GAME GUNS 7 



on the subject of the shooting of guns by the target ex- 

 periments conducted by successive editors of The Field 

 newspaper and various independent experts, the art of 

 barrel-boring has been greatly assisted. Therefore it is 

 now not a difficult matter to obtain any pattern required 

 within certain well-defined limits pattern, in this case, 

 being the display of shot pellets upon the iron .plate or 

 other target used for the purpose of testing the shooting 

 of guns. The degree of closeness of pattern is a most 

 important consideration. Undue thinness of pattern is 

 to be avoided by reason of the fact that unless the pellets 

 fly thickly enough the bird may escape between them. 

 On the other hand, an extremely close pattern is not 

 desirable for short-range work, as with very thick 

 patterns birds will either be cut to rags or stuffed full of 

 lead. Again, just as sportsmen vary in skill, so will it 

 be necessary in some small degree to regulate patterns 

 to suit the gunner. In far greater degree, however, is it 

 necessary to regulate pattern according to the distance 

 to be shot at for we must hit in order to kill. If we 

 were continually shooting our game at 40 to 45 yards, 

 there would be strong encouragement to advocate the use 

 of full chokes and patterns of 200 pellets and upwards in 

 the 3O-inch circle at those distances. As in all proba- 

 bility, however, 80 per cent, of the game shot in this 

 country is killed at distances well inside 30 yards, 

 sportsmen are well advised if they use guns which dis- 

 play patterns of from 120 to 150 pellets in the 3O-inch 

 circle at 40 yards range. And so, too, in wild-fowl guns 

 the pattern must be proportioned to the distance and 

 size of the object or objects fired at. Penetration, also, 

 is an important consideration, for unless a gun gives a 

 sufficient display of force, game and wild-fowl will be 



