138 WINDAGE. 



to keep it in its true course, and prevents any 

 inclination it may have to deviate from it, owing 

 to irregularity in shape or weight. 



The diameter of the bore of an 



Windage. 



Enfield rifle is *577, but that of the 



bullet is rather less, in order to facilitate the 

 loading. This difference in size i.e., the differ- 

 ence between the circumference of the bullet and 

 the bore leaves a space between the bullet and 

 the bore, termed the windage, which was the 

 principal cause of the inefficiency of the old 

 " Brown Bess," for two reasons the first, because 

 a great part of the explosive force, or gas gene- 

 rated by the ignition of the powder, was lost, as 

 it escaped by the space between the bullet and 

 the side of the bore ; and, secondly, because this 

 irregular escape caused the ball to rebound from 

 side to side in the barrel, instead of passing 

 evenly through the bore, and the consequence of 

 this was that it took an erratic impetus through- 

 out its flight. 



