BARRELS. 7 



that would " take the shine out of every thing hitherto 

 invented, and show what fools all the gunmakers have 

 been ! !" But, as this remains to be proved, and as Joe 

 will have to recruit his fine army of workmen again 

 before his promise can be carried into execution, I cer- 

 tainly shall not throw into the fire what I have thus 

 far written on guns and gunmakers. 



BARRELS. 



I shall now proceed to the particulars of what a gun 

 should be, and begin with the barrels. 



The usual method of trying a barrel is to fire at a t 

 single sheet of paper 9 and pronounce, at once, that the 

 one which puts in the most shot is the best, without f 



I / l f 



considering any other circumstance. 



Such a mistake is excusable in those, who merely 

 take up a gun for exercise, or, at times, when they can- 

 not hunt ; but, that a person, who wishes to excel in 

 shooting, and even a London gunmaker, should fall into 

 the same error, argues as much against the judgment 

 of the one, as the qualification for his business of the 

 other. 



In throwing shot from a barrel, closeness and strength 

 cannot be combined beyond a certain proportion of each ; 

 and as, in either extreme, the one is incompatible with 

 the other, the desideratum is for a gun to partake as 

 much as possible of both advantages. 



For example : how is the barrel made to throw shot 

 very close ? By a too long continued relief forward, 

 without a proportional opening behind : this (from a 

 want of that impetus, or friction, which the shot receive 

 while passing through the cylindrical part of the caliber) 



