SHORT NOTES ON PROFESSIONAL SUBJECTS, 
1867. 
1. Gunpowder. An experiment was made by the O. S. Committtee in 
January at the instance of the Magazine Committee,*' to ascertain at what distance 
the explosion of two barrels of gunpowder, each containing 100 lbs., would cause the 
explosion of other barrels. Two barrels were taken, that being the ordinary load of 
a barrow. The result was that at 40, 30, 20, and 10 yards the adjacent barrels 
were safe, but they were exploded at 5 yards. A barrel was found to be safe when 
well covered with wad-milltilt at 10 feet. Loose powder exploded at 7|- yards 
and 10 yards, but not at 15 yards. The explosion was effected by electric tube 
from a magnetic battery about 500 yards off. 
2. Hale’s 24-pr. rockets of Eoyal Laboratory manufacture, were tried with 
very satisfactory results on the 18th January. The range at 15° was 1820 yards, 
with an average difference of each rocket from the mean of the whole of 133* yards, 
and a mean error of direction of 12‘6 yards. The time of flight to this distance 
was about 9'8 seconds. 
3. Snider converted Enfield rifles. The O.S. Committee were engaged 
throughout the month of January in investigating the cause of the bad shooting of 
some of these arms, which have exhibited a much greater susceptibility to small 
variations in the ammunition than was expected. The evil has been to a con¬ 
siderable degree removed by the employment of a lighter and shorter bullet, but it 
can scarcely be said that its cause is discovered. 
Mean radial deviation, 
AT 600 YARDS. 
Worst 
target. 
Best 
target. 
Average. 
20 Enfield rifles taken without selection from store gave 
ft. 
2-57 
ft. 
1-03 
ft. 
1-48 
20 Snider rifles, Ammunition I. with 526 grain bullet... 
4-36 
1*61 
2*63 
The same with Ammunition II. but also 525 grain bullet 
6*56 
1*21 
2-78 
The same with new Ammunition (called III.) with 480 
grain bullet . 
3-27 
0-87 
1*46 
There are however numerous anomalies to be explained, and the enquiry promises 
to be a long one; not the least perplexing of these is that the ammunition shot in 
April and May 1866, the success of which led to the decision of Government to 
proceed with the conversion, had the 525 grain bullet, which is now found in fault, 
and gave an average figure of 1*06 feet. The naval or short rifles supplied to all 
rifle regiments and to serjeants of infantry, continue to shoot well with the 
Pattern II. ammunition, giving a mean figure of about 0‘81 feet at 500 yards. 
These figures of course refer to firing from fixed rests. 
* The Magazine Committee was appointed in November 1864 in consequent <?f the Erith 
explosion, to consider whether any steps are requisite to give greater security tq t/he (Jovernmen^ 
establishments, General Sir John Burghdyne, G.C.B., President. 
