AN AUTOMATIC RIFLE
While science works ceaselessly to cure the ills that human flesh
is heir to, invention as persistently devises weapons for man's
destruction. Yesterday it was the discoveries of Pasteur and the Maxim
gun; to-day it is the Finsen rays and the Rexer automatic rifle.
Though one cannot restrain a sigh on examining a new contrivance, the
sole function of which is to deal out death and desolation--sadly
wondering why such ingenuity might not have been directed to the
perfecting of a machine which would render life more easy and more
pleasant; yet from a book which deals with modern mechanisms we may
not entirely exclude reference to a class of engines on which man has
expended so much thought ever since gunpowder first entered the arena
of human strife.
We therefore choose as our subject for this chapter a weapon hailing
from Denmark, a country which, though small in area, contains many
inventors of no mean repute.
In a London office, within sight of the monument raised to England's
great sailor hero, the writer first made acquaintance with the Rexer
gun, which, venomous device that it is, can spit forth death 300 times
a minute, though it weighs only about 18 lbs.
Its form is that of an ordinary rifle of somewhat clumsy build. The
eye at once picks out a pair of supports which project from a ring
encircling it near the muzzle. Even a strong man would find 18 lbs. too
much to hold to his shoulder for any length of time; so the Rexer is
primarily intended for stationary work. The user lies prone, rests the
muzzle on its supports, presses the butt to his shoulder, and blazes
away. History repeats itself in the chronicles of firearms, though it
is a very long way from the old matchlock supported on a forked stick
to the latest thing in rifles propped up by two steel legs.
Machine-guns, such as the Maxim and Hotchkiss, weigh 60 lbs. and
upwards, and have to be carried on a wheeled carriage, drawn either
by horses or by a number of men. In very rough country they must be
loaded on pack-horses or mules. When required for action, the gun,
its supports and appliances, separated for packing, must be hurriedly
reassembled. This means loss of valuable time.
The Rexer rifle can be carried almost as easily as a Lee-Metford or
Mauser, and fires the ordinary small-bore ammunition. Wherever infantry
or cavalry can go, it can go too, without entailing any appreciable
amount of extra haulage.
Before dealing with its actual use as a fighting arm we will notice the
leading features of its construction.
The gun comprises the stock, the casing and trigger-plate which enclose
the breech mechanism, the barrel, and the perforated barrel cover, to
which are attached the forked legs on which the muzzle end is supported
when firing, and which fold up under the cover when not in use. The
power for working the mechanism is obtained from the recoil, which,
when the gun is fired, drives the barrel, together with the breech and
the other moving parts, some two inches backwards, thus compressing
the powerful recoil-spring which lies behind the breech, enclosed
in the front part of the stock, and which, after the force of the
recoil is spent, expands, and thus drives the barrel forward again
into the firing position. The recoil and return of the breech operate
a set of levers and other working parts within the casing, which, by
their combined actions following one another in fixed order, open the
breech, eject the empty cartridge-case, insert a new cartridge into the
chamber, and close the breech; and when the gun is set for automatic
action, and the gunner keeps his finger pressed on the trigger, the
percussion arm strikes the hammer and the cartridge is fired; the round
of operations repeating itself till the magazine is emptied, or until
the gunner releases the trigger and thereby interrupts the firing.
A noticeable feature is the steel tube surrounding the barrel. It is
pierced with a number of openings to permit a circulation of air to
cool the barrel, which is furnished with fins similar to those on the
cylinder of an air-cooled petrol motor to help dissipate the heat
caused by the frequent explosions. Near the ends of the cover are
the guides, in which the barrel moves backwards and forwards under
the influence of the recoil and the recoil-spring. The supports are
attached to the casing in such a way that the stock of the gun can
be elevated or depressed and traversed through considerable angles
without altering the position of the supports on the ground. The rear
end of the barrel cover is firmly fixed to the casing of the breech
mechanism, and forms with this and the stock the rigid part of the
gun in which the moving portions work, their motions being guided and
controlled by cams and studs working in grooves and notches and on
blocks attached to the rigid parts.
Without the aid of special diagrams it is rather hard to explain the
working of even a simple mechanism; but the writer hopes that the
following verbal description, for which he has to thank the Rexer
Company, will at least go some way towards elucidating the action of
the breech components.
Inside the casing is the breech, the front end of which is attached
rigidly to the barrel, the rear end being in contact with the recoil
arm, which is directly operated by the recoil spring lying in a recess
in the stock. In the breech is the breech-block, which has three
functions: first to guide the new cartridges from the distributer,
which passes them from the magazine one by one into the casing, to the
firing position in the chamber (_i.e._ the expanded part of the bore
at the rear end of the barrel); secondly, to hold the cartridge firmly
fixed in the chamber, and to act as an abutment or support to the back
of the cartridge when it is fired, and thus transmit the backward force
of the explosion to the recoil spring; thirdly, to allow the spent
cartridges to be discharged from the chamber by the extractor, and to
direct them by means of a guide curved downwards from the chamber, so
that they may be flung through an opening provided for that purpose in
the trigger-plate in front of the trigger, and out of the way of the
gunner. (This opening is closed by a cover when the gun is not in use,
and opens automatically before the shot can be fired.) In order to
effect this threefold object, the breech-block is pivoted in the rear
to the rear of the breech, and has a vertical angular motion within
it, so that the fore end of the block can move into three different
positions in relation to the chamber: one, below the chamber to guide
the cartridge into it; one, directly in line with the chamber, to back
the cartridge; and one, above the chamber, to allow the ejection of the
spent cartridge-case by the extractor. The cartridge is fired by a long
pin through the breech-block, struck behind by a hammer operated by a
special spring.
The first function of the breech-block is, as we have said, to act as
a guide for the cartridge into the chamber ready for firing, after
the fashion of the old Martini-Henry breech-block. The actual pushing
forward of the cartridge is performed by a lever sliding on the top of
the block. After the explosion a small vertical lever jerks out the
cartridge-case against the block, and causes it to cannon downwards
through the aperture in the trigger-plate already mentioned.
On the left-hand side of the breech casing is a small chamber, open
at the top and on the side next the breech. To the top is clipped the
magazine, filled with twenty-five cartridges. The magazine is shaped
somewhat like a slice of melon, only that the curved back and front
are parallel. The sides converge towards the inner edge. It is closed
at the lower end by a spring secured by a catch. When a magazine is
attached to the open top of the chamber the catch is released so as to
put chamber and magazine in direct communication. The cartridges would
then be able to drop straight into the breech chamber through the side
slot, were the latter not protected by a curved horizontal shutter,
called the distributer. Its action is such that when a cartridge is
being passed through into the breech casing, the shutter closes, and
holds the remaining cartridges in the magazine; and when the cartridge
has passed it opens and lets the next into position in the side casing.
As soon as a cartridge enters the breech it is pushed forward into the
chamber ready for firing by the feeder lever. The magazine and the
holder are so arranged that when the last cartridge has passed from
the magazine to the distributer, the motion of the moving parts of
the gun is arrested till the magazine is removed, when the motion is
resumed so far as to push the remaining cartridge into the chamber and
bring the breech-block into the firing position. When another magazine
has been fixed in the holder, firing can be resumed by pulling the
trigger; but if another magazine is not fixed in the holder the last
cartridge cannot be fired by pulling the trigger, and only by pulling a
handle which will be presently described. This arrangement secures the
continuance of the automatic firing being interrupted only by the very
brief interval required for charging the apparatus.
The gun is fired, as usual, by pulling a trigger. If a steady pull
be kept on the trigger the whole contents of the magazine will be
fired automatically (the last cartridge excepted); but if such
continuous firing is not desired, a few shots at a time may be fired
automatically by alternately pulling and releasing the trigger. If it
is desired to fire shot by shot from the magazine, a small swivel on
the trigger-guard is moved so as to limit the movement of the trigger.
By moving this swivel out of the way, automatic firing is resumed. The
gun may also be fired without a magazine by simply feeding cartridges
by hand into the magazine holder. In front of the trigger-guard is a
safety catch, and if this is set to "safe" the gun cannot be fired
until the catch is moved to "fire."
It is obvious that the recoil cannot come into action until a shot
has been fired. A handle is therefore provided on the right-hand side
outside the casing, by means of which the bolt forming the axis of the
recoil and percussion arms may be turned so as to imitate the action
of the recoil. This handle must be turned to bring the first cartridge
into the chamber, but this having been done, the handle returns to its
normal position, and need not be moved again.
We may now watch a gunner at work. He chooses his position, opens out
the supports, and pushes them into the ground so as to give the muzzle
end a firm bearing. He then takes a magazine from the box he carries
with him, and fixes it by a rapid motion into the magazine holder,
then, resting his left hand on the stock to steady it, he pulls over
the handle with his right so as to bring the barrel and all the moving
mechanism into the backward position. He then releases the handle, and
the recoil spring comes into action and drives the breech forward,
when the controlling gear brings the front end of the breech-block
into its downward position, admits the first cartridge into the breech
and pushes it forward by the cartridge-feeder into the barrel chamber.
The breech-block then rises to its central position at the back of the
cartridge, and the gun is ready for firing.
If automatic firing is required, the gunner sets the swivel at the
back of the trigger in the right position, sights the object at which
he has to fire, and pulls the trigger, thereby exploding the first
cartridge. The recoil then drives back the barrel and the breech. The
breech-block is moved into its highest position, making room for the
ejection of the empty cartridge-case, which is then ejected by the
extractor. At the end of the recoil the block falls into its lowest
position, the cartridge-feeder having then arrived at the back of the
breech-block. The recoil-spring now drives the breech forward, admits
the new cartridge on to the breech-block and drives it forward by the
feeder into the chamber. The breech-block rises to its position behind
the cartridge and is locked in that position. The percussion arm is
then released automatically, strikes the hammer, and fires the second
cartridge, the cycle of operations repeating itself till the last
cartridge but one has been fired, when the magazine is charged and the
cycle of operations is again renewed and continued till the second set
of cartridges has been fired. The operations follow one another with
such rapidity that the twenty-five cartridges contained in the magazine
can be fired in less than two seconds. At the same time, the rate of
firing remains under the control of the gunner, who can interrupt it
at any moment by simply releasing the trigger. He can also alter his
aim at any time and keep it directed on a moving object and fire at any
suitable moment.
[Illustration: THE "REXER" AUTOMATIC MACHINE GUN
It only weighs 17-1/2 lb., and can fire 300 shots per minute. The
crescent-shaped clips hold 25 cartridges each, and as soon as one has
been emptied another can be affixed in a moment.]
In service it is not intended that every man should be armed with a
Rexer, but only 3 to 5 per cent., constituting a separate detachment
which would act independently of the artillery and other
machine-guns. The latter would, as at present, cover the infantry's
advance up to within some 500 yards of the enemy, but at this point
would have to cease firing for fear of hitting their own men. This
period, when the artillery can neither shoot over the heads of their
infantry, nor bring up the guns for fear of losing the teams, affords
the golden opportunity for the Rexer, which is advanced with the firing
line. If the fire of the detachment were concentrated on a part of the
enemy's line, that portion would be unable to reply while the attacking
force rushed up to close quarters. One hundred men armed with Rexers
would be as valuable as several hundred carrying the ordinary service
weapon, while they would be much more easily disposed, advanced, or
withdrawn.
A squadron of cavalry would be accompanied by three troopers armed with
Rexers and by one leading a pack-horse laden with extra magazines. Each
gunner would have on his horse 400 cartridges, and the pack-horse 2,400
rounds, distributed in leather cases over a specially designed saddle.
When a squadron, not provided with machine-guns, has to open a heavy
fire, a considerable proportion must remain behind the firing line to
hold the horses of the firing party. When, on the other hand, Rexers
are present, only a few men would dismount, leaving the main body ready
to charge at the opportune moment; and, should the attack fail, they
could cover the retreat.
A use will also be found for the Rexer in fortresses and on war
vessels; in fact, everywhere where the machine-gun can take a part.
After exhaustive trials, the Danish Government has adopted this weapon
for both army and navy; and it doubtless will presently be included
in the armament of other governments. There are signs that the most
deadly arm of the future will be the automatic rifle. Perhaps a pattern
even lighter than the Rexer may appear. If every unit of a large force
could fire 300 rounds a minute, and ammunition were plentiful, we
could hardly imagine an assault in which the attacking party would
not be wiped out, even if similarly armed; for with the perfection of
firearms the man behind cover gets an ever-increasing advantage over
his adversary advancing across the open.
A BALL-BEARING RIFLE
Rapidity of fire is only one of the desirable features in a firearm.
Its range--or perhaps we had better say its muzzle velocity--is of
almost equal importance. The greater this is, the flatter is the
trajectory or curve described by the bullet, and the more extended the
"point blank" range and the "danger zone."
Take the case of two rifles capable of flinging a bullet one mile and
two miles respectively. Riflemen seldom fire at objects further off
than, say, 1,200 yards; so that you might think that, given correct
sighting in the weapon and a positive knowledge of the range, both
rifles would have equal chances of making a hit.
This is not the fact, however, for the more powerful rifle sends its
bullet on a course much more nearly parallel to the ground than does
the other. Therefore an object six feet high would evidently run
greater risks of being hit _somewhere_ by the two-mile rifle than by
the one-mile. Thus, if at 1,200 yards the bullet had fallen to within
six feet of the ground, it might not actually strike earth till it had
travelled 1,400 yards; whereas with a lesser velocity and higher curve,
the point of impact might be only fifty yards behind. Evidently a
six-foot man would be in danger anywhere in a belt 200 yards broad were
the high-velocity rifle in operation, though the danger zone with the
other weapon would be contracted to fifty yards.
At close quarters a flat trajectory is even more valuable, since it
diminishes the need for altering the sights. If a rifle's point-blank
range is up to 600 yards, you can fire at a man's head anywhere within
that distance with a good chance of hitting him. The farther he is
away, the lower he will be hit. A high trajectory would necessitate an
alteration of the sights for every fifty yards beyond, say, two hundred.
The velocity of a projectile is increased--(1) by increasing the weight
of the driving charge; (2) by decreasing the friction between the
barrel and the projectile.
An American inventor, Mr. Orlan C. Cullen, has adopted a means already
well tried in mechanical engineering to decrease friction.
He has produced a rifle, the barrel of which has in its walls eight
spiral grooves of almost circular section, a small arc of the circle
being cut away so as to put the groove in continuous communication with
the bore of the barrel. These grooves are filled with steel balls,
one-tenth of an inch in diameter, which are a good fit, and on the slot
side of the groove project a very tiny distance into the barrel. The
bullet--of hard steel--as it is driven through the barrel does not come
into contact with the walls, but runs over the balls, which grip it
with sufficient force to give it a spinning motion. The inventor claims
that there is no appreciable escape of gas round the bullet, as the
space between it and the barrel is so minute.
The ball races, or grooves, extend back to the powder chamber and
forward to the muzzle. Their twist ceases a short distance from the
muzzle to permit the insertion of recoil cushions, which break the
forces of the balls as they are dragged forward by the bullet.
Mr. Cullen holds that a rifle built on this principle gives 40 per
cent. greater velocity than one with fixed rifling--to be exact, has
a point-blank range of 650 yards as compared with 480 yards of the
Lee-Metford, and will penetrate 116 planks 1 inch thick each.
The absence of friction brings absence of heat, which in the case of
machine-guns has always proved a difficulty. It also minimises the
recoil, and reduces the weight of mountings for large guns.
Whether these advantages sufficiently outweigh the disadvantages of
complication and cleaning difficulties to render the weapon acceptable
to military authorities remains to be seen. We can only say that,
if the ball bearing proves as valuable in ballistics as it has in
machinery, then its adoption for firearms can be only a matter of time.
PLYMOUTH: W. BRENDON AND SON, LTD., PRINTERS.
* * * * *
Transcriber's Notes
Minor typographical errors have been corrected. Inconsistent accents,
punctuation, and hyphenation are as in the original text unless noted
below.
The following misprints and misspellings are noted or have been
corrected in the text.
Page 38: Superscript "1" changed to an inline fraction "1/8" ("50,000
prick-marks 1/8 inch apart").
Page 55: "corp" changed to "corps" ("a corps of inventors").
Page 145: "populsion" changed to "propulsion" ("for its own
propulsion").
Page 173: "searchlight" changed to "search-light" to make the latter
usage consistent throughout the book ("when a search-light
alone").
Page 206: "two" changed to "too" ("the reversal being too sudden").
Page 244: According to the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica, "Kleingert"
is the correct spelling of the name of the German who
invented the "first practical diving helmet". More modern
books, however, use a different spelling, referring to
(Karl Heinrich) Klingert.
Page 250: "Saint Goubin" changed to "Saint Gobain" ("by Saint Gobain,
of Paris").
Page 266: "overburden" changed to "over-burden" to make the latter
usage consistent throughout the book ('removing the
"over-burden" of surface mines').
Other changes to the text.
Footnotes have been relabeled using numbers then collected together at
the end of the chapter in which they appear. This has the consequence
that, where the same reference is cited in more than one footnote in
a chapter, it can result in a sequence of footnotes with identical
text. That is not a transcription error.