1883.] 



SPORTING GUNS. 



37 



place to ' hammerless guns,' whilst the gun of the future — the electric 

 gun — is already struggling into existence. 



To deal with the present. Of what is the sporting gun of to-day 

 capable — its range and its effectiveness ? Given seven pounds weight, 

 and a shot-gun is to be produced that has a killing circle of forty 

 inches in diameter, a range of eighty yards, with enough velocity 

 imparted to its one-and-a-quarter ounce charge to penetrate any 

 feathered game at that distance. 



Given nine pounds, a double rifle that at 100 yards shall have a 

 mean deviation of bullets not exceeding two inches, and with velocity 

 and striking force sufficient to kill any of the cervidte at 200 yards 

 range. 



These replies have been proved over and over again, but with the 

 present methods of gun manufacture and knowledge of gunnery, are 

 not likely to be anything but the highest estimate of a gun's power. 



SNAP TREBLE-WEDGE-FAST GUN. 



Velocity is dependent upon the explosive, and cannot be increased 

 by any inherent property of the weapon ; all that gunmakers can do is 

 to lessen the retardation as much as possible. Accuracy and range 

 are dependent upon the rifling, so is close shooting npon the boring of 

 shot-guns ; and this latter quality has been brought to such perfection, 

 that a first-class gunmaker can guarantee that an average of 85 per 

 cent, of the pellets fired shall be within a 80-inch circle at forty 

 yards. 



Much is now done by automatical acting mechanism in the sport- 

 ing gun that in older models requires special manipulation. An early 

 step in this direction was the rebounding lock, the hammers- after 

 falling springing back to half-cock, so that the gun may be ready for 

 opening. Now it is usual to have both locks automatically raised to 

 full cock, either by a rebound, as in Purdey's system, or, as is more 

 usual, by utilising the weight of the fulling barrels. "When loaded the 



