GUNS AND THEIR PROPER CHARGES. 53 



possible to get it. When I shot the championship 

 match against Abraham Kleinman, of Calumet, at 

 Chicago, there was none of Tatham's shot of the 

 right number in the city. Being determined to 

 shoot with no other, if I could help it, I tele- 

 graphed to Detroit for a bag, and it was sent on 

 by express in time for the shooting. I killed all 

 my hundred birds, and only seven fell out of 

 bounds. I decidedly prefer No. 9 shot to any 

 other number at the trap. For field-shoot- 

 ing 1 employ metallic cartridge-cases ; they shoot 

 well and are cheap, as they can be used many 

 times over. The paper ones shoot a little the 

 best, but a bird or two in field-shooting is a mere 

 nothing, and metal cases do well enough. I load 

 them with five drams of powder and one pink- 

 edged wad square down upon it, and the same 

 as to the shot. I employ wads two sizes larger 

 than the bore of the gun. Thus, for a ten-gauge 

 gun, No. 8 wads. This is necessary to keep them 

 firm, so that the charge may not start in one 

 barrel when the other is fired. Even with the 

 large, tight wads in the cartridges it is best to 

 fire the barrels as nearly alternately as may be. 

 It will not do to shoot one barrel four or five 

 times with the charge in the other all the while. 



