Democratic Sentinel, Volume 22, Number 26, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 July 1898 — RAPID-FIRE GUN3. [ARTICLE]

RAPID-FIRE GUN3.

What Distinguishes Them from the Slow-Fire Cannon. Rapid fire guns are just now mnch talked about, but most people have only a vague idea of what they are. Prob ably the general Idea Is based on the Gatling gnn. People wjio take the Gatling gun as a type of “rapid fire” suppose that all guns called by that name are merely machines for showering rifle balls. But this is a complete mistake. There are rapid Are guns with a diam eter of six inches that throw shells weighing 100 pounds. The Engineering News explains the matter as follows: The essential difference Is In the method of loading. Instead of opening the breech and Inserting the projectile and the powder separately, the latter is In a bunting bag, ammunition for rapid fire guns is now prepared as for small arms, the ball, powder and firing primer are united, the powder in a metallic case atached to the shot, and the primer in the center of the base of this case. There are a number of types of rapid fire guns, differing in the way this fixed ammunition is fed to the gun and fired. The six-pounder (2.24-lnch caliber) rapid fire guns of the Hotchkiss, Driggs-Schroeder, Maxim, Nordenfeldt and Sponsel types can discharge 100 shots in 4 minutes 26 seconds, 4 minutes 35% seconds, 4 minutes 41 seconds and 4 minutes 56% seconds, respectively, or twenty to tweny-flve shots per minute, with accuracy of aim. Without attempt at accuracy of aim the rate can be Increased to thirty to thirty-five shots per minute. With five-inch rapid fire guns, or flfty-pound-ers, thirty-six shots have been fired in five minutes.