CAiinnE.] 



V.Y I'll: 1. 1). AVOOD. AND W'ATKK. 



Fda-uiiels. 



made, shows that, in heavy charges of shot, t ho 



droop is fully ttrclvr inches in forty yards ; but 

 that with loss charges of shot, tho line of llii^lit 

 will be more dircvt. 



The great advautago of tho double-barrelled 

 CUM over the single one is now generally ad- 

 mitted bv all PoortsmiMi ; but there are still 

 8ome shooters to be found who prefer tho latter. 

 This preference, however, depends, in almost 

 all cases, upon some accidental circumstance, 

 or individual fancy. The quantity of game to 

 be obtained, especially in the earlier parts of 

 the shooting season, is much more with a 

 double than with a single gun. The weight is 

 generally greater in the former than in the 

 latter; buc habit and custom soon bring the 

 matter to an equality on this point. 



On the calibre, or bore, the length and 

 weight of barrels, their killing range, their 

 recoil, the regularity of their eflect, their force, 

 their liability to burst, much might be written ; 

 for on all these several subjects there have 

 been, and still are, considerable differences of 

 opinion. It is unnecessary for us here to 

 cuter into full details regarding them. They 

 are of more interest to the scientific maker 

 than to the sportsman, whose experience soon 

 teaches him as to what sort of weapon he finds 

 to be the best to enhance his pleasure or 

 amusement. 



CALIBRE. OR BORE. 

 It is recommended by a high authority that 

 fint-fjuns should not be bored cyliudrically 

 through, but that a little contraction, just 

 where the shot first moves, should be pre- 

 served. This suggestion has, for many years, 

 been pretty generally attended to by gun- 

 smiths. It is of importance that every pur- 

 ciiaser of a fowling-piece should ascertain, by 

 the gauge, the exact diameter of each portion 

 of the bore of the piece, that he may adapt 

 his wadding accordingly. The proper wadding 

 for such kind of relieved barrels is that which 

 has some considerable degree of firmness, with 

 a certain portion of elasticity. Beckworth's 

 wadding is of this kind. There are, however, 

 many barrels now made which are bored 

 cyliudrically throughout ; and it is nftirmed, by 

 competent authorities, that such pieces shoot 

 remarkablv well. 



TERCUSSION HARRELS. 

 These are commonly mado heavier and 

 stronger than tho barrels of tho fliut-gun. It 

 is now the practice to bore such barrels with a 

 littlo relief forward, which, Colonel Ilawker 

 maintains, " has tho cftect of making tlio gun 

 tthoot as close as it can do, compatible with 

 tho quickness and strength required." Tho 

 increased weight of the percussion-barrel ha.s, 

 however, been objected to by others, whoso 

 opinion upon this subject is entitled to much 

 weight. 



LENGTH AND ^VEIGIIT OF BARRELS. 



There has been a great innovation upon tho 

 length of gun-barrels. It was long considered 

 to be an indisputable maxim, that the longer 

 tho barrel, and the smaller the bore, the farther 

 a gun would kill. Now, however, the barrel is 

 considerably shortened, and with good results. 

 Here again, however, some sportsmen think an 

 error has been made in running into the oppo- 

 site extreme, and making them too short. Mr. 

 Eobius, who seems to have paid great attention 

 to this matter, says, " that the sportsmen may 

 please themselves whether the length of their 

 barrels be from ticenty-cigltt to forty inches ; 

 but that if they either go above or below these 

 dimensions, they will find that the range of tlic 

 shot will begin to fail them." We would 

 say, that at present, the general opinion is in 

 favour of moderate length of barrel. Such 

 fowling-pieces are decidedly better adapted fur 

 general purposes, more portable, and are freer 

 from many inconveniences attendant upon very 

 long guns. The OaJcleigli Shooting Code gives 

 the following judgment on the matter : — " The 

 fowliug-picce to be recommended for general 

 use is a double-barrelled detonator, weighing 

 about eight pounds; the barrels thirty or 

 thirty-two inches in length, sixteen gauge, and 

 made of twisted stubs. It is not sportsmanlike 

 to use double barrels of a greater calibre ; nor 

 are longer barrels convenient, on account ot 

 their weight, although additional length, not 

 carried to an extreme, or a larger calibre, may 

 l)robably render them more eftective, in so far 

 as they will sustain a heavier charge. Single 

 barrels, for general use, may be thirty-four 

 inches long and fourteen gauge." The same 

 authority says, that "the barrels of tho 



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