41 
COMPARATIVE TRIAL OF STEEL-BODIED SHRAPNEL, WITH 
BURSTERS IN THE HEAD AND BASE RESPECTIVELY, 
CARRIED OUT AT SHOEBURYNESS IN 1882-3. 
BY 
LIEUT.-COLONEL E. BAINBRIDGE, R.A. 
In 1882 designs of steel shrapnel shell having the bursting charge 
in the head instead of in the base were put forward, and experiments 
were instituted to determine the comparative efficiency of these shell 
and those having bursters in the base. 
These experiments were of a very exhaustive nature, embracing 
shell for all calibres of B.L. guns from 6-inch to 12-prs. The result 
of these trials shewed that for 6-inch guns and upwards the shells with 
bursters in the base had the advantage, owing to the comparatively 
large bursting charge which had to be employed for shells with 
bursters in the head. In the 5-inch calibre the advantage was doubt¬ 
ful, but with the 4-inch and 12-pr. the advantage was decidedly in 
favour of the shells with the bursters in the head, and they were in 
1888 adopted into the service. 
The action of the shell is as follows. The base is attached to the 
body by weak rivets. The small bursting charge acting on the head 
causes a retardation of the bullets sufficient to break the rivets joining 
the base and body. The body, proceeding with undiminished velocity, 
passes over the bullets leaving them unconfined. 
The greater efficiency of this nature of shell as a time shell appears 
to be due to the larger number of bullets it contains, there being no 
central channel. Its greater efficiency as a percussion shrapnel is due 
to the fuze being close to the bursting charge. There is no delay in 
the burst of the shell after the action of the fuze, and there is no time 
for ricochet before the burst takes place. 
From the 12-pr. gun several designs of each nature of shell were 
tried, and ultimately a shell with burster in the head, Elswick design, 
E. 2 and a shell with burster in the base, Royal Laboratory design R.L. 5 
were selected for final trial. The following is an abstract of the 
results :—12-pr. B.L. gun ; charge 4 lbs. S.P.; weight of shell, 12^ lbs. 
Design E. 2 , with burster in the head; 216 bullets, 34 to the lb.; 
burster £ oz. 
Design R.L. 6 , with burster in base; 136 bullets, 34 to the lb.; 
burster 1£■ oz. 
1. YOL. XIX. 
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