The Sun.
London, England, 1863-05-14 00:00:00

Report of Committee on Army Rifles,

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The fact has been well knows in military circles
that during the year 1862 a course of experiments
were being performed by the War authorities to
clear up certain doubtful points relative to small-
arena rifles. The report of committee on these expe-
riments is now published, and the results of inves-
tiga.ticn are so important that a summary of them
cannot ty?, otherwise thin acceptable. Amongst the
outstanding questions which extended practice was
needed to solve the following may be regarded as
fundamental-1. Whether the present military bore
presented an aggregate of advantages over calibres
BO reduced as to. come under the denomination of
" aniall-bare, rifles." 2. "Whether the present sys-
tem of grooving and pitch adopted in the Enfield
arm were better than, equal, or interior to, other
syrstenis. 3. Whether any system of breech. loading
had been devised that presented advantages over
muzzle-loading. The experiments necessary to solve
these questions were elaborately gone into, and the
evidence adduced may be regarded, we imagine, as
decisive. First and most foremost, small-bore rifles
of whatever system are condemned as military arms.
The E:lfield pitch and system of rifFng are demon-
strated inferior to the system of oval boring; and
breech-loading small arms are deemed ineligible for
infantry. _

The conditions under which the different varieties
of arms should be tried were in aecordance with the
following programme :

(a). First Series of Experiments.—To determine
the best of the large calibres as to precision, under
circumstances most favourable to the arms them-
selves by firing one variety, side by side, with
another under equal conditions of wind and weather,
(b). Second Series of Experiments.—To ascer-
tain the best of the small bores by a similar process.
(c.) Third Series of Experiments.—To compare
the best of the large with the best of the small
bores, and thus determine their relative precision
under equal and similar circumstances. The large-
bore rifles subjected to experiment were (1) four
varieties of Enfield and (2) Lancasters, oval bore ;
the small-bore rifles which competed being a small-
bore Enfield, Whitworth's, and Lancaster's, all
muzzle-loading, and Wesley Richards' breech-
loader. As regards the four varieties of large or
service bore Enfield, they consisted of (1), the ordi-
nary arm ; (2), one having the regulation pitch of
one turn in 78 inches, but five grooves instead of
three ; (3), one having five grooves and a pitch of
one turn in 63 inches; (4), the same, but with a
pitch of one turn in 48 inches. The result of prac-
tice with the large-bore Enfield arms demonstrated
that the substitution of fire grooves for three in the
Enfield arm was a positive advantage under every
condition of trial and every imaginable condition of
practice. As regards pitch or abruptness of rifling,
the regulation turn of 3ne in 78 inches was found
ample to ensure the degree of accuracy the arm for
other reasons was capable of, bat that an accelerated
twist conduced to stability of flight and general ac-
curacy in windy weather. Against this advantage,
however, the important drawback must be noted
of increased tendency to foaling—a matter of very
highest iinportarce in a military arm. On this
point the committee remark that the results of the
present experiments, vt hen carefully prepared, show
that the precision of the Enfield rifle, when the
arm is clean, is capable of considerable improvement
by a combination of increased twist with five grooves;
but that under circumstances of firing continued
beyond 150 rounds without cleaning the lose
in precision due to increased fouling is such
as to reduce its precision almost to a level
with that of the present service Enfield. "As,
however," remark the committee, " the latter is
found to cease to be an arm of precision at 800
yards, and that the rifle having the sharper pitch of
one turn in 48 inches, may be said to preserve its
precision, at least under ordinary circumstances, up
to 1,000 yards, the committee are of opinion that
should it be considered desirable to retain the En-
field system of rifling in the service an increased
twist, with five grooves, may be introduced with
advantage."
In this place it may be desirable to state that the
bullet at present adopted in the service for the
Enfield rifle (diameter 0 55) i 4 not the one that
practice has demonstrated to yield the most correct
shooting. The bullet originally employed had a
diameter of 0'568, and was lubricated with a mix-
ture of tallow and bees' wax. Such was the ammu-
nition employed during the Indian campaign,
where the experience derived led to its final aban-
donment. Much difference of opinion existed at
that time relative to the cause, whatever it might
be, of the diffirulty experienced in loading the En-
field, but the doubt has long since been cleared up.
Tallow, by exercising a chemical action upon the
lead of the bullet, generated a crust of lead-soap--
in other words, the ordinary diachylon sticking-
plaster. Hence the difficulty of loading. The fact
is on record, however, that the corps of Engineers,
who served in the Indian campaign, and who were
armed with the Lancaster rifle, never experienced
any difficulty in loading, notwithstanding the
use of ammunition in every respect identical
with such as was employed for Enfield small
arms of the line. The experience acquired
in this Indian campaign demonstrated conclu-
sively that, were it considered desirable to re-
tain the Enfield as a service arm, tallow
must no longer be adopted for a lubricant. Pure
wax was the material of all others found to be the
one most chemically unobjectionable; but the use of
this material involved the nee of a smaller bullet
than one having the regulation diameter of 0.568;
accordingly it was adopted. Permanence of ammu-
nition in all climates was secured, fouling obviated,
but at the expense of diminished accuracy in shoot-
ing. It follows from what has already been stated
that the diminution of bullet from the diameter of
0.568 to 0.55 was a totally unnecessary measure of
precaution, in so far as concerns the oval bore.
Nevertheless the 0.55 ammunition having been de-
finitively adopted—served out to the Engineers who
are armed with the oval bore in common with in-
fantry of the line, it follows that the efficiency of
the oval bore, considered as a service weapon, was
unnecessarily prejudiced. Taking this Get into
cansideration, the committee by whom last year's
experiments were conducted permitted, as was ra-
tional, a new class of oval bores to be constructed
and tried for experimental purposes, slightly re
dosed in diameter, so as to correspond with the 0.55
ammunition. Relative to this change the commit-
tee state as follows
" The large-bore rifles on the Lancaster principle
submitted for trial have been of a calibre adapted to
the service 0.55 a
(an this occasion atliomunition. Mr. Lancaster has
) Latedoan elliptical bore ; major
-axis, 0.580; minor
in 36 inches at breach, r 2 ; spiral of one turn
inches at muzzle, and the increasing to one in 36
ex-
tent of 0.002. It may be urgedetnh freed to the
o.sa7t2Mhr. Lancaster,
by reducing the minor axis to
which all seemed to
his system an advantage by
resuits are
made directly incomparable with those
popf r a
el l thl e
orlibres
whose diameter is 0.577; but on this
committee would observe that if it can be
shown that the alleged advantage is one of
which
the Lancaster principle is susceptible, without,
in any degree, sacrificing that facil:ty in loading and
non-tendency to foul, which is field to be essential
for a military weapon, then the reduced bore be-
comes admissible, and cannot be otherwise recog-
nisei than as on important point in favour of the
Lancaster system."—Report, I,"tge 5.
Coming row to the most impo,.tant part of the
report; it testifies to the superiority e.f the oval bore
in every particular that can be require,' of a mili-
tary attn. The opinion of the committee is most
etetphatically expressed, as may be inferred fro 1114=
following abstract of their report in respect Pf a
quality more desirable than any other in a military
small arm :

The quEstion of fouling being of the greatest
importance, and one under which the relative ad-
vantages of different systems of rifling mighttan I
be.n
expeeted more plainly to show themselves, than
any other trial to which the arms could be subjected,
the committee decided to fire 1,000 rounds con tinu-
°tlBlY, under similar circumstances, from the Enfield
D and Lancaster rifles, and then compare them for
precision in a dirty state.
" Thy, result of this trial was that after the Enfield
D rifle L'ad fired 100 round it began to load roughly,
hard fouling having deposited in patches on the in
terior sort, ice of the barrel, While the loading of the
Lancaster rifle continued easy throughout.
" When subsequently area for precision side by