60 ON THE WING. 



almost convince me that the lighter gun may always 

 be used with advantage for all kinds of shooting. 

 Nevertheless, I believe on the whole, that, at long dis- 

 tances, a gun weighing from 8i to 9 J lbs. will throw 

 its shot with more evenness and force than a gun 

 weighing from 6 J to 7 lbs. 



Some help may be afforded by considering the rifle. 

 Although the shot-gun cannot be compared in its uses 

 and results with the rifle of larger or smaller calibre, 

 still there is no reason why the comparison of rifles 

 with rifles should not lead to some definite results. 

 Now, in the larger rifle you burn more powder, and 

 use a heavier ball than in the smaller one, and, accord- 

 ing to the laws of force, this ball is carried to a greater 

 distance than the lighter one used in the smaller rifle 

 and propelled by a smaller charge of powder. For it 

 is a law in mechanics, that, if the applied force be pro- 

 portionately increased, the greater the weight of any 

 projectile, the greater will be its speed and the distance 

 which it can traverse. This law must of course apply 

 to the shot-gun. In the large-bored shot-gun we use 

 more powder and a greater weight of shot, while the 

 friction against the sides of the barrel is relatively the 

 same as in the small gun; the shot must therefore 

 travel with greater velocity and to a greater distance. 

 We must therefore decide in favor of the greater pro- 

 jectile force of the large gun, in conformity to general 

 mechanical laws. 



But, judging from my own observation and experi- 

 ence, I should say that, even in duck-shooting, there is 

 not in the heavy gun this proportionate difference in its 



