The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1906-08-01
WAR STORIES.
Century Long Evolution of the Army Rife.

introduction of the metallic cartridge
that the rifle musket became really
serviceable.
That brings the story up to our war
model, the model of 1885. t was
ribed musket. SO, firing an expanding
mimic bullet.
AS the calibre Of the musket grew
less the bullet became longer, thus Sc.
curing greater speed and range. With
this gun destructive FIRE could be de-
livered at distance of $50 yards, and
even at !, 900 yards it would penetrate
more than three inches of white pine
30 that it was not to be lightly regard
ed inside that distance.
The next step in gun making was
the breechloader. Like the other rad
ical changes, it was long time in the
making.
So far back as 1919 an inventor
named John Hall was employed by the
government to set up his machinery
at the Harper's Ferry Armory and
make thousand breechloading arms
by way Of experiment. Hall had in
vented the arm itself in 1911. AS it
was eight years before the government
gave him the Harpers Ferry order the
idea does not seem to have appealed
very forcibly to the powers of Wash :
ington.
Once I've got the gun under way,
however, it seemed to have been re-
ceived with some favor, for breech-
leaders were made under Halls super
vision until 1871. More than rs, 900
were made during that time at Har-
per's Ferry aud almost az many by out
side contractors.
They were given out to special or
CARNATIONS and some went to the reg
ulars and some to the mill. But
there doesn't seem to have been any
wild eageruess to be equipped with
them, for in 1860 there were still almost
10000 Of these guns stored in the DIFF
ferent arsenals.
The breechloading idea was all right
in itself, but it did not get on we'll
with the old gun and the old charge.
1t seems as if improvements are al.
ways onelegged. Each one limps till
another comes to help it along. So
the breechloading gun had to have a
self. .primed, expanding, metallic car
fridge before it could get into the
march of progress .
:, The period before the outbreak of
the civil war was one Of continual ex-
peFimsutizs With brsesA::aaara and
even with magazine rifles. Between
1852 and 1860 the government pur-
chased 1888 breeohloading arms cf
various patterns besides the rights to
alter. 1000 old arms upon two plans
mud u Hau1sso.1z5 e,o9a H9a ==.h:=s= ed
metallic case cartridges on one Of those
plans. l. -: -
But tho war put q stop to the exper.
iment. The need forimmenss quanti.
ties Of arms taxed the government ar
mories 70 their utmbat and in addition
thousand Of contract made guns were
purchased. H.. - 4 b: ! +.5.I
:. IL may surprise some people 10 know
that between 1851 and 1866 the govern
mens purchased 81, 900 magazine rifles
Of one make alone, TIis was the Spen.
Ger repeating rife firing: seven; oar. ar.
tridgea with rsloading. # .i:.,S =5.S .S.ss
Bus the vast majority. oef guns, J, used riisiay
during the war we're the old 1895 mod
el riaed muskst, muzals loading, q. cali II
bre .56. Toward tho end: oa s. tue war ,il,:
the Springfield board recommended
the adoption of:ths Peabody b.ess.1.
loadingriae, but the War: department.
disapptoved. 81 .=$ y, f3i%, S{35;;..=
They did begin to mako ii Joslyn. 4 but d.
the reports from The fisId were 8 uni il fayIor. ;I,l
able and only 9, 900 guns 81 tha.s. s. model
were tarned ont. n ext the s sgeyernt
ment tried converting the old .muakets
into breeohloaders and 5o, 900 W we're &, al- i
tered II this way The Old riding N aas
bored out and q atnbe inherited 80 sh,a
barrel, : progress B which Uni / aatnra,iy
proved decidely rnsuoce cessful: sS u; }}:a
Bat: with the war over and $$itss lee:
sons laid g heart, the Spring field arra: 4:
sory got busy With evolution 81 q :iie q
modern rife. Is new modal wab introt:s D
duoed every yeas pr sHo. Experiments
followed on one an other' . II failure :or Il
suoeess. ;:s ;sa s5:si ;s!s Il
b The calibte was reduced from !, s ,s5s stc;
40 The gun becAna i brss sehlosds lar:
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