HOW TO SELECT A GUN. 23 



grain, although the latter lessens the recoil somewhat 

 more. It should be finished in oil without varnish. 

 If varnished, unless well rubbed down, a smart knock 

 against it shows a spot, and the stock thus soon 

 comes to look old ; while the oil-finish, on the other 

 hand, is rather improved by wear. 



One extremely important point in a lock should 

 be noticed. The hammer at half-cock should be at 

 such a distance from the nipple that the cap can be 

 put on, but not so distant that a slip from the thumb, 

 either in bringing it to half-cock or in letting it down 

 on the cap, will explode the cap and discharge the 

 gun. If this rule were uniformly attended to, many 

 fatal accidents would be prevented. We often hear of 

 such accidents, arising from gross carelessness in al- 

 lowing the dogs to spring upon the person while the 

 gun is in hand. Not unfrequently the dogs, in slip- 

 ping down, strike the hammers, and bring them al- 

 most to half-cock ; then letting them spring back, they 

 strike the caps with sufficient force to discharge the 

 gun. Particularly see that, when the gun comes to 

 the shoulder, the right forefinger easily reaches the 

 forward trigger. If it does not, you will often be troub- 

 led, especially when you want to get in both barrels 

 on the rise of more than one bird ; and if you wear 

 an overcoat, the difficulty will be increased, as the 

 coat shortens the reach of the arm. 



In order to obtain a good English fowling-piece at a 

 fair price, I would advise going to some leading gun- 

 maker in one of our principal cities, and obtaining by 

 his means the barrels of the requisite proportions, 



