SPRINGS. COCKS AND HAMMERS. 41 



I formerly observed, that if a man was so destitute of resources 

 within himself as to be miserable unless he was shooting, he had only 

 to provide himself with one of Mr. Forsyth's fulminating locks, which 

 certainly defied the weather longer than any others at that time in- 

 vented ; though, perhaps, from the effect of the atmosphere on the 

 oxygen, they might not be proof against a continual pour of rain. 

 The invention is certainly of infinite merit, and has, of late years, 

 been so much improved on> that scarcely any thing is now thought 

 of but detonating guns. I have, in consequence, been making trials 

 in every way that appeared necessary, in order to be able to give a 

 few directions solely dictated by the result of experiment. 



After dismissing every thing concerning the flint-lock, which I 

 find must ever predominate for one kind of fire-arms very large 

 single wildfowl-guns I shall treat exclusively on " detonaters." 



SPRINGS. If the mainspring be too strong, in proportion to that 

 of the hammer, the cock is often broken for want of resistance ; and, 

 if the hammer or feather-spring be too stiff, or should shut down 

 with too much force, it becomes difficult to throw it, even with a 

 strong mainspring. Here, till some years ago, most of the gun- 

 makers were in the dark; as nothing was more admired in a lock, 

 than the hammer shutting down with great velocity. This is not only, 

 for the reason already mentioned, a sad fault ; but the hammer by 

 thus coming down escapes, in a certain degree, from the influence 

 of the spring; and, consequently, loses its pressure on the pan j by 

 which the priming is not so closely covered, and the hammer is apt 

 to react, instead of obeying the mainspring. In a word, let your 

 hammer shut down dull, and^ back smart. The mainspring, to 

 be well regulated, should atjirst pull up very hard, and then draw 

 progressively easier : because it requires an accession of force after 

 it has recovered the first sudden escape from the scear-spring, other- 

 wise it will go slow with a flint, and be liable either to cause a snap, 

 or allow the cock to be blown back, with a detonater. 



COCKS AND HAMMERS. If the sportsman has no objection to its 

 clumsy appearance, I should be inclined to recommend the solid 

 cock which falls on its end, instead of being stopped in the middle 

 by the lock-plate. It will therefore admit of mainsprings as strong 

 as you please ; and, by this means, add considerably to quickness in 

 firing. But if you have very strong mainsprings, with the common 



