IMPROVEMENT IN FOWLINGPIECES. 339 



I then unscrewed the breech, or plug, which closes the The bottom 

 hind part of the barrel, and ordered another, the form f made concaTe « ' 

 which may easily be understood by referring to the annexed 

 representation, PI. ix, fig. 1. Now, after I had been at 

 considerable trouble, and much pains, for I was deter- 

 mined to have it fitted up under my own inspection, I was 

 very much disappointed in not being able to kill any thing 

 with it, if at a greater distance than about 25 yards, in 

 consequence of the shot being too much scattered. I va- This caused the 

 ried the charge several times to shoot at a mark, but CO uld shottoscatte^ • 

 by no means satisfy myself. 



After some time I took out the breech, and filed down J he bottom be- 

 the edges of the hollow part to the touch. hole, and fitted it the gun per*' 

 up in the form of a common breech. I now found I had im- formed better. 

 proved the killing quality of my gun, and had got pretty 

 much out of conceit with the concave form of breeching 

 guns. However it had this effect; since, thought I, the 

 form I have just described, impairs the shooting quality of a 

 fowlingpiece, there must be some contrary means of improv- 

 ing it ; and accordingly I had one made of a form which will 

 be easily understood, by referring to figure 2. 



Since this last improvement, I can with more certainty, An improve- 

 (and I speak within compass) bring down a bird at the "^ in j^ e 

 distance of about 60 or even 70 yards, than I could when I 

 made use of the breech fig. 1, at the distance of 20 yards. 



E, in fig. 2, is a strong iron or steel peg, standing out of 

 the common breech, up the centre of the barrel, about an 

 inch, (the thickness must be determined by the bore of the 

 barrel), so as to contain the charge of powder round the 

 peg; the wadding of the powder hereby resting upon the 

 top of it, so as to prevent the powder being hard rammed. 

 This not only keeps the grains of powder from being crush- Its effect- 

 cd by the ram-rod, but the impulsive force of the newly 

 liberated air, on firing the powder, being removed from the 

 central part of the charge of shot, has an opposite effect to 

 that of the breech, fig. 1, viz. that of concentrating instead 

 of dispersing the shot. 



I am, Sir, your humble servant, 

 Bradford, Yorkshire , July the 7th, 1812. E. G. 



2 A 2 V. Descrtjjm 



