Yes, I totally agree if we pluged the bore & made the chamber strong enough not to burst but the breech was sealed by the cartridge & it did not rupture then it would be correct to say that the pressure & area it acted upon would be the total consideration, recoil would not enter as it was correctly stated there would be none. This however is not the manner in which our shotguns function. This would in efect be dealing with a static pressure load, but in firing we don't have a constant static pressure. "IF" the full pressure a normal powder charge is capable of generating was applied to the gun there is likely not a gun in existance which could stand the strain, either the chambers or the breech, it would just be a matter of which let go first. However as soon as the charge starts down the bbl pressure begins to fall away & we generate the "Curve". To go back to basics as you say R'Man I think you would find if you placed a hydraulic piston hooked to the hinge pin with its ram pushing against the standing breech, centered on the firing pin hole & having same bore as the internals of the case & pumped up the pressure equal to that developed by firing a standard shell with proper gauges hooked up to measure deflection of breech, hinge pin or any other critical part, you would find the deflection greater than firing the shell which produced identical "Peak" pressure. Now this will be because the peak falls away before its full effect can act upon the breech. Now I am not sure I can word this in a technically correct manner, but I am throughly convinced that;
#1 recoil is of course brought about by the presure acting inside the gun. As noted it requires movement in opposite directions of different parts to occur.
#2 the same force which is creating this recoil is also acting upon the parts of the gun under axial load.
#3 I am in total agrement that under your scenario of plugging the bbl while recoil would be stopped the thrust against the gun would not only not be stopped, but rather increased.
#4 I am still convinced that as long as the gun is operating as intended with the charge rushing down the bore the amount of strain put upon the parts of the gun for all the above mentioned reasons will be more in proportion to the recoil than the "Peak Pressure".
#5 I am totally convinced that a 1oz 1200 fps load @ 10k psi will not load the gun as much as a 1¼oz 1330fps load @ 9k psi.
#6 "IF" someone has the resources & equipment & knowledge to set up a test & can show that the higher pressure load will indeed load the gun more than the lower pressure load producing heavier ballistics I will offer my most humble appologies. Until then we will just have to agree to disagree.

Larry; I think if you do a little more research you will find that indeed several American Co's had "STANDARDSIZED" the 2 3/4" 12ga shell in their guns well prior to the "SuperX" load. All 12 ga guns prior to the SX with 2 3/4" chambers were "NOT" custom guns nor was the shells "Special Order".


PS; I might well add that under the conditions of the plugged bbl scenario the 1oz load with the fast powder which under ordinary conditions produced the higher pressure would in this case produce the lower. Reason; under this condition the heavier load will contain a considerably heavier charge of a slower burning powder & will have suffcient time to fully burn & deliver its total potential. Of course it should be understood that even under normal conditions it is doing more work, thus a higher total "Average Pressure" just a lower peak. I do believe R'Man you are delving just a little too deep in total theory & ignoring a few actual occurances.

PPS; I have to the best of my knowledge & Ability been talking about the "WHYS" for this entire thread.

Last edited by 2-piper; 08/10/09 10:49 PM.
Miller/TN
I Didn't Say Everything I Said, Yogi Berra