Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1918-07-19
THE GERMAN RIFLE
A Splendid Weapon But Just a Bit
Clumsy.

A Splendid Weapon But Just a Bit
Clumsy.
In the hands OF the chap In the
sloppy grcenish-gra uniform. watch
fully waiting in the trench across the
way, there is n rifle with higher We
locity than ours. with nearly foot
greater stahbing length when the
bayonct is fixed, and with better
stock. making snap-shooting and
shooting at night more certain.
The rifle OF a nation that has spe-
cialized on war and its tools. the Ger
man Mauser In SOME respects offers
serious advantage to Its user over the
new Springfield OF the American
forces. The weak point is the man
behind. II gives unQuestionable ad-
vantage in bayonet fighting-but the
Hun doesn't like the bayonet. and
therefore gets licked In spite OF his su-
periority In weapon. 1t gives higher
speed to its bullet-but the German
soldier Is usually n poor shot and
even the little, antiquated. patched-up
short Lee-Enfield OF England proved
too much for the better Mauser, be-
cause II was in the hands of better
men and better rifle shots. The stock
is better than the stock on either the
new Springfield or our newer Ml9l7.
modified Enfield. but the bolt handle
Is so clumsy that the superior speed OF
fire of the American rife neutralizes
this advantage and gives us a lead In
the bargain.
Consider Mauscr rife No. 2,66S. cap
year 1916 at the German works OF
Obcrndorf. where Paul Mauser de-
velopcd the great rife that bears his
name. II was taken by the British In
M IL lies before me il looks the part
of the battle SCARED veteran. The
wood OF the stock Is chcwcd up and
SCARED and full of dents, as II It had
been used on barbed wire. But the
bore is still clean and bright. tcstifying
to the German efficiency. and the fear
OF the consequences that compelled It's
owner to keep II clean In spite of hell
and high water"
The stock is 13 inches long. or one
fourth more than the Springfield. II
Is far better shaped, with its neat
pistol grip. and scmi-shotgun lines.
and 1t is better shaped than the stock
OF the M19l7. because II fits the
shoulder and aids to line up the rifle.
In mechanism the rife IN practically
the same as the new Springfield and
the Mls17-which are both modified
Mausers.
We tried II out one day at Camp
/ Kcarncy, Major White and !. and a
lieutenant with very Tcutonic ac-
cent. n man who had doubtless serr-
ed his time with some other army
regardless of his love for America
now: The African w. -Same. -Rsiites hunter
1--r his shots In the short
.,e OF 3-5 seconds per shot. from a
position below the elbow to the report
OF the rifle. and using only this
square of light for n rear sight. made
bulrs-cycs on the little inch black
spot at 100 yards. or else "fours" close
up to the black spot. The lieutenant
did nearly as well.
We tried out the Hun rife at long
range. 500 yards. and then some
groups at $50. II was accurate
enough for fighting-it hit the 3-foot
black spot eight times out OF ten shots
at 500 yards. with the other two shots
not far of. At $50 yards 1t put five
shots into n space smaller than
mans chest, but not into so small
space as would the two American
rifles.
But with all the Mauscr's good
points. II has n point so bad that our
Yankee rifles far outclass II In the
sort OF fighting now done on the fields
Of Europe. This is that the American
rife, in the hands OF skilled Ameri-
can rifcmcn. will fire, | should say.
three or four shots TO only two shots
for the Hun rifle.
The sole difference lies in the silly
and clumsy shape OF the Nauser bolt
handle, the only weak point in the
Mauser. but the fatal and necessary
concession to the rough handed. half
| trained "wop" type OF soldier found in
the armies Of Central Europe. say
half-trained. because as rificmen.
they are trained; a regiment of
American marine of the old days
] don't know about them since war
broke out-could lie In a field at 500
yards and shoot to pieces a regiment
OF Prussian guards II said guards de-
pended only on their rife fire to serve
them. l know this because know
German systems Of training and
know the marines.
| Wherefore. in spite Of the bayonet
superiority OF the Hun rife. and in
spite Of the better stock, and In spite
OF the higher velocity OF the Ger
man bullet, our new rife makes two
bullets fly where but one bullet had
flown beforehand bullets are what
are going to end this war.-Edward e.
Crossman, In the August Popular Me-
chanics Magazine.
Eight Billions Needed.-Eight bill
II