GUNS. 425 



The penchant for feather-weight guns is, unfortu- 

 nately, leading many otherwise level-headed men to such 

 extremes, that many English sportsmen are to-day using 

 twelve-gauge guns of less than six pounds in weight. 

 Such guns, to be reasonably safe, must be of very best 

 material; and, as no man can with comfort shoot many 

 shots with the full charge of a twelve-gauge gun in such 

 extremely light tubes, the load is usually cut down in 

 powder and lead to about what would be the equiva- 

 lent of a sixteen-gauge charge. While a gun of this bore 

 would answer every purpose, and be much more sym- 

 metrical than a wider one, on such a light frame and 

 aerial stock — cTiacun d son gout — and while men with 

 perfect vision will encumber themselves with eye glasses 

 in the endeavor to adorn their physiognomies, it is 

 quite to be expected that others will claim that their 

 pet little twelve-bores are the equals of any. Actual 

 tests prove to the contrary; but, none being so deaf as 

 those who won't hear, it is useless to reason against 

 reason. It is safe to say that a twelve-gauge gun, 

 with thirty-inch barrels, and weighing about 7^ pounds, 

 is about right as a field-gun, and if properly bored 

 will answer every pui-pose. 



When choke-boring first came out, the man who had 

 nothing better than a cylinder was unhappy in the 

 extreme; for the man with the choke-bore was relentless, 

 cruel, and so selfish that he lost no opportunity of display- 

 ing the marvelous performance of his improved weapon 

 by sieving paper targets at long range, and making, 

 by contrast with his, the unfortunate owner of the 

 cylinder go fairly crazy with chagrin and mortification in 

 seeing his expensive old pet completely distanced by a 

 common, though closer-shooting, rival. The superiority of 

 the choke-bore was simply squelching; it threw its charge, 

 particularly when loaded with small shot, so much 



