broke a number of screens in succession. The method 

 does not seem very satisfactory when a group of small 

 shot of divers shapes, movmg with various velocities, is 

 sub^ltuted for a single bullet. It is impossible to insure 

 that all the screens shall be broken by the fastest, or even 

 by average shots, so that irregularities are introduced 

 which require a good deal of smoothing over. 



Apart, however, from any question of accuracy of 

 results, there is a fundamental difference between the 

 latest "Field" experiments and those obtained by Mr. 

 Griffiths, which latter are in close agreement with a series 

 of preliminary experiments made by the "Field" and 

 published in their issue of October 24th, 1903. 



For example, in Mr. Griffiths' experiments the velocity 

 with 42 grains Schultze and 1 ^ oz. shot, measured over 

 20 yards, is, for No. 7 shot, 1 ,008 ft. per second ; for 

 No. 3 shot, 1 ,064 ft. per second ; a difference of 56 ft. 

 in favour of the larger shot. 



In the preliminary "Field" experiments similar charges, 

 under similar conditions, give 1 ,008 ft. per second for 

 No. 7 shot, and 1 ,058 ft. per second for No. 3 shot, the 

 figures with intermediate sizes of shot being also consistent. 

 The "Field" final conclusion, arrived at from later 

 experiments, is that the velocity measured over 20 yards 

 is the same for all sizes of shot, whether fired in choke 

 or cylinder barrels. This conclusion, based on 20 shots 

 selected out of 40 shots fired in one gun, cannot, un- 

 fortunately, be accepted as generally true. We have 

 hitherto been of opinion that the muzzle velocities were 

 higher with the larger sizes of shot, and our own recent 

 experiments, in a variety of guns, tend to confirm the 



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