THE REMINGTON-LEE RIFLE.

Auckland Star, Volume XIX, Issue 9, 12 January 1888, Page 8

THE REMINGTON-LEE RIFLE.

HOW AND WHY IT WAS ADOPTED.

CAUSES OF FAILURE AND OPINIONS OF EXPERTS.

The Remington-Lee Rifles imported by the Government are generally condemned by our Volunteers, and in consequence of their protests the Government are endeavour-

ing to procure from Melbourne a supply of Martini-Henrys for the colonial firing. Already two of the Remingtons have burst in Auckland, and Volunteers who wer e in the vicinity were injured, and from Oamaru, Timaru, and Christchurch and elsewhere particulars of similar accidents are reported. The consequence is that volunteers are becoming afraid of the weapon, and if.its use is insisted on at the forthcoming Association meeting at Oamaru itis pretty certain thattheshooting will prove a failure. In order to present our readers with some authoritative information respecting this now notable rifle, a Star representative to-day interviewed several experts, with the appended results. -the How and Why. " Last year," said Captain - Adjutant Skinner, of the No. 2 Battalion, "our New Zealand Rifle Association, on account of Kynock's ammunition, and because we were behind the other colonies in respect to the possession by the volunteers ot a good weapon, deemed it advisable to make representations in the direction indicated. Our Snider rifles were not considered good enough and the Government, or rather Mr Ballance, I believe, sent home for a certain arm supposed to be the best arm that could be got hold of. The Remington-Lees were produced here without anyone in New Zealand knowing anything as to their qua ifications, except by report that they were a good rifle. They were issued to intending competitors at the following Rifle Association meeting, and all those who received • them were made responsiMe to the Government by 1.0.U.'5. Practice with the weapon Las since proved that it is unsatisfactory in its firing, and ailso that it is a dangerous weapon, not only to the man who is using it but to all who are in a line and close to him. If the Remington-Lees must be used at the Rifle Association firing at Oamaru they must militate against good shooting, because the shootists will not have confidence in the weapon on account of the danger and doubt attached to its operations." Two Accidents. Reporter: What are your own experiences with the Remington, Captain Skinner ? Captain Skinner : Well, I had an accident with one of them at the range on the day after Boxing Day. I was lying on my back at the time, and the cartiidge burst at the base, causing an escape of gas from the vent hole Parslow was beside me and he got a little of the gas, but neither of us was severely injured. In this instance, none of the rifle v/as blown away. Do you know anything about Sergeant Rose's accident? Yes, but the facts have already been published. In his case the cartridge burst at the breech in a manner corresponding to the Remington accidents in the South, and carried away several inches of the woodwork from the side of his rifle. The escape of gas caught Rose in the face, and alsD struck LeGrifhn, who was in a line with him some 20 feet away. They were singed and burnt about the face, but not severely injured. Do many of the cartridges burst ? Yes, a great number of them. Those of a dangerous character burst at the breech as I have already described, the back portion of the cartridge being blown off. Then there is an escape of gas, which conies through the vent holen and if the vest happens to be covered by the wood the woodwork is blown away. So_._etli.nfir Wrong. My idea is that the cartridges are good enough and the ride good enough, but that they are not suited to work together. 1 believe that the cartridges have not been made for the rifles, because I find thab they do not fit. They allow too much play at the back, some being onesixteenth of an inch too small, and this allows the cartridge to burst. About one i twentieth of the cartridges burst, but with I the exception of those that burst at the I base, they only amount to lost shots and I are not dangeious. As to the shooting power of the Remington, I do not think it is equal to the Martini - Henry but of course we have no confidence in the thing and do not produce such results as we might otherwise do. 6 A Suggestion. I would like to make a suggestion for consideration by the Rifle Association. It is that if volunteers havo to fall back upon the Remington - Lee at the forthcoming match those who are entrusted with the target arrangements should put them slightly in echelon, so that [ competitors when firing would be slightly behind each other. This would make no difficulty in forming the trench, and it would ereatly minimise the danger arising from mishaps like those described. Tlie JKeminston __ escribed. Our representative next called upon Mr VV. H. .hazard, gunsmith, and was shown one of the. forty or fifty Remingtons that are now in Auckland. He was also shown a circular issued by Messrs Hartley and Graham, an American firm,, m which the rifle was described. It was stated to be recommended by the United States Ordnance Board, after the most severe trials for simplicity, durability, and safety ; no danger by premature explosions; magazine capacity never failing, regulated by the shooter at will. " You will see," said Mr Hazard, exhibiting the Remington, " that a small detachable magazine can be fitted in front of the trigger guard, but the volunteers here have not been supplied with them. I think the difficulty lies particularly in the cartridge. At many as seven cartridges out of a packet of ten have been known to burst, but not many of them burst at the base. The rifle supplied to the volunteers is called the "43 Spanish," similar I believe to those used in the Spanish Army. I would not be sure on that point however. It seems to me that the cartridges must be brittle. Sometimes you get a lot of them that go off in firstclass style •md do not burst, and on another occasion as many as seventy or eighty may burst in succession. Faul y Cartridges. The cartridges used with the Reming-ton-Lee I consider to be badly finished. If you look at one of them alongside of an English cartridge you will see this for yourself. The English cartridge is nicely tapered off from the breech to its point, and Yankee cartridge is made with sharp angles. It runs straight from its breech for a distance, then suddenly dips and again runs straight to the point. This I believe to be one of its main defects. I do not know what that vent hole is for unless it is to minimise the danger in the event of cartridges bursting, or to allow of the escape of gas from the cap. Comparisons are OdiousI do not think much of the RemingtonLee rifle as a whole. It is not much quicker than the M "-_.._ Henry and the Mar«r*i Henry took all the prizes in the Rifle Association competition last Boeing Day and the following [

afternoon. About an equal number of Remingtons and Martini-Henrys were used, and the last-named rifles were far ahead of the former in the scoring. Even the Snider beat the Reming-ton-Lee, which proved altogether unsatisfactory. I am convinced that unless we can get a better cartridge than those now in use the Remington rifle would have to be discarded. Apart from its uncertainty it would never do to have men armed with such weapons in active warfare, for they would be packed so closely that they would very likely be blowing away each other, or damaging each other's eyesight, and nob only that, but when the cartridge bursts the rifle is disabled for a time, and that would never do in active warfare.

In answer to a question Mr Hazard said thab there were about 500 Remington-Lee rifles in New Zealand, and thab with cartridges they must have cost the Government nob less than £2,00. Mr David Evitb, the well-known gunsmith, Queen-street, says: "As soon as I saw the Remington-Leo Rifle I formed an unfavourable opinion of it. Why, the breach action is so loose that if ib was used at a field day at Long Valley, Aldershot, ib would tear to pieces. Supposing cavalry were manoeuvring and clouds of dust flying ib would get into the loose action and bhe working of the breech would destroy the rifle. As far as the vent is concerned, I can only look upon that as a safety valve. I know of no other weapon provided with such a vent. I look upon it as a confession of weakness in the rifle, otherwise the provision would not have been made. As soon as I heard thab the cartridges sometimes burst, I said that there would be accidents with tlie rifle. There is something queer about the whole affair. The ammunition for the Remington-Lee rifle is quoted in the price lists from America at 14s 6d per 100, and yet our Government can afford to supply it to the Rifle Association at either 7s or 8s per 100, I'm not quite sure which. Now that there havo been so many accidents ib almost gives- colour to tho idea that condemned ammunition has been sent to the colonies. For my part I don't consider the Remington-Lee Rifle at alia safe or servicable weapon. Many other American rifles are much superior, such for instance as the Whitney rifle and the Warner rifle. Neither of those is provided with escapes similar to that in the Reming-ton-Lee rifle. The Colts Lightning Repeating rifle is also much better although it is somewhat complicated."

Then you don't think the RemingtonLee superior to the Martini-Henri ? Certainly not! It's nob lit to be mentioned at the same time. It is no equal to the Wallay-Willy English Rifle. _ The Remington-Lee Rifle is really on a similar principle to the Prussian needle gun which -was invented about 40 years ago, only of course it was not provided with the safety-valve. I think that there's someting wants finding out about the purchase of those rifles.

Mr Evitt then produced the various rifles he had mentioned and pointed out that what he considered to be their superiority to the Remington-Lee Rifle.

Is it the Kesnlt of Bad Ammunition.

Captain Little upon being asked for his opinion on the matter said, " Well, I am rather inclined to think the principal fault lies with the ammunition. Of course the vent is a safety valve. If it were nob for that there would be a clanger of the gun bursting. I like the breech action of the Remington Lee rifle better than that of tho Martini-Henry, you see it throughout the empty cartridge so well. That is a good feature. Now, I've known thecartridgc to jamb in the Martini-Henry, so on that point tho Remington-Lee rifle is superior." " Is there any danger of the breech of the Remington-Lee rifle being blown back on the face of the user 1 "

" No, I don't think there is ; the weapon seems safe enough there. The sights are not quite as good as the Martini-Henry because you can't grade, but are compelled to jump straight from 100 to 200 yards. As I said before, I think the principal fault lies with tlie ammunition. We had some bad cartridges here some bime ago ; well I suppose if they could have beon shipped off anywhere else they would have been, it's very likely that this is a similar case. Anyhow ib is certain thab with such cartridges a man cannot do much good shooting. lam told that the Government are supplying the ammunition ab bhe rabe of 7s 3d per 100 rounds." "Does nob thab seem strange when the quoted price is 14s 6d per 100." " I did nob know that was the pricePerhaps that may explain why the cart, ridges burst. I know the men pay 16s for the rifle and 200 rounds of ammunition. Of course the rifie is given free, but the carriage has to be paid for.' Another Opinion. A gentleman who has been a musketry instructor in thelinperialServieecondemned the Remington Lee rifle as far inferior to the Martini-Henry. He considered it an awkward weapon to handle and also dangerous. The ball for opening the breach he thought clumsy and upon one occasion while carrying the rifle on horseback the affair caught and opened tho breech. The sights are unsatisfactory as ib is impossible to grade them. The action is more likely to become filled with dust than is the breech of the Martini - Henry. Another weakness in the sight is that a curved V is cut out instead of allowing the firing from a straight fall, which is generally considered the most satisfactory. He was positive that the weapon is nob used in the Imperial Ser vice, and is of opinion that both rifles and ammunition are simply a job lob shipped off to the colony under the old idea that anything will. do. He. considered ..that the Martini-Henry rifle would be quite equal to the requirements of the colonies for years to come, magazine rifles not being needed, in his opinion, in the colonies at present. The great trouble with regular troops is to control the firing, and with volunteers it is even more so, therefore a breech loading weapon is quite sufficient for the present. .:. ..-'