96 THE COMPLETE SHOT 



described as a deliberate shot. It has also been shown upon 

 another page that it takes just J of a second to bring the 

 backward movement in recoil to rest. Probably the reaction 

 of the shoulder takes as long after recoil, so that if the tallest 

 first bird fell from 40 yards high, and took, by the action of 

 gravity, 2| seconds to reach the ground, when quite dead, we 

 may examine the time thus : 



Recoil and reaction after first kill . . seconds 



Fresh aim and let off . . . f 



Recoil and its reaction after second kill . ,, 



Fresh aim and let off . . . f 



Total 2.83 or about 2- seconds 



Three-quarters of a second seems to be ample time for 

 getting aim and letting off. Partridges and pheasants when 

 there is no wind travel about 60 feet a second, and Mr. Fryer 

 has also been observed to take quadruple toll out of a covey ; 

 if we may assume this done within 40 yards in front and 

 40 behind, we have 4 birds killed in 4 seconds. 



This would represent the times : 



First recoil and recovery . . . seconds 



Second aim and let off . . . f 



Second recoil and recovery . . . 



Third aim and let off . . . 



Third recoil and recovery . . f 



Fourth aim and let off . . . ,, 



So that four from one covey of partridges represents quicker 

 shooting than three pheasants in the air together, provided, of 

 course, that the partridges are not coming against a wind, and 

 are not in straggling formation. 



These two little calculations are made in order to show 

 the enormous importance of as little recoil as possible, and 

 that is also the reason that the author has set himself to design 

 a ballistic pendulum capable of easily taking the momentum 



