Franklin Weston Mann (1856–1916) was an American physician and inventor best remembered for this pioneering small-arms ballistics text.
This classic is organized as follows:
Part I. The Old .44 Muzzle-loading Rifle
The F. Wesson .32, Rim-fire Rifle
The Stevens Taper-chamber Rifle
Some Experimental Ballets
Incidental Questions
Winchester Ballard, 36-inch Barrel
Winchester Ballard, 30-inch Barrel
Winchester-Ballard, 20-inch Barrel
Pope-cut Special .38-Caliber
Auxiliary Chamber, .33-Caliber Rifle
Shooting Braces
Pope Ballard, 28-Caliber
A Woodchuck Experience
Reflections
The Personal Element vs. Mechanical Rifle Shooting
Boss-Pope .32-Caliber, Second Hand
Testing Muzzle Blast
A “Shooting Gibraltar.”
Bullet Press or Nutcracker
Testing Bullets. Snow Shooting
Recovering Bullets from Oiled Sawdust
Short-barrel Shooting
Short Barrels become Interesting
Short-barrel Experiments Continued
Where the Upset Occurs
Boss-Pope .32-Caliber Continued
The Pope Breech Loader, .25-Caliber
Muzzle Loader, Pope .32-caliber
Letter to Dr. Skinner
Pope 1902 .32 Rifle. Compliments for Mr. Pope
Pope Muzzle Loading System
The Five-Shot Group
The “Lucky” Group
Dr. Skinner’s Shooting Range, and a Disappointment
12-inch Barrel Experiments
Smooth Bore, .32-Caliber
Vented Barrel, Pope
Utility of Vented Barrels
The Whizzer
Reflections upon Black Powder and Cast Bullets
Telescope Mounts; an Invention
Accurate Fixed Ammunition Difficult
Trouble with Smokeless and Rifle Bores
Burned Rifle Bores vs. Smokeless vs. Primers
A .28-9 Barrel, 1904
Discarding Two .28-8, 1905 Barrels
Remodeling a Rifle. Experimental Shells
Reflections; Pipestem Rifles and Jacketed Ballets
Ammonia vs. Primer Acid
Figures 8 and 9 shot with 28 grains powder
Figure 10, unshot bullet similar to 7
24-inch 7 mm. Barrel
Metal Jackets, Short Barrels, .25-caliber
Figures 4 and 5 from an 8-inch one
Figures 6 and 7 from an inch barrel
Special .25-36 Marlin, 14-inch Pitch
Mirage vs Telescope
Space covered by Cross Hairs of Telescope
Distance Measuring with Scope
Conveniences
Superiority of Bore-diameter Bullet Discussed
Flight of Bullets; Screen Shooting
Comparative 100 vs. 200 Yard Butts
Plank and Screens
Unbalanced or Mutilated Bullets
Gyration and Oscillation
A Spinning Bullet
Tipping Bullets Deceptive
Bullet Tip
Correcting Measurements
Flight of a Bullet
Measuring Wind Drift
Motions executed by Normal Flying Bullets
Trajectory Deflection
More Reflections
Cause of x-Error Located
Cause of y-Error Located
x + y = 80%. The Rifleman’s Rainbow
x and y Epitomized
Unbalanced Bullets; how Produced
Difficulties with Rifle Twists
Part II. Verification
y-error disclosed by Plank Shooting
Cause of y Illustrated
Cause of x and y Disclosed at Muzzle
Success comes; y-error stands alone
Bullets Oscillate about Center of Gravity
y-error stands alone
Cylinder Bullets do Stunts
Driving Tacks with Bullets
Illustrated x-error
Jacketed Ballets throw Melted Lead
Plank Shooting, Service Rifle
Paper Plank Experiments. Tube Shooting
Determining Rifle Twist
Plank Shooting, Spherical Bullets
Cause of Excessive Tips Disclosed
Part III. Mathematics of x and y
Heavy Ordnance
The Spitzer Metal-cased Bullet
The Spitzer Bullet Straightens Up
Kinetics of Spin
Stripping the Grooves