CARELESS LOADING. 157 



little more or a little less will cause a great vertical 

 deviation in the flight of the bullet. Care should 

 be taken to keep the barrel upright when pouring 

 in the charge, so that the grains of powder may 

 not adhere to the sides of the barrel, which would 

 foul and impede the passage of the bullet. 



The bullet should not fit too loosely nor yet be 

 so large as to require hammering, in order to force 

 it down, as in the former case it is liable " to 

 strip " for pass out of the barrel without taking 

 the rifling, and gaining the spiral motion), and in 

 the latter it will have ragged edges, which will 

 cause it to diverge from its true direction in its 

 flight through the air. 



In pressing down the bullet, although great 

 care should be taken to drive it properly home, 

 much force should not be employed, as, by ram- 

 ming and jamming with the ramrod, the shape of 

 the bullet is 'altered and spoiled, which much 

 affects its true flight, and the powder is " mealed" 

 and "caked," by which the strength of the 

 charge in much diminished, as a certain amount 



