1 6 ON THE WING. 



barrels are made of laminated steel or stub-twist ; the 

 difference is discoverable in the figure. The former 

 is variegated and beautifully blended, while the lat- 

 ter runs around the barrel in a simple plain spiral. 

 One mark of a good gun, to be noticed in the selec- 

 tion, is that the riband of iron forming the barrel in 

 a spiral form, and welded, can be seen where the 

 welding-line meets. In good and high-priced guns 

 they are y 6 ^, and in the low-priced guns they are 

 | of an inch in width. In getting a gun made to 

 order, have a narrow rib, as a wide one gives a clumsy 

 and heavy appearance to the barrels. The ribs should 

 be fastened to the barrels with soft-solder, and not 

 brazed. The French and Germans braze their ribs, 

 but the English hardly ever, as the heat necessary for 

 brazing them injures the finished barrels. 



The sight on the barrels should be small ; it is not 

 of much consequence any way, as we seldom use it. 

 Some sportsmen have it taken off entirely, but it is 

 better to let it remain on, as it adds to the finish of 

 the gun • and there are times, in shooting late in 

 the evening, or at early morning, when the sight 

 will reflect and show itself to advantage. A small 

 sight is the most desirable, and will give a more cor- 

 rect aim than a large one. 



Examine the bore of the gun by calipers, which can 

 be found at any gunsmith's shop. Compare the size of 

 the bore at the breech end with the size at the muzzle, 

 and examine two or three inches down the muzzle of 

 the barrel, to see if at that distance it is of the same 

 calibre as at the extreme muzzle end. This is of great 



