now new model has superse-
ded the Krag gJorgensen. 1t is OFF,
cially known as the United States
rifle of 1908, and is supposed to In
corporate all the best features of the
most improved army rifles the world
over.
There is no particular necessity
for secrecy in the manufacture OF
small arms. Any government can
easily get specimens Of those made
in other countries. Col. Phipps, the
commanding officer at Springfield, Sc
cures foreign made rifles and has the
experts at the armory take them to
pieces and report on the details Of
their construction.
OF course other countries do the
same with our rifles, so that there
is not much danger of spies at
Springfield; or, rather, not much of
an excuse for spying. Nevertheless,
permits to visit the armory are not
issued to foreigners. and the law re-
Quires that every employee shall be
citizen of the United States
Exceptions, of course, are some
times made to the rule against ad-
mitting foreigners. Some time ago
a number of Japanese visited the ar
senal in a sort of continued story"
manner. The first one had a spe-
cial request to study up the subject
of gun stocks. The second was in
terested in the barrel. Another was
investigating the magazine; and so
on. BY the time the continued story
was concluded the Japs had studied
the whole gun, lock, stock and
barrel"
One Of the results was that the
japanese have been buying quanti-
ties of American black walnut for
gunstocks. Because of its greater
density black walnut is the pre-
ferred wood everywhere for this
purpose, but the American product
is not as good as the European.
The employees are not under mill
tary discipline of any sort. One
would expect to find the place heav-
lily guarded; for no particular rea-
son, Of course, since no ono is likely
to try to lug off a case Of rifles Still,
the ordinary civilian would not be
surprised to find q soldier camped
down at every door and peering
watchfully from every window.
1t is therefore a surprise to find
that there are exactly forty-three
soldiers stationed there. A sentry
at each gate seemed perfectly ade-
quate for the protection Of lot Of
rifles--which nobody wants.
To guard against imperfections
every gun made at Springfield Is
fired five times. A charge one and
. l.,
in order to develop possible seams,
formed by blow hole drawn out in
the making of the barrel. An en-
closure, coo by 60 feet in size,
serves as range, where all guns are
tested as to their aim. a process
known as targeting. Expert marks
men are constantly employed at this
work.
The firing quality of rife is
somewhat variable; depending on
the cartridge, the atmosphere and
the man behind the gun. All guns
shoot better in warm weather than
In cold, owing to the effect of heat
on the explosive force of powder.
temperature of more than 10 de-
grees rapidly increases the initial
velocity of a discharged bullet, while
lower temperatures as rapidly de-
crease 1t. The question OF tempera-
ture, therefore, directly affects the
vertical accuracy of gun; loss,
for instance, of velocity of 80 feet
per second requiring a higher aim
than what might be called the nor
NAL one.
AS for the man behind the gun,
one may sight thirty-second of an
inch higher in the V than another;
a scarcely appreciable distance to
the ordinary gunner himself, but in
rifles OF the present length of range,
enough to cause them to fall short
or TO oVershoot.
New French Bullet.
Important improvements have
been made in the arms and ammuni-
tion of the French infantry soldier,