The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1918-03-02
the WORLDS FINEST GUN.
BROWNING AUTOMATIC RIFLE
ON EXHIBITION.
Non-Commissioned Oniccr Gives SOL
dicrs' Opinion After Handling All
Makes.

Washington. Feb. 27.-The latest
American contribution to warfare, the
Browning automatic rifle. was official
ly introduced TO congress today at
demonstration staged In a remote val
Icy I'm the hills that surround this
city. For more than two hours the
air was filed with the snarl and crash
of the firing. senators and representa-
tlves operating the new weapons for
themselves under the direction of
squad OF officers from the machine
gun school at Springfield. Mass.
High army officials. including AS
sistant Secretary Crowell. Maj. Gen.
John Biddle. acting chief of staff, and
score of officers from the British,
French. Italian and Belgian missions
watched the demonstrations with
keen interest.
There was no target practice al
though line OF figures shaped like
men was battered TO pieces by the
squad OF ten gunners Members of
congress also scored repeated this. al
though II was the first time any of
them had handled weapon of this
character.
AS to the performance of the ten
guns used there was not a stoppage
from malfunction. despite the fact
that hundreds of rounds were fired
and the squad from the school had
never seen the guns before last Sun
day.
When firing with the automatic
rifles was completed. two Browning
heavy machine guns were put in ac-
tion. Thousands OF bullets were sent
streaming across the valley to set the
dust ieaping on the far hillside.
Again there was not a malfunction
and the demonstration was completed
with an exhibition Of the simplicity Of
construction. one of the guns being
dismounted. taken apart and reassem-
bled repeatedly i'm a few minutes
time.
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 actuak pro-
duction on quantity scale has al
ready started. Within a matter of
weeks. hundreds 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-com-
missioned officer OF the demonstrate
Ing detachment. who with his asso-
ciates has been drilled with every
type OF weapon used by the allied
troops. including the Chauchat. the
only prototype of the new rifle. spoke
TOR the whole quad when he said:
That's the finest gun in the world. -
When the invited guests arrived nj
the range today they found 20 men
from the school. commanded by Mai
j. s. Hatcher. busy filling magazines
and belts. The ten rifles were un-
packed and the visitors were astonish-
ed at the lightness 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 rifle and about
mis- waist a heavy web belt. the pock-
cts OF which bulged with magazines
carrying 20 rounds each. Behind
MIN stood his ammunition carrier.
also belted and with two cross belts
swinging from his shoulders. AS the
column swung away toward the range.
the rifilemen swung their guns up 70
shoulder as they would an ordinary
single shot weapon. At the first
glance there was nothing to show the
extraordinarily deadly character of
their equipment.
The first firing was semi-automatic
feature first developed by the
french In the Chauchat and which
nus gone far 1t is said. towards revo-
iutionizing trench warfare.
Ihe targets flew into splinters as
the squad got to work.
Advancing fire followed. both auto
matte and semi-hutomatic. The first
~ rounds were delivered as the men
were taking three PAGES. Back ON Tho