292 
MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS OF 
% ■ ' . 
PETTMAN’S GENERAL SERVICE PERCUSSION PUZE. 
BY CAPTAIN VIVIAN DERING MAJENDIE, B.A. 
ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT, EOTAL LABORATORY. 
Pettmais^s General Service Percussion Puze* * * § differs from liisLand and Sea 
Service fuzes mainly in an arrangement for ensuring the action of the fuze in 
rifled shell.t It has been explained that although the Sea Service Pettman's 
fuze is available with muzzle-loading rifled shell, it cannot be depended upon 
to act in breech-loading rifle shell, because owing to the ball lying in the 
axis of rotation and to the absence of any lateral movement of the shell in 
the bore—any lateral concussion, the steady plug and ball cannot always be 
depended upon to disengage.f The same limitation applies to the use of the 
Land Service fuze. 
The arrangement by which the action is ensured in the General Service fuze 
is as follows : The upper side of the steady plug and the lower side of the 
top plug are cupped out in the centre to receive a small plain brass § ball, 
which when situated in the cups keeps the plugs a short distance apart. The 
cups are made slightly larger in diameter than the ball to diminish the 
liability of the latter to adhere to either plug from corrosion or other cause. 
The ball thus only touches each cup at one point. 
* Approved 19th May, 1866, W. O. C. 10 (N. S.), § 1235. ' 
f The land and sea service Pettman fuzes were described at page 74; and upon this description 
the present account of the general service fuze is based, to avoid repetition of much description 
common to all the Pettman fuzes. 
x Vide p. 82. 
§ 70 parts copper, 30 zinc. 
