THE SHOOTER'S GUIDE. 



Of the Recoil 



The most frequent cause of excessive recoil is the 

 bore of the piece being wider at one place than an- 

 other; for, although this inequality may be impercep- 

 tible to the naked eye, the repulse which the expand- 

 ing flame meets with, when passing from the wider 

 to the narrower part, renders the recoil much greater 

 than it would have been, had the bore been perfectly 

 cylindrical. 



The impelling force of the powder is the first and 

 most simple cause of fire-arms recoiling; for this 

 force acts equally on the breech of the piece, and on 

 the ball or shot; so that if the piece and ball were of 

 equal weight, and other circumstances the same, the 

 piece would recoil with the same velocity as that with 

 which the ball issues out of the piece. For the same 

 reason, whatever retards the exit of the charge, ope- 

 rates like an increase of lead; and, by confining the 

 force of the explosion more to the barrel, produces 

 a greater recoil; hence arises the increase of the re- 

 coil, in proportion as the barrel becomes foul by re- 

 peated firing. A piece will recoil, if, from the breech 

 plug being made too short, there remain some turns 

 of the screw not filled up ; these hollows, wherein a 

 part of the powder is lodged, forming an obstacle that 

 confines and retards the explosion. It is supposed 

 that a barrel mounted on a very straight stock, will. 



