334 SHOOTING. 



weakly. So, on the other hand, barrels which have 

 sufficient weight to break the recoil, or which are 

 placed against something solid when fired, have 

 their shooting power amazingly increased. The 

 reason is, that when the gun is allowed to recoil, a 

 portion of that power which should be employed in 

 expelling the shot is uselessly expended on an 

 yielding surface in a contrary direction ; whereas, 

 when the barrel is firmly fixed, or is of sufficient 

 weight to break the recoil, that portion of the ex- 

 plosive force which strikes against the breech re- 

 bounds and is forced back upon the shot, and con- 

 sequently becomes a portion of the available strength 

 of the charge. This explains why the weight of the 

 gun rather than a difference in length or bore re- 

 gulates the shooting power. In what follows, Mr. 

 Greener,* whose book contains a lucid exposition 

 of the nature of projectile force, shows this more 

 clearly : 



" The fact that the shooting powers of a gun are 

 increased by its being fixed in an immoveable frame, 

 is proved with the practice of mortars. Mortars 

 on iron beds, and these firmly embedded in the 

 earth, will throw a shell farther when on the 

 ground than when placed on a platform, or on 

 board a ship. It is for the purpose of destroying 

 the recoil, that mortars for sea service, though of 

 the same calibre as those intended for land-service, 

 are made three times the weight. Dr. Hutton 

 states, that he found no advantage by retarding 



* The Gun, by William Greener. London, 1835. 



