ON LOADING PUNT-GUNS 217 
balls and the other as soft as putty. There is no such differ- 
ence. Some say soft shot flattens out on a bone and more 
severely wounds a victim than if the bone were broken. But 
even a hardened shot will also do this. Then it is argued 
that hard shot gives clean penetration through flesh, and 
should a bone be struck, it smashes it. Yet, again, soft shot 
will break bones. Further, it is said hard shot ‘‘ leads” a gun 
less than soft, yet is liable to bulge the barrel of a choke-bored 
gun. And, again, hard shot is thought to give better patterns 
through maintaining, when thrown from the gun, its spherical 
form, and not being easily crushed, which might create 
‘“‘balling”’ of the shot charge. We do not wish to state 
our preference, yet trust that by our brief reference to the 
advanced theories (for such many of them must be), we 
leave the reader to choose for himself, and close our remarks 
on the point by repeating what we have already said, i.e. both 
kinds will kill if birds are within range. 
As a guide to gunners, we give the following latest tables 
of shot sizes, etc., as manufactured by two leading firms of 
shot makers :— 
ABBEY IMPROVED CHILLED SHOT CO., LTD., NEWCASTLE. 
Pellets Pellets 
No. per oz. No. per oz. 
Ds. ‘ . . 2600 2 : ‘ . . 122 
12 1250 I ? : . . 104 
II 1040 B ‘ : : - 98 
10 850 BB. : ‘ . 84 
9 580 BBB . 3 ‘ . 66 
8 450 A : : ‘ . 56 
7 340 AA. : : . 48 
6 300 AAA . : ‘ - 40 
6. 270 SSSG . : é 95 
5 min 240 SsG . ‘ . eS 
5 218 SG. . : : 8} 
4 172 | LC . : 3 : 6 
3 140 
