The Sun.
London, England, 1864-02-26 00:00:00

NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION.

The trial of small-bores was continued yesterday at
Woolwich, the wind throughout the day being most unfa-
vourable to good diagrams, The following are the figures
of merit made on Wednesday by the fifth and sixth series
of rifles. These and all other figures as yet given are sub-
ject to correction, the diagrams not having yet been finally
examined :

At 500 yards.
Figure of Merit in parts of a Foot,

Average on
Name sth Shot. 6th Shot. the whole.
Rigby
Storm .. .95
Henry
Whitworth .... 6S

It must also be ramembered that the winning average
will be taken on the first three shots only, but it would be
of no use to calculate these until the absolutely correct
figures of merit for each series of shots are issued by the
Council.

The fourth, filth, and sixth s-ries of the large-bore Whit-
worth kept up the surprising reputation that weapon has
already gained, They were respectively .59, .62, and •45.
Mr. Baker having retired, there were only four competi-
tors at the 1,000 yards yesterday, in addition to \V hit-
worth's large-bore. Four rifles of each maker were tried
at this range, the figures of merit being :
A(. I,OOJ Yards.

Name. Ist Rifle. 2d Rifle. 31 Rifle. Average.
Feet. Feet. Feet.
Whitworth .... 2.48 .. 2.29 .. 1.90 .. 2.22

Henry
Rigby
Storm

These figures are also uncorrected, but it ie pretty certain
that Whitworth's small-bore carries off the palm of victory.
Mr. Henry, the only competitor from whom he had anything
to fear, although first at the 500 yards range, made a most
disastrous diagram with his first rifle at the long range,
greatly endangering his chance of winning. This was
owing to a very unfortunate accident. In loading for one
of the five trial shots, his assistant omitted to put in the
bullet. The piece, of course, was so seriously affected by
the fouling consequent on the Hank cartridge being fired
that nearly every shot went wide of the centre, the result-
ing diagram giving 3.56 feet as the moan radial deviation.
The accident had so great an influence on the nerves of the
assistant that during the trial of the second rifle only part
of the powder was put into the piece at the first shot. The
wide shot caused by this second accident sent the figure of
merit of the second rifle up to 2'74 feet, allowing Mr. Whit-
worth to win easily. It is a singular fact that Rigby, who
made such 3omparatively bad shooting at 500 yards, beat
even Whitworth at the long range with a figure of merit of
2.13 feet. Storm, although out of the list from having ex-
ceeded the maximum figure of merit, 2.77 feet, made a very
excellent score—the best, without a doubt, that has everbeen
made by any breech-loading rifle in a public competition.
With respect to the system of measurement adopted by
the Association, it seems most unfortunate that they should
have chosen decimals of a foot wherewith to express the
mean radial deviation. Not only do decimals of a foot con-
vey no information whatever to the ordinary reader, but the
Government and all private persons, almost without excep-
tion, express their measurements in inches and decimals of
an inch. Every one, therefore, who reads the tables already
published has to reduce the numbers given to inches before
he can gain any correct notion of the measurement indi-
cated.

The by-plot of the drama has in this instance been the
most interesting to the general spectator, the performances
of Mr. Whitworth's large bore being watched with the
greatest excitement, This rifle not only came out second as
compared with the five which competed at 500 yards, but
actually beat them all at the long range, its average figure
of merit, 1.891 t, being less than that of either Rigby's or
Whitworth's small bore. If other trials of this weapon bear
out the character it has thus gained, it will be a most im-
portant matter, as no obstacle exists to its being inr.nedi-
ately introduced as a military weapon. As before stated, th•
ordinary Enfield ammunition can be used with it with a
better result than with the Enfield arm. To bring out its
full merits, however, it is necessary to use Mr, Whitworth's
ammunition, consisting of 85 grains of powder and a bullet
of peculiar construction. This bullet, which has just been
patented by Mr. Whitworth, is of the usual hexagonal, or
rather dodecagonal form, and differs from the ordinary
ballot in having a hole made in its conical end of such a
size as to throw the centre of gravity into the exact centre
of the bullet, a wooden plug being inserted in the front
cavity, and trimmed off carefully so as to afford no roast-
ance to the atmosphere.

The following letter was addressed on Tuesday to the
Council of the National Rifle Association by the Manchester
Ordnance and Rile Oompany

"28, Pall-mall, Feb. 23.

"Gentlemen,—We have just been informed that the rifles
of Messrs. Rigby and Henry, entered for the annual compe-
tition of the association, are short stocked match rifles with
heavy barrels, weighing up to 61b 1 loz.
" The Council are fully aware that our match rifles are of
this description, but wo have always understood that the
Council required for the volunteers in shooting for the
Queen's prize a rifle of the military pattern.
_ _

"Acting on this as the generally recognised intention of
of the -Council, we have provided rifles to carry out their
views ; but in order to do this we have been compelled to
limit the weight of our barrels to 41b 14oz and 51b loz re-
spectively.
"'We therefore put it to the Council whether we can
fairly be called upon to compete with those parties whose
barrels weigh nearly 21b more than those we have been
obliged to furnish ?
" We are, Gentlemen, your obedients servants,
" TILE MANCHESTER OEDNANCE AND RIFLE
COMPANY, PER JO6EPIL LEECE.