BARRELS. 9 



inches tight (if for &flin) ; twenty-one inches a cylin- 

 der; and the remaining five inches relieved to the 

 muzzle. All this must be done with the most delicate 

 possible gradation, and in so small a degree, that even 

 some gunmakers can scarcely discover it. How natural 

 then is it, that many sporting authors should be so far 

 deceived, as to fancy the best guns are bored a true 

 cylinder to the very muzzle, and, therefore, argue in 

 its favour ! This relief has the effect of making the 

 gun shoot as close as it can do, compatibly with the 

 strength and quickness required : which should, how- 

 ever, be increased as much as possible by the best-con- 

 structed breechings. But, with the new alteration, for 

 short detonaters, a mere cylinder, or nearly so, with a 

 few inches' relief forward, is now found to answer best ; 

 and therefore we require more weight of metal, in order 

 to ease the recoil of a charge that is longer detained in 

 the barrel. Thus the detonating system simplifies the 

 boring to the whole trade, as well as the art of killing 

 to the shooter. With longer and heavier guns, we 

 may take still further advantage, and have a little 

 opening behind. All this relief must be given in a 

 very trifling degree ; because, should the barrel be too 

 much opened in any part, it would admit of the powder 

 escaping between the wadding and the sides of the 

 caliber, by which the shooting of the gun would be 

 rendered weak. For this reason, I should object to 

 having a hole through the wadding that covers the 

 powder, which many do to prevent the confined air 

 from resisting the ramrod. 



A barrel with flaws has the same disadvantage of not 

 keeping the powder air-tight from the shot. If, how- 

 ever, a barrel is very shorty you are almost obliged to 



