172 Testing the Value of Guns by Firing under Water. 



On carefully examining the figures in this table, it will be 

 seen that when the U. S. Model rifle or Sharp's rifle is used 

 exactly the same results are obtained ; that is to say, the 

 board would be penetrated at a distance of 4 feet 1 1-2 inches, 

 while in the case of the U. S. Army rifle, with the packed 

 cartridge, the board had to be 1 7-8 inches nearer the rifle, or 

 at a distance of 3 feet 9 5-8 inches. One inch and seven-eighths 

 through water is equivalent to 120.31 feet through the air ; it 

 seems, therefore, that the IL S. Army rifle is very inferior to 

 the other two. Even with 90 grains of powder and 542+ grains 

 of bullet, as shown by Table 7, it is greatly inferior to the U. 

 S. Model. . 



On examining the shape of the bullets employed, I found 

 that while the bullets used in the cartridges for both the U.S. 

 Model and Sharp's rifles were conical, those employed in the 

 cartridges for the army rifle were quite blunt, Fearing that 

 the shape of the bullet offered some resistance to its progress, 

 I carefully cut the bullet of the army rifle cartridges quite 

 conical, but found in several experiments, that only a differ- 

 ence of 3-8 of an inch was made ; — that is to say, that when 

 the blunt bullet was used, the board was penetrated at 3 feet 



9 5-8 inches, and when the conical bullet was used, at 3 feet 



10 inches. 



When cartridges were used containing the powder loose, by 

 examining Table 12 it will be seen that the results are very 

 variable, and that the board had to be 1 1-8 inch nearer the 

 rifle, before it could be penetrated. 



In the following table are given the results of the four rifles 



used for experiments, compared with the Austrian Service 



rifle. 



TABLE 13. 



NAME OF RIFLE. 



PENETRATED THE 



WEIGHT OF 



WEIGHT OF 



HEM ARES. 





TARGET AT 



POWDER. 



BULLET. 





U. S. Model. 



3 ft. 11^ inches. 



68 -(-grains. 



450 grains. 



See Table 7 & 1. 



V. S. Model. 



4 " iy x 



70- 



450 



" 11 & 8. 



Sharp's Rifle. 



4 " IK 



70- 



450 



" 10 & 8. 



XJ. S. Army Rifle. 



3 " 10% 



90- 



542 



7 & 2. 



U. S. Army Rifle. 



3 •« 9% 



70- 



450 



9 & 8. 



Spanish Model. 



3 " 10 



72.+ " 



384 



7 & 3. 



Austrian Rifle. 



3 " 3% " 







By Uchatius. 



