The Sun.
London, England, 1864-06-16 00:00:00

The competition between the 12-pounder field-
guns of these rival artillerists is fast approaching a
conclusion. The greater part of the programme has
been gone through, and the Special Committee feel
their labours sufficiently advanced to commence
practice with the 70-pounders. It would have
saved much time and trouble if these latter had
been taken first, for, as we have often stated, the
principle of rifling and manufacture which suffices
for a I urge gun will, as a matter of certainty, be
enough for a small one; but what insures accu-
racy and endurance in a 12 pounder may by no
means answer in a 70 or even a 40 pounder. Thus,
then, now that the trials of the field guns are draw-
ing to a close, and some result may be expected
from the competition—though not a very marked
or decided result in guns which have kept so close
throughout—the dictum of the committee, what-
ever it may be on the light guns, will still want
the final confirmation which only the trials of the
heavy guns can give. Neither Sir William or Mr,
Whitworth would derive the slightest benefit from
being declared the undisputed victor in this field-
gun, contest, if they failed to maintain the same
supremacy when their principles were developed
by application to large ordnance. It is a large
shell-carrying, armour plate piercing, rifled gun
which is now wanted, and the competitor who best
supplies this deficiency will win the honours of the
contest, though, commercially speaking, the de-
feated competitor will carry off the point. Both Sir
William and Mr. Whitworth have received over-
tures from almost every important Government to
be supplied with their ordnance. Not a single
Armstrong gun has gone abroad, though the Whit-
worths have been freely supplied to various coun-
tries, who are certain now eagerly to compete for the
possession of whichever of the two is second best in
this trial, for, of course our own Government will
keep the best for themselves. Though, as we have
said, the result either way is not likely to give any
very marked superiority to any gun, yet it will be
sufficient to show the public which is the best, and
enough is known of the artillery of other countries
to make the Government feel certain that the best
gun of these three is sure to be better than any we
yet know of.
Upwards of 2,500 rounds of shot and shell have
now been fired from each of these ordnance, or rather
more than three times the number of rounds which
woald be sufficient to destroy the old brass smooth-
bore field piece. Each of the guns, of course, shows
signs of wear—in fact, the wear commences with
the first shot fired, and with accurate measurement
may be regularly traced after every 100 rounds. The
breech-loader, perhaps, shows as little signs as any.
Its powder chamber at the base of the shot is en-
larged, and that part of the programme which in-
volved the bursting of a certain number of shells in
the gun as it was fired has in one or two
placed serrated the edges of the rifling; but this
is all, and Sir William expresses himself confis
dent that in endaranee it will be equal to any,
This gun, it will be recollected, shot comparatively
ill at the commencement of the trials ; and cer-
tainly so much worse than any other common
breech-loader of the same pattern in the service as
to make its performances quite unaccountable to
the officers at Shoebury. The lead coating of the
projectile was always stripped backwards, so as to
form a concavity almost the size of a teacup at the
base of the shot or shell; and this, of c ,urse,
was most detrimental to its accuracy, and was
what had never been observed to take place in any
other guns of almost the same kind. During the
last two or three weeks, however, this peculiarity
has entirely disappeared; the shooting has steadily
continued to improve till the accuracy of the piece
is now equal to any of the three. These strange
changes, which were unaccountable at first, have
lately received a very simple solution. All the
service breech-loaders aro made of welded wrought-
iron coils, and the severe proof to which they are
subjected before passing Woolwich used to enlarge
the powder chamber about the 500th of an inch.
This competition gun, however, has been made with
an inner tube of steel, which did not enlarge at
once on firing; hence the nip the lead-coated pro-
jectile received on starting, which stripped the
softer metal back like a cup, and affected its accu-
racy of flight most seriously. But during the long
course of rounds to which it has been subjected the
steel tube has yielded gradually, as the wrought
iron one would have done at once. The powder-
chamber is now enlarged to what may be called its
proper diameter, there is no stripping back of the
lead, and the accuracy of the piece, especially with
shell,is as perfect as could be wished. The condition
of the grooves of the shunt gun is as perfect as the
day it was first fired. There are, however, traces of
considerable corrosion or guttering in the powder-
chamber at the base of the shot, which has roughed
the interior surface of the gun at this particular
part. The metal, instead of being clean and smooth,
resembles morocco leather in the labyrinth of minute
channels into which it is worn. This wear appeared
early in the gun from the want of a wad at the base
of the shot to prevent the gases passing it on the
ignition of the powder. Since the use of an oakum
wad the progress of this " guttering" has been re-
duced to a minimum, and there are no other marks
appearing. Mr. Whitworth's gun has been several
times revented—that is, the screw which contains
the platinum touch-hole has been taken out and re-
placed by a fresh one—an advantageous operation,
which was always easily and quickly done. The
crack in the metal, which early appeared near the
vent, has extended in length, and slightly deepened.
Beyond this the gun shows no signs of use. Thus,
then, all three pieces have marks of wear and tear—
the two Arnastronss giving tokens of the beginning
of a gradual decay, which, as in the course of time,
it slowly but surely progresses, must affect their
accuracy, the Whitworth having a flaw the depth
of which may be immaterial, or, on the other hand,
if serious, may at once effect the existence of the
gnu.

The competition has now gained that stage that
the shooting for range and accnracy is entirely over,
and only the extra and somewhat fanciful experi-
ments of turning into ditches, &c., remain to be gone
through. Some important experiments are being,
and will continue to be, made as to the destructive
effects of shell, to which, as they progress, we
shall in a few days have to refer at length. Wh,,o,
these tests are got over both Sir William and Mr

Whitworth will be permitted to show the ve,lue o

their pieces in any special or extraordinary manner
they may think proper, after which they will be fired
with gradually increasing charges till they burst.
Tho tests for range and accuracy which have been
completed with the field-guns have been made with
gradually increasing elevations, from pointblank
range, at about 300 yards, up to 10 deg. of eleva-
tion, or 4,000 yards. At 4,000 yards the diminished
resistance of the smaller and longer shot of Mr
Whitworth enabled it to beat the Armstrong in
length of range by nearly 400 yards, but as regards
accuracy, the trial has been wonderfully close, if
one may judge by the complete series of parallelo-
grams which have been made out by the committee.
These parallelograms, when seen on the tracings,
show in inches the precise amount of superiority of
every gun at every range, so that the most superfi-
cial glace is enough to show any one who can un-
derstand figures what the gain or loss of each
/fern has been at each stage of the competition. But
though this
so IS very 0%,/, to see on a tracing, it is by
no mans easy to convoy to the general reader a
similarly clear impression in these columns, We
shall, however, endeavour to do so, as the subject
is one whichcught to interest all, for every farthing
of the expense of this most costly
competition is
defrayed by the public, who will be the ultimate
gainers or losers, according as the best gun is
chosen or not. All the guns, when eampeting for
range and accuracy, were carefully laid by
spirit
level at precisely the same elevations, and fired
alorg a range which was marked with stakes at
every ten yards. Thus the spot in which every shot
fell was measured to a foot, and its lateral deviation
right and left recorded with equal accuracy. If
eTrery gun had been an aboo:utcly perfect and in-
fallible weapon, and had been fired in a vacuum,
each would have thrown ail its shot in precisely
the same spot ; but as none, of course, are abso-
lutely perfect. and as the flight of the projectiles
was affected by the wind, it followed that the same