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APPENDIX.-C 
maker’s oil, just touch both the exterior and the interior of your 
barrels ; with an old tooth brush rub dry, and slightly anoint the 
inside of your hammers and the cones ; stop the muzzles with a 
plug of greased linen, and lay a single fold of the same over 
your cones, before you let your hammers down. 
A gun will keep thus for a long time without rusting; if, 
however, you wish to lay a valuable gun away for months or 
years, the better way is to warm the barrels as hot as the hand 
can bear them, and then fill them brimful of melted tallow; let 
this grow cold within them, and if well greased without with 
neat’s-foot oil, they will remain impregnable to rust, or wea¬ 
ther, or decay, for years. When wanted for use, the tallow can 
be melted out gradually by exposure to a slow fire. 
The more seldom locks are taken off the better, if the gun is 
water-tight; and even when they are taken off, the less often 
they are taken to pieces, the better again. 
If, however, taken to pieces they must be, here is the modus 
operandi :— 
Put the lock to full cock. Cramp the main spring. Let 
down the cock, and the main-spring will fall off. Unscrew and 
take out the scear. Undo the two screws, and take off the 
bridle. Unscrew and take out the scear-spring. Unscrew 
and take off the cock. Take out the tumbler. 
To put it together again :— 
Put in your tumbler, and screw on the cock. Screw on the 
scear-spring. Set on the bridle, with the two upper screws. 
Put in the scear. Let down the cock, cramp the main-spring, 
hook the end of it to the swivel, move it up till it catches on the 
plate ; uncramp it, and your lock is together. 
I would, however, advise no tyro to attempt this, as it is very 
rarely necessary to be done, and can, under all ordinary cir¬ 
cumstances, be postponed until a gunsmith can be found to do 
it. Natheless, like Columbus’ egg, it is not difficult to be 
done, when once you know how to do it. 
I disapprove the use of wire, brush, sand, or anything of the 
sort in barrels, which I believe, except in extraordinarily rapid 
