BREECH-LOADING GUNS (ante). The introduction of these arms in the United States. dates properly from 1805, from which date muzzle-loading arms were no longer manufactured at the Springfield armory. A short time before the late rebellion, the government tested a number of breech-loading guns, such as the Burnside, Cosmopoli tan, Gallagher, Joslyn, Merrill, Maynard, Smith, Lindner, and Sharp. None of these are now used except the Sharp gun, which has been adapted to the metallic cartridge. During the war the.Spencer rifle was much used by the U. S. cavalry; it has a magazine in the butt of the stock, holding 7 cartridges that are admitted one at a time by the movement of the trigger-guard used as a lever. The shell of an exploded cartridge is expelled by the same movement. It may be used also as a single breech-loader, hut the magazine must first be shut off. The henry gun (not to be mistaken for the Martini Henry gun) has the magazine under the barrel. - By movements of the lever. 17 metallic eases or cartridges can be brought into the chamber in succession. This gun, like the Spencer, can be used as a single breech-loader by shutting off the magazine. It has been changed, however, by 0. F. and is now termed the Winchester gun. Among other magazine guns may be mentioned the Ball, Fogarty, and Gardner guns. The well-known Remington gun is a single breech-loader, and has an iron receiver that is screwed to the breech of the barrel, in which the breech-block and lock are to be found. It uses metallic-cased cartridges, and has been adopted by the governments of Egypt, Spain, and several other countries. The Remington gun is used in the U. S. navy. ' In 1866, the secretary of war called a board of officers, gen. Hancock acting as presi dent, to report the form and caliber which should be adopted for mus• kets and carbines, and the method of muskets from muzzle-loading to lireech loading arms. After an examination of 22 different breech-loading muskets and 17
different breech-loading carbines, the board reported the best caliber for muskets to be 0.45 of an inch, the best charge of powder from 65 to 70 grains, and the best weight of ball from 480 to 500 grains. In 1869, a board of officers, presided over by gen. Schofield, was called to meet at St. Louis to select the six best patterns of muskets for infantry and carbines for cavalry. After examining a great number of different breech-loaders, they reported that the only guns suitable for military service were those of the Reming ton, Springfield, and Sharp systems. These guns were tried accordingly until 1872, when, in compliance with an act of congress, a board of officers, gen. A. H. Terry as president, was appointed to meet in New I ork and Springfield, " to recommend a breech loading system for muskets and carbines to be adopted for the military service, which system, when so adopted, shall be the only one to .be used by the ordnance department in the manufacture of muskets and carbines for the military service." After testing over 100 breech-loading guns, the board recommended (May. 1873) that the Springfield breech-loading system be adopted for military .service, and this report being approved, that system is now used by the government for the U. S. army and militia. This breech loader has a receiver screwed to the breech of the barrel. The shell of the exploded cartridge is ejected by a combined cam and spring through a motion of the hinge in the opening of the breech-block. The firing-pin goes through the breech-block in an inclined direction from the nose of the hammer at the side to the center of the rear of the cham ber, where it strikes the head of the cartridge, exploding the fulminate when its rear end is struck by the hammer.