38 THE GUN: AFIELD AND AFLOAT 



for shooting wild-game late in the season, or where hares 

 abound, a fully-choked gun throwing patterns of about 

 200 pellets in the 3O-inch circle at 40 yards, with i J oz. 

 No. 6 shot of 270 pellets per ounce ; of 185 to 190 with 

 " medium game," or 5 J shot of 240 to the ounce ; or of 

 1 60 to 170 with No. 5 shot of 218 pellets, will be found 

 an excellent type of weapon to use. On the other hand, 

 for all ordinary work, in covert-shooting, grouse- and 

 partridge-driving, rabbit-shooting, and the like, a pattern 

 of about 140 will be found the best for gunners of aver- 

 age ability. Of course, in covert-shooting we now and 

 again come across remarkably tall pheasants in some 

 situations where perhaps a full-choke and large shot 

 would prove of great assistance ; but these are isolated 

 instances that may in a measure be met by some 

 modification of charge. A change to if\ oz. No. 3 shot 

 for these extreme cases will generally be found, I think, 

 to give useful results. Here again, however, target trial, 

 at 40 or 45 yards range, will best determine the proper 

 value of such emergency loads. 



Sportsmen incline overmuch to assume that certain 

 loads will answer their purpose, without first making 

 practical target test of the same. The fact should not 

 be ignored that barrels vary considerably in the manner 

 of their boring and in the amount of choke given to 

 them, so that, as a consequence, a load or form of 

 wadding admirably suitable for one gun may prove 

 anything but a success in another gun of the same 

 denomination. For this reason it is scarcely practicable 

 to lay down any hard-and-fast set of tables with respect 

 to the loads best suited to any given bore of shot-gun 

 beyond those for which it may have been regulated by 

 the gun-maker. 



