Rapid Firing Gun.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 7065, 10 February 1893, Page 2

Rapid Firing Gun.

A rapid firing gun recently tested at New Haven by the Winchester Bepeating Arms Company fired 900 shots a minute. “ The only gun approaching this rapidity is,” says the Age of Steel, the Maxim machine gun with a record of 750 shots per minute. This new besom of destruction has a water jacket surrounding the barrel, holding one gallon of water. The amount of water is evaporated in one minute when the gun is in operation. In experiments made without the water jacket the barrel would become too hot for safety in less than half a minute The ammunition is fed into the breech from a continuous web belt, holding the cartridges in pockets The representatives of the Krupp, Armstrong, and Oanet guns have been engaged in a wordy tussle upon the respective killing capacities of these weapons. The initial velocity of the largest of these projectiles is now well beyond half a mile per second, and the penetrating I energy varies from 200 to 300 foot-tons per Jb of powder, with a momentum of 80,000 foottons. That is to say, a mass of steel can now be hurled forth with a destructive power something like that of an average railway collision, but with wbat ultimate benefit to the human race it is not so easy to determine. Oanet claims to produce the same amount of damage as Krupp or Armstrong at half the money, and i with greater simplicity and elegance. This French gun has been adopted by the Japanese Government for three coastguard vessels. That brave though diminutive people fled it the only weapon which one of their naval officers can handle alone. There is no wedge for closing the breech as In the Krupp gun, which requires considerable biceps. The opening lever is so facilitated by screw manipulation that under normal power pressures one man can easily work it in 10 seconds.”