ENGLISH AND AMERICAN GUNS. 465 



likely to be enduring than the taper, owing to the great friction, 

 and to the comparatively small surface upon which it is exerted. 

 The closeness of the shooting depends upon the degree of contrac- 

 tion, and this is known as full or modified choke, the former being 

 generally applied to duck- and trap-guns, and the latter to those 

 generally used in the field. It is customary also to bore the barrels 

 of field guns differently, one being less choked than the other, the 

 open barrel being used for close shots, and for the first bird in 

 doubles, while the other serves for long shots. This style of bor- 

 ing is open to the objection that it tends to induce the use of one 

 barrel more than the other. The great majority of single shots 

 are at short ranges, and for these the open barrel is used, as the 

 choke cuts the bird up badly. The gun is thus subjected to an 

 unequal strain, which will, in time, produce greater wear in the 

 barrel most used, and in addition to this, the constant use of one 

 barrel tends to weaken the sportsman's command over the other. 

 Few men who use guns of this kind shoot equally well with both 

 barrels, whereas by having both bored alike, and accustoming him- 

 self to the use of either by shooting them in regular order, irre- 

 spective of where the bird may be, the sportsman wears his gun 

 equally throughout, and acquires a skill which he can depend upon 

 at all times. 



Choke-boring has given breech-loaders a great advantage over 

 muzzle-loaders in pattern and penetration, as shown by careful 

 targeting. Some muzzle-loaders have displayed exceptional shoot- 

 ing powers, but the best of them when subjected to the test of 

 scientific trials, in comparison with choke-bored breech-loaders, 

 have invariably failed to hold their own. Thus the improved 

 breech-loader, in addition to all the other advantages we have 

 named, possesses also shooting qualities superior to its predecessors. 



ENGLISH AND AMERICAN GUNS. 



Opinions differ upon the comparative merits of English and 

 American guns. In this we ignore a certain class of sportsmen 

 who appear to think that everything English is necessarily better 



