§ 60. The Explosive Bullet. The simplest form of explosive bullet, and one of the most effective, is that devised by Mr. Metford about the middle of the last century; this, as applied to an Enfield bullet of the period 1860, is illustrated in Fig. 11. An explosive charge is inserted in the fore part of the bullet, and consists of equal parts of sulphur and chlorate of potash,[1] this mixture acting both as detonator and "burster."
The hollow-ended form, or "drilled-up" end, has the incidental advantage that it alone will determine the
_-_Fig._11.png) |
_-_Fig._12.png) |
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| Fig. 11. | Fig. 12. | Fig. 13. | Fig. 14. |
expansion of the bullet on impact, quite apart from the action of the explosive charge. If the Metford system were applied to the modern bullet, the section would be somewhat as shown in Fig. 12, the basis of which is the Service 0.303 Mark VI. Another good form to take as the basis of an explosive bullet is the capped bullet. Fig. 13, as used in sporting rifles, the space inside the cap being conveniently filled with mixture to Metford's specification.
It is difficult, however the cavity be arranged, to devote more than about one-eighth or one-seventh of
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- ↑ This mixture being liable to detonate by friction, the ingredients require to be separately ground and mixed with due care.
