MEASURING THE STRIKING FORCE OF SHOT. 329 



different brands of powder procurable. Before it 

 took place, I laid a small wager, even, on the ' ' Ori- 

 ental" against the " field," six other brands, and had 

 the satisfaction of seeing my judgment confirmed, and 

 Schaefer convinced of the superiority of my choice. 

 The correctness and uniformity of the test, too, was 

 proven by the fact that between the best and poorest 

 records of the entire trial there was a difference of 

 only four sheets. The Dittmar scoring ten, lowest, 

 and the Oriental fourteen, the others eleven to thir- 

 teen ; and with amj one brand there was never a 

 greater difference than one sheet at different dis- 

 charges. 



A FEW HINTS ON LOADING. 



In the loading of cartridges, especially for choke- 

 bores, a principal care should be to provide thick, 

 tight-fitting and well-lubricated wads for the powder, 

 and see that they are placed level and evenly in posi- 

 tion. For the shot, thinner wads are better, but they 

 should also be firm and fit tightly. If wads poorly 

 lubricated are used, they become torn on the edges in 

 passing out, irregular shooting is the result and the 

 gun soon becomes dirty and caked with powder, par- 

 ticularly if the weather is clear and dry. 



More than five and a half, or, at the very most, six 



