72 THE COMPLETE SHOT 



before firing, or, to be more correct, know that they are about 

 to get there by the time their fingers can take effect on the 

 trigger. Mr. Fryer before mentioned says that he has both 

 to swing and make allowance too for the very fast high 

 birds. 



Probably the best way to avoid stopping the gun as one 

 pulls trigger, or waiting to see that aim is correct before 

 letting off, is to make a rule to pull just before the right 

 alignment is reached. It will be reached by the time the shot 

 leave the gun. 



There is no reason to say that for handling a pair ot guns 

 instinctively a loader must be trained by the shooter himself, 

 because there are so many ways of giving and taking guns. 

 Besides this, shooting far off with the first barrel for grouse, 

 and as soon as partridges top the fence, are essentials to 

 getting in four barrels at a brood, or covey, as the case may 

 be. Moreover, it is generally a case of kill or miss in front 

 of the shooter, and wound or kill behind him. 



Shooting schools cannot help a shooter to learn to kill curling 

 pheasants, swerving partridges, wrenching grouse, or zigzagging 

 snipe, but they can teach the quick firing and changing of guns. 

 And to one not in practice it is this quick firing that puts a 

 shooter out of touch with gun and game, much more readily 

 than swerve, wrench, zigzag, or curl. 



All the talk of the speed of driven game making it difficult 

 has frightened and unnerved many a beginner at such birds, 

 but it is merely the echo of what was said before shooters had 

 learnt that they had to swing and aim ahead as well. To talk 

 of speed of game now, as if there was some mystery in it, is 

 merely to unnerve more disciples of Diana. When once the 

 gunner knows where he has got to shoot for the driven bird 

 (in the singular), the shot is much easier than the going-away 

 game, because the longer you wait in one case the worse 

 chance you have, and in the other the better chance you have. 

 If the shooter thinks differently, he can turn round in the 

 grouse butt every time, instead of shooting his game coining; 

 but he will soon give that up, because he will find his gun 



