GAME GUNS 



5 



consequences to the involuntary firer, unless he were 

 quite prepared to take up the recoil. This recalls a 

 rather sharp lesson once taught me, and as it exactly 

 serves to illustrate the warning here conveyed, I may 

 perhaps be excused for mentioning it. A certain emi- 

 nent gun-maker had sent me a double 8-bore to test and 

 express an opinion upon. I took this gun with me on a 

 wild-fowling expedition to the Outer Hebrides, and one 

 morning went with it to get a shot at bernacle and grey- 

 lag geese feeding upon some grassy islets in the tideway 

 betwixt two of the main islands of the group. This gun 

 had a new trigger arrangement which at that time had 

 scarce emerged beyond the experimental stage. In the 

 result I got more shooting that morning than was antici- 

 pated, for on pulling the trigger both barrels promptly 

 went off together, and I got a badly-sprained thumb, 

 several teeth loosened, and a terribly disconcerting shock 

 generally. After all I was pleased to think that whilst 

 not much could be advanced in favour of that particular 

 pulling arrangement, volumes might be favourably ex- 

 pressed with regard to the ability of barrels and action to 

 withstand the simultaneous discharge of, possibly, 200 

 grains of a nitro powder and something like five ounces 

 of shot. 



Simplicity. The fewer the working parts the better, 

 provided thorough efficiency is insured, as thereby 

 the gun will be less likely to go wrong when in ignorant 

 or careless hands, or even when manipulated with 

 intelligence and care. Moreover, intricacy of mechanism 

 does not conduce to cleanliness and freedom of working. 

 Stocking. This vastly important work is too often 

 clumsily performed. Nothing militates so much against 

 freedom of action, and power to swing guns, and more 



