Elric
Well-Known Member
Google has thrown a few monkey wrenches into searching for books. A lot more hit n miss, emphasis on miss...
I luckily saved all the digital copies of stuff while searching was much more productive.
The Lost .40
By W. M. PUGH
American Rifleman, vol 68, No. 5, page 6, Oct 15, 1920
SAID Sergeant O'Ferrall in an off duty period to his bunkie, "What's in dates? ‘Seeds’ you say, bunkie? Righto! But then its as to times I speak. What will I know at me death day? What did 1 know at me birthday? Thinking being left out o'thim two important dates, what's the use o’thinking at all?" And so say we all of us concerning the date setting the beginning of the facts now set down. “Let's not bother; sometime, say, in pre-war days"—giving the tale this mystery smoke screen—“Let's go."
A conversation starts the wheels turning; taking place at an informal lunch in factory-ville between just two gentlemen, big boys in munitions—in fact, department managers—the one in a rifle plant, the energies of the other being absorbed in a leading cartridge works. Such talks may not always with propriety be reported, sometimes it's trade secrets being discussed. This once, however, its open shop and free to all friendly palaver indeed and quite interesting to shooters, the subject in general being cartridges.
Passing over much that was said about many of the small arms cartridges for rifle and revolver, they were found in agreement concerning the merits of the .30—06 rifle cartridge and each expressed regret, that it had to date, no fitting mate in the line then made for various revolvers, automatics and heavy single shot pistols. Of course they praised the punch of the .45 Colt single action, the speed of the Colt .38 auto, and the accuracy, plus, of the S. & W. Russian; excellent each one of them in its particular sphere, yet none of them uniting all the essential factors needed in a first class cartridge for heavy one-hand guns. Later on, in fact about adjournment period, a date was set for another meeting and eating, in the hope that they might find something definite to go on in possible search for this missing link in the pistol cartridge chain.
Soon enough these two discovered that to initiate and build up, even in theory, a winning pistol cartridge needed a great deal more time than a daily lunch gab-fest. Then they made arrangements to meet at nights convenient to each and collaborate in this task, already threatening to become sizable. Fortunately, each had quite a lot of data under his brain pan related to some of the information required. This being disposed of all too soon, they had recourse to their factory files. Delving deep they turned up much of value to guide them from the pens of such leaders as Mann, Bennett, Whelen, Crossman and others. Much of this was worked over and checked against what they already knew. All of these facts and fancies being boiled down gave just one answer; their cartridge was to be calibre .40, an alloy bullet of Anderton type, say 205 grains, with a suitable smokeless charge.
An experimental arm had next to be produced, one that might be changed in barrel and chamber quickly if need be. Mr. Manager in the rifle plant took this for his special job, reporting in a few days some progress on the part of his chief mechanic, to whom he had assigned the work. Early the next week found this work finished in the shape of a Remington Navy single shot action of .50 calibre, the old barrel removed and a new one mounted, bored and chambered tor a certain sized cartridge of about .40 calibre. The barrel was six and seven-tenth inches long, exact calibration to bottom of grooves being .393 and a rifling pitch of one turn in fifteen inches.
Meantime a box of the new cartridges had been made up at the other plant. The tests following these new-thought products seemed quite satisfactory from the first trial; then, after slight adjustments, a report of the extra work was made at the two factories; then orders for a full test in presence of leading authorities; all of which took place on the day set, resulting in a splendid report praising the earnest efforts of these two munitions chiefs. And such a report just had to be written.
The firing was of course from machine rest, on regulation targets, twenty and fifty yards; first having made a trial at chronograph, getting down to correct figures for speed and foot pounds, with a reported average of 1055 foot seconds and a trifle over 450 foot pounds. “This is splendid, splendid indeed, boys,' said an old army colonel, present with official authority. “Why, boys," he continued, “we find de Palma speed and jack Dempsey punch; also, I note T. K. Lee accuracy." And so it went, with many favorable comments exchanged. The twenty yard target, be it said, showed one ragged hole for its splendid group, with but little larger dispersion at the fifty yard firings.
Here then was a winner, a pistol cartridge. with the foot seconds of the .38 Colt; almost the foot pounds of that big brute the .45 Colt: and the accuracy of the S. & W. Russian; everything arrived at just as the workers desired from first initiative; and such a compact looking cartridge, very little larger than a .38 auto, in fact, just sized and shaped correctly for a military auto magazine, not at all bulky, just a reasonably sized shell full of condensed power, ready to be loosed from its designed engine as a victorious baby; and then?
Yes, a new paragraph had to be started, after a long pause; the fact being that the next happening was a loud bang! Not the cartridge plant, mind you, nor the rifle factory. No! Just the world war. That was all! All things new had to go by the board in the long days of rough and ready tactics following; new things could find scarcely a friend; and amid all this hurly burly, exit our little friend the .40 pistol cartridge. And now as “The Captains and the Kings depart" perhaps there may come a redivivus, and so the end, with a Mexican shrug and “Quien sabe-—who knows?"
I luckily saved all the digital copies of stuff while searching was much more productive.
The Lost .40
By W. M. PUGH
American Rifleman, vol 68, No. 5, page 6, Oct 15, 1920
SAID Sergeant O'Ferrall in an off duty period to his bunkie, "What's in dates? ‘Seeds’ you say, bunkie? Righto! But then its as to times I speak. What will I know at me death day? What did 1 know at me birthday? Thinking being left out o'thim two important dates, what's the use o’thinking at all?" And so say we all of us concerning the date setting the beginning of the facts now set down. “Let's not bother; sometime, say, in pre-war days"—giving the tale this mystery smoke screen—“Let's go."
A conversation starts the wheels turning; taking place at an informal lunch in factory-ville between just two gentlemen, big boys in munitions—in fact, department managers—the one in a rifle plant, the energies of the other being absorbed in a leading cartridge works. Such talks may not always with propriety be reported, sometimes it's trade secrets being discussed. This once, however, its open shop and free to all friendly palaver indeed and quite interesting to shooters, the subject in general being cartridges.
Passing over much that was said about many of the small arms cartridges for rifle and revolver, they were found in agreement concerning the merits of the .30—06 rifle cartridge and each expressed regret, that it had to date, no fitting mate in the line then made for various revolvers, automatics and heavy single shot pistols. Of course they praised the punch of the .45 Colt single action, the speed of the Colt .38 auto, and the accuracy, plus, of the S. & W. Russian; excellent each one of them in its particular sphere, yet none of them uniting all the essential factors needed in a first class cartridge for heavy one-hand guns. Later on, in fact about adjournment period, a date was set for another meeting and eating, in the hope that they might find something definite to go on in possible search for this missing link in the pistol cartridge chain.
Soon enough these two discovered that to initiate and build up, even in theory, a winning pistol cartridge needed a great deal more time than a daily lunch gab-fest. Then they made arrangements to meet at nights convenient to each and collaborate in this task, already threatening to become sizable. Fortunately, each had quite a lot of data under his brain pan related to some of the information required. This being disposed of all too soon, they had recourse to their factory files. Delving deep they turned up much of value to guide them from the pens of such leaders as Mann, Bennett, Whelen, Crossman and others. Much of this was worked over and checked against what they already knew. All of these facts and fancies being boiled down gave just one answer; their cartridge was to be calibre .40, an alloy bullet of Anderton type, say 205 grains, with a suitable smokeless charge.
An experimental arm had next to be produced, one that might be changed in barrel and chamber quickly if need be. Mr. Manager in the rifle plant took this for his special job, reporting in a few days some progress on the part of his chief mechanic, to whom he had assigned the work. Early the next week found this work finished in the shape of a Remington Navy single shot action of .50 calibre, the old barrel removed and a new one mounted, bored and chambered tor a certain sized cartridge of about .40 calibre. The barrel was six and seven-tenth inches long, exact calibration to bottom of grooves being .393 and a rifling pitch of one turn in fifteen inches.
Meantime a box of the new cartridges had been made up at the other plant. The tests following these new-thought products seemed quite satisfactory from the first trial; then, after slight adjustments, a report of the extra work was made at the two factories; then orders for a full test in presence of leading authorities; all of which took place on the day set, resulting in a splendid report praising the earnest efforts of these two munitions chiefs. And such a report just had to be written.
The firing was of course from machine rest, on regulation targets, twenty and fifty yards; first having made a trial at chronograph, getting down to correct figures for speed and foot pounds, with a reported average of 1055 foot seconds and a trifle over 450 foot pounds. “This is splendid, splendid indeed, boys,' said an old army colonel, present with official authority. “Why, boys," he continued, “we find de Palma speed and jack Dempsey punch; also, I note T. K. Lee accuracy." And so it went, with many favorable comments exchanged. The twenty yard target, be it said, showed one ragged hole for its splendid group, with but little larger dispersion at the fifty yard firings.
Here then was a winner, a pistol cartridge. with the foot seconds of the .38 Colt; almost the foot pounds of that big brute the .45 Colt: and the accuracy of the S. & W. Russian; everything arrived at just as the workers desired from first initiative; and such a compact looking cartridge, very little larger than a .38 auto, in fact, just sized and shaped correctly for a military auto magazine, not at all bulky, just a reasonably sized shell full of condensed power, ready to be loosed from its designed engine as a victorious baby; and then?
Yes, a new paragraph had to be started, after a long pause; the fact being that the next happening was a loud bang! Not the cartridge plant, mind you, nor the rifle factory. No! Just the world war. That was all! All things new had to go by the board in the long days of rough and ready tactics following; new things could find scarcely a friend; and amid all this hurly burly, exit our little friend the .40 pistol cartridge. And now as “The Captains and the Kings depart" perhaps there may come a redivivus, and so the end, with a Mexican shrug and “Quien sabe-—who knows?"
