WILD-FOWL GUNS 31 



frequently no more than 15 yards away. But this is a 

 matter of detail, and the remedy is in one's own hands, 

 for no doubt the maker of the gun would guarantee to 

 affix an extra pair of barrels to throw any desirable 

 patterns for flight-shooting purposes. 



Gun No. 3 on the foregoing list was one to which the 

 title " Altro " has been applied by the makers, Messrs. 

 J. and W. Tolley. This gun, from its capacity for firing 

 either ordinary-length cartridges or cartridges of extra 

 length, paper or brass, could be used with light or heavy 

 loads, and thus was found to be an extremely useful 

 weapon in a variety of situations. 



In bygone days, when black powder alone was used, 

 the barrels of duck-guns were invariably made of con- 

 siderable length. Now and again single-barrelled wild- 

 fowl guns having barrels of 4 feet or of even greater 

 length were observable. The main object in making 

 barrels of this length was to insure the combustion of 

 the powder by the time the shot reached the muzzle 

 of the piece. Still with all that length of tube this 

 object was not always usefully accomplished, for the 

 defective or insufficient wadding then in use frequently 

 failed in duly confining the powder-gases, so that a 

 considerable quantity of powder was thrown out un- 

 consumed or uselessly ignited by the flash at the 

 muzzle. A noteworthy improvement has been effected 

 in modern times in the direction of shortening the 

 barrels of heavy shoulder-guns. Gun-makers have been 

 able to accomplish a good deal in this way in recent 

 years by reason of the great change brought about in 

 the manner of barrel-boring, and by means of the help 

 rendered them in the way of improvements in the manu- 

 facture of powder, wadding, and of ammunition generally. 



D 



