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  • Illustrated History of Ammunition

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    Ammunition has been in existence since the first days of firearms in the 14th century. A fascinating subject in its own right, says alastair campbell. Many a weapon which appeared to have reached the end of its usefulness has been revitalized.

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    26201039 Illustrated History of Ammunition

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    Ammunition has been in existence since the first days of firearms in the 14th century. A fascinating subject in its own right, says alastair campbell. Many a weapon which appeared to have reached the end of its usefulness has been revitalized.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Als PDF herunterladen oder online auf Scribd lesen
    Markieren Sie unangemessene Inhalte
    2K Ansichten61 Seiten

    Illustrated History of Ammunition

    Hochgeladen von

    tenochramon
    Ammunition has been in existence since the first days of firearms in the 14th century. A fascinating subject in its own right, says alastair campbell. Many a weapon which appeared to have reached the end of its usefulness has been revitalized.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
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    von 61
    THE. ILLUSTRATED: ~ “HISTORY TON Military and civil ammunition from the beginnings to the present day A.QUARTO BOOK Published by Chartwell Books Inc., ‘A Division of Book Sales Tnc., 110 Enterprise Avenue, Secaucus, New Jersey 07094 Copyright © 1985 Quarto Publishing Limited. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, ‘or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, ‘or otherwise, without the permission of the copyright holder. ISBN 0-89009-951-0 ‘This book was designed and produced by Quarto Publishing Limited 6 Blundell Street, London N7 9BH_ Ant director Alastair Campbell Designer Tom Deas Senior editor Tessa Rose Editor Michael Boxall in Great Britain by Leaper and Gard Limited, Bristol Printed in Hong Kong by Leefung-Asco Printers Limited "THERES AN OLD SAVING among arlley= ‘mea that thelr weapon is not the guns iis the shell and the gn is only the last stage in wansportaton from the factory tthe target The same apis to all firearms; they are merely devices for discharging ballets, sels, bombs — projectiles of one tort of another ~ which are the things estine to have the desired eflet on the feneny. Withoot ammunition the finest firearm is merely an expensive lub or, at best, handle for # bayonet, while 2 piece of arilery with'no ammunition is ‘bo more than an orament ‘Bt fr alts imporance, ammunition is usualy taken for. granted; received, loaded, fied, and if for some reason it fas to work the fier gets most aggrieved ‘even fhe doesn't know wi fled. Yet ieig a fascinating subject in sown right. Many a weapon which appeared to have ‘eached the end ofits useflnes has boen ‘reviled and given a new lease of ie by nothing more than redesigning the ammunition for it, and many weapons Inve had thei effectivenese enhanced by ‘pew and improved ammunition. Iti Impossible to ave a complete under standing of a weapon unless there is com- plete understanding of is ammunition as ‘well ‘Although ammunition has been in existence since the frst days of firearms inthe 14th century, it remained at fly static stage of development forthe Sst FOREWORD 400 years. twas not unt the Industrial ‘Revolution got into is stride inthe mid- 19th century that gun design began to show some” advances, and with these ‘ame improvemcas ia ammunition. The activity of designers and manufactres in {he 1880s and 1890s showed ir effect in the South Afean and Russo-Japanese vars of the early 20th century. ‘These vars led 10 improvements and ianora- ons which were seen in use during the 1914-18 war, and it was this war which save ammunition development its preat- ‘impetus to that ime. The Fist World War produced new tactical stations and new "techniques of warfare which ‘demanded new types of ammunition. The rival of miltary air, for example, ‘brought the fs aerial bombs, bat also Jed to the development of special an- ‘munition for shooting a the aieaft hat were dropping these bombs, “The advances made during the First World "War were consolidated and refined during the 1920s and 19305 0 become the standard ammunition types with which the Second: Wor War wat begue. But, once again, advances ia mll- lary tactics and technology brought ew {rms of warfare and new types of am munition. Improvements inthe tank ponable infantry antitank weapons had 10 be given special projectiles capable of ‘efeting tanks, and 50 on This book ‘cannot, for reasons of space, cover every Tact of ammunion, ‘we have, therefore, concentrated on the Drincipal projectile weapoas of war — Pistols ies, machine-guns, mortars, lrlery and grenades. We have had te Signore many otber interesting areas — ‘ines, torpedoes, aerial bombs and mi siles "— but the general "principles explained in the body of this book apply to every pe of ammunition, and with the knowledge gained from these pages t should not be dificult to understand othe types of explosive device. "Finally, endfor those of «nervous di poston, may 1 point oat that this isnot a terrorists handbook; there are no plans of ow to make bombs or anyother pe ‘of ammuniton, and the thstrations are ‘no more expt than wl be found in any ‘encyclopedia or manufacturer's brochure Nor should anything sid inthis book be taken as being sufficiently detailed to ‘warrant anyone attempting to dismantle a souvenir; ammunition is designed 1 Kil, and its enicely colour-bind, taking mc ‘ote of what uniform, if any, the tamper Ing hand is weaving. So remember: Never tamper with ammunition — it can kil you lan V. Hop, 1985 MY WW FROM CANNON-BALL TO COPPERHEAD AcrwovoNt 1 TERM ammunition’ can ie inepreted broadly to cover the stones, sone and dead hoes Dung by eat pula besieged ces in ancient ime, ‘ewordis sual taken tomean exponve tammuaion of some sor and thereforeis ‘tory mst begin with heist expose powder act who ivented_ gunpowder, and whee ad whe, forever ost in history ‘Rtvarous merit has ben ceed tothe ‘Chinese the Arab, pou even the Lost ‘Titer ot Atami bot bere 6 90 fm ‘dence for any of then. The Chinese ‘Soran hd pyfotechic compositions of sors — fireworks — lg before anything ‘ofthe kind was own Europe tthe ‘no warant for lamang tha hey invented (pomsand gunpowder although forall we now to the comrary they may very well bre doa. "The fist firm signpost on the gun- poder ral can be sal tobe the pabli- ‘don eaided De Mirai Povsae Aris ff Narra (On the Marvelous Pover of ‘Art and Nature. writen by Roger Bacon {nxbi242, Bacon was a Frnciean monk ‘tho prepared several books and papers oo PMhosopical sujet. Inti book, at = Pate ent where Bacon appears tobe shining the subject of explosives, he inciades ating ofspparenty meanings trons anaberaton hat wastgnored for ea nti teary ears the 20th our 2 Bei arly office, Colonel Flime, hit upon the anvwer. The words ‘wer an anagram eich, when the eters tree amnged and punctate, rad ‘But of sapere take seven pars five of Soung haze wig and Sve of sph, nd0 {ow well up thunder and destin tho know the art’ It the ive of young Inzel wii rea instead scare) his fonder workable formula for gut Powder. is ]alurtbs nrttTAs cers Prcuran mnanlt CUR RATNER minnie remmnsarmairns a mioxeHnaorcadquuens act tl ante nobututtinee [0 eA puNTtte equa oelue obierudtts Maunicrae erate hexnonbsignenobiiRe Ace | dommacctoncatanian a | pynlotophitanttonten-phuoto oUpNepe quo ccurta-qatrb29 Tieng (crourrpouTays cea ple nutofitertta pmenod imate Hae nra gro midudam-amnwins ttt pe oquetuttpnoree gram-ermect: egmannty quit tro efote cele ntti H xaeqioztenne fnpueemtain Cua TNS TONE ULCNCANCUUUE Be M neegrarig@amen- AHISTORY OF AMM Ch SS But why the anagram? Why nt witeit plainly foral the world toseeandtocreit ‘Bacoe wt faotthe discovery atlessthe first amouocemeat "of gunpomder? ‘Because Bacon was a monk, andi 1139 ‘heSecond Lateran Counc had i under summary of piesophiea! Knowledge for ‘th Pope, after which he was permite ‘tum o Oxford ad resume is teaching, “Amoeg the ealection of papers sited tothe Pope was oe ented Opur “Tertus copy of wich was discovered in the Bidiontque ‘Nationale in Pars ia 1908. One passage rom this makes inte ting reading 1266 the materia was commen knowledge and he was rey reporting if wecan assume, then, tht guoporder vas known to inten in 1242 and vas feneal Knowledge by 1266, the next ‘Qusion oars when and where wast "anpowser unt it war wed with gu, fcly what twas called in thse far-off lege wich us fe py died Ste Ono the mnt poeta of ‘hei Brn Mot Mok Sreapting dal 161) ats ‘Soencnting wth me densa fe vnc be ied charge tds Siw ft te ron hee Pence of contigs cag ne ted popaings tne Acharig ged, tenth ine heen cence {et Botold Swarr ee ain ‘Rese pce thee eh ene mretaaatot iN anit psy at ess show tit canon we sete ‘ne dey the we of the ort seri meena opr: thas {Sent mean pn he term ain ‘Str muy St bet te bon ‘pera oem ih caps otic way at intaneeceo foment cena ite sche ‘Rare errr other nig pes thacnuid tea wo ine coming ‘heft poste red wien in AD 13b6epeeon te manos of se caraa a won tothe eee Somme, ane ad oo erence NNN FFM CANNON-BALL TO COPPERHEAD sees, Arto were well known, ad i ‘Seem opal that the Soldiers othe ime ‘ould have stempeed o adap he ype of Iasethey knew 10 the ew sytem of ‘dacharge, wrapping binding of lester ‘ound the aro sf so make ft Sah ito te bare ofthe ennon. Bat ‘taking arows was 3 kid business, and tieng them as cannon projects would ve bens waft ave been an clos sept tm the we of scl als, iter of tone oes rom ro, ‘hese had the advantage that they were lily to be damaged on landing and ald be taiage, ted up, and wed Spain an again (whereas an arow would probably be damaged beyond repair bya Sing ig, Evens, spe of projectile survived Se Frases Drake, in ‘riz n bring Foreprod — 4 man emoving he moa ar te cnnon ba ‘Scngets the guswerequiesmal The enc Bscgoend ~ he waerrbee brag te hie ote bare Segment fortis ther volved, and [istodo wihthewwenghand wenknenes more quickly, and would thus not alow atatinewheagunpowdercostastaggring ‘thot tne guns andthe gunpowder The such dangerous balg-p of prere. stunt comparison othe price ot icmete dewing shows the cannon ins Another pant was tt he powder of si eo. {olourthat suggests bronze she material the day, a wells Being menkbyformela, The main dawback with gunpowder fot vrennabe ssumption in thit war weak by. mandactare Bacon's was it susceptity to damp. Spee ihecantopotbronsewesa wel undeood formula wasfor 1 percent sip, 20 atracts moisture, and the records ofthe earth me: Butwar aso expense, percent sulphur tad 29° per eat care 140 and 15th cates are fl of com fas thecal came for per cannon, Goa anddoublesstvematealsohs dy pit about damp powder It was avery tier methods wee adopted; nably that mere not to any ret dpree of pry. serous problem in tht ifthe powder wat St mating the tare! fom spe of ron Moder guapowder uses percentage pro: wmserviceable the army'seeh were dese oundtightywithstaprofmetalandrope. portions of 75:10:15, opetir wth hgh before it got ino bat In 1372-74 there ‘Although tha was cheaper and easier © Sandu of pur te report ofthe purchase of faguos for take, was aio not at stuong a8 a cast Theearypomderwasmixedby grinding ing. the Englsh powder. Scots fare At the sme tine, Bonever the the separate ingredients finely and then fers in 1459 mention Keeping powdet iil powder was, tousYsstand- mixing them by hand. Tis dusty mixture fa waxedclodbes Eveaas te asin 1739 rd, weak staf the gan ands powder mas lanl apy by senping out of Royal Navy report of an acon off ‘tere more or es well matched. Even so, ae and pouring nto the go looy. Grenada complained tat the shot would Dating heavy ton bel intone thee there it would sete and consolidate nthe ot reach te Freoch ships Beene of {unr and oachng of hare of power chamber wih th rsa that the ignition dap powder Frehinditwasadingfortouble;theweight fame might hve siicuy ia quickly Another drawback was that dog tthe ball wold resist movemeat so hat peneeaung hough thefinemasstoignte prolonged traveling, when barels were heesposionoftheponderoukdbuidup alla the sme ne, The led to ancer: being bounced aroundincars the asiows ‘tasdeblepresureinthepunand might tity of con arabe power from shox sompodeats ofthe powder teaded to sep- Stell burt iA stns bl ofthe same size_t sot and so esata some ofthe art, tbeheay lpr sifting hough be Toul be mach lighter ~aboutonethed urge was blown out ofthe muzle either ier charcoal. The solution to thi rob- Grtbeweightofanionballmouldmove silbumingorunburaed~asesousdefst lem was generally carry the tre inge- B HISTORY OF AMMUNITION ieotseparately and miter onthe sp before tbat bean although tan azardous enterprise) “The Sint improvement ia dificult pin down la lcauon and date arma he Srigin of punponder,butitappearstohave Geveope in France whore wat fist ‘mentioned in 1429. The umprovement as ‘omixthelagredintins me sate, wach ‘nade for beter incopiation and Tes Uketcod ‘of scidentl explosion, td ‘hentoalow tty int scake whch es then broken up he reelting gains were then ran though sees of varying meer sas sect powder gris for diferent ‘purposes The powder was calle ‘corned Ponder, and 1 showed considerable advantages over the gel, which then came known sepetinn powder “The wana for allowed ame 0 pene™ uate the charge more ea leading fo more ceva aad repr burning ~ 20 ‘uch so tht cored powder ws con Sideredo be about one third more power- {alta heme smount of serpentine. assholes cee to moisture itn0 Tonge separated during trap, and left te reid nd oaingia the ore se fine ‘Sachs the nature of improvement that these advantages werenot tained witout tome drawbacks. The two pricpal oes ‘ere thacorped powder asso powerful “odes to burt the olde gus; and hat rss thelvoived method of man Beare it was even more expensive. Aba femlt it wae some time efor corned ned universal acceptance, tit Eo have the eer of speeding op the Gevelopment of cannon inorder that the fone might be rong enough io get the fall, bene fom the new ponder. Castro ‘annon began to appear in the middle of {he 16th entry, ad remained the sam- ‘ed pter forthe ex 30 yar ‘Mont ofthe problems with puaponder cztred onthe tse of satpete (pram fies). Uni the middle of the 10 ‘etary the only Source of spol was fom FROM CANNON-BALL TO COPPERHEAD ature deposits ann rope these mere ‘are ~ the mati peared a sarface ‘Siig in underground eaves, cellars and Stales The major deposits were in the Eas and Oriental merchants soon realized the ale of their commodity and charged sccodingly. In Europe, goverment. soup comervecvery posblesourssof ‘Sopp ao ast reduce thle dependence ‘pon the Eas In France, Slee Com missioners! were appointed in 1540 and ad the phe of entry ito any sable, Pinson lof, eae shed or shoep-pen in ‘ede to gir sapere. Tn heeary yearfthe 17 cetary the ast India Company began importing sslipeue into England and bull fs ova. 1s AHISTORY OF AMMUN 0h ‘mater of argument betmeengnncrs othe ‘ari dys, but sem tov been more oF Iesagredasone-ninthofthe weigh ofthe “eae sb, whch fist sppeas on record doing the defence of Constantino (1533-8, he Pat ig ‘pnabl rth st sed rig he (Cocataen ae an inconvenient apparatus 10 bare ‘oud the atlefeld and abet eto Som appeared. The gun wa provided with {Nea above the chamber iat wich ie onder was dibed tobe set off y the otro or by the newly ievented ater ati, gucenatch’ Tis wasp ord Scaled ina sluion of salir and hes role in fae gunponder and allowed to ry; when ignited it buraed Yery guy, and lengih of thi, insere in the gu ‘Yen, proved to be effet in fring fhe sm. Unrate, tended t foul the ‘en andit became necessary tore’ the bole pera to dean to that eth lee of guikmatch could be used. Some ones prefered to sik to ulng fine Powder rom tei powderbor tees ‘ten found a way pas the fog td reduced the requncy at wich ining was este, ‘Ano, also t0 eplace the hot ion, ‘sow math was devised This was sa {o guckmatch except tat twas thieker tnd ispensed wit the gunpowder, 0 that when eit merely glowed. and bumped Slowly. Itcould brewed by blowing omit ‘twig through the nr and ached {oalongstatforTinsockcoudbeppied {othe gon vet, “Te fit eal innovation in projectiles ‘ame in 1573 ‘when. Maser Gunner Zinmermane, a German, invented ail ‘Sof. This we led einer fled alt vith gunpowder and Hal with musket Bat: sea fs pe ole nthe bottom ofthe on: Sling Assen wes ed fon tp So the gucknatch wat ignited, burned through andfired the gunpomder nse the ‘ing 60 ttt expoded and Blew the ‘moses bali al direction. Tis had age of aboot omer (600 jars), 0 that it was very eles method of edvcing the srongth of an oppo ay long bees it aot ihinand-o-hand Shing distance "Very shor aeracds, in 1579, Stefan Batory the King of Poland testis the te f edhe shot. Heated bal of clay a oten been wad wth stp ung Into towns inorder to re fre i the thatched rot, ut the pian to ane vas low to come aboot ~ which, gon fidecng the proteas facing the gunners, ‘eas nt suring. AP et cqusietance ‘he prospet of pshing a echt aston bal down on to a charge of gunpowder notatectve teal but Stefan Batoy= Innovation ws yo rama dry wad of loth down ontop a he pom, hen 8 ‘Second wad of Soaking wet ot, ‘wich the rehthall warippedint he ‘uae snd rammed and’ the er ‘oochod af the gs gucly she could before the ht sot did out the wet na ‘Soli sho, bot ore varied info Against sli tages, such cates o ‘owns or forests, projectiles could do severe damage to the defense Again {baividual onthe ldo tate they were Jesrelable an astute solder cool often See shot sporoshing tnd Jump cer, titoogh his wast in hose ay of ‘ered ranks, shoulderto-bouler, and wih second and id ranks pressing hone hind. Moreover, a soli al kd not insamiy lose als enery when i and after impact t wuld often rl and skip for {considerable ditance in an erate ‘manner, retaining suient eneay 10 hmage sayoae tht. Undoubedy he nner’ fvoure target was close packed mas of men, or minor ear in ee FROM CANNON: BALL 10 COPPERHEAD fer (7g, bre Ee enantio ube tne ee timing. ria he performance ofthe ge She powder care, o in the ght o he ‘tncaldbe nuit he sner density snd ruler ofthe target Butihere wer, fo the ene days of alec, those who sought diigeatyaera Fejectie wich. would consi some xplosveetoc andthushaveeven greater raping poner athe trpetTestncl rblenssboundad, however. 1a the fs lc the explonive fing hd ob et of {ithe core places intbesecon there an fest danger tat he eposve might be Jared inc action by the ip of being Shot rom he pn, dapoing of the gn Sed gunners instead ofthe ene. sive shel appear to have been edb the Venetians scaly ae 1621. The sels were formed of two hollow hemspheter of ‘rove jonedby oop of ona tha {hae consstng of «length of quckmatch Inside 3 shection tate riveted 16 one the nemispheres. The interior as filed ‘ith a charge of corse gunpowder. The Project Became known ana ot Frenade, becuse the pint of gon powder ere thot to reel the sods 2s pomegranate. (The word shell” appeared ae, fom the German word Sthalloe ‘ute sid or back) Tiras leaded ito «shore-beceld mora with the fie aginst tbe gunpowder charge so tha wea the charge as edo propel be ‘hl a the foe. The fe bared through and at jst about the end a he hl ge gnited the penpowdr ling. arsing the sel nto fagment. “Te busines was of course aught with ange. The constuction ofthe shel wa ‘Pron oa es than ight aint becwees he Hemispheres, through which the carpe’ {ash could penetrate and burst the shell Inside the pin Othe uichach might ot throughly ecapy the oa tube, ean oom fr sho pass down long side, Or the cole and manufacture ofthe ‘qickmach might be flys that it ‘shed down aod iced the sel pepe as itl the muzae. In any evet the eal ‘va unpopular with be gunn and hel ever Dosme common aan rl of Wat [the 150 cemuy ewan tl he 170 cent that sels became popular ia rope, The ‘asa forthe ey was simply hata shall, as ot a praia devie witout an {cute fan and thee could no be a ‘Shdconvenient method of messrng hort Interval of tine. When te ft ‘ates appeared, athe 1670s, he pod Jem wa at art amenable to wolston "The fuze developed for sels were simple enough devices tapered cinders tfbeech wood (hosen for ishardesund ‘permeable grain) trowgh. which = ‘ert ole was bored and fd wit 2 composton of gunpowder and spits of oe AHSIORY OF MW 0 wine’ — alobol, Tis, rammed ia to Suitable densi, bummed relatively slowly, nd the wooden body of the faze was marked off in distances. The fuze was physially cot off at the appropriate Sistance by means of a knife, and thes ‘riven into ole i the sel; when Gre, the fla from the charge tthe exposed ‘outer end ofthe tain of gunpowder, which ‘hen burned through uni the ing of the shel. Interestingly the expression “Yo fita fiz’ elim ase wit some arilery force o this day, even though the seting ofthe moder fates achieved bya totaly ‘iferent method “The method of iguting the fuze sill posed problems, Loading the shel with he fuze towards the charge was one ay nother was 1 ws a gun with ¢wo Yeas, fet ignite the fueand the othe tigi the charge (a rare system, as might be imagined); anda thd was to load the shell sith the fre towards the muzie and then, Shortly before fring each down through ‘he muzle with alength of slow match and ignite the fue, (It an be appreciated that thislatr system was farfom popular ith the unfortunate who was 1 do the ght- ng) But i about 1740 some unknow genius suddenly realized that there was Enough slespace around the sbell 0 ‘Permit ito beloaded wit the faze towards the maze and sil be lt effienly by the charge fame washing around the shel ‘That there was such space followed fom the necesity for the shell toe shy smaller than the bore ofthe gun in ordet that during ramming air would not be trapped undemeath Aad where air could escape, fame could pass. And 50 “Single fie” became the vogue inthe mi 18th centr. "Another desirable effect which inves tors pursued was the use of incendiary ‘atria in shell, both wo ignite material nd also to provide ilumination during ighttime warfare. Various expedients twee tied with ite no success unt he “area was invented in 1672, reputedly ty a Maser Gunner in the sence of Christopher van Galen, the Proce Bishop fof Minster. The caress was «spherical iron framework wrapped in cloth and cord tnd filed ‘with a mire of sapere, A HISTORY OF AMMUNITION hargebeingFredbehindthem. Asaresut, to bear it. In view ofthe contents of the The cannon came fst; the “hand twas normal to reduce te charge and smoke ball ~ salpete, col pc tar, gonoe came orsetineafterwarésand wat ack a thick wed oft or some simialy ren, das, crose antimony and sil’ Semply shrunken Yerson othe conte Aieorbentsbstancoatopofthechargeto pour’ — ths sms a vad cam, and omy canton that was moUNed on clase damper between heesposonsnd probably marks km the forerunner nf wooden ave which cold be eked onder the cara Sheil wart {he Beer’ aro ive sppor and some ‘A tariat of the caress which alo “And so, wit the ailerymen amply direction to the weapon. The design was appeared ip the 17h cemtisy was the supled with guopowsrand her aster” gradually refined to's more manageable ‘Smoke bul” which, according toa coor men of projets, let ws awe them fora Sar, and st to tho Us shoulders temporary document, ‘ring their com- while and goback againtothe thceatury andthe hand gun ~ each of which pass buston cst forth a nosome smoke and to trace the second line of development: trough sags of development without ‘hat insochabundece thats impossble smmuniton for hand weapons ‘moving from the mrloading concept "he eee fan at breeding gan which ood ear VI ‘Evento and very gic the serpentine Tock was invented simpy a S-shaped ‘ice of metal peed the sae, with {he frward ead bolding the mah andthe ‘eared inconvenient place tobe pulled bythe ier so aso lower he match othe ‘et wile eld che gn seurely. “Thesereninelack wat tine tothe ‘machock, in which the epperatas was ‘sed wal plat a the se ofthe En and controled by a ing and catch The ONE TNO P Lae) AHISTORY OF AMMUNTI Revorend Alexander Frnt whe developed {he is person stn In 1808 ‘After the matchlock came the wbeel- lock, vented in about 1500, which uses roughened wheel, driven bya sping which had rit to be wound up oF “spanned! ‘When the trigger was polled the wheel Spun, its surface in contact witha pice of fg, 0 tha sparks Were directed into the ‘an of pow. ‘About 50 years Inter the inock sppeared (fit elle the ‘snap-ock’). BY {hus mectanism fine was securely hal it the jas ofthe ‘cock and allowed to move forward, when released by the tiger, strike a carefully positioned piece of see! fnd 0 produce the requisite sparks. With Tater minor refinements ths was the height of technical development in small-arms ‘ammunition systems and i remained the ‘only method of ignition ans the 19th cxntuy “Al these systems were clumsy and proneto accident The pan was ited with Ii fay eariy in te development — an ‘endeavou 1 keep out damp and prevent the loose powder fom being blown away ‘orotherwise dislodged. The pan cover ter {ormed the stel on which the in struck, stat te Blow performed two functions, ‘enerating a spark and throwing open the an to expose the powder. Indeed, the ‘whole busines of loading was wide open ‘ecdents: the powder had to be sifted ‘down the barrel, the ball inserted and rammed; a wad rammed on opto prevent it fom fling oot again or roling away fiom tho porte; les powcr ht io be sprinkled into the pan abd vent; the Hint adobe prepared correctly and properly set iano the ams of the cack. Tt was remarkable ha the rearms worked at all ‘One constant factor in. fintock weapons “was the appreciable pause between pulling the trigger and the gua scualy ging ff Watch a Mintek being fired and it posible to distinguish the separate event fist the Mn ignites the pan and then, «faction of second later, the dicharge ofthe gun italf follows. If sca delay was inconvenient for soles, it was postvely traumatic for sportsmen, “Atheist lash of he Mint and pan many {quarry would take right nd le often far oough during the pas to escape the ine offi enily (parulry ifthe gunn's ‘sim had beea poor in the firs place). eas thi iiating charters of the Ainiock gun which led. the Reverend ‘Alexander Forsyth, Minster of Blhavie fn Scotland, to devote much of his life to ‘developing better method of igniting the powder charge In 180 he developed t first pereuson stem, using a miatre of rerery folate and potas chloate Which, when truck with fling hammer, ‘etonates and gives off a strong Mash. By replacing the cock ofthe Mock with a hameer,and arrangingfocasmall measure ‘of powder to be dropped at the mouth of the ‘went leading into the gun chamber, Forsyth produced system that as practically instantaneous He offered the ‘lato the Board of Ordnance, butin 1807 they turned it down. Forsyth ly patented it and, in conjunction withthe famous tunsmch James Purdy, beyan fo produce Pereusion sporting guns. In 1842, after ‘ch wrangling he was awarded £200 by the Bond of Ordnance, who had by now Appropriate the idea for thir own ase ‘After his dea 1843 an additional sum fof £1,000 was disrbuted among his Sependans ‘Varou mechanisms fo containing and placing the gnting powder wee ted; the system evolved that was eventually regarded ts the best was to place the powder inating copper cap, rather lke iniatre top bat. Prested carefully io the erowa’ of the hat and secured there ‘withadab of varnish twas waterproof and ‘ould not fallout The Yea ofthe gun was ‘hen finished of wit screwed hollow tube, called the ‘nipple’ which was in ine vith the hammer. The cap was placed, pen end down, onthenipplesotat when the hammer was oleated it fl, crushing the cap and the powder and ths forcing theflshtodeve down the vent andiatothe fn chamber to ignite the powder charg. ‘By 1880 the percussion system had lost entirely replaced the fintlock. The BBetisn Army adopted it in 1838, the ‘Americans in 1862, and by that time Almost every other army had als taken ‘In the sporting werd its adoption was vente, anditiscfe to say that by 1845 the number of fntlocks sl ia use was eglgible. Many gunsmiths made a good living by converting aloes to percus- ‘lon, merely fitinga hammer snd sippeia place ofthe cock and pan since the rest of ‘he gum remained the same. FROM CANNON-BALL TO COPPERHEAD AHISTORY OF AMMUNIT 0h ‘An cary xample af se to The gram sows how the shot was packed sae hat any acurcy gained fom the riling So convenient a method of priming the ‘mance ‘down on ponder a8 retaining ‘waking cerain that mater ow he he powder remained oe NN FROM CANNON-BALL TO COPPERHEAD. asgeeraly lost eto he atredshape (tte ball at few trough the a. ‘The obviow slston was Yo arange hays so that the ball wat below bore diameter at went in bat was somehow fxpanded to aight) renter ameter Before i let Achieving this i brought forth sore peculiar stratagems One of he ‘ares sptems was to ave at uptandng pllariathebreech od ofthe bart when {heballmasdroppedinistoppedonthe ip ofthis pillar, the powder af the charge ting dot around the pls ad ‘oder he bal A few sar blows with he ‘amred then cased the bal 0 be ven gin the pillar an expand oxtwar so hat at it the iing When Sed the all wat engnge in the rifing and Rem qt wel, tthe occured to some experimenters ta th explain ofthe charge right Be ‘sedtodothe expanding ithe shape the Ballet were ered. And 4, forthe fist time, a yin bullet wid «potted owe was ployed. The tae of the ale ‘ts tolomed out leave a elatvely tha "Ske and the hollow file with 9 hard seal cone. Loaded, the ballet sipped down inside the rifing and came to est on the powder ehuge and wad i the ual sry. When th charge wa Sire the sen ruption of gs pred on te metal coe, hich in tum presedon te soft ead kt Tieforcedtutwardsintotheifingasthe bullet guhered speed. The ‘eyndo- conc shape give beter fight chara ‘etc, and this Min Bullet ~ named Merit peomoterrathrthan alent = ‘ees s00n adopted formar ta all ove ‘he woe. The Brith Army td bt ‘objected fo the meal cape i mas foo ‘xn aoSing mance nd ifthe th were known, probably toni bv ive paying a patent ee Sothe Briss adopted ballet of thrown which resembled he Mini in pail but sda far simpler method of expanding he ase slic whic, impelled by the gases, achieved the expansion ust Wellastepensvemetalsove und iat Tes damage the rifle bare, By the 185s, thereto the infty of ‘he major umes were armed with ied ‘munieloading muse which could aver aheay ball sally of about = {ach ele with consider ceracy fut to gute log ranges The brought ‘out something ofa revolution on theta AHISTORY OF AMUN 0h eid For theft inet became pos Ihe for infantry to out-range ail. he smorhbore gus ofthe day showed ite Improvement over thre of two cetures before but th ie had made rest sti dike annon wae no loge the mater of thebatteild. Guns rough no atone fullviw ofthe enemy perhaps $80 meres (600 yrds) aay at ha ben the acta incl for years, were a considerable ik sine the enemy infantry cold shoot ‘he gunners good deal moe easly than ‘he gener could deal withthe mas of inf. The ume had come to make ome ‘undameatal chien aie. “Tere was just neem of smmniton which prevented complete daar for he Srley of the Une, and that war the Shrapoet shel, camed afters fventor Clone Henry Shayne “This project ad been developed ata metodo king intr at long ange With more certany thas asd exonon- hl could oer: nthe See of Gitar toma the end of the 1h century 8 (Capa Mere had experimented ith firing morar shalom a stably aed owaer fied witha shor az nd fred ith reduced charg these bes brst a ‘hesirone the enemy infantry showering them wth sper “Aer the seg, Shrpod! (then ew tenant) set sbout improving onthe Men, andin 1784he producti spherical cate Shor. Tas war's thin ro allotting filing of musket als and gunpomder, wooden faze wat inserted and woe i brred trough ignited the gunpowder Which then exploded to shat the casing Ad bow te mate ae inal rections ‘Steapoctsidea wart extend te ange of ‘ate shot by allowing the projectile ope. {0 the enemy before bunt 0 that he ‘eprodiced the feof ae shot took {thom the gn marl and placed tamong the ener. “The whole point about Strap!’ evelopment that edd not simp cae as much gunpowder as posible no the Shelli oder wo obtain powerful as ‘The amount of gunpowder was delb- rately kept ow 3 tht al itd was open Up the shell the als obtained thei Yelocy fom the forward motoe of the Alea eampl fen sot, sect to aoris cee shel atthe tine ofthe rst After many fers and tal was formaly approved in 1792, butt remained Knows perc case sb unl mas ofall renamed ‘Shrapel shal in TAS2 a memory of “Apart, though tom shape the ari ser had few means of overeingthe soperioey of the infant. The anmaker ‘hereto ergy “nepin #0” lok methods of siing ¢ cannon and, more imporant, of developing satahe projec tes. There was no possiblity of wing the fxpansve properties of ead, as id the Shoulder aa Iss ad een pt forward from time to time In the pst: io 1821 Letenat Crt of the Ist Regiment of Foot had sagged fing the gs bacel nd using ea coate bal nla ‘asin: putforearaby the Swedish Baron ‘Wanrendort in 1846 in 1882 French man, Cavalier Trealle de Bea, had Suguted acannon with dep groves and ‘vith stds on the shel te in he [Fooves andin 18654 Major Cvaofthe Surinan Amy ha proposed a gun led ihwo roovesandasbel bang a 8 to mach Although Some dertory tet tree made ofthese varios ea, aby {oak tem parca senoanly unt the CCimean War in I8S4, Then money su ‘en tecame avaiable and slr boga to tow some interes, especialy when Baoned with long-range infty fe ‘The Bish Goverament ok he deion {o provide a number of psf sccord lng tan hen by Henry Lancaster, an Enplih onmaker Lancaster dea wat make gun with an oval bore which wat twisted the project wat oval section hd ad oppose ser planed onthe sew ‘eras to mate the twit of the hae. ‘The guns nee ot» wczese, The shot sowed tendency to jam inthe bore, Ser onloding fring, damaging he bore aa ent and he lend poor accuracy rapidly worsened. They were soon withrawa fom vice nde Army ‘trond fora hte de. ‘One was provided by 2 Mr Witiam Armatvong ssoctor from Newease ‘Tyne, who had contoling interes ino agnering company. Appleby reports from the Crimes which highlighted the peu ticles noon moving an 18> ownder (weighing te tos, or 300048) through the mod at of Ikea, Arse rong st down and designed ttl new ‘pe of gun, he object eng pray five weight and crate what weight thor wat aa tore scetie manner. At the same time, eintoduced the concept of oading the gun fom the brech end father than fom the muzle, ile end evelope anew ype of ammunition, “The denne of Armarong’s sem of gn mancfatre ess sigan 0 his ‘Beton outie tan the mane ofa Inge which waster evoutionary ander) Jenova for fore developments. THE {ear endofthe bare cmnatedinasrtof thon open st top and totom aad wit 2 ‘read hole inthe ear ead oppose the fntrancetothbrrel~orthe chamber a5 therearend was now called. The ‘wosondedin tough theo lloweaby the propeling carpe — a bug of ge porder™andthen asabof weed he Ren pice wat roppedinothetopofthe intone heer othe chamber vas ‘hea jammed ay aginst the chamber, So ao make a gap fi, by puting & Feige scow trough the ole a the bx od winding ph The face of the vent ‘poss tad a copper lite wich bead 0 fake an etectve salto preven the gs {Eating oot when the cardge was Bred. Fisng oscar oy having olen ‘event pace and unger iit, 1 fone gl led wits powder and ‘oping ‘of phosphors compound. A Jetted pose of metal passed oug® the ‘Sompowd and when this was ered re the roughness ited the phosponss fyrem analogous Io 2 common match ng wruck on rough surtace— and the power was Seedy shor fame down the et and ied the carrie. “The pun wa id wih several shallow spoover The projectile was costed with & {Spec of lea moreover, twas ore oles Sapedaaelkaretdiy a cjndor vid Sounded now THe shall st in the Sottbored amber aod when it was ‘rploded into movement by the powaer ‘ge the lead costing it nto the iis, Srhich began jst 9 oat of. tbe rest Pron, and he shell Heft the barrel Aber: Se Wiliam Armstrong, ‘elo: The mechan th mr Soest ‘iedirechlendng canes. ADSOY OF VN N TT sig hoe Arn Sees teas bepepee erent Reioteeret Sarre Laos Tent let SSS Lattin pet Steppes canoes Saati sererets Retoeinteds agai te sng pm ee nn Saale eich an eet cemetary Siyeatatekine a Sav wtonateees ests eS iu problem the Bish Navy 20% face. The French Navy had caused the prob lem lancing the work rt wont vrarship and compounded iby utering Tatigercat oes cven as Nagleon began ling of enlarging the French ‘empire. The, Bras Navy insmedately ‘epi by seting abot balding rong thei own, ut th presing probe was {0 ind gus capable of defeating those timoured stipe, A 68pounder smooth ore, povided wih «spec bardened sel shot, coold jst abot manage to encrat theron armour a short range Bats a ate war aa soliton tesae the Frente wich werelargay aed ‘tk sel-ang guns, would reduce the Trooden Beh wantips 10 shared {recs before mach impression had been ‘made on ther own armour The Arm ‘ong gun, cen os was, was Wea 1s breech elosng and thus umbe 10 ‘itand « power enough charge 10 fend penetrating shot with sfiiet ‘eloity fo snus the armout, The only ‘elution wasto go beck to massive muzie Tending gun that coud ake avy charges sd ire poteat projectiles at igh veloc, AHISTORY OF AMMUNITION SHELL RIFLED MUZZLE LOADING COMMON eape VE 83x70 hi BE csr on 8 000 Mh 1802 Th ing tens fet i tsohappeoed haa ruta deg was ready to hand. In 1863 nother Bea amaictrr, Joseph ‘Whitworth ‘feed new stem of fing in whch min, the bore wanacoaliysmocthbat wes hexagonal and with twist in The projectile was kes hexagooal theses fing ange so aso match the ange of twist He objeaed. tthe Armstong ‘monopoly of providing British puns ad demanded & comparative teas Whe Worth muzdeloder, an Armstong treeehloader and an Armstrong marie leader were Slee for competion, and the Amstong muze-adig rset adjoiged best. The Ametoay muce= leader used tne deep groones in the tarel and ee row of soft son thes he stade were itedveed ito he ‘Booves as the shell wae entered nt the ‘Buz rode” down asthe shell. wes ‘ammed, and then rode wp the grooves al, spining these ems fe. ts simple and reliable, whereas Whit wots stem, ke the snr Lancer, Jimaed is sho oon for comfor. And So he Amaro echoing gun wat ‘ity eteed, andthe ML” (ied ‘uzleonder ame os place. ee NN FFM CANNON-BALL TO COPPERHEAD Whatever the sem, ne thing was ———— cera the day ofthe cantonal was| ‘he, ad th elongated Soto sel wat Sow heal Bacal preingcong™ {fed sot and shel to perform in the way ‘escers wate asa sow ups and STUDLESS 11 INCH sm I [SStosomelongandexpeasve a And det asiofen thease bes eas came fom ove he mane of anu tion development as exam the l= ng so adopted in Ban ‘in pime demand inthe 18605 as fociomzng tg hrongh crimes {Gtinches) oro ought on area Spr by's oot or more of so teak food, which was the accepted method of esrocton of the ely rnc ship Giron ta ene norma mate oe Taking camonall ad had cad Sher Armtongs th bt cat on fang spits wrought oa stick ingly state Atempn were made to com” Sects shen tet makings Smeg ofan nanan tbe 1860, aot {Strat undenood and nt capable of Sepa produig fave bie from ics shot oad te made Morente, of Course nas expense ‘What comptes th hse was that Aoee mere to scl of tought on the sion of how to delet armour the ‘king andthe punching eo The “Beker wanted to Se ig en po Jere at ow velo and tun rack or | | Sain there tac ofthe wreourso | | Srtobongabouttscolapeesodexpoctbe | [5 Hmasior ot nes. Tee pancbers wanted | | GA GuECK precy ph to whichconld punch || 9 wri frog he pnt vo hat oth and the ffeenens of armour dspace! wea et 5 projects to do dhe Behind the Sorin bon th ches were out 19 peso acon md the pracers ere vic TOC, MUGIT sas em eM ‘her whatever the armour nas protecting nSTING Guat Sue Toapreatencatte punches were proved ‘iit andthe acer Wrong, bu th Z Ament edn the meanwhile oat of Bere fime-wasing onthe theory of fat-beaded =o (td round-hedod projets, ia al "Aral this was omg on, ¢ Captain Be ono Paliser ofthe th Hare regiment Sot noted at that ine for cet apie Gaton~ devised pointed project which ecntwitienoeedowninvwstercoded |___— ‘As Hin Pisa The op war ct nosed in woer-oted to moa which ‘Sete pit temas hd ABISTORY OF AMMUNITION ron moat, with normal aed mould for theresa the body. Ginga apd clo the nose mace the pois of the shall ‘xtreme tar andit proved tobe amos ‘cient projet, one that eas py ‘opted forthe RAL guns Iso ere {hatin 1879, daring te sort war between (Chile and Per, the Caan Alan Cochvaneied49 ach Palite sell whic Penetrated the gun tre ofthe Peruvian ‘asear, ging through 12 centimetres (5: inches) of om pate, 32 centres (GBinches)ofteendafurer centimetre (hata och of eto esploe side he {te illo ofthe cron andcompletey deseoy te gan Porthos arp of ese thickes the ‘common sie wan evel; the word ‘Senmon inthis ae lites apo aon to ‘common’ target (i, anything ‘ter than thick armour) The common ‘Shel was old, ke a lecing sel bot ‘fpan steer wroughtio, and wasflled ‘sith coon ag onan conte a ponder. Afr the filing. the botom of the al was cloned with simple pg, When ‘hesbel ruck thetage,hesudden check to is fight caused the gunpowder to be teow violent forward, and ton ‘eaneco the individual gris of powder ‘wa unt wo cause fo explode and Dont the sll was ee tat When the ‘hell was red thre wae certain ait for te fling 0 bt back woleal, Bat ‘etl leon “of the. powder bap, taking sre twa saey oped at thereat (od ofthe cavity, general tok care hat the sel id pot explode premature "The retest role was adapting tbe strap shell to the new sig nt pans op sh a oe Woe Spit ce Fr A seo Seog tee FROM CANNON-BALL TO COPPERHEAD Eventually, Coloel Boxer, Supriatend- ent of the Roya Laboratory at Woolwich ‘Arsenal (wich asthe off! aman ‘on factory) developed «desig a which the noe ofthe sel was gy pied © ‘he body and held socket fora fuze. Beneath the fine & tube tan down to ‘chamber inthe base of the sel wich Was {ed with gunpowder. Above this chm- ‘ber was lose round plate, the “pusher ‘plat and above this, taking up the space {athe body ofthe shel around the cena ‘be, marten of mske alls packed ‘nein ad col dust The bell was fed ‘nd the felt Dashbeing seat down the ‘earl tube to emploge the chamber of omer after the are ad burned ough, ‘hur eaplowon freed the poser plate sp, cazrying the balls with it and in ur this force sheared the pins and thew the bead ofthe sel off the boy. That then flo foe sde abd the force ofthe gunpowder ast jected all the musket alsin a spreadingcoe infront thesbelflow= ing the tesjectry which the sell was taking Sothuifthefaze were comet set, the sl could be birt in the nr some 13 ‘meres (40 feet) above and before the enemy and cold then ast hin with Several score (orhundred, depending upon {he sae ofthe sell) make all at high ‘locity At 2 mame, srapacl was corvald ein et: Tre mode ne ne dtag frome mi 1 ce Seine: A diagram honing he contrion saber te fes ra AHISTORY OF AMMUNITION ewe apreciated tht with asbellas_cleted the gmletwasforcedintothe ole ficient ast andwihgonsimprovingincoresponding ote required length, sd ‘hei range and power, the ose fze bored through the interior wood sl (hich fi to be’ eut to seta tine of ented the cetal chanel. The faze wa turing) was sonewbat inten oer then putin the sel andthe cel zed The therfore esgned a new pate tres: fash-over round the hel pte the embed the od insofar as twas a tapering quickmach in he hea: this the slow= big of beech wood, but i had some turing compostion nthe centrale n fanidenble provements. The ceatal tun thisburnedstewdyuniitcametoihe bole was bored in fom the top, stopped point to which the gmetad ben bored Setereacing edotion, ad wailed whecpon te ame pel ough with son-buring ponder: above twas a thehol tn ignited he gunpowder in one Tenge uckmteh,coled upinareses_of the outer chines, The gunpowder in the top of the fiz. Paral wih the mediately hed down length othe ‘ntalholeandoftothesiesofthefuze, botom af tefure snipe he contents Soother sr holes wee bored in from he ofthe sel. ‘ouom, ot eshing the top. Mare oles ‘The as-over which it the faze was 8 ‘ere bored in fom tbe sides to conaeet_ med Besing Whereas twa el a ‘ith these sit chanel, andthe whole tht epect caused problems nthe go fysem was then lle with genpomderand isl, washing away the sel fhe ore the fiz covered in varnished pape. The °lforced ts wa) pst the shell and wasting locaton of the oles fa theses wat energy which shold have been spied Indeatedbysptsoinkandeschbolewas eld te shll to ve more veo. vena figure conespooding tothe length Afer experimen with rope, wade a ‘tponder at that pintin he stem, cach ihe iefesive methods, 2 “parchec” ‘netenh ofan ch ting wor fala gun devsdin te form snus shaped ‘cond of fg, ‘Sopot plate tied othe Btom of he “Thefazewas ‘bored bysginletprorto shel dame assy ha that ‘ing: The” desired time faving Been ofthe shelby, otha onbeing rammed dove the mule psed witha ‘ing. When the charge exploded {tthe sot caper was ore cata the gue and tint the ing, lng ‘heesape ofgasand allowing the gs be devoted to propeing te shel ‘oondrably mprved the wear and fn the gun but i now failed opie fi andsoBonerhadtore desig by puting al ring pi and cap int fe At the shell was seal” rated so the fing pn was forced back fit the exp and th igied the pode ebaane "The most acceptable thing about th sited gn, so far as ammunition dese ‘ere concerned, as that the sl ved pots with replay. tara at for te iat tne oe posse to ita pereassion, or impact ‘ich woul operate when the sels the target. There was song comp bout the desig: twas merely the Seto pg witha ring pt andeap, 00 ‘impacthe pn mas denna the ap fire asmal charge of powder wie, ete yp he saterng ofthe wrought: ‘ton caingy he ganpowdeinside orn ew case, Sed arial methods of producing the requite fragment, One Common pateen was te ag shel! ‘hich the by was bul up of series of pment fn eacaed inend orn, A HISTORY OF AMMUNITION forward by Pauly, a Frenchman, some eats before. In ie, he rea of the gun “ras closed by a bolt which worked lke « ‘ommon door-blt; when thrust foreardit Teneed is tapered end nto the rea ofthe ‘gunchamber,andthehanle, turned down {nfontofa gon the gun boy, prevent ‘the explosion Bowing the ol open. A Jong sring-propeled need ran down the ‘tre ofthe Pot The Dree carrie ‘omted of paper package comprising ‘onoialbulet wit a percussion cap ints bse, and paper yinderof gunpowder. ‘Thiswasplacedinthe chamiberandthebolt lowed. When the tiger was pall the ‘needle ew forwatdandpitcedall te way through the crtridge ntl isruck the xp and fred Tis igted the powder charge fd the ballet was propel up the riled arte The bolt was then re-opened, the fring pin cocked, anew erudge ase, andthe goo was ready to fre agi, fa es FROM CANNON-BALL TO COPPERHEAL a oe int M4 - ae IMvERTED PLAN ‘he Freach Army eve fearful of what frontend. The earidge wa smart hat Sent acct CCIE! theGermansmigh be upto, werealamed ofthe Needle Gan essepthartceag oes open ye cng ere ck. tbe thought of hisadranced weaponon she ackendol te caeidge sot eg one gh A2 nigel ich oad ete aeatterenteraneraout_ pin i stp pa oie eg Seen ecmeGnte Sewn simetig snr Cana, eat ngl® ct as, rete tig ide tar” spor, ‘ame afew tevertoe Tho. tes dave, bor ce oe he Chasepot also used abuit stem, andthe were eftiet and female, Pe botcariedatickrobersealingringat is perfomance of bat ns soused a pood ‘Te Colt rvaer Hone it pre-eminence to Same! Cals master pet he eahing ide. dea ofinterest when France and Germany ‘et inthe wa of 1870. “The American Sharps carbine sowed 2 “isferetappeosehto ecco Srnctalblock at wae lfeduad lowered ‘lever undemesth the butt A si Coctained paper carrie war gain ed, ‘rich was toaedinto chamber andthe ‘ress closed as thebeech block eame up so led off the rear end of the paper farcidge, leaving the powder lowe txpued inde te chamber, A pression fap was then plced on a nipple and thmmerred (im other mors the Sharps argent have self-contained an tion as id the Dreyee and Chassepot ese) “Another interesting ies from about his period (tbe 1850) was the Woleanie le, Seveloped by — among others — 180 ‘Americans cled Smith and Wesson who tree to 0 00 to greater fame. The ‘Voleani ed let that bad 2 hollow rear section fled with powder and closet ‘by ardor wad wi a coral ole t o ‘vas insertedintothebrecchand the rec ‘lockasedtocose.Acapwasplaced ona ripple on the breech and hammered ‘The flash pased through the hoe inthe ‘vad, ge the powder td the expen ‘lew te Bll fom the gun. The ea was ound, bat the brssh sealing wae poe ‘ieally'non-eient, and the quantity of powder inthe ult was so sal that to oeaics could notachieve mich loc Ahr abouts years of endenour oso ‘he problem, Smith & Wesson ave up the struggle and turned their atetoa to 8 ‘more promising project "Wit they tne to wat revolver. At that time Stal Cat had the reviver tsnes thoroughly sewn op thanks 10 aster patent covering” mechanical ‘methods of rotating the revelver einer Bt the patent was de to expe 1857, and Smith & Wesson intended t step in oka aew design Casting about or some hovel they chanced on anew device hat deen invented France =the meal fife ardge ‘Theda of puting everthing — bullet charge and cap— into a single nit had, a Is demonstrated by the exstence of the ‘Needle Gur, attacted many experimen tut the fare rate was Nigh largely because ofthe problems ivolvedin sealing the breech. Eventually, in 1836, rend (punmaker called Lelaucheaus devised @ ‘eapon in which the berel was hinged and ‘oul be broken’ away fom the brecch — ‘the pattern which i today fair in ‘Shoxgns He made ue af se containad ‘arudge, designed by aman called Houle, in whiea most ofthe cate was of sper bt with abort banca atthe eat Zod; the bullet at theo andthe poet charge inside the pape set, Inside the bras end-pece was apeeusion ap with thor pin above leaned 50 ar rote’ through the side ofthe bast Section. Te cade was loaded ito the ree the pn pasang dw 4 ot the ud hebarelas the pun was closed The is now stood proud of the are wheteit olde struck by hammer, striking red NN FROM CANNON-BALL TO COPPERHEAD the cap, the carpe exploded andexpeled the ule, andthe bast secon. wat expanded ighty aginst the walls of the fier by the explosion, 0 sealing the tressh again any cape a gato thereat The ‘poi’ cardgerevoluonned fn design and shots overt — ut cher dena that war siea Being frawn yp, woud eventual replace ‘Another Peachaan, Hobe, tok the ertion exp, removed ther rr he front and sed ay lea ballet. He then adapted the Lefaucheaur gun and ‘ade the hammer stk ash pi wich, [Bruresrcetbe pression cap oreo bullet Such weapon was cou sal nd weak butt proves popular or idoor footing args: ober then improved the ides by changing the shape ofthe cap tlt, ing ia proreding rn which ted agit he wear ofthe barrel and opt the loaded carrie the proper ‘ace. The vin was folded and hollow, and filed with perewson mixture. Fiber file th et ofthe abe with powder and ‘ced bulletin the fore, ire was {ovdesgnedthat behammer suck galas fhe nm of the cade, casing he ‘omporion side agains he edge of he fare and 0 lniing the powder The Fife ear mas Bom ‘South and Wemon nom adopted this tiie for their revoier ‘The eartdge ree cynder with oles Bred al he trey trowgh, so that i ould be loaded from the rar, When Smith & Weston Alosvered tat patent existed for tis frrangementy they bought ap the patent tnd by 10 doing pot themelven ie Psion contd revolver manufotre as Soe a C's pte expired "The success of the Smith & Weston ‘evaler withthe rime cartige sn Usenet andy aerate desis ft sme appeared, pecan the United Sater of Ameri, drag the folowing ea But the imfre, 8 was ulin thse ayy tad one defect tended 19 be ‘etively low-powered. the rin wastobe (rathed, hecae metalhadto bef sot nd this argued apsnst high-powered Carridges since hy might wel low out ‘rough the st rim, stent ict | Sehemion Ierodcon oe metic ieaearwact iene sl AHISTORY OF AMMUNITION the ling block ech Sqecscors NS FROM CANNON-BALL TO COPPERHEAD behind the chamber which mas cut with « endofthe chamber cold be ven aone= very coarse seow-tread; thi then had third turn 90 ast bing all the headed (31.5nch calibre railway gun of World longitudinal segment ofthe ead milled secon nto engagement. Ths woul hen ‘War, amonser which fredai00kg(7- away. The beech block was» eyinder resstanypressre tht might endtothast ton) shell Themetalarwige case fortis which was made witha matching srew- the Block ou aghn, ‘weapon as .3mlongandSéemindiame- thread andthen,aguinhadsectionsmiled The problem now ly with sing the ter andcaried achatpe weighing 2.240 avay,sothatboth chamber and block had treech Hock and chamber joint The (st over two tas). thre pln and thre threaded sections earest gus id by Siting a short tel "The interupted screw breech coast slong thei lengths Ifthe block were now cop on the font of he loc; ths entered tutedamore dieu enpneeing problem aliged so thatthe tteaded secon sd the chamber behind the carrie and wat (which sone reasoe Krupp stayed clear of into the plain sectons inthe chamber, the expanded gy saint the camber walt Nooce hehads workingsytem) Therese block could beinseedinto the gan. Once bytheerplosioniustthe same manner st AHISTORY OF AMMUNITION cage case was expanded inside all arm. However, experience soon towed that the seal cap ot only 2000 bez to eve from th ot pase but as ten batered and bent asthe breechblock as openedand cose. A beter en ae ffom another Preach designer de Bunge, who ited resent padoftsbetosand ell to the front end of the Bock and thea Secureditin place with "maroom head ofscel The stem ofthe mushroom passed throuph the beech block aad wa seared bbyanutattherear: tao hada vat bored trough to acsommodste the igiion flame: The Sealing pad. was tapped beneath the mshrooahed, ad when he {un fied the pressure puted back onthe head and squeezed the, pa outwards 0 seal against he side ofthe chamber, Brea without going ino abstruse mathemati it ‘canbe shown tha the outward pressure ce the pad is always in excan of whatever the interior presence the yun maybe 50 that sealing Is aims asired. Thee ‘Bang system, wth pride einen, Ins been used ererslace on majo-calie smiley. "The eat step in aiery ammunition vas to mary the shell and caries ‘opsterintoa single unt ar was common in'small arm amnion. This would allow gun to be loaded uch more ‘quickly by simpy inserting the comple Soe-iece round, instead of loading the Sheth ramming” i thea loading” the ‘aig behind The fit guneto adopt ‘method wing ‘xed amnion’ wee three and si-pounder guns (185- end 2.224inch cles) for naval we, These became known as “guick-fes because the speed of lading lowed 8 very high ‘ate offetobe achieved, upto perp 30 ‘ots per minute with sled ew was ‘ko made posibley the fact at each ‘wasanchored securely onal mount iow ‘eel deck ona warships tat the force ot ‘eco wasabvorbed bythe ship sstrctre, ‘When te same pin ws attempted ‘na fiel-gun, problems aos: sch high ‘ate offre was imposible beease the gun ‘n fing rolled tack tader the foes of ‘eco andthe gunners had o get i beck foto place and teay before aaher shot could be fred. ‘The French Army sled this problem it their famous mm gun of 1897 It wed a hyranlic ovinder beneath the AHSTORY OF MWh barel wich cared pitonrodconnected {0 te gunin sucha way at athe eel feet dapsed though the cinder, ‘Movement essed by ol Ase diplaced ‘ijoitbuituppressireinacomparent ft trogen gu, which als eed Yo bake ‘he movemeat ofthe gun. Once the gun's reco stopped, the gs presse forced the parton ead back nse the eliader aad Pulled the gun bal bac in the Eng Poston. The gun cariage remained onary ~ oa the barel moved and the gunners coud hus remain clustered ‘ound the breech A fred round of timation ws sed and the 75" could fective 20 shots mint with ease. I came the patern forthe iel-guasof he ‘During tine that reectoading mas making i return, fing was ao Being lngroved: The ualversl method sow ‘raved was tout alarge numberof pia ‘oove to th ore ofthe gua aod tthe Stal with a “ving band” or “romting ‘nd ott copper Tis massunkinto the feel wal of the. sell ead anchored ‘carla theshelemteredthebore ofthe {un he copper bint the ein ad the ‘hel ook sp spin ‘Daring the lst 20 yar of the 19th ceorary major revolution in ammunition technology took place when gunpowder ‘was at lst toppled from is monopaly ‘osiion a he afer expe, At © Propelngcharge gunpowder adi aus Tens ancepibe to damp. and deponted ChEGR BATE Or suc Mist Gitad lane wane rettaecl coos | [MeOOnEONS ae tomanons | Au aales ‘ing requen cleaning tal grveoata. || ‘oud of wit smoke when i ed, wich A Immediately gave avy the postion ofthe ‘weapon and, when hundreds of weapons Average TOM WEG ‘ere in we, contuted to covering the ursti ceamoe 2 ‘iti an ingencvate fog of a 5s hich mae command and cota vt ee Uly npn: Asa bursting cage or tigi sel twas, ean, poe to {tp pve wt smoke whe Burst (ech was ncetatle se tat lat ‘Sowedwherethehel iad naded) rake ‘beste opi afew ngs pment, ahd dsetofeonftefinghadboen cared | 4 sepa bet or he ei 1 ed mes nding cot go. Tit ot arly ‘Sete pvtsd oe ete reer spat oe art "Trowghout the 18h century there had a as Nai 88 NN FRM CANNON-BALL TO COPPERHEAD. been innumerable advance in chemistry. In 846 Sehtabein bad discovered 'g00- cmon’, made by the action of mii and Sulphuric acdson cotton Iwasa devasta- Ing explosive, although it proved dif. to manufatare (eeveral factories were option of substance — ach faster and ‘nore von than an expose, and gute ‘incotallale So making » propeling ‘lage of gun-otton simply blew the gun fo pleces ast detonated Nitoglyeerne was discovered in 1846, ‘nots not ntl the 18705 tat Nobel managed vo produce in quantity without ‘lowing up the factory and again itwar 0 violent and sense thet nobody could oe ay appleation for itn ammunition "The frst sce maul for gun ponder war Gncovered by Major Schultze te Prssan Arley in 1865; i was Inde of nitrated ood impregnated with Potsium salts twas flowed by "EC Powder’ made ia England by The Expl Ines Company, which was mated ction Impregnsted with poaniam nitrate. These onder exploded, apd they were widely opted fr sporting we in sotguns, but they proved to be too vile for ried reap, and it was aot ont 1886 that Viele in France. developed the fist “okces powder which could bused ia amiltary nf. The Frch Army bad Selected 4 smalelbre ile, the 8am abel a thelr fture weapon and the Viele powder —named Poudre B after GonerlHoulanger-became be standard propellant “The Brith War Department Chemis, Professor All, spent several years work: Ing on various compounds before he per fected Corte in L889. Tis asa niare tf nitroglyerine and nizocalllase made Inthe form of cords or sks (and hence hme); Dees was posbetomakeitin A metal ime fe — the length of aaj by aig te tp. any desired size it rapidly became the {nd shape ofthe individual sick or grains ‘ould be made exactly a required so thet ‘eburniagratecoudbe controled ogre the dese ballistics. Against all his Was thedrawback bathe fametemperstre of thse powders mas mich phe than tht ‘of gunpowder, and they therefore had a Severely rosie effectoa the inte ofthe {gn bare. A weapon which might fre 10.00shotswithgunponder could ellbe ‘worn out afer 5,000 wih smokes. "By 1918 the general dengn of asi on had ached a aly wniform standard firoughout the word. Revolvers sed braseased cardges with lead bullets. The for automate pistols wed similar ‘aces bat usally with bullets having lend core and acoveriagofcopper, because they wee usualy higher-velocy weapons sd lead bulet ended to leave a depot Inthe barrel when fired a there veloc ile ammunition was smarty bra fof wood buts complex meal devie whieh Screwed into the head ofthe bel. Uns fofbras teonssted ofa core containing fing pin and cap whic pied ean of fnpowder tt into a bras ng surround fogthe core. Beneath thi ring the body of a FUZE PERCUSSION BASE Ay a $7003 es {i the botom ofthe fae, ag powder ‘ed, Before londng, the fuze was et 0 ‘the desired tine by tuning the lower, ‘move rng untlanarrow was ‘ojsed agaist an engraved scale. On fing, the pn it the cep ging 2 ach rich ignte the powder in fhe top rng the specified pint slong the win. Tas tured ata cael replated sped, unt ‘eametotheendof ean whereupon ‘ashe down thoagh a hole inthe botom ltberingandlitthe ninth aby. ‘his in tora, burbed ual ented he ctarge of powder whieh then made the Shell fonction. Tuaiag the lone ng ‘ariedhe engi ofthe onder wich Indo bur before the Yarou anters of ‘lame took place, and so regulated the ‘perting ime of he ue. ‘World War broupht sever ew ies ‘ora shell with single length of slow ‘mach fe he fe waa the sh tose (for example) over theramparsofs fort to upset any stacking pre nthe ‘Gt. When tha sort of wae faded 0 ‘id he use ofthe penade, and twa ot mul the RasteTapenese Wa f 190 that ‘treappeared i smalloumbers Tasled tome research onthe ie, 0 tat when (penades were. demsnded in 1918 for ‘tieoce and more were soon developed ‘Asisofenthecae, took Une getters ‘dsignsino peodactonsad forthe fist fow ‘mouths the sles wee ing jm tine \RMSTRONG NO 9 wane ‘and empty containers of all sar with tnd stones, tng short ‘peitcd lng of fend roving th oe “The ile-gremade was developed for those occasions when the hand: pense was wanted but for long dances. I he fit designe the projecting was cone by fing the grenade with log th rod ‘which wasisenedinothe bare ofa ie, ‘bleskardge (one tout abut was Inserted into the breech, the weapon, slevate fo about 457 andthe carpe fred. This tew the ro and grenade ost, the rod acted a stalling a and the _eade would go 10 100 or 150 mete ange. Unfortnatey the sudden ebeck 0 the gs pesure st endenvoored of almost ooeklgram (20) of grenade ot ofthe bre fe cused oa elgg of the barely and ies sed fr ing rok [enades were soon ues ti Thenext move wastoctampaceponthe imuzle ofthe ie and pur the prenade Ine, with round pt hind tn stat {gas check The bank caridge 20% developed cient gas tol tee and ‘ow the grenade oat without doing any ‘image tothe riba scold site ‘eed soot bles But he tain on he ‘ep of fig beny grenades often FROM CANNON-BALL TO COPPERHEAD loosened the woodwork andmade the rifle lnnecarte "Net cue the tench mort, hort ‘rete gu for ich sels ino their and. droping them ino the opposing ‘tenches Phe Geran Arey tas espn ‘ready when the war began, butt was ‘spenive and computed breechloeding AHISTORY OF AMMUNITION ‘inde of ation witha modified hand ‘Benade fuze og the font end ad with 8 Devoted tube carying 2 sbtgas ‘aridge fal of smote powder athe ‘ear end. When ths was dropped down the {ube the shotgun carrie cp sock he ‘sed fring pina the subsequent expl- slo ied the bomb out ofthe te and ‘propelled for about 100 metres on igh tjectory 9 tht topped alos vert ‘ily into the enemy teh “The development fir for wate seta demand foe guns for defence, ‘ich posed. conaderabie problems. A ormal shape or expe sell could el with aera ithe gunner cul peti lose enough, butte major peble was that bein ite orm ew where i hel had gone in relation othe age, The ft rere: was to mark the ight ofthe ‘hala tat corecton oul be made tnd this Ted to the development of the tice shell “The fst pes used iui cate ina ‘compare below the maa exloe ‘ing of te shes had 2 sal por lending tothe out, paged iho ‘Astheshel/was ied thefrcion sweet Sel spun tough tbe the ack hg ‘es throws though the pot by cen gal force, leaving dark ie La the lt bend Asmigt beimagine, hs was 00d enough stem in brad daylight bt ‘tied vale when te ight was poor nd twas soa replaced BY pyroece eacers, These used mugeesium com pounds pened intoatuiesrewedinothe Enso the shel The ath rm the charge [tthe magoesiom an this bared as he tell wen! trough the ai ping the Impremion of steak of ight marking vt the tector. "The next problem was that ifthe sell sisedthe trget—as mot ofthe di tras ale to fllback earth and then go pened oland oe, Underandaly, pact Fes do he abandoned and only ie freed that eve thee ed it ‘woul etonatein the sky atthe ead ofthe Sette Fragments would iadeod sts

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