THE EOYAL AETILLEEY INSTITUTION. 
245 
sition, the ingredients of which are erroneously supposed by many to be known 
only to the Prussian government. 
The cartridge is of paper, enveloping powder, sabot, and bullet, and is 
choked over the point of the bullet by means of fine twine or thread. 
The firing apparatus or lock, if it can be so called, of the rifle is extremely 
simple, consisting only of a needle, spiral spring, and trigger. The needle is 
in continuation of the axis of the barrel at the breech end, and when the gun 
is cocked, as it must be when the breech is open, it does not appear at all. 
When fired the needle is pushed forward by the spiral spring through a small 
hole in the breech and advances right through the cartridge to the fulminate 
at the back of the sabot to which the bullet is attached. The charge is thus 
lighted in front, preventing any of the grains of powder being driven out at 
the muzzle unexploded. The sabot with bullet is blown out of the gun, the 
paper of the cartridge is destroyed, and, on opening the breech, it only requires 
re-loading. 
* Pig. 5 is a sketch of a section of a cartridge for the Fi s- 6 - 
Prussian needle gun. 
a } the bullet, b } papier-mache sabot with fulminate 
at c, d, the paper envelope, and e the powder. 
Escape of gas at the breech of the needle gun is pre¬ 
vented by a close mechanical fit of the plunger against 
the rear face of the barrel. The faces of both are coned, 
that of the plunger being concave and countersunk, and 
that of the barrel convex. By this arrangement any 
small escape which, with this description of gun is sure 
to take place unless it is new, is thrown forward away 
from the man who fires, but the escape of gas from the 
rifle of a rear rank man is apt to be troublesome to the 
front rank.* 
The four cartridges already described are the only 
ones which have come largely into use, viz :—The 
copper rim fire cartridge, the pin cartridge, the central 
fire cartridge, and the cartridge for needle gun. 
Of these the copper rim fire cartridge is by far the most simple and most 
easy to make waterproof. Its parts are when loaded with a solid bullet only 
five in number, viz:— 
1. 
The 
copper case. 
2. 
powder. 
3. 
5 J 
bullet. 
4. 
» 
lubrication. 
5. 
JS 
fulminate. 
* A full description of this rifle will be found in the “ Eeport of a professional tour of Officers of 
Eoyal Artillery, 1865,” pp. 82-90, from which Eig. 5 has been taken. 
