CHANGE FROM BLACK TO SMOKELESS POWDER BY THE MILITARY

 TRANSITION TO THE USE OF SMOKELESS POWDER

Attention was given to the limitations of black gunpowder. It is corrosive and badly fouls the gun bores. By 1888 France was the first nation to adopt the less corrosive smokeless powder cartridges for standard military use. Other nations soon followed. In 1888 American Army Ordnance officials were giving serious thought to reducing the U.S. musket bore from .45 caliber and recognized that smokeless powder cartridges give a desired higher velocity. Such cartridges required jacketed bullets which had not yet been used in the U.S. military arms up to that time.

Experimentation at government armories began and led to the development of the Caliber .30 Caliber Ball Service Cartridge, and a variety of bullets for it. Separate from the Army, at the same time, the U.S. Navy also authorized development and selection of a new cartridge of even smaller bore size: a .236" caliber.

The Winchester Repeating Arms Co. developed the smokeless powder .236 (6 m/m) U.S.N. cartridge which was officially adopted by the U.S. Navy in 1895. The Navy adopted the Lee Straight Pull Repeating Rifle for this cartridge at the same time.

BULLETS FOR SMOKELESS POWDER MILITARY CARTRIDGES

Development to create a smokeless powder U.S. military cartridge began around 1888.

Both rimmed and rimless .236 Navy experimental cartridges using smokeless powder were made by Winchester Repeating Arms Co. The caliber was adopted by the Navy prior to selection of a gun to fire it. The Lee Straight Pull Rifle was selected in 1895 using the rimless version 6M/M (.236). It was replaced by the rimmed Caliber .30 Ball Service round and the Krag rifle in 1898.

Government arsenals were already experimenting with a .30 caliber smokeless cartridge, and different bullet jacket materials for it were tested, including copper, German silver, cupro-nickel, steel, and perhaps other materials covering their soft lead bullet cores. Different bullet designs and weights were also tested. Some bullets had smooth jackets, while others had various numbers of grease grooves.

Different kinds of smokeless powders were also tested. The Cal. 30 Ball Service Cartridge and a new repeating rifle, Model 1895 Krag, were adopted by both the Army and the Navy in 1898. The performance of the pair was disappointing. Additional development continued, and a rimless-smokeless Model 1901 cartridge would evolve. Also, the Springfield rifle would be tested in 1901.