Norwich bulletin., 1918-11-05
FACTS ABOUT TRENCH SHOTGUN
 By PETER p. CARNEY Editor NafionaI Shorts Svndieafe

Through the expert handling Of the | trench shotgun the Germans learned 1 that the Tanks were coming.
 At the first taste of the pellets the Huns began to whine and then to write notes calling us 'barbarians." Germany, too!
 Quite naturally a lot of people | wanted to know something about the | trench gun. Quite a number of | writers have written a lot about the | gun.
 We'll add to the lot and try to give ! every bit of information about the ! shotgun that is worthy of publica- tion.
 It is the good old short barrel shot i gun that was the greatest peace 1 maker in the early days of the west ! and southwest converted into a for l midable weapon of war.
 Originator of the Big Idea
 Three score years ago, it was the handy piece of the sheriffs who hunted the outlaws, prison guards, ! express messengers and stage coach guards and it did yeoman service.
 When American took a hand in the war a Georgia, engineer by the name of Eagor began ruminating on ways to stop the Hun. His ruminations brought him to the discarded weapon of the days of mushroom mining towns. IT WAS THE BIG IDEA. He suggested the utilization of the short barrel shotgun to the War De partment and the suggestion met with favor. The improved Winchester shotgun, 1897 model six shot, hand operated, single barrel pump shotgun was examined and found worthy. But there was one problem to be ,1oo Of 4I,oI | bayonet. The barrel of the gun was quite thin and did not offer much support for bayonet. This is where 1 Yankee ingenuity asserted itself and made the gun the deadliest short range weapon ever conceived or used by man.
 The weakness of the barrel was overcome by providing an outer steel coat, or jacket, which is perforated and held a short distance away from the barrel proper and forms an air chamber that acts as a cooling Jack ct. To this reinforced jacket is the | bayonet attached
 This jacket prevents the scorching of the shooters hands and permits rapid fire. The magazine holds five sheellS and there is one shell in the chamber, making it capable of firing six shots as rapidly as one can pull thetrigger and work the pump handle This we might assert is mighty fast when in the hands of a trapshooter
 Will fire 50 Cartridges Minute.
 These shells contain 31z drams of smokeleSs powder, % buckshOt load, ] 9 pellets to each cartridge, each pellet about the size of a .32-calibre bullet It is possible for one man shooting 1 and others loading for lon, to fire l ri a 1 450 slugs, a veritable shower of lead would be sprayed over a 100-yard sector. With hundreds of these guns in use one can imagine the result. No column of troops could stand at 1 close range before line of men armed with trench shotguns. In the past these guns have cowed mobs and upset mass formations It is un- wise to stand in front of themes pecially wheen they are in the hands of one who might pull the trigger. The gun weighms 715 pounds and the bayonet IF pounds. It is the 12- gauge pattern, with barrels 20 inches long made from rolled steel, cylinder bored Thee bayonet can be removed and used for closeup" fighting. A sling is attached to the gun, the same as to the rife. so that it may be thrown over the shoulder.
 An idea of the effectiveness of the gun is shown in these tests on two inch pine board. At 50 yards the pei lets wormed their way into the wood 1A inches. At 75 yards the shot went in $4 inch and at 100 yards the shot went in 4 inch.
 When General Pershing requested the shotguns we are of the opinion that the idea was to try and keep Fritz at home in the evenings Thousands were supplied and these in the hands of men who could use them not only have kept Fritz at home nights but have kept him sleepless more than one nighte
 Will Not Replace Rifle or Machine
 Gun
 The shotguns are more effective than rifles for sentries. The guns will not replace the rife in warfare nor will they perform the functions of machine gun. It is purely an emergency weapon which has done all that it was intended to do-and some more.
 Firing from the hip holding back the trigger and pumping the fore- hand, the shooter can lay down a perfect barrage in front of him that will be effective for more than 100 yards. This gives an idea of the value of the gun in the hands of sentries. It carries more terrors into the hearts of the enemy than any other instru- ment of destruction that has been used.
 The only umbrella that will assist anyone when the trench shotgun is showering pellets over the universe is an armored tank.
 Here is Sporting Proposition
 The guns are mainly in the hands of trapshoOters, men who learned to shoot at clay targets at the gun club. Trapshooters are sportsmen and have used the guns to defect and explode hand grenades thrown by the enemy. Hand grenades explode four sec onds after they are thrown-and if , they are missed by the shooter he pays for the miss with his life. The compactness. of the shot will check the grenade and cause it to explode near the enemy trench which 1 is fatal to the thrower.
 Any girl would gladly give up a chaperon for the privilege of calling