The first form of rifle employed in the British service was a seven groove rifle. The method of loading was this : after pouring in the requisite charge, a greased patch (a circular piece of cotton, about twice the diameter of bore) was placed on the muzzle; a spherical bullet, slightly larger than the bore of the gun, was then placed on it and forced down with an iron ramrod and wooden mallet. Thus the portion of the bullet in contact with the bore became indented, and received its rifling ; it was, however, a long and tedious process, not well adapted for military purposes. It was superseded by the two-grooved rifle and belted ball ; the grooves were wide and deep, and the bullet, which was sown into a thin piece of calico, had a projecting zone fitting them. This form was easier to load, and gave pretty good practice up to 300 yards, but it had the disadvantage of windage, and after a time fouled.
Robins had pointed out the advantages of a breech-loading rifle, in giving ease in loading :—" As both these methods of charging at the mouth take up a good deal of time, the rifled barrels which have been made in England (for I remember not to have seen it in any foreign piece) are contrived to be charged at the breech, where the piece is for this purpose made larger than in any other part ; and the powder and bullet are put in through the aide of the barrel by an opening, which. when the place is loaded, is filled up by a screw. By this means. when the pima is fired, the bullet is forced through the rifles, find acquires the same spiral motion as in the former kind of pieces. And perhaps somewhat of this kind, though not in the manner now practised. would be, of all others, the most perfect method for the construction of these barrels." This process has been carried out very successfully in the Prussian needle-gun, and various other breech-loading muskets, and in the Armstrong gun. [111rLED ORDNANCE.] Though apace will not permit of our describing the needle.guti, we may mention that there is no nipple and cap used, but the detonating powder being contained in a wooden sabot at. the base of the bullet, a needle is driven forward by the lock on the trigger being pulled, and forcing through the powder in the cartridge, ignites the detonating powder at the other end. The needle being very liable to injury, a form of cartridge with the deto nating composition at the back of the charge has been adopted successfully. Breech-loaders, besides increasing the rapidity of fire, enable the soldier to load without exposing himself whilst doing so, which is sometimes a great object, as, for instance, in a square.
To return to muzzleloaders. In 1827, M. Delvigne, a French officer, proposed to increase the facility of loading by giving the rifle a chamber, as fig. 4 ; the bullet being smaller than the bore is easily
most to the bottom, the smaller is then pushed in on to the point of the bullet, and filled with powder, the coda pasted, up, and the base round the bullet dipped into a lubricator, a mixture of tallow and bees' wax. In loading, the end of the cartridge is opened and the powder poured in, the bullet is then reversed into the muzzle ; when down to the shoulder, the upper portion of the cartridge paper to where the inner case comes down to, is torn off, and the bullet pushed down with the ramrod. This is incomparably the best arm that any troops have yd been armed with, though it may not be the best weapon invented. It is wholly made by machinery, at least all those manu factured at the Government factory at Enfield (whence its name). This gives it the great advantage for a military weapon, besides per fection in accuracy, of having all its parts interchangeable with other arms of the same construction. The dimensions, &c., of the Enfield rifled musket arc— loaded, and when on the chamber a few smart blows with the ramrod expands it into the grooves. It did not, however, succeed well on service, for powder lodged on the shoulders of the chamber and the rifle fouled. In 1842, Colonel Thouvenin, also a French officer, invented the " carabine-a-tige," see fig. 5. The action is the same as with the Delvigne chamber, and needs no explanation. It answered better, but there were many disadvantages. The bullet in both cases is kneeled out of shape. The tige, or steel stem, is liable to injury, and from its position takes up much apace, elongating the charge and placing it at a mechanical disadvantage in its ignition. M. Delvigne then proposed the elongated bullet, as shown in fig. 5, which was a great improve ment, and it was introduced into the French service with the care bine.a.tige.
M. Minid then proposed an expanding bullet, of the form shown in jig. 0, with an iron cup or plug a, in the hollow base b. This remedied all the disadvantages of the carabine-a-tige. The bullet can be easily rammed down, and the iron cup having a less specific gravity than the lead is driven forward by the explosion and assists in expanding the bullet. It is but justice to Captain Norton to state that he proposed an expanding bullet on the same principle many years before. It is, however, not absolutely necessary to have a hollow base and plug in order to make the bullet expand. A hollow base alone, or indeed a solid cylinder, if long enough, will expand, though not quite so much. The powder acting like a blow drives the base forward before the inertia of the fore part is overcome, and expands it at the shoulder.