THE ROYAL ARTILLERY INSTITUTION. 
107 
more powerful guns, and then commenced the Shoeburyness campaign of 
guns versus armour plates, which is not yet decided. 
The judgment which the Armstrong and Whitworth Committee pro¬ 
nounced in favour of muzzle-loading guns was only in accordance, so far at 
least as heavy guns were concerned, with the preconceived opinion of our 
leading artillerists, for any breech-loading arrangement with guns using 
the enormous charges required would not only be too cumbrous but actually 
unsafe.^ 
As the striking effect of a projectile depends more on its velocity than on 
its weight, and as a round shot fired from a smooth-bore gun has consider¬ 
ably greater initial velocity than an elongated shot fired from a rifled gun, 
owing to the friction in the bore of the latter, as well as to its smaller 
proportionate charge, the Admiralty at first proposed wrought-iron smooth¬ 
bore guns of large calibre to penetrate armour-plated vessels at close 
quarters; accordingly in 1864, after mature experiments, two natures of 
wrought-iron smooth-bore guns were adopted; these were the 100-pr. 
of 9" calibre, and the 150-pr. of 10* *5" calibre. They were built-up on the 
Armstrong coil principle, but only about a dozen of the former, and fifty of 
the latter were made, as it soon become evident that still more potent guns 
were necessary, and that we could make them too in the shape of wrought- 
iron M.L. rifled guns. In fact, such good results were obtained from the 
64-pr. M.L. shunt gun (which was approved as a sea service gun March 10> 
1865), as well as from larger experimental guns on the same system of 
rifling and construction, that the 0. S. Committee suggested, (Beport 
No. 3553, 25/11/64), that the above two natures of smooth-bore guns 
should be also rifled on the shunt system. 
These guns, however, remained as they were, Colonel Campbell, Superin¬ 
tendent Boyal Gun Factories, having pointed out that they were much too 
weak longitudinally for rifled guns, an opinion which has since been 
verified, two of the smooth-bore 150-prs. having blown the breech out 
during practice. 
But the shunt rifling itself was eclipsed in 1865 by the “ Woolwich 
System, and as the steps which led to this result throw considerable light on 
the whole system of rifling, they will be briefly referred to. 
Competition to ascertain the lest mode of rifling. 
By instructions first received from Lord Jlerbert in 1859, the O.S. Com¬ 
mittee carried on an extensive trial of cast-iron 32-pr. guns rifled for 
different gentlemen in accordance with their respective views of the best 
way of rifling the existing store of smooth-bore cast-iron guns* 
“ Congress,” haying first made dreadful havoc of the crew; and the “ Kearsage ” sunk the 
“Alabama.” 
Lastly, at Lissa the Italian vessel “ Palsestro ” (partially plated) was destroyed by the Austrian 
shells. 
* There is no doubt that breech-loading guns, if they could be made sufficiently safe and simple, 
would be very superior to muzzle-loaders for certain purposes, such as casemate, broadside and 
cupola, and perhaps too in connexion with Capt, Moncrieff’s new “lift” gun carriage. 
