356 THE SPOUTING RIFLE. 



RAMRODS. 



Breech-loaders, as a matter of course, do not require a 

 ramrod, but every kind of muzzle-loader must have one. 

 In order to avoid bruising the point of the bullet in ram- 

 ming it down, the head of the ramrod should be made 

 hollow, and this should fit the bullet exactly, for if it is too 

 shallow it will bruise the point of the ball, and if too 

 deep the edge will cut some part of the cone, and thereby 

 impede the flight. The rod itself should be either of metal 

 or of very strong wood. An excellent plan is to make it of 

 iron, and hollow, so that, however foul the barrel may be, 

 the powder may be poured down through the ramrod, the 

 head of which, while it fits the conical point of the bal], acts 

 as a trumpet mouth for the powder. When thus made 

 hollow, the metal ramrod is scarcely heavier than when 

 made of wood. 



PLAIN AND TELESCOPE SIGHTS. 



Every rifle is, or ought to be, carefully sighted, and this can 

 only be done after repeated trials. It is necessary to fix two 

 sights: one near the muzzle, which does not rise or fall, and 

 which may be either a simple pointed wedge, or what is called 

 the " bead sight," but both should be arranged so that they may 

 be moved towards either side by a slight blow. By this plan, 

 any inclination of the trajectory to either side is allowed for, 

 this front sight being moved in the same direction. The 

 back sight is a more complicated affair, inasmuch as it must 

 vary with the distance, for however well it acts at 100 yards, 

 it will be useless at 200, and so on. Hence it is usual either 

 to have a succession of flaps which turn down over each 

 other, or to have one small frame to turn up and fall down on 

 the barrel, and on this is a slide containing the sight, so fixed 

 that it can be raised to the several elevations necessary for 

 all the distances within the compass of the frame. A 

 Y-shaped sight is that best suited to sporting purposes, and 

 the succession of flaps as shown in the two-grooved rifle at 

 page 316 the most convenient for rapidly changing them ac- 

 cording to the distance required. It takes some little time 



