Franklin Weston Mann (1856–1916) was an American physician and inventor best remembered for this pioneering small-arms ballistics text. This classic is organized as follows: Part I. The Old .44 Muzzle-loading Rifle The F. Wesson .32, Rim-fire Rifle The Stevens Taper-chamber Rifle Some Experimental Ballets Incidental Questions Winchester Ballard, 36-inch Barrel Winchester Ballard, 30-inch Barrel Winchester-Ballard, 20-inch Barrel Pope-cut Special .38-Caliber Auxiliary Chamber, .33-Caliber Rifle Shooting Braces Pope Ballard, 28-Caliber A Woodchuck Experience Reflections The Personal Element vs. Mechanical Rifle Shooting Boss-Pope .32-Caliber, Second Hand Testing Muzzle Blast A “Shooting Gibraltar.” Bullet Press or Nutcracker Testing Bullets. Snow Shooting Recovering Bullets from Oiled Sawdust Short-barrel Shooting Short Barrels become Interesting Short-barrel Experiments Continued Where the Upset Occurs Boss-Pope .32-Caliber Continued The Pope Breech Loader, .25-Caliber Muzzle Loader, Pope .32-caliber Letter to Dr. Skinner Pope 1902 .32 Rifle. Compliments for Mr. Pope Pope Muzzle Loading System The Five-Shot Group The “Lucky” Group Dr. Skinner’s Shooting Range, and a Disappointment 12-inch Barrel Experiments Smooth Bore, .32-Caliber Vented Barrel, Pope Utility of Vented Barrels The Whizzer Reflections upon Black Powder and Cast Bullets Telescope Mounts; an Invention Accurate Fixed Ammunition Difficult Trouble with Smokeless and Rifle Bores Burned Rifle Bores vs. Smokeless vs. Primers A .28-9 Barrel, 1904 Discarding Two .28-8, 1905 Barrels Remodeling a Rifle. Experimental Shells Reflections; Pipestem Rifles and Jacketed Ballets Ammonia vs. Primer Acid Figures 8 and 9 shot with 28 grains powder Figure 10, unshot bullet similar to 7 24-inch 7 mm. Barrel Metal Jackets, Short Barrels, .25-caliber Figures 4 and 5 from an 8-inch one Figures 6 and 7 from an inch barrel Special .25-36 Marlin, 14-inch Pitch Mirage vs Telescope Space covered by Cross Hairs of Telescope Distance Measuring with Scope Conveniences Superiority of Bore-diameter Bullet Discussed Flight of Bullets; Screen Shooting Comparative 100 vs. 200 Yard Butts Plank and Screens Unbalanced or Mutilated Bullets Gyration and Oscillation A Spinning Bullet Tipping Bullets Deceptive Bullet Tip Correcting Measurements Flight of a Bullet Measuring Wind Drift Motions executed by Normal Flying Bullets Trajectory Deflection More Reflections Cause of x-Error Located Cause of y-Error Located x + y = 80%. The Rifleman’s Rainbow x and y Epitomized Unbalanced Bullets; how Produced Difficulties with Rifle Twists Part II. Verification y-error disclosed by Plank Shooting Cause of y Illustrated Cause of x and y Disclosed at Muzzle Success comes; y-error stands alone Bullets Oscillate about Center of Gravity y-error stands alone Cylinder Bullets do Stunts Driving Tacks with Bullets Illustrated x-error Jacketed Ballets throw Melted Lead Plank Shooting, Service Rifle Paper Plank Experiments. Tube Shooting Determining Rifle Twist Plank Shooting, Spherical Bullets Cause of Excessive Tips Disclosed Part III. Mathematics of x and y Heavy Ordnance The Spitzer Metal-cased Bullet The Spitzer Bullet Straightens Up Kinetics of Spin Stripping the Grooves

This Is A New Release Of The Original 1909 Edition.

David slew Goliath with his slingshot: for millennia that was the norm, as men used a variety of non-explosive weapons to fire small stones and carefully rounded bullets of clay, glass, and even steel and lead. This unusual study explores in practical detail the many ways, old and new, in which man shot projectiles without recourse to gunpowder. They include the bow and arrow, a favorite for the last 10,000 years; pump-up air guns; blowpipes; catapults; and homemade lead musketballs. There's information on ammunition and velocity, as well as a lively personal narrative filled with humor and the spirit of experimentation.