192 GUN, ROD, AND SADDLE. 



shooting. If you begin under advantageous circum- 

 stances success becomes probable. Success begets 

 confidence, and with confidence we are certain to 

 shoot well. An habitually bad shot has no confi- 

 dence. Constant failure makes him doubt his abili- 

 ty, his gun, in fact, every portion of his shooting 

 paraphernalia. Nearly all persons who do not shoot 

 regularly, fire their right barrel first. When such is 

 the case, your left should shoot the strongest, as the 

 second shot is so frequently at longer range. A 

 good workman, however, will use either indifferently, 

 and if such can be attained it should invariably be 

 practiced, that one barrel may not be worn out 

 sooner than the other. A fault which a great num- 

 ber are addicted to, is using too much shot. An 

 ounce of number five, or any of the smaller sizes, is 

 amply sufficient for a twelve-bore gun. However, 

 if you have reason to use a larger grain, a quarter 

 of an ounce more may be substituted. The reason 

 for this is that the small packs the closer, and thus 

 makes a more formidable resistance to the explosive 

 power. For strong shooting, and, therefore, long 

 shots, it is the driving force that is required, which you 

 counteract by surplus lead, for friction is increased 

 and power wasted in starting the charge. 



