SCULPTURING MACHINES

The Romance of Modern Mechanism by Archibald Williams is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book here. CHAPTER XXVII

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.

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.

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