ORDNANCE. 



635 



been e.en more remarkable than those -which 

 have been made in cannon. The old classifi- 

 cation of breech and muzzle loaders is still 

 maintained ; but while, for the greatest possible 

 accuracy in target-shooting, or that capacity 

 for hitting with almost unerring certainty a 

 small object at very long range, which has been 

 displayed by some of our sharpshooters, the 

 American target rifle, with its " telescopic 

 eight," "false muzzle," and "starter," have no 

 equal, the weapon is too heavy (weighing from 

 26 to 50 Ibs.), and too delicately constructed, 

 to answer for military service or for hunting, 

 where it must be carried by the huntsman. 

 The Springfield government rifle, a muzzle 

 loading weapon without the adjuncts named, 

 to insure perfect accuracy, is nevertheless as 

 good a muzzle-loading rifle as can be made for 

 military use, where weight, facility of carriage, 

 and ease of handling are concerned. 



It is worthy of note, however, that all the 

 improvements in the rifle which have been made 

 within ten years past have been confined to the 

 breech-loading weapon. Breech-loading guns 

 may be divided into two general classes, the 

 first including those which may be loaded with 

 loose powder and ball, or a paper, linen, or meta. 

 cartridge requiring a cap for its ignition, and 

 the second those which use a metallic cartridge, 

 having the fulminating composition in its base, 

 which is fired by a blow of the hammer directly 

 upon the cartridge itself. This last class may 

 be further subdivided into those which use only 

 a single metallic cartridge, and require reload- 

 ing after each shot, and the magazine, or repeat- 

 ing rifle, in which a number of cartridges are 

 inserted in a receptacle prepared for them, and 

 which may then be fired in rapid succession till 

 the magazine is emptied. 



The metallic cartridge certainly possesses 



Merrill Ei3e in position for cleaning. 



Merrill's Sportin 



