You now have the chief data on which the designer bases his proposals,
and lays down the dimensions of the gun to suit such conditions as it
may be required to fulfill. In actual practice, the conditions are
almost always complicated, either by necessities of mounting in
particular places, such as turrets and casemates; or by the advantages
attending the interchangeability of stores, or other circumstances;
and it requires great watchfulness to keep abreast of the ever-growing
improvements of the day.
I will now conclude with a few words on the power of heavy guns, when
employed in various ways. The first consideration is accuracy of fire.
No matter how deadly the projectile may be, it is useless if it does
but waste itself on air. Accuracy is of two kinds--true direction and
precision of range. All modern guns are capable of being made to shoot
straight; but their precision of range depends partly on the successful
designing of the gun and ammunition, so as to give uniform velocities,
and partly on the flatness of the trajectory. The greater the velocity,
the lower the trajectory, and the greater the chance of striking the
target.
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