THE DEVILLIERS BULLET

Dr. Devilliers has patented a spherical bullet, made of a secret composition, which is shot out of pistols with only the fulminate of the cap to propel it.

It cannot be used in an automatic pistol loaded through the magazine as there is no recoil to operate the mechanism, but it can be shot from a magazine pistol if used as a single loader.

It is primarily intended for a duelling pistol and can be used in revolvers.

The idea is to have a bullet which can be used in competitions under real duelling conditions against live opponents instead of at targets.

The pistol barrel has to be kept cold. When it gets hot after a few shots, the bullet will partly melt and get soft and then it does not take the rifling.

The usual way is to have a sort of champagne cooler full of ice and to ice the loaded pistols for a few minutes before shooting them.

The bullet strikes with considerable force, enough if not protected against to put out an eye or injure the throat if struck.I have had several painful grazes on the arm from these bullets going up my sleeve and I also shot out a piece of skin between the forefinger and thumb of the pistol hand of my opponent the first time I fired one of them.

PLATE 17. SHIELD ON DUELLING PISTOL
WITH GUARD FOR DEVILLIERS BULLET

He fired a shade sooner than I and was lowering his pistol when my bullet struck his hand, the skin being stretched tight on the stock of his pistol, the bullet cut a semicircular notch out of his hand.

Since then a thin steel shield is fixed on the pistol just in front of the trigger guard so that the hand is entirely protected when aiming (see Plate 17). I patented similar shield on a soldier’s rifle to protect his usually exposed left hand, and also to partially protect his head, when shooting.

Do not shoot at any one at a shorter range than twenty metres (twenty-one yards two feet); the blow from the bullet at twenty metres is not too severe if the shooter is properly protected.

It is useless for practice to shoot at a longer range than twenty metres as the bullet rapidly loses its accuracy beyond that distance.

Wear goggles fitted in a fencing mask, the goggles of thick strong pebble glass or of triplex safety glass (which is lighter).

The fencing mask fitted with heavy goggles is very cumbersome. I think an aviator’s cap and triplex glass goggles is ample protection except that the throat must also be well protected by a thick leather stock as strong as a saddle flap.

A blow on the throat may do serious damage.

I had a bullet come through a too thin leather stock and hit my throat.

I do not think the body need be protected except by a piece of leather low over the abdomen and this can be worn under the trousers.

It is as well to wear old clothes or a thin black blouse as the bullets leave greasy marks.

The object of having the blouse black is that the bullet marks should be more easily seen by the umpire, and scored.Wear as tight fitting things as you can as long as your right arm is free, it gives your opponent a smaller target to score on. If he hits some flapping part of your blouse it scores him a hit even if it did not touch your body.

In shooting in a competition it may be as well to stand sideways so as to give the opponent as small a target as possible, but in a real duel standing sideways increases the risk of being killed if struck. Always have a doctor present, as a wound from this bullet may be septic if not properly dressed at once.

In a real duel a bullet, if the chest is hit when facing the adversary, only goes through one lung, whereas if the man struck is standing sideways the bullet will pierce both his lungs and so make recovery from the wound much more doubtful.

In winter be very careful that the bullets do not freeze, if frozen they penetrate deeply.

The bullets are loaded into the special cartridges as follows:

The cartridge must not contain any powder.

The bullet must not be squeezed into the cartridge, this would distort it as it is soft.

The bullet must be very lightly inserted in the cartridge.

Open the pistol, keeping the muzzle elevated, insert the cartridge in the breech, lower the muzzle, put on the cap and close the pistol.

The inventor recommends that only the special cartridges of his invention be used, these have no cap but only a nipple, and you do not put the cap on till the cartridge is in the breech of the pistol.

Competitions take place with this bullet as in an actual duel, the shooting is in pairs until only one competitor remains, the one of each pair who hits his opponent first is the winner of that pair.

The bullets hit too hard for it to be an amusement suitable for ladies.

Great care must be taken to be sure to shoot Devilliers bullets and not lead bullets, by mistake.

They are useful for galloping practice on horseback, shooting at an air balloon fixed to posts, where lead bullets would be dangerous to use.

The cartridges can be reloaded and used many times.

When the cartridge has been fired there may be difficulty in removing the exploded cap. A wire pushed into the cap through the mouth of the cartridge dislodges the cap, but care must be taken that the cap is an exploded one.

These bullets are very apt to ricochet from walls so spectators must take care.

A canvas sheet hung loosely behind each shooter is the best stop-butt, as it gives to the blow of the bullet and stops ricochets. A bullet once fired is too distorted to use again.