102 G U N. 
his profeflion; they were communicated by him to 
Monf. tie Marolle's. Thefe experiments were made 
with a barrel which was thirty French inches in length 
(nearly thirty-two Englilh meafure,) and weighed, to¬ 
gether with the loaded plank upon which it was fixed, 
twenty-eight pounds. The barrel had four touch-holes 
which could be flopped with (crews. The charge con¬ 
fided of one drachm and twelve grains of powder from 
a royal manufactory, and of one ounce eighteen grains 
of diot called final 1 4. This was fired at a flieet of paper 
meafuring twenty inches by .fixteen, French meafure, 
placed at the didance of twenty-eight toifcs, or nearly 
forty-five ordinary paces. The only difference was, 
that in the fird fet of experiments the wadding confided 
of card-paper, and in tliefccond of hat, both cut to fit 
the caliber. 
Had thefe trials been made with no other view than 
to determine the degree of recoil produced by the dif¬ 
ferent fituation of the touch-hole, there would have been 
no ufe in marking the fize of the fhot, the didance and 
dimenfions of the mark, and the number of grains thrown 
into it at each difeharge. It was, however, intended to 
try at the fame time, how far the equality of the dif- 
charges could be depended upon, with regard to the 
number of grains that druck a given fpace; and we 
fhall have occafion hereafter to make fome remarks 
upon the refult of the trials in this refpedt. It mud be 
recollefted that the French foot is three quarters of an 
inch longer than the Englifh foot, and the French inch 
is divided into twelve lines. We have thought it bet¬ 
ter to apprize the reader of this, and leave the table as 
it is, than make any fra&ions in the numbers by reduc¬ 
ing it to Englifh meafure. 
Fird Set.—Wadding of Card-paper. 
I 
Recoil. 
No. of grains 
thrown into 
the mark. 
Foot. Inch.. Lines. Mean. 
Mean. 
Touch-hole 
1 
1 037 
3<>7 ^ 
clofe to the 
2 
0 10 3 >0 11 6# 
14 {V 
breech-plug. 
3 
* 3 33 
31 3 
Touch-hole 
1 
1 3 97 
45 7 
' S 
two lines 
2 
1 2 o[i 30 
33 k 34 
2 
from the 
3 
1 3 3 3 
26 s 
2 
breech-plug. 
Touch-hole 
1 
1 0107 
3 S? 
— 
fix lines 
2 
0 ri iiJ-i 06 
20 {-25 
'* 
didant. 
3 
1 0 9 3 
183 
Touch-hole 
j 
I X 77 
277 
twelve lines 
2 
1 0 3 1 1 of 
17 [26 
didant. 
3 
1 I 4 3 
35 3 
Extremes O. 10. 3. 6c 1. 3. 3.—Mean recoil 1. 1. o. 
Extremes 14 & 43. 
Second Sec—Wadding of Hat. 
Touch-hole 
1 
x 117 
4° 7 w 
clofe to the . 
2 
I 4 0 i- 1 2 4i 
78 {-51 
' breech-plug. 
3 
I 2 0 J 
37 3 
Touch-hole 
I 
i 0 77 
447 
: two lines 
2 
i a 3 f 1 ° 3 
4° J-41 
£ 
didant. 
3 
1 3 33 
41 3 
^ 2 
T'ouch-hole 
x 
1 3 37 
3*7 
fix lines 
2 
1 2 9 [ 1 3 1 
5° ("45 
£ 
' t didant. 
3 
1 3 2 3 
53 3 
Touch-hole 
1 
1 4 57 
60 7 
twelve lines 
’ 2 
1 2 .7 f-i 3 if 
21 J.44 
. didant. 
3 
12 <3 
5,3 J 
iixtremesT. o. 7. 6c 1. 4. 5.—Mean recoil 1. 2. 8|. 
Extremes 21 & 78. 
From thefe experiments it appears, that, with regard 
to the recoil, the'diftance of the touch-hole from th« 
breech is of little importance. The only-circumftance,. 
therefore, to be attended to in its fituation, is, that it 
be not placed quite clofe to the breech-plug ; for, al¬ 
though that part of the barrel where the powder is 
lodged fouls much lefs than a few inches farther for¬ 
ward, yet the touch-hole, when clofe to the breech-plug, 
is found to be more frequently dopped up than when, 
fituated about a quarter of an inch from it. 
Of the RANGE of BARRELS. 
The lightnefs of fowling-pieces of a moderate length,, 
and the eafe with which they are managed, are advan¬ 
tages fo obvious, and at the fame time fo confiderable, 
as to give them a general preference at this time ; but, 
as the circumflances upon which only this preference 
ought to be reded are little known, it is not fufficient 
that their ufe is general, and daily increafing, unlefs it 
be determined what are the comparative excellencies 
and defedts of long and Ihort barrels, and it be thence 
(hewn whether fportfmen facrifice one advantage to gain 
another. The generally-received opinion upon this 
fubjedt is, that, to obtain an increafe in the range, the 
barrel mud not only be made longer than ufual, but 
that the-length and the diameter of the bore ought to 
bear a certain proportion to each other, and the charge 
of powder be fuited to this proportion ; becaufe, as it is. 
faid, when the barrel is too (hort, the ball or diot quits 
it before it has received the whole impulfe of the pow¬ 
der ; and, on the other hand, when the barrel is too 
long, that the powder is not only all inflamed, but 
even partly confumed, before the ball or (hot arrives at 
the mouth of the piece. 
The eladic fluid produced by the fifing of gunpow¬ 
der is found, by experiment, to occupy, when cooled 
to the temperature of the atmofphere, a fpace, at leajl 
two hundred and forty-four times greater than that 
taken up by the powder from which it was obtained. 
But from the heat generated during the explofion, this 
eladic fluid is rarefied to upwards of four times its 
former bulk, and-perhaps a great deal more. The ex- 
panfrve force of this fluid, therefore, is, at the moment 
of inflammation, one thoufand times greater than that 
of common air, or, which is the fame thing, than the 
preflure of the atmofphere : or, foppofing the powder 
to have occupied the fpace of one cubic inch, its ex- 
panfive force, when fired, is equal to that which would 
be exerted by one thoufand cubic' inches of common- 
air comprefled into the fpace of one inch. As the ve¬ 
locity with which the flame of gunpowder expands 
when uncomprefled, is much greater than that with, 
which the ball, or (hot, moves forward, the flame mud 
continue to prefs upon the ball, and add to its velocity,, 
until it quits the mouth of the piece. This preflure,.. 
however, becomes lefs and lefs as. the ball proceeds, 
and ceafes entirely when it leaves the muzzle, in con- 
fequence of the flame' being then allowed to expand; 
itfelf laterally. Thus, for example, if the charge of 
powder takes tip one inch of the barrel, and the whole 
length of the barrel be thirty inches, then, when the 
ball arrives at the muzzle of the piece, the inflamed' 
powder (whofe expandve effort is in proportion to the 
fmallnefs of the fpace it occupies) extends through 
thirty times the fpace it did when the ball began to^ 
move, and confequently prefles forward with but one^ 
thirtieth part the force it podefled at fird. Moreover;, 
although the velocity of the bullet is continually in- 
creafed by this preflure of inflamed powder, its. accele- 
ration becomes lefs and lefs as it proceeds through the 
barrel; for, befldes that the quantity of the preflure 
ditninifhes as the flame expands, the bullet, continuing 
to move fader and fader, mud receive continually lefs 
and lefs addition of impulfe.from the flame prefli.ng be¬ 
hind it. Hence, if two pieces of the fame bore, but of 
dilferent lengths, are charged with the. fame quantity of 
• powder, 
