Ammunition
a term applied to the ordnance stores used in the firing of guns of every sort and caliber. The SMOKE LESS POWDER BRASS CARTRIDGE CASE BLACK POWDER BLACK POWDER SHRAPNEL PERCUSSION FUSE AMMUNITION term includes gunpowder, projectiles, primers, and accessories. The term "fixed ammunition" is applied to the condition when powder, projectile, or primer are combined in the single piece, so as to be ready for firing when placed in the gun. It is also employed in the case of ammunition for large guns, in which the powder is inclosed in a metal- 1,50 AMMUNITION rim or groove around the base which is seized by the extractor in removing the empty case after firing.
TIME FUSES PERCUSSION FUSE TIME FUSE BRASS CARTRIDGE CASE SMOKELESS POWDER SE ← HARD STEEL SHELL EXPLOSIVE CHARGE (T.N.T.) or (AMATOL) SMOKELESS POWDER SHRAPNEL BLACK POWDER SMOKELESS POWDER (NITROCELLULOSE) BLACK POWDER BRASS CARTRIDGE CASE 个 SMOKELESS POWDER (GRANULATED) BRASS CARTRIDGE CASE SMOKE LESS POWDER (STICKS) BLACK POWDER A BRASS PRIMERS B GUN SHELLS.
A. French 75 mm. Shrapnel Shell B. British 13 Pounder Shrapnel Shell C. United States High Explosive Shell lic case which is primed, but is loaded separately from the projectile. This type of ammunition is now seldom used.
The ammunition used in heavy guns is almost always fixed for calibers of less than 4 inches. The metallic cartridge case employed for fixed ammunition is usually made of brass of the best quality stamped from sheets or plates of varying thickness. The cases have a A ↑ BRASS PRIMERS B GUN SHELLS C A. United States 3" Shrapnel Shell B. Russian 3" Shrapnel Shell C. German 3.30 Shrapnel Shell For guns of larger caliber, the propelling force, which is gunpowder, is inclosed in bags made of cloth. The charges are divided into sections when the weight of the complete charge is more than 100 pounds.
The charges are ignited by primers which are of four types: percussion, friction, electric, and percussion and electric combined. The ammunition sup- SHRAPNEL AMMUNITION ply for the army of the United States includes ammunition for small arms including rifles, machine guns, and pistols, and ammunition for the Field Artillery.
In the United States the ammunition for the Field Artillery, prior to the World War, included the following calibers: 2.95-inch mountain gun, 3-inch AMMUNITION company bodies of infantry and cavalry, the rear to insure a re-supply of combat to the immediate neighborhood of the battle. Ammunition trains are held in Germany in the first years of the World trains.
The initial advantage obtained by Germany in the first years of the World HEAVY STEEL STEEL CORE EN STEEL CORE HOLLOW BULLET SMOKE PRODUCING POWDER FILLING NICKEL JACKET A B HOLLOW BULLET CONTAINING EXPLOSIVE C D RIFLE AMMUNITION RIFLE AMMUNITION B. Tracer .30 Caliber Rifle Cartridge C. Incendiary .30 Caliber Rifle Cartridge D. Ordinary .30 Caliber Rifle Cartridge field gun, and 3.8-inch field howitzers.
In the case of these arms fixed ammunition is used.
The problem of continual and sufficient supply of ammunition is one of the most serious factors in war and was an especially difficult solution in the World War in which vast quantities of the most serious factors in war and was is maintained by combat trains composed of ammunition wagons which ac- War were to a large extent due to the been prepared and held in reserve. Thus immense store of ammunition which had been prepared and held in reserve. Thus these years resulted in an industrial Germany and the western Allies. The Entente Powers soon recovered from This preponderance was even the advantage in artillery and ammunition. more marked in 1917 and continued NICKEL JACKET STEEL CORE AMEBA throughout the war. The French output of projectiles for the 75 mm. field pieces had increased, by 1917, 40 times, compared with the output at the beginning of the war. The production of large-caliber projectiles had increased 90 times. The case of Great Britain was even more remarkable. The output in a single day of shells for heavy guns and in a week for field howitzer and 3-inch guns in 1917 equalled the production of these shells during the entire first year of the war. At this time there were nearly 5,000 Governmentcontrolled ammunition plants in Great Britain, with over 2,000,000 employees.
The largest shells thrown during the World War were those fired from the long range cannon with which the Germans bombarded Paris. This gun had a range of 73 miles. The shell thrown weighed 330 pounds and had a bursting charge of 33 pounds. This was placed in two compartments separated by a metal diaphragm. The walls of the shell were very thick in order to withstand the shock of discharge. The total length was 4 feet, 2 feet 5 inches of which were ballastic cap to offset air resistance and cause the center of pressure to fall in advance of the center of gravity.
For discussion of the types of ammunition used in various types of ordnance, see ARTILLERY, MACHINE GUN, EXPLOSIVES, PROJECTILES, etc.