76 WITH BOAT AND GUN IN THE YANGTZE VALLEY. 



there are those who favour the choke-bore weapon, whether it be full, modified or very slightly 

 choked, but when it is remembered that game is rarely shot at a greater distance than 40 

 yards, but much more frequently at 20 to 25 yards distance, and that the improved cylinder 

 will make an average pattern of 140 pellets under standard conditions, which are 40 yards 

 range, ^l^ drams of black powder, or the equivalent in chemical powder, and l/^ oz. of 

 No. 6 shot or 304 pellets, the advantages of the choke-bore are not so obvious. 



A l2-bore gun should not weigh over 6% lbs. and many strongly-built guns weigh 

 much lighter, nor should the pull exceed 4 lbs. for the right and 4^^ lbs. for the left lock. A 

 l2-bore gun is .729 of an inch in the interior of the barrels, and the nomenclature "bore" is 

 based upon the size of the bullet mould. Thus a mould casting 12 or 16 or 20 spherical 

 bullets to the pound avoirdupois is termed a 12, 16 or 20 mould, and the barrel that such 

 bullets would fit would be a 12, 16 or 20-bore, as the case might be. 



Hair triggers are an abomination in sporting guns and highly dangerous at all times. 

 The objection to such light pulls is that they are likely to jar off if the gun receive a slight 

 blow, or sometimes when closing the gun after loading, if this is done rather sharply, as is 

 too often the case. In closing the breech, lock the gun by bringing up the stock ; this not 

 only keeps the muzzle of the gun pointed downwards but materially eases the action. 

 Many people close their guns by bringing up the barrels with a snap, an action, which, to 

 say the least, is not without its danger. 



Guns that are coming into favour in the East are single-trigger, double-barrelled 12 

 and 20-bores ; the former weighing about 6 lbs. and the latter 4^ to 5 lbs. 



The advantages of the single trigger are said to be many. First one does not have 

 to shift the grip of the gun for the second barrel. Then, in practice, the single trigger is 

 also much the quicker. Further, cut fingers are avoided by its use. "But a wonderful 

 advantage is in the more correct length of stock. There is only one best length of stock for 

 every body, but evey double trigger has necessarily two lengths of stock, one an inch 

 longer than the other" (Teasdale-Buckell). 



And now comes the economic question" How much should a man pay for a gun" ? 

 The man has yet to be born who would not like to be the possessor of a weapon turned out 

 by Lang or Purdey, but a highly finished, high costing gun is really "matter out of place " 

 in China, where it never could receive that care and attention it deserved. Here a gun is 

 exposed to every condition of weather, sun, rain, or snow during the whole of a long day, is 

 often taken into cover where both metal and wood are liable to get hard knocks, and finally 

 is relegated to one's servant to be cleaned for the morrow. Treatment which a crack gun ill 

 deserves. What rather seems to be wanted here is a good, reliable, unornamented fowling- 

 piece by a good maker — and good gunmakers are legion — to cost no more than £20 to £25 

 There are, of course, those who deem even the lower of the above figures too high, and who 

 content themselves with what they can pick up at auction for a few taels, quite heedless of 

 the danger lurking in the common article. And yet wonderful is the rarity of accidents 

 worth mentioning when one considers the number of shaky, gaping breeches and the 

 terrible strength of chemical powders. 



An ejector gun, of the greatest value in a "hot corner" at home, is not required here, 

 for shots are never frequent enough to warrant the extra expense entailed. 



