HOW TO SELECT A GUN. 131 



adjusted, and the steel so thoroughly tempered, 

 that the friction after many years' use is scarcely 

 productive of any appreciable or perceptible 

 wear; so that they will generally survive two 

 pairs of barrels, for barrels even of the best 

 quality will give way and wear thin after much 

 continuous shooting. 



Let us suppose the purchaser, hav- 



Selectionof ing selected half-a-dozen guns that 

 a Gun. 



appear to suit him as regards price, 



finish, length and bend of stock, bore, weight, 

 etc., proceeds to the shooting ground, to test 

 their capabilities of shooting, a proceeding I 

 should always recommend (and which no re- 

 spectable gunmaker will object to), before the 

 purchase is concluded. 



When ordering a new gun or rifle, I generally 

 try the shooting whilst the gun is in the gray, 

 before it is engraved and finished or the barrels 

 browned, as when in this state the shooting can 

 be altered with much less expense than when 

 finished. 



