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MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS OF 
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5''.” The report states that, “ The effect of these shot on the scantling in 
rear was in each case very great.” 
A shot was fired through a port-hole with a view of ascertaining the effect 
upon the plates on the opposite side of the vessel, the result was as follows: 
“ A large portion of a plate 3' x 2'9 7/ and weighing about 12 cwt. was broken 
off and fell overboard.” 
In October 1860, three rounds of flat-headed homogeneous iron shot were 
fired from Sir W. Armstrong’s 80-pr. gun at Thorneycroft’s embrasure, none 
struck the iron work, and it appears from the record of the experiment that, 
“ Practice with these projectiles was discontinued at Sir Wm. Armstrong’s 
request.” 
In January 1861, at Portsmouth, two flat-headed steel shot of 70 lbs. weight 
were fired with a charge of 12 lbs. from the Whitworth rifled 80-pr. at a 
44" plate attached to the “Sirius.” The range was 200 yds.—only one of the 
shot struck the plate, and indented it 3^ in. 
No further experiment appears to have been made with steel shot until 
March, 1862, when a comparative trial of cast-iron, wrought-iron, and steel 
was made by firing, from a wall-piece, shot of 5^ oz. in weight against iron 
plates of various thicknesses, and the result having shown that the steel shot 
had the greatest power of penetration, a further trial with 12-pr. and 40-pr. 
shot of the same materials took place in June, 1862. The result of this 
experiment, however, led the Committee to report that 
“ The blow given by a wrought-iron or by a steel projectile to an iron plate 
is not so much more effective than that given by a cast-iron projectile as to render 
it desirable to substitute wrought-iron or steel shot for good cast-iron shot. The 
higher price of steel or wrought-iron over cast-iron, leads the Committee to believe 
that a greater effect can be performed at a less cost by the additional number of 
cast-iron shot that can be used for the same price.” In this experiment the steel 
shot were too brittle, and broke up in nearly every instance. 
In September 1862, a further trial of steel shot was made, when a 
flat-ended homogeneous metal shot weighing 12 lbs. 10 oz. was fired 
from a 12-pr. Whitworth rifled gun with a charge of 1 lb. 14 oz. against a 
plate at* 200 yds. range. The shot penetrated the plate and was only 
set up 0*5". This was a great result to obtain as the indent of a 12-pr. 
cast-iron shot fired under similar circumstances is only about T2 7/ . 
On the 25th September a shot of the same material weighing 129 lbs. was 
fired from a Whitworth 120-pr. M. L. rifled gun with a charge of 23 lbs. 
against a “Warrior” target at 600yds. range. The shot penetrated the 
armour and wood backing and fractured, but did not pass through, the skin. 
The plates of this target having proved of very inferior quality, the Special 
Committee on Iron recommended that the experiment should be repeated on 
a target faced with armour plates of a more suitable quality, and also that the 
Whitworth projectiles should be tried against a plate placed at an angle. 
Owing to this recommendation experiments were carried on at Shoeburyness 
on the 13th and 14th of November, 1862, a description of which will be 
found at p. 41.* The Committee in their Eeport on these experiments, thus 
record their opinion :— 
* Recent Gunnery Experiments upon Iron Armour. By Captain Inglis, R.E. 
