214 SHOOTING IN CHINA 



forge the barrels for the intended gun. 

 This is done by welding the scrap iron into 

 several bars, each about one inch broad and 

 a quarter of an inch thick. Each of these 

 bars is then coiled spirally on a small 

 mandrie and afterwards welded into as many 

 cylinders or tubes, each about one foot 

 long. These tubes are joined together by 

 welding end to end and thus united form the 

 barrel of the gun, which is a twist barrel 

 of good material and manufacture. The 

 barrel is now fastened by wedging into a 

 log of timber, the muzzle end downwards 

 and bored out by hand with square steel 

 rimmers. These rimmers are made of 

 different lengths and diameters and have 

 a wood cross bar at the top which is 

 turned slowly and steadily until the whole 

 length of the gun barrel has been bored out 

 into a uniform and satisfactory manner. The 

 work may occupy months of the shooter's 

 spare time, but when finished the long 

 barrel has been bored true and straight and 

 smooth, and he has the satisfaction of 

 knowing that his gun was built directly 

 under his own supervision and materially 

 with his own hands. The breech is closed 

 by welding a prepared plug of iron therein. 



