18 BARRELS. 



A best finished London duck-gun : weight of the 

 barrel, 59lbs. : bore, 1^ inch : length, 5 feet 8 inches. 



No. of grains in Ditto through Ditto through 



1st sheet. 12th sheet. 20th sheet. 



26 10 8 



A Birmingham gun : weight of barrel, 691bs. : 

 bore, 1-f inch : length 7 feet 9 inches. 



1st sheet. 12th sheet. 20th sheet. 



50 35 22 



I then sent my gun to Mr. Durs Egg, desiring 

 him to get the same barrel forged one foot ten inches 

 longer, making it seven feet six inches ; and by means 

 of unavoidably being obliged to reduce the metal after 

 joining it, the barrel, when sent home, w r as scarcely 

 31bs. heavier than before. 1 then shot the gun about 

 twenty rounds, and the average was 



1st sheet. 12th sheet. 20th sheet. 



46 30 20 



by which it evidently appeared to me, that if the 

 metal is disposed of in length, it has the advantage 

 over a short thick gun. 



From having lOlbs. more weight of metal, how- 

 ever, the Birmingham gun still had rather the ad- 

 vantage, because it carried seventeen ounces pleasanter 

 than the other carried fifteen. 



Substance and length, therefore, are what we ^ant 

 in as great a degree as can be used without incon- 

 venience. 



For instance : Fire a fourteen gauge sporting gun, 



