Читать книгу The Complete English Wing Shot онлайн

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2. To actuate the same movements by means of recoil and rebound of the sliding barrel on to an independent stock grooved to carry the barrel, and fitted with a spring.

3. To actuate the same movements by means of allowing the whole weapon to recoil on to a false heel plate spring, and rebound from it.

4. By allowing a short sliding recoil of the barrel to make the bolting action slide farther back on to the stock and a spring, and to rebound from them.

Several of these principles have been employed in conjunction in this or other countries. The recoil is made to compress a spring, which by re-expansion completes the work of closing up the rifle, when it does not stick and fail, as in all specimens of automatic rifles has occurred at intervals.

All nations are now armed with magazine repeating rifles, but none have yet adopted automatic loading for rifles. The choice between the various magazine mechanisms is a mere matter of taste, but the shortening of the British national arm to 25 inches seems to have been done without regard to the fact that no rifle of 25 inches can compete in accuracy with an equally well-made and an equally well-loaded weapon of 30 inches, although it may compete favourably with the discarded Mark II. Lee-Enfield, which was improperly made and also badly loaded. Unfortunately, our prospective enemies are not embracing the faults of the Mark II., but are adhering to a rifle instead of a carbine. That is the correct term to employ to describe the new weapon.