ABOUT SPORTING AND MILITARY WEAPONS. 69 



the flint-and-steel days up to 1894, perhaps I may 

 lay a claim to some practical knowledge of the 

 subject Previous to giving an opinion on the 

 arms which seem to me most efficient, a few 

 remarks on those which appear to me to be 

 unnecessary or inefficient may not be misplaced. 

 As to weapons, I have found a strong plain 

 i6-bore, one barrel cylinder and the other modified 

 choke, twenty-four inches long, best in every way. 

 The cylinder barrel of any well-bored double gun 

 with a suitable quantity of metal, if fitted with a 

 leaf folding-sight on the rib, and loaded with a 

 thick soft wad below a hardened spherical bullet, 

 will, if the bullet is a close but not tight fit, shoot 

 accurately enough to hit anything of or about the 

 size of a rabbit at one hundred yards or there- 

 abouts. I have a gun of the size mentioned which 

 weighs six and a quarter pounds, and I find it is 

 as serviceable as any ordinary gun of 12-bore, and 

 very handy. I don't think there is practically 

 much difference in the killing powers of guns of 

 from twelve to twenty bore, unless the larger bore 

 is heavy enough to be used with four drams of 

 powder and one and a half ounce of shot Indeed, 

 with a 28-bore I have killed satisfactorily small 



