DIRECTIONS FOR LOADING CARTRIDGE CASES. 29 



keeps the grease from the powder, but it also prevents the 

 shot adhering to the wad. For long distance-shooting 

 there can be no question, that the use of thin card wads 

 is imperative, both under and over the thick felt wad, to 

 protect the powder from the grease, and afford a solid seat 

 for the shot ; and at the same time, it is absolutely neces- 

 sary to use thick wadding over the powder to prevent the 

 escape of gas into the shot. 



Thick wadding should be placed over the powder for 

 several reasons. First, it keeps the shot together, or rather 

 prevents the escape of gas into the shot ; Secondly, it 

 confines the powder, and gives it more time to burn ; and 

 thirdly, the wadding in the cartridge of the second barrel 

 is not so easily started by the discharge of the cartridge 

 in the first barrel as when a thin wad is used. 



A thin wad should not, as a rule, be placed over the 

 powder, because it causes the shot to scatter, and by re- 

 peated firing of one barrel it is more easily started when 

 placed in a cartridge that is inserted in the other ; if so 

 started a vacuum would be formed between the powder 

 and the wad. However, a single pink-edged wad may be 

 used in a choke-bore for covert shooting, where you wish 

 to have the shot scatter very much. But I do not now-a- 

 days load my cartridges with thin wadding over the pow- 



