502 The Hunting Grounds 



or bore, at an equal distance from each other, of even 

 depth, and making half a turn in the length of the 

 barrel, which is three feet three inches. These 

 grooves, otherwise termed the rifling, give the bullet 

 (an elongated cylindro-conical projectile) a spiral 

 motion, sometimes called the spin or twist, as it flies 

 through the air, point foremost, rotatory on its own 

 axis. This very much increases the accuracy of the 

 flight of the bullet, as it serves 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 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 difference 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 generated 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, in- 

 stead of passing evenly through the bore, and the 

 consequence of this was that it took an erratic 

 impetus throughout its flight, 



