Research Press Digest
Page 6 of 8
Report By The Ordnance Select Committee
On the 26th of November, 1862, the Ordnance Select Committee published the following results of a series of trials made with the Whitworth and Enfield rifles.
The dimensions and constructions of the two rifles are stated below, the mean angle of elevation for a given range is tabulated, and also the mean radial deviation, or figure of merit. The experiments were instituted by the Secretary of State for War in the year 1861.
ENFIELD:-
Diameter of bore 0.577in.
Pitch of rifling, 1 turn in 78ins.
No. of grooves 3
WHITWORTH:-
Diameter across angles, 0.490in.
Diameter across flats, 0.451in.
Pitch of rifling, 1 turn in 20ins.
No. of grooves Hexagon.
| ENFIELD | WHITWORTH | |||
| Range Yards |
Mean Radial Deviation |
Mean Angle |
Mean Radial Deviation |
Mean Angle |
| inches | inches | |||
| 300 | 12.69 | 0° 44' 8" | 3.86 | 0° 56' 49" |
| 500 | 19.80 | 1° 45' 13" | 7.29 | 1° 23' 37" |
| 800 | 41.61 | 2° 46' 6" | 15.67 | 2° 17' 6" |
| 1,000 | 95.01 | 4° 3' 33" | 23.13 | 3° 5' 36" |
| 1,200 | 133.53 | 5° 9' 48" | 46.92 | 4° 3' 6" |