I'm using red text for my answers to try and keep question and answer close together. DF, I'm answering your specific questions only here. General answers will follow.

Originally Posted By: David Furman

On the right fork is a greasy guy with slicked-back hair and a truckload of ammo that reads:
calculated recoil=almost zilch
Chamber pressure=SAAMI Max
This guy tells me that if I take his fork in the road, I can have his truckload of ammo to shoot my gun to my hearts content.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO MY GUN IF i TAKE THIS ROAD AND SHOOT MY GUN TO MY HEARTS CONTENT?? Most likely, at SAAMI max, the barrels will not blow out or bulge. However, wear to the action between the bolt and bites and between the hook and hinge pin (and bolt to bites of any third fasteners) will be accelerated. When the joints are tight, the grinding rate will accelerate. Once looseness develops, battering will become an increasing issue.

On the left fork, is another guy--dressed in somewhat unfashionably old clothes and smoking a pipe--with a wagonload of ammo that reads:
calculated recoil=hope you have a heavy gun with a thick recoil pad
chamber pressure="It's a miracle, but nice consistent ignition in any weather, 500psi (yes, five HUNDRED psi)"
The guy tells me that if I take the left fork I can take the entire wagonload of ammo to shoot my gun to my hearts content.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO MY GUN IF I TAKE THIS ROAD AND SHOOT MY GUN TO MY HEARTS CONTENT?? Wear to the action will be minimul, only slightly more than unfired cycling. The stock head and your shoulder will take a beating, assuming the gun is fired from your shoulder. If the stock is of marginal strength, it may split along the grain or at a defect to the grain. If/when the stock develops some looseness in the joint to the action, it will start battering and will soon crack.
Assume my stock wood is just fine and the recoil is a non-issue ot the shooter, I'm only concerned about the gun or any issues caused by the gun. Which road is better for my gun? The one in the middle where both pressure and recoil are kept within reasonable limits for the given gun. Which road will cause my gun to "shoot loose" faster assuming it's well-maintained in all other respects? Metal from pressure and wood from recoil. Why? Because the metal joints must lock to contain the pressure and because the wood must transmit recoil force to the shooter. What are the best books or references that might help one learn about this in order to make my own decisions? With intent to NOT be a smart a$$, the motion issues are from physics, the gas pressure from gas dynamics, and the steel and wood issues from mechanics of materials - all non-gun specific engineering books. Google is a wonderful source for specific topics.

Last edited by Rocketman; 08/07/09 08:07 AM.