SELF-LOADING RIFLE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20961, 26 February 1930, Page 9

SELF-LOADING RIFLE

THE RECOIL ABSORBED. RAPID RATE OF FIRE. ‘ ■ (United Press Association.) (By Electric Telegraph—Copyright.) LONDON, February 24. The Daily Telegraph’s military correspondent says'. — The long-sought ideal of an efficient self-loading rifle has been realised, and it is now being produced by Vickers, Ltd. It is as light, short, and simple as an ordinary rifle, but it has twice or thrice the rate of fire. Moreover, an infantryman can fire with a greater likelihood of hitting the target, owing to the comfort under which it is fired, as the mechanism .absorbs the recoil, thus sparing the flrer’s shoulder. The invention is due to the American Pederson gun. It weighs B.Blb, and its length is 45in. A clip of 10 cartridges is inserted in the magazine’. When they are ejected , the breach of the rifle is left open, though the loading is automatic. Pressure on the trigger is required for each round, thus avoiding the wastage of the Lewis gun, where the firer keeps his finger on the trigger too long, and thus uses more rounds than is necessary. With the ordinary rifle the British regulars could fire 15 aimed rounds per minute, though the Continental conscript could only maintain half that rate. With the Pederson rifle a reservist can soon learn to fire 25 aimed rounds per minute, whereas an expert can fire 50. '