Nor. 1 s, 1886.1 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



311 



"Forest and Stream" Trajectory Test. 



{Contimiedfrmn page 393.) 

 'T^HE arrangements for testing the weapons were of tlie 

 simplest sort, yet sucli at tlie same time as to secure 

 absolute certainty in all the results obtained. The question 

 of a rest was the first one to be settled. We know that much 

 has been said pro and em on the matter of rests for rifle shoot- 

 ing and no end of theoretical talk and some experiments have 

 been put forth to show that a fixed rest is not a proper one 

 for the purpose of testing a rifle. There is much talk of 

 buckling barrels and springing metal, yet in a test for tra- 

 jectories it would be manifestly impossible to use other than 

 such a rest as would enable us to say with perfect certainty 

 that the barrel muzzle at each shot was at a fixed and known 

 distance above a base line. This a rigid rest enabled us to 

 determine and for this reason a fixed rest was decided upon. 

 The government rest at the Sandy Hook Ordnance Proving 

 Ground was placed at our disposal, and this was taken to 

 the range at Creedmoor. Originally constructed for use in 

 testing the Springfield army rifle, there were certain changes, 

 made necessary before the rest could be used for the long 



comparatively. little difficulty in getting the finest sort of a 

 sight and shifting ever so slightly as the peculiarities of the 

 rifle seemed to require. The entire iron rest weighing nearly 

 300 pounds and bringing the rifle muzzle between three and 

 four feet above the platform, enabled us to make ready 

 shifts from one rifle to another and p\it each rifle at the 

 moment of pulling the trigger on exactly the same equality. 

 To insure steadiness the rest was placed upon a broad heavy 

 plank foundation, the planks shown being three inches in 

 thickness and some five feet long. Screws through the rest 

 feet made its firm hold to the platform a matter of quick and 

 ready adjustment. 



Having fixed our rifle in position for the first shot, attention 

 may be directed to the screens. In the general view of the 

 range laid out for the tests, they will be seen at equal dis- 

 tances down the range. At the two hundred yards trial they 

 were placed at fifty yards, one hundred yards and one 

 hundred and fifty yards respectively from the muzzle of the 

 rifle, while at the one hundred yards test the distances were 

 twenty-five yards, fifty yards and seventy-five yards. The 

 screens were of the lightest form of tracing paper of the 

 grade known as "Alba" in our shops. Tliis is not the ordi- 

 nary tissue paper, hut is, instead, an oiled tracing paper 

 such as is generally used in architects' and engineers' olfices 

 in making copies of drawings. "We have heard of wrapping 

 paper being used for such tests, and again of ordinary tissue 



space where the two-hundred-yard range might he located 

 General Wingate and General Eohbins had both been mos 

 kind in proffering the facilities of the range, and in order to 

 interfere as little as possible with the regular matches and 

 troop practice, the old Kunning Deer screen was chosen to 

 shoot against. In many respects this was advantageous, as 

 it gave a wooden hack; while the smaller screen at either 

 wing, not very clearly shown in the drawing, enabled the 

 marker to stand safely within a few feet of the target during 

 the delivery of the shots. 



The first step was to have an accurate range as to distance, 

 and then to have a base line fixed from which we might in 

 all confidence measure perpendicularly the shot hohs 

 as made. The task of doing the surveying necessaiy 

 to determine these very essential points was intrusted to 

 Charles H. Haswell, whose ability and standing as an engi- 

 neer and professional man are known throughout the world. 

 When he had finished his labor there were seven stakes 

 standing in line, each was firmly driven into the gi-oucd, and 

 into the top of each was a screw having a flattop. The first 

 stake stood against the broad target fence, the next twenty- 

 five yards up the line, the next at fifty yards, the next again 

 at seventy-five yards, the next at one hundred yards, further 

 away was one at one hundred and fifty yards, while the last 

 one was at two hundred yards. They were in exact line, 

 and the broad-headed screw in the top of each were brought 



'J' 



Fig, l.~VIEW SHOWING GUN REST AND SCREENS. 



under-lever action rifles such as the Winchester, Whitney, 

 etc. To enahle these breech actions to he worked without 

 removing the piece from the clamp, a slot was cut in the 

 base which was made to Uffc up from the rear, working from 

 the front end, and at each dropping into place going back 

 exactly to the same position, against stationary lugs. The 

 rifle was held in place by the hinged clamp which passed 

 over the barrel, having a high hollow center, permiting a 

 free line of sight. The butt-plate rested back against the 

 upright at the rear, being protected from abrasion by a leather 

 lining. When placed in, the side plate came up with a 

 hinge motion, while a screw at the top held it in place. 

 Nothing could be simpler, and every bearing point was 

 protected with narrow strips of rubber packing to prevent 

 any cutting or bruising of the wood or iron work of the 

 rifles. Once in the rest and set level across the barrel, and 

 this fact tested with a spirit level, the adjustment of the 

 sight upon the target became a comparatively easy matter. 

 The lateral adjustment was secured by the screws seen at 

 either side near the rear end. This gave a motion of the 

 entire upper part of the rest holding the rifle, the rear end 

 describing a curve about a fixed joint or stout pin directly 

 helow the front end. Of course with each screw brought 

 home the rifle frame was held as in a vise, and by turning 

 upon one side as the other side was loosened, the front sight 

 described a line across the target face. Elevation was 

 attended to by a screw with its accompanying jamming 

 nut seen at the rear of the rest. There was a constant bear- 

 ing- upon the end of this screw bolt and with it there wa 



paper. The former would, of course, offer a great ob- 

 struction to the flight of the bullet, particularly if the screen 

 was not carefully placed at right angles with the line of 

 flight, while the very light paper disks may not always be 

 stretched on the frames with that drum-head tightness neces- 

 saiy if exactness is aimed at. The frames used were of pine 

 five-eighth inch thick with a three-inch width at the inner 

 and upper streaks, two inches down the outer edge and one 

 inch across the bottom. When halved at the corners this 

 made a very stiff frame. They were squared caiefuUy by 

 the carpenter when made, and enabled the paper when pasted 

 on to draw firm and tight. The opening was twenty inches 

 in width and twenty-four inches in height. To hold the 

 frames in place uprights were provided ; these were of three 

 by four inch joist firmly planted upon a cross base having 

 two ai-ms each four feet long with foot braces to keep the 

 upright plumb. The arrangement gave a very firm sup- 

 port to the screens. These last were held in place 

 against the uprights by iron clamps indicated on the draw- 

 ing. The thumb screw in the clamp permitted the ready 

 attachment of a screen and its movement at will up or down, 

 while a single turn of the screws fixed it at any desired 

 height. The target used was the paper one of the Massachu- 

 setts decimal pattern. It was really, it will be seen, a matter 

 of the slightest consequence what pattern of target was used, 

 but these being accurately printed and being readily obtained 

 afforded a means of keeping a permanent record of each 

 shot fired in the tests. 

 On reaching the range the first thing sought was a clear 



exactly to the same level and that within the thousandth of 

 an inch. 



It will be seen at once that we had now all the preUmi- 

 naries for an accurate test, since it was comparatively easy 

 to take the measurements at the target, at the several screens, 

 and at the rifle muzzle from the basic line provided. The 

 rifle was first placed carefullj^ in rest, and when securely 

 clamped down a few shots were fired until the bullets were 

 found to gather themselves in or near the bullseye. It mat- 

 tered not to any great extent how the sights were used, or 

 whether the sighting was on the bullseye. All we cared to 

 know was that the rifle was holding well, and that we could 

 rely on getting the next few shots on the target paper. Then 

 a cleaning rod was passed through the barrel and it was 

 ready for the deciding shots. All this time, of course, there 

 had been no screens in the way. These were now put up. 

 From the top of the stake in front of the rifle rest, which in 

 this cut is the lOO-yards stake, the distance was taken with 

 the Brown & Sharpe standard steel micrometer scale to the 

 center of the rifle barrel. This was fixed by a fine pin put 

 in the center of a small wooden plug accurately fitting the 

 bore, On each screen a tine ink line, put in with a drawing 

 pen from a T-square placed across the screen, had been 

 placed as a line of measurement. This fine was brought 

 to the .^ame distance from the stake below it as the rifle 

 barrel was above the stake below it. The fine on the screen 

 was tested with a spirit level, and with the screen placed 

 exactly at right angles with the line of bullet flight there 

 was no danger of the glancing of the bullet, which, as every 



