El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-06-01
-Hy-
Frank G. Carpenter
Copyright 1915. by
Frank g. Carpenter.

and again as they go through the
| shops.
The machinery required has TO be
/ manufactured by expert toolmalers
and there must be thousands OF dupli-
| cate cages and other machines 20
equip the plants for large produc-
ton. I went through shop after shop
] where men and women were measur-
ing each Of the uinety-Odd parts
which 80 into gun, and was told
that the cages have TO be watched
7 lest they become worn and do not
. register accurately Some cages re-
quire replacing for every 1000 or 5uuo
parts tested. and others do not be-
come in accurate until after double
that use. In testing the barrels guns
are nut into q frame work at one
end Of a long shooting gallery, and
high pressure cartridges are shot
/ through them into banks OF sano az
the end The least defect causes the
rejection Of a barrel, and accuracy
OF bore as well as strength Of metal is
required In some places the metal
Of certain parts is tested by the fall
ing Of a ball upon it.
Some OF the most careful work In
making the gun is on the sight, which
is Of such q design that the soldier
can draw q bead on the enemy much
more quickly than the enemy can ger
the drop on him. The sight is nearer
the eve than in the Mauser. 1t has
a large open peep through which
the eye easily looks and automatically
centers itself whilesaiming. II can be
adjusted to the wind, and foreign
rifle experts. accustomed to their own
weapons, have been surprised by the
better shooting they could do with
the Springfield on this account
Billions Of Cartridges Made
We are turning out cartridges Tor
these new guns in vast quantities We
had made already more than a BILL
lion, or enough to furnish 1000 1or
each Of the million guns now IN use
The cartridges for the rifles fit equal
" well in our machine guns and the
bullets are exactly the same
The bullets are made on scientific
principles and with a careful study
Of the work they nave 70 90 me
type used is just about an inch long,
and with the brass case containing
the powder IL f0Ems q cartridge three
and one-half inches in length me
bullet has a sharp point like that OF
pencil, and II you viii imagine a wen
sEarpened pencil OF polished brass an
inch long you may have picture OF
one OF these bullets as It lies before
me It is composed OF a core OF lead
and tin composition. lnclosed IN q
jacket Of copper nickel II weighs
less than one-third Of an ounce, and It
taxes Only LA4a- +A4AA "a VA - ft--51---
smokeless powder 70 fire it.
The bullet is pointed in order that
Il may easily cut its way through the
air. and for the same reason the sur
face is as smooth as that OF new
wedding ring. The resistance OF the
air is one Of the great problems IN lne
flight OF projectles. As the bullet
goes forth from our new guns II has
Il speed Of more than a half mile
second. For the first few hundred
Yards e travels at the rate OF 1900
miles or more per hour. 1t goes 90
times as fast as the fastest Atlantic
steamship, and Il has the same pres
sure from the air as II II were stand
ing still with a gale Of 1900 miles an
hour blowing against 1t A gale one
tenth that strong VIII blow down
buildings, and the bullet has 70 bore
through OF AGAINST that enormous
pressure For this reason the point
must be sharp, the surface smooth and
the whirling motion must aid in Dor
ing its way so rapidly on 70 It's marx
The French bullets have sharp points
and tapering ends, and the Mauser
bullet has been pared down at the
rear end by the Germans IN order 70
reduce the resistance OF the air
More Accurate Than German Bullets
Our experts say that this clipping
off the end Of the Nauser bullet gives
It a little greater speed than our bull
let. but IL reduces its efficiency in that
IL does not 20 straight TO the mark
The Springfield bullet goes straight or
makes lust the curve that the man
who shoots Il directs. The German
bullet begins to wabble shortly after
leaving the rifle and when Il starts
on its downward course toward its
victim. instead OF Whirling on its axis
and travelling straight, II is liable 70
turn end over end and be DETECTED by
every wind that blows.
Both the Springfield and the Amerl-
can Enfield have proved wonderfully
accurate at from 1900 to 1900 yards.
There is a deal Of science in firing
gun. and our soldiers have TO be
taught just how 70 shoot according 70
the distance Of the enemy from them.
There is a pull OF the bullet toward
the earth caused by gravity, and the
aim has to be high above the head OF
the man you intend 10 hit If he is any
great distance away This IS con-
froIled by the sight Of our new guns,
the distances the men have TO shoot.
II is estimated that the bullet falls
from the line It Is shot at the rate Of
Is feet the first second and that the
rate OF fall rapidly increases Let US
suppose the bullet viii fly 1000 feet
the first second and that the man is
shooting at an enemy that far away.
He win then have TO sight almost 16
feet above the head Of the enemy in
order 10 hit him II the man is a mile
away he viii have TO figure for the
gravity fall Of that mile and elevate
his gun TO the angle which in one
mighty curve viii send the bullet
straight TO the mark