MISCELLANEOUS HINTS. 429 



RECEIPT. 



Three ounces of blacklead, half a pound of hogs' lard, one- 

 quarter of an ounce of camphor, boiled upon a slow fire ; the gun- 

 barrels to be rubbed with this, and, after three days, wiped off with 

 a linen cloth. Twice in a winter will keep off the rust, which the 

 salt water is otherwise sure to be continually bringing out from 

 the iron. 



In spite, however, of all these precautions, but more frequently 

 owing to the negligence of the sportsman, rust will sometimes accu- 

 mulate on the surface as well as the interior of the barrels, which 

 not only renders them unsightly, but is really very detrimental to 

 the metal ; therefore we are constrained to give in this place some 

 instructions for the removal of this troublesome deposit and the 

 restoration of the barrels to their original beauty. 



THE SHAPE OF THE GUN-STOCK. 



Until within a few years the gun-stock was made rather short, 

 with a considerable bend or curvature in it ; now we have gone to 

 the other extreme, and every one is striving for a long and straight 

 stock. This general desire for long stocks is not altogether judi- 

 cious or reasonable, for what suits one sportsman in this respect 

 will not necessarily suit all; but, on the other hand, each one 

 should be guided by the "peculiar build of his own person" when 

 ordering a gun stocked. 



To exemplify what we mean, we may here state that the gun- 

 smiths of England have arrived at such perfection in their pro- 

 fession that they actually measure their customers with as much 

 precision as a flash tailor does a dandy, for the purpose of ascer- 

 taining the style of stock best suited to their handling : the length 

 of the arms, neck, height, and general carriage of the body, are 

 all noted, and the stock is made in accordance with the measure- 

 ment. A clever gunsmith, who understands his business thoroughly, 

 will also observe his customer's mode of raising and presenting the 

 gun, his manner of holding his head while taking aim, and many 



