Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1860-05-01
improved Eire.trlsls,

! firearms heing Of peculiar Interest no'r that Il
large sum ot lnoncy is about 10 hs expended
10y the State ii the purchase Of ready made
arms and in the erection Of y new ayirory lor
| The manufacture Of the most improved wea-
fons, We intend 10 take some pnins in the ex-
animation Of every improved urn which may
be brought to this city by parties desiring 10
obtain contract.
AN evening or two agu We accompanied
Mr.. P. c. Pendeton 20 the shooting ground at
the Trcdcgar Works. TO test Minnie rnllsket Of
the United States pattern, with Mr.. James H.
Merrill's breech-loading improvement In con.
sequence Of 4 number Of people being engaged
on and about the shore Of the river we were
| unable to determine the accuracy Of the gun
by firing at regular target, but 4 small and
branchlcss tree, standing on IN islet in the
river, about three hundred ard fifty yards
of, having been selected as ,uark, fifty shots
were fired with most satisfactory results. The
force with which this gun propels n hall is i'm
mense, and the ease and rapidity with which i,
can be loaded is surprising. The Improvement
is exceedingly simple in its arrangcmcnt--n.
deed, the most simple we ever saw-and So
contrived that the gun fouls but very little if
any at all. One Of the great advantages which
Mr.. Merril's improvement possesses is, that it
is in no way cumbrous nor complicated, there
being no intricate, external or internal ar
rangement whatever, Liable to be brokra
We understand that Mr.. poudleton is about
TO submit this ric TO- the commissioners ap-
pointed by the Governor, under the provisions
Of the Armory bill. The improvement can be
made 1t the cost of three dollars for each mus.
kct, provided the State purchases the machine
ry, which will cost 100000. Or the patentce
using his OWN machinery will make the a!te
ration at $40 piece
few days ago, in notice Of the iIowitzcr
Company Of this city, which we made in the
local column, We made some illusions 10 the
great improvements which are every day being
made in artillery. Amongst those improve.
ments is the Whtwortl gun, lately invented
in England, and which, rs lar as it has been
tested, e1cels even the celebrated Armstrong
gun.
The Armstrong gun is nv,de Of coils Of
wrought iron, joined into one tubc the pitch
of its ritling is nnc turn in 10 feet, and its
rfing itself is IS tine, sharp grooves. The
breech Is formed by a long chamber fitting on
10 theend Of the gun, into which works a pow.
erfu hollow screw, which, when screwed up,
jams the breech piece, which is dropped before
it, into the end Of the tube, and 50 makes the
perfect gun. The conical shot is coated at the
shoulder and base with rings OF lead 10 eTa-
ble the soft metal TO lake the ,iting. These
rings Of lead are expensive rs compared with
iron, and Difficult, TO tiy; and the Slot must 5c
driven through the hollow screw into the
brecch Of the gun with care, or accidents would
be likely to occur which would spoil the rifiing.
The friction Of the SHOT IS ~ great rs il leaves
tic gum that case. hare occurred where not
only the rifing, bnt even lie metal Of the bar
rel itself has been >tri'@i oil lii Fiar: like 50
much paper.
The Wh.wor,f gHn l. ::'.;. j tr,.'t. ,..c ,.,ilJ
cylinder orhoDlngeneuuS iron. here !. DIi;!ing,
as is generally inticrsluni ~ III! .srr,, III the
bore, which is 4 plain hcHagon, making one
complete turn, which varies With ;t!c length 81
the gun. There is nic tuin il :,i,oIlt 5 feet in
80 aud l20-poulnlc!S; "!'e c":ni'ietr turn III 3
feet IN The IuctiInn >x..,l ni,!,aurc, IL to 81
pounders;l and "nr ''n,l,pI"!r iurH in lee. !
inches in the .;naIl guns, mT from . IL l2.pdurG-
ers The breccll-lua1iug atrlltgrlIl,! is hinge
at the end of the y''i, supporting; h""i' ri
iron, on which is the brcsrh ri ZAP. which
screws on to the end Of the pirc". The SHOT
is of cast iron, shaped precisely !''>r nine.
pin, with its ,hckest part At the rai'!'iie, pared
off to it, With mechanical precision, the hex.
agonal sides OF the bnre--thus the shot runs
freely in OF out Of tie gun, and should the
brooch he injured by SHOT striking and JAM
ming the screw, the gnl can be loaded from the
muzzle, which is not tic case with the Arm
strong gun, for no amount ri force which could
he applied on the field could force ball down its
barrel In the Whitworth gun there is no cham
Der for the reception Of shot and powder, and
no rings. The Armstrong chamber adds 10
the length of the gun without being rhed: or
aiding or assisting in impeling the shot III any
way. The Whitworth gun is rillcd throug hout
its entire length, from end to end, ard every
inch is used to aid the flight and give rotation
to the projcctilc From tho chamber Of the
Armstrong gun bcing OF certain size, only
shot of L certain length can he used. In
thn Whitworth, on the contrary, shots Of any
length or charge OF powder OF any strength,
can be used indifferently. linus the 3.
u, and eighty Founders aro only guns
of the caibre we mention, as ong rs they are
required TO throw distance OF FIVE or five and
half miles Reduce this err )rmous range to
the distance Of 5000 yards, and the length OF the
proiectil,s Of these ordnance may be more than
doublcd-the threc-p FOUNDER used forninc pound
shnt-thc twclve-pounder for thirtJ-two ami
the eighty FOUNDER for shot of 200 pounds.
Twelve FOUNDER boat guns could thus, in naval
warfare. be used as twelvc-pounder or thirty
six Founders, according to the range. Thus
the only limit to the number Of balls with which
the Whtworth can be loaded, when engaged
ut close quarters, is the limit Of the strength Oh
tho powder to eject them. In the course Of
experiments, il was found that the :hrer-poan-
der got rid Of ten bullets placed ore over the
other, but failed to eject eleven, when all
the powder in the charge burnt ont like SaulD
through the touch-hoic, leaving the shots in the
gun. The Armstrong gun costs el0% British,
the Whilworth double that sum, but 10 doubt
it will be made at reduced price. Expert
ments made by amat6urs with the three-poun-
der Whitworth gun, show that 4 ball can be
propelled from it distance Of $3.50 yards.
We don't know what the power Of the rihed