18 WlNG-SHOOTiNG. 



is neither tall nor short, requires a bend between the ex- 

 tremes. A gun that comes slap up to the shoulder, and 

 with ease to the eye, is the one with which the shooter 

 will be best suited. The stock should neither be so long 

 as to be inconvenient when brought to the shoulder, nor 

 so short as to require much of a backward movement to 

 bring it in place. It is found by experience that a thirty- 

 inch barrel is the maximum which can be made to cover 

 one's bird with the requisite speed and facility, but the 

 barrels should not be too heavy at the muzzle, as at the 

 end of a hard day's tramp the little extra weight tells 

 heavily against the shooter, forcing him to make his aim 

 slow, and causing him to undershoot. A first-class twelve- 

 gauge gun of seven to seven and a quarter pounds in 

 weight for field and covert shooting would suit most per- 

 sons, while a ten-gauge of seven and three-quarters to 

 eight and a- quarter pounds would be about the thing ; 

 but ten-gauge guns for wild-fowl shooting should contain 

 more metal, as they are required to carry more ammu- 

 nition, and for this sort of shooting a gun of ten to eleven 

 pounds would be preferable. In preference choose a gun 

 in which the weight is within the last foot of the breech^ 

 with rebounding locks^ and low axle hammers, so that 

 they lie well out of sight when at full-cock. With such 



