The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1911-11-03
SPEED OF A SHOT
Finding the Velocity Of a Missile
a Simple Matter.
MEASURED BY A PAPER DRUM.

5e5 )
The Whrlins Cylinder Registers the
Proiectile's Flight With Minute Ac.
curacy at Any Desired Distance.
Wing Shots and Shot Charges.
Persons at oil interested in gun firing
Of any kind, whether Of the revolver
or rifle or Of heavy ordnance of ans
kind, occasionally come upon the term
"muzzle velocity" and velocities Of the
missile at stated distances.
"How can anybody tell how fast
bullet is travelling when 1t leaves the
muzzle Of a weapon?" is likely COM
ment on the part of the layman.
AS matter Of fact this approximate
velocity Of the missile may be one Of
the easiest Of determinations to make.
In the first place, a drumlike cylinder
Is made Of fixed diameter and of suf-
ficiently stiff paper to allow of its re-
volving rapidly on spindle. Using
cylinder Of small circumference, it Is
necessary that the speed approach
1000 revolutions minute. These rev.
olutions are produced by electric pow
er, and the count is made by an exact
mechanical register.
The gun is placed securely at the re-
quired distance from the drum and Is
sighted directly at the center of the
cylinder, which is spinning at so
many rods, even miles, minute, as
It's circumference determines. With
the drums speed adjusted an electric
current discharges the weapon, the
bullet striking the center Of the drum
as measured from top to bottom.
The reader understands that with tie
drum stationary the bullet would pass
directly through it on the line Of Its
diameter, coming out on the other side
with scarcely a shade Of impeachment.
With the drums periphery whirling at
| the rate of 1000 revolutions minute
and its diameter only fraction more
than a foot this would mean rate Of
1000 yards in sixty seconds. Thus in
| the fragment Of second necessary for
| the bullet to enter one side Of the pa
per drum, cross 1t and out at the other
side the opposite side Of the drum
would show considerable deviation
from an exact diameter of line Of pas
sage.
| 1t is this space of detection shown
inside the further rim of the drum that
Is used for the computation Of velocity
slTof the missile. The speed Of the cylin
der may be computed to the ten thou
sandth part of a second If necessary
and the lineal distance run in that time
be charted in perpendicular lines OF
the inner side of the paper. At what
| ever line the bullet penetrates outward
it registers its time in crossing the
diameter of the cylinder. If it has re
| quired the ten-thousandth part Of q
second for the bullet to fly one foot its
muzzle velocity to the mile may be
computed by any schoolboy. BY the
same process, too the bullets velocity
at 100 yards or 500 yards may be de-
termined
Years ago before wing shooting had
become an art the farmer with his
muzzle loading shotgun and charge OF
black powder would shoot directly at q
wild goose or duck in full fight He
evolved theory Of his own as to the
oncoming bird, holding that the heavy
breast feathers turned" the shot. Ht
waited until the bird had passed hin
when, firing directly at it, he could
bring down his quarry.
But it was not because the bird was
not vulnerable, coming breast on
The fact was that 1t efiw over his
charge of shot. Before he could pul
the trigger and the hammer fell OF
the percussion cap and the compare
lively slow black powder could be ig
nited and exploded, sending the sho
twenty-five or thirty yards, the bir'
had flown yards perhaps beyond 1t
position when the fowler first touches
the trigger. But firing directly at th
bird after 1t had passed the sho
charge had a strong tendency to dro
as 1t flew, and the bird flying on
level line "got in the way OF til
charge.
Today the modern nitro powders ar
Immensely quicker than was the ol
black gunpowder, yet 1t has been a
engineering problem to determine Jus
J how fast and In what line a charge q
shot win travel. In this determine
tion the revolving drum device ha
. shown several important facts whic
2 have been taken in connection wit
J the speed of individual game bird
and the effects Of windage on she
charge.
d That most important fact as to tn
!. fight of shot from modern shotgu
d Is that at forty yards the shot ai
I s'strrng ont" for approximately fiftee
r feet. While the leading pellets in IL
!. string have greatest velocity and XII
\ ing power, at this distance even Il
!. trailing pellets are OF sufficient for'
n to kill
i All this has led to the modern pra
tice of the fowler TO reckon with Il
:, speed of his shot, the speed Of Il
: bird, the influence OF the wind
drifting the charge, and out
these established facts to lead" Il
bird sufficiently to kill 1t rather thf
MAIN and cripple it.-Maryin Holt'
In Chicago Tribune.