OX RECOIL. 197 



brought against the shoulder, and many people using as 

 much force as would amount to 25 or 301bs. 



By examining the whole table given elsewhere, it will be 

 .seen that the average recoil of the guns of a 12 and 13-bore 

 was 66|-lbs., and of 14, 15, and 16-bore 64Ubs., the highest 

 recoil in Class 1 being 761b., and the lowest 591b. In 

 Class 2 the highest was also 7 Gib., and the lowest 441b. 

 These results are of great interest, and establish the fact 

 which I have always contended for, that the recoil is not in 

 exact proportion to the shooting force of each gun j for, 

 taking the gun which heads the first class, the two barrels 

 penetrated through 28 and 33 sheets respectively at 40 

 yards, yet the recoil was less than that of the next, by Mr. 

 Prince, which pierced 28 and 22 sheets, and still less than 

 the third in that class, which penetrated 25 and 28. The 

 same holds good throughout the series, and I think it may be 

 alleged that, granting the truth of the test, the proportion of 

 recoil to shooting power varies considerably, and that the 

 greatest kicker is not necessarily the strongest shooting gun. 

 Another interesting point established by the trial is, that the 

 Joe Man ton gun sent by Colonel White is by no means 

 remarkable for its amount of recoil, the average of its two 

 barrels being 31b. under that of the average of all the guns 

 tested in its class ; and, lastly, the breech-loaders are shown 

 to be quite equal in recoil to the average of the muzzle- 

 loaders. 



Thus, in the first class, the three guns standing highest on 

 the list, and showing nearly as great a power of penetration 

 as any, have respectively three, two, and one degrees below 

 the average of recoil, and exactly in an inverse ratio to their 

 performances. 



The want of relation between penetration and recoil is still 

 more remarkable in the second class, in which Mr. O. Smith's 

 gun showed a penetration of 38 and 22, with the two 

 barrels, and a recoil 8 degrees below the a\ 7 crage ; while 

 one of Mr. Reilly's guns, with a slight diminution of pene- 

 tration, was thirteen over the average in recoil, and this is 

 still more remarkable with the other two guns. I believe, 

 therefore, it may be asserted, that within certain limits it is 

 possible to obtain an increase of penetration without an 

 increase of recoil. 



