The Nenana daily news., 1918-04-29


 for the statement that American troops are armed with a faster firing and more accurate rifle than used by the Germans, according to our expert designers, manufacturers, and marksmen. One military critic and writer, Edward C. Crossman, claims that the German Mauser does not permit the most skilled user to get more than 50 per cent of the firing speed of the modified Enfield adopt ed for the United States service.
 Two Bullets to Enemy's One.
 If the rapidity of fire of one army's rifle is twice that of the weapon used by enemy riflement, and the forces numerically the same strength, the former has in effect other things being equal, two rifle men to the enemy's one. Hence to make two bullets fly where one flew before has been one of the main ob- jects sought in gun design since or ganized fighters found a more ef- fective way to battle than the primi- tive stage of throwing missiles at one another.
 The superiority claimed for the American weapon is supported on three counts: CD Quicker firing as result of bolt,handle design; @ easier and quicker sighting as re- suit of sight design; (3) greater ac- curacy of bullet flight as result of bullet design, and greater mechani- cal accuracy of chamber and bore. Each of these points is explained hereafter.
 Points of Superiority. CD In both the attack and de- fense of trench positions the rifles are fired without removing them from the shoulder at a rate called rapid fire,' which is the most rapid rate of magazine fire consistent with quick accuracy.
 When the Mauser rifle, with which the German troops are now armed, was designed in 1898, no one could forsee the development of rapid fire" from the shoulder which fol- lowed, and the necessity for which is emphasized by present-day trench warfare.
 f. In all modern rifles bolt handle is used to lock the cartridge in the chamber for firing After each shot the right hand must leave the trig- ger, grasp the bolt handle, unlock the bolt, eject the empty shell, thrust home another cartridge-all done by movements of the bolt handle then push the bolthandle into the position which again locks the cart ridge in the chamber. Thus the position of this bolt handle in refer, ence to the trigger is of great i'm, portance to rapidity of fire.
 The Mauser rifle has the bolt han. dle projecting horizontally from the rifle so that, in locking the bolt fol firing, the index or trigger finger is ! left several inches above the trigger l When the United States rifle (model of 1903, popularly called the Springfield) was designed, the length of the barrel was reduced from 30 to 24 inches, so that the rifle thus shortened could be used by both infantry and cavalry. The carbine had been carried by the cavalry fol years in a leather scabbard attached to the side of the saddle. To allow the Springfield rifle to go readily into a scabbard and to protect it: rear sight the bolt handle was bent down toward the trigger so that il locks a little in front of it. It wa: little realized at the time what great advantage this design would ulti mately result in.
 l In the United States rifle (mode of 1917, popularly called the modi fled Enfield) the bolt handle is bent not only down, but also about ar inch to the rear so that upon lock ing the bolt for firing the inde, finger is guided naturally into posi- tion for firing. This feature wal