Wire Guns.

Manawatu Herald, 12 November 1898, Page 3

Wire Guns.

"Truth" says that the wire guns mentioned in a recent cablegram, are those generally known as the Elswick, wire being wound over the barrels instead of hoops being shrunk on as formerly. The winding of the wire is by means of a lathe (carrying the wire drum, lever, weights and dies), so adjusted as to move sideways, up and down the tube automatically as the winding proceeds. The wire is of rectangular form, being Jin. across to *o6in thick, and is tested to a breaking strength on the square inch of 90 to 1 10 tons. In the 12U1 wire guns, there are 113 miles of wire, the smaller guns carrying a like proportion. The guns are then hooped with steel. The reason for using wire in preference to the old system of steel hoops is absolute soundness of material, less liability to rupture, greater tensile strength, which enables very large charges of powder to be used, and, finally, an increase in the power of the guns without increase of weight. The new 6in. wire gun weighs 7 tons i3cwt., and has a total length of 20ft. gin. The gun fires a cordite charge of 131 b 40ZS and a ioolb projectile, which has a muzzle velocity of 2200 feet seconds, capable of piercing 10. gin of wrought iron at 1000 yds, but the carrying capacity of the gun is fully six times that distance. The average number of rounds which can be fired per minute is nine.

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