254 THE GUN: AFIELD AND AFLOAT 



sizes of shot commonly or occasionally used for game- 

 shooting, there are almost precisely the same number of 

 pellets as in ijoz. of the next largest size, omitting the 

 modern half-sizes of shot numbered 5^ and 6J. This 

 fact, which hitherto appears to have escaped notice, can be 

 ascertained on glancing at the following little table : 



Number of pellets in a charge of shot. 

 No. 3. No. 4. No. 5. No. 6. No. 7. No. 8. 

 i oz. 172 218 270 340 450 



i|oz. 175 215 272 338 425 



This information may possibly prove of some little 

 assistance to sportsmen, as when targeting guns the 

 value of the patterns displayed by the different sizes and 

 charges of shot may thereby be the more readily 

 estimated. Still, whilst aware that ijoz. of No. 5, and 

 i oz. of No. 6 are practically identical with regard to the 

 number of pellets they contain, we should probably be 

 wrong in assuming that like similarity would be exhibited 

 with regard to their patterns. Nothing short of actual 

 trial at the target will determine as to the shooting of a 

 gun with various charges and sizes of shot. 



With regard to the shooting of hares, I would remark 

 that many people look upon the straight-away shot, at 

 fur or feather, as the easiest of all to kill. As a matter 

 of fact, however, it is one that is far too often bungled 

 over. Indeed, in many instances, when a kill is scored, 

 this is owing as much to the spread of the shot as to the 

 skill and good judgment of the marksman. The straight 

 going-away hare may be looked upon as one of the most 

 difficult shots to kill satisfactorily that is ordinarily 

 presented to the game-shooter in this country. To hit 

 so large an object moving in the open is well within the 

 power of the average shot. Nevertheless, far too many 



