BREECH

OF A Gun and Brkgch-loadino. The breech is the solid ma of metal behind the bore by which the shock of the explosion is principally sustained. The earliest cannon were made to load at the breech, but as this was found to weaken the gun, muzale-loading was subsequently adopted. In small arms the advantages of breech-loading for rapidity of fire, facility of cleaning, ., have recently recommended it to general use, and the introduction of a new mode of discharging such aims in the needle-gim has so greatly enhanced the rapidity of fire in the breech-loader, that for warlike purposes it has become irresistible; and since thb was demonstrated in the succe ful campaigns of Pru ia against Denmark and Austria in 1864 and 1866, every government has been eager to adopt them, llie British government adopted the Snider proce for converting their Enfield rifles into breech-loaders in 1866; more recently the Martini-Henry pattern was selected for the manufacture of new rifles. The chief difficulty in breech loading is to close the breech so as to prevent the escape of the highly elastic gas to which the force of the explosion is due. The appliances of modem science and mechanical art may be said to have effectually met this difficulty in tiie case of rifles, and breech-loaders are now generally adopted for field sports as well as in military service, although some sportsmen still prefer muzzle-loading for accuracy of aim in small-bore rifles. Breech-loading in cannon has not yet been found so effective as in small arms. It has been extensively employed on the Continent, especially for field-guns, and pafcents have been taken out in this country by Armstrong, Whit worth, others, for the construction of breech-loading cannon, which have been tried both in the army and navy. A report presented in 1871 to both houses of liament by a special committee of military officers appointed by the secretary of state for war, reported with one di entient in favour of a 9-lb. muzzle-loading gun in preference to 9 and 12 lb. breech-loaders. See Cannok, Gun, Needle-gun, . 365