Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-03-03
GUN WITHOUT A REC0ll
Iowa Physician Thinks He Has
solved the Problem by
"Gas MuzzIe."


In the Ninth Regiment armory, In West
Fourteenth street New York there is on
exhibition a rapid firing gun known as
fool proof" because its inventor thinks
it impossible to put it out of order 1t has
another unusual feature, in that the gases
from the exploding powder are not only
used to propel the projectile but are utilized
to overcome the kick of the piece. The
inventor of the gun is an Iowa physician,
S. n. MCLEAN.
Hitherto expensive and heavy machinery
has been employed to take up this recoil
Water chambers, oil chambers and springs
are among the devices, but no one has
utilized the power of the gun itself not
only to check the recoil but to reload and
fire the piece.
1t has been estimated that with every
one pound gun an energy OF $50 pounds to
the square inch 10 expended, of which only
little more than six pounds is used in
firing the projectile. All the rest is waste.
DR.. McCleans device to use this waste is
what is known as a gas muzzle' to be
fastened on the forward end of the gun
! In effect it takes up the power of the waste
| gases and exerts a forward pulling force
as the proiectile passes out
| The doctor also planned TO use some of
| the gases to reload and fire the gun, and up
! i'm a tube directly under the barrel he has a
simple little engine that does this work.
! AS a consequence all recoil absorbing des
vices are eliminated the gun is Just r.,
much lighter, it always remains fixed liz,
the target and the one pound rapid M
piece can send something like 100 shol
| minute. lis ,
| one OF the eAhloi's OF u MeN'''n loreS
] ,g.l, sF1t
IN Lake ERE LV' YARDS from sho' b!
Cleveland last May. The target was it /
IS feet. The number of shots fired los
from shore was 20 ana oI these 10 lvin,
than lSg struck the target with the 4, .
| blowing twelve miles an hour. Ninet[ nds
these shots were hred III hity-eisht sec biec
The gun was an ordinary field
mounted on wheels. lna,
DR.. McClean's gas muzzle is a pear sh; ~
device that is screwed on the front o4 ~.
gun. 1t has in IL a series of eircumferd 60
eiooNes VIZ" H''ie WINS AS ''' lzzle
SoiiieS P"u''is o"' II eH'eiS inns NY tn
passes 'nIouEh the grooves ana OUT opull
little holes. In its passage it simply .icaI
the gun forward with an energy nktcL
calculated, equal to the power Of the ma p
Before the gases reach the muzzle .rat
of them are let into tube below TO op,sist
the reloading machine which cor
chiefly of a long spiral spring. 70
Another advantage which is claimed VII,
this gas muzzle is that II does away xist
the great zone OF disturbance that an,
at 'hc Iiu~]le VI gun "heii II y IT )ellet
through which the projectile is com no
10 pass ~ soihe'hi"s hAe plaSi tn
sueah nioush s"ise must Sehnd 1
stream slralsnl 'nIousn lne ho|<le Spra!
VIII pi'aA uo"" VI ihJu'e 'iie pants, his Il
: it and the water does no damage Tn,
said TO be what happens when thetrba,
gases are sent through the muzzle. mo-
: are sprayes out into the air and q lie
I interfere with the Night of the prpjel a.,
DR.. McClssn did not stop with q i,I.
ventioH Of his muzzle. He has, he So,
7 found a way 10 overcome the dams -,
: heating Of a sur. He has "knurledi m.
! gun. that is. he has cross-grained