THE AXGLER AND HI Ms.MAX 123 



another expert offers the following information 

 on the subject: 



*Mt would be impossible for me to lay down any defi- 

 nite rules along this line because there is a wide difference 

 in opinion among sportsmen and what one man considers 

 just the proper load for a given purpose, other shooters re- 

 gard as by no means the best. It all depends upon condi- 

 tions and individual preference. Of course the 12 gauge 

 shotgun is still more largely used than any other, although 

 the 20 gauge, 28 gauge and .410 are growing rapidly in 

 popular favor for shooting small birds and animals.' 7 



The Care of Firearms: 



Several authorities were consulted on the care of fire- 

 arnis, and replied as follows: 



"In the early days of gun-making, firearms were very 

 crude affairs. The barrels were smooth bore, or approxi- 

 mately so, because in those days gun making machinery 

 was also very crude and the interiors of the barrels of the 

 guns made formally years \vere not even as smooth as in the 

 poorest and cheapest shotguns made today. There was no 

 way of looking through the barrel, for there was no open- 

 ing at the breech, except a small passage from the flash 

 pan w i ) ere the priming charge was placed. These guns 

 were inaccurate as compared with modern firearms and it 

 really did not make much difference whether the barrel 

 was carefully cleaned or not since they would not shoot 

 straight anyway. 



Modem firearms, such as Remington U M C shot- 

 guns and rifles, are splendid examples of present day me- 

 chanical genius. While efficient in the highest degree, 

 when judged as pieces of machinery, they are yet extremely 

 simple in construction. 



"The possession of a Remington gun or rifle inspires 

 its owner with a desire to keep it in the perfect mechanical 



