Tom Miller wrote:
70 caliber! What the hell is that? That's nearly 18 mm. It would kick you
into the middle of next week to fire it. That's just a cannon with a stock!


More like a rocket launcher with a stock, I suspect. Black powder
burns very slowly, compared to modern stuff. The ball accelerated
smoothly and gradually down the whole length of the bore, rather than
being blasted to velocity by a sudden explosion in the breech. The long
barrels on weapons of that type weren't just to steer the projectile in
a straight line; but also to give the powder time to explode fully, and
to get the projectile up to speed before it left. The recoil was
probably more of a push than a punch; and the weight of the weapons made
their kick even less dramatic.

KG