Читать книгу The Complete English Wing Shot онлайн

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Another form of repeater was a breech-loader which carried several charges of powder in the stock, which, in turn, were shaken into a revolving chamber, in front of which, before it was in place for firing, the bullet was inserted for each load, as its turn came round. Other repeaters were simple revolvers, much like the weapon in use now, but of course used without cartridges of self-contained ignition material.

Indeed, the ingenuity expended on breech-loading before the advent of detonating powder for ignition was really greater than the more modern efforts to do a much more simple thing. At the same time, had they succeeded, as they very nearly did, by doing without a removable cartridge-case, they would have accomplished that which is still required for the perfect working of magazine and automatic weapons.

The most elaborate of all the old repeaters was a revolving double-chambered German weapon. It had ten chambers, and each of these carried two charges, with a touch-hole for each. The majority of the old breech-loaders had movable blocks on the principle of the Martini, but instead of the hinged blocks being solid, as in that weapon, they were mostly hollowed out to take the charge and the bullet; sometimes held in a cartridge, but generally with the powder loose, and always loose when in the chamber, in order that there should be free communication with the touch-hole.