248 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[OoTOBBE 28, 1880.] 



Lave ahvaysiiiiny Trorli encleavorrrl to avoid tliisment.iil preju- 

 dice, nnd'bavo tlicreforn, TvliPiif-ver p(_.ssiblc, workr;d in this 

 muiiner; viz.., I ^v^■ir,e (Imvii tlie iiiunlicrs trivcn liy llic exper- 

 iments as they arc successively idihIc, ami dd not rediiec or 

 COBipiu'e 1,liem till after the v.dKile series lias Ijeen finished. 

 Tie reader will therefore find in my icsults apimrent anrnria- 

 TiBS, even contradictions, or, irynii ijlease, alisurdilies. These 

 anonialie.i are those nnmber.s ■vvliich always ealeh tlie eye of 

 him who does not know, fi-oin experience, "llie dinienlliis and 

 exliausling toil of a protracted series of delicate espeiinieiits; 

 and on these anomalies liewll d%vel! td theexclnsion of whal, 

 in the main, the exiierlnients conclusively sliow. To such I 

 sa.r, Willi the experience of lAventv-five veiirs of experiinenl- 

 ing: Wake the experiments for y'onrself and do heller, and 

 for your lipllcr work science will he indebted and will ,siu-ely 

 credit you with your superior skill and patiene(;. Eaeli e\|)cr- 

 imenbal invest ii^alicai is a step in progress to somcthiiiL,' l)pl- 

 ter; but. wilhniij, I lie first step is made the lirmer Ireail will 

 not he gained. C'lft If pnn,!! r 2^<is rpii cwl. 



Nature, however, does not work in an .<inomal(ius, contra- 

 dictory or al.Rur.i iniiinHT. Tie se luiomalics are of our own 

 prodne'; 1 I!,' ',.. ,1- ■■ .n ^<■^■ : , il;.' error.s of the appar.ahis 



WGUse,' ■ 'Iiii I-- ill the pbenoinena which 



accoiii]-i.ii.v ! -:.v.;! ',r, j.r,- iii ij:;;i i\- ,,i.iidviii^. The apparatus 



detects ;nid nie;isures holh of these cl:i:--.i-y .: ,,■!!.., ,-■, ;mil it is 



the office of llie inveslii:-ator, after his : ' ■ • e :;;ve bec^n 



finislied, to unravel om- from tlieollni : ;■; sample, 



ill the fiighl of sliol we Ivp-- ir-e-v .im,v;„u i„. li,,:-, .,i;,l tlievdo 

 not all move with tl.- :, -'■■.. K.i lippjirarus known 

 can gi\'e the velocitv < i ■ >■ i' , i ; i :. ehartce so that we iiiav 

 t herein im deduce tlie :i.i .M_L I nil v of the chara'c. So it 

 happens that with piini^^i- of I-roe slir,i, when vou have Irwer 

 pellets, anil espeeiallv when lliese eliaru-es are 'shot over •rrcat 

 distances, some pellJts of highspeed may strike tlie taruel and 

 record their velocity, while in the next experinicnt, |iellets 

 ■with lower velocity may recoi-d tliemselves: and tliis -will un- 

 avoidably happen,"no niailia- how accurately we hold the gun 

 on to ifie target. Bur these very differences sliown in'ihe 

 time of Qight''of the various pellet.s point out an inleiestinc 

 and imporlanl fact; .showing that such work as uehiive bei^uii 

 requires a long time for its completion, for the measures of 

 the velocities of many charges of the .same weight of powder 

 and sliot must be niade to get tbe nrcra.ge velocity of idl the 

 pellet.S. It nuiy be here asked w)iy 1 did not do this. To tliis 

 question I reply that I cannot afford to give a year of time to 

 make the first, step in tliis subject of invest igal ion. A rich 

 field 1 have pointed out lor other experimenters to enter: and 

 I trust that since our large American arms manufacturers are 

 now makiuff t'owling-pieees tlie\- will deviite a mite of llieir 

 profits to just such iuve.Migalions as tiiis one, on whii-h I have 

 spent much of my tlioughl, time and iirivaie means. 



The errors of tl'ie records of the apparatus itself can easily 

 beinvesliiialcd, and thev liave lieen accuralelv dcterrnineii. 

 They are exceedingly minute and cannot atVect iqiprecialily 

 the results of our experiments. 



The deductions ■nhich I make fi'oni these ex]-ieriments are 

 those which tliese experiment.s show, and not what may lie 

 shown In the exiieriments of others. T give these experiments 

 of mine as eutnely independent evidence on thesubjecl of the 

 velocity of shot, and of co\n-se my renders inny give them 

 just a.s'liftle or as gi'cat weight as Itieir individual judgments 

 inay determuie. That they have been cou.scientiously and 

 carefully made uo one will doubt who has had any experience 

 in the use of chronoscopes used in measuring the velocity of 

 projectiles. 



I do not tliink that the sportsman and experimental physi- 

 cist are often fomid in one iierson. even in this countiy— still 

 less in Europe. From m_\' youth 1 have heen devoted to every- 

 thing relating to the gun. and this experience has, Ipresume, 

 given me ,an advantage in tbis investigation over other jihysi- 

 ci.9ts. I had also the good fortune io have had a brother 

 sport.';man and experimenter for m_v assistant — Professor B. 

 F. TJiomas, now of the fjuiversity of 3Iissouri — who enler;'d 

 enthu.sia.stically into this work, aiding me with his ingenuity 

 as an experimenter and wilh bis suggestions derived from his 

 extensive experience as a sjiortsman. 



JJemriptiiin of Hi,' C!iroiio.-'i''-.pf nnd a DeteitiUnatian of ihe 

 Mi-i'jnitude rf Ihc Error in. Hd JRmtlU. 



The chronoscope used in these experiments is very simiile. 

 It consists of a metal cylinder turning on an axle on which is 

 cut a screw. This screw moves in a'stationary nut, anil this 

 arrangement gives the cylinder a lateral motion when it is re- 

 volved on its'axle. The cylinder is covered with fine print- 

 ing paper, which is then smoked wilh bru-ning camphor. A 

 runiug-fork is screwed into one end of a thick piece of 

 woodT The other end of tliis piece of wood is hinged on to a 

 base. To the end of one of tbe jjrongs of the fork is cemented 

 with shellac a small triangular piece of foil. The fork is vi- 

 brated by a bow, and then the hinged board is brought down 

 against a stop 80 adjusted that the point of the foil on Ihe 

 fork just touches the smoked yiaper. On now turning the 

 cylinder a wavytrace will be written on it by the vibrations 

 of the fork. 



To determine the number of yibralions made in one second 

 by the fork, a good clock, accm-ately rated, sent at each 

 second an electric spark from an indnclion coil out of the 

 tracing point and through the paper. Thus tbe sinuous traces 

 of the fork were punctured by electric sparks. The number 

 of waves of the fork's trace contained between two of these 

 punclivrcs is the number of vibrations made bj' the fork in 

 one second. A multitude of experiments .showed that the 

 r.anecofthe determination of ttie number of vibrations per 

 Eccond of the fork was \-ery small, and the means of several 

 such mea.sures tlid not vary from one another by more than 

 i-:Oth of a vibralion, or, expressed in time, the variation did 

 not, surpass the l-2.5600tli of a second. This fact showed that 

 the chronoscope, so far as its records were concerned, was 

 sufficiently constant and accurate formeasiues on the velocity 

 of nrojectiles. 



The effect of temperatm-e on the viVratory period of tbe fork 

 had been determined in a previous research. It amomtts to 

 an inca-ease of .00004.5 of the periodic time of the fork's 

 Tjbation for an increase of 1 de.g. Fahr. in the temperature of 

 the fork. 



The guns used in the experiments had rebounding locks. 

 The primary current of an induction coil passed throu.gh a 

 hreak-piece fixed under the rebomiding hammer, so that at 

 the instant the cartridge was exploded the electric ciurent 

 Was broken and then immediately formed again. The ciuTent 

 ■which passed throu.gh this break-piece was led by a wire to 

 an upright piece of tin plate whose front surface leaned 

 against a thick copper -wire. Another "wire led from the tin 

 plate ('which stood* in a shallow trffugh of mercury) back to 

 the battery. One terminal of the secondary «oil of the icduc- 

 toriuni is connected -with the axis of the metal cylinder, the 

 other terminal with the foot of the fork. 



This chronoscope is worked as follows : One person vibrates 



the fork with a bow, .and then brin3-3 the pointed foil dov,-non 

 the smoked paper, and rotates the evliiider. Wliile the fork 

 is marking its sinuous trace he cries ^'fire," and the other 

 person discharijes the gun at Ihe tin phile. At the in.staut 

 the cartridge explodes a minule .=park issues from the tracing 

 point of the fork and cuts a small' bole through the blackened 

 paper in the sinuous trace of lue fork, and when the tin plate 

 is knocl.:ed over by the shot another similar spark flies fi'om 

 the tracing ixiint.' 



\\'e know the distance between the brench of the gun and 

 tlie tin plate, the number of tlexures in the trace of tlie fork 

 contained belwecn the two spark holes gives the time the shot 

 took 10 go over tlie known distance, whence the velocity of 

 the shot'per Hecond is readily computed. 



The fork used in Ihese evperiiniiii- ; , - ■: - i J^ti vibra- 

 tions, or llexures. in the Haii : ■ il' there 



should appear ;".2 flr-viiris Ik'Iv ., . i..'esthe 



rer-ord would e'ive 3'y2.-)(it1i. or oim> uui.u oi a .. .;o„d for the 

 linn- of !1ih1i| of till- shot from slic trnn to the djslani lartrei,. 

 Two s-uis were used in tlicse exiieriments, one of li the 

 olher of 11) iiauge. T\u-x \\ere •■ full choke-bored," and were 

 choked exactly alike. Thev \veiv made by the Colt Aj-ms 

 Manufacturing Co., of Itartforrl. ( 'i. 



The following tallies give lie' results of om' experiments: 



]. Ill Colt gun, i) are. Curtis &UaiTC.v powder, 1 if "tw, sliOt. 



Size 111 snot. Vel-itdyas. A'el.40yclB. TeLSByfe 



N'l. iviuck , litis lOOT — 



[■F 1147 llSii — 



riH n4(i ti2fi — 



.Nm. ;;■ IftCO 1015 92S 



1012 



itas 



tioa 



IC 



No. ni 



II. 10 Colt gun, 4 ara. Cuills is Hurvey powder, tv o/- ol shot. 

 Xo.lhiick lOsT Mis — 



PF 1017 10l» 9fi7 



No. 10 SilS — T8« 069 



rrr, 12 coit g«a, 3.v drs. ouiiis & Harve.v powaer, 1 .'„ oz. of siiot. 

 No.lhuck., ...... — — — 



8M 



SKI 



TS9 

 74» 

 CSII 



C07 

 01(1 



No. 10 



IV. 12 Colt gun, 4 (U-s. Ourtlii k aarvey powder, 1 v ok. oI shot. 



NO.S, ,. S-IT 722 int 



NO.IO ,.,.. 748 657 S96 



Each measure of velocity given in Ihesi' fables is Ihe mean 

 Aalueoblaincdfrom sever'alesperiments, varvimr ni number 

 from three to .six. 1, The headiiiL'-s. ■• veloeilv. yo, 40 and HO 

 vards," mean that tlie numbers under Ibem .give tbe avera.ge 

 velocilies of the flight of shot, over the.se dislaiiceB, and not \,\h- 

 velocilies at oO. 40 and liftv vards from the liun. 



It will be observed that 'llie shot used were Kos. 10. 8, 6. 3, 

 BC. 'PF, and No. 1 buck shott. They were so Selected be- 

 cause a pellet of any mimbw' in the above series weighs very 

 nearly double the preceding one. Thus, a pellet of No. W 

 weighs doulile one of No. I6, n pellet of No. weighs double 

 one of No. 8, and so on. These relations of weight among 

 the pellets were ohtaincd so that I could readily retmh the re- 

 lations exialing between the velocity of gun-shot and the 

 weight of the pellet. The shot u.sed was kindU- furnished me 

 by Talham & Bros., of New York, who used carefully gauged 

 sieves in their manufacture. The jiowder u.sed was (Jurtis A- 

 llarvev's Biamond Grain No. (i. The powder and shot in 

 each earl ridgi' lirid had been curi'ftdly weighed out in an nc- 

 cnraie balance. 



A glance at Ihe tables at oncp shows the rapid increase in 

 the velocitv of tnm-shot from No. 10 up to No. :). With the 

 heavier iii-ilelR the in* ri'ase in velocity i.s less marked. Tlm.s, 

 the table headed " Id Colt gun, 4 ,hs., Curtis <t Harvey, l.j 

 oz. shot," .shows that No. 8 shot has 7i feet per second ve- 

 ocity over No. 10 shot, and No. (5 has 40 feit over .No. s. 

 wliile No. 3 has only Si feet over No. (I, and BB shoi gains 

 only n feel over No. S. 



The relations between velocity and weight of pellet shown 

 in this table nia.y be taken as a type of a^l Ihe experiments, 

 aud I have gi-aphically shown 'ibeir relations in the accom- 

 ptmj'mg curve. 









1 









^ --^^ 





yyo- 





// 







97° 1 



/ 



^ 









/ 









950 













/ 









890 



/ 









870 











B&o 











030, 



DB 



6 



5 B 



B ^ 



Tlie divisions on th,, 

 upward, give fh.. m:I 

 unit on this seal/ e.|! 

 unit of the scale inra- 

 etpials one uni. 1 

 of No. 10 shot ■ 

 hers of the sho 

 locities on the i 



:■, measured from the liottom line 

 yier second of the pellets. One 

 .'ij frri of tlisht of a jiellet, aud a 

 110,11 riirht to left on the diagram, 

 ; iiellet. The weight of a pellet 

 1- I hi- unit of weight. The uuin- 

 iirider tiie horizontal Ime ; the ve- 

 the curve intersects tliese 



lines we find the velocity given on Ihe vertit.'al .seali 

 ponding to tbe number or weiLdit of shot given on the hori- 

 zontal line of the diagi-am. 



Professor Rice has found that this curve can be expressed 

 by a mathematical formula. The curye ja very nearly the 

 curve of secants, and the formula for it iS; 

 2/ —1 -x-nn 

 — = sec. . — — 

 b a 



Denotinc bv ,r the velocity, by .1/ the weight of a pellet, and «-, 

 b and n beiiiL' nndeleniiined constants. 



This mavlnieresl if not iiiuuse some of ni}" readers who 

 may remendjer a little of their ma'hematics. But the thought 

 thai shooiiiii' liv mathematics will be found very miprofitable 

 may console" hose .^portsmen vrho have had tlie pleasure to 

 forget all the formula they had ever learned. 



So far as Ihe experiments with these two special guns show, 

 thereisnortouhtagreat superiority in the Iftoverthe 12-gM\ge 



gun. when each is loaded with tbe same -weight of powiler 

 and shot. Thus, with llie same chai'iies of pow^rlcr and shot 

 (4 drs. powder aiirf U o-/. .shot) fired t"rom the 10-gauge, gives 

 a velocily of 1(10 feet per s.'cond more than llial given by the 

 13-gauge1 The fact is ceinelusivelv shown in the conip rison 

 of the figures in the two labh-s I'leaded "10 Coll gim, 4 drs. 

 C. & H.' powder and H '-'''■■ >;hot," and 13 Colt gun, 4 drs. C. 

 & H. powder, 1| oz. siioi ;" and the difl'erence in velocity in 

 favor of the lO-gange was in each of the sixly separate ex- 

 periments, which were miifletogel the mimbers icontainod 

 in the above mentioned tables) on the lines of No. 8 and No. 

 10 shot. 



With No. 10 shot the mean velocity .given by the 10-gauge 

 gun over the first 30 yards is 848 feet. With the same charge 

 in the 12-gaui;e the velocil v is T48 feet, showing a dillei-encc 

 of 100 feet i'ii favor of th"e lO-gauge. T\ ilh No. 8 shot the 

 difference amomits to 12 feet. The average clifFerence in 

 favfir of Ihe tO-gaiige in the Uight of shot Nos. 8 and 10 over 

 10 vards ainoimts to 110 feci. 



we assume, as we certakdy may without grave error, that 



.■Inuion of shot varies as the square of its velocity, 



periments will dve the relative penetrations of the 10 



to the 1'3-gauge about its i) is to 7. These experiments show 



nt in favor of small-bore iruns is one 



It appears that a 10, ur'even an 8- 



Hlbs. weight, would bo the best fowU 



oting. 



t\s sncli supei-iorit.y over tlic 13 ma3- 

 be accomited for by the fact that the sanie charge occupies 

 less length in a 10 than il does in a 13-bore, and hence there 

 are fewer pellets in contact with Ihc banrl of the former 

 than of Ihclaller to oppose by their friction llie projectile 

 force of the powder: and si'coiidlv. ihe j.owdrr in a 10-gauge 

 is exjiloded nearer Ihe eeiilre of its vohime.and thus does nol 

 have so much chance of blasting before il, unbnriit jiowdtr 

 contained in the portion of the charge r-einoved fi-oui Ihc 

 point of ignition. 

 I idso venture to predict Ihal 

 10-n:an«-e will not heat 

 lof Ihesliot losi b\ 

 I 12-gauge cartridgi 



Tf 

 the ,.,e 



that Ihe 

 in the wrong direction. 

 gauge gun. If of .about 

 ing-iiiei'c tor upland sho 

 That the lO-gauge she 



3 tlie 



poses 

 heat. 



The third fact which Ihes: 

 proper diarge of shot in a I 'J 

 is 1^ oz. and not 1| 07,.. as 1: 

 ticetouse; for I he tables si 

 3|- drs. of powder an average 

 fpiircs 4 drs. i.f pe.wder to .gi 

 to thai .aiveii bv 3{ drs. lo i,\ 

 not fired from a gun weighing at 



with the same weight of 

 aincli as the 12, because 

 reater resislance it op. 

 alipear in the form ol 



strong, niusculiir sliouldei 



ilie:^am"nort!!'g!;od_ 



of'' Iho .same simt tli 

 more in a charire of 

 surely tbe want of tli 

 his bird with 4I!1 pellel 



N. 

 least 



■ - -1,,,-iv is that the 

 ■I ujilandslioe.liim' 

 . II - been the prac- 

 \ it'll i-!, ir/.. of shot and 

 is obtained which re- ■ 

 shot a velocity equal 

 ,v, f dr.s. of poAvder, if 

 Ml.s.. and from a good. 



he 



H' 



■ill • 



flisaL'reeulile. 'I'he eJTi 

 the brain, is neither condi 

 oling. The mimber of pellets in a , 

 ; shot is 49!). In a charge of 1^ oz. 



are 449, therefore only 50 pellets \ 



iz. than ill a charge of'l^oz.; tmd 1 



ill not cause a good shot lo miss 



r will the addition of the 50 give 1 



a bad shot any more chance of bringing his bird to bag with 



his 49i) pellets. 



I Avish now to allow to the ass(K;iation, aiid esjteeiully to 

 those members of it who are sportsmen, other applications of 

 these experiments to the art of Rh(jot,iug ou tlie. wnig. 



There are two .styles of sliooting on the wiug— one is called 

 " snap-shooting," Where the shooter, on seleotiiis; the bird 

 which he wislies lo hiiir, quickly brings the gun to his slioiiltler 

 and al the inslani it is in place, lires. If the liird is a croas 

 shot, he deteriuine.s al the moment of fire the distance to 

 which he should direct his gun ahead of its flight, tbis dist- 

 ance depending on the velocity of the bird's flight aud on his 

 distance from 11, This inniiner of .shooting is pracliced the 

 more generally by upland gunners in shooting quail, grouse 

 and woodcock. 



The other stvle of shooting may he designated as "the 

 swing sliol," in which the gunner swiugs his gun ahead of 

 tlie cross flight of the hird till he atliiins the propei" distance . 

 ahead of it, and then fires: hut he keeps his gun moving 

 with a regular angulai' velocity till even after its discliarge^ 

 Tliis method of shooting ia, in my opinion and from my e.\- 

 periencc, the proper me'lhod whenever it can be practiced, 

 and ia certainly the only one which has been found successful 

 in tbe shooting of bay fowl, as ducks, liraul and wild geese. 

 Vet there are "sportsmen who will contend that they mtrelv 

 follow the bird with the gun, and discharge it whUe it is 

 jioiiiUnc- directly al the liird. 1 pnl Ihis opinion to Ihc tcs 

 this suimiier in Ihe following manner: Koiir -Nvillets came 

 over tbe deco\s fl.\ int: in line vilh a good speed. With m.v 

 cmi I followed Ihi^ lirsi bird coolly and accurately, and kep't 

 Uie ,gun moving regularly after its discha.rge. InRlea<l of 

 killiiig the first iiird, tlie tliird from the leader dropped dead. 



To aive a rule applicable to :dl gunners for tiie distance at 

 which' a eim sliould beheld ahead of a bird is not possible. 

 Some siiortsmeii follow a bird, and then after reaching before 

 it the proper distance, suddenly stop the angular motion of 

 the trim and then tire. Otliers, after following iJie bird a 

 short distance, give a quick, lateral motion to the .orun and 

 then fire. Others, asain, bring the goi- !"' 1 i 1' motion 

 aheadof the bird and" keep the gun m. .■xp-ri- 



ence decides the proper disiance iilie.i. I , inl Iheu 



fire while the gun is keeping its piL..,.i„ .,._:....: angular 

 velocit>'. 



For the simple illustration of the beariiig of these experi- 

 ments on the art of shooting on the wing I will suppose thai 

 at the moment of Are the gun is staiiouary ; in other words, I 

 Ihat we are firing "snap shots." If the bird has a velocity I 

 across the line of sight of 30 miles an hour (i. e., 4-lft. per J 

 sec), and we are u.sing charges ill a 13-gauge gun of 3:j- draj 

 of Curtis A. Harvev powder and 1-^- oz. of shot, we will liavfli 

 to shoot about •') feet ahead of the hird if it is Hying at M 

 distance of tiO yards, at 7 feet ahead if at a distance of ^ffl 

 yards, and 11 feet ahead of the hird if at a distance of ofl 



These distances ahead for cross shots at birds flying at the 

 rate of 30 miles an hour may appear out of all rea.son with the 

 experience of niaiiv sporlsmen ; yet if you will place a stick 

 5 feet long at 40 \'ards aud ask the same gunners if they would 

 hold ahead of ri hird li.\ iliat length ii it were going wilh 

 a velocity' of 30 mile^, I venture to say, from my ejcperiments 

 with them, that they will say. "Of course; that is only 

 about 18 inches, " so diitieult is il lo determine a length at a 

 distance while sighting along the barrel of a grni. 



I will conclude with the remark that the study of thi 

 paper will no' make a good shot on the wing, no more thai 

 a description of how to perform on the \-iolin will make ai 

 accomplished violinist. Bui the results of these experiine.ni| 

 are of value, and cannot but improve the shooliug of an i 

 complished sporljinan if they ai-e practically applied. 



It has been said, perhaps rather strongly, "reading .ini 



