Pistol and Revolver Shooting Part 4

This form of bullet is used in the English .450 and .38 caliber cartridges also.

The .450 Welby is another English cartridge that is accurate, and pleasant to shoot. It is used largely at Bisley in the annual revolver compet.i.tions of the National Rifle a.s.sociation of Great Britain.

In order to avoid excessive fouling with black powders a self-lubricating bullet has been invented and introduced by Smith & Wesson, which can be furnished in all calibers above .32. The bullet has a hollow core open in the rear. Lubricant is filled into the core, after which it is closed with a lead plunger. Four small ducts communicate from the forward end of the core to the exterior of the bullet just ahead of its bearing on the barrel. At the moment of discharge the plunger is driven forward, forcing the lubricant through the ducts into the barrel ahead of the bullet.

This bullet has given excellent results and will be found decidedly advantageous when black powder is used. With it a hundred or more shots may be fired with black powder without causing sufficient fouling to impair the accuracy.

Revolvers are sometimes chambered for the .44-40-200, the .38-40-180, and the .32-20-115 rifle cartridges. These charges in black powder load are not as accurate as the corresponding revolver cartridges in these calibers, but can be relied on to shoot inside a 5-inch circle at 50 yards. These cartridges are desirable for revolvers only when it is an advantage to use the same ammunition in the rifle and revolver, or in certain localities where only a few varieties of ammunition are to be had.

The large powder charge makes the recoil of the first two cartridges named rather unpleasant. The .32-20-115 is the most accurate of these cartridges, and gives the best results in the pistol or revolver. All these cartridges having flat-pointed bullets are well adapted for game shooting. None of these rifle cartridges loaded with smokeless powder will give good results in revolvers because the brand of powder generally used in rifle ammunition requires a long barrel to consume the charge. Fired from a short barrel only part of the charge will be consumed and the rest will be expelled unburned, thus reducing the velocity and power of the charge and sometimes increasing the recoil. It is of course entirely practicable to adapt a charge of bullseye or similar smokeless powder to these sh.e.l.ls which would make them much more satisfactory. Another disadvantage of using the rifle cartridge in revolvers is the possibility of inexperienced persons using the new high velocity rifle ammunition, which would prove not only most unsatisfactory but extremely dangerous in revolvers. There are no reduced or gallery loads supplied in these sh.e.l.ls.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 48.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 49.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 50.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 51.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 52.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 53.]

_Automatic Pistol Cartridges._--With the introduction of the magazine pistol special smokeless cartridges have been devised that are rimless and have a crease around the base of the sh.e.l.l by which they may be held and manipulated by the mechanism. These cartridges are exceedingly clean-shooting. Several hundred rounds may be fired without causing more fouling than is apparent after the first few shots. This ammunition is furnished loaded with "full-mantled" and "soft-nosed" bullets; the latter, having the lead exposed at the point will mushroom on striking animal tissue and are sometimes referred to as "dum dum" bullets and are intended for hunting purposes.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 54.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 55.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 56.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 57.]

The mantled or metal cased bullet has undoubted advantages in rifle ammunition, in which low trajectory and extreme long range are _desiderata_ that can be obtained only by high velocities. In ammunition for magazine pistols and revolvers, however, the prime object is to deliver the most effective blow possible at comparatively short range.

The velocities attainable in large calibers within the permissible weight of an automatic pistol are comparatively low. The deformation of any bullet on striking animal tissue is in direct proportion to its velocity.

It is, therefore, extremely doubtful that a metal cased bullet will ever prove as effective and satisfactory in "stopping power" and for military service, either in the automatic pistol or the revolver, as the large caliber lead bullet.

The .25 cal. is the smallest of the American made automatic pistol ammunition and is adapted for the Colt and other magazine pistols. It is an accurate cartridge but the short length of barrel of the Colt weapon makes it impossible to do accurate work with it.

Figures 49 and 50 are the well known Luger and Mauser cartridges adapted to the pistols of that name. They are powerful charges, accurate and clean shooting. These were among the first cartridges developed for automatic pistols and are still extensively used.

The .32 Automatic Colt is adapted to Colt and other magazine pistols of this caliber. It is an accurate, pleasant shooting cartridge with very little recoil and excellent work can be done with it at the target.

The .35 S. & W. Automatic is adapted to the Smith & Wesson magazine pistol. It is a very accurate cartridge, has no unpleasant recoil and like the preceding is well adapted for target shooting.

Figure 53 is the .380 Automatic Colt cartridge designed to meet the demand for a light charge in this caliber. It is adapted to the Colt and other magazine pistols.

The .38 Automatic Colt is the best proportioned and most powerful of all automatic pistol cartridges. It has a slightly flattened point and is extremely accurate. When fired from regulation arms this ammunition is capable of placing ten shots inside a 3-inch circle at 50 yards and inside a 7-inch circle at 100 yards.

This was the ammunition of the first Colt automatic pistol introduced in the United States.

Figures 55 and 56 are two cartridges adapted to the .45 Automatic Colt pistol. Figure 56 is the new service charge of the U. S. Army. They are exactly alike except that the service charge has a 230 gr. bullet (30 gr.

heavier than the other). The service charge when fired from the regulation service arm is capable of placing 10 shots in a 3-inch circle at 50 yards and an 8-inch circle at 100 yards.

A flat or blunt pointed bullet of about 185 gr. and a ten per cent.

heavier powder charge would improve the effectiveness and stopping power of this cartridge wonderfully without materially affecting the recoil or the accuracy.

Figure 57 is the service charge of the regulation magazine pistol (Webley & Scott) of the British Army. It is an accurate cartridge but it lacks sufficient power to fulfill the exacting requirements of present-day military service.

Light or gallery charges in magazine pistol sh.e.l.ls are impracticable on account of not having sufficient recoil to operate the automatic mechanism. Slightly reduced loads with lead bullets may be used in some of the arms but seldom with satisfactory results. Reduced loads can be used in most of the weapons if the mechanisms are hand operated for each shot.

The following ballistical table gives the charges, muzzle velocities, etc., of the princ.i.p.al factory-loaded, smokeless pistol and revolver cartridges. The factories aim to keep the muzzle velocities uniform for each cartridge. To produce this result with the various brands of smokeless powder, all of which differ more or less in strength, the weight of the powder charge necessarily varies for the different brands of powder. Even when purchased in large quant.i.ties, different blends and packages of the same brand of powder occasionally vary somewhat in strength. For these reasons it is impossible to designate the exact weight or volume of any brand of powder which will in all cases produce the muzzle velocities in the table, and the charges given must therefore be considered as approximate only.

BALLISTICAL TABLE

KEY: a. = BULLET: Exact diameter in inches b. = BULLET: Weight in grains c. = BULLET: Round or flat nosed d. = Length of bbl. in arm tested e. = Muzzle velocity (50 ft. from muzzle) f. = Energy--foot lbs.: Wv{2} 2g g. = Penetration (inches in white pine)

======================================================================== |Weight in Grains| | | | | NAME OF | and Brand | BULLET | | | | CARTRIDGE | of Powder |------------|----|------|-----|------ | (Approx. only) | a. | b.|c.| d. | e. | f. | g.

-----------------|----------------|-----|---|--|----|------|-----|------ _Rim Fire_: | | | | | | | | .22 Short | 1.6 Lesmok |.223 | 30|RN| 6 | 789 | 41.5| 3 .22 Long | 2.1 " |.223 | 35|RN| 6 | 770 | 46.2| 3 .22 L. Rifle | 3.4 " |.223 | 40|RN| 6 | 765 | 51.8| 4 .22 W. R. F. | 3.5 " |.2275| 45|FN| 6 | 811 | 65.8| 4 _Central Fire_: | | | | | | | | .25 Auto Colt | 1.1 Bullseye |.251 | 50|RN| 2 | 733 | 59.7| 3 7.63 m.m. Mauser | 5.5 " |.3105| 86|RN| 5 |1397 |373 |11 7.65 m.m. Luger | 4.1 " |.3095| 93|RN| 4? |1173.5|284.3|10 9 m.m. Luger | 4.6 " |.3555|125|FN| 4 |1039.2|299.8|10 .32 W. C. F. | 10.0 Sharp- | | | | | | | | shooter |.3125|115|FN| 5 | 954 |232.4| 5 .32 Auto Colt | 2.5 Bullseye |.3125| 74|RN| 3 | 938 |144.8| 5 .32 S. & W. | 1.5 " |.315 | 85|RN| 4 | 606.7| 69.5| 3 .32 S. & W. | 1.5 " |.315 | 85|RN|10 | 902 |159 | 4 .32 Lg. Colt | 2.0 " |.313 | 90|RN| 4 | 641.4| 82.2| 3 .32 Sht. Colt | 1.4 " |.315 | 80|RN| 4 | 657.2| 78.7| 3 .32 S. & W. Long| 2.0 " |.315 | 98|RN| 4 | 706.9|108.6| 4 .32 Colt N. P. | 2.5 " |.314 | 98|FN| 4 | 706.3|108.6| 4 .35 S. & W. Auto| 1.9 " |.3195| 76|RN| 3 | 809 |110.5| 4 .38 S. & W. | 2.4 " |.359 |145|RN| 5 | 579.3|108.2| 4 .38 Auto Colt | 4.6 " |.359 |130|RN| 6 |1175 |398.0|10 .38 Colt N. P. | 2.4 " |.359 |150|FN| 4 | 579.6|111.7| 4 .38 Sht. Colt | 2.5 " |.375 |130|RN| 6 | 608 |107 | 4 .38 Long Colt | 3.0 " |.358 |148|RN| 6 | 786 |203 | 4 .38 Long D. A. | 3.4 Gray | | | | | | | | Walsrode |.358 |150|RN| 6 | 771.6|198.3| 6 .38 S. & W. Spl.| 3.4 Bullseye |.358 |158|RN| 6 | 856.7|257.5| 7 .38 Colt Spl. | 3.4 " |.358 |158|FN| 6 | 857.6|258 | 7 .38 S. & W. | | | | | | | | Spl. Gal. | 8.5 C.P.W.[9] |.358 | 70|RN| 6 |1300 |263 | 5 .38 S. & W. Spl.| | | | | | | | Mid Range | 2.1 Bullseye |.358 |123|RN| 6 | 655 | 99 | 3 .38 W. C. F. | 15. Sharp- | | | | | | | | shooter |.400 |180|FN| 5 | 983 |386.5| 6 .380 Auto Colt | 2.6 Bullseye |.357 | 95|RN| 3 | 887 |166 | 5 .41 Sht. Colt | 2.5 " |.406 |160|RN| 6 | 707 |177 | 4 .41 Long Colt | 3.3 " |.387 |200|RN| 6 | 705.6|221.2| 5 .44 S. & W. | | | | | | | | Russ. | 4.1 " |.431 |246|RN| 6 | 706 |272 | 6 .44 S. & W. | | | | | | | | Russ. Gall. | 2.5 " |.431 |115|RN| 6 | 685 |118 | 3 .44 S. & W. Spl.| 5.1 " |.431 |246|RN| 5 | 755 |311.5| 7 .44 W. C. F. | 16.5 Sharp- | | | | | | | | shooter |.426 |200|FN| 7 | 918.8|375 | 6 .45 Auto Colt | 4.7 Bullseye |.4505|200|RN| 5 | 910.2|368 | 8 .45 Auto Colt | | | | | | | | (Govt.) | 4.7 " |.4505|230|RN| 5 | 809 |335 | 6 .45 Colt D. A. | 5.0 " |.455 |255|RN| 5 | 770.6|336.3| 5 .455 Colt | 4.5 " |.458 |265|RN| 5 | 756.6|336.5| 5 .455 Webley Auto| 7.0 Cordite |.455 |220|RN| 5 | 750 |280.6| 4 .455 British | | | | | | | | Service | 5.5 " |.455 |265|RN| 7 | 700 |288 | 4 ------------------------------------------------------------------------

CHAPTER IV

SIGHTS

The purpose of sights is to a.s.sist in aiming the piece. The national organizations allow only "open" sights in pistol and revolver shooting.

"Peep" or "aperture" sights are barred. The rear sight usually consists of a notch shaped like a V or a U, the notch being as wide on top as at any part. The front sight is a piece of thin metal set on edge. Sometimes the latter has a special shape or section resembling a pinhead when looking at it from the breech, as in aiming.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 58.

Side View. End View. Side View. End View.

Front Sights.

Rear Sight. Appearance when aiming.

Military Sights.]

Military sights usually consist of a plain groove in the top of the frame for the rear sight and a tapering front sight fixed to the barrel near the muzzle.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 59.

Rear Sight. Side View. End View. Appearance when aiming.

Front Sight.