The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1918-02-28
SENATORS I n, TRY
OUT BROWNING
SPEED RIFLE
New Killer Intended for Destruc-
ton of Hyenas Gets
Praise
BEST GUN IN THE WORLD"
Army Official Unstinted in His
Endorsement of American
Automatic
BEST GUN IN THE WORLD"


in q remote valley in the hills that sur
round this city. For more than two
hours the air was filed with the snar
and crash of the firing, senators AND
representative operating the ne"
weapons for themselves under the
direction of a squad Of soldiers from
the machine gun school at Springfield
Mass. ..,..
Allied Representatives Lok On.
High army officials, including AS.
sistant Secretary Crowell, Major Gen
eral 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 line on figures shaped like
men was battered to pieces by the
squad of ten gunners. Members of con-
gress also scored repeated hits al.
though it was the first time any of
them had handled a weapon of this
character
Perfect instruments.
As to the performance of the ten
guns used, there was not a stOppage
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 &C.
ton. Thousands of bullets were sent
streaming across the valley to set the
dust leiping on the far hillside. Again
there was no malfunction, and the de-
monstration was completed with an
exhibition Of the simplicity o. con.
struction, one of the guns being dis.
mounted, taken apart and reassembled
repeatedly in few minutes time.
Army to be Supplied.
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 equipped
The automatic rifles used came from
factories where the actual production
on quantity scale has already start
ed. Within q matter of weeks, hund,
reds will be delivered every day, and
thousands every week. They are to be
the over the top guns Of tomorrow
as the French Chauchat is used by
French and American troops today. A
non-commissioned officer of the de.
monstrating detachment, who with his
associates, has been drilled with every
type of weapon used by the allied
troops, including the Chauchat, the
only prototype Of the new rife, spoke
Tor the whole squad when he said:
That's the finest gun in the world"
Light, But Terrible.
When the invited guests arrived at
the range today they found twenty
men from the school, commanded by
Major J. S. Hatcher busy filling mag
azine belts The ten rifles were un-
packed and the visitors were aston
ished at the lightness of terrible wea.
pons. They weigh fifteen pounds,
loaded with twenty rounds, all OF
which can be fred in a breath.
Fall in" came the order, and ter
of the men stepped into the front
rank, each carrying his rifle, and about
his waist a heavy web belt, the peck
cts of which bulged with magazines
carrying twenty rounds each. Behind
him stood his ammunition carrier, also
belted, and with two cross belts swing
ing from his shoulders.
As the little column swung away to-
ward the range the riflemen swung
their guns up to shoulder as easily
as they would an ordinary single shot
weapon. At first glance there was
nothing to show the extraordinarily
deadly character Of their equipment.
Twenty Charges Ready.
The first firing was semi automatic,
q feature first developed by the French
in the Chauchat, and which has gone
far, it is said, toward frevolutionizing
trench warfare. Set for this action,
the gunner pulls the trigger for each
shot; but he has twenty charges ready
to send at an individual enemy with
out dropping the gun from his shout
der The targets flew into splinters
as the squad got to work.
A second magazine was fired also
from the shoulder, with the automatic
action set. The ten guns delivered
twenty shots each in flare of sound,
almost = single report the firing was
so fast. The targets and the earth
around them were torn by 200 bullets,
not one Of which was far OF its mark.
Quickly Loaded.
Advancing fire followed, both auto.
matte and semtautomatic. The line
moved across the field, firing from
the hip this time, with gun butts rest
Ing IN metal cups on their belts. The
first twenty rounds were delivered as
the men we're taking three PAGES. A
new magazine, handed forward by the
ammunition carrier, was slipped in
and firing resumed rs they took the
nGxt two steps. The change took
little more than Z second Of time.
N The demonstration was ordered to
make II clear to members Of congress
nv the ordnance bureau put aside
81 other makes Of machine guns ~
~ standard weapon Of the army. IL
Ileagh no Browning gums had been
IN except the model weapons when
peaef 80 gjy6Qs ORDNANCE ONO
~ Were SStlsded tonight that no
Ess1-r.-s s.VEaku0n0au1