338 



FOWL SHOOTING. 



loading. I have tried every wad in existence, and 

 really can detect no difference ; the only thing to be 

 observed is, they must be tight-fitting lubricators, and 

 what they lack in thickness should be made up in num- 

 bers. Don't let us use felt wads in this fifty, but com- 

 mon pink-edge. I suggest this to make simplicity in 

 loading, although I am partial to felt wads, and use 

 them entirely over powder. As we are going to use 



1 1-8 oz. shot, our wadding must be sufficiently thick 

 to just allow the shell to crimp nicely, so we will put 



2 pink-edge wads over the powder on top of the card 

 we already have in. Here we will use No. 9 wads, be- 

 cause we want to confine the load, and see there is no 

 possibility of gas escaping, besides, the more we confine 

 the powder the more force we obtain. Now, on this 

 we will put another card wad, we could get along 

 without it, but it helps fill up the shell and keep the 

 thick wads firmly together. You noticed I put in each 

 wad separately, and pressed them down with the hand 

 loader or ramrod. Now we want the pressure even> 

 and we will give each shell two or three light taps with 

 our mallet, just enough to make it compact, but not 

 to break the grain. Then the shot goes in with card 

 wad on top. We should use a card wad because the 

 resistance on the shot should be light, and a thin wad, 

 just so it will hold the load firmly is better than a thick 

 one. The shells are now ready for the crimper. We 

 will use the old style, one that turns the edges in 

 smoothly and roundly, being careful with each shell 

 that the edges are crimped so they turn down and rest 

 solidly against the wad. Too much pains can not be 

 taken in crimping shells, especially for wild fowl shoot- 

 ing, for they receive at times rough usage, and must 



