LOADING. 249 



as to the comparative effects of the loose charge and the car- 

 tridge, with the assurance that he states nothing but what is 

 borne out by the evidence of facts, being founded upon the 

 repetition of careful and accurate experiments, which renders 

 any material error utterly impossible. 



" Comparative Effects of the Loose Charge and tlie Cartridge. 



LOOSE CHARGE. CARTRIDGE. 



Charge 1 \ oz. of No. 6 shot and The same weight will vary from 



2.", drachms of powder. Target 2 ft. 120 or 200 in target, and from 50 

 square. Distance 40 yds. Dif- to 100 through 24 sheets of thick 

 ferent guns will vary from 60 to brown paper. 

 100 pellets in target, and seldom 

 put more than 25 shots through 

 24 sheets of thick brown paper. 

 Should any gun exceed this state- 

 ment in its power of shooting, the 

 strength of the cartridge will in- 

 crease in the same proportion. 



STRENGTH. 



If additional strength be re- An increase of powder causes 



quired, more powder must of course the cartridge to shoot thicker as 



be used, which spreads the shot so well as stronger, so that its effici- 



considerably that there is as much ency maybe increased at pleasure, 

 lost as gained by the increase. 



FOULNESS AND RECOIL. 



As the barrel becomes foul the The recoil, even at first, is not 



recoil increases, in hot weather near so great as that of the loose 

 particularly. This also much de- charge ; besides which it never 

 creases the force of the discharge. " leads" the barrel, and conse- 

 quently never deteriorates the 

 snooting of the gun. 



SPREAD OP THE SHOT. 



Generally in irregular patches or Always much more uniform a 



clusters (particularly in close shoot- fact ascertained by Captain Ross 

 ing guns), leaving frequent spaces once killing 79 out of 80 pigeons, 

 through which a bird might trapped at 30 yards. The chances 

 escape.- were that with a loose charge one 



at least out of every dozen would 

 have escaped from this cause 

 alone. 



