The weight of a column of five ordinary' service cartridges would be about seven ounces, at least four-fifth; of which weight would in a tubular magazine, rest fairly upon the point o: the bullet of the last cartridge, and which bullet collies directly in contact with the primer itself of the cartridge in advance of it. All ammunition manufacturers realize the difficulty experi enced in preparing fulminate of mercury (used for primers), that will, in practical use, always have a uniform degree of sensitiveness. It can be made so sensitive that the slightest scratch will ignite it, and many fulminate mixers have lost their lives by a moment's inattention or relaxation of caution while compounding it. While it is generally, possible to produce fulminate of nearly equal quality, still different batches do vary; and whether it be from differ ence in this quality or from the different position or placement of the fulmi nate in the primer as regards the cartridge-anvil, or otherwise, still it is cer tainly true that cartridges are to be found in use that explode with one half the concussion ordinarily required. It is a fact that cartridges have ex ploded by dropping a few inches from the machine in which they are loaded into the receptacle below. It is readily seen, then, that the use of such a spiral spring makes premature explosion not only possible, but very probable. and there is no way to prevent it, except by discarding it, as in the Lee or Chaf fee-Reece guns. During the War of the Rebellion, guns using the spiral spring have been known to explode when the cavalry were on a march. Of course, such arms were discarded; but the same thing may happen to any arm of recent invention which is so constructed as to require a spiral spring.
Where the cartridges are fed from the butt-stock by a spiral spring the bullet is liable to strike the counter-bore of the barrel, making a notch in the bullet and rendering it useless for accurate work. When the cartridges are brought tip by a carrier on an angle the same thing will happen—the counter-bore of the barrel either stops the bullet or cuts off a piece sufficiently large to make it impossible that its flight be accurate and make a good tar get, because of its irregular shape made by such contact. It is well under stood that a good shot, Mien using- any of the magazine guns in which the car tridges are fed by a spiral spring, uses it as a single-loader; and the reason is, that the bullet is generally so mutilated by striking the counter-bore, that its flight is not to be depended upon for accuracy.
The Parker shotgun, which is distinctively American, exhibits all the ad vantages of the many American systems of shotguns. The different parts are made by special machinery, and by workmen who make a specialty of one thing only, and are subjected to rigid inspection, so that no defective or im perfect part can find its way into the finished gun. The number of parts is reduced to a minimum, and the construction is so simple that the gun can be taken apart, for cleaning or repairs, with an ordinary screw-driver. The manu
facture of shotgun barrels differs in many respects from that of rifle barrels. They must be light, therefore thin, and yet sufficiently strong — conditions which can only be obtained by an extraordinary tenacity of the material. In these combinations this tenacity is secured by mixing and blending the iron and steel so intimately together that the peculiar proportions of each, tough nets and elasticity, are imparted to every portion of the mass, and the barrel thus receives the degree of hardness and softness required. The barrels of the Parker gun are manufactured in the following manner: The iron and steel are placed in layers, according to the figure that may be desired, which opera tion is called piling. These layers are securely welded together into a com pact bar, which must be absolutely sound and perfect in every weld, as the slightest spot left unwelded or unsound in this operation will be sure to cause a total loss of the barrel. The process now consists in reducing this bar to such a sized rod as may be required for a certain weight of barrel. This rod is twisted similar to a rope, care being taken to have the twist uniform and even. Several of these twisted rods are placed side by side, being careful to have the inclination of the twist arranged in opposite directions. These several rods are welded together with the same care and precision as in the previous op eration, to insure perfectly sound barrels. This is now termed a ribbon and is coiled spirally around a mandrel. This spiral ribbon is raised to a welding heat and jumped by striking the end against the anvil, thereby welding the edges firmry together. They are then placed upon a welding-mandrel, reheat ed, and welded from end to end. Much skill and care arc required in this operation to reduce this outside diameter to correct size and at the same time preserve the caliber, and also maintain the proper taper, the barrel being much larger at the breech than at the muzzle. The figure that appears in the figured barrel is dependent upon the correctness of this and the previous welding operations, for if hammered unevenly, the figure itself will be corre spondingly uneven. Then follows the process of hammering in nearly a cold state, whereby the texture of the metal is condensed, closing its pores and making it harder. This finishes the operation of barrel-forging, and the barrel is ready to be bored. The curly figure that appears in the Damascus, Ber nard, and laminated barrels is obtained by twisting the rods before referred to; the variation of figure being obtained by varying the piling. The white marks that appear in the finished barrel arc iron., and the dark ones steel. The fine figure that is on the barrels of the high-priced guns is obtained by an increased number of pieces in the operation of piling.