The sun., 1918-02-28
BROWNING GUN
ACCLAIMED AS
BEST IN WORLD
congressman anu Military
Experts See Tests of New
Machine Rifle.
READY NOW FOR ARMY
Lightest Of Any Made and Can
BE Fired Either From Hip
or Shoulder.
Special Despatch 10 THE SuS

Special Despatch 10 THE SuN.
WASHINGTON, Feb. o7-m the opinion
o. host OF experts who witnessed to-
day the first demonstration of the new
Browning machine rifle and the Brown
ins machine gun on the Congress Heights
rife range the United States Army now
has a weapon superior to any in the
world
To the satisfaction of all observers
T. was shown that Yankee ingenuity once
more had stepped In to meet a need de-
reloped on the battlefield and had pro-
duced a weapon which would be used and
fired by charging men either sighting
from the shoulder or hip. thus having a
distinct advantage Of the ordinary ma
chine gun. which is noi so handy. and
over the ordinary rife. which has no
machine fire.
Ia short the now American weapon is
a machine gun which can be handled az
easily a rife. 1t does not have to
be So, up like the Lewis gun. but is
ready for instant use. Such a gun has
been the goal Of gunmakers the world
over
mt Ono Gun Approaches II.
only one other sun has approached
this according to experts that is the
French Chauchat, which is Of the same
general type, although heavier. hut the
lev Browning gun. soon to be turned
out by the thousands on the quantity
production ba sis. ia far superior il was
prove1 to-day, in that 1t weighs but fif-
teen pounds, IS against twenty for the
French weapon. and can be sighted and
fired from the shoulder like an ordinary
rife, firing single shots or seni-auto-
matte, shot every second or every
major portion OF second at regular in
tervals or machine gun with prac-
t!Hally continuous fire.
To-day's first demonstration OF the
gun which has been much talked
about and which the War Department,
decided upon despite the delay its devel-
Opment would cause brought out a crowd
OF prominent officials Of this and allied
Governments eager to soc what Aneri-
can sunmakers had asc9mplished.
Meets Every Test.
Every tesa which was asked for or
suggested BY the spectators was given
to-day with only one slight hitch. In
TIE one instance which was not perfect
cartridge failed to explode. This was
found later to be a faulty cartridge.
Army officers who viewed the eX-
haust!ve test and demonstration were
enthusiastic in approval of the weapon
AS an offensive arm, and the firing
squad, a special detail from. the Machine
gun school at Springfield. Mass. shared
This enthusiasm. The gun was declared
t1 be superior TO any weapon of its sort
for the uses 10 which the American
armies will put machine guns in France.
Officers detailed here on the various
allied military missions were impressed,
tNt refrained from expressions which
might result in comparisons with similar
weapons in use abroad
Cooling Systen Unnecessary.
Despite the fact that gases exerting a
pressure OF 10000 pounds TO the square
inch are generated each time a cartridge
| is fired in the light Browning gun. creating
terrific heat, it has not been necessary Ia
vdestroy the dominant feature OF light
ness in the weapon by providing a water
cooling system. The construction OF trC
weapon is so open that $50 shots may BE-
fired without the necessity of stopping
to permit the weapon to cool of. Whel
this finally becomes "A necessity the guns
cool remarkably quickly and firing may
bs resumed
Officers laid stress to-day on the ex-
treme simplicity of the weapon which
has been adopted as the official offensive
machine gun for the American troops
abroad. 1t has two great advantages
they pointed out. the first being that II
greatly simplifies the manufacturing
problem and the second the fact tina
consisting OF but twenty principal parts
it can be very easily and quickly take,
down or assembled by the soldier oper
ating 1t.
Wrench Only Necessary Tool.
The election OF used cartridges is a
the side Of the gun, the empty shells be
ing thrown sufficient distance from th'
gun as to be beyond the notice OF thu
soldier operating the weapon. No bal
of tools is necessary to take down or as
semble the Browning machine rine. onl,
a small wrench being necessary and 8
cartridge used as a tool is usually suf
ticient.
The War Department made it known
to-day that the Browning gun has me
and passed successfully tests at thu
hands Of special boards OF officers whicl
never would be approximated In severit,
IN actual use. Two OF the features OF
these tests We're applying corrodni
chemical to the gun to create a rustni
condition which could not possibly oh
tain while in the hands of a soldier. ant
the so-caled dust test" In this tes
ABRASIVE lneldi u DioWU lIl1O tue Kul
mechanism by a bellows, putting III,
gun in such condition that II a solde
permitted it would subject him to in
stant court martial. The gun was sue
cessful under these hard and extraor
dinary tests.
Ia Given Endurance Test.
Special boards put the gun through al
endurance test, firing bursts of 900 an'
100 shots without permitting any cool
ing The barrel was then plunged int
cold water. causing the gas cylinder tub
10 crack on accHint OF the sudden con
traction OF the metal This tube wa
changed and the gun worked as well n
ever. After that cooling out the inor
d!nate firing was done by sponglns th
barrel with cold water with no i'll effects
In using the gun in battle the gunne
will carry l20 rounds OF ammunition il
his bandolier and his two assistants vii
carry 400 and 240 rounds respectivel.
loaded In magazines.
Senators and Representatives. win
viewed the demonstration to-day took
hand in II, Senator Wadsworth distin
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