Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1918-02-28
BROWNING GUNS
FILL THE BILL
Congressman and High officials
See New Field Arms OH.
cially Tested.
CALLED WORLDS FINEST.
Both Automatic and Heavy Machine
Guns Models Of simplicity-wMl Ne
U. 8. "Over-the-Top" Weapon.

washington, Feb. 27.-The latest
American contribution to warfare, the
Browning automatic rifle. was Official.
iy introduced to Congress to-day at a
demonstration staged in a remote val
ley In the hills that surround this city
For more than two hours the air was
filled with the snarl and crash of the
Wiring, senators and representatives
operating the new weapons for them
selves under the direction of a squad
Of soldiers from the machine gun
school at Springfield Mass.
High army officials including AS
Bistant Secretary Crowell, Major-Gen-
eral Biddle, acting chief of staff. and
= score of officers from the British,
French. italian and Belgian missions
watched the demonstration with keen
interest.
There was no target practice, al
though a line of figures shaped liked
men was battered to l.eces by the
squad of ten gunnerss Members of
Congress also scored repeated hits al
though 1t was the first time any of
them had handled a weapon Of this
character.
AS to the performance of the ten guns
used. there was not a stoppage or mall
function. despite the fact that hundreds
Of rounds were fired and the squad from
the school had never seen the guns before
last Saturday.
When firing with the automatic rifles
was completed. two Browning heavy ma
chine guns were put in action. Thousands
Of bullets were sent streaming across the
valley to set thedust leaping on the farm
hillside. Again there was no malfunction
and the demonstration was completed with
an exhibition Of the simplicity of con-
structiori, one of the guns being dismount-
ed, taken apart and and reassembled re-
peatedly in a few minutes time.
These two gun have been selected by
the ordnance bureau of the war depart
ment as the weapons with which the army
Is soon to be equipped. The automatic
rifles used came from factories where the
actual production IN quantity scale has
a4lready started. Within matter of
weeks, hundreds will be delivered every
day and thousands every week. They are
to be "over the top guns Of tomorrow
as the French Chauchat is used by French
and American troops to-day. nom
commissioned officer of the demonstrating
detachment, who with his assistants has
been drilled with every type Of weapon
used by the allied troops, including the
Chauchat the only prototype of the new
rire, spoke for the whole squad when he
said:
That's the finest gun in the world"
When the invited guests arrived at the
range to-day they found 20 men from the
school, commanded by Major j. 5.
Hatcher busy filling magazines and belts.
The ten rifles were unpacked and the
visitors were astonished at the lghtness
Of the terrible weapons. They weigh Is
pounds, loaded with 20 rounds, all of
which can be fired in a breath.
Fall in," came the order and ten of
the men stepped into the front rank.
each carrying his rife and about his waist
a heavy web belt. the pockets of which
bulged with magazines carrying 20 rounds
each. Behind him stood his ammuni-
tion carrier, also belted and with two
cross belts swinging from his shoulders.
AS the little column swung away toward
the range, the riflemen swung their guns
up to a shoulder easily as they
would an ordinary single shot weapon.
At first glance there was nothing to
show the extraordinary deadly character
of their equipment.
The first firing was semi automatic, a
feature first developed by the French in
the Chauchat and which has gone far,
It Is said, towards revolutionizing trench
warfare. Set for this action, the gunner
pulls the trigger for each shot; but he
has 20 charges ready to send at any in
dividual enemy without dropping the gun
from his shoulder. The targets few into
splinters as the squad got to work.
second magazine was fired also
from the shoulder. with the automatic
action set The ten guns delivered 20
shots each in flare of sound, almost
q single report the firing was SO fast.
The targets and the earth around them
"a
which was far off its mark.
Advancing fire followed. both auto
matte and semi mi-automatic. The line
moved across the field firing. from the
hip this time. with gun butts resting
in metal cups on their belts. The first
twenty rounds were delivered as the
men were taking three PAGES. A new
magazine, handed forward by the am
munition carrier. was slipped in and
firing resumed as they took the next
two steps. The change took little more
than a second of time.
Representative Caldwell of New
York was the first member of Con-
gress to try the gun. He fired forty
rounds, both semi i-automatic and auto
matte. He was followed by Senator
Wadsworth and others. The dirt flew
About the targets as the congressman
banged away.
"The gun has no kick" Representative
Caldwell said. 't feels when you are
hring It as though something were push
lng steadily at your shoulder. There
ls no kick at all.
Back at the longer range, the Brown
,ng machine guns were waiting on their
tripods with boxes Of belted ammunition
beside them. In blasts of 10 to 25O shots
at a time. the soldiers tore up the hill
side opposite, a steady squirt Of dust
marking where the bullets fell. Then
came the dismantling and reassembling
Of the weapons and in this the British
machine gun experts showed great inter-
Est. Without any other tool than the
rim of a cartridge. the guns were taken
completely apart. Some 20 pieces ap-
peared scattered on the ground. twist
here. a snap there and In less time than
II takes to tell it, the gun was reas-
sembled and back at work.
- The demonstration was ordered to make
Il clear to members Of Congress why
the ordnance bureau put aside all other
makes of machine guns as the standard
weapon for the American army.
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