550 TRANSACTIONS OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 



Its great weight gives good resistance to the recoil. If we 

 should use a gun no heavier than the bullet, the gun would recoil 

 as far as the shot would be projected. The gun that offers greatest 

 resistance by its vis-inertia, other things being equal, to recoil, 

 projects the bullet farthest. Its whole length, from the shoulder 

 to the muzzl ', is great, and it is heavy at the muzzle, by which 

 two advantages or more are obtained, viz : The muzzle sight is 

 separated a greater than usual distance from the eyes, and from 

 the re-inforce sight, by which better aim can be had ; and the 

 weight of the muzzle gives great steadiness to the aim. These 

 qualities will be best appreciated by those who aim this gun and 

 the Sharp's carbines I have here. The shorter and lighter gun 

 seems too much like a toy, as compared with the needle gun, and 

 yet it is a fair example in these respects of all the American 

 breech-loaders I have seen. The breech attachments of the needle 

 gun appropriate a considerable part of the length of the barrel, 

 which gives it another advantage over guns of similar length, that 

 is, the bullet is not subjected to the friction of sliding along the 

 barrel after the effective expansive force of the powder is expended, 

 which in long guns usually detracts from the initial velocity, and 

 consequently the range of the shot. I consider this quality should 

 not be forgotten, and is one capable of better proportion, almost 

 to perfection. By this I mean that we can, by experiment, deter- 

 miiie what is the very best length of the barrel for a given calibre 

 and charge of powder, and then by increasing the length of the 

 bree'ch piece have all the advantage of the long and steady gun, 

 with the best range. In the needle gun, we have the elements 

 from which to produce a gun having three forces, either not 

 utilized in other guns at all, or not so well utilized as in this, to 

 eject the bullet and give it velocity, viz : The momentum of the 

 needle striking against the rear of the bullet ; the expansive force 

 of the fulminate, which is placed in a cavity at the rear of the 

 bullet, and acts directly to eject the bullet, and the gun having no 

 vent, none of the expansive force of the gases of the powder is 

 wasted. 



But it is in the ignition of the powder, at the front end of the 

 cartridge, that we find, perhaps the arrangement of the needle 

 gun most admirable ; not wholly in my opinion, because more 

 complete combustion is possible — as I believe is the popular belief 

 in relation to this quality — nor because a larger quantity of pow- 

 der can be used, although it has that advantage ; but because 



