| SNIDER. | MARTINI HENRY. | ENFIELD-MARTINI. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rifle. | |||
| Length of Barrel | 39in. | 33³⁄₁₆in. | 33³⁄₁₆in. |
| Length over all | 4ft. 7in. | 4ft. 1½in. | 4ft. 1½in. |
| Length with Bayonet | 6ft. ½in. | 5ft. 11½in. | 5ft. 11½in. |
| Weight with Bayonet | 9lb. 14oz. | 9lb. 14oz. | 10lb. 4oz. |
| Weight without Bayonet | 9lb. | 9lb. | 9lb. 6oz. |
| No. of Grooves in Barrel | 3 | 7 | 7 |
| Calibre | .577 | .45 | .4 |
| Twist of Rifling 1 turn in | 78in. | 22in. | 15in. |
| Velocity of Muzzle per second | 1240ft. | 1315ft. | 1570ft. |
| Trajectory at 500 yards | 11.35ft. | 8.594ft. | 6.704ft. |
| Figure of Merit at 500 yards | 0.89ft. | 0.55ft. | 0.30ft. |
| Ammunition. | |||
| Weight of Loaded Cartridge, grains | 715 | 758 | 718 |
| Powder ” | 70 | 85 | 85 |
| Bullet ” | 480 | 480 | 384 |
Description of Arms used by Other Countries.
| Country. | Description. | Calibre. |
|---|---|---|
| America, U.S. | Springfield | ·450 |
| Austria | Werndl | ·433 |
| Belgium | Albini Braendlin | |
| Denmark | Remington | ·433 |
| Egypt | Remington | ·433 |
| France | Gras | ·433 |
| France | Kropatschek Magazine Gun in Navy | ·433 |
| Germany | Mauser | ·433 |
| Greece | Gras | ·433 |
| Holland | Beaumont | ·433 |
| Italy | Vetterli | ·408 |
| Norway and Sweden | Jarman | ·397 |
| Portugal | Martini Henry | ·450 |
| Roumania | Peabody Martini | ·450 |
| Russia | Berdan | ·420 |
| Servia | Berdan | ·420 |
| Spain | Remington | ·433 |
| Switzerland | Vetterli Magazine | ·409 |
| Turkey | Peabody Martini | ·450 |
As it is essential that all arms made for the service should be interchangeable, the orders to the trade have been confined to the factories where the work is done exclusively by machinery, viz., to the Small Arms Company and National Arms Company in Birmingham, and to the London Small Arms Company, whose works are at Bow. The National Arms Company, which was incorporated in January, 1872, is no longer in existence, having gone into liquidation in December, 1882. With a paid up capital of £330,000 they erected gun works at Sparkbrook, and ammunition works at Holdford. The gun works have now been purchased by the Government, and the Holdford Works are on the market for sale. The same irregularity in the Government employment, which proved fatal to the National Arms Company, acted very prejudicially for both the other Companies. The Birmingham Company paid no dividend during the five years 1879-83, and a nominal one only in 1884.
To this uncertainty of Government employment may be attributed the difficulty of obtaining swords and bayonets, to which, a short time since, attention was called in Parliament. When military arms were supplied by the ordinary hand-made trade, there were four bayonet-makers in Birmingham and West Bromwich, where, now, there is not one; and in Birmingham there is only one manufacturer of swords, when formerly there were several. The manufacture of triangular bayonets has been, with trifling exceptions, confined of late to Enfield, while sword bayonets, not made at Enfield, have been procured from Solingen. The future Enfield-Martini is to be provided with a sword bayonet. The plainly expressed wish of the House of Commons is that in future, all swords and sword bayonets shall be made in England, of English material. There will not be the slightest difficulty in carrying out this wish. Birmingham will be able to produce any number that may be wanted, but to keep together the required staff of workmen it is necessary that the demand should be continuous.
In the manufacture of rifles, as well as bayonets, there is every reason to hope that the future employment of the trade will be more regular and continuous. The past bitter experience has shown that the trade cannot live without steady employment, and it is now fully recognised that it is not desirable that this country should remain dependent for its supply of arms on one Government manufactory at Enfield.
Ammunition.—Up to the present time the English Government have adhered to the use of the Boxer cartridge, the case of which is made up of thin coiled brass, attached to an iron base, which carries the ignition. For some years past all other European nations have used a solid metal cartridge case, i.e., a case in one piece stamped out of a flat disc. The English Government have now decided that the solid case shall be used, with the new Enfield-Martini rifle. A plant for the manufacture of these cartridges is being prepared at Woolwich. It is fully intended also to employ the trade. Orders have already been issued to the Birmingham Small Arms Company and Messrs. Kynoch and Company, Birmingham, and Messrs. Eley Brothers, of London, who have all had long experience in the manufacture of this description of cartridge.
Nails (cut).—[R. F. Martineau.]—(B. 613). The machines for cutting tacks and small nails up to 1½ inch are now fed automatically. One unskilled workman can keep five or six machines going. The machines do not work so fast as the hand fed, but there are fewer stoppages, and the quantity turned out is greater. This improvement has reduced the price 30 per cent. The present machines turn out the work so that it need not be looked over and sorted as was formerly the case. The cut nail trade has developed in the North and at the present time, there are as many nails made at Leeds as at Birmingham. The better class of nail is, however, supplied from Birmingham. London brewers send coasting vessels up the east coast with cargoes of stout, and they return from Hull with cut nails at very low freight. The quantity of nails made in Birmingham is about the same as in 1865. The French and Belgians have given up making cut nails, but they make tacks. No French tacks or tingles (the smallest sort of tacks used in the shoe trade) are now imported into England, on the contrary, some are being exported into France.