This enables us to put a larger quantity of
slower burning powder into the chamber, and in fact to use, instead of a
space filled with air, a space filled with powder giving off gas, which
comes into play as the projectile travels down the bore. Thus, while not
exceeding the intended pressure at the breech, the pressure toward the
muzzle is kept up, and the velocity very materially increased. Following
this principle to this conclusion, it will be found that the perfect
charge for a gun will be one which exactly fills the chamber, and which
is composed of a powder rather too slow to give the pressure for which
the gun is designed, supposing the shot to move off freely. The powder
should be so much too slow as to require for its full development the
holding power of a band which is just strong enough to give rotation to
the shot.
Having settled that the gun of the future is to be a breech-loader,
we have next to consider what system of closing the breech is to be
adopted.
The German guns are provided with a round backed wedge, which is pushed
in from the side of the breech, and forced firmly home by a screw
provided with handles; the face of the wedge is fitted with an easily
removable flat plate, which abuts against a Broad well ring, let into
a recess in the end of the bore.
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