SIZES OF BIIOT.'j 



T^> V F I i: L 1). W O O I), AND AV A T !•: K. 



[sizes of snoT. 



of which are detailed in the Philosopliical 

 Transactions. It is thus manufactured, as 

 pivoii by Dr. Uro :— A hundred grains of 

 luorcurv arc to bo dissolved by heat in an 

 ounce and a-half, by measure, of nitric acid. 

 This solution being poured cold into two 

 ounces, by measure, of alcohol in a glass 

 vessel, heat is to be applied till ellervescence 

 is excited. A white vapour undulates on the 

 eurface, and a powder is gradually precipitated, 

 which is to be immediately collected on a 

 filter, well washed, and cautiously dried with 

 a very moderate heat. The powder detonates 

 loudly by gentle heat, or slight friction. The 

 fulminating mercury should be moistened with 

 about thirty per cent, of water, then tritu- 

 rated iu a mortar, and afterwards mixed with 

 the sixth part of its weight of gunpowder, 

 ^Matches, caps, &c., made in this manner, resist 

 damp, and do not corrode the instrument 

 which contains the powder. It has been often 

 ascertained, by experiment, that they have 

 frequently ignited after having been immersed 

 in water several hours. This is the method 

 which is adopted in the manufacture of per- 

 cussion-caps. The recipe for making them, in 

 Paris, is thus given by the BuUetin dcs Sciences 

 Militaires : — " Having triturated ten parts of 

 fulminating mercury on a marble slab with 

 water, by means of a wooden muller, add six 

 parts of gunpowder, and grind the two to- 

 gether." Dr. Ure observes, that some of the 

 best match-powders made in Prance do not, 

 altogether, weigh more than two-thirds of a 

 grain. 



THE DIFFERENT KINDS AND SIZES OF 

 SHOT. 



In reference to this part of our subject, 

 there is some degree of confusion, on account 

 of the sizes and numbers not coinciding in all 

 the manufactories where shot is made. Tiiis 

 circumstance tends to mislead sportsmen, and 

 very often to give rise to false theories upon 

 the force and resistance of projectile instru- 

 ments generally. An ounce of No. 7 shot 

 taken from the manufactory of Messrs. AValker 

 and Parker, contains 341 pellets ; and the 

 same weight from Mr. Eeaumont's, 398. Add 

 to tliis, that in some places the usual numbers 

 are reversed. The following is a list of the 

 «hot in Messrs. Walker's firm, with letterings, 

 3t 



number marks, and the number of pellets in 



an ounce : — 



Mould, drop, or awan-shot, are of large size, 

 and commonly used for wild-fowl shooting. 

 They are lettered, and the pellets numbered 

 as follows : — 



As to what is the best kind of shot to be 

 used for sporting purposes there are different 

 opinions. Colonel Hawker maintains that, 

 for ordinary purposes of game shooting, No. 7 

 is the best kind that can be used. It lies 

 closer and more compact to the barrel, he says 

 with reason, than any other. Other sportsmen, 

 again, think the Nos. 3 and 4 are to be pre- 

 ferred to any other sizes for common every-day 

 work in the prime of the shooting season. 

 Captain Williamson pleads for No. 9, and 

 General Hanger for No. 2. Another great 

 authority informs us, that in the first montli 

 of partridge shooting, shot No. 5 should be 

 used, because, at this time, the birds spring at 

 hand, and we seldom fire at more than the 

 distance of forty yards. If a shooter takes a 

 fair aim, he can scarcely fail to do some mis- 

 chief by such a circle or disc of shots. Hare^. 

 likewise, at this period, sit closer, and beiuj, 

 but thinly covered with fur, may easily be 

 killed with this size at thirty or thirty-five 

 paces. In snipe and quail shooting this shot 

 is most to be preferred. When October ad- 

 vances, the birds are stronger on the wing, and 

 then No. 3 will be found more suitable. This 

 shot, it is maintained, possesses a proper me- 

 dium between that which is too large and that 

 which is too small, and will kill a partridge at 

 fifty yards with certainty. It is adapted for 

 all kinds of game. It is contended that distant 

 Abjecta may be killed with large shot; but this 

 consideration cannot bear upon the question 



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