HOW GUN-BARRELS ARE MADE. 23 1 



the barrels be found perfect, they are sent back to the 

 filer, or he comes to inspect them, in order to ascertain 

 whether they be perfectly straight in the inside; if 

 not, to make them so. 



" The necessity of great care and attention to this 

 point must be very obvious ; for, if not perfectly 

 correct at this stage, it will require more skill and 

 time to get it correct afterwards than the generality 

 of barrel-makers are inclined to bestow. 



" When the inside has been found to be all right, 

 the barrel is ready for grinding. Many barrel-makers 

 turn their barrels entirely by self-acting lathes, and 

 thus obtain a correct taper from breech end to muzzle. 

 Experience has clearly convinced us that this is not 

 the best shape, but slightly hollow towards the muzzle 

 is preferable, as additional weight there is decidedly 

 injurious, and the shooting of barrels of lighter con- 

 struction is decidedly better. 



" The generality of Birmingham barrels are ground 

 to the size required on large stones, which revolve at 

 a terrific rate. The skill acquired by many of the 

 workmen is astonishing. Over and over again have 

 we seen barrels coming from the mill put into the 

 lathe, and found almost as true as if they had been 

 turned. They have a method of allowing the barrel 

 to revolve in their hands at half the rate of the stone, 

 and by this means they grind them so fine that many 

 would be puzzled to determine whether they had been 

 turned or ground, were the barrel smoothed length- 

 ways merely to take out the marks of the stone. We 

 have seen the squares of a rifle barrel ground to as 



