OF THE OLD WORLD. 479 



hensive of accidents fioin defective workmanship 

 or unsound material. Inferior ftuns, " made to sell," 

 are now-a-days got up so well, that at first sight 

 they resemble A 1 guns of best material and first- 

 class workmanship; but the practical sportsman, on 

 taking them in hand, soon discovers the counterfeit. 

 There is no "music" in the locks ; the strength of 

 the mainsprings, as well as the pull of the triggers, 

 is unequal ; the barrels are imperfectly bored, or 

 rough and unpolished in the interior, and perhaps 

 the gauge shows that they are not of exactly the 

 same calibre. Again, the lock-plate and mountings 

 are not fitted and let in with that peculiar nicety 

 that distinguishes first-class London work ; and the 

 stock, in spite of a thick coat of French polish and 

 varnish, betrays "greenness" being made of un- 

 seasoned wood. I have seen some of these inferior 

 .guns throw shot pretty fairly to begin with, but 

 after a short time they invariably fall off, both in 

 their strength and regularity of shooting, become 

 shaky, and even dangerous ; for the locks (being 

 made of soft metal instead of the best tempered 

 steel) begin to wear, and are no longer to be de- 

 pended upon. It is a mistaken policy, and false 

 economy, to purchase any other than a first-class 

 gun, which, with ordinary care, will last longer 

 than half a dozen cheap ones of inferior workman- 

 ship, and give infinitely more satisfaction, to say 

 nothing of the great additional security against 

 accidents. 



