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From the Bevue d’ArtiZZerie, Feb, 1881 , 
RESUME OF AN ACCOUNT OF COMPARATIVE TRIALS OF 
THE NORDENFELT MITRAILLEUSE AND THE HOTCH¬ 
KISS REVOLVER GUN CARRIED OUT IN ENGLAND, 
ITALY, DENMARK, RUSSIA, AND FRANCE. 
CAPT. A. E. TURNER, R.H.A. 
The necessity of protecting ships from the enormously destructive 
effects of torpedo boats, has been the principal cause of the introduc¬ 
tion of the above machine guns, and comparative trials of both have 
been carried out in the countries mentioned, with a view to ascertaining 
the respective merits and demerits of each on the following points :— 
1st. Rapidity of the mechanism—that is to say the greatest number 
of unaimed shots that can be fired in a minute. 
2nd. Real rapidity of firing—that is, the number of aimed shots 
which can be fired in a minute. 
3rd. Precision. 
4th. Precision, combined with rapidity. 
5th. Facility of working, and durability of the mechanism. 
FngZand .—Trials were carried on at Portsmouth from March to 
May, 1880, on land, against targets and iron plates; at sea, against 
torpedo boats of the Thornycroft pattern. 
It was found that the Nordenfelt mitrailleuse could be loaded and 
fired with much greater rapidity than the Hotchkiss gun, and that so 
long as the object fired at remained the same, its precision also was 
greater; but that this latter superiority is greatly lessened, when the 
range is subject to frequent change. 
The penetration of the Nordenfelt ball is inferior to that of the 
Hotchkiss solid projectile with hardened head, but superior to that of 
the common shell. 
For the experiments at sea, both the mitrailleuse and revolving gun 
