II 



GUNS AND DOGS 



THE advice given by Polonius, " Costly thy 

 habit as thy purse can buy," applies as well to 

 guns to-day as to the clothes of Hamlet's day. The 

 sportsman in selecting a gun will do well to purchase 

 the best he can afford. A good gun will last a lifetime. 

 A cheap gun will soon wear loose at the breech, and a 

 shaky gun is an abomination. The locks of a good gun 

 will never miss fire, and will work with the precision of 

 a costly timepiece. The barrels will not wear out or 

 burst. A certain amount of good engraving about 

 the locks adds to the beauty of a gun and gives it a 

 finished look, but do not spend money on the fancy 

 engraving of shooting scenes with impossible ducks, 

 pheasants, or dogs inlaid in gold. The best guns, 

 some years ago, were made in England, and a real 

 good one was not to be had for less than $150 to $200. 

 The guns have been much improved of late ; there 

 are many excellent American makes, and a very safe 

 and serviceable gun may be had from $50 up. There 

 are much cheaper guns, to be sure, but I would not 

 advise buying them. A gun for general shooting, 

 when the sportsman has one gun only, should be 12- 

 gauge ; the barrels thirty inches in length ; the weight 

 seven to seven and one-half pounds. The gun should, 

 of course, be hammerless, since the hammerless gun 



9 



