In this
series of 12 photos, taken about 1/30 of a second apart, you can see the short
duration of the "Flash in the Pan" as the priming powder is burnt, followed by
the considerable vibration of the recoil as the main charge fires. The gun is a
.75 calibre smoothbore flintlock musket known as a "Brown Bess" and it can generate a considerable 'kick' on firing. The shooter is wearing
ear muffs for hearing protection and also
eye shields. The entire sequence from start to finish took about a third
of a second, quite a long time and one of the reasons why black powder is less
accurate than nitro powder. This is due to the movement of the gun in the time between pulling the
trigger and the bullet leaving the barrel. The object on the tripod in front of
the marksman is a chronograph, used to measure the velocity of the bullet and
help us keep within the limits laid down on our Range Safety Certificate. See
also the close-up sequence of the lock during
firing.

0.00 sec

0.03 sec

0.06 sec

0.09 sec

0.12 sec (recoil movement has just begun)

0.15 sec (recoil well under way)

0.18 sec

0.21 sec (note the apparent bending of the
muzzle flash due to recoil movement)

0.24 sec (the muzzle is starting to come
down from maximum recoil)

0.27 sec

0.30 sec

0.33 sec (contrary to appearances the
chronograph survived unscathed)
Back to top
Site Map
Back to
guns fired
Back to Home
Page
|