46 FRANK Schley's partridge and pheasant shooting. 



EANGE OF THE GUN. • 



J^ANGE of the gun is the distance the shot travels 

 ii from the mouth of the gun, through the air, to where 

 e^ they fall to the ground ; and you must be able to 

 y'' j^'^^S'^ with your eye the best killing distance at 

 which to fire. Range is a rock over which many sports- 

 men lose their In-illiancy; because they cannot correctly 

 judge distances. I have often seen sportsmen shoot at 

 Partridges flying too far off, and awvty out of killing range 

 of the gun, thinking the birds were in killing range, and I 

 have seen others neglect to fire upon Partridges fl3'ing a 

 short distance off in killing range; because they would 

 fancy the birds were out of range of the gun. To become 

 a good shot, you must learn to be an accurate judge of dis- 

 tances, when in the field, and you must know by a flash 

 of your eye the proper distance at which to fire uj)on a 

 bird to bring it down. To be successful in your shooting 

 you should be able to measure at a glance, with your eye, 

 thirty, forty, or fifty yards distance with ease and cer- 

 tainty. Unless you learn to judge distances accurately 

 when in the field, you Avill never become certain of stop- 

 ping your birds, but will often find yourself shooting at 

 birds too close, or far out of reach or killing range of the 

 gun. It is more difficult to guess distances correctly in 

 large open fields, than it is in small fields or wood. On 

 rolling land, and on hills in mountaiuous districts, you are 

 liable to make mistakes in calculating distances; especially 

 if you have been in the habit of shooting in open fields, or 

 on level ground. To remedy these mistakes when in the 

 field, practice measuring distances with your eye. Mea- 

 sure off first thirty yards, then forty, and so continue on 



