1 88 ON THE WING. 



when the guns have become quite foul. If very foul, 

 not only will the gun recoil badly, but, if it be a light 

 one, the barrels are apt to become strained by the ex- 

 plosion. 



The increase or decrease of recoil is to a consider- 

 able extent governed by the position in which the gun 

 is held. If it be discharged vertically, (which should 

 never be done, lest a broken shoulder be the conse- 

 quence,) the recoil is increased some fifty per cent by 

 the gravitative force of the earth. If discharged per- 

 pendicularly, the recoil is diminished in the same 

 proportion in which it is increased by the vertical 

 discharge. These facts should be remembered by 

 the sportsman. 



The more firmly the gun is held to the shoulder 

 when fired, the less will the recoil be felt ; not that 

 the recoil is less in itself, but the pressure upon the 

 body lessens the sensation. The sportsman can also 

 shoot to a greater distance by holding the gun close to 

 the shoulder. The recoil is apt to be much weaker in 

 shooting on the wing, or at any moving object, than in 

 shooting at a target ; for the excitement attendant 

 upon shooting on the wing overcomes to a certain 

 degree the feeling of the kick of the gun, although 

 the recoil is the same, minus the velocity with which 

 the gun is moved in following the bird, as in shoot- 

 ing at the target. 



It is well known by ordnance men, in the army and 

 navy, that cannon mounted on wheels have a great 

 recoil, which lessens the force of the ball or other 

 projectile. The French navy once adopted a spring 



