The Modern American Pistol and Revolver Part 4

.22-calibre: powder, 15 grains; lead, 45 grains. .32-calibre Smith & Wesson: powder, 9; lead, 85. .32-calibre Colt: powder, 12; lead, 90.

.32-calibre (short): powder, 9; lead, 82. .32-calibre (long): powder, 13; lead, 90. .32-calibre Winchester: powder, 20; lead, 115. .32-calibre Smith & Wesson rifle and .32-calibre Smith & Wesson, .32-.44: powder, 17; lead, 100. .38-calibre Merwin & Hulbert: powder, 14; lead, 145. .38-calibre Smith & Wesson: powder, 14; lead, 145. .38-calibre (short): powder, 18; lead, 130. .38-calibre (long): powder, 21; lead, 148. .41-calibre: powder, 20; lead, 130. .41-calibre Colt's D. A.: powder, 14; lead, 160.

.41-calibre D. A.: powder, 21; lead, 200. .44-calibre Webley: powder, 18; lead, 200. .44-calibre Bull Dog: powder, 15; lead, 168. .44-calibre Colt: powder, 23; lead, 210. .44-calibre Smith & Wesson, American model: powder, 25; lead, 205. .44-calibre Smith & Wesson, Russian model: powder, 22; lead, 235. .44-calibre Winchester: powder, 40; lead, 200. .44-calibre Merwin & Hulbert: powder, 30; lead, 220. .44-calibre Smith & Wesson, Russian model, gallery: powder, 7. .44-calibre Smith & Wesson, Russian model, gallery, round ball: powder, 7. .45-calibre Webley: powder, 20; lead, 230. .45-calibre Colt's: powder, 35; lead, 260. .45-calibre Smith & Wesson (Schofield): powder, 30; lead, 250. .50-calibre: powder, 25; lead, 300.

The above list comprises all the metallic cartridges known to the author which can be found in the market at the time of writing this chapter. Many of these cartridges are adapted to almost obsolete patterns of pistols and revolvers, and would never be selected by skilled marksmen to do fine work, for the reason that both pistol and cartridge are not suitable for good shooting. We have previously alluded to the great number of cheap, worthless pistols and revolvers to be found in the American market. Many of the cartridges are for these arms. We have also mentioned the great quant.i.ty of pistols and revolvers intended for weapons of defence at short range. Among this list are numerous cartridges for these weapons, and still others are for the best and most accurate of American pistols and revolvers; these, with a few for foreign weapons, make up the list.

Among the cartridges largely used in single-shot pistols at the present time are the following:--

_Rim-Fire Cartridges._

.22-calibre, conical b.a.l.l.s; .22-calibre, short.

_Centre-Fire Cartridges._

.32-calibre Smith & Wesson; .32-calibre Colt; .32-calibre (short); .32-calibre (long); .32-calibre Winchester rifle-cartridge; .32-calibre Smith & Wesson rifle.

For revolvers no expert marksmen, unless obliged to, would use a rim-fire cartridge, and the centre-fire cartridges giving the best results are as follows: .32-calibre Smith & Wesson; .32-calibre Colt; .32-calibre (short); .32-calibre (long); .32-calibre Smith & Wesson rifle, with round or conical ball, light and full charge; .32-calibre Smith & Wesson, .32-.44, Russian model; .38-calibre Merwin & Hulbert; .38-calibre Smith & Wesson; .38-calibre (short); .38-calibre (long); 41-calibre; .44-calibre Colt; .44-calibre Smith & Wesson, American model; .44-calibre Smith & Wesson, Russian model, full charge and light charge, with round or light conical bullet; .44-calibre Winchester; .45-calibre Webley; .45-calibre Colt's Army; .45-calibre Smith & Wesson (Schofield). In rim-fire cartridges the .22-calibre conical-ball cartridge is used in considerable quant.i.ty. It makes very little report and hardly any smoke, and is used largely by persons desiring practice indoors, where smoke and noise would be objectionable. Manufacturers claim that this cartridge possesses great accuracy at short range (ten or fifteen yards), and will not injure the pistol. It is true that very fine shooting can often be done with this cartridge, but the explosive substance with which this cartridge is charged is tremendously powerful, and the slightest variation in the quant.i.ty affects the power of a cartridge, and it is not unusual to get a wild shot with good holding, and it is not uncommon to have a bullet lodged in the barrel of the pistol from lack of power in the cartridge sufficient to force it out. The question of its not injuring a pistol may be true; but we should hesitate to use them in a pistol we desired to keep for the finest work, although the sport which can be obtained with these tiny cartridges tempts many enthusiasts to use them in great quant.i.ties.

There are conical ball .22-calibre cartridges in the market with very thick, irregular heads. In using them there is much danger of premature discharges, as by closing the pistol the head of the cartridge is jammed, and an explosion is likely to occur, as they did several times in the writer's hands. This fact well ill.u.s.trates the greater danger in handling rim-fire over centre-fire cartridges. The .22-calibre (short) cartridge is consumed annually by the million in America by pistol-shooters. It is probably as accurate, if properly made, as any cartridge in the world up to a distance of fifty yards. It doubtless will continue in popularity for many years, for it is difficult, if not impossible, to make a cartridge of this size to sell for the price this cartridge does, and have it centre-fire, besides the difficulty of making a primer small enough to fit a .22-calibre straight sh.e.l.l. In all calibres above .22 the rim-fire cartridge is fast becoming obsolete, and they are never chosen now for the expert pistol-shot. The chief faults of the rim-fire cartridges are danger and unreliability caused by the action of heat on the lubricant. Rim-fire cartridges can be spoiled by placing them near a hot stove or where great heat can reach them, or even by placing them in a show-window where the sun strikes them; and ammunition which would shoot well on leaving the factory, from the causes mentioned, would be liable to either miss fire or shoot wild. Centre-fire cartridges are safer to handle, less liable to be injured by temperature, but far from perfect. The pistols and revolvers described in this work are probably not absolutely perfect; but it is believed that they are much nearer so than the ammunition advertised to use in them. Prominent among the faults in American pistol-cartridges to-day are the following:--

1. The exterior diameter of the cartridge, instead of the interior diameter, conforming to the bore of the pistol.

2. The excessive crimping of the sh.e.l.l to hold the bullet.

3. The placing of the lubricant on the exposed part of the bullet, instead of in cannelures covered by the sh.e.l.l.

4. The want of a proper powder to load the cartridge.

The first fault may properly be laid to the door of the manufacturer of the arms, which we are glad to say is found mostly in the cheap revolvers.

The second fault is being overcome by cartridge-makers, and, as a result, better shooting is being done.

The third fault has taken the writer a long time to correct. The Government Ordnance Board wisely saw this fault, and made the Government revolver cartridge with no exposed lubricant. The Winchester model, 1873, rifle cartridge has no outside lubricant. This is one reason why the Colt frontier revolver is the favorite arm of thousands of frontiersmen, when experiments would probably convince the most sceptical that the Russian model cartridge as a charge possesses far greater accuracy, and if in the hands of a battalion of cavalry would show much better results than the army cartridge or the .44 Winchester. The Smith & Wesson Russian model cartridge was designed by officers of the Russian government, but why they decided to have an outside lubricant the writer could never conceive.

This cartridge, in a Smith & Wesson revolver, in cold weather, if shot slowly out of doors, will foul a revolver to such an extent as to disable it; and as Russia is a cold country, it would seem easy to imagine the difficulty likely to arise from this cause. The writer, perceiving this fault in the Russian model cartridge, visited the factory of the Union Metallic Cartridge Co. and suggested a change. The superintendent of the works immediately invited the writer to the testing-room, where fifty shots were fired rapidly without cleaning, and the result offered as proof of the excellence of the cartridge. It was suggested that a box be placed out of doors, it being a cold day, which was done, and after a brief time the cartridges were shot slowly, and before the box was half consumed the revolver could not be c.o.c.ked, from the excessive fouling. This enterprising company at once saw the fault in this cartridge, and in a short time the writer had the pleasure of receiving a box of the new cartridges, with no outside lubricant, which, upon testing, were found much cleaner; and it is believed that twenty, or perhaps more, of these new cartridges can be fired in a Smith & Wesson revolver, and accurate shooting secured. The improvement was so apparent that this company discontinued the old manner of making this cartridge, and manufacture their entire product of this cartridge with no exposed lubricant; and other companies are to follow their example.

All ammunition which is intended to be carried in a belt or the pocket should have no outside lubricant. When the exposed part of the bullet is freely lubricated it is likely to become detached on one side, and experiments have shown that a bullet, with grease on one side only, will not shoot accurately; and we shall not be surprised later to see cartridges for smaller calibres made with an increased number of cannelures and no exposed lubricant. The chief trouble with revolver ammunition to-day is its excessive fouling from the grease and powder. By firing bullets into soft snow from a revolver which has been shot a few times, the investigator will find a ragged bullet, which shows how it raked over the adamantine-like crust which adheres to the inside of a revolver-barrel, which impairs its accuracy; therefore the fine shot cleans his revolver about once in every ten shots, if shooting the full charge. We have seen frontiersmen who stated they seldom clean their revolver except when they go hunting for a victim; but, as these individuals never did what is now called fine shooting, and the man who cleans his revolver as often as every ten shots puts ten consecutive shots in a four-inch bull's-eye at thirty yards, it is evident that keeping a revolver clean is conducive to good marksmanship.

Most shooters believe a great improvement will, before long, be made in powder, and it is thought that this will lessen the fouling of revolvers; but this difficulty is not likely to be wholly overcome.

Newly-made ammunition is more desirable than old, if great accuracy is desired; hence many marksmen prefer to load their own ammunition, the mode of which will be found in another chapter.

CHAPTER VIII.

RELOADING AMMUNITION FOR PISTOLS AND REVOLVERS.

There is a general impression among the shooting fraternity that reloaded ammunition is superior to the factory made. This is doubtless true if prepared by an expert, but it is safe to say that a majority of persons would secure much better results from the factory-made cartridges than they would with those prepared by themselves. It is necessary to have perfect fire-arms to secure fine and regular shooting; but unless the proper ammunition is used, the superiority of the pistol or revolver will not be apparent.

As marksmen become skilful, they notice errors in shooting; if they possess enthusiasm enough to become experts, they are constantly studying to improve their shooting, and a large share of their attention is devoted to the ammunition. It is not uncommon to find cartridges with the bullet improperly seated in the cartridge-case or sh.e.l.l; the bullet is sometimes jambed over one side of the sh.e.l.l, and instead of being wholly seated in the sh.e.l.l has the full length of the bullet on one side exposed. The common mode of lubricating by dipping in the lubricant, after the bullet is seated in the sh.e.l.l, hides many defects in factory-made cartridges, and the indifferent shooter fires the cartridges without thinking or investigating the cause of wild shots, until he notices what is technically known as "key-holes," or the bullets going through the target sideways instead of point on.

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE WINCHESTER RELOADING TOOL FOR PISTOL AND REVOLVER CARTRIDGES.]

Other faults in factory-made ammunition are caused by age, which deteriorates the cartridge, causing the powder to cake, and the sh.e.l.l, bullet, and lubricant to oxidize; the latter cause also affecting the efficacy of the primer. As some cartridge companies have used one formula for making lubricant for cold weather, another for warm weather, and as lots of ammunition get scattered in all sections, and sometimes carried in stock for several years, it can be said that one would not be likely to get so good results from factory cartridges as from those freshly prepared of home make.

There are other reasons why many of the shooting fraternity prefer to reload their ammunition; it is a piece of economy not to be despised, and being located in an inaccessible place, away from towns or cities where cartridges can be purchased, compels some individuals to make their own ammunition.

The marksman, in attempting to reload ammunition, will be beset with many obstacles, and is not likely to produce so good cartridges at the first trials as he can purchase in stores where they have been received fresh from the factories; but to those who desire to prepare their own ammunition, the following mode, practised by different pistol and revolver experts, will doubtless prove a guide to many.

If the finest work is to be attempted, the use of new sh.e.l.ls is recommended. If old sh.e.l.ls are to be reloaded, the exploded primer should first be removed, the sh.e.l.ls then washed and thoroughly rinsed in water, warm if convenient, and, if desirable to remove the stains from the sh.e.l.ls, a little acid may be dropped into the water. After washing thoroughly, dry perfectly, but do not heat enough to draw the temper.

Special care should be taken to have the water dried out of the pockets or primer-holes. The next process, if the sh.e.l.l was previously crimped, is to expand it at the mouth.

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE IDEAL RELOADING TOOL, FOR PISTOL AND REVOLVER CARTRIDGES.]

The reloading tools supplied by manufacturers are advertised to expand as well as decap the sh.e.l.l, but do so very ineffectually, and a tool is recommended specially for this purpose. Unless the sh.e.l.l is sufficiently expanded, the bullet cannot be properly seated in the sh.e.l.l, and this is one of the first difficulties the beginner is likely to encounter. After expanding the sh.e.l.l, the next operation is to reprime the sh.e.l.ls. It will be found necessary to use the copper primer for most of the American sh.e.l.ls. Considerable care should be used in seating the primer, as most of the sh.e.l.ls are not solid head, and a heavy pressure on the capper will seat the primer too deep, and often force it through the pocket and spoil the sh.e.l.l. If the full charge of powder is to be used in the cartridge, the sh.e.l.ls should then receive it; but if a reduced charge is to be used in a large calibre, with the object of making cartridges for in-door shooting, many experts use a wad of pasteboard of the exact size of the inside diameter of the sh.e.l.l, with a hole about one-half the diameter of the wad in its centre. The wad is seated in the base of the sh.e.l.l, and the light charge of powder poured in. The object of this wad is to have the powder ignite quicker than it is supposed it would if spread over the base of a large sh.e.l.l. By the hole in the centre of the wad, much of the small charge of fine powder is directly in front of the primer, and the theory of experts is that the full force of the charge of powder is more quickly secured than if spread over the base of a large sh.e.l.l.

The question of powder is a very important one, and has provoked an endless amount of discussion and experimenting among manufacturers and shooters. The most desirable point is cleanliness, as much fouling means inaccurate shooting; and as that is a very marked defect in nearly all black powders at the present time, many believe that the effectiveness and accuracy of the revolver will be increased when improvements in powder are made.

In the smaller calibres and in short-barrelled pistols a finer grain of powder should be used; the fine-grain powder is also better for light charges.

A request to the leading American powder manufacturers to state the brands of powder they recommended for pistol and revolver shooting brought the following responses:--

Boston, Ma.s.s., 1887.

_Editor of The Rifle_:--

_Dear Sir_,--I enclose one of our later folders, by which you will see that, in sizes, the Telegraph runs from No. 1 to No. 5, inclusive. I think, however, for pistol cartridges I should not recommend anything coa.r.s.er than No. 2; _i.e._, Telegraph, Nos. 2 to 5; Rifle Cartridge, Nos.

3 to 5 (No. 2 is used in rim-fire cartridges, which are not reloadable); also "Dead Shot." Yours,

F. A. ADAMS.

DUPONT'S POWDER, 87 BEAVER STREET, NEW YORK.

_Editor of The Rifle_:--

DEAR SIR,--Yours of 10th inst. duly received, and in reply would say that for pistol cartridges we would recommend the powders specially made for that purpose and known as _FFF B_ cartridge powder, and also _FFF A_ powder.

The Eagle Duck No. 3 is also used for pistol cartridges; but Mr. Conlin, the expert in such matters, and who keeps a gallery in this city for pistol-shooting princ.i.p.ally, states that "the _FFF B_ brand of powder, introduced to revolver shooters, would prove the best adapted to revolver cartridges, as I find it to be the best that I have yet tried." Yours truly,

E. I. DUPONT DE NEMOURS & CO.

BOSTON, Dec. 15, 1887.

_Editor of The Rifle_:--