The Lock.— The lock is the machine by which the charge in the cartridge is ignited. Those of the present day belong to the percus sion class, in which fire is producedby a blow upon the fulminating powder, contained in the cartridge case. Locks are divided into side and centre locks, depending upon the position occupied in the stock; each of these may be either front action, wherein the main spring is in front of the tumbler or back action, where the spring is in rear of the tumbler. The mortise, which forms a bed for the lock of the latter construction, seri ously affects the strength of the stock at the handle, and for this reason the front-action lock is generally preferred for all arms, ex cept revolvers. The conditions to be fulfilled in the construction of a lock are simplicity, strength, certainty of action, and freedom from such accidental motion of the parts as might produce explosion of the charge in the barrel.
The The stock is the wooden part of the firearm, to which all the parts are assembled; it is preferable that it should be in one piece. The material should be light, strong, and well seasoned. The butt, the part intended to rest against the shoulder and to support the recoil of the piece, should be of such length and shape as will enable it to transmit the recoil with the least inconvenience to the sportsman. The longer it is, to a cer tain extent, the more firmly wilt it be pressed against the shoulder, and the effect of the recoil will be a push rather than a blow. The stock is crooked at the handle for convenience in aiming, and for the purpose of diminishing the direct-action of the recoil. Changing the direction of the recoil in this manner causes the piece to rotate around the shoulder; but if the stock be made too crooked, the butt will be liable to fly up and strike the face.
The The sights are guides by which the piece is given the elevation and direction necessary to hit the object. They are two: called front and rear sights. The front sight is fixed to the barrel near the muzzle. The fineness of its point is regu lated by the length of the barrel, or distance from the eye, and the size and distance of the object generally aimed at. It is made coarser in military than in sporting arms, to prevent Injury. The rear sight is attached to the barrel a short distance from the breech; it has a movable part, capable of being adjusted for different elevations of the barrel. A sight should satisfy the following conditions, via.
(1) it should be easily adjusted for all dis tances within effective range: (2) the form of the notch should permit the eye to catch the object quickly; (3) it should not be easily deranged by accidents. Globe and telescopic sights are used for very accurate sporting arms, but they are too delicate in their struc ture and too slow in their operations for gen eral The The mountings may be divided into two classes, viz. (1) those which serve to connect the principal parts, generally bands and screws; (2) those which protect from wear or strengthen the stock at certain points, as the butt-plate, guard-plate, nip; (3) the minor parts which secure the different parts (including the mountings proper), in their place, consisting of springs, screws, rivets, pins, washers and nuts.
Modern Trench warfare has created absolutely new conditions and has brought into use new weapons, revived old ones, and brought forth new methods in their use. The use of cover in connection with increased fire effect has greatly increased the power of the defense. The attack will not succeed unless the defense has first been com pletely shaken. Never before has human in genuity been so taxed to devise and supply so many murderous instruments of combat.
The modern sabre, bayonet and lance are the successors of the ancient instruments of a similar nature appearing in the Stone, and later in the Bronze and Iron ages. Scottish regiments have used the dagger; Indian troops, the throwing knife, a successor to the javelin. The modern rifle represents the culmination of the same idea found in the sling-shot, later in the bow and arrow, and in the cross-bow. Another variation is the aero-arrow used by the French and English. The revolver is the successor of the pistol. The flat trajectory of the modern rifle has brought about the use of new means to reach troops under cover. The ancients used the ballista and the catapult. The first mortars used also fired stone projec tiles. The modern howitzers resemble in their ballistic properties the first guns that were used Large calibre mortars have been de veloped, such as the 42 centimetre mortars. Their life is very short. The machine gun is the successor to the Gatling gun. The use of trench mortars and hand grenades dates back to the 16th century. The Japanese were the first to revive their use. See ARMS AND ARMOR; ARTILLERY; CANNON AND SMALL ARMS.