THE PERCUSSION GUN. 161 



sphere or other incidents to which the shooting sportsman is 

 peculiarly liable. At length what is called the Copper cap plan 

 made its appearance,;which I have used throughout three seasons, 

 under the disadvantages of wet weather and every other unto- 

 ward circumstance attending this fascinating recreation : I have 

 made a great variety of experiments upon the subject, and have, 

 in fact, tried it in all possible forms ; and feel not the least hesi- 

 tation in asserting, that the copper cap plan is superior in every 

 point of view to any other which has made its appearance. 



Copper cap guns will unquestionably become general ; and 

 will no doubt be manufactured by all the pretenders in the trade: 

 1 would, therefore, advise those who may feel an inclination to 

 procure fowling-pieces on the above plan, to be careful whom 

 they apply to, as the very best system may be brought into dis- 

 repute by ignorance and incapacitv ; and, perhaps, of all other 

 businesses, none is more replete with those baneful qualities 

 than that of gun making. 



The copper cap plan is very simple; is less liable to be out 

 of repair than any other ; and is, at the same time, much more 

 easily rectified, should any casual accident occur. Indeed, its 

 superiority is obvious at first sight, in every point of view. 



I had nearly forgot to mention, that, independent of the cop- 

 per caps used for priming, my gun has also double leaded prim- 

 ing pins, as well as patch pins, which may be substituted for 

 them, at the will or the whim of the sportsmen. 



The advantages of percussion priming are, the instantaneous 

 discharge, which is indescribably more rapid than with the 

 common-priming, and, of course, reduces the science of shoot- 

 ing (particularly at flying or moveable objects) to a degree of 

 precision unattainable by any other mode hitherto adopted. 

 Very little more than half the common charge of gunpowder is 

 sufficient to load the percussion gun ; for the strong flame from 



the priming is driven with uncommon force through the touch- 

 o3 



