488 The Hunting Grounds 



in length of range, power of penetration, and accuracy 

 of fire ; and all our first-class gimmakers, amongst 

 whom I may enumerate Purdey, Lancaster, Lang, 

 Westley Richards, Boss, Moore, Terry, Needharn, 

 Whitton and Daw, and Leetch are manufacturing 

 small arms (both guns and rifles) that load at the 

 breech, of one description or another. Lancaster, 

 Westley Richards, Terry, and Leetch have peculiar 

 systems of their own invention, but most of the others 

 have adopted that of La Faucheux, which, although 

 it has been invented for upwards of five-arid-twenty 

 years, was very little known in this country until that 

 excellent shot and practical mechanic Mr. Lang, of 

 " Old Red House " notoriety, took it up ; and it is to 

 him that we are indebted for the efficient carrying out 

 and improvement of a principle, which is almost as 

 great an era in gunmaking as the invention of the 

 copper cap. 



The following are some of the great advantages 

 that the new system has over the old for fowling- 

 pieces. 



I shall begin with ..the extreme facility and quick- 

 ness in the loading, whereby any person armed with 

 a breech-loader can load and fire at least six shots 

 in the same time that another with a common gun 

 takes to load and fire two, with much greater com- 

 parative safety, as with a breech-loader the muzzle of 

 the gun can never by any chance be directed towards 



