| Show the rebel rifle the th e lebel rifle as the new arm is called was wan invented by lieutenant colonel lebel principal of the ar school at chalons Cb alons its remarkable qualities are lightness long range and extraordinary penetrating power according to toe the scientific researches of the mathematician prof hebler it was supposed that the absolutely perfect army rifle should be a weapon with a caliber of precisely seven millimeters the lebel rifle ride has not so small a call cali her ber but offers the nearest a approach p roach to it yet wade made viz eight m millimeters with this caliber the advantages advantage sare are a lighter cartridge a greater penetrating power and a much less liability of the missile to be deviated from its course by a strong wind the ball bail is so covered with steel and brass as to enable it to preserve its form aud and to follow precisely the grooves of the barrel its initial velocity is exactly meters per second greater than that of the gras rifle which had bad an initial velocity of meters while the lebel boasts a velocity of meters it revolves upon itself times per second always traveling point first at a distance of 1800 meters its fire is as fatal as within a lesser distance and as the line of the projectile is almost perfectly straight extra extraordinary ord in ary hi hits t a can caia be made at immense in rabies to obviate the shock of recoil conse consequent upon so prodigious an expelling force a special powder has been invented wy ey colonel brugere which deton detonates stes progressively without smoke and with comparatively little noise the shooter feels the weapon push does not feel a sudden and painful jar three wooden shields placed at about twenty five yards apart were easily pierced in a straight bt line by byone one rine shot the ball bail traveling on five hundred meters further without changing its course to strike the outlying target aimed at precisely in the center the movable breech piece is shorter than in the gras rifle but offer a greater resistance and the recoil follows the axis of the weapon on finding themselves in possession of so extraordinary an aa arm it was tor for some time a question with the military tary authorities whether or not to adopt it in its simplest formas the best of slagle shot breech loaders but as austria is adopting the Mann Marin licher repeater italy the vitall repeater germany the mauser magazine gun it seemed necessary to wake make the lebel a repeater also as troops armed with a single shot rifle only however good would easily become demoralized by the mere conviction that they were face facet f eface face with enemies armed with magazine guns gnus english paper |
