Description Of The New Springfield Gun For The Army

The gun udopted isNo. 68 on the list and ia operatod in all respecta like No. 48, the armissued fur experimental trial in the lield, dinering trom it only in having the loeit plato of uniform thiekness, about one-half that of No. 48 ; the mainspring bolster-spring being replaced by a serevv, and in ohaugiiig the hamnier and suirouuding parts of the stock o as to proinote economy of manufacture and ease oí' manipulation. The gun has five motiona - locked, opened, loaded, closed and fired. It is opened by huif or full cocking the hamiuer, and then pressing the thuuib-pieceof the camratch spring locked by ihe horizontul elungation of the hing pin-holo in the breech-lock, allowing tho blook to slido boldly backwarcl undertheinfluenceof the discharge, uiitil by the enlargement of the cainshaft holo tt bearing in the line of the barrel is obtained by means of tho iuterposition of the cam, which abuttiug against the bottom of its recess in the biock, transfers the recoil to the face of the breech screw without subjecting the oam-shaft itself toanv strain; flred, by h front action síde lock of the usual pattem, the firing pin guard on the front pioce priiveuting in any posilion oí' the breecb block au unexpected discharge of the piece before the breech is secnrely clusud. The oarriaga shell is extracted by an extractor swinging on the hingepin and truck upon its ceuter of tuotion tjy tho furward end of the breech block n.'ar the complet ion of its movement in opening. The ejectmont of the curtridge i madu by accolerating the iiiovetuent of the .extractor by uioans of cite spiral ejector spring which surrounds the stem of the elector spindle and bears against the bottom of the whole in the receiver at one end, agamst the heitd of the spindle at the other. . When the extractor is revolved by the opening ot' the block, the ejector spring is compressed by the ejector spindle, the point of which rests in a oavity ut the back of the extractor, above its :ixi.s of motion. The continued revolution of the extractor finally brings the diiention vi the ejeetor spindle below the axis of motion. As soon as the "dead eentor'' is pngsed the sudJen release of the ejector spring Oüuses the extractor to tiipidly rotute nboiit its axis, carrying the empty cartridge shcll aginst tha bevelol üurfuce of the ejeotor j-tud, by which it is defleuted upward and throwu clear out .of the guu