SHORT NOTES ON THE 13-PR. M.L. GUN. 
175 
Range 4000 yds. Targets representing cavalry front. 8 rounds. 
30 yds. short..... . 2 
70 „ ; . 1 
80 * . 3 
100 „ .‘. 1 
120 „ ..... 1 
Distance desired, 80 yds. 
In this fuze those of the defects pointed out in a former paper 
(“ Shrapnel Fire/* “ Proceedings, R.A.X.,” Yol. X., No. 2) which were 
not inherent in the system have been remedied, and the result is as 
good a fuze as the system, can produce. The excellence of its manu¬ 
facture is beyond praise. But it still remains a fuze requiring con¬ 
siderable time and immense care in preparation, and which seriously 
impairs the efficiency of the shrapnel shell by the amount of space it 
requires. 
The common shell, as far as these trials go, is not a success. So Ammuni- 
small a bursting charge as 10 ozs. of powder cannot possibly effect much; tlon * 
indeed it may be doubted whether gunpowder will ever prove efficient 
in any shell, small or large. In the small there is too little powder, 
and in the large the more powder the greater the set back and caking, 
and consequently the greater the loss of explosive power. The writer 
has watched many 64-pr. common shell fired at high angles fall on 
works; the heads were blown off, and the bases remained flaring for 
some second or two, till the caked powder was consumed. That the 
question of gun-cotton for the bursting charges of shells, must sooner 
or later be seriously taken in hand, would seem a necessity. 
As regards the shrapnel, a new system is being now tried which shrapnel, 
must supersede the present pattern; it would be waste of time, therefore, 
to discuss their merits or demerits further. 
The power of the case is not satisfactory. It is little, if anything, case, 
superior to the 9-pr. M.L., and certainly not superior to that of the 
16-pr. M.L. Undoubtedly this is almost entirely due to the size of the 
bullets (34 to the lb.) It is quite a question whether this weight is 
sufficient for shrapnel; for case it can hardly be enough. Case, from 
the necessity, or indeed possibility, of its use only arising in emergen¬ 
cies such as artillerymen hardly like to contemplate, or on chances 
which offer themselves so rarely, is a despised projectile—one about 
which no one troubles himself. Yet, even in its present form, it has 
at times done good service, and attained great successes. Undoubtedly 
it is capable of improvement, and if it could only be made effective up 
to 600 or 650 yds., as with such a gun as the present it surely might, 
its power would be far more than doubled. It would save many a 
commanding officer an anxious moment, prevent many a premature 
retirement, and encourage many to bold and decisive action when 
occasions, such as do at times present themselves with an enemy broken 
or retreating, gave an opportunity. For horse artillery, which from 
the very nature of its duties must at times expose itself to considerable 
risk when opening the attack, attempting sudden and forcible blows on 
