
445Proprietary Systems
on an industrial scale. The French tried to keep the secret to themselves, but
within a few years, every national army had its own version of smokeless
powder.
A gun and its ammunition work together as a system, so changes to one
element require accommodation in the other. The increased power of the
new propellant upsets the delicate balance of system design. Muzzle veloc-
ity and internal pressure went up dramatically. A longer range and better
accuracy were achieved, but the weapons had to be completely redesigned to
handle the increased power.
The existing weapon designs were scrapped and the entire arsenal was
completel ...