468 LEWIS'S AMERICAN SPORTSMAN. 



dieted and disproved in our sporting journals. No man can with 

 truth bring such charges against our guns as he has brought, and 

 in the face of the undeniable fact that machine-work is more 

 accurate and exact than any which depends upon human muscles, 

 it is absurd to deny the high character of work performed by 

 machinery as perfect as any ever invented. Greener, and all other 

 foreign objectors, admit that no two guns can be made exactly alike 

 by the most skilful hand workman. Some slight variation in the 

 different parts will always be present, which utterly prevents inter- 

 changeability. The different parts of machine-guns, on the other 

 hand, are duplicates of each other, and can be substituted in case 

 of accident. Finish can be brought to greater perfection by 

 machinery than by hand, and certainly the quality of metal is not 

 affected by the manner in which it is worked. No sensible objec- 

 tion can, in short, be brought against American guns on this score, 

 and the claims of foreign builders will be taken cum grano sails 

 by men who judge from examination of the guns, and not from 

 blind acceptance of prejudiced statements. 



THE COST OF A GOOD GUN. 



A gun, like any other article, has a value proportional to the 

 quality of the material employed in its construction and to the 

 work put upon it. This may be called the natural value, and in 

 addition to this there will be a premium proportional to the 

 maker's reputation. We do not consider this addition unreason- 

 able within certain limits, as a maker is rightfully entitled to 

 recognition of the effort he has made to acquire a reputation for 

 good work, and that reputation is the buyer's security. Without 

 doubt, this premium is in some cases unreasonable, that is, certain 

 builders charge prices greater than those of men who turn out 

 practically as good guns. As we have said before, rich men may 

 patronize these high-priced makers, but the majority of sportsmen 

 are not wealthy, and our object at this time being to consider the 

 cost of a gun, sound, handsome, capable of standing the wear of 

 service, and shooting well, yet within the reach of men of mod- 



