Slow motion video of
firing a Pennsylvanian rifle
This video of the firing of a .45 calibre percussion Pennsylvanian rife gives a good impression of the sequence of events and the time that they take to complete. Note especially how fast the percussion cap burns and how delayed the effects of recoil are. As can be seen, there is torque reaction in a clockwise direction on firing, due to the rifling in the barrel having an anti-clockwise twist and causing the gun to rotate in the opposite direction. This has to be allowed for in adjusting the sights. By comparason, smooth bore guns show no torque reaction at all.
