New Orleans daily crescent., 1860-11-19
The nIaYnnrd Rfnr.


s Washington letter writer furnishes tie follow
ing interesting information in regard to The Min
ME bullet:
Having at my command ample means Of giving
reliable inforInaton npon the subject Of gGn-Tnak-
ing and especially Of some important improve
ments in small that have been quite recently
invented, and knowing that your citizen sold7eFy
are desrous Of excelling all the world in every
thing that will add to the efficiency of their respee
tive corps, doubt not that short article upon
the aboYe-named subject will interest not few OF
your readers.
II was formerly supposed that accurate shooting
could only be attained by the of a very heavy
rifle, and that three hundred yards was the utmost
effective range that could be obtained with the
heaviest small arm that could be produced. But |
in quite recent times it has been discovered that
to attain 'slong range shooting with small arms,
it is not necessary to heavier weapon than
the modern infantry musket. To attain range of
one thousand yards with this arm, ail that is ne
cessary is to slightly rife its bore, and then use
therein, with the requisite charge Of powder, a
projectile Of the proper shape and weight VIZ: an
oboDg projectile, having conical head, emp
shaped butt, and weighing about an ounce and a
half. The explosion OF the charge will perfectly
slug this form of projeetiie, and thereby destroy
its windage, and cause the entire force of the
powder to act efficiently upon the projectile.
The form OF proiectle first used by Major
Minnie but he inserted iron cup into its hollow
butt, the supposition that the cup, being driven
into the projectile by the force of the powder,
| would expend it, and destroy its windage.
The principle was excellent, and it has brought
4 about revolution in the smail-arm departments Of
the service of all the leading governments of Chris
| tendon; but the mode OF carrying il out by means
Of an iron cup was defective. The cup vas ire
qnently driven not into but through the proJeche
lea wing the lead in the barrel twas then found
that the iron superiuous and that if the breecb
| of the proectile was followed out, or cupped, II
would expand quite sufficiently This oblong pro
iectile having a conical head and cup-shaped
1 butt is the one which is popularly known as the
Minnie ball,p and is the now used in the
4 United States military service and also IN that q
Great Britain. The name Of Minnie is properly ap
piled to the aforementioned proectile; but as al
4 oblong projeetile used in rifed mnsket prio
to the date of Minneis invention, and as the sait
projectle can be used in every description of snal
arms, il is not proper to apply the term Minnlt
rifle TO the rihed musket. In England the rifet
musket is termed the Eufield rifle, simply from tht
fact that The Government armory where these arm
have been largely produced Is located at Enheld.
When thrown from rifed musket by the forci
of the explosion of charge of powder of one
tenth Of It's weight the aforementioned pro
jectie has the enormous range OF l000 yards,
greater efficient range than is attained by the bes
field artillery, and yet it is open TO the following OBJ
iections, viz: After firing but few shots com
parativey, say twenty or twenty five, from rifet
musket, lis bore becomts so foul tnat 1t s 1mpoSsl
BILE to load it again until after it has been cleaned
And, again, the bursting of the thin sides of it
|, butt at the instant of leaving the muzzle OF tn
| gun, renders it impossible to attain accurate Q
, uniform shooting with the aforesaid Minnie pre-
jectile.
The form of projectile with which the most I'M
form and accurate shooting has ever been attaine
is one of an oblong shape, having conical hea
. and solid butt. This form of projectie as the on
:. used is an improvement on the musket, which ha
Y recently been invented by DR.. Edward Maynard
> of Washington, d. C. This improvement, whic
: can be added TO any Misunderstanding musket or riii
. at an expense of less than five dollars, gives to
rifIed musket the following advantages, viz:
1 First. The MAYNARD improved Fifled- d-musket ca
be loaded and fred an indefinite number of time
! ! without requiring cleaning.
l Second. The Maynard improved rffled-muske
! can be fired three times faster than the Entiel
, rife.
shooting of the Maynard improved rifled-muske
greatly eXcels the Eafeld rifle.
: Fourth, The Maynard improved rifed.musket il
J not so liable TO accidents the Enfield rife
Fifth. The Maynard improved rifed-musket cal
be supplied with waterproof ammunition. put up il
metallic cartridges, at less expense than that
the ammunition put up in paper cartridges, Whlcl
!. is used in the Enfield rife.
Sixth The metallic cartridges used in this May
: uard improved arm, while they are but triti
heavier than paper cartridges, can be used hun
dreds of times without injury, and can be loaded
( the field by common soldier.
Seventh. The Maynard improved arm can b
: loaded without changing its position, and Will
/ | the ewes of the user are upon his enemy or upo
! | the game of which he is in pursuit.
Il Eighth. The said Maynard improvementdoes nj
: change either the shape, weight, pose, or propo
y tiens of the Enfield rifle.
q q That the said Maynard improved rifedmnsk
u does really possess all the advantages above en-
u merated, has been iuly demonstrated by practic
experiments, conducted by number of the mo
n skiiltul gun-makers and sportsmen in the countr
|