SNIPE AND WILDFOWL 75 



In wildfowl shooting we have experimented with guns 

 of various calibres, from a single-barrel four-bore down to 

 the ordinary twelve. The above-mentioned single gun weighed 

 fourteen pounds, and the labour of carrying it was so great 

 that, except for boat work, it was quickly discarded for a 

 double-eight ; this weapon just turned the scale at twelve 

 pounds, and had all the disadvantages of the single-barrelled 

 four-bore, so again descending in the scale, we come to a 

 double-ten ; but between this and the full choke double- 

 twelve we found so little difference, that eventually we have 

 remained content to use one of these, with four drams of 

 black powder or fifty-four grains of Schultze and one and 

 a quarter ounce of A. A. A. shot; of these there are thirty-two 

 to the ounce, which gives forty pellets to the charge ; and 

 with full-choke barrels this, we think, is the best sort of 

 shot to use at any fowl larger than duck, for they are effective 

 up to seventy yards and even further, but beyond the first- 

 named distance they begin to fall very much. We have 

 tried various devices for keeping a charge of large shot 

 together up to long ranges when fired from a twelve-bore 

 gun, and we are quite sure, if it be a cylijider, that nothing 

 can beat an Ely wire cartridge. If, however, it be a full 

 choke weapon, then we have found a cone of the thinnest 

 tissue paper help to the same end. Make it nearly the size 

 of the shell, gum up the end, drop the shot in, invert the 

 cartridge case and push the filled cone gendy home, so that 

 the fastened-up end is outwards ; put on the usual shot wad 

 and turn down, not too tightly, but there is always the fear of a 

 charge balling and damaging the muzzle of the gun. This plan, 

 however, gives very uncertain results, and we beg to propound a 

 problem for the gunmakers to solve, and that is, how to make a 

 twelve-bore shoot A. A. A. shot so tliat they do not spread ex- 

 cessively at eighty yards. In some marshes we have often got 

 a few snipe, and then had to try for wild geese, so we should 

 indeed like to have a twelve-bore capable of doing justice to 



