RIFLE, OR RIFLED. 



RIFLE, OR RIFLED. 



nice*) ar contrived to bo charged at the breech, where the piece ii for 

 this purpose tufcle larger than in any other part ; and the powder and 

 bullet are put in through the aide of the barrel by an opening, which, 

 when the piece U loaded, U filled up by a screw. By thi means, 

 when the piece' U fired, the bullet U forced through the rifles, and 

 acquire* the same spiral motion aa in the former kind of piece*. And 

 perhaps eomewhat of thi kind. tl. 'U^li n.-t in the manner now 

 practMed, would be, of all other*, the mott perfect method for the 

 construction of the*> barrels." 



Thin prooeas baa been carried out very successfully in the IV 

 needle-gun, and varioun other breech-loading muskets, and in the 

 Arnutroog gun. [Riruo OKDHAXOC.] Though space will not permit 

 . !' our deccribing the needle-gun, we may mention that there is no 

 nipple and cap used, but the detonating powder being contained in a 

 wooden sabot at the bate of the bullet, a needle is driven forward by 

 the look on the trigger being pulled, and forcing through the powder 

 in the cartridge, ignite* the detonating powder at the other end. The 

 naedlo being rery liable to injury, a form of cartridge with the deto- 

 nating composition at the back uf the charge baa been adopted 

 successfully. Breech-leaden, beside* increasing the rapidity of tiro, 

 enable the soldier to load without exposing himself whiUt doing so, 

 which is sometimes a great object, as, tor instance, in a square. 



To return to muzzle loader*. In 1827, M. Delvigiie, a French 

 officer, proposed to increase the facility of loading by giving the rifle a 

 chamber, as >/. 4 ; the bullet being smaller than the bore is easily 



Fig. 4. 



Fig. 5. 



a, 



Section. 



rig. e. 



loaded, and when on the chamber a few smart blows with the ramrod 

 expands it into the grooves. It did not, however, succeed well on 

 mice, for powder lodged on the shoulders of the chamber and the 

 rifle fouled. In 1842, Colonel Thourenin, also a French officer, invented 

 the " carabine-a-tige," see fg. 5. The action is the same as with the 

 Delvigne chamber, and needs no explanation. It answered better, but 

 there were many disadvantages. The bullet in both cases is knocked 

 out of shape. The tige, or steel stem, is liable to injury, and from its 

 position takes up much space, elongating the charge and placing it at a 

 mechanical disadvantage in its ignition. H. Delvigne then proposed 

 the elongated bullet, as shown in fy. 6, which was a great improve- 

 ment, and it was introduced into the French service with the cara- 

 bine-a-tige. 



M. Minie then proposed an expanding bullet, of the form shown in 

 fg. 6, with an iron cup or plug a, in the hollow base 6. This remedied 

 all the disadvantages of the carabine-a-tige. The 

 bullet can be easily rammed down, and the iron cup 

 having a lass specific gravity than the lead is driven 

 forward by the explosion and assists in expanding the 

 bullet. It is but justice to Captain Norton to state 

 that he proposed an expanding bullet on the same 

 principle many years before. It is, however, not 

 absolutely necessary to have a hollow base and plug 

 in order to make the bullet expand. A hollow base 

 alone, or indeed a solid cylinder, if long enough, will 

 expand, though not quite so much. The powder 

 acting like a blow drives the base forward before the 

 inertia of the fore part is overcome, and expands it at 

 the shoulder. 



A rifle on the Minid principle was adopted into the English service 

 in 1861. In 1852 Lord Hardinge appointed a committee to investi- 

 gate the question of rifled arms, and they in 1853 adopted a modifica- 

 tion of the bullet and arm proposed by Mr. Pritchett. Fig. 7 shows 

 the bullet first adopted, without a plug. This bullet, having only a 

 slight windage, was found to foul. One with a boxwood plug and 

 greater windage was then adopted. Pigi. 8 and 9 show the bullet; and 

 Jig. 10 the cartridge. The cartridges may be made with two diflereat 

 pieces of paper, one thicker than the other ; but the best form U made 

 of two seamless bags. Into the larger the bullet is forced base fore- 



. 



most to the bottom, the smaller is then pushed in on to the point of 

 the bullet, and filled with powder, the ends pasted, up, and the base 



.Fig. 8. 



Fig. 9. 



z\ 



Section. 



r 



Section. 



Fig. 10. 



Section. 



round tho bullet dipped into a lubricator, a mixture of tallow and bees' 

 wax. In loading, the end of the cartridge is opened and the powder 

 poured in, the bullet is then reversed into the muzzle ; when down 

 to the shoulder, the upper portion of the cartridge paper to where the 

 inner case comes down to, is torn off, and the bullet pushed down 

 with the ramrod. This is incomparably the best arm that any troops 

 have yet been armed with, though it may not be tho best weapon 

 invented. It is wholly made by machinery, at least all those manu- 

 factured at the Government factory at Enfield (whence its name). 

 This gives it the great advantage for a military weapon, besides per- 

 fection in accuracy, of having all its parts interchangeable with other 

 arms of the same construction. The dimensions, &c., of the Enfield 

 rilled musket are 



Weight, with bayonet . . . . 



Barrel, weight 



Length 



Bore, cylindrical diameter . . . 



3 grooves, uniform twist, one turn in . 



Inclination, therefore . . . , 



Width of grooves ...... 



Depth at breech 



,, at muzzle ...*., 

 Lock swivel 



Mainspring, draws at half-cock . . . 



Ser spring draws ...... 



Pull of lock 



Trigger draws 



Charge, powder 2J drams, F. G. 

 Bullet, expanding, with box-wood plug 



Diameter, formerly '508 in., now reduced to 



Length 



Weight 



Weight of 60 rounds of ammunition, with caps 



9 Ibs. Soz. 

 4 Ibs. 2oz. 

 3 ft. 8 in. 

 j?7 in. 

 Oft. 6 in. 

 1" 19' 11" 

 262 in. 

 015 in. 

 OOSin. 



15 Ibs. to 16 Ibs. 



7 Ibs. to 8 Ibs. 

 131te. to 14 IDS. 



7 Ibs. to 8 Ibs. 



55 in. 

 1-05 in. 

 620 grains. 

 5 Ibs. 8 07.. 



The Old Musket, with a bore of -753, weighed . 11 Ibs. 3 oz. 

 And the ammunition ..... 6 Ibs. lOoz. 



Good practice may be made with the EnSeld up to 900 yards, to 

 which distance it is sighted. The above are the dimensions of what 



Fig. 12. 



Fig. 11. 





Fig. 13. 



is called the Long Enfield there is a shorter arm for the Rifles, &c., 

 the dimensions of which it is not necessary to particularise. A sword 

 bayonet is used instead of the ordinary bayonet, but for many reasons 

 it is more than doubtful whether the short rifle, with the accompany- 

 ing awkward sword, is a more appropriate weapon. The cavalry are 



