Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 18.djvu/291

* SMALL ARMS. 245 SMALL ARMS. quence was Hall's rifle, invented in 1811, and manufactured in small quantities about 1818 for the United States Ainiy : its chamber rose on ;i hinjje at the rear end for loading. About 1812 Pauly. an officer under Napoleon, evolved a breech-loader which is the progenitor of all later guns with swinging block. Dreyse, working adopted the Vetterli gun, which was of the re- peater or magazine type, having a tube under the barrel in which were contained eleven cartridges, which were in turn forced into the l)reech by the same action which discharged the eMijity cartridge. Russia adopted the Gorloil gun with a block hinged in front and rising to Bot. Saftty Zock. ChcUng Pitct, ^^ Firing PinR SUeoo. Main Spring. £jectr. ExtiraOor. Locking Lu^, ^•Omrd. V. 8. MAGAZINE (KBAO-JORGENSEN) BIFLE, CALIBRE 30 INCH. under him, developed a discarded model of Pauly's into a successful breech-loading needle gun, which is the forerunner of all bolt-action guns. In 1841 the Prussians adopted their famous needle gun. which earned them many vic- tories from 1848 to 1806. Although crude in construction, this weapon marked a great advance in military rifles. The bullet was conical in shape, and together with the powder was inclosed in strong paper. In the centre of the outer surface of tlie wad (im- mediately behind which was the powder) was a detonator, to explode which the needle fixed in the breech would upon pulling the trigger be relea.sed and penetrate the cartridge. The French adopted the Chassepot (q.v. ), an improved needle gun. This gun, as well as other weapons em- ployed by European armies, had the action now generallj' used, a bolt containing firing pin and spiral spring and sliding axially with the bore in a metal receiver behind, and fastened to, the barrel. A handle fastened to one side of the bolt engages in front of a lug when the bolt Is run forward and rotated to the right, thus lock- ing the breech. England converted her Enfield rifles, which were of the three-grooved expanding bullet muz- zle-loader type, into Snider breech-loaders by al- terations at the breech end of the barrel. A chamber was made by which the cartridge could be inserted in the barrel, after which the block (worked on a hinge) was then closed and the space completely filled. A needle or striker passed through the breech block, struck the cap in the base of the cartridge and thus ignited the charge. In 1869 the Martini-Henry rifle was adopted for the Briti.sh army. It consisted of a combination of the Martini breech action with the Henrv barrel. The Italians and Swiss open. This is the principle of the Springfield breech-loading rifle ( calibre .4.9 ) adopted for the United States Army in 1873, and retained until 1892 (see illustration), when it was succeeded by the United States magazine rifle, developed from the Krag-J'irgensen. The question of magazine arms was considered ( 1891-92) in the United States by a board which tested 53 different designs, among which they found two general classes — repeaters, which Ca-Off. Main Spring. I'vring PinRod. Gale. .^^ PoTJower. fUl Carrier. -Hinge-BarPin. ilagtuine Spring. V. 9. MAGAZINE RIFLE AND CABBINE. CALIBRE 30 INCH. Transverse section through magazine. could not be used as single-loaders while the magazine was charged, and magazine guns proper, in which the magazine could be charged and held in reserve for an emergency while load- ing is done shot by shot. The gun selected was one of the latter class — a bolt-action gun with magazine under and rising to the left of the chamber. It had a clasp containing 5 cartridges placed under and to the left of the receiver; the calibre of the barrel was .30 inch. It was sighted up to 1900 yards, and had a firing capacity (single loading) ojf 42 shots to the minute. It