The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1911-12-01
SPEED OF A SHOT
Finding the Velocity Of a Missile
a Simple Matter.
MEASURED BY A PAPER DRUM.

{ The Whirlins Cylinder Registers the
Projectiie's Flight With Minute Ac-
curaey at Any Desired Distance.
Wing Shots and Shot Charges.
Persons at all interested in gun firing
Of any kind, whether of the revolver
or rife or of heavy ordnance of any
kind, occasionally come upon the term
'smuzzie velocity" and veIocities Of the
missile at stated distances.
How can anybody tell how fast a
bullet is travelling when it leaves the
muzzle of a weaponr' is likely COM
ment on the part of the layman.
As a matter Of fact this approximate
velocity of the missile may be one of
the easiest of determinations to make.
In the first place. drumlike cylinder
Us made of fixed diameter and of suf-
fciently stir paper to allow of its re-
volving rapidly on spindle. Using a
cylinder of small circumference, it is
necessary that the speed approach
1000 revolutions a minute. These rev.
0lutions are produced by electric pow
er. and the count is made by an exact
mechanical register.
The gun is placed securely at the re-
Iquired 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
dts circumference determines. With
the drums speed adjusted an electric
prrent discharges the weapon, the
llet striking the center of the drum
measured from top to bottom.
The reader understands that with the
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 2,000 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 it 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
of 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 on
the inner side of the paper. At what
ever line the bullet penetrates outward
1T registers its time in crossing the
diameter Of the cylinder. If it has re-
lQuired the ten-thousandth part Of a
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 800 yards may be de-
Itermined.
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 a
wild goose or duck in full flight. He
evolved theory of his own as to the
|oncoming bird, holding that the heavy
breast feathers turned" the shot. He
waited unit the bird had passed him
when, firing directly at it, he could
bring down his quarry.
But it was not because the bird was
mot vulnerable, coming breast on.
The fact was that 1t efIw over his
charge of shot. Before he could pull
the trigger and the hammer fell on
the percussion cap and the compare
lively slow black powder could be ig-
United and exploded, sending the shot
twenty-five or thirty yards. the bird
had flown yards perhaps beyond its
position when the fowler first touched
the trigger. But firing directly at the
bird after it had passed the shot
charge had a strong tendency to drop
as 1t flew. and the bird flying on a
level line "got in the way" of the
charge.
Today the modern nitro powders are
Immensely quicker than was the old
BLACK gunpowder, yet it has been an
engineering problem to determine just
ihow fast and in what line charge of
shot will travel. In this determina-
ition the revolving drum device has
shown several important facts which
have been taken in connection with
1.-THE speed of individual game birds
land the effects of windage on shot
charge.
That most important fact as to the
flight of shot from modern shotgun
IFS that at forty yards the shot are
Is'strung OUT for approximately fifteen
feet. While the leading pellets in the
lstring have greatest velocity and kill
ing power. at this distance even the
trailing pellets are of sufficient force
Ito kill.
All this has led to the modern prac-
ltice Of the fowler to reckon with the
Espeed Of his shot. the speed Of the
-. a.