AMMUNITION 59 



who uses best metal in his guns, because it is quite easy to 

 build 12 bore shot guns under 5 Ib. that are quite as safe as 

 7 Ib. guns ; and weight is consequently adjusted by reason of 

 the incidence of recoil, and not by reason of the weakness 

 of steel. 



The second proposition is equally groundless, and it is 

 answered by the fact that not one in a hundred men use the 

 fullest choke boring, and if velocity opens out patterns too 

 much, ten shillings spent on a little more choking, by recess at 

 the muzzle, will bring back the pattern in spite of the tendency 

 of the greater velocity to open it out. 



The means adopted by the powder-makers to effect the 

 improvements referred to above have been to lighten the charge 

 of powder, or to compress more fixed gas into a smaller solid 

 weight. This statement more particularly applies to the light 

 (33 grains) bulk powders. By "bulk" is meant those powders 

 that fill the space occupied of old by 42 grain nitro powders in 

 the 3 drams measurer meant for black powder. 



But this does by no means embrace all the possible improve- 

 ments. The 26 grains, and concentrated, powders occupy only 

 about half the space of the bulk powder of whatever specific 

 gravity, and consequently the prospect opens before them of 

 making use of their 80 times power of expansion in the barrel, 

 instead of the 40 expansion power of the bulk powders. This 

 is not as great a possible improvement as it sounds, but it is a 

 large one all the same. At present the coned cases used for 

 this class of nitro powder bring it down below its possibilities, 

 because, as these cones stretch under powder-gas pressure, it is 

 similar in effect to the powder occupying more space in the 

 chamber, and negatives a great part of its capacity for double 

 expansions of other powders within the barrel. At present 

 the makers of condensed powders have not been strong enough 

 to get gun chambers generally shortened to suit them, and thus 

 they are condemned to compete handicapped ; but if we were 

 starting to design guns afresh, and were not bound by precedent 

 and the necessity of sometimes borrowing cartridges and lending 

 them, gun chambers and cartridges would be shortened to make 



