480 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



er ia this : After each shot it can be oloaued perfectly, and the 

 marksman can be assured of the thoroughness of hia work in 

 cleaning, by an ocular inspection of the inside of the barrel. Al- 

 though the muzzle-loader can be cleaned between shots, and, by a 

 man with a sensitive touch, perhaps, generally as thoroughly as 

 the breech-loader is cleaned, there will be times, however, when 

 the work of cleaning is imperfectly done. The marksman ia 

 aware of this, and since the ocular inspection cannot be had, there 

 is not that assured confidence in the perfection of the weapon, 

 which is absolutely necessary to secure the best results. This 

 alone gives to the breech-loader an advantage, and since we realize 

 that a weapon imperfectly cleaned is likely to do bad Bhooting the 

 advantage of the breech-loader is apparent. Again, allowing that 

 the breech-loader and the muzzle-loader are each manufactured 

 with equal skill, and are perfect weapons of their respective kinds, 

 I have found from experience and observation that the ignition 

 of the powder by the percussion cap is not as perfect as by the 

 primers ordinarily used in the brass shells. 



With the muzzle-loader a " hang-fire " is not unusual, and in 

 wet days I have known the discharge to be effected with difficulty. 

 These obstacles are a heavy handicap in a match, and are never 

 met with when using a breech-loader. 1 do not wish to be under- 

 stood to say that they are often met with in using a first-class 

 muzzle-loader ; but there is a possibility, at least, that they may 

 occur, and in a match that possibility should, if possible, be elimi- 

 nated, and the chances of winning increased thereby. 



As to rifles, there are several good ones, and I should not like to 

 pronounce the shooting qualities of one to be better than the others. 

 I have used Sharps breech-loaders because I was successful with 

 them from the first, and have always had perfect confidence in 

 their reliability. I have shot in many matches with them, and 

 while I have not been so narrow-minded as to believe I had the 

 only good rifle in the match, I always felt that if I could accomp- 

 lish my part of the work as perfectly as the rifle would do its part 

 I would be certain oi* success. 



My firBt experience with a Sharps rifle was in the summer of 

 1874 I was at Creedmoor practicing at 500 yards with an ordinary 

 .50 calibre breech-loading military rifle, and with very indifferent 

 success. I observed a gentleman on an adjoining target who 

 seemed to be making bull's-eyes most of the time. I walked over 

 to him, congratulated him upon his good Bhooting, and told him 

 how badly I was doing. He answered, although a stranger : "With 

 as good a gun you could do as well ;" and further said, "I have 

 fired all I care to, here are three cartridges remaining, and I would 

 be pleased to have you try them." I was glad of the opportunity, 

 and was not long in getting into position. The wind was blowing 

 strong from the left. My new-found friend directed me to hold 

 as near as possible upon the left centre line, and added if I did I 

 would be certain to get a bull's-eye. I held there, and up came 

 the white disc. I soon let off the remaining two in the same 

 place and with the same result. _ I then began to examine the 

 gun ; it was decidedly plain in its appearance, short barrel, open 

 military Bights and heavy trigger. My friend said it was a Sharps 

 rifle and that he bought it from Moore & Sons, New York. I 

 went there at the first opportunity and bought one just like it, for 

 which, I believe, I paid about $30. Upon trying it at Creedmoor 

 I found my friend was right, and that I could shoot aa well as he. 

 It was not long before from nine to a dozen consecutive bull's- 

 eyes at 500 yaids waB not an unusual circumstance with me, and 

 that too in the prone position without wiping. 



This was the second gun of any description that I ever pur- 

 chased, and although I now have what might be considered a fair 

 collection, this military arm still remains a great favorite, and I 

 never shall part with it. I have used it with great success at 

 nearly every distance from 200 to 1,000 yards, and always with satis- 

 faction. With it I have shot game of many kinds, and on one oc- 

 casion certainly at a remarkable distance. In April, 1877, in the 

 Great South Bay, I killed a broad-bill duck with this rifle at a dis- 

 tance of more than half a mile. At 1,000 yard's, without wiping 

 and without rising, I have repeatedly fired 10 consecutive shots, 

 making a good score and without a miss. 



The making of three consecutive bull's-eyes in 1874, under the 

 circumstances above narrated, gives the only reason for my com- 

 mencing to use a Sharps rifle. I found the long range match rifles 

 equally satisfactory, and shall continue to use them, until I can 

 find something I believe to be better. I have found — and it was a 

 strong argument to me in favor of the Sharps rifle, because it 

 saved me much time and troublesome labor— that I could rely on 

 the ammunition supplied by the Sharps Rifle Co, I never loaded 

 fifty rounds of rifle ammunition in my life. IJnever shot a long- 

 range match except with fixed ammunition supplied by the 

 company. I have more than once rested at night while some of 

 my associates were hard at work preparing their ammunition for 

 the next day. I have also been able to participate in matches 

 that they could not, because the ammunition of their own manu- 

 facture happened to be exhausted. The ammunition I used in 

 the first match with Ireland I purchased over the counter at a 

 Broadway store. I have found the shells to nicely fit the cham- 

 bers, and do not remember that I ever had one so tight after fil- 

 ing that the ejector did not throw it out. 



This letter baa reached an unexpected length, which must be 

 attributed to the subj ect under consideration. It is a theme which 

 brings to my mind many bright days full of pleasant incidents. I 

 see before me the faces of many gentlemen with whom I have had 

 most agreeable relations in connection with rifle matters; in 

 short, the theme brings np a panorama of the past upon which! 

 love to dwell, and, undecided what line of thought to follow, I am 

 prone to wander, and, I fear, have failed herein to either instruct 

 or entertain. 



But such views and conclusions on rifles as the foregoing is 

 found to contain I subscribe to most heartily. 

 Yours very respectfully. H. A. Giddeesleeye. 



RECOIL AND UPSET OF BULLETS. 



DncA, January 7, 1S7S. 

 Editor Forest and Br 



In your isaue of December 27 I noticed an able article from 

 "Straight-bore" on the recoil of rifles, in which I concur.' I have 

 tried many experiments, which proved Qiat the recoil of a rifle 

 did not take place until the bullet leaves the muzzle. 



Tlie force ia collected within the barrel of the gun, independent 



of any outside body, and without any great tendency to move until 

 the bullet leaves the muzzle and comes in contact with compressed 

 external air that is forced from the gun . It would appear that 

 the compressed air within the gun at the muzzle, coming in contact 

 with the external air, would have a tendency to move the gun be- 

 fore the bullet left it, but in all my experiments I could not detect 

 any movement before the bullet left the muzzle of the gun. I 

 have rested the muzzle of a rifle on a steep incline, and made ten 

 shots at 220 yards, all within 1%-inch diameter. If the gun had 

 moved one-hundredth of an inch, it would have caused the bullet 

 to drop four inches in the above distance. 



The same force ia generated in a light gun as in a heavy one. 

 The light one has dead weight enough for the powder to exert the 

 most of its power before the gun moves . The heavy one only 

 gets a little additional force by holding its position longer, until 

 the latter portion of gas escapes. 



It iB evident that we could not do such fine shooting if the gun 

 moved before the bullet left the muzzle. 



In my article of the 29th, I stated that a column of air was 

 packed within the gun at the muzzle (when too quick powder was 

 used) that diminished'the power. 



I should also have stated that we knew of such resistance 

 twenty-five years ago, and regulated the grade of powder, accord- 

 ing to the size of bore, and length of gun, so as to get the least 

 resistance from compressed air. 



I will here state that I do not agree with "Straight-bore" that 

 the air within or without the barrel has anything to do with the 

 upset of the bullet. 



There ia no resistance of air at the breech of a gun, and there 

 would not be resistance enough to upset a bullet (if it was done 

 with compressed air) until the bullet had moved Jths the length of 

 the barrel. In such case the Creedmoor bullets (where they do 

 not take the grooves in loading) would have to get all of their 

 Bpiral motion and centrifugal force within Jth the length of the 

 barrel. 



■ If a bullet did not take the grooves until it had moved half the 

 length of the barrel, there would not be centrifugal force enough 

 to keep those long Creedmoor bullets end on in their flight, which 

 goes to prove that a bullet upsets and takes the grooves on the 

 start, and gets the full centrifugal force that the twist is intended 

 to give. If those Creedmoor bullets did not upset before they had 

 moved one inch or less, the patch would be blown from around 

 them, and they could not hit a barn at 200 yards. A bullet ia up- 

 set before the whole charge of powder is burned. The amount 

 that is required to upset one in a rifle would upset one in a pistol, 

 and that amount would be about all that would burn in the pistol. 

 A larger amount would burn in the rifle, and give an accelerating 

 power. A great overcharge of powder forms a cushion, and pre- 

 vents the bullet from upsetting uniformly. A thick wad over the 

 powder will prevent part of the upset. I have tried cork and other 

 materials, but they caused an uneven upset and inaccurate shoot- 

 ing. A thin wad does not make much difference. 



A bar of iron could not be upset if an inch thick of soft wood 

 was placed on the end of it for the sledge-hammer to come in con- 

 tact with. 



Guns that are imperfect and liable to leak before the bullet is 

 upset require a wad over the powder. Bullets that get loose in 

 the shells require the same, unless the rifle is made on the old 

 plan of forcing the bullet to the grooves without a patch. An over- 

 charge of powder does'not act quite like sand. The sharp particles 

 of sand take hold of the barrel, and form resistance equal to a 

 solid plug screwed into it. If a straight plug of wood is inserted 

 into the butt of a bullet (as in Straight-bore's experiment), it would 

 prevent the upset as far as the plug reached, and nearly all of the 

 metal forward of the plug would react and show upset to the very 

 point of the bullet. It would show a greater enlargement at the 

 forward end of the plug than if the bullet was solid without the 

 plug, because the most of the force behind would act at the for- 

 ward end of the plug, and cause the centre of gravity much farther 

 forward, and give more upset to the forward end of the bullet. 

 The great blow given to the bullet by the powder upsets it the 

 whole length. 



If very quick powder is UBed, the forward half of the bullet 

 will react and flow into itself, until it takea the form of the bore 

 nearly to the very point of the bullet, which came nearly being 

 the case with the curious bullet ahown in the Forest and Steeaii 

 of January 3, 1878. Where bullets are long and cylindrical the up - 

 set is not as great at the butt end, but greater in the middle. The 

 taper-form of a bullet is made to bring the centre of gravity 

 nearer the butt-end, and give a parallel expansion within ita bear- 

 ings. 



A very short bullet (that ia not fitted to the grooves in loading) 

 will not take the grooves if suitable powder for a longer one is 

 used, although the velocity would be greater, and more liable to 

 upset, if done by compressed air. There are grades of powder 

 that would mash a conical bullet like putty the instant it started, 

 and form it into a cylinder-shaped plug in the form of the bore. 

 Hazard's FFFG would almoat do it in a large bore where the 

 bullet was of aoft lead. Some of the refined grades of powder 

 would mash a conical bullet into a straight plug. A bulletrput 

 down into the gun within ten inchea of the breech, and the gun 

 fired with a good charge of powder, will pack a column of air close 

 behind the bullet and make an indentation into the steel l-50th 

 of an inch deep by 1-lGth of an inch long, making a circular groove 

 as if done with a flat-edge cutter. 



If the bullet ia put down the muzzle only three inchea, and the 

 gun fired, the long column of air in the compressed state covers bo 

 much more space that the bullet starts before any indentation 

 takeB place. Such an experiment would burst a light barrel. 



If "Straight-bore" will take some rifle with Creedmoor bullet 

 (that doeB not fill the grooves in loading), fire a number of bullets 

 from it into snow, then rifle away every other land in the barrel 

 down to within six inchea of the breech, fire it again into snow, 

 and compare the bullets with those of the first trial, and he will 

 find them all quite uniform in expansion, and all of them will have 

 the full number of grooves as at the breech of the gun. In the 

 last trial the air ia expelled from the barrel by the eacape of gas 

 passing the bullet after it has moved six inches, which prevents 

 any chance of upset by compressed air. 



Expelling the air aa above gives one- fourth more penetration, but 

 less accuracy, in consequence of the dirt being deposited forward 

 of the bullet by the escape of gaa. 



The curioua rifle bullet described in your issue of Jan. 3, 1878. 

 has the appearance of being fired from an old style German rifle, 

 made many years ago. They bad many grooves. The bullets 

 were conical, with a straight bearing about a quarter of an inch long. 

 This bullet, found in the deer, must have been a quarter of an 

 inch longer before it was fired, and in form-like the above de- 

 scribed. Its present form was made by using the quick powden 

 causing it to upset, and take a double length bearing. I have 

 known large bullets to upset more than that. The crooked point 

 was made by ita striking aome twig that retarded it before it struck 

 the deer. The imprint of paper folds at the base was made by the 

 great blow given by the powder. 



All aoft conical bullets used with a patch show the full imprint 

 of the threads of the cloth and grains of uuburned powder on the 

 baae after being fired. This is another proof of the great, blow 

 given by the powder to upset a bullet on the Btart, and the indent- 

 ations of unburned powder show that the main blow ia given before 

 the whole charge ia burned. Geo. H. Ferriss. 



Monmouth, Warren County, HI., Jan. 3, 1878. 

 Editor Forest and Sterast: 



In looking over a recent number of your much valued paper, 

 I discovered a communication from a Mr. Ferris on the "up- 

 setting of bullets," as he calls it, I must say I was struck with the 

 erroneous impression he seema to have, and tries to convey in his 

 letter. 



His misapprehension of both the long-range muzzle-loader and 

 the long-range breech-loader seems to me to be most profound, 

 and altogether unaccountable in one who has ever seen or even 

 heard of either. In the best muzzle-loaders the ball ia a cone, 

 the base being its largest diameter. The bearing Burface, or that 

 part of the ball which is squeezed into the grooves of the barrel, 

 is very small, Bay l-16th of an inch. The theory ia that that ia 

 enough surface to prevent the escape of the gas past the ball, and 

 the minimum amount of friction. With this ball it is necessary to 

 use a starter, so that the ball, when driven home, may stand with 

 its conical point exactly in the centre of the chamber. If it does 

 not the ball will leave the muzzle in the same position, and, of 

 course, will go wild. Mr. F. is altogether mistaken in his state- 

 ment that the ball ia cast so small that it will "almost drop" into 

 the barrel of the gun. It is rammed through the starter, and 

 into the barrel, and is large enough to take the rifles as it is 

 rammed home. Your correspondent is mistaken in hia statement 

 thjat the ball ia awaged into the grooves by the force of the dis- 

 charge behind. The base of the ball is either perfectly flat or 

 slightly oval, and cannot be influenced in that way by the force of 

 the gas upon the surface. The old Minie ball had a hollow baae, 

 and the explosion of the charge did spread the ball into the grooves . 

 The Enfield rifle ball had also a hollow base, and a boxwood plug 

 was forced into the opening at the moment of discharge for the 

 same purpose. Both these "were rammed down very loosely into 

 the chamber, and were "upset" by the force behind them. But 

 such cannot take place in a ball with a solid or flat base, and is 

 not so intended. Now, as to the breech-loader: Twelve or thirteen 

 years ago I had occasion to try several kinds of them, includ- 

 ing the Sharps, the Henry, and the Colt. I found all unreliable 

 in that most important quality— steady accuracy. Several excel- 

 lent shots would be made, and then would come one or two which 

 could not be accounted for in any way only that the gun or am- 

 munition was imperfect. At ttiat time they were worthless for 

 sporting or target purposes. In a long talk with the late Mi-. 

 Sharp (the inventor of the Sharps rifle), he gave me (after admit- 

 ting the fact as stated) several reasons for it, the principle of 

 which was this, that they all fashioned their bulleta after the 

 atyle then, aa now, used in the muzzle-loader— a cone with a 

 Btuall bearing. In many instances the ammunition waa not very 

 carefully prepared, the point of the cone not exactly in the centre 

 of the chamber, and a wild shot was the consequence, 



Now, all this is changed. They have lengthened the bearing 

 surface of the ball, and grooved it to lessen the friction, so that if 

 the point is not exactly in the centre of the chamber it must right 

 itself when it takea the grooves at the moment of discharge, and 

 no harm is done. The result is that our breech-loading rifles of 

 to-day, for steadiness, accuracy and regularity, are equal to the 

 best muzzle-loaders . Not better in these respects. "Just as good," 

 iB high praise when compared with our best American muzzle- 

 loading rifle. With this digression let ua go back to Mr. F. He 

 says that Creedmoor waa not a contest between muzzle and breech- 

 loaders, aa the behavor of the ball is alike in both. It is a most 

 singular statement for any one to make who has ever seen the two 

 instruments. His assertion that the ball ia awaged into the grooves 

 in both by the "spreading" of the ball is true in neither case. In 

 neither case ia the ball cast small enough to be "almoat dropped 

 into the muzzle of the gun." Did he ever try to, ram the ball- 

 say of Eemington's .50-gauge cartridge — into the muzzle of his 

 . 50-gauge gun ? I fancy it would make him sweat, particularly 

 one of his long-range balls which is one-sixteenth part tin. No I 

 The ball is forced from the wide chamber at the breech into the 

 narrower grooved portion of the barrel, and takes the rifles or is 

 upset, not because it iB expanded by the force of the powder, but 

 because it iB too large to be driven through without doing so. 



Venator. 

 Menomonte, Wis., Jan. 8, 1878. 

 Editor Forest and Stream : 



I have read' some communications in your paper on the recoil 

 of guns and the upset of bulleta. Below I give my views on theBe 

 points briefly, and if the same ideas have already been advanced 

 by others, aud published by you, do not publish this letter. The 

 recod takes place immediately after the bullet has left the rifle, 

 otherwise the aim would be seriously disturbed, and the mark 

 would not be hit. The recoil is caused by the outer air rushing 

 in to fill the vacuum made by the explosion of the powder and 

 exit of the charge. The report is a result of the same cause. The 

 upset of the bullet is from three causes combined, viz. : 



lat. The sudden Btartiug of the bullet from a state of inertia. 



2d. The friction retarding the ball, and thus in a manner con- 

 tinuing the first cause. 



3d. The compressed air in front of the bullet. 



However we theorize on these matters we must not overlook 

 the prime factors, powder, fire and man, who is disposed to " kick 

 up a fuss generally. '' 



Yours truly,, J. H . Ksafp. 



