378 
THAT SPECIAL 40-CALIBRE RIFLE. 
Buffalo, Wyo. 
Editor REcREATION: I was much inter- 
ested in a description of the .4o-calibre 
rifle in April RECREATION. The writer re- 
marks that the penetration (17 inches of 
oak at 500 yards) is amazing. So it is, but 
the trajectory he gives is still more so. 
The 500-yards trajectory (15 inches) is im- 
possible and inconsistent with that at 200 
(134 inches), for that means it does not 
lose so much velocity relatively as the .30- 
40 between these 2 distances. That is 
not possible, as the length ef the bullet 
(300 gr.) in proportion to its diameter is 
not so great as that of the .30-40. There- 
fore its co-efficient of air resistance is 
smaller, as is shown by dividing the square 
of the diameter by the weight (=) 
If it were a 400-gr. bullet, which was pro- 
pelled with the same velocity (about 3,000 
f. s. your correspondent suggests), then 
the 2 trajectories given would be nearly 
consistent. But this would cause much 
greater pressure in the chamber and neces- 
sitate a still heavier rifle than 9% pounds. 
An English firm, making a rifle firing a 
400-gr. bullet of .40-calibre, with m. v. of 
2,000 f. s., state in their catalogue that 66 
grains of cordite powder and the shorter 
bullet do not give such.a high pressure 
and recoil as 55 grains (their regular), 
with the long 4o0-gr. bullet. Cordite is the 
English government powder, and. resem- 
bles the new powder mentioned by E. H. 
L., in April RECREATION,in that it is made 
in long strings and cut into exact sizes. 
This, I think, has a decided advantage for 
loading over some flaky powders, such as 
Walsrode, which cling to the charge cup. 
May I ask “4o-Calibre”’ what kind of pow- 
der Wettern is, and what 75 grains is equal 
to in black? I give some figures, which 
may be interesting as bearing on the tra- 
jectory of this special rifle. They are partly 
taken from “Notes on the Rifle,” by Capt. 
Fremantle (published by Vinton & Co., 
London), an eminently readable book. 
Cal. Bullet. Velocity d2 Trajectory. 
grs. at muzzle. w. 300 yds. sco yds. 
-30-40 220 2,060 2.989 14.14in. 4ft.x 
-40-75 (Special) 300 3,000) (7)! 3.733 4u75 ills nS athe 
It will be noticed that the height of the 
curve of the government bullet at 500 is 
about 3% times that at 200, the .yo special 
being made to increase to the same extent 
between the 2 ranges. 
The following figures give a clue to the 
right trajectory at 500 for this .4o rifle: 
Cal. Bullet. Velocity. d2 Trajectory. 
w. 300 yds. sco yds. 
1,300 2.953 2ft.74% 8 ft. 4 
500 (Express) 444 1,800 3.941 2ft. x 8 ft. 7 
I see ‘.40-Calibre” hints at the possibili- 
ties of 1,000-yard shooting with the rifle, 
.450 (Martini 
Henry) 480 
’ satisfied him. 
275 (95 model, 
RECREATION. 
but let me tell him that even the 6 mm. 
U. S. Navy rifle has, owing to its shorter 
bullet, a nea.-y similar trajectory at that _ 
distance to the .30-40, in spite of its extra 
500 f. s. muzzle velocity. So I doubt if 
his bullet would be even accurate at that 
range, being shorter still in- proportion. 
Had your correspondent heard of the Mau- 
ser .275 sporting rifle before he procured 
his present one I believe it would have 
With its velocity of 2,400 f. 
s. it has an energy of 2,230 ft. lbs. That 
of the .30-40 is 1,907 (nearly), and, to go 
to black powder guns, that of the .38-72 
Winchester) is 1,110 ft. 
lbs. The trajectory of the Mauser, too, is 
only 10% inches at 300 yards, 3 feet at 500 
and about 21 feet at 1,000 yards. That is 
giving it the same figures as the Mann- 
licher .286 rifle, which is practically the 
same in velocity and length of bullet. This 
rifle of this calibre does not seem to be 
known in this country. It is extremely 
popular in England among deerstalkers. 
Could one of your military readers who 
has been on service lately inform me 
whether there was much volley firing at 
1,000 yards (or over), with any success? 
I believe an error in judgment in distance 
of 25 yards at that range will send the .30- 
40 bullet 3% feet above the point aimed 
at. Are range finders used in warfare? If 
not, how would this new .400 rifle do for a 
military rifle, or one of .360 bore on same 
system, limiting soldiers’ practice to 600 
_yards? Is there any match shooting at 800 
to 1,000 yards in America now? I was a 
member of a long-range team in England. 
This class is restricted to government 
weapons now—that is, at the Bisley meet- 
ing. 
I see mention in April RECREATION 
of a bushing chamber for the .30-30 to fit 
the™~ .32- “short” into. 1 ~had =a.sinuilar 
“bush” made for my .22 1-3 rifle to take a 
shorter English cartridge, and I recorded 
its success in the London Field. A “breech 
adaptor’ for the use of a short cartridge 
(special) has also been designed for the 
.303 British by a London firm; the only 
difference being that the short cartridge is 
pushed right in and the bullet rests in the 
rifling; there is a long striker fitted in the 
adaptor. 
In answer to the inquiry re drift of 
.236 bullet, it will be a little more than the 
.30-40, which drifts about 1 foot 6 inches 
at 1,000 yards. J. B. Pybus. 

SUGGESTIONS FOR THE WINCHESTER PEO- 
PLE. 
Armington, Mont. 
Editor RECREATION:—Recognizing REc- 
REATION as the only magazine through 
which the gun crank can get his ideas be- 

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: 
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