138 GUNS 



safe breech-loaders can be bought for a few 

 sovereigns.^ Personally, I have never shot with 

 any gun but a 12-bore — unless the gardener's 

 boy's muzzle-loader mentioned in ^'Beginning to 

 Shoot " had a smaller bore : I am not sure about 

 this — but I did not begin till I was about sixteen, 

 and did not shoot regularly in cover till I was 

 eighteen. Most boys of thirteen or fourteen, I arn 

 told, now begin with a single-barrelled breech- 

 loader of either 20 or 16 bore. The age at 

 which beginners can comfortably handle a double- 

 barrelled gun depends of course on their strength : 

 some can use one at fourteen. 



Here are some weights of the single and the 

 double barrelled guns sold at the Army and Navy 

 Stores Gun Department : — 



Single — 20-bore weighs about 4I lbs. 

 i6-bore „ „ 5 „ 



12-bore „ „ s\ n 



Double — i6-bore ,, ,, 6 ,, 



20-bore ,, from 5 J to 5 J lbs. 



As regards prices, single-barrelled guns (with 

 hammer) begin at £^y i8s. A single-barrelled 

 hammerless gun, 12-bore or smaller, will cost 

 about ;gi2. A gun such as the latter is likely no 

 doubt to prove serviceable much longer than one 

 of the smaller bored guns with a hammer, for it 



^ A keeper's double-barrel gun, with rebounding hammers, central 

 fire, 12-bore — a good, sound weapon I believe — can be bought for under 

 six pounds. 



