374 MILITARY RIFLES 



A weapon of this type seems admirably fitted for carriage on a motor-cycle, when it would 

 be easy to arrange for an adequate supply of ammunition. F~or other arms the provision of a 

 sufficient supply of ammunition presents considerable difficulties. 



The question of which is the best military rifle was raised in Great Britain in 1912 in 

 both Houses of Parliament during the discussion of the Army Estimates. The broad 

 points which decide the value of a rifle for military purposes are (i) accuracy, (2) good 

 ballistics, (3) handiness, and (4) reliability under all the accidents and stresses of active 

 service. With the round-nosed type of ammunition accuracy and ballistics were 

 practically identical with all the rifles in use. The introduction of the pointed bullet 

 has modified the situation as regards accuracy, because the portion of the barrel which 

 serves as a guide to the bullet as it passes from the cartridge case to the rifling was 

 designed for a round-nosed bullet, and cannot do its work so effectively with a pointed 

 one, and as regards ballistics because some nations have not been able, and some have 

 not thought it desirable, to go as far in the matter of flatness of trajectory as others. 

 Accuracy with the German, United States, and British Mark VII cartridges is about 

 equal to that obtained with the old type of ammunition, but all other nations are facfid 

 with diminished accuracy, though the old standard is being approached as light is 

 thrown on the details of manufacture by experience. Ballistics, so far as the design 

 is concerned, depend on the strength of the action and the capacity of the chamber. 



In the Lee-Enfield rifle, between the point where the stress is applied and the point 

 where it is taken by the body of the rifle, is interposed a hollow cylinder in the shape of 

 the bolt, which is liable to compression. The amount of stress which can be safely 

 applied is thus limited. In non-British rifles the locking lugs are part of the front 

 end of the bolt and the shock is thus transferred directly to the rifle and not through the 

 intermediary of the bolt. The chamber capacity of the rifle again is small, the design 

 having been made for a cartridge containing a compressed pellet of black powder. It is 

 thus not sufficient to allow of any large increase in the amount of the charge while still 

 retaining the proportion of air space which is necessary with a smokeless propellant if 

 pressures are to be kept within reasonable limits. It has therefore not been possible to 

 obtain a lower trajectory than one giving a height of 9 ft. over 800 yards as against the 

 6 ft. of the German cartridge for the same distance. The cartridges of other nations 

 using a pointed bullet lie between these two extremes. At long ranges a heavy bullet, 

 such as the British or French, behaves better than a light one such as the German. 



In the matter of handiness the Short Lee-Enfield is good. Its length and balance 

 give it a great advantage for snapshooting, while its being cased in wood throughout 

 enables it to be handled even when the barrel is heated by continuous firing. The 

 shortness of the rifle is in some quarters held to be a disadvantage for bayonet fighting, 

 but a short handy weapon may well be better than a long unwieldy one. 



As regards reliability the only charge which can be brought against the British rifle is 

 that the butt is liable to work loose owing to the stock being in two parts. In the 

 pattern now in use however this tendency has been overcome. 



Pistol (E. B. xxi, 654 et seq.) The bullet now used in revolver cartridges is a 

 heavy leaden one with a head so slightly convex as to be almost flat. This construction 

 distributes the shock of impact over a greater area, and the man-stopping qualities of the 

 bullet are thus much increased. 



The automatic pistols produced till quite recently have been of small calibre and' 

 therefore deficient in stopping power. The Colt Company have however now produced 

 one of .45" calibre, and Messrs. Webley and Scott one of .455* calibre, which are satis- 

 factory in this respect. Both have a " grip " safety, consisting of a lever in the butt, 

 pressure on which is necessary before the firing mechanism can be operated by the 

 trigger. The lever is thus in the firing position only when the butt is gripped. 



Sights (E. B. xxv, 65 et seq.) The aperture backsight, preferably in conjunction 

 with a blade foresight, is now recognised as being the best sighting device for small 

 arms. To be most effective the aperture should be placed in such position on the rifle 

 that it is as close as possible to the firer's eye while not being close enough to strike his 



