Sept. 11, 1875. 
361 
HOW BREECH-LOADERS ARE MADE. 
BY RECAPPER. 
It occurs to me that I have never yet seen in your 
columns any article on this subject, and as there may 
be some of your readers who would like to know how 
their favorite breech-loader is made, I will, for their 
benefit, write down “ What I know about gunmaking.’’ 
I shall not, however, go into the minutise of barrel- 
making so far as to describe the various methods of 
producing the different styles of barrels, such as Damas- 
cus, Stub-iron, or Laminated steel, as that would require 
too much of my lime and your space. 
Almost every maker has his favorite metal for bar- 
rels, but if all the metals are good and are properly made 
lip, there is really very little diflerence in their shooting 
powers or durability. Greener’s barrels are nearly all 
made of the laminated steel. The barrels are tubes, 
made of rods, which are themselves made of steel scraps 
collected together and forged into a “ bloom,” and then 
rolled into rods. The rods are twisted while hot, bun- 
dled together, and again heated and rolled out into other 
rods. The barrel-forger takes a rod, and after beating 
it, puts it into a machine with one end of the rod in a 
stationary fork, and the other end in a fork connecting 
with a hiwidle. The handle is then turned a certain 
number of times, twisting the lod into a spiral. These 
spirals are again heated, a few inches at a time, and by 
“jumping” them against an anvil, are formed into 
short tubes. A number of these tubes are then welded 
together, end to end, forming a barrel in its rough slate, 
or as It is termed, “in the black.” They are now 
“ rough-bored,” and ground on the outside, the lump 
and ribs soldered on, and sent tj be proved. If they 
stand proof, they are stamped, and after being fine-bored 
and polished, inside and out, are sent to the “aciioner.” 
The “ action ” of a breech-loader should be made 
only of the finest iron. After the iron for the action 
has been thoroughly forged, it is put between dies and 
stamped, while heated, to the proper shape. The re 
cesses for the locKs, mainsprings and lump are then 
milled out. The “ actioner ” takes an action, and after 
fitting it by hand to the barrels, and also fitting in the 
locking bolls, of whatever pattern is required, the bar- 
rels are again sent for the final proof. If they again 
stand proof, they are stamped with another stamp, and 
are sent to the “ percussioner,” who puls in the strikers, 
and afterward, when the stock has been put on, he puts 
on the hammers. 
The barrels and action are now ready for the “ rough 
Stocker,” who fits on the action, and gives the stock, in 
a rough manner, something of its proper shape. Next, 
the “ middler” takes it in hand'. He fits in the triggers 
and puts on the butt-plate, and also fits on the fore-end 
of the stock. In the meanwhile, the “lock-filer” has 
been busy making a set of locks. They, with the gun, 
are now sent to the “finisher,” who lets in the locks, 
puls on the trigger-guard, finishes the shaping of the 
stock, and chequers it. The “ targetter” now takes the 
gun and tries it at the target, keeping a record of the 
shooting. Back it is sent to the shop, the works are 
polished and engraved, and the barrels are browned. 
The stock is then polished in oil, the metal parts are 
case-hardened, the gun is put together, and is then ready 
for the sportsman. 
It will be seen at once by the above brief description 
that making a good gun is no small matter. The mak- 
ing of each individual part is a trade by itself. There 
are very few makers, indeed, who have all the work 
done at their own places. It would require a large 
building and a heavy outlay of capital; and there is 
still another reason why it could not well be done. These 
workmen are the most independent set of fellows in the 
world. They like to be at liberty, and cannot be 
brought to work under a “boss.” Many of them do the 
work in their own homes, or rent a small room with 
vise and work-bench in it, by the week or month, and 
the work is sent to them. When work is scarce they 
buy material, and finishing up the part they are accus- 
tomed to make, have the workmen of the other parts 
to do the rest for them. When the gun is finished they 
take it, with others of the same sort, to what are called 
“factors,” viz: men who are gun-makers by courtesy 
only, and find a ready purchaser. The “factor” has 
his name engraved on the gun, and it is ready for sale, 
or export. These are the guns that are sent to this coun- 
try. They are not always reliable, fo.‘ the workman 
cannot afford always to purchase the best material. The 
guns are generally finished up to look well, and for the 
most part find ready sale to importers in this country. 
It is a common belief here that the first-class workmen 
will only do work of the best kind. This is not at all 
the truth. The man has his living' to make, and he 
works for perhaps a dozen different makers at once. 
All he asks is to paid according to tne kind of work he 
does. He cares nothing about the material, for he does 
not expect to use the gun when finished, or to have any 
interest in the sale. They will not be tied down to one 
mast‘_r, but claim the right to work for as few or as 
many as they please. True, there are some who, get- 
ting good prices for their labor, slick to one maker; but 
it is not the general rule. I speak now of the Birming- 
ham workmen, and some of them, be it remembered, 
are the best in the world, and work for the best London 
makers as well as for others. If my readers could visit 
Birmingham they would find that many of the gun- 
works with high-sounding names, that show so well in 
an advertisement, are only in reality one, or perhaps 
two, small rooms, fitted for the purpose of an ofiice and 
partial workshop and salesroom, and that all the work is 
done outside by a dozen different workmen, living in as 
manyditierent localities, working for many employers, 
and each one of them entirely independent of all the 
others. Each has hisregular prices, according to the class 
of work. You may have the material of a fine gun, pul 
together in the plainest manner. And, again, you may 
take the meanest pair of “skelp” barrels, and a mallea- 
ble cast-iron action, and (if you choose to pay the price) 
have them finished up by the same workman, so as to 
look like a first-class gun. These last-mentioned guns 
are too often sold here as line guns. 
I have examined hundreds of breech-loaders in the 
gun stores and importing houses here, in the last ten 
years, and I have yet to see one that had not been slight- 
ed. I have seen many pairs of barrels, of the best 
metal, that upon examination showed they had been 
“ faked.” This is, of itself, proof positive that they had 
failed to “ stand proof” in a satisfactory manner, and 
that the fiaws in thi m condemned them for the home 
trade. 
So thoroughly well posted are English sportsmen in 
general as to what a gun should be, that it would not 
do to attempt to palm oft an unsound or inferior gun 
on one of them. Those of them who are not posted are 
certain to have friends who are. I hope to see the day 
come when sportsmen in this country will be as hard to 
deceive. They have learned something already by ex- 
perience, but have much to learn yet. We have proved 
ourselves to pos.sess the champion rifle and wing shots. 
VVe ought now to prove ourselves good judges of guns. 
I have spoken of “faking,” as it is termed, or con 
cealing all outside flaws hi gun barrels, by tapping them 
down with light hammers in such a manner that when 
the barrels are polished and then browned, the flaws 
will not show. Now it may be asked of me, what harm 
mere outside flaws do to the barrels'? Very little harm, 
if we could only be sure that they were on the outside 
only. But they are au evidence of weakness of the 
fibres of the metal, and it is fair to suppose that if it is 
weak enough to show flaws in one place, it may do .so 
in other places. If we could be sure that all the flaws 
were on the outer and inner surfaces of the barrels only, 
it would not matter so much. But they may exist 
where we cannot see them, viz. : in the grain or thick- 
ness of the barrel. This is the thing to be dreaded; for 
these inner flaws may extend outwardly to the surface 
of the barrels, and by giving aceess to the air and mois- 
ture at once introduce a powerful agent of destruction. 
When such inner flaws do extend to the outer surface, 
no amount of “ faking” can insure their being perma- 
nently closed. Even should they be closed when the 
gun is new, the expansion and contraction of the metal 
from heat and cold, and the vibration of the barrels 
when repeatedly fired may open them again. One of 
your own correspondents writes from the West, in one 
of your recent numbers, that he had discovered “ seve- 
ral flaws” in the barrels of his breech-loader, and that 
they passed clear through the barrels, and that when 
oil was poured into the barrels it came through on to 
the outside ” He further states that the gun was sold 
to him as a good one, and it was no doubt so sold in 
good faith. This is only one instance, it is true, but if 
more guns were critically examined, we would hear of 
more such cases. A gunmaker of experience will tell 
you by one minute’s examination if a pair of barrels 
have been “faked.” He does not need to look at the 
barrels, for he can “ tell by the feel of them.” He has 
only to slide that thumb nail of his up and down the 
barrels, and he will know beyond all contradiction just 
where all the flaws are. With practice any one can 
learn this knack, and all should learn it. There are 
some who cannot be made to understand why a fine 
breech-loader .should cost more than a fine muzzle-load- 
er. They say, " it is only a gun, after all. True, you 
load at the breech instead of the muzzle; and we admit 
that it is safer, cleaner and more convenient, but we 
cannot see much difference in the guns after that. It 
requires no more material to make a breech-loader than 
it does to make a muzzle-loader, and we cannot see (ex- 
cept iu outside finish) much difference between the va- 
rious-priced breech loaders. One shoots about as well 
as the other; so if we must be in the fashion, and 
use a breech-loader, we are not going to throw 
away money on one of your high-priced guns.” And 
so they buy cheap breech-loaders, and when (after brief 
use) the “guns come to grief,” as they certainly do, 
they condemn all breech-loaders, and go back to the 
old style of gun. 
It is this class of men who are too indolent or too 
self-opinionated to inform themselves about how gun.s 
are made, and they condemn the breech-loader from ig- 
norance of its requirements. 
i 
Old fishermen about Buzzard’s Bay think that the 
black bass, of which there were a great many seven 
years ago, are again setting in and driving away the blue- 
fish. Menhaden were hardly ever more plenty than 
now, and, so much fish bait existing, the comparative 
scarcity of bluefish cannot well be accounted for. 
Swordfish are now obtained of good size and in large 
uumbets on the regular grounds. 
The Key West Key of tlee Gulf h&s reports from time 
to time of latjge schools of black fish (lautoga Ameri- 
canus) running on shore on the Keys seemmgly for the 
purpose of dying there. They have been watched mak- 
ing a straight course from deep water and forcing their 
way over shoals in order to leave their carcasses as near 
land as possible- Such a school is now beached at Key 
Vaccas. Can some naturalist explain this? 
Patterns. 
New Haven, Sept. 6. 
I have often felt the desire to know just what a good 
shot-gun ought to do, and have received much informa- 
tion through j'our columns by public and private 
reports, and have no doubt many others have received 
the same benefits, still there seems to be no definate 
standard just what a good gun should do, and we are 
left to the comparison of our own and those reports 
which are published. I, therefore, send some patterns 
shot in the selection of the proper charge for any breech- 
loader which is a “ P. Webley ifc Sou,” London, top- 
snap, 12 bore, weight 7^ lbs. and cost $110 ; lanimated 
bbls., distance 40 yards, 30 inch circle, Dupont’s 
powder, Tatham’s No. 7 shot, brown paper shells, 
Eley’s pink wad, 2 on powder, 1 on shot. 
Right bbl., 3 drame, No. 1, IH <^ 2 ., patteni 103 
Left “ 
.. .. .. 
l.'W 
Right “ •* 
“ •* *• 
149 
Left “ 
“ '* 
159 
No. 3, drams. 
oz., pattern 134 
•* 
m 
*. *. 
117 
*• “ 109 
Right, 3 drains, No. 3, 1 oz., putteni 96 
Lett, *• •* - •• 90 
Please say what j'ou think of these best pattern.s. 
K. 
Mr. Harria, a pedestrian, walked from London to Edinburgh in 
10>i da>8, with a 10 lb. knapeark. Average, milea per day. 
W. D. Marks, agent for Seth Green, has bnilt a fish pond at Dex - 
ler, and is flUing it with black ba.»s for stocking the inland waters 
of the State. 
Marshaix Mosher, aged 18 years, of .Mallory ville, N. Y., was out 
hunting woodchucks with Peter Miner, iu the town of Locke, and he 
carelessly leaned against his gun, and the charge pu.<ised iuto left 
shoulder. 
The cheerful note of Bob White is now heard at all hours of the 
day in New Jersey. In Pennsylvania, however, the severity of the 
past winter almost exterminated the bird. The increased number 
ill New Jersey is owing princ pally to importations from the iouth 
by the West Jersey Game Protective Astoci ition. Many hundreds 
of partridges and a number of pheasants were liberated in the VV’est- 
em portion of the istate last spring, and are thriving remarkably 
weU. 
A ciTizBX of Aurora, 111., owns what he calls a “ bear dog.*’ It is 
said to be a cross between a Newfoundland dog and a black bear. 
With the tail, bark and growl of a dog, it has, nevertheless, the 
striking characteristics of the bear in bead, nose, ears and rest! -ss 
ness of motion. 
Bears are reported nomcrous iu Eastern Vermont. F. T. Parsons 
met one in Braintree; C. W. Weeks, fishing in Caledonia County, 
taw another coming, as it seemed, >vith unfriendly inteotious. Ue 
w'as play log a fish on the book at the m ment. He was more unx ous 
to Secure the fish than stop the bear, and so plauged into the water, 
and when be woke up the bear wasn’t there. Ue forgot the flah after 
all, and hurried home 
