NEW MILITARY RIFLE.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1694, 24 October 1887, Page 3

NEW MILITARY RIFLE.

Theapeoial oommmeH of the new army lifl'bavn been conducting a long a»ries of experiments, with a vievr to fixing a standard bore as well ib settling the form of mhgßzine to be adopted m the service small arm. As already stated, it has been drcided to fix Ihe diameter of the b< re of the new r;fla at a point near '3. The exact gaage is to be 31, which mepns a bul et about the diameter of an ordinal y pencil or penholder. This ia a consider able lessening of size from the *450 of tbe present Martha-Henry, and mudi below the '400 of the rifle < f the future that was to be— the Enfitld-Maitlnl, Over one hundred thousand stands of th-ee Enfield- Martinis have been completed with sword bayonets to St. That number is actually m tbe armouries, and the re*armirjg of the force* with time rifles wee to have been undertaken at en eerfy date. The adoption of the still newer and smaller bore of 31 renders the unissued Jinfield-Martiniß obsolete, so that the Goverrjmept will be forced to sell them as useless o r unnecessary stores, In the experiment* with tbe now chosen rifles of the British soldier, the 31 bote, It was found that although the bullet is not much bigger m diameter than thsft cf a ealooa pistol, it was remarkably efficient m range and destruo tiveness. At 2000 yarda r»Dge the shooting vai exceedingly oloa* Compared with ito diameter, tbe bnl'et li very long. Ab it is fired with a lariie charge of compressed ganpower, it has a high velocity and, •onsrquently, verj flit trajectory. Op to five hundred yaids range the soldier need not raise tbe beck sight, but firing low, can eadly hit hit enemy. In order to teat the destructiveD6BB of bullets of bo small a calibre, shota were fired Into the oarcvsaes of dead horses and other animals. It was found that bnlletß that had a email alloy of copper m them gave' most eucceeiful results. So satisfactory were theae re peatt d experiments with the 31 rifle that It left tbe committee m no doubt, and its »d< ption wbb recommended.

Having iettli»d on ihe bore of tbe rifle of the future, the committee fou> d lean difficulty with the other portion o f tbeir labors, nnmely, leleot'ng the type cf mag»z.;ne. Wiih the use of a small ballet, ana, as has also been decided, the ad( pt'ion of the new compressed powder m toild drawn cane*, not ooly is tbe weight cf Ihe ammunition reduced, bat a gresttr number cf cartridge* can he placed m »he inapt sine of tbe rifle. F»r some time tbe cnmiaairtee hay* apparently bt-en di«poaen to t ke up thb imi roved Lee r fli The eh ef oi j otion to this weapon by military me» wan t at the magr.z ne, wben of a convenlei.t practical bizh, could only hold five cartridges That DDtnber, it was agusd, was too few, and unless they oould be made to oarry eight or ten caaes, it was not worth while having tbe magazine, as a soldier cud fire five shots almost as quickly by single loading, picking the oar "ridges from hia bandolier The new bullet and case wiil permit of an increase m tha cumber of charges that can be placed m the Lee ntagaajne The committee are, however, still conducting their inquiry into the question of the beat form of magazine for military purpeses, and have by no means finally sbttled to tdopt tbe Lee. It is tolerably certain that the future rifla of our troops wUI now be a magazine gun, containing not lees than eight reaerve shots, which, m the supreme moment m assault or repulse, can be almost instantly delivered m a death dealing shower.