Evening star., 1923-01-29
NeW SsBOat-T -Tail'' Bullet Raises
America,s Deadluless IN War
Increases Range, Flattens Trajectory.
Eliminates ''Wmdage" and Passes
Through Air With Whisper.
By the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
Work of Army experts since the
war has produced a new bullet for
use in rifles and machine guns which
iss expected to add enormously to the
effectiveness of these weapons in any
future conflicts. l.
The new bullet is known as a
"boat-tail' because of six-degree
taper at the tail. Exhaustive tests
by the Army have shown that the
change in shape has given wings to
the bullets, adding 1,4O0 yards to
the maximum range attained and
flight at 1000 yards approximately
80 per cent
In addition the Army experts have
worked out a new jacket for the
1ouling of gun barrels. 1t is a
80 per cent copper and 10 per cent
zinc composition that leaves the ri
fling clear of clogging metal and Will
increase the accuracylife of the
Will permit the accuracy of fire with
small arms to be as great in actual
combat as in peace time target work.
Maximum Range, 4,sOO Yards.
Tests at the Army Infantry School
have fixed the maximum range of
the new bullet at 4,S00 yards as
compared to 3,450 yards with the
present ammunition. 1t also has
been demonstrated that at 600 yards
with the new ammunition it is pos
sible to put every shot into a circle
the size of a teacup, as the "boat-tail'
bullet is less subject to wind cur
rent detection.
of wartime rifle ammunition, which will
be used up before any project of equip
ping with the new Model 1922 E" boat
tail bullet ammunition is undertaken.
1t is expected, however, that the greater
accuracy ef the new ammunition will
play its part in future International
rifle matches
Eor war purposes, officers believe,
the greatest advantage of the boat
tall will be in the increased range
and effectiveness of machinegun fire.
1t means an increase of at least 80
per cent in the deadliness of ma
chinegun barrage fire because of the
fiatter trajectory alone.
Trajectory Is FIattened.
With present ammunition, firing at
900 yards. the bullet reaches an
elevation of 1872 inches at the top of
the arc. With the new bullet the
maximum rise is 1872 inches Trans
lated into terms of danger to the
enemy at the point on which fire is
directed. this means that there is a
space of $50 yards where no man on
his feet would be safe, while with
the present ammunition that space is
100 yards.
The tests showed that the new bull
lets could be fired at 1000 yards into
six-inch bull's-eye. This compares
to the accuracy of the old ammuni-
tion at about 500 yards. With this
striking increase of accuracy at long
range, the "boat-tail" development
it is said, means that the United
States now has the means of laying
down a machine-gun- barrage at a
range no other power could equal.
Swiss experts worked out a boat
tail' bullet many years ago and the
high degree of efficiency in rifle
work obtained by the Swiss in inter-
national competitions rests in part
on such ammunition. The French
also began work in 1898 on changing
the base of bullets to decrease the
air suction that held them back in
flight, but French development for
service use was not carried very
far. During the war German sharp
! shooters, working at long ranges,
used "boat-tail" ammunition. None
of these foreign developments, how
ever. has gone to the point arrived
at by American Army experts.
Developed at Frankfort AraenaI.
After the war Maj. Glenn .P will
helm of the ordnance department