Sir Joseph Whitworth, 'Guns and Steel'

Contents

Introduction

First Comparative Trials Of The Whitworth And Enfield Rifles

Rifle Trials At Hythe in 1857

Trials Of The Whitworth And Enfield Rifles, Made At Woolwich In The Year 1857

A Rifle Fired By The Queen

Report Of The Ordnance Select Committee, 1862

The Henry And Metford Rifles

Hexagonal Rifling

Report By The Ordnance Select Committee

On the 26th of November, 1862, the Ordnance Select Committee published the following results of a series of trials made with the Whitworth and Enfield rifles.

The dimensions and constructions of the two rifles are stated below, the mean angle of elevation for a given range is tabulated, and also the mean radial deviation, or figure of merit. The experiments were instituted by the Secretary of State for War in the year 1861.

ENFIELD:-

Diameter of bore 0.577in.
Pitch of rifling, 1 turn in 78ins.
No. of grooves 3

WHITWORTH:-

Diameter across angles, 0.490in.
Diameter across flats, 0.451in.
Pitch of rifling, 1 turn in 20ins.
No. of grooves Hexagon.