MANAGEMENT OF THE GUN 131 



rabbit at thirty or even forty yards distance.^ But 

 not quite so simple always to lay him stone dead, 

 even though you have a double-barrel and fire the 

 left, which is a choke bore and carries the charge 

 closer for a slightly longer distance, so that it 

 strikes with deadlier effect. The object always is 

 to shoot your game in the head. So you aim 

 at that, even in the longer shots where the charge 

 must scatter and strike other parts as well as the 

 head. 



In potting the rabbits or pigeons as they sit, get 

 into the way of (i) holding the gun firmly against 

 the shoulder, and (2) grasping the gun as far 

 down the barrel or barrels as you conveniently can. 

 At one time I got into the bad habit of holding the 

 gun not firmly enough to the shoulder in shooting 

 at running and flying game — especially running 

 rabbits which offered swift snapshots — and it was 

 hard to break myself of the fault. Holding loosely 

 to the shoulder will affect your aim, and if there is 

 much '' kick " in the powder, it will, it is quite likely, 

 make your right jaw tender after you have fired 

 many cartridges. It is not workmanlike to hold 

 the gun thus loosely, and it may give folk the notion 

 — not necessarily a right notion — that you are not a 

 good man to be near in covert. As to the second 

 point, this is essential too. If you hold the gun 

 with your left hand too near the stock, you will 

 not have the necessary power over it ; it will be 



^ That is, after you have stolen within range of or stalked him. The 

 stalk is an exciting thing in many branches of sport. 



