48 THE COMPLETE SHOT 



correct timing would have given to him. Wounding zones 

 and killing circles as applied to straight - away game have 

 little to do with it. Provided timing is right, superficial 

 " wounding zones " help the kill, because the game that passes 

 through them also passes through the bulk of the shot column 

 before or after. Even patchy patterns on the whitewashed 

 plate may be quite evenly distributed to the game flying 

 through the section of the column of pellets. One thing that 

 is perhaps worth noting is that if the head of the column of 

 pellets, or first arrivals of the pattern, surround crossing game 

 evenly, the bird will have so short a distance to go that he may 

 be out of the circumference of the shot column before a quarter 

 of the pellets have come up to his line of flight, and if he loses 

 a tail feather and drops a leg it will not be because of a large 

 wounding zone of shot in the superficial target sense ; indeed, a 

 larger wounding zone of that kind might help in such a case : 

 the fault will be because the game had not to fly through the 

 whole section of the column of shot. 



ACTIONS OF GUNS 



The actions of guns were at one time so important that 

 gun-makers were selected by reason of the merit of their 

 patents. The tendency of the early actions to part from the 

 barrels at the false breech was so great, that actions became of 

 the first importance. Patents are now run out, and con- 

 sequently every gun-maker can select the best and make it, and 

 may be trusted to do so provided the weapon is to be paid for 

 at a figure that pays for best work and best material. If this 

 is not the case, still the gun-maker will put in the best action 

 that can be made for the money to be charged ; in other words, 

 he will put in the cheapest good design of action, but not 

 necessarily good workmanship. When dovetails are used to 

 join up the barrels and the false breech, it is not because 

 the design of action is not good enough to do without them, 

 but simply that the workmanship or fitting is not good 

 enough. Often the third grip does not fit, and is only for show. 



