Hence, efforts to produce a still more reliable and satisfactory cartridge, and the development, production and general adoption for service of what is now so well known as center-primed metallic ammunition, its advantages be ing sure explosion when struck by the point of the firing-pin; less of fulminate and less strain on the head of the cartridge; greater security in handling and using under all exigencies of service. These cartridges have been subjected to the severest tests to demonstrate their capability to resist all accidents, such as mashing up boxes of ammunition and even firing into them with bullets. On!y the cartridges actually impinged upon exploded under such tests, their neighbors being only blackened and not otherwise damaged. The safety of handling and transporting this ammunition in comparison with that of the old-fashioned kind is vastly in its favor, and the risk attending its car riage is almost nothing-. Its greatly superior quality to resist exposure of climate, moisture, etc., has also been proven by such exceedingly severe tests that it may be asserted to be practically water-proof. A central and direct blow on the point primed is an essential and highly important feature of the center-primed cartridge; its general adoption and adaptation of all loading service small-arms to its use, is the best proof of its acknowledged spperiority. Simple modifications of the form of the head adapt it to safe use inagazine arms, even though the front of the bullet rests on the head of the preceding cartridge, while with all varieties of repriming ammunition the cei tral fire is a sine qua non.
The Berdan, made in large numbers for the Russian Government, for use in the Berdan breech-loading rifle, has been most strictly and severely tested during manufacture, and has proved of great excellence. It is exceedingly ingenious; its re-enforcement simple and effective; its capacity as a reloader fully tested and demonstrated by prolonged and repeated trial, daily, during production of millions of rounds; a number of the shells being reloaded, primed, and fired ten times, and much more extended trials have been had for special test of the endurance of the cases in this particular. Its chief distin guishing feature is that its anvil is of the same continuous piece of metal as that of which the case is made. Herein there is no possible displacement or misplacement of the anvil, and it has a fixed position with respect to the piimer. The cartridge is singular in this respect, and superior to its rivals that require a separate anvil. In it was a happy idea bit upon by the inventor ,1 of making his anvil by a simple return of the metal of the pocket for the primer. All other anvils are its inferiors in that they have to be handled in assembling the parts of the shell. Another advantage is, it presents a point to the primer inside, rendering it sensitive to the blow of the hammer. The use of the special Hobbs' primer is most excellent in this combination. Other varieties of an excellent re-enforcement may be referred to, as exhibited in the drawings.
These re-enforcements may be accomplished in various ways, as by a ring of expanding metal. a ring of solder, felt or papier-mache wads, etc. When the ring of this metal is used as a re-enforcement it is best applied, and perhaps only effectually, in those cartridges having a pocket or return of the bead for the priming. In these cases it should be so formed as to act by expansion against the walls of the case and of the pocket, to cut off the escape of gas to the folded head in both directions. The solder ring has been found to be a
good ie-Lnforce also, and in the wrapped-metal and some other varieties of cartridges it serves also to attach the Ilanged-head to the body of the case. It was first used here for this purpose, and that it acted also as a re-enforce was a resulting discovery. The felt or papier-mache wad is not believed to be as good or to hold the head as securely, although it is extensively used in the various forms of Itoxer ammunition. It is not believed that a simple ring. of any soft metal of any shape, as lead or its alloys, forced into the case at the head, will act as a re-enforce, as has been claimed. No matter how closely tilt metallic surfaces are in contact, if the re-enforcement does not expand more promptly and as fully as the case itself under all the pressure id' the gas, it does not strengthen or re-entorce the point to which,it is applied. A re enforcing ring works well, applied to a Martin ca'rt.ridge..as-kell, in fact. as to a Berdan, and in the same manner. An objection to the Martin is its small anvil for small-headed cartridges, and their liabilityito.bv7rn t4e priming com position inclosing the pocket on the anvil, a difficulty met with in their mann facture, with the bar-anvil, and which can only be wholly eliminated by careful inspection of primed cases.
A very notable cartridge is the Boxer, as made at the Royal Arsenal. Wool wich, for the Snider and Martini-Henry rifles. A perusal of the English re ports of their small-arm ordnance board will show the ntost casual reader that the failures ot these cartridges, trom all causes, have been what would be considered in our trials of the best American cartridges as a very large per centage. sufficient to warrant the abandonment of a cartridge that failed so often. Unlike its American prototype, from which it was originally taken, its parts are more numerous, and the steps of operations in its production more than double those in that simple cartridge. Its cost, hence, is also large, con sidering the low prices of labor and materials, and the very large numbers fabricated in the country of its adoption; a cost very much in excess, it is be lieved, of that of anv other of the most approved American varieties of metal cartridges fabricated under similar advantages of cheap labor, low-priced ma terials, and large production. It does not appear to be well adapted to stand the shocks of transportation or exig-encies of service, is easily indented and disfigured, so much so as seriously to interfere, with ease of loading. Per contra, it is beautifully expanded and brought into shape of the exact walls of the chamber in firing-, and extracts readily if the head holds, which, from the reports, seems not always to be the case. It is not suitable in its present state ai),1 for use a reloader, whatever may In. for it in this respect, and it is doubtful if it could he made so. Tlw idea of such a use does not seem to receive encouragement from recent reports. Its attachable heads, from the peculiar and awkward mode of fixing- them. are not exact or even, and may not always be firmly put on. Made of iron, it is believed they never should be for cartridges subjected to all varieties of climate. The use of this metal for a cartridge, otherwise so costly, is the poorest kind of economy.