Part 77

The charging cylinder, is all the space from the chace-astragal to the muzzle-astragal.

The first re-inforce ring and ogee, is the ornament on the second re-inforce.

The first re-inforce astragal, is the ornament between the first and second reinforce.

The chace-girdle, is the ornament close to the trunnions.

The trunnions, are two solid cylindrical pieces of metal on every gun, which project from the piece, and by which it is supported upon its carriage as an axis.

The dolphins, are the two handles, placed on the second re-inforce ring of brass guns, resembling the fish of that name: they serve for mounting and dismounting the guns.

The second re-inforce ring and ogee, are the two ornaments joining the trunnions.

The second re-inforce astragal, is the moulding nearest the trunnions.

The chase-astragal and fillets, the two last-mentioned ornaments jointly.

The muzzle-astragal and fillets, the joint ornaments nearest the muzzle.

The muzzle-mouldings, the ornaments at the very muzzle of the piece.

The swelling of the muzzle, the projected part behind the muzzle-mouldings.

Interior Parts.

The mouth, or entrance of the bore, is that part where both powder and ball are put in, or the hollow part which receives the charge.

The vent, in all kinds of fire-arms, is commonly called the touch-hole; it is a small hole pierced at the end, or near it, of the bore or chamber, to prime the piece with powder, or to introduce the tube, in order, when lighted, to set fire to the charge.

The chamber, which is only in large calibers, is the place where the powder is lodged, which forms the charge.

Tools for loading and firing CANNON, are rammers, sponges, ladles, worms, hand-spikes, wedges, and screws.

Coins, or Wedges, to lay under the breech of the gun, in order to elevate or depress it.

Hand-spikes, serve to move and to lay the gun.

Ladles, serve to load the gun with loose powder.

Rammers, are cylinders of wood, whose diameter and axis are equal to those of the shot: they serve to ram home the wads put upon the powder and shot.

Sponge, is fixed at the opposite end of the rammer, covered with lamb skin, and serves to clean the gun when fired.

Screws, are used to field-pieces, instead of coins, by which the gun is kept to the same elevation.

Tools necessary for proving CANNON, are, a searcher with a reliever, and a searcher with one point.

Searcher, is an iron, hollow at one end to receive a wooden handle, and on the other end has from four to eight flat springs of about eight or ten inches long, pointed and turned outwards at the ends.

The reliever, is an iron flat ring, with a wooden handle, at right angles to it. When a gun is to be searched after it has been fired, this searcher is introduced; and turned every way, from end to end, and if there is any hole, the point of one or other of the springs gets into it, and remains till the reliever, passing round the handle of the searcher, and pressing the springs together, relieves it.

When there is any hole or roughness in the gun, the distance from the mouth is marked on the outside with chalk.

The other searcher has also a wooden handle, and a point at the fore end, of about an inch long, at right angles to the length: about this point is put some wax, mixed with tallow, which, when introduced into the hole or cavity, is pressed in, when the impression upon the wax gives the depth, and the length is known by the motion of the searcher backwards and forward: if the fissure be one ninth of an inch deep, the gun is rejected. See INSTRUMENTS.