74 THE GUN: AFIELD AND AFLOAT 



dangerous pressure. Moisture, of course, exerts an 

 adverse influence upon the action of a powder, in a 

 direction entirely opposite to that last named. Powder- 

 manufacture, however, has advanced several stages in 

 recent years, for some of the new explosives are little 

 affected either by drying or by moisture. Nitros of 

 the gelatinous form, especially, are practically imper- 

 vious to damp, so much so in fact that after actual 

 immersion in water their shooting properties are not 

 appreciably affected. 



The day for rule-of-thumb methods in respect of 

 guns and their charges has passed beyond recall. On 

 looking at the intricate mechanism of modern sporting 

 arms, the scientific exactitude of their chambering, their 

 cartridge-case and wadding ; as, also, the chemical 

 knowledge displayed in the production of highly-sensi- 

 tive explosives, both of ignition and propulsion, it is 

 at once apparent that gun-making and cartridge-loading 

 must of necessity be conducted on a highly-scientific 

 basis. Variations amounting to but a few thousandths 

 of an inch in the measurement of cartridge or of cart- 

 ridge-chamber may materially affect the shooting of 

 guns. In recent years, gun-makers have come to fully 

 recognize this fact, and the need for remedial measures, 

 with the result that great improvements have recently 

 been effected in the way of standardization of the 

 chambers and cartridge cases of guns of each denomi- 

 nation. The loading of cartridges has at length been 

 brought to a great pitch of perfection by the introduc- 

 tion of highly-ingenious mechanical appliances for 

 carrying out the work evenly, and on the large scale 

 requisite in large cartridge-manufacturing and loading 

 factories such as those of Kynoch of Birmingham, or 



