EXPERIENCES AT OKEHAMPTON IN 1891 . 
119 
tough steel shell, and that means, as far as we know at present, that the common 
shell is worthless as a man-killing projectile. Therefore our shrapnel shell must 
be used as a percussion projectile when we require one. Therefore the burster of 
the shrapnel must be in the head. The burster being in the head when the shell 
is used as a time shrapnel, the bullets are retarded just when they should be 
accelerated, and, therefore, in order to give them a killing velocity at a long- 
range, we must give an excessive muzzle velocity so that we may attempt to 
make good the 130 f.s. that they lose when the shell bursts at the end of the 
range ; and there we are back again at the starting point. High velocity induces 
disadvantages that apparently can only be combatted by high velocity, and that 
not satisfactorily. The solution then of the difficulties and disadvantages set 
forth by Captain Acland appears to lie in the simple reduction of the muzzle 
velocity, say to some 1550 f.s.; this would enable us to have a man-killing 
common shell and a shrapnel with a bursting charge in the base and would give 
our fuzes fair play ; also, and not least, it would so reduce the strains that a 
reduction in weight of the system and simplification of structure would be pos¬ 
sible, and thus meet some of the severe strictures that have been passed upon our 
latest carriage. 
The discussion then closed with a vote of thanks to the Lecturer, proposed by 
the Chairman, and carried unanimously. 
