44 
PRINCIPLES OP GUNNERY. 
Nature of rifle. 
Weight of 
rifle. 
Nature of 
powder. 
Charge of 
powder. 
Weight of 
bullet. 
Muzzle 
velocity. 
Work done 
in recoil.* 
lbs. 
grs. 
grs. 
f.s. 
ft.lbs. 
Martini-Henry... 
8-81 
E.P.G.2 
85 
480 
1303 
19-07 
it 
8-81 
C.&H. 
80 
410 
1380 
15-43 
Snider . 
8-95 
R.F.Gr. 
70 
480 
1248 
16^39 
* As determined by experiment with gun pendulum. 
The muzzle velocities were taken by means of Professor Bashfortlds 
gravity chronograph, and are all below the average, as they were taken 
in the winter, at the same time as the experiments on the recoil. 
The recoil of the Martini-Henry rifle with the service cartridge is 
19*07 ft. lbs.; in other words, the recoil of the rifle would exert a 
steady pressure on the shoulder of 19*07 lbs. through the space of one 
foot , or 2 X 19*07 = 38*14lbs. through the space of half a foot; or 
generally n X 19*07 lbs. through the space of ^ th of a foot—the inten¬ 
sity of the blow on the shoulder for the same amount of recoil depending 
on the skill of the man in firing. 
In these experiments, as there is no windage, the error due to 
windage disappears; the small additional momentum communicated to 
the rifle after the bullet has left the muzzle may also be neglected; so 
that equation (1) may be used without sensible error, or 
W"V" = (w + Out) v, 
™ TZ" _ O + CW ‘) * 
W" 
Energy of Now, the energy of recoil (which it must be remembered is 
rec01 ‘ entirely different from the momentum communicated by the discharge 
of the piece) is —--; or, substituting for : V" its value, 
energy of recoil (or work done in recoil) = 
and if the weight of the charge is - th the weight of the projectile, 
n 
7 Y" jr"* 
W" 
(w -f- Cw \2 
= V 1 
l w " V 
, _ to. m 
n 3 
energy of recoil (or work done in recoil) = 
tvv* 
2g 
.(3) 
The coefficient C varies with the nature of ordnance or small-arm, 
system of rifling, and also with the powder employed ; but for the same 
description of gun or rifle fired under the same general conditions, the 
coefficient C may be taken as practically constant. 
In the above experiments with the Martini-Henry rifle C— *96; 
and with the Snider 0=’ 75, 
