CAPS AND CARTRIDGE-CASES 83 



direction of eliminating many irregularities of shooting 

 before observable. 



The central-fire form of ignition is safer and more 

 certain by far than the earlier pin-fire arrangement, 

 and practically all shot-gun cartridges are now pro- 

 duced on this principle. Our great cartridge-case and 

 gun-cap manufacturers have been given a somewhat 

 hard task to keep pace with the startling developments 

 and the ceaseless introduction of new powders effected 

 during the past ten years or so. Much attention has 

 perforce been given to the alteration and improvement 

 of both cap and cartridge-case, in order that a suitable 

 and regular form of ignition may be provided for the 

 several powders. This has had the happy result of 

 putting sportsmen in the possession of cartridge-cases 

 remarkably exact as to size, and far more reliable with 

 regard to the regularity of action of their ignitive agent. 

 Caps are now generally classed under three heads by 

 the makers : " Ordinary " for black powder ; " Medium " 

 for bulk nitros ; and " Special " for concentrated nitros. 



Numerous varieties of cartridges are now procurable, 

 each with more or less distinctive claim to the attention 

 of the shooter. There are cartridges with all-paper 

 tubes, and cartridges having an outer reinforcement of 

 thin brass extending from the base of their tube to 

 the end of the powder space. In others this brass 

 covering extends the whole length of the paper tube ; 

 to this form of case the title of " Ejector " has been 

 given, the smooth polished surface of this case being 

 less liable to stick than is paper, when moisture is 

 about, causing it to be thrown out of the gun the 

 more readily. Lastly, there is the all-metal case, of 

 which the thin solid-drawn brass " Perfect " case of 



