The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1918-02-28
FINEST GUN TN
WORLD" Is GIVEN
SEVERE TEST BY
Army OFFICERS
Congressman and Others
Deeply Impressed BY The
Browning Weapon
SHOULDERED LIKE
ORDINARY RIFLE
May Be Fired Either Semi
Automatically or Auto
matically

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Washington, Feb. 2S.-The latest
American contribution to warfare.
the Browning automatic rife, was
officially introduced to congress
yesterday at a demonstration staged
in remote valley in the hills that
surround this city. For more than
two hours air was filled with the
snarl and crash Of the firing, sena-
tors and representative operating
the new weapons for themselves un-
der the direction OF a squad OF SOL
diers from the machine gun school
at Springfield. Mass.
High army officials. including As
sistant Secretary Crowell, Major
General Biddle, acting chief OF staff.
and a 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 like
men, was battered to pieces by the
squad Of ten gunners. Members OF
congress also scored repeatedly al
though it was the first time any Of
them had handled q weapon OF this
character.
As to the performance Of the ten
guns used, there was not a stop
page or malfunction, 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 machine guns were put in
action. Thousands Of bullets were
sent streaming across the valley TO
set the dust leaping on the Tar
hillside, Again there was no NAL
function, and the demonstration was
completed with an exhibition Of the
simplicity Of construction, one Of the
guns being dismounted, taken apart
and reassembled repeatedly in a few
minutes time.
Now Being Made.
These two guns have been selected
by the ordnance bureau of the war
department as the weapons with
which the army is soon to be equip
ped. The automatic rifles used came
from factories where the actual
production on a quantity scale has
already begun. Within a matter OF
weeks. hundreds will be delivered
every day. and thousands every
week. They are to be the over the
ton" guns OF tomorrow as the French
Chaucat is used by French and
American troops today. A nom
officer of the demon
strating detachment who, with his
associates, has been drilled with ev-
cry type Of gun used by the allied
trEons Including the Chaucat, the
onIv prototype of the new rife,
spoke for the whole squad when ne
"Tbat's the finest gun in the
When the invited guests arrived
at the range they found twenty men
from the school, commanded py !
Major J. S. Hatcher, busy hlllng
and belts. The ten rines
were unpacked and the visitors were
astonished at the lightness Of the ]
Pe,., c'ri,s'4 vespons. They weigh Is
mounds. equipped with 20 rounds, all
M which can be fired in breath.
"Fan in came the order, and ten
Of the men stepped into the front
rank, each carrying his rine, ana I
about his waist a heavy web belt,
Fba nockets of which bulged with
MAGAZINES carrying 20 pounds each ,
Behind him stood his ammunition
carrier. also belted, and with two
cross belts swinging from MS
shoulders. II
Shoulder ne GunSs III
As the little column swung away
.oward the range the rihemen swung
heir guns up to shoulder as easily
rs though they We're an ORDINARY
,ingIeshot weapon. At first glance
hero was nothing to show the ex-
deadly character OF
heir equipment.
The first firing was semi-automat-
g feature first developed by the
french in Chaucat and which has
zone far. IL is said, toward revolu- /
-ionizing trench warfare. Set Tor
his action, the gunner pulls the
trigger for each shot, but ne mas ~
,harges ready to send at an in a
lividual enemy without cropping the a
MN from his shoulder. The targets
leu, into spIinters as the squad got
o work.
A second magazine was fired also ,
rom the shoulder, with the auto
natic action set. The ten guns deliver
n % shots each in a fare of sound, o
.Imost a single report, the firing was
n FAST The targets and the earth o
round them were torn by zoo bull
cts. no one of which was far on its
mark.
IItouatic and semi automatic. The
Z
rom the hip this time, with gun i
utts resting in metal cups on their n
,elts. The first 20 rounds were f
as the men were taking b
bree PAGES. A new magazine, Il
anded forward by the ammunition
arrier was slipped in and firing
esumed as they took the next two
tens. The change took little more a
han a second of time. X
The demonstration was ordered to h
make ii clear to members of con- Il
ress why the ordnance bureau put Ii
side all other makes Of machine1 q
uns as the standard weapon FOR 3
he army. although 4 no Browning II
un had been built except the model
when the order was given. =
offlcials were satisfied that
o member Of congress who wit
essed the firing now doubts the
yisdom OF that decision.
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