344 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



f Nov. 26, 1885. 



"Forest and Stream" Trajectory Test. 



{GontimiMfrom, pafje 834 ) 

 Tjy E continue our report on the trajectories of rifles by 

 "~ presenting tlie figures of the .50-caIiber weapons In 

 some respects these are the most interesting of all, in that 

 they include the express bullets and permit direct compari- 

 son to be made between the performance of the same rifle 

 with the same powder charge, but using two different bullets. 

 Three different makes of hunting rifles are included in this 

 instalment of our report, together with the figures on our old 

 friend, the Remington State, which it would seem deserves a 

 much better reputation than it generally enjoys. In many 

 cases we think the rifle is fully up to the riflemen, and this 

 applies to many other weapons besides this particular mili- 

 tary one. We have given, as far as may be, all the data we 

 have about each rifle. These tigures are our own, as far as 

 possible, but the facts abont weiglit of barrel, of rifl^o and of 

 composition of the bullet we take from the reports or letters 

 of the rifle makers.. The examination of the cartridges as to 

 weight of powder and ball was intrusted to a man accus- 

 tomed to just this sort of delicate manipulation of the bal- 

 ances, and each cliarge as weighed was put in a small vial 

 for exhibition in our office and for future reference in case of 

 dispute. As far as possible we will illustrate the cartridge 

 used, as this will enable readers at once to see the sort of 

 ammunition employed. Our cut Is drawn froQi an instan- 

 taneous photograph, capitally taken at the moment of a dis- 

 chiarge. It calls for no special explanation. The libel on 

 the fair form and features of Mr, Sinclair, who is pulling the 

 trigger, we leave for settlement between that gentleman and 

 tlie engraver. 



Winchester .50, Solid Ball. 

 This arm was tried at 300 3'ards on Oct. 19, and was placed 

 on the rest at 11 :30 in the forenoon; the wind was then blow- 

 ing at the rate of 18 miles per hour from the 7 o'clock quar- 

 ter. The other weather conditions were: Barometer 30.205; 

 dry thermometer 70.5, wet bulb thermometer 65, dew point 

 61.5 and humidity 73 per cent. The barrel was octagonal, 

 26 inches in length and bore the factory number of 48006. 

 "Weight of rifle 10 pounds 1 ormee, weight of barrel 3 pounds 

 2 ounces. Rifling 6 groove. TJnifoim twist, one turn In 60 

 inches, groove depth .003 and width .160. It was fired with 

 Winchester made ammunition mai-ked .50-95, having a three 

 grooved solid bullet. Three of the cartridges were opened 



and both powder and ball weighed. The latter is composed 

 of 1 part tin to 16 of lead. In the first cartridge opened the 

 powder was found in fair condition and pressed hard, the 

 charge weighing 90.8 and the ball 311.5, In the next the 

 powder was in fine condition, and the weights of powder 

 and ball respectively 91.3 and 313.3. The last one opened 

 turned out the charge in fine condition, the powder weighing 

 90.7 and the bullet 312.0. 



The rifle in the rest behaved vei7 well, and the target was 

 soon found and five scoring rounds secured as follows; 



Bound. 50 Yards. 100 Yards. 150 Yards. 



1 7.737 in. 11.305 in. 8,625 in. 



•2.... 7.981 in. 11.S70 in. 8.408 in. 



8 8.459 in. 11.733 in. 8.844 in. 



5 7.783 in. 11.079 in. 8.415 in. 



6 7.933 m. 10.903 in. 8.373 in. 



Average 7.966 in- 11.262 in. 8.513 in. 



The 100-yard test of the Winchester ,50 express rifle 

 with solid bullet was made on Oct. o. It was about 11 

 o'clock in the forenoon, immediately following the trial at 

 the same range with the express bullet, though the weapon 

 had, of course, been cleaned as it stood in the rest. The 

 wind was then blowing from the 7 o'clock quarter at an 

 eighteen mile an hour rate. The barometer stood at 80.200 

 inches, the thermometer at 57°, and the wet bulb thermometer 

 at 50", leaving a dew point of 43 and a humidity of 57 per 

 cent. The ammunition was from the same boxes used in 

 the SOO-yard test, and of the condition of which report is 

 made above. A curious result is seen in the calculated 

 figures, especially in the fifth and sixth shots, where the 

 height at 75 yards is seen to be far above that at the middle 

 screen at 50 yards. This novel result would seem to sustain 

 the gyratory motion which it is claimed bullets sometimes 

 take on, especially when traveling at a high rate of speed. 

 It simply means that owing perhaps to some imperfection in 

 the bullet, or it may be to other causes, the ball travels in a 

 sort of corkscrew course, traveling spirally about an imagin- 

 ary line, while, of course, obeying the forward impulse given 

 it by the powder charge. In other cases during the tests this 

 phenomenon has been even more marked, and every experi- 

 menter who has had occasion to narrowly watch and mathe- 

 matically determine the antics of a bullet in flight will bear 

 testimony to his observance of these facts. 



At the 200-yard range it will be noted that this tendency 

 to abnormally high trajectory points at the extreme screen 

 came in the two leading shots, and that in the other shots 

 the line seems to have been the ordinary line with the bullet 

 maintaining its evolution on an axis parallel to and co-exist- 

 ent with the line of flight. The rifle was clean in both 

 eases. a«d there was not at any time any leading or other 



physical interruption to correct firing; neither was the arm 

 shooting wildly, and the bullets were in all ca.se8 traveling 

 head on. We leave the point open for discussion by others 

 at the conclusion of our report, only making note of the fact 

 that the screens were examined with special care and the 

 calculation thrice repeated, the first and natural conclusion 

 being that some error in figuring had been committed. 

 Under the circumstances, while giving all the results, we 

 calculate the line of average trajectory to the three upper 

 rounds, where it is evident the bullet was traveling in 



a normal line. The 5-round average is also given. The 

 figures are: 



Round. ji5 Yards. SO Yards. 'f5 Yards. 



1.......... IJSSiin. 1.975 in. 1.661 in. 



3,........, 1.896 in. 3.559 in. 2.124 in. 



4 1.735 in. 3.141 in. 1.771 in. 



5 1.660 in. 1.959 in. 3.733 in. 



6 1.856 in. 2.381 in. 2.763 in. 



Aver. (3 rounds) 1.738 in. 3.335 in. 1.515 in. 



Aver. (5 rounds) 1.740 in. 2.203 in. 2.210 in. 



Winchester ,50, Express Ball. 



The test with the express bullet was made at once upon 

 the completion of the solid ball record and without any 

 material change of sight; of course all the data about the 

 rifle hold as before and the weather conditions had not 

 changed to any appreciable extent. The Winchester ammu- 

 nition was used, the three-grooved bullet having the same. 



compoiSition as before, one of tin to sixteen of lead by weight. 

 The three cartridges opened showed the powder in fine con- 

 dition in each case. The charges weighed 89.8, 89.3, and 

 89.3 in order, while the bullets corresponding were 305.3, 

 298.8 and 300.8. The gun barrel was given a cleaning be- 

 fore the new trial was made, the initial conditions were in 

 every respect uniform. The figures stood ; 



Round. 30 Yards. 100 Yards. 150 Yards. 



1 7.994 m. 11.363 in. «.648in. 



3......... 8.139 m. 11.435 in. 8.507 in. 



3 8.314 in. 11.800 in. 8.835 m. 



4 7.883 in. 10.839 in. 8.120 in, 



o 7.780 in. 11.116 in. 8.3-19 in. 



Average 8.002 in. 11.306 in. 8.492 in. 



The trial of the Winchester .50 express rifle with an ex- 

 press bullet at the 100-yard range immediately preceded the 

 test of the solid bullet cartridge in the same arm and at the 

 same distance. It was about a quarter past ten on the 

 morning of Oct. 5, with the wind blowing at an eighteen- 

 mile-an-hour pace from the seven o'clock quarter. The 

 barometer stood at 30,160, the thermometer at 56, with the 

 wet-bulb ditto at 50, making a dew point of 43 and a humid- 

 ity record of 63 per cent. Ammunition was taken from 

 the same lot as before. The weapon behaved very well, gave 

 no trouble in handling, and the shots as recorded on the 

 screens do not show more than the average variation and 

 nothing of the gyratory motion so plainly recorded in the 

 solid ball test afterward. The average accordingly is on the 

 full five shots, as follows: 



Round. ^ Yards, 50 Yards. 75 Yards. 



1 3.143 m. 3.401 in. 3.188 in. 



3 3.134 in. 3.505 in. 3.335 in, 



3 3.018 in. 3.299 in. 3.080 in. 



4 2.134 in. 3.418 ill. 2.816 in. 



5 2,072 in. 3.318 in. 3.11310. 



AvCTag*,,.... J8,096in' 2,388in- 2.1S6in- 



BuIIard .50, Solid Ball. 



This weapon is noteworthy as canying nominally the 

 heaviest charge of any of the breechloaders in the trial. It 

 was marked 346 in the shop numbers and had a 38-inch 

 round barrel. The total weight of the weapon unloaded 

 was 10 pounds 1 ounce, while the weight of barrel alone was 3 

 pounds 8 ounces. There were five grooves, having a uniform 

 twist of one turn in 72 inches. It was loaded with Union 

 Metallic Company ammunition from a box marked ".50- 

 115; for BuUard Repeating Rifle." The bullet had three 

 grooves, and when three rounds were opened the powder 

 was found in fair condition but pressed hard. The powder 

 weights ran 112.5, 113.2 and 113.1, while the bullet weight 

 figures were 350.5, 350.5 and 350 4. The weapon in the rest 

 was rather obstinate, and at times it was necessary to push 

 the carrier block down with a pencil, owing seemingly to 

 the breakage or weakness of the carrier block spring. It 

 was tested at ten o'clock pn the morning of Sept. 30, under 

 a three-miles-an-hour breeze blowing from the nine o'clock 

 quarter. The other weather conditions were: Barometer, 

 30.100; dry thermometer 77. 5 ; wet-bulb thermometer, 67.5; 



dew point, 61, and humidity, 57 per cent. The trajectory 

 figures show : 



Round. 50 Yards. 100 Yards. 151 Yards. 



1 7.385 in. 10.386 in. 7.974 in. 



2 7.4.59 m, 10.588 in. 8.3.50 in. 



3 7.173 in. 10.179 m. T.HMin. 



4 7.044 in. 10.315 in. 7.795 in, 



5 7.243 in. 10.078 in. 7.807 in. 



Average 7.261 in. 10.289 in- 7.968 in. 



The 100-yard test with the solid bullet was made on the 

 morning of Oct. 5. It was 11 :20 when the weapon was 

 fitted to the rest, with favorable weather conditions. The 

 barometric reading was 80 275, the dry thermometer 57, the 

 wet bulb thermometer 51, with a dew point of 45 and a 

 humidity of 64 per cent. The wind, at an 18-mile rate, 

 was blowing from the 8 o'clock quarter. The ammunition 

 was as that used in the 200-yard test, and the figures of 

 trajectory given are worthy of special study. In this as 

 in almost every other case is seen the wisdom of an 

 average result by taking five distinct records, as carried 

 through the entire Fohest xInd Stream trial wherever 

 practicable, A dropping shot, or one of those records which 

 go to show that bullets have a way of their own of wabbling 

 through the air, might upset the conclusions entirely if a 

 trajectory test was made to depend on the figures of a single 

 shot. We give the record as it comes from the calculation 

 blanks, only remarking that every screen and target remain 

 on file in our oflice, and that the oft-repeated calculation 

 made to get at this result may be again repeated if at an j 

 time it is thought necessary. The record stands: 



Round. 25 Yards. £0 Yards. 75 Yards. 



3 1.555 in. 1.804 m, 1,770 in. 



x... 1.548 in. 1.(536 in. 1.361 in, 



4 1.667 in. 1.894 in. 1.710 in. 



o 1.476 in. 1.764 m, 1.636 in. 



1.7'46in. 1.989 in. 1.810 in. 



ATerage.... 1,598 in. 1.817 in. 1.657 in. 



Bullard .50 Express, Express Bullet. 



The trial of the Bullard .50 express with the light ball 

 was not made until the afternoon of Oct. 19, at quarter past 

 two, when it was put on the rest, with a 27 miles an hour 

 wind blowing from the 4 o'clock quarter. The weather 

 environments of the trial were : Barometer, 30.195 inches; dry 

 thermometer 66.5°; wet bulb therometer 60.5; dew point, 

 55.5, and humidity 68 per cent. It was loaded with TI.M.C. 

 ammunition, and the tbrfe-grcove bullet was on powde 



