Part 6

The length of the column of shot from the cylinder gun is longer than the spread from the choke bore, and the longer the range the longer is the column; but strangely, at long range, according to these trials, one striking velocity of the first pellets in the load was exactly the same as that of the last pellets to strike the revolving target, although mean velocities for the range were very different. This almost shakes confidence in this chronographic record, but as the penetration tests always show more variation between pellets than the differences in any of these revolving target and chronographic records, it may be that the apparent paradox of pellets getting farther behind but nevertheless maintaining the same speed as those in front can be explained by a constant change of leaders, and if so, also of followers necessarily.

These phenomena do not occur except at the extreme distance of 55 yards, and they are totally absent even at that distance with the choke bore and 49 grains charge. It seems therefore only to be possible when the pellets have dropped to a low velocity. At shorter ranges there is sometimes an impact difference of 200 feet a second between the pellets of the same load. So that it is material to know the force of the whole charge, and the time up the range of the leading pellets is no guide, as differences equal to 320 f.s. have occurred in one load.

STRIKING VELOCITY AT VARIOUS RANGES IN FOOT-SECONDS

_on Mr. Griffith’s authority_

┌────────────────────────┬────────┬────────┬────────┬────────┬────────┐ │ │ By the │ By the │ │ By the │ By the │ │ │fastest │next 25 │ By 45 │mean of │ last 3 │ │ │ 5 p.c. │p.c. of │p.c. of │ the │p.c. of │ │ │ of │pellets.│pellets.│ bulk. │pellets.│ │ │pellets.│ │ │ │ │ ├────────────────────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┤ │15 yards choke (42)│ 1013│ 987│ 974│ 952│ 813│ │ 〃 choke (49)│ 1050│ 1013│ 1042│ 965│ 798│ │ 〃 cylinder (42)│ 1003│ 955│ 962│ 923│ 742│ ├────────────────────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┤ │25 yards choke (42)│ 825│ 792│ 779│ 748│ 684│ │ 〃 choke (49)│ 890│ 840│ 806│ 809│ 699│ │ 〃 cylinder (42)│ 810│ 769│ 750│ 724│ 615│ ├────────────────────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┤ │35 yards choke (42)│ 691│ 661│ 660│ 632│ 523│ │ 〃 choke (49)│ 737│ 699│ 699│ 672│ 564│ │ 〃 cylinder (42)│ 672│ 632│ 636│ 619│ 504│ ├────────────────────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┤ │45 yards choke (42)│ 581│ 560│ 549│ 536│ 489│ │ 〃 choke (49)│ 633│ 598│ 592│ 573│ 527│ │ 〃 cylinder (42)│ 561│ 538│ 523│ 494│ 488│ ├────────────────────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┤ │55 yards choke (42)│ 377│ 365│ 362│ 344│ 342│ │ 〃 choke (49)│ 478│ 462│ 457│ 427│ 418│ │ 〃 cylinder (42)│ 382│ 374│ 378│ 370│ 382│ └────────────────────────┴────────┴────────┴────────┴────────┴────────┘

As these are the only chronographic tests of shot pellets ever made with a view of finding out what really takes place, the striking velocities of the various proportions of the load at different distances are given here. But although this represents the only use of the instrument for this purpose, on truly scientific principles, ever recorded in print, the author would be sorry to affirm the absolute accuracy of the instrument on this or any other occasion, although the relative accuracy of one record to the other is much more likely to be correct.

The (42) and (49), after the description of the gun in the table on p. 41 refers to the load of Schultze powder, and in all cases 1⅛ oz. of shot No. 6 was used.

In order to arrive at striking velocity from these trials, it was necessary to compare the time taken at one range with that taken at another range by a different cartridge.

That in some cases the leading pellets are recorded as slower than those behind them, is not, as would at first sight appear, an absolute disproof of accuracy, because it may be that the leading pellets are constantly dropping back, and others are becoming leaders. Obviously the fastest pellets lose speed at the greatest rate, and obviously, also, the leading pellets get least help and give most to their neighbours, by setting up air disturbance, or a breeze, in the direction of the load.

We all know from paper pad and strawboard tests that the penetration of pellets from the same discharge often varies as two to one. Some of these records do not confirm this; but as they can only be accurate on the assumption of that which must be true—the fluctuation of relative positions of the pellets in flight—this adds to their value, because that assumption is also required to explain the greater known variation in penetration than the most indicated in these tables of speed.

The above remarks have been founded on the comparison of the chronographic time of one load at one distance with that of another discharge fired 10 yards farther away; and the mean speed over the 10 yards has been taken as the striking velocity at the midway distance of the 10 yards. This is how Mr. Griffith worked out the striking velocities. And from his figures the length of the shot column can only be got at by making some use of a comparison between shots fired at one range and those fired at another. In other words, the length of shot column approximately found, as described, when divided by the difference of time between first and last pellets, brings out the average velocities of the shot column, at the instant of the leading shot striking the target, too high. That is to say, the previous length of column having been found too much, is taken merely as a basis, to indicate the position in the rear at the length of the column away from the target at which to search for the speed of the lagging pellets, and, with these found, and the speeds of the leading pellets already found, from the table upon page 41, the average speed has been discovered, and actual time between first and last being known, the length of column has been re-found in a way that must be as accurate as any records can be that are based on two different discharges and the chronograph.

Taking the length of the column of shot, it is clear that the difference of time in seconds between the first and last arriving pellets, divided by the length of the column in feet, will give the mean velocity of the shot column at the instant the first pellets struck the target. The amended figures are tabulated on the next page.

It has lately been attempted to show that Mr. Griffith’s measurements are not supported by the results on a target passing at 75 feet a second at right angles with the line of fire. But this speed is not enough to prevent the irregular spread of the shot pellets from misleading. In other words, the faster the movement of the target the less will the elongation of pattern depend upon the accident of pattern, and the more it will depend upon the length of shot column and its speed. Besides this, birds at 75 feet per second are not the difficult sort that people want to learn to kill in a wind.

In the following table it is seen that in one case the column is no longer at 50 yards than at 40 yards, and we may be quite certain shot columns are not so in reality:—

┌──────┬──────────┬──────────┬───────────────────────┬────────────────┐ │ │Difference│ │ │ │ │ │of time of│ │ │ │ │ │arrival of│Length of │ │ │ │ │ first 5 │column of │ Mean velocity over │ │ │Yards │per cent. │ shot as │ length of column, and │ │ │ of │and last 3│corrected │striking velocity at a │ Description of │ │range.│per cent. │ by the │ point half the length │ gun and load. │ │ │of pellets│ method │of column of shot from │ │ │ │ in │previously│ the end of the range— │ │ │ │fractions │explained.│ │ │ │ │ of a │ │ │ │ │ │ second. │ │ │ │ ├──────┼──────────┼──────────┼───────────┬───────────┼────────────────┤ │ │ │ │As found by│As found by│ │ │ │ │ │ time from │ time from │ │ │ 〃 │ 〃 │ 〃 │uncorrected│ corrected │ 〃 │ │ │ │ │ length of │ length of │ │ │ │ │ │ column of │ column of │ │ │ │ │ │ shot. │ shot. │ │ ├──────┼──────────┼──────────┼───────────┼───────────┼────────────────┤ │ │ │ │ │ │Choke bore, 42 │ │ │ │ │ │ │ grains of │ │ 10 │·007 │ │ │ │ Schultze and │ │ │ │ │ │ │ 1⅛ oz. No 6 │ │ │ │ │ │ │ shot. │ │ 20 │·0145 │ 12 feet│ 1034│ 863│ 〃 │ │ 30 │·022 │ 16 feet│ 1000│ 726│ 〃 │ │ 40 │·036 │ 22 feet│ 777│ 619│ 〃 │ │ 50 │·046 │ 22 feet│ 630│ 489│ 〃 │ │ 60 │·054 │ │ │ │ 〃 │ ├──────┼──────────┼──────────┼───────────┼───────────┼────────────────┤ │ │ │ │ │ │Choke bore, 49 │ │ │ │ │ │ │ grains │ │ 10 │·009 │ │ │ │ Schultze and │ │ │ │ │ │ │ the rest same │ │ │ │ │ │ │ as above. │ │ 20 │·018 │ 16 feet│ 1005│ 884│ 〃 │ │ 30 │·027 │ 20 feet│ 1000│ 768│ 〃 │ │ 40 │·0425 │ 27 feet│ 776│ 647│ 〃 │ │ 50 │·05 │ 28 feet│ 700│ 555│ 〃 │ │ 60 │·059 │ │ │ │ 〃 │ ├──────┼──────────┼──────────┼───────────┼───────────┼────────────────┤ │ │ │ │ │ │Cylinder gun and│ │ │ │ │ │ │ 42 grains of │ │ 10 │·0117 │ │ │ │ powder and │ │ │ │ │ │ │ shot the same │ │ │ │ │ │ │ as above. │ │ 20 │·0222 │ 18 feet│ 990│ 812│ 〃 │ │ 30 │·034 │ 26 feet│ 823│ 769│ 〃 │ │ 40 │·049 │ 28 feet│ 714│ 583│ 〃 │ │ 50 │·057 │ 27 feet│ 526│ 484│ 〃 │ │ 60 │·057 │ │ │ │ 〃 │ └──────┴──────────┴──────────┴───────────┴───────────┴────────────────┘

The only way that this extraordinary result can be explained is this: Mr. Griffith shot at his revolving targets set behind a hole of 4 feet diameter made in a steel plate, and the question arises, Would not any shot pellets that were only travelling at 382 feet a second drop out by the force of gravity, and never pass through the opening at all at the longer ranges? They would take a considerable fraction of a second to reach the 55 yards range, and pellets would drop a foot by the force of gravity in ¼ second, therefore some of them would not pass through the 4 feet opening. On this assumption, instead of the 50 yards columns of shot being of the lengths stated, they must be very much longer, with a continuous dropping of the weaker shot all up the range.

It is often asked how it happens that so few fast driven birds are wounded. They are either killed or not hit as a rule, even when they are high up. Another query is as often heard: “Why are fast birds more difficult than slow ones?” It appears that one answer can be supplied from the tables already given to both questions. It is often said that it is difficult to lead “tall” birds enough, but the farther away game is, the slower the gun has to move in order to race, and beat it, so that this is evidently not the explanation. Taking the corrected length of the various columns of shot at most of the ranges above 30 yards, and comparing the average speeds of the fag end pellets, as given in the table, with the distance they have to go, while the bird has merely to go from 2 to 4 feet to get out of their line, it will be found that game at 60 feet per second cannot get clear of any part of the shot column if it is timed properly, whereas game at 100 feet per second will clear about 40 per cent. of the length of column in some cases, and only incur danger from 60 per cent. as he flies through it. This seems to be ample reason for the greater difficulty of fast game.

Here are a few examples with the 42 grain charge: allowing 6 inches for half the length of the bird, and adding this to the diameter of flying shot column at various ranges, it is found that in order to get clear while the shot column is passing, the bird at 60 feet per second takes .041 of a second. At 100 feet rate of flight he will take .025 of a second, and the shot takes but .022, so that the game does not get an advantage here at 30 yards. But at 40 yards the slow bird takes .05 of a second and gets no advantage; the fast one takes .03 of a second, and here the time of the column is .036, so that, however good the timing, the bird misses some shot. At 50 yards it is still worse for the slow bird, which takes .062 of a second to get through, and better for the fast one, that takes only .037 of a second, when the shot occupies .046 of a second for the whole column to pass.

There is not much difference for the 49 grain charge from the choke bore. At 30 yards the shot column takes .027 of a second to reach the distance after the first pellets are up. The 60 feet a second bird takes .041 of a second, and the 100 feet per second bird takes but .025, or a less period than the shot column. At 40 yards the slow bird takes .050 and the fast one .030 of a second, and the shot occupies .042 of a second. At 50 yards the times are .062 for the slow bird and .037 for the fast one, and the period taken by the shot column is .050 of the unit of time; so that at the longer range the best timing possible would only give the game 37/50 of the shot he would have as a slow bird.

The cylinder bore, with its longer column of shot and wider spread as well, is a little different in effect. At 30 yards the period occupied between first and last pellet is .034 of the second, and the slow game takes .050, and the fast .030 of a second. At 40 yards .049 is the period for the pellets; and .062 and .037 of a second those for the quick and tardy game, so that there is twelve parts in every 49 of the shot rendered useless in spite of the best possible timing and the truest of allowances in front. At 50 yards the shot pellets occupy .057 of a second for the rearguard to come up to the distance, and the game takes respectively .075 and .045 of a second for the slow and the fast. So that, again, one gets all the benefit as if he were still, and the other cannot do so under any circumstances.

In the last case, at 40 yards, every misjudgment of distance to allow ahead by 1 foot is equivalent to .016 of a second off the total of .049 second occupied by the shot column, so that 3 feet of error will be equivalent to a total miss for the slow bird, whereas for the fast bird every foot of error is equivalent to .010 of a second, and 5 feet of error in judgment in allowing in front, may enable you to hit with the tail end of the shot column, but only to wound most likely.

The best shot gun experiments ever made with the chronograph, therefore, show that if you have to aim 5 feet in front, and do aim 10 in front, you do not necessarily totally miss at 40 yards; whereas if, instead of aiming 5 feet too much in front, in like circumstances, the gunner aimed 5 feet behind, or, in other words, dead on the mark with a still gun, a hit would be impossible: the game would never be in the line of the shot after the trigger was pulled. This would be so, even although the gun was following round with the bird; so as to ensure no loss consequent on the time occupied by the pull of the trigger. It is clearly better to aim greatly too much in front than a little too much behind.

Even before the author ever engaged in driving game, he had shot at the first bird of a covey and killed the last one, 7 or 8 yards behind. In shooting driven game this is not an uncommon experience for beginners, and is a very useful lesson; for nobody has ever had the opposite experience, and killed the first bird when shooting at the last. But when this shooting at the pigeon and killing the crow occurs, it is not always because of so vast a misdirection as is suggested. Five feet of error at least may be accounted for by the longitudinal spread of the shot, besides something more for the lateral spread. Indeed, two birds in the same covey, one 8 feet behind the other, have been killed at one shot; but it rarely happens. Nevertheless, when one of the two is much the further away, as well as behind, then a bird a very much greater distance than 8 feet behind the one shot at and killed, may also fly into the shot, and die too. In practice, however, it is very much easier to miss a whole pack of grouse that look to be near enough together to kill a dozen at a shot. If one tries to do a bit of “browning,” it is generally not the birds that are “done brown.” If it is not the survival of the fittest that has evolved grouse that look so much nearer together than they are, it must be a wise provision of nature in the interests of sportsmanship.

From what has been said, it will be gathered that when game is crossing fast, wounding is caused by bad timing. The game is either through the shot column before much of it has reached his line of flight, or he has not reached the shot column when the majority of it has passed his line of flight. In either case he gets but a small proportion of the shot pellets correct timing would have given to him. Wounding zones and killing circles as applied to straight-away game have little to do with it. Provided timing is right, superficial “wounding zones” help the kill, because the game that passes through them also passes through the bulk of the shot column before or after. Even patchy patterns on the whitewashed plate may be quite evenly distributed to the game flying through the section of the column of pellets. One thing that is perhaps worth noting is that if the head of the column of pellets, or first arrivals of the pattern, surround crossing game evenly, the bird will have so short a distance to go that he may be out of the circumference of the shot column before a quarter of the pellets have come up to his line of flight, and if he loses a tail feather and drops a leg it will not be because of a large wounding zone of shot in the superficial target sense; indeed, a larger wounding zone of that kind might help in such a case: the fault will be because the game had not to fly through the whole section of the column of shot.

ACTIONS OF GUNS

The actions of guns were at one time so important that gun-makers were selected by reason of the merit of their patents. The tendency of the early actions to part from the barrels at the false breech was so great, that actions became of the first importance. Patents are now run out, and consequently every gun-maker can select the best and make it, and may be trusted to do so provided the weapon is to be paid for at a figure that pays for best work and best material. If this is not the case, still the gun-maker will put in the best action that can be made for the money to be charged; in other words, he will put in the cheapest good design of action, but not necessarily good workmanship. When dovetails are used to join up the barrels and the false breech, it is not because the design of action is not good enough to do without them, but simply that the workmanship or fitting is not good enough. Often the third grip does not fit, and is only for show.

EJECTORS

What has been said of actions applies also to ejectors. If all the patents have not run out, plenty of good ones have done so, and the gun-maker has a great choice and nothing to pay for it.

The principle of the ejector is that with split extractors there is a connection between the fall of the tumbler or hammer and an ejecting mechanism, or lock in the fore end of the gun. The opening or closing of the gun after firing is made to cock the tumblers, strikers, or hammers, and also to put the ejector at full cock, or otherwise bring it ready for action, then when a shot is fired the fallen hammer or tumbler, or its re-cocking, is made to react on the ejector at that stage of the opening gun when the extractors have already moved the empty cartridge-case. The undischarged cartridges are therefore extracted, but not ejected, and the used cases are ejected.

SAFETY OF GUNS

The safety bolt placed upon hammerless shot guns is very necessary. It ought, when placed at safety, to prevent the lock springs working, and should prevent the possibility of the scear being released from the catch, or bent, or scear catch. Mr. Robertson, proprietor of Messrs. Boss & Co., has shown conclusively that a slight rap on the lock plates will disconnect any scear catch, and so let off the gun when not at safety, unless it is also protected with an interceptor, which is moved out of the way of the falling tumbler, or striker, only by the pull of the trigger. Mr. Robertson’s own single-trigger action is also a safety action, even when very light trigger pulls, such as 1 lb., are employed.

The strength of barrels is assured by the proof of them at the London, Birmingham, and foreign proof houses, with loads and charges larger than for service. Anyone in doubt about purchasing guns and rifles would be well advised to write to the Proof Master for the literary matter issued for the protection of the public and guidance of the trade. This changes from time to time, but at present it gives very full information of the meaning of the various foreign proof marks as well as of our own.

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