218 VARIETIES OF SHOT-GUNS, ETC. 



taken from a gun sent to the trial of 1859, by Mr. Egan, of 

 Bradford. 



Charcoal iron is the best quality used for inferior guns; 

 it is made from the clippings of sheet-iron, melted in a 

 charcoal furnace, and re-cast, then forged into a bar and 

 rolled into rods in imitation of stub-twist. The iron, when 

 in contact with the charcoal, absorbs a certain amount of 

 carbon, and becomes hardened, but as the metal from which 

 it is made is originally of a weak description, it still remains 

 of very inferior quality. Its cost is very low, being about 

 4c per lb., and as it may be made to look well by a 

 peculiar method of browning, it is much employed by in- 

 ferior makers, the saving on a pair of barrels in material 

 alone being tenpence to a shilling, as compared with stub 

 twist, besides the reduced cost of forging, which adds two 

 more shillings to the saving effected ; and this proportion is 

 kept up throughout the subsequent processes. The appear- 

 ance of charcoal iron when browned is represented in the 

 annexed cut of a pair of barrels. 



Fig. J5. 



CHARCOAL IRON. (HALF SIZE.) 



Threepenny, but more commonly twopenny skelp, is used 

 for very inferior guns in this country such as are sold by 

 ironmongers and general dealers at very low prices : namely, 

 31. and 41. for a double gun. As, however, my readers are, 

 I hope, not likely to trust their lives to such articles, I shall 

 only give the annexed engraving, showing the appearance of 

 twopenny iron when browned and made to look as pretty as 

 possible to the eye. 



