BREECHING. 33 



RECIPE FOR KEEPING THE POLISH ON GUNSTOCKS. 



Cold drawn linseed oil V . .1 quart. 



Gum arabic (dissolved in warm water) ; | ounce. 



Alkanet root .< v V , v . 2 ounces. 



Rose pink . '_,' . . . -. f ounce. 



Vinegar . . . ,.- . ^ pint. 



Boil these together, and put them in an earthen pan 

 to stand for a day or two, after which the mixture will 

 be fit for use. 



To apply it, rub a small quantity on the wood : let 

 it lie on all night, and rub it off clean in the morning. 

 With a few such dressings, you will bring out a superior 

 polish. 



If a stock, which, in other respects, suits you, is, in 

 a trifling degree, too straight or too much bent, the 

 maker could rectify it by means of boiling it in hot 

 water, instead of persuading you to have a new one. 



BREECHING. 



A gun-breeching, till of late years, was simply a plug, 

 screwed into the end of the barrel, so as to reach to the 

 touchhole. 



The first improvement was to bore a hole down the 

 centre of this plug, and bring the touchhole to it in a 

 right angle, thereby having the communication directly 

 through both the male and female screws. How far 

 this may be safe, I leave to the more experienced to 

 judge; but it certainly shoots so well, that I never 

 could find any solid breeching to beat it, until Mr. 

 Joseph Man ton brought out his, which, like the rest of 

 his work, has been abused and imitated by most of his 

 filing fraternity ! 



D 



