40 THE COMPLETE SHOT 



column at each distance. The speeds taken in the foregoing 

 table can be gathered from the Griffith figures on the next page. 

 But if, for the 30 yards range, the truer mean speed of the 

 shot column is wanted, this is equal to the striking velocity 

 of the most forward pellets and the velocity of the rear of the 

 column added together, and divided by two. For this calcula- 

 tion there is a slight inaccuracy originating in the following 

 tables, because the striking velocity of the rear pellets has 

 been taken at the full range, instead of at the length of the 

 shot column less than the full range. This position can only 

 be found by trial and error. It will vary the results by a yard 

 or two. Inches have been disregarded in the tables. 



It is often said that we want guns to send their shot up 

 all together, but if we had so to time our " letting off" as to 

 cause the game to fly on to a knife edge, with the shot spread 

 out like a tea-tray, it is doubtful whether we should hit oftener 

 than with a rifle. Lord Wolseley tells of seeing an officer who 

 by means of a soldier's rifle killed a wild goose flying high 

 overhead. 



Keeping the line of flight for such a shot would not be 

 difficult, but the timing and allowance in front could not often 

 be so cleverly arranged. That is the reason why there is a 

 good deal of doubt whether we want to decrease the length of 

 shot columns, and besides, if we did wish it, probably it could 

 not be done. It is observable that the extra half-dram 

 measure of powder materially increased the choke bore's 

 lengths of shot columns. It also had a very great influence 

 in the increase of velocity at all distances. 



The length of the column of shot from the cylinder gun is 

 longer than the spread from the choke bore, and the longer the 

 range the longer is the column ; but strangely, at long range, 

 according to these trials, one striking velocity of the first 

 pellets in the load was exactly the same as that of the last 

 pellets to strike the revolving target, although mean velocities 

 for the range were very different. This almost shakes con- 

 fidence in this chronographic record, but as the penetration 

 tests always show more variation between pellets than the 



