376 FIRE-ARMS 



work. The first includes the barrel, the lock, and the mounting, with tho oayonet 

 and ramrod, for military arms. The second comprises the stock, and in fowling-pieces 

 likewise the ramrod. 



The Barrel. Its interior is called the bore ; its diameter, the calibre ; tho back 

 end, tho breech ; the front end, tho muzzle ; and tho closing of tho back end, tho breech 

 pin or plug. The barrel is generally made of iron. Most military muskets and 

 low-priced guns were formerly fashioned out of a long slip of sheet-iron foldod to- 

 gether edge-wise round a skewer into a cylinder ; they wore then lapped over at the 

 seam, and welded at a white heat. Tho most ductile and tenacious soft iron, free from 

 all blemishes, must bo selected for this slip. It is frequently welded at the common 

 forge, but a proper air-furnace answers better, not being so apt to burn tho iron, 

 which should bo covered with ashes or cinders. The shape of tho bore is given by 

 hammering the cylinder upon a steel mandril, in a groove of the anvil. Six inches of 

 the barrel at either end are loft open for forming the breech and the muzzle by a sub- 

 sequent welding operation ; the extremity put into tho fire being stopped with clay, 

 to prevent the introduction of cinders. For every length of two inches, there are 

 from two to three welding operations, divided into alternating high and low heats ; 

 tho latter being intended to correct the defects of the former. The breech and muz/.lo 

 aro not welded upon the mandril, but upon the horn of the anvil ; the breech, being 

 thicker in tho metal, is more highly heated, and is made somewhat wider to save 

 labour to the borer. The barrel is finally hammered in the groove of the anvil with- 

 out the mandril, during which process it receives a heat every two minutes. In 

 welding, the barrel extends about one-third in length ; and for muskets, is even- 

 tually left from 3 to 3^ feet long ; but for cavalry pistols, only 9 inches. 



The best iron plates for gun-barrels are those made of stub iron ; that is, of old 

 horse-shoe nails welded together, and forged into thin bars, or rather narrow ribands. 

 Atone time damascus barrels were much in vogue; they were fashioned either as above 

 described, from plates made of bars of iron and steel laid parallel, and welded together, 

 or from ribands of the same damascus stuff coiled into a cylinder at a red heat, and then 

 welded together at the seams. The best modern barrels for fowling-pieces and tho 

 modern rifles are constructed of stub nail-iron in this manner. Tho slip or fillet is 

 only half an inch broad, or sometimes less, and is left thicker at the end which is to 

 form the breech, and thinner at the end which is to form the muzzle, than in the 

 intermediate portion. This fillet, being moderately heated to increase its pliancy, is 

 then lapped round the mandril in a spiral direction till a proper length of cylinder is 

 formed ; the edges being made to overlap a little in order to give them a better hold 

 in the welding process. The coil, being taken off the mandril and again heated, is 

 struck down vertically with its muzzle end upon tho anvil, whereby the spiral junc- 

 tions aro made closer and more uniform. It is now welded at several successive heats, 

 hammered by horizontal strokes, called jumping, and brought into proper shape on tho 

 mandril. The finer barrels are made of still narrower stub-iron slips, whence they 

 get the name of wire twist. On the Continent, some barrels aro made of steel wire, 

 welded together lengthwise, then coiled spirally into a cylinder. Barrels that aro 

 to be rifled, require to be made of thicker iron, and that of tho very best quality, 

 for they would be spoiled by tho least portion of scale upon their inside. Soldiers' 

 muskets are thickened a little at the muzzle, to give a stout holding to tho bayonet. 



The barrels thus made are annealed with a gentle heat in a proper furnace, and 

 slowly cooled. They are now ready for the borer, which is an oblong square bit of 

 steel, pressed in its rotation against the barrel by a lip of wood applied to one of its 

 flat sides and held in its place by a ring of metal. The boring bench works horizon- 

 tally, and has a very shaky appearance, in respect at least of the bit. In some cases, 

 however, it has been attempted to work the barrels and bits at an inclination to the 

 horizon of 30, in order to facilitate tho discharge of tho borings. Tho barrel is held in 

 u slot by only one point, to allow it to humour tho movements of tho borer, which 



would otherwise bo infallibly 



" broken. The bit, as represented 



$~. ^TTTI ' ^ in fig. 868, has merely its square 



869 head inserted into a clamp- 



chuck of tho lathe, and plays 

 freely through tho rest of its 



\g. 869 represents in plan 

 tho boring bench for musket 

 barrels ; // is the sledge or 

 carriage frame in whieh tho 

 barrel is supported ; a is the revolving chuck ot the lathe, into which the square end 

 of the bit,/^. 868, is inserted; b is the barrel, clamped at its middle to the carriage, 



