176 ELEMENTARY PRINCIPLES OF GUNNERY. 



Hence it is the practice of our best makers to bore their 

 guns so that at from forty to sixty yards they shall give 

 such a pattern on the target as will prevent the escape of a 

 partridge or grouse, and at the same time drive their shot 

 with as much force as possible. These two points may, 

 therefore, be considered as the two essentials ; and, in 

 addition, it is considered desirable to avoid encumbering 

 the sportsman with a tool which shall be too heavy for him 

 to carry without fatigue, or, with one whose recoil shall be 

 unpleasant to him from its severity. A practical man 

 knows that a heavy gun shoots better than a light one, and 

 that the recoil must to a certain extent be in proportion to 

 the force with which the charge is driven forwards; but he 

 also knows that either one which is too heavy, or which 

 recoils too much, even if its shooting is very good, is wholly 

 useless to most sportsmen. He therefore endeavours to 

 make his guns with the following good qualities, which are 

 those that are generally regarded as the requisites for a shot- 

 gun. These are, first, a good pattern on the target made by 

 them at forty and sixty yards; secondly, as much force in 

 driving the shot as possible, in combination with the first 

 quality; thirdly, lightness as far as is compatible with safety 

 and good shooting; and fourthly, the absence of such recoil 

 as is unpleasant to the shooter. 



Every gun may, of course, be made clumsily or the reverse, 

 but the maker who does not turn out his productions in a 

 workmanlike manner must be rejected on that account, since 

 there is no excuse for him in this respect. All should be 

 well balanced and the parts accurately fitted together, while 

 the mechanism of the locks, &c., should be of the most 

 highly-finished kind consistent with the price. A cheap 

 gun may shoot strongly and make a good pattern, but its 

 parts will be seen to fit badly and its locks will be sure to be 

 faulty. Hence it soon wears out, and, in addition to its 

 want of safety, it will generally be found to be the dearest 

 in the end. By the word cheap I mean the opposite extreme 

 to the high price which is charged by our fashionable makers, 

 and not the medium charge made by our best provincial gun- 

 makers, who are content with profits which would not support 

 the expensive establishments of some London makers. It is 



