950 
FOREST AND STREAM 
[Dec. io, 1910. 
How to Use the Gun. 
ON PUTTING GUNS TOGETHER. 
The purchaser of a new breechloader should receive in¬ 
structions from the seller as to the manner in which the 
gun is to be put together. 
Putting the barrels on to the stock is a very easy mat¬ 
ter to one used to it; to the sportsman it is not always 
a simple matter, especially if the gun be of a type new 
to him. The gun will generally be delivered with the 
barrels and stock apart. The forepart will be upon the 
barrels, probably held there by the snap-bolt, which 
must be raised or pressed, and the fore-end at the same 
time lifted away from the barrels. In cheap guns it 
sometimes happens that the fore-end, which is easy 
enough to remove when the gun is together, fits very 
tightly upon the barrels when the action is off. It will 
come away easily if it be pressed down upon the barrels 
and toward the muzzle.' 
The gun being put together should be wiped free from 
dust; nothing tends more to clog the breech mechanism 
than dust. 
There are two simple ways of putting barrels and stock 
together. Take the stock in the right hand, keep the 
lever open with the thumb, partly draw out the ex¬ 
tractor in the barrels; take the latter in the left hand 
and hook them into the breech action, care being taken 
to pull the hook well on to the hinge-pin; when they 
are down on the bed of the breech-action, let go the 
action lever, turn the gun over, and put on the fore-end. 
Another way is to take hold of the breech-action firmly 
with the left hand; hold the barrels perpendicularly in 
the right, hook the breech-action on to the barrels and 
press it firmly home. . 
In putting a Greener ejector gun together— 
First—Pull extractors in barrel out to their fullest 
extent, press back the swivel and ejectors as close to the 
barrel lump as possible. 
Second—Take stock in the right hand, the barrels in 
the left, keep both in a horizontal position, the left side 
being uppermost. 
Third—Introduce the barrels into the breech-action 
body, hook first and pulling' hook well down on the 
hinge, snap the barrels home. No force is’ requisite. 
Fourth—Put on the fore-end. The bolts must be right 
home before affixing the fore-end, or possibly the lock 
mechanism will be broken if forced. 
Dirt often finds its way underneath the extractor, and 
this even in a most minute quantity will frequently 
occasion stiffness in working, or very possibly prevent 
the gun from closing. Oil and dust, and sometimes a 
little rust, will be found in the bottom holding-down 
bolt; this causes the gun to work stiffly. The gun must 
never be forced open, or unusual force used to close it. 
If the gun does not open freely it should be carefully 
examined, and on the principle that a stitch in time saves 
nine, it may be cleaned thoroughly, providing the cause 
of the stiffness is not found, and the obstruction re¬ 
moved. In putting a gun together, providing all the 
parts are clean, no stiffness will be noticed and no force 
requisite. In case of a deadlock in putting in the bar¬ 
rel, do not attempt to force the barrels in. but search 
for the cause. Probably, if a hammerless gun, it will 
require cocking 1 ; if a hammer gun, possibly the strikers 
are projecting through the face, and do not work freely, 
so that the extractor drops upon them and prevents tlie 
barrels going home. The keeping of the gun clean, and 
the mechanism free from gas. will insure immunity 
from the annoyance of a “jam” in the field. In case 
of the sticking together of parts that should work 
freely, such as the strikers jamming in the breech-action, 
the extractor clogging in the barrels, or bolts or any 
parts becoming fast with rust—there is nothing so good 
as an application of petroleum; repeated applications, 
and the exercise of patience, will not fail to loosen the 
“cement,” and make even the rustiest pin amenable to 
the persuasion of a hand turnscrew. Having the gun 
together, and working freely, it will require to be used 
carefully. It must not be let fall heavily on its butt 
plate: .t must not be pushed underneath the seat of the 
dog-cart or wagonette, and left to take its chance; it 
should not be left muzzle up or muzzle down against a 
well, a gate, or a tree. It should not be used as a 
crutch, an alpenstock or crowbar. From a critical ex¬ 
amination of many guns returned to the author, after 
very little wear, lie fancies they must at times be 
utilized for very different purposes from those for which 
their makers intended them. To speak more plainlv, 
Some guns are abominably abused. 
The man who means to use his gun roughly is not 
likely to benefit by reading any number of directions 
as to the care of guns; there are sportsmen who do 
not wish to spoil their guns, who act in such a manner 
as to injure them, and for them the following hints are 
intended: 
More breechloaders get shaky in the action by being 
worked carelessly than from repeated firing or the use 
of heavy charges. The barrels of a breechloader should 
never be jerked down, nor should they be thrown back 
into position with a snap. The proper manner in which 
to load a gun is to drop the stock under the elbow and 
press it firmly against the hip or the body, unfasten the 
lever with the right hand, and with the left grasping 
the barrels a few inches in front of the fore-end, lower 
them easily. Close the gun in a careful manner after 
putting in the cartridges, bringing the stock up to the 
barrels. 
CLEANING GUNS. 
To clean a gun after a day’s shooting: If the gun be 
wet, it should be wiped dry at once, but the cleaning of 
the barrels and breecb-action may be left until the 
sportsman or his servant has time to do it properly. 
To clean the barrels: Use the cleaning rod, with tow 
and oil or turpentine. To remove the fouling, put 
muzzles on a piece of wood and push the rod down to 
within an inch of the muzzle, and draw up to the cham¬ 
ber. Do this two or three times; then push right 
through. Use the bristle brush or the rod with plenty 
of flannel; finish with the mop soaked in refined neats- 
foot, pure Arctic sperm oil or vaseline. 
Never half clean the barrels; always wipe them dry 
and clean before finally oiling, and do not put the mop 
used for oiling into a foul barrel. To remove the lead¬ 
ing front the inside of a gun barrel, soak well with tur¬ 
pentine; then clean well with a bristle brush, or even 
with a wire brush, but never use emery if the shooting 
qualities of the gun are valued. 
Always wipe the bed, face and joint of the breech- 
action with an oily rag or flannel. A little linseed oil 
may be rubbed over the stock occasionally. 
Before putting the gun together, ascertain that all the 
bearing parts are free from dust or grit. 
The joint may be lubricated with a mixture of half 
best Russian tallow and half petroleum. In most ham¬ 
merless guns, if the cover plate underneath the breech- 
action body is taken off, the locks may be inspected, 
oiled, and any rust or clogged oil and dust removed 
from the bent. 
The cocking-lifters of hammerless guns, the holding- 
down and top bolts, and the triggers, if they have a 
tendency to clog, may be touched with a knitting needle 
dipped in petroleum. They must be lubricated, whenever 
they require it, with chronometer oil, Rangoon oil, or 
finest neatsfoot. 
Do not use a feather for the purpose of putting on 
any lubricant; a wire knitting needle or bodkin is much 
better. 
To remove rust from inside or outside of a barrel, 
procure a tub, and with a kettle of boiling water well 
scald the barrels inside and out, inserting a wooden peg 
in one of the barrels to hold them by, wipe perfectly 
dry with flannel, and then oil. It is as well to do this 
before putting the gun aside for any length of time. 
If the barrels are foul through using inferior powder, 
and the fouling has become bard and dry, cold water 
or hot soap-suds may be used to cleanse them. Water 
boiling hot kills rust. 
Turpentine, often used successfully to clean the 
residue from gun barrels, will give great trouble if it 
gets into the fine fitting parts of the mechanism of the 
breech-action and locks, and must therefore be used with 
care. 
Rusty or tight breeches in muzzleloading barrels may 
often be turned out. -providing the breech ends of the 
barrels have been soaked in petroleum. Very obstinate 
breeches may require to be well beated, as well as 
lubricated, before they can be turned out, but usually 
petroleum will be found a sufficient remedy for incipient 
rust of the working parts. All the parts of the mechan¬ 
ism may be cleaned with petroleum; it removes clogged 
vegetable and animal oils well. 
STRIPPING GUNS. 
Some sportsmen like to take their guns all to pieces 
and rearrange the parts. This is not requisite, and does 
not in any way add to the efficiency of the arm. The 
gun-maker is the proper person to take apart the locks, 
or strip the breech-action; if there is not a practical man 
within easy reach, the sportsman must, of course, himself 
endeavor to effect any repairs; but it is not advisable to 
interfere with any gun that performs properly, nor to 
practice upon any gun that works satisfactorily. If 
practicable, have a good gun examined each summer by 
its maker or a competent gunsmith. 
To take to pieces a breechloader for cleaning or 
repairs, first remove the fore-end and barrels; then, 
with a strong hand turnscrew, turn out the side pins, 
and remove the locks and hammers together; next turn 
out the guard pins and remove the bow or guard; an¬ 
other pin will then be seen in the rear end of the 
trigger plate; remove this pin (occasionally this “hand 
pin” is placed in the reverse way; the head of this 
pin will then be found on the top of the grip in the 
tang of a long break-off). The “furniture pin” should 
next be partly turned out; this pin fastens the fore part 
of the trigger plate to the body of the breech-action, and 
is easily distinguished. Next remove the “breech pin” 
upon the top of the tang of the break-off; in top lever 
action guns the breech pin is covered by the lever, which 
must be held on one side while the pin is being turned 
out. Rarely a false pin is screwed into the lever, which, 
when removed, will leave an aperture through which the 
breech pin must be extracted. After having removed 
the furniture pins, the trigger plate and. triggers may 
be taken from the stock, after which the breech-action 
may be removed entire. 
To strip breech-actions, if the action is a treble wedge- 
fast or ordinary top-lever double-bolt action, the first 
thing will be to remove the spring. To do this, first 
partly turn out the lever spring pin (under tang of 
break-off), and with a pair of pliers or pincers take hold 
of the spring and slightly grip it. and lift the spring 
toward the head of the pin. It will then be free from 
its .bearing 1 , and may be removed by completely turn¬ 
ing out the spring pin. (This does not apply to spiral 
springs.) Next proceed to turn out the pin or pins 
connecting the top-lever tumbler with the bottom bolt, 
and remove the bolt by drawing straight out backward. 
Next turn out the lever pin on top of lever, and by 
means of a small wire punch inserted in the lever pin¬ 
hole, knock out the lever tumbler. The lever may then 
be removed, and the top bolt, if any, will fall out. In 
side-lever guns, first knock out the pivot on which the 
lever works, then remove spring and bolt. Snap guns 
with lever underguard may be stripped in much the same 
manner, but the spring and lever are fixed to the trigger 
plate, and the spring must be removed before knocking 
out the pivot-pin. Owing to the numerous complicated 
breech-actions that are made, it is possible that the 
above directions will be sufficient to enable an amateur 
to strip his gun; but they will be explicit enough for 
W. W. Greener treble wedge-fast and most modern guns. 
There are many breech-actions made that puzzle expert 
gunsmiths to take apart and repair, and it would be 
foolish for an amateur to attempt to take them apart 
if.a gun-maker is within reasonable distance. 
To strip a ntuzzleloader, first remove the lock, then 
the barrels, then proceed to remove the furniture and 
break-off, as already described for breechloaders. In 
military rifles, the bands fastening the barrel to the 
stock must, be loosened by a screw underneath, and 
then removed by slipping over muzzle of barrel. (Horn 
heel-plates are usually glued to the stock, as well as 
being fastened by the screws). 
To strip a gun lock, first remove the mainspring. 
This may be accomplished with a pair of lock vises, or 
a cramp may be made by filing a notch or slot in a 
narrow strip of 3-16 iron or steel, the size of the 
breadth of mainspring when at full cock. Having 
cocked the lock, slip the cramp up the mainspring untjl 
it catches, then release the scear and push down the 
tumbler. The spring being firmly held in the cramp, 
it may be unhooked from the swivel and removed from 
the lock plate; then unscrew the bridle pins and re¬ 
move the bridle. 
The scear may then be lifted off if the tumbler is not 
in bent. The scear spring will then be at liberty, and 
may be removed by turning out the pin. Now the ham¬ 
mer should be removed; the tumbler pin is first turned 
out, and by means of a wire punch inserted in the 
hole, the tumbler is knocked away from both hammers 
and lock plate. If a hammer fits well, it will be im¬ 
possible to remove it in any other way without injury 
either to the hammer or the lock. The spring must not 
be taken out of the cramp;, it requires no cleaning 
except at the claw or hook. In putting a lock to¬ 
gether, first screw on the scear spring, then the tumbler, 
then* place into half-bent. Then affix the bridle, and 
screw it to the lock plate. Take the mainspring, ready 
cramped, hook on to the swivel in tumbler, place the 
stud in the hole drilled for it in the lock-plate, raise 
the tumbler to full bent, squeeze the mainspring down 
close to the plate, and remove the cramp: the lock 
will be ready then for affixing the hammer, which should 
be knocked on after placing the lock firmly on a solid 
block to prevent the bridle from breaking. 
To take apart the lock work of the Anson and Deeley 
hammerless gun, proceed as follows: 
Having removed the barrels, snap down the hammer 
or tumblers, remove the cover-plate from bottom of 
breech-action body; knock out with a wire punch, from 
the right side, the scear pivot, or the one nearest the 
stock, and remove the scears; knock out the dog pin, 
or the one nearest the fore-end joint, and remove the 
cocking levers; partly screw on the cover plate and 
carefully knock out the center pivot or tumbler pin, 
remove the cover plate, and the tumblers and main¬ 
springs will drop out upon the breech-action being re¬ 
versed. The scear springs lie along the bottom of the 
action, and may be removed after turning out the pins. 
To put the lockwork together, first place the mainspring 
in the bend of the tumbler, with the stud of main¬ 
spring bearing in its proper slot, and its other extremity 
bearing against the under side of the nose of the tum¬ 
bler; the tumbler and spring having been placed in the 
slot must be forced into position with a cramp or piece 
of notched wood; knock in the tumbler pivot half way, 
insert the other tumbler and spring in the same man¬ 
ner; knbek the wire pivot right through the lifting-dogs, 
the scears must then be put in, and the whole covered 
with the cover plate. The Greener hammerless guns, 
which have similar tumblers and scears and mainsprings, 
may be taken to pieces in the same way, but there are 
no dogs or lifters to be removed. 
The lock work of the Greener ejecting guns is very 
similar. Those having the lock work in the fore-end are 
stripped in the manner of the Anson and Deeley, if 
the locks are on that principle, or like an ordinary gun 
if the work is affixed to ordinary side-lock plates. 
The ejecting locks in the fore part are easily stripped. 
The screws in the fore-end free the wood, and this re¬ 
moved, the box containing the mechanism is soon de¬ 
tached. 
A difficulty is sometimes experienced in cocking the 
fore-end ejecting mechanism. If the fore-end be re¬ 
moved while the gun is opened, it can only be re¬ 
placed either when the gun is in the same position or 
by cramping the fore-end ejecting tumblers into bent; 
this may be done by pressing them against the square 
edge of a wooden table or bench, and while compressing 
the springs, pressing downward, thus forcing the tum¬ 
blers into cock or bent; the fore-end may then be re¬ 
placed in the ordinary way. 
To get the extractor from the barrels, the ejecting 
levers usually have first to be removed, then a stop-pin 
must be found and removed. It is generally on the 
flat in front of the hook of the barrel lump, and in a 
line with the extractor leg, or, as in the Greener gun, 
it is a small pin in the groove of the extension of the 
top rib through which the cross-bolt passes. 
• HOW TO REPAIR GUNS. 
The following hints will be found useful to those who 
use guns far away from a gun-maker’s shop, and need 
to repair broken-down guns for immediate use: 
The action or top-lever spring may break, but this need 
not in any way affect the utility or safety of the arm, 
only the lever will have to be moved home when the 
gun is closed, instead of it snapping there, or the spring 
may be roughly replaced by an elastic band suitably 
adjusted. The strikers of ordinary guns will become 
useless after continuous wear, owing to the hardened 
hammer flattening the head of the striker, and so 
shortening its travel as to make mis-fires of frequent 
occurrence. The nipple must then be turned out with a 
key or a pair of pliers, and a new spare striker inserted. 
In hammerless guns, the tumbler and striker being in 
one, and the point itself striking against the soft cop¬ 
per cap of the cartridge, this flattening does not occur, 
the strikers being of the best mild steel, carefully 
hardened and tempered, and' so well made that break¬ 
ages are of very rare occurrence. / * 
Perhaps the most usual accident to a sportsman will 
be the denting or the bulging of the barrels. When a 
bruise is discovered, do not in any case shoot out of 
the gun until the barrels have been repaired, if the 
bruise is a bad one; for firing' out of a badly bruised 
barrel invariably causes the barrel to bulge consider¬ 
ably, or fracture, at the bruised part. To remove a 
dent, the following is the readiest expedient; Having 
removed the barrel from the action or stock, insert in 
the barrel a solid leaden plug or bullet, or even a 
wooden plug, as near the size of the barrel as possible; 
