FORM IN GAME SHOOTING 83 



gun, left arm, and width of body), always kept at nearly the 

 same length, than have the short-armed, wide-chested men, 

 who, in swinging the gun a greater degree to the right than 

 they turn the body, increase the necessity for one long side 

 to the angle much more than the others do. But the hand 

 holding the barrel is not a fixture, and can slide down to the 

 fore end as the necessity for the long left arm increases by 

 swinging to the right. This is obviously the Prince of Wales' 

 method. However, when the swing round to the right is 

 very far, the position of the fore end stops the hand at a 

 certain point. 



But the various manners of shooting also seem to necessitate 

 two different methods of holding with the left hand. Much 

 has been said about the necessity for holding well forward, 

 but the reasons advanced in support of this method do not bear 

 examination by the light of physics. It has been urged that 

 the outstretched arm properly relieves the trigger hand from 

 the necessity of assisting in the aim. It is doubtful whether 

 it should, and it is quite certain it does not, relieve the trigger 

 hand, but on the contrary throws more work upon it. The 

 proof of this is very easy. Let the gun be grasped in the 

 centre of gravity by the left hand and presented, the trigger 

 hand being unemployed. It will be found a difficult but a 

 possible operation. Then shift the left hand up the barrel as 

 far as it will go, and try to bring the gun up from the " ready " 

 to the " present." This will be found much more difficult, and 

 probably impossible. Obviously, then, the outstretched arm is 

 not the way to hold a gun if the left arm is to do the pushing 

 and pulling about. This reason, which has been very much 

 relied upon, breaks down entirely ; but that is not to say 

 that the forward hand is wrong, but only that its advantages 

 are but little understood, although they are fully appreciated. 



In order to present a gun at a point of aim that is still, 

 probably the extended arm is always the best, whether the 

 point of aim is a point in front of fast crossing game, or a 

 motionless object, or a straight-away bird. This can be sup- 

 ported by another very simple experiment. The gun presented 



