RIDING-Master. In the cavalry, an officer whose duty it is to instruct the officers and soldiers in the management of their horses.
To RIFLE, to plunder; to rob.
Rifle, the thread, ray, or line made in a rifled barrel.
| Rifled gun, | - | |
| Rifled piece, | ||
| Rifled barrel, |
Arquebuse rayée, Fr. a fire arm which has lines or exiguous canals within its barrel that run in a vermicular direction, and are more or less numerous, or more indented, according to the fancy of the artificer. With respect to the word itself, it does not appear to bear any other analogy to our common acceptation of the verb, than what may be vulgarly applied to the common practices of riflemen. It is, on the contrary, more immediately connected in sense and signification with an old obsolete word to ray; to streak: which comes from the French rayer. The rifled barrel possesses many advantages over the common one; which advantages are attributed to the threads or rays with which it is indented. These threads are sometimes cut in such a manner, that the line which commences on the right side at the breech, terminates on the left at the muzzle; by which means the ball acquires a rotary movement, revolving once and a half round its own axis before it quits the piece, and then boring through the air with a spiral motion. It is well known, that cannon balls and shot out of common barrels are impelled in a line formed by the centre of the ball, and a compound of the projectile force of the explosion acted upon by the air and by gravitation in its course; the ball has a tendency to rise upward to a certain extent after leaving the muzzle of the gun; its particular motion is as if the ball had a transverse axis, and rolled forward in that axis, in the manner that the wheels of a carriage roll; and at the same time continue their progression forward. See Amer. Mil. Lib.
The rifled barrels of America, during the revolution, contained from 10 to 16 rays or threads; some had as few as four. Some persons have imagined, that those of 16 rays were the best, from a supposition that by the air collapsing in the several grooves, the ball obtained more velocity. Mr. Robins, however, seems to differ in opinion, particularly with respect to the depth of the grooves. He observes, page 339 and 340, in his Tracts on Gunnery, that whatever tends to diminish the friction of these pieces, tends at the same time to render them more complete; and consequently it is a deduction from hence, that the less the rifles are indented, the better they are; provided they are just sufficient to keep the bullet from turning round the piece. It likewise follows, that the bullet ought to be no larger than to be just pressed by the rifles, for the easier the bullet moves in the piece, supposing it not to shift its position, the more violent and accurate will its flight be. It is necessary, that the sweep of the rifles should be in each part exactly parallel to each other. See Robins on Gunnery, page 328.
Paradés, a gunsmith at Aix-le-Chapelle, who was reputed to be very ingenious in the construction of rifled barrels, used to compress his barrels in the centre.
RIFLEMEN, experienced marksmen, armed with rifles. They formed the most formidable force of the United States in the revolution, being posted along the American ranks, and behind hedges, &c. for the purpose of picking off the British officers. They have proved equally fatal in the hands of the French during their revolution. Considerable improvements are daily made; and light infantry battalions, like the chasseurs of the French, should form a considerable portion of every army, and all infantry and cavalry should be taught to act as riflemen, as well as artillerists.
Mounted Riflemen, are no other than good riflemen, accustomed to horsemanship, mounted.
RIGHT, that which is ordered; that which justly belongs to one.