314 WILD FOWL SHOOTING. 



In this article I shall only suggest such guns as are 

 in my opinion suitable for wild fowl shooting, and ad- 

 visable for the amateur to buy for that purpos'e. The 

 days of the muzzle-loader having past, we cannot refer 

 to them, except with sincere respect and loving regard 

 for the many happy hours they have afforded us, and 

 certainly, no man of a life experience with a shot gun 

 can feel otherwise toward them. We must deposit 

 them in the archives of memory, as instruments of de- 

 parted worth. 



In the selection of a gun for wild-fowl shooting, we 

 will bear in mind it is for inland birds, and our object 

 should be, to select such an one as will answer for other 

 shooting as well. The standard gauges used in the 

 West are Nos. 10 and 12, with the preponderance largely 

 in favor of No. 10 ; although the tendency at the present 

 time is for smaller bores. But this change is more for 

 the* trap and upland birds than for wild-fowl. As the 

 young hunter desires to be put on an equal footing with 

 his companions, his decision is for a ten bore, the 

 reason being that he can use larger and more effective 

 loads. He is merely a beginner and chance will aid 

 him often, bringing down his bird with this gun when 

 he would miss with a 16 or 20 bore, with a less charge 

 of shot. To an expert, this does not necessarily apply ; 

 for an experienced shot will kill with an ounce of shot, 

 with almost the same regularity he does with 1 1-4 oz., 

 because he gauges the speed, the height and distance, 

 and places no reliance on scattered pellets, but hits the 

 bird fairly with the centre of the charge, or scores a 

 clean miss. 



Should the beginner decide on buying a gun, he is 

 soon lost in the sea of uncertainty, not knowing what 



