DISCUSSION ON ARTILLERY. 
according to the formula for the effective of shrapnel, my impression 
is, that with this gun, the shrapnel would not have the proper effect 
except at short ranges. 
Major Young :— I have got the remaining velocity at 3,400 yards, 
it is 633 feet. 
The Chairman :—Thank you. Does anyone wish to ask any more 
questions or to say anything about these Egyptian Field guns ? 
Major H. C. Dunlop :■—I should like to ask Major Young how this 
gun he has been talking of compares with the 15-pr., our gun. 
Major Young :—I have never seen any practice with the 15-pr. 
I have seen this gun practicing a little, and I should say it answered 
very well indeed, and the recoil is very small, but there is a recoil. 
The Chairman : —But you have never seen it compared in any way 
with our 15-pr., except in the field. 
Major Young :—No Sir, never. 
The Chairman :—I do not know that there is much more to say 
about these guns. This gun seems to me to be simply what we should 
call a mountain gun. It is sent forward by Messrs Maxim-Nordenfeldt 
themselves as their “ 75 mm., 12^-pr. Q.F. Mountain gun.^ Then 
we were told by Captain Dawkins that it is not a quick-firer; and a 
mountain gun with 12^ lb. shell, if it is really successful ought to be 
a very useful gun as a mountain gun, but I do not quite think the 
The following table shows the energy of the bullets in foot-pounds, taking the remaining 
velocities in the last table and making no allowance for the effect of the burster : — 
Nature of gun. 
Energy of bullets at 100 yards from burst at range of 4000 yards, 
in ft.-lbs., omitting effect of burster. 
Bullets of 35 to the pound. 
Bullets of 48 to the pound. 
2°5-ineh. 
104 
10-pr. B.L. 
141 
95 
12|-pr. Maxim-Nordenfeldt... 
94 
- 
Energy required by Field 
Artillery Drill (400 f.s.). ... 
71 
71 
N.B.—There is no information as to the weight of the Maxim-Nordenfeldt bullets, but judging 
by he number (164) in the shell, they are probably not less than thirty-five to the lb. 
Considering that the burster of the Maxim-Nordenfeldt shrapnel is 3 oz. it is obvious that the 
efficiency of the shrapnel is not limited by any want of energy of the bullets at long ranges, and 
the same remark applies to the 10-pr. B.L. with base burster, even with bullets forty-eight 
to the lb. There is some doubt as to the 2‘5 inch which has a head burster. 
The angles of descent with the Maxim-Nordenfeldt are considerable, and is 25° at 4,000 yards; 
to obtain good shrapnel effect, therefore, the gun would have to shoot with considerable accuracy 
and this is hardly to be expected considering its shortness and low velocity. Our 12|-pr. jointed 
gun, a battery of which is now in India, gave poor results as regards accuracy at any range much 
exceeding 2,000 yards, though it was a considerably longer gun and had 280 f.s. more muzzle 
velocity than the Maxim-Nordenfeldt. The effective range of these guns is clearly limited by 
their accuracy; this is all important in mountain guns which are frequently called upon to fire but 
few rounds at small bodies of men and have a limited ammunition supply. In our service, guns 
have now been universally accepted as preferable to howitzers for shrapnel fire, but too high a 
muzzle velocity brings so many evils with it in light equipments that it may easily be overdone. 
