This is a reproduction of a book from the McGill University Library
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Title: The breech-loader and how to use it

Author: Greener, W. W. (William Wellington)

Publisher, year: London : Cassell & co. Ltd., 1892

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ISBN of reproduction: 978-1-926671-90-1

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THE BREECHLOADER,

AND HOW TO USE IT.

THE FIRST COVEY.

THE BREECH-LOADER,

AND HOW TO USE IT.

W. W. GREENER,

Author of "The Gun and its Development "Modern Shot Guns,
"Choke-Bore Guns," "Modern Breech-Loaders,'' etc.

{Hudtratrtu

CASSELL & COMPANY, Limited:

LONDON, PARIS & MELBOURNE.
1892.

INTRODUCTION.

This treatise is written for that numerous class of
sportsmen who delight in a day’s shooting, but have
neither the time nor the means to make the sport
a life’s study. Published at a popular price, it will,
it is hoped, reach many who have hitherto been
deterred from shooting, believing it to be an ex-
pensive recreation. The author’s aim is to induce
all who can to participate in a manly sport, and to
advance the interests of those who can look to the
Gun for pleasure, health, or occupation.

The book is not written for experts, nor for those
who have special opportunities for the acquisition
of the art of shooting ; and in order to make it as
attractive as possible to the general reader, many
matters which would interest the enthusiastic shot
only, have been omitted.

ERRATA.

Page 130, line 16, for “36 inches” read “30 inches.”

Page 142, inscription under diagram should read :
“ Fac-simile of shooting of an Improved Cylinder at
forty yards, with 3 drs. Black powder, i| oz. No. 6 shot
reduced by photography).”

Page 148, line 8, read “ Convenient for good shots.”

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I.

PAGE

The Shot-Gun : its Invention, History, and Varieties — The
component Parts of a Gun — The Material for Gun-
Barrels — Calibres, Weights, and Standard Charges ... i

CHAPTER II.

On the choice and fit of a Gun — Spurious, Sham, and
Second-hand Guns — The Quality, Price, and Manufacture
of Guns — The Gun that will suit — Ordering by Letter
— Choosing from Stock ... ... ... ... ... 47

CHAPTER III.

Of the Shape and Dimensions of Gun-Stocks— Shooting
Unamended by fit of Gun — Of the fit of Guns — How
to choose a Gun that will fit Correctly — Oliver’s Sight-
Aligner and adjustable Gun — Position in Shooting ... 73

CHAPTER IV.

Handling the Gun — How to put Guns together — How to
clean and keep in Good Order- — How to prevent Break-
ages and Damage — How and when to send for Repairs
— Temporary Breakdowns and the Remedy — Rough-and-
ready Repairs ... ... ... ... ... ... 103

CHAPTER V.

The Essentials of a Gun— The Flight of a Charge of Shot —
Pattern, Penetration, Velocity, Stringing, Spread, Range,
Recoil — Large-Bore Guns — The Pigeon Gun — The Game
Gun — Choke-Bores versus Cylinders — How to Load —
Useful Loads... ... ... ... .. 124

Vlll

Contents.

CHAPTER VI.

A Miscellaneous Chapter — Gunpowders — Nitro-Explosives —
Shot — Cartridge-Cases — Ignition — Wadding — To load
Cartridges — The Shot Counter — Loaded Cartridges —
Gun-Cases — Cleaning Implements — The Weight of
Trigger Pulls...

CHAPTER VII.

The Gun: how to Use it — Handling the Gun in the Field —
Positions : Carrying, Waiting, Loading — The Art of
Wing Shooting— Holding Ahead — Theories and Figures
— Holding On — Snap Shooting — -Of Position in Shooting
and Aiming .. ... ... ... ... ... ... 188

CHAPTER VIII.

Of Shooting generally — The Etiquette of Field and Cover —

How to obtain Sport and enjoy it — How to find Game
— How to Approach — The Value of Shootings ... ... 220

CHAPTER IX.

Of Trap Shooting — Pigeons and Traps — Boundaries — Rules
of Pigeon Shooting — Modifications — Record Matches —

Hints on Live Bird Shooting — Inanimate Targets —Rules
of Target Shooting — Best Scores recorded — How Experts
Shoot — Performances of the Best Guns at Gun Trials —

Long Shots — Grouse Driving by Sir F. A. Milbank ... 234.

THE BREECH-LOADER,

AND HOW TO USE IT.

CHAPTER I.

THE SHOT-GUN: ITS INVENTION, HISTORY, AND
VARIETIES — THE COMPONENT PARTS OF A
GUN — CALIBRES, WEIGHTS, AND STANDARD
CHARGES.

The first use of small shot in fire-arms was made
by German peasants and shepherds about the
middle of the sixteenth century, and from the
single barrel-wheel lock musket of those days the
present almost perfect type of sporting weapon has
been slowly evolved. It was not until the middle
of the seventeenth century that double guns were
made small and light enough to be of use for
sporting purposes, and it was a century later before
ribs were added.

The flint-lock gun, as made at the commence-
ment of the present century, was regarded by the
sportsmen of those days as an almost perfect
weapon. That celebrated maker, Joseph Manton,

The Breech-Loader,

lived long enough to see the introduction of per-
cussion-caps, and joined in the stormy discussions
as to the merits of detonating balls, caps, and flints
— questions which vexed the sportsmen of his day.

The percussion-cap gun was a great improve-
ment on the flint-lock, and although its day was
short, it may be regarded as the most durable gun
ever made, or probably ever to be made. Gun-
makers then reverted to an ancient principle : that
of breech-loading, and the much over-rated De-
faucheux gun and the truly great achievement of
making the cartridge-case contain its own means of
ignition were the immediate results.

The principle of dropping down the barrels for
loading is that most generally adhered to by gun-
makers, and has now attained its most perfect form.
The pin-fire, or Lefaucheux cartridge, was quickly
superseded by the central-fire system, introduced
into this country by Mr. Daw, of Threadneedle
Street, about 1861, and so enthusiastically cham-
pioned by him as to become almost immediately
popular. The great advantages of the central-fire
system are — increased safety from accidental dis-
charge, and greater certainty of ignition, non-escape
of gas round the pin-hole, greater cleanliness, and
greater speed in loading.

The rebounding lock by which the hammer re-
bounds automatically until it stands free from the
striker is the latest important improvement appli-
cable to the central-fire gun of all systems of

And How to Use It.

breech-loading, but has in turn been quite super-
seded by the hammerless gun.

Before considering the advantages of the various
types of modern guns, it may be advisable to give
in detail the component parts of a gun, with such
particulars concerning them as will enable any one
quite unacquainted with fire-arms nomenclature to
understand such technical terms as are found in all
treatises of this kind, and know a gun thoroughly.

BARREL.

The tube in which the charge is fired, usually
of iron rods welded together, sometimes of steel,
drilled or rolled. In double guns the tubes are
brazed together at the breech end, the lumps for
holding the tubes to the breech-action body being
dovetailed into them and brazed. The ribs are the
bands of metal soldered to the tubes from breech
to muzzle, the loop the small lump to which the
fore part of the breech mechanism is attached.

The iron for the manufacture of gun-barrels was
formerly made from scrap and old horse-shoe nail
stubs. The modern way of preparing the metal
for gun-barrels is to make the whole from new
metal, as follows : — Bars of prepared steel and
superior gun-iron are placed together in fagots
alternately, then heated to welding heat in a
furnace, and placed under a tilt hammer, and
welded into one bar, which is passed through rolls
and cut into pieces ; then go through the same
b 2

The Breech-Loader ,

processes of hammering and welding again. The
best metals made by this process are laminated steel
and fine Damascus, the former containing a larger
proportion of steel.

The cheapest kind of twist barrels is that
called scelp twist, as illustrated. It is made from
the commonest gun-iron, drawn out into ribands,
and coiled round a mandril, and afterwards
welded together. When finished and browned, the
figure consists of narrow lines, light and dark alter-
nately, which run spirally round and round the
barrels, from breech to muzzle. This kind of barrel
is used on the commonest guns only.

DAMASCUS.

The Damascus and laminated barrels differ only
in the way that the iron and steel are put together
in the first process.

For the cheaper or single-iron Damascus, a
square rod is taken about four feet long and
five-eighths inch thick, and placed in a forge fire
until about eighteen inches of the rod is brought to
a red heat, when one end is thrust into a square
hole in a block made fast to a frame, and the other
end fixed into a movable head at the other end of
the frame. A rotating motion is then given to the
movable head by means of a winch-handle and
cog-wheels. The rod, being square, cannot turn
round with the head, so is twisted on itself.

The Breech-Loader ,

The cheaper quality laminated steel, which is
also known in the trade as single-iron Damascus, is
made by drawing out this one rod into a riband,
which is afterwards coiled on a mandril and welded
together. The illustration shows the figure of the
barrel when finished. The next quality is two-iron
Damascus or laminated steel, made from two twisted
rods, each three-eighths square, and welded together
and rolled into a riband, with the twisted spirals in
opposite directions, as shown.

Three rods are used, and welded in the same
way for the best barrels. This is the favourite
number for English barrels. Sometimes, but
rarely, four rods are used. Three rods make a
very much finer figure than either one or two
rods. See the barrels of the treble- wedge-fast gun,
page 29.

In Belgian barrels as many as six rods are
sometimes used, but the over-twisting rends apart
the fibres of the iron and the rods are weakened
thereby.

Belgian barrels are considered to be inferior
to those made in Birmingham, on account of the
soft material used in their manufacture, there
being but little steel in their composition. The
figure is frequently obtained by using two different
preparations of iron instead of iron and steel.

Belgian barrels are, therefore, not suitable for
full choking.

And How to Use It.

Scclp Gun-Barrel.

Two-Iron Damascus Baird.

The Breech-Loader ,

STERLING STEEL AND HOMOGENEOUS METAL
FOR GUN-BARRELS.

Apart from the question as to which metal is
the best for shot-gun barrels, it is possible to con-
sider the merits of steel and iron alloys as material
suitable for manufacture into gun-barrels.

Steel of good quality has been proved to pos-
sess sufficient strength to resist the strain to which
a shot-gun barrel is ordinarily subjected ; and
Messrs. Whitworth, by careful manufacture, have
turned out barrels of a uniform quality of excel-
lence.

The question of steel as a suitable metal for
gun-barrels has occupied the attention of gun-
makers for several years, and, after many experi-
ments, a superior description of steel possessing
valuable qualities has been adopted. “Sterling
Steel ” is the name given by the author.

The mode of manufacture is not to draw the
steel at all, as generally understood, but to forge
out the barrel into a solid rod, and afterwards drill
the whole length. Barrels so made are of closer
metal, stronger and denser than any obtainable by
other means.

The “ Sterling Steel ” recommended is made of
a homogeneous metal, of very fine quality, and
admirably adapted by its great tenacity, or tensile
strength, for use in gun-barrels. It has been
thoroughly tested by the author, as well as at the

And How to Use It.

Government Proof House, with heavy charges —
viz., 28 drams of powder and 4! ounces of shot,
this charge being equal to seven ordinary charges
of powder and four charges of shot. This test
and many others it withstands perfectly.

“ Sterling Steel ” barrels are of sufficient strength
for all practical purposes, and only in appearance
are they at a disadvantage when compared with
twisted Damascus and laminated steel barrels.

Unlike “ Cast Steel ” barrels of the old type,
“ Sterling Steel ” barrels bulge instead of breaking,
and increased strain produces an open burst similar
to that of a welded barrel, instead of a sharp break
or longitudinal rip, as is found to result with im-
perfect steel barrels. The quality of the metal is
such that it will stand successively more than
double the strain to which a sportsman can submit
his gun with fair usage. And it will not “ rip ”
or “ crack,” however sharp may be the explosive
used.

Good steel barrels have the following advan-
tages over the Damascus barrels : they are less
liable to honeycomb from the corrosive action of
gunpowder ; they are not so easily bent from
rough usage as twisted barrels, and, being harder,
they are not so likely to be injured when acci-
dentally dropped. Many guns have been ruined
by this cause alone.

There are no welds in these barrels ; they are
absolutely free from greys or flaws of any descrip-

The Breech-Loader ,

tion. They may be relied upon as being equal to
those manufactured by the Whitworth Company ;
and, further, they do not add to the cost of the
gun, whereas Whitworth barrels cost more, and
“ Sterling Steel ” is always obtainable without the
annoying delays which often result when a special
barrel is required of Whitworth metal.

The bulges shown in the illustration were
caused by placing a small charge of shot between
two felt wads (first a thick felt, then the shot, then
the thin felt) at the spot where the bulges are, and
firing an ordinary charge from the gun.

The burst was effected by increasing the charge
of shot between the wads, the bulges appearing
about fifteen inches from the breech end after firing.

As many as five thick wads may be placed in
any part of the barrel, and the gun fired without
causing a bulge, but, as proved by experiment,
even the small quantity of g-ounce shot, placed
between wads, at any place in the barrel, will
cause a bulge even as near as nine inches from the
breech. The different sizes of the bulges in the
illustration were caused by different charges of
shot. The shape of the burst indicates the extent
of bulging before bursting. The illustration is
reduced to half size.

As to the shooting qualities of steel barrels, it
is not claimed that they shoot better than those of
ordinary gun iron, as good shooting is only ob-
tained by skill in boring ; but steel, being harder,

And How to Use It. ii

Bulge in “Sterling Steel” Barrel, caused by an Obstruction in the Muzzle during Proof.

(Full size.)

The Breech-Loader ,

they should retain their shooting qualities longer
than those of softer metal.

Other steels may possess the tenacity re-
quired of the material for shot-gun barrels, but
none have yet proved so reliable. The alloys of
iron, manganese steel, nickel steel, aluminium steel,
and other materials possessing essential features,
are not yet made of such uniform quality as will
admit of their adoption by gun-makers of reputa-
tion for making into shot-gun barrels, although
undoubtedly of such an alloy the guns and rifles of
the future will be manufactured.

THE BREECH-ACTION

consists of the body to which the barrels are fitted,
and in which the lock-work is arranged or at-
tached, the bolts to secure the barrels to the body,
the lever-spring, &c., to work the bolts, the joint-
pin on which the barrels are hinged by the barrel
lump, and the knuckle-joint against which the fore-
part abuts.

FORE-PART.

A detachable piece which completes the breech
mechanism, and forms the knuckle-joint ; it lies
under the barrel, to which it is secured by a fas-
tener engaging with the barrel loop. ( See Illus-
trations.)

LOCK-WORK.

The firing mechanism of the weapon consists

And How to Use It.

The Breech-Loader.

mainly of a spring, which is compressed as the
hammer is cocked, a scear which enters a notch in
the tumbler to hold the hammer at cock until the
trigger is pulled, and such firing pins, nipples,
pins, bridles, &c., as are necessary to secure the
mechanism to the lock-plate in the breech-action
body, and communicate to the percussion-cap, in
the cartridge-case, the force of the blow given by
the liberated mainspring. It also includes safety
bolts and various devices to protect the user of
the gun from the accidental discharge of the
weapon.

STOCK.

The handle of walnut-wood to which the gun
is fixed, in order that it may be fired from the
shoulder, aligned, balanced, and the various
mechanisms manipulated with ease. The furni-
ture of the stock consists of the heel-plate, trigger-
guard, &c.

The modern gun is made in various styles, of
divers types, and several principles of breech-load-
ing. The characteristics of these are illustrated by
the following descriptions : —

The original Lefaucheux gun, with lever moving
horizontally to the right, and lying under and
parallel to the barrels when the gun is closed, is
rarely seen in this country. On the continent and
in the French, Portuguese, and Dutch colonies it is
still found in daily use.

pBLJ

—

The Modern Rebounding Gun Lock

and its Parts.

It\ The bridle and scear-spring pins (2) ; the swivel (3) ; the scear
(4) ; ( ttTc^“n| (7) ; the b P ridlf f 9 ) ; the tumbler t^tumb er-

Din (10) ■ the firing mechanism in connection with the lock consists

m 'its simplest format the hammer ( S ) ; the striker (8) ; the nipple (6).

4hhMI*J

:ss Gun,

[4) scear-spring ; (5) a tumbler pivoted
ring pin ; (10) extractor.

Breech-Loader , and How to Use It. 17

The English modification of this principle of
breech mechanism is known as the double-grip
gun, and is applicable to the central-fire system ;
and although now practically obsolete, was some
years ago very popular with all classes of sports-
men, and will be found in every gun-maker’s
stock.

The side-lever snap-action gun has one staunch
adherent in the English gun trade ; it was at one
time much patronised by American sportsmen, but
the consensus of opinion is now in favour of the
top-lever form of breech-action in one of its several
varieties. With the lever on the top of the breech,
it is possible to carry the gun in any safe manner
without catching or displacing the lever. The
sportsman cannot be mistaken as to the gun being
properly fastened, whilst its position and short hori-
zontal travel to the right make it the handiest, as
well as the easiest, to manipulate.

There are many forms of breech mechanism
actuated by the top-lever. The most common is
that known as the double-bolt. This bolt travels
in a longitudinal slot in the breech-action body,
and engages with the lump on the barrel by enter-
ing two notches cut one into each division of the
under lump. Occasionally it is made to engage
with one only, that nearest the breech, which is a
single bolt ; and in some special guns the lump pro-
jects rearward from beneath the barrels, in order to
form a better and stronger bearing for the holding-
c

The Original Lefaucheux Breech-loader— 1836.

And How to Use It.

down bolt. As may be inferred, this form of breech
mechanism serves to hold the barrels down upon
the bed of the breech-action body, but does not in
the least secure the breech ends of the barrels to the
face of the standing breech.

The firing of every charge exerts the greatest
strength in a line with the barrels. The tendency
is towards the barrels and standing breech being
forced asunder, and consequently the two should
be bound together as solidly as possible. Unless
provided with some specially designed mechanism
the gun on every discharge will open at the joint
through the springing of the metal of the breech-
action body, which cannot be made of sufficient
strength and substance to prevent this movement
although the better the metal and construction the
less is the gaping. Every gun provided with a
holding-down bolt only will, as a result of wear,
gape permanently at the breech, and longer use will
increase the breach until it becomes absolutely
dangerous to use the gun.

Of the many contrivances invented to prevent
this gaping, none are so effective as the cross-bolt.
A doll’s-head, the frustra of a cone reversed and
attached by a narrow neck to the upper rib of the
barrels, is thought to act as a dovetail when
dropped into a mortice in the standing breech.
The expansion of the barrels on firing, although
slight, is sufficient to lift the doll’s-head clear of its
bearing. It consequently is not of the slightest
c 2

The Breech-Loader ,

use as a binder, unless provided with an efficient
holding-down bolt, engaging with it as in the
treble-bite breech-action ; or, better still, it is pro-
vided with a substantial hook and a holding-down
bolt, as in the well-known Westley Richards breech-
action. Several forms of engaging bolt are used in
connection with the doll’s-head, but a better plan
than all is to make the projection a plain one, and
drive through it transversely a round steel wedge-
bolt, which will secure the breech-action body and
barrels together in the most effective manner it is
possible to devise. This form of breech-action,
properly made, has strength so much in excess of
any barrels that it may be made with safety much
lighter than any other, and protects the shooter in a
manner no other mechanism can.

The well-known expert, “ One who has Fired
some 20,000 Shots at Marks,” wrote to The Field
that “ in my opinion Mr. W. W. Greener’s treble-
wedge-fast cross-bolt action is by very far the
strongest, the most durable, and consequently the
best action that has ever been produced ” ; and as
this opinion was endorsed by the late Mr. J. H.
Walshe (“ Stonehenge ”),and every expert of stand-
ing, it may be accepted as the consensus of prac-
tical opinion.

The lock mechanism, in so far as guns with
hammers are concerned, revolves itself practically
into a question of taste. The bar, or front-action
lock (page 23), is the one generally preferred, as it

The Breech-Loader ,

does not weaken the stock to the extent the back-
action lock (page 25) and the back work-bar lock
do, and it is by many considered the most elegant
form of gun.

The front - action lock may weaken the
action to a dangerous extent if the gun is im-
properly made, but, as already stated, a properly
made cross-bolt action is the strongest part of any
gun, and with this form of mechanism bar-locks
may be used advantageously.

In the hammerless guns the firing mechanism,
instead of being arranged outside the gun, consists
of fewer pieces, all contained within the breech-
action body. The hammerless systems are legion ;
they date in the present breech-loading central-fire
form from i860 ; but Mr. Murcott^s gun, patented in
1871, was the first to become popular. The locks
were cocked by the lever used to actuate the hold-
ing-down bolts of the breech mechanism, and four
years after its introduction its successor, the barrel-
cocker, was patented by Messrs. Anson and Deeley
the inventors. Instead of using manual force to
compress the mainsprings, and cock the locks, the
weight of the barrels when falling to load is
utilised to raise the lock to full cock by means of
levers pivoted on the same centre as that upon
which the barrels are hinged, and turning with
them. These cocking-levers engage with the arms
of the tumblers (or hammers), extended forward for
that purpose. The lock mechanism, tumbler springs,

2 6

The Breech-Loader ,

scear, &c., is of the simplest and strongest design,
and is arranged in slots cut in the breech-action
body beneath the barrels. Of the various modifi-
cations of the Anson and Deeley, that improved
form, known as W. W. Greener’s Facile princeps
mechanism, is the best known and most popular.
There is in this no cocking-dog, but the forward
ends of the tumblers are turned in, and engage with
either a cocking-swivel pivoted in the under lump
of the barrels, or by a sliding-rod abutting against
the iron of the fore-part, and working in the barrel-
lump and turning with the barrels.

Some guns on the hammerless system are made
with the lock-work arranged upon, and affixed to,
side lock-plates, similar to those of a hammer gun.
It is claimed for these locks that they permit of the
mechanism being readily inspected ; but there
would seem to be no advantage in this, providing
the mechanism works well without constant in-
spection or frequent repairs, and the alternative
method of arranging the mechanism in slots within
the breech-action body has advantages which
greatly outweigh those claimed for the detachable
locks.

A weakness of several barrel-cocking mechan-
isms lies in the fact that a very short breech-action
body is necessary to their successful working, and
the author has now a gun which, whatever the
length of body, works well and easily. The lock
mechanism consists of a tumbler and scear pivoted

se It,

2 7

The Breech-Loader ,

in the breech-action, the cocking being effected by
a sliding rod, capable of a reciprocating motion,
and mounted in a hole drilled diagonally from the
hinge joint to the back of the body ; one end of
the rod is slotted to engage in a projecting stud in
the tumbler, the other, having a larger diameter,
forms a shoulder against which one end of the coil
mainspring presses ; the extremity of the rod
projects through the knuckle of the action, and
presents an inclined and rounded nose to the back
extremity of the fore-end iron ; a recess is made in
the fore-end iron, in which, when the tumbler is
down, the cocking-rod is freed. Upon the barrels
being dropped for loading, the rod is pushed back-
ward, and the gun thereby cocked. Upon the gun
being closed and fired, the rod moves forward
carrying the tumbler with it, and, having entered
again the recess in the fore-end iron, it is once
more ready for cocking.

There are also guns which rebound to full cock,
and by closing the barrels the extra pressure re-
quisite to give the downward blow is given to the
opposite arm of the mainspring. There are also
guns which are normally at full cock, and require
pressure to be put on the mainspring by other
leverage — such as gripping the gun for firing be-
fore the lock can fire ; but neither of these prin-
ciples can be recommended in preference to those
already described.

Modern guns of the highest class eject the fired

The Breech-Loader,

cases, throwing them clear of the gun immediately
it is opened if they have been fired, withdrawing
them a quarter of an inch or so only if they are
loaded. A separate extractor is used for each
lock ; the tumbler of each lock, when the trigger is
pulled and it is freed, falls into such a position
that the extractor mechanism will engage with it
as the gun is opened, and the fired cartridge be
thrown clear of the gun. This is the principle of
the double ejector gun, the idea of which originated
with Mr. J. Needham ; and the principle has been
adopted by all makers of ejecting guns, though the
modification of the Needham mechanism, as im-
proved by Mr. W. W. Greener, remains the simplest
and most perfect form of self-acting ejector.

The cocking mechanism of the W. W. Greener
automatic ejector is substantially the same in
principle as that of the Facile princeps already
described, but the cocking swivel is furnished with
a stud, situate about midway between its ex-
tremities, and immediately beneath this stud the
lower extremities of the ejecting levers are ar-
ranged so as to project. Presuming that the gun
has been fired, the action is as follows : — On open-
ing the barrels, the tumblers are raised by their
turned-in extremities bearing on the additional
stud of the cocking swivel ; when raised nearly to
full cock they slip past this stud, and fall sharply
on the lower arms of the ejecting levers, and
the extractors, already withdrawn by the usual

And Ho w to Use It.

The Breech-Loader,

extracting mechanism to the ordinary extent, are
violently propelled to their full extent by the force
of the blow, and the empty cases are flipped out.
If one cartridge only be fired, the other lock re-
maining at cock does not engage with the cocking
swivel or put the ejecting mechanism in motion ;
consequently, unfired cartridges are withdrawn to
the ordinary extent in the usual manner. The
available power for ejecting the fired case is that of
the mainspring falling ; the mechanism effects the
ejection perfectly.

This gun requires most careful adjustment, and
although the parts are few, simple, and very strong,
to ensure their perfect working the utmost pre-
cision is necessary in centreing, shaping, and ad-
justing the various limbs. The gun can be made
by highly-skilled workmen only, and must neces-
sarily be of the best quality throughout.

Another form of ejector is that in which a
separate lock mechanism is provided to effect the
ejection of the fired cases. The best known gun
of the type is the Deeley ejector, in which the
additional lock mechanism is placed in the fore-
part of the gun, and consists practically of a
second lock, with hammer, scear, mainspring, scear-
spring, &c., which is cocked by the action of
closing the gun, and when the gun is fired the
“ travel ” of the mainspring is utilised as an auto-
matically acting trigger to release the scear of the
ejector lock, and leave it free to act by its tumblers

The Breech-Loader,

striking the leg of the extractor upon the gun
again being opened.

Of the other parts of a gun’s mechanism
it will be necessary to refer to one only. Ham-
merless guns and some hammer guns are pro-
vided with safety bolts. The object of these
mechanisms is to protect the shooter and others

Greener's Trigger Safety.

from the consequences of an accidental dis-
charge. They are of various kinds : some act
automatically, others require to be moved on and
off by the user of the gun ; some lock the
tumblers, some the scears, and some the triggers.
A well-made hammerless gun is safer than a gun
with hammers — that is to say, it is not so liable
to accidental discharge as the hammer gun ; con-
sequently, the necessity for safety bolts is not
apparent. To make doubly sure, a self-acting bolt,
which, by means of a spring, “ intercepts ” the
tumbler or hammer, should it be jarred from cock,
is often provided ; when the trigger is pulled, it
also is moved, and the tumbler, instead of being
caught by it, is free to reach the cap or striker. A

The Breech-Loader ,

second scear, acting quite independently of the
primary scear, effects the same purpose.

It is also usual to provide a bolt which locks
the triggers so that they cannot be pulled. This
should be independent — that is to say, it should not
be so arranged as to automatically lock the triggers
every time the gun is opened. Such an article
is a nuisance, and lessens the advantages of the
hammerless gun. A safety, such as that illustrated,
which bolts the triggers effectually, and is easily
put on and off with the thumb, is much better
than a safety on the top of the break-off or grip of
the gun, as illustrated in the A. and D. Hammer-
less, for these all weaken the gun-stock, some very
considerably, at its weakest point. Those which
are worked by a spring to put them on and off
automatically by gripping the gun are likely to
get out of order, and not be “ on ” when it is ex-
pected that they are. They also prevent one from
carrying the gun with comfort.

STANDARD WEIGHTS, LENGTHS, AND LOADS.

Large-Bore Guns for Wild- Fowling . — Guns of
the largest calibre which can be fired from the
shoulder are usually made single barrel and of
4-bore, the average diameter being 1.052 inch.
There is a 2-bore paper case made by Messrs. Eley
Brothers, Limited, but the calibre is practically that
of the 4-bore thin brass case gun. The cases do
not hold a larger charge, nor do the guns shoot

3 7

Mechanism of Greener’s Ejector Gun.

38 The Breech-Loader ,

better, if so well, and the cartridge-case has not the
advantage of being so perfectly water- and damp-
proof as that of brass ; therefore, the 4-bore gun for
brass cases is that recommended.

These large guns are made in four styles of
breech-loading, the mechanisms being, first, the
cheapest, with double-grip lever under guard, back-
work lock, and outside hammers ; second, the
treble-wedge-fast, with top cross-bolt, top lever, bar
lock, and outside hammers ; third, the treble-wedge-
fast top cross-bolt, hammerless mechanism ; fourth,
similar breech mechanism, but with the addition of
self-ejecting lock work. The gun should weigh
from 1 5lbs. to i 81 bs., the barrels being 42m. to 46m.
in length, as fully choked as possible, to obtain the
best results, with charges varying from nine to ten
drams of powder, and 3^ to 3 \ ounces of shot.

Strong serviceable guns, with first-class shoot-
ing, can be had with the cheapest form of breech-
actions for twenty guineas, and with the hammer-
less ejector from forty guineas.

Single 8-bores are made with the same styles of
breech-actions as described above. The barrels are
made 36m. in length, and the guns weigh from
I2lbs. to i5lbs., and the prices range from fifteen
guineas, according to the breech-action used.

Double 8-bore guns are frequently built, and are
popular with expert wild-fowlers. These should
have the barrels not longer than 36m. when they
weigh about 1 5lbs., or I3^1bs. to I4lbs., with barrels

The Breech-Loader ,

two inches shorter, and only I2lbs. with barrels
32 inches long. The charge varies from 6 to 7 drams
of powder, and the standard charge of shot is
2 \ ounces, which should not be exceeded unless
very large swan shot is used. Such guns can be
made considerably lighter if they are intended to
be used with a smaller charge of shot. Double
8-bore guns cost £5 5s. more than 12-bores of
corresponding styles and qualities. They are full
choke, and the thin brass or “ Perfect ” cases are
recommended in preference to all others for guns
of 8 and 4-bore. These cases take the large charges
better, and it will be found generally advantageous
to use black gunpowder only ; better results accrue
than from the use of any nitro-compound, and it is
safer, as heavy loads of shot increase the strength
developed by nitro-compounds to such an extent
that black gunpowder is preferable, even on the
score of safety alone. Cheap 8-bore guns are not
to be recommended ; many light and inferior
weapons are offered, the shooting of which will not
equal a good 12-bore, even though double the
charge of shot may be used. It is not merely the
size of the bore which gives superior shooting ;
everything must be in proper proportion to these.
The uselessness of a large gun, which, although
heavier than a 1 2-bore, has neither its range nor its
shooting qualities, is so apparent that it seems
superfluous to add that very often cheap large-
bore guns will not withstand the heavy charges

And How to Use It. 41

which it is customary to use in arms of this
calibre.

The io-bore has been for some years the
favourite size for a duck gun, and regarded as the
best size for the wild winged game of America.
Of late it has fallen out of favour, and it is re-
markable how quickly the 12-bore is supplanting it
in the United States. The common type of io-bore
was iolbs. or more in weight, with 32m. barrels, and
was used with a charge of 5 drams of powder and
ijoz. of shot: a charge in which the quantity of
powder is out of proportion with that of the shot
used. The most generally useful type of io-bore
is that of 8 Jibs, to 9|lbs. in weight, firing either
brass or paper cases, and using as the standard
charge 4 drams of powder and 1* oz. of No. 4
or larger size shot. Such advantages as the io-bore
possess are obtained from the use of large size
shot ; for use with small shot, a 12-bore of y Jlh>s. to
81 bs., and loading 1^ oz. only, the smaller gun is
quite its equal, io-bore guns cost £\ is. more than
12-bores of the corresponding styles and qualities.

The Standard Size for Game and Trap . — The
12-bore gun is, and in all probability ever will be,
the standard calibre. The ordinary game gun of
this bore should not weigh more than 7ilbs., but
heavier guns, of 81 bs. to 8|-lbs., having 32m. barrels,
are much used in America for rough work, being
chambered for 2f in. or 3m. cartridge cases. They
make capital duck guns when loaded with ifoz. to

The Breech-Loader ,

i|oz. of large-sized shot. The favourite pigeon
gun for trap shooting is just under 81 bs. in weight,
and has 30in. barrels, chambered for 2fin. cases,
and regulated to shoot a charge of drams and
i |oz. of shot, and when choked to the fullest is a
perfect weapon for a strong man whose handicap
distance is thirty yards. This style of gun is used
by Captain Brewer, who in one match fired at 250
birds, and his opponent, who made the highest
score on record (199-200), used a gun ^lb. lighter, but
in other respects similar. The 7 ^ 1 b. gun of this
bore should have 301'n. barrels, chambered for the
ordinary paper cartridge case, 2 T Vin. long. The
standard load will be 3 drams and £oz. of shot,
which may with advantage be increased to 3! drams
and i|oz. when birds are wild. The gun should
also shoot well with 3^ drams and i|oz. : a load
suitable for pigeon shooting. The 1 2-bore can be
made with 30m. barrels, 7lbs., 6flbs., and even 6£lbs.
in weight. If so light as 6ilbs., one barrel should be
cylinder or only modified choke. With 28in. barrels,
6|lbs., 6|lbs., or 61 bs. ; with 27m. barrels, as light
as 5 fibs.; and with still shorter barrels the weight
can be proportionately lessened.

Guns of 12-bore are made of every quality. A
sound serviceable gun may be obtained for £10, or
if hammerless, from about £15. Fine guns and
ejector guns cannot be purchased under £35. The
ordinary type of gun, of reliable quality throughout,
well made, and fitted well, costs about £25. The

And How to Use It.

reason for the difference in prices and qualities is
more fully explained in the succeeding chapter on
the choice of a gun.

Guns of Small Bore . — The 1 6-bore gun was at
one time a favourite size with Continental sports-
men, who now for the most part prefer the 12-bore,
and for use in England certainly not more than
one gun in every five hundred is of 16-bore. The
16 calibre has been proved to shoot as strong as
the 12, but the killing circle is less, and, moreover,
not being in such general use as the 12-bore, it is
not always so easy to procure cartridges in out-of-
the-way places, or, in the event of running short
of borrowing a supply of a friend. The standard
weight for 16-bore was 6 | 4 bs.; and the barrel,
30 inches in length, regulated to shoot 2f drams
and 1 ounce of shot, or with 28in. barrels, 6|lbs. ;
but 61 bs. is now considered to be quite heavy
enough for any 16-bore, with 28m. barrels. The
one advantage of the 16-bore is its lightness, and
when built in the same fashion as the miniature
12-bores, they may be 5|lbs., with 28in. barrels;
5 jibs., with 27m. barrels, and about 5lbs., with
barrels as short as 26in. The lightest 16-bore the
author ever made had 25 in. barrels, and weighed
4flbs. only.

The 20-bore has been strenuously advocated by
writers in the sporting papers, but there are very
few sold — the proportion is perhaps one 20-bore to
twenty of 16-bore. The 20-bore should not have

The Breech-Loader ,

barrels longer than 28in., nor should it be
heavier than 5^1bs., and the full standard load is
2 \ drams and I ounce of shot. They can also be
made 28in. barrels, 5lbs.; 27m., 4f lbs. ; 25m., 4flbs. ;
and so on in proportion.

In the 1875 Gun Trials, W. W. Greener’s gun
was first in the class for 20-bores with a gun using
only 25 drams of powder and 1 ounce of shot,
beating in both pattern and penetration heavier
guns shooting larger charges. A frequent error,
and one which is of importance, is the overloading
of small-bore guns, for sportsmen overlook the
point that the gun does not fail to kill owing to a
lack of penetrative force, but because the pattern
is not sufficiently close. With moderate charges
the penetration of any well-bored gun is sufficient.

The 28-bore was brought prominently into
notice by “ Young Nimrod,” the boy-shot, who,
before he was in his teens, did wonderful shooting
with a little 28-bore gun made for him by W. W.
Greener. It may be judged how tiny was this
young expert when we say that the stock mea-
sured only 11 \ inches from the fore-trigger to the
butt. The 28-bore is loaded with i| drams and
f ounce of shot, No. 7 or 8 by preference, as with
small shot the spread is increased ; and such guns
are not intended for shooting at long distances,
although Sir Frederick Millbank killed a pheasant
at fifty-three yards with one the author made
for him, and also killed a hare “ stone dead ” at

And How to Use It.

thirty-four yards, the charge used being i| drams
of black gunpowder and f ounce of No. 6
shot. In public matches “Young Nimrod” was
placed at twenty-seven yards from the centre
trap, and on more than one occasion killed thirty-
eight out of fifty of the best Blue Rocks.

Small-bore guns require great care in every
stage of manufacture. It is always advisable to
buy them of the best makers, and it cannot be too
often reiterated that cheap light guns should be
avoided ; and more especially is this the case with
small-bores, for in them the material must be of
the very best, the internal pressure exerted in the
barrels of small calibre being greater in proportion
than that of larger bores ; and the same rule applies
whatever the proportion of the loads.

Guns of Odd Size . — Guns of 24 and 32-bore
have been made — as, indeed, have 14-bore guns ;
but so rarely are they made, and of such little
utility are they, that they may be dismissed with
the merest mention. The 28-bore is the smallest
of any practical use as a game gun, but the 410
and other sizes are suited to the requirements of
naturalists, and for such weapons as walking-stick
guns.

Remarks applicable to all Guns . — The weights
given, except where stated to the contrary, refer in
every case to double-barrel guns. Single guns can
of course be made lighter, but there are gun-
makers, with no reputation to lose and nothing at

The Breech-Loader ,

stake, who recommend 28-bores, weighing less than
41 lbs., for brass cases to take loads of 2 drams
and 1 ounce : in our opinion a charge altogether
out of proportion to the calibre of the weapon, and
the use of which may prove as dangerous as the
recommendation is mischievous.

All guns, with the exception of 4 and 8-bores,
if properly constructed and regulated, will shoot
the thin brass “ Perfect ” cartridge cases quite as
well as they do the ordinary paper case. The
chambers for the two are identical, and, although
previously the author made guns with a larger bore
in order to correspond with the increased internal
diameter of the thin brass cases, he has discon-
tinued so to make them for two reasons : First,
guns so bored shot very badly with paper cases ;
also very badly with nitro powders.

And How to Use It.

4 7

CHAPTER II.

ON THE CHOICE AND FIT OF A GUN — SPURIOUS,
SHAM, AND SECOND - HAND GUNS — THE
QUALITY, PRICE, AND MANUFACTURE OF
GUNS — THE GUN THAT WILL SUIT — ORDER-
ING BY LETTER — CHOOSING FROM STOCK.

The choice of a gun should be determined, first, by
the purposes for which it is intended to be used ;
secondly, by the physique of the person by whom
it will be used.

It will be preferable to preface the considera-
tions of these particulars by some general advice
respecting the purchase of guns generally.

There is, in the first place, much misconception
as to the value of guns, and to the casual observer
there is often no perceptible difference between a
fairly good gun and a really good one ; often the
experienced sportsman finds himself imposed upon
as readily as the tyro. In order to distinguish a
good weapon from one which appears good, it will
be necessary to examine minutely into the details
of its construction, and anyone who carries out the
instructions given here, and will carefully observe
the points indicated, need not fear to make a
purchase upon his own estimate of a gun’s worth.

The Breech-Loader ,

Do not, therefore, purchase any gun without first
examining it, unless from a person of whose standing
you have no doubt, and who will agree to exchange
the weapon or return the money, if required. The
purchase of a pig in a poke is always attended with
risk, which no respectable dealer or gun-maker re-
quires a customer to run. Many advertisements of
the “ catch-penny ” type appear in the general
newspapers, and are occasionally found in the
columns of the sporting press. Offers of guns at
an extremely low price will not delude the
common-sense man into parting with his money.
Some people, in the hope of securing a bargain, get
caught on the well-baited trap ; less frequently the
reckless advertiser is prosecuted and convicted.
The following specification, copied from a gun-
maker’s list, is a never-failing catch : — “ 1 2-bore
gun, laminated steel barrels, left choke-bored, top-
lever, snap-action, purdey double bolt, extended
rib, rebounding, and low hammers ; patent fore-
end, figured walnut, half pistol-hand stock, horn
heel-plate, scroll engraving. Price, 60s.” The
same description might be applied to a sixty-
guinea gun with as much truth. Until a sports-
man knows something about guns he should
purchase of a respectable maker. Even “ friends ”
will seek to benefit by a young man’s inexperience
more frequently than will the dealer, who wishes to
secure his custom, and looks forward towards
future orders as well as to present profits.

And How to Use It.

Take first in hand the cheapest gun made for the
wholesale trade. Such a gun is not usually found
in a country gun-maker’s shop ; but it may be
offered to a quite inexperienced buyer. To all ap-
pearances, the gun is as others. It has two barrels,
locks, triggers, a stock well varnished, and has a new
look about it, which may be mistaken for “ finish.”
Let us examine the gun carefully. The parts, as
the bed of the breech- action body and the lock-
plates, which should be flat and square, are rounded,
and the surface uneven and scratchy ; parts, such as
the knuckle-joint and the barrels, which should be
round, are also uneven, irregular, and have flats
upon them ; the hammers are not a pair, and when
placed down upon the nipples, at half-cock and at
full-cock, will be found to stand parallel in one posi-
tion only. In cocking the locks, one will “ squeak,”
the other will make no sound, one striker will push
outward and upwards, the other at a different, but
not a corresponding, angle. The extractor may
have a crooked leg, and will probably be rusty
underneath. Wherever two parts come together
there will be a wide joint and no close fitting. The
action body barely touches the barrels. The hold-
insr-down bolt is a crooked contrivance in a
crooked hole. The fore-part will drop from the
gun when fired, or cannot be pulled off however
gripped. The stock will show marks of file-teeth,
and probably exhibit a rough open grain through
the varnish or “ oil finish.” The chequering will be

The Breech-Loader,

irregular, the lines overrun, and several of the
diamonds missing. The engraving will consist of
ill-shapen, deeply-cut furrows and meaningless
scratches, put on by the dozen with a shading-
punch. The butt-plate will be of pressed rubber,
and probably have a sporting design, in high relief,
stamped upon it. The rib will be crooked, irregular,
uneven, and probably more on one barrel than on
the other, instead of midway between them. All
these faults arise from the “ cheapness ” of the
article. The work is scamped, and the gun will
give no satisfaction, at whatever price it may be
purchased. On trial, it may fail to go off, the
striker being too short or not central. This
rectified, it may be found that the other striker is
too long or too sharp, so that after the gun is fired
it cannot be opened. This is altered, the main-
spring is so poor, its elasticity has departed, and
mis-fires ensue. A new mainspring is fitted, and
from the time this first new piece is fitted the old
ones break in turn, until at last the barrels drop
apart, owing to having been soldered with sal-
ammoniac as a flux, instead of resin, and a new
gun has to be purchased.

A serious danger arises from the use of too long
strikers in hammer guns. The striker is so near to
the hammer face at half-cock that a blow upon the
hammer will discharge the gun. Very cheap guns
are usually very defective in the breech-action
fitting, and if this is not a source of immediate

And How to Use It.

danger, the gun being, to some extent , safeguarded
by the compulsory proof, the mechanism will soon
fail. In like manner, parts of the lock mechanism,
instead of being of hardened steel, will be made of
common iron, and tumblers and screws are so soft
that in a very short time the heads become worn,
and the hammer will not stand at cock. The
danger that accrues from the use of such a weapon
is so great that this cheap gun may be regarded as
increasing the risks of shooting a hundredfold.

A gun, however poor in principle, if not of
inferior workmanship, is worth purchasing at a
price, and the quality of workmanship is indicated
to the tyro by the attention paid to details : as, for
instance, the proper smoothing of the iron-work,
the close fitting of wood and iron, the pitch of the
strikers to correspond with each other, and the
hammers made to stand each as high as the other
at both full and half-cock, the extractor well made,
and closely fitted, and smoothed underneath ; the
rib is put on properly, its edge will appear to be
level, its surface flat and regular, and the engraving
of some design. In better grades there is a smooth-
ness and flatness of the lock-plates that is at once
noticeable, and if the thumb is drawn lightly round
the barrel it will not detect those flats, which even
the eye cannot see. The pins will be carefully
fitted flush with the surface, and the slits in them
regular as to size and depth, and lying all one way.
Unless attention be given by the workman to every
e 2

The Breech-Loader,

piece, no matter how seemingly unimportant, the
gun is not well-made, and may fail just where least
expected.

The machine-made and machine-finished gun
may be distinguished : First, by its rough a metal-
lic ” appearance ; second, the heads of the screws
will be found to be rounded down, not filed off
flush with the lock-plates, breech-action, butt-plate,
etc., the slits of the screws lying at different angles ;
third, inequalities in barrels and rib ; fourth, the
stock shaped like an army musket. In hand-
finished machine-made weapons many of these irre-
gularities will not be noticed ; but as long as the
gun is interchangeable, many matters in construc-
tion and finish have to be sacrificed, and, as a gene-
ral rule, the further removed a machine-made gun
is from interchangeability the greater is its worth.

The spurious gun may be either a gun repre-
sented as being of a quality it is not, or as a
production of a maker other than the real one.
After taking all into consideration, it is the first
class which is the most dangerous to the unwary
buyer. The vapid platitudes of the salesman
spread a glamour over the transaction, and the
sportsman purchases a gun which will trouble him
more and more as he gets to know it Against the
purchase of this class of gun the sportsman must
always be on his guard.

The second class of gun is simply a forgery.
Belgian guns are sent to England to be proved, or

And How to Use It.

the English proof marks are imitated ; “ English fine
twist ” is engraved upon the rib, or any maker’s
name is put on to the order of the importer.

All the leading makers, or their retailers, now
advertise, so that the exact name of the maker
wished is easily obtained. See that the gun bears
this name, and rightly spelled, for the change of
a letter is often made, the maker of the forgery
thinking that his liability is lessened ; and foreign
forgers make dreadful havoc with English names,
whereas probably no careful maker has ever turned
out a gun wrongly or incorrectly named, so far as
HIS name goes.

As to the more general forgeries, they will be
found to be changes rung upon the name of a
maker of reputation. No one would forge “Smith”
or “Jones,” and happy the gun-makers who possess
such names ; but names as “ Greener ” will be
spelled “ Greenen,” “ Purdey ” as “ Purdy,” “ W. C.
Scott & Son” as “ J. N. Scott’s Son”; whilst of the
imitation of “ Westley Richards” the name is
legion. The alteration in the initials of the
Christian name or address is more frequent, and
all “ Horace Greener,” “ Albert Greener,” “ J. H.,”
“W. H.,” “A. H.,” and other “ H. Greener” guns
are practically forgeries.

Before purchasing a second-hand gun, unless
you know its history or are well acquainted with
the person offering it write to the makers of it,
give its number, and ask, as a favour, to know its

54 The Breech-Loader ,

original list price and the date of its original sale ;
the gun-maker will never refuse this information.
If the gun has been stolen or lost, and he is
acquainted with that fact — as he probably will be —
you will at once be advised, and in any case the
information he gives will prevent you from being
induced to part with more money for the gun than
it actually cost when new. Many succeed in
making money out of the purchase of cheap guns,
which they use for a few times, and then offer as
second-hand weapons of very superior quality.

Gun-makers who sell guns ranging from ten to
fifty guineas not unfrequently have slightly-used
guns of their cheaper qualities represented as being
of their best make, and instances are on record of
guns purchased at the full retail price of fifteen
guineas being sold as a bargain at twenty- five
pounds when second-hand. It is far better to go
to a respectable maker, who has a reputation to
keep up, and purchase a new gun at from ten to
fifteen guineas, than lay out the same amount on
a second-hand one, which may be worn-out. There
are numbers of makers in Birmingham who can
supply good guns at the above price.

Shop-soiled guns, with various faults, blemishes,
and sometimes guns with serious defects, are sold
to dealers in second-hand goods, are sent to auc-
tion sales, or, as a last resource, are pawned ; so
the purchase of a second-hand gun is even more
risky than buying a horse in market overt.

And How to Use It.

OF THE MANUFACTURE OF GUNS.

The quality and cost of modern guns are chiefly
dependent upon the design and workmanship of
the weapon ; the most expensive to manufacture
being ejector guns.

The material employed in the manufacture of
sporting guns is usually the best procurable, but
as this material is capable of being improved by
the proper manipulation of the metal in the pro-
cesses which are necessary to convert it into gun-
barrels, there is, and must be, a wide divergence
between the prices of a good serviceable gun-barrel
and one of the first quality. With respect to
Belgian barrels, they are made of much softer metal
than English Damascus barrels; they will not stand
full choke-boring, and so soft and yielding are they
that they bulge at the choke when fired, and cannot
be made to retain their shooting qualities. These
remarks apply to all qualities of Belgian Damascus
barrels.

OF ENGLISH GUN BARRELS.

Of English Twist barrels there are two types
— the machine-made, which have a rather coarse
appearance, and often present irregularities of the
figure ; and the hand-welded barrels, which con-
tain a larger percentage of steel, and are now very
difficult to obtain.

The best hand-made English Damascus, or
laminated steel barrels, are made at Birmingham

The Breech-Loader ,

only, and are, without a doubt, unrivalled the
world over for beauty, durability, and reliability.

These barrels are closely imitated by Belgian
workmen, and find a ready sale in this country,
especially amongst the London gun sellers.

The “ figure ” of the barrels may be recognised
from the illustrations in this book, and when
examining a barrel of this kind, if the figure is
regular, small, and light in colour, they may be
regarded as of good quality.

Steel of the right quality has been found to
possess sufficient strength to resist the strain to
which a shot-gun barrel is ordinarily subjected.

The safety of the weapon with any charge
should be guaranteed by the English Government
Proof House : an institution for which the gun-
maker is heavily taxed. As a matter of fact, the
English Government Proof House test, which is
even the most severe of any country, has long been
useless as far as a guarantee of the gun’s safety is
concerned. Guns and barrels brought direct from
the proof house have burst in the hands of gun-
makers’ assistants, or whilst otherwise undergoing
such tests as the maker has thought needful to
determine the safety of his weapons.

The proof mark, therefore, will not be taken by
the buyer as of any practical value, although he
will, of course, reject at once any weapon not pos-
sessing it. The guarantee of the gun’s safety in
this respect must be the name it bears.

Belgian Proof Marks.

The Breech-Loader ,

BREECH-ACTIONS.

In the choice of breech mechanism a top-lever
will certainly be decided upon ; side and bottom
levers will not be chosen, save for very special pur-
poses, or to accommodate a sportsman habituated
to this form of lever from long use. The top-lever
so conveniently placed enables even the most de-
termined adherent to any other form of lever to
quickly and comfortably manipulate the breech
mechanism. As to holding-down bolts and cross
or grip bolts, and the number and position of the
barrel lumps, the sportsman will demand two
binding and well-fitted bottom lumps or lugs
substantial in size, and the back lump so shaped
as to correspond with the circular front of the
slot in which it is embedded, and so well fitted
that when the gun is closed and free this portion
of the lump shall take a part of the strain. This
matter of fitting the barrels is termed “ circle
jointing,” and the accompanying illustration will
convey a better idea of its nature than a verbal
description. A gun so made will last longer and
be stronger than a weapon with ordinary lumps;
the need for more lumps at the bottom has never
been proved, and the mere multiplication of them
for the sake of complication is an error.

It is advisable to have a sound top connection
between the barrels and the breech action. Such a
connection adds greatly to the strength and life of

orkmg and Bearing Farts ol

The Breech-Loader ,

a gun, and is a protection to the sportsman in all
cases. On arms of some descriptions it is prac-
tically necessary to provide an adequate top con-
nection, although guns of the ordinary type, when
very carefully built and used with moderate
charges, have been known to stand even continuous
wear for years without the aid of a top connec-
tion ; it is, however, ridiculous to contend that
they would not be better, safer, and stronger with
an efficient top cross-bolt. The common top con-
nection is a “ doll’s-head,” fitting more or less badly
into an ill-shaped hole, hollowed out in the stand-
ing breech to receive it. ( See No. 3 in the accom-
panying illustration.) This useless encumbrance
is affixed to guns to appease the ever-increasing
demand for an efficient top connection which the
success of the author’s and the Westley Richards’
mechanisms has produced. No. 2 of the illustra-
tration shows the Westley Richards’, the best form
of “ doll’s-head.” The strain upon firing is in
the direction of the arrow, but at the same time
the expansion of the barrels conveys to the exten-
sion a tendency to move in the direction of the
shorter arrow (a) ; the bolt into this top extension
in some measure prevents movement in the direc-
tion of A, but much depends upon the manner in
which the bolt is fitted.

The Greener Treble-Wedge-Fast Top cross-
bolt makes the strongest breech action known.
The bolt securely binds the breech ends of the

The Breech-Loader,

barrels to the breech action body, and is worked
by an arm on the top lever. It is far superior in
strength and lasting power to the double-grip
action.

A double 4-bore and a double 8-bore were
made on this, the top cross-bolt principle, in 1874,
for Mr. G. P. Sanderson, Superintendent of the
Government Elephant Keddahs, Decca. They
have been in continual use ever since, firing 2 oz.
bullets with 12 drams, and 4 oz. bullets with 16
drams of powder “hundreds of times,” and to
quote Mr. Sanderson, “ the breech actions are as
sound and close as when they left the factory
nearly ten years ago.” These rifles are still in
use and doing excellent service.

A Greener Treble- Wedge-Fast gun may be
fired hundreds of thousands of times without any
repairs being required. To the author’s knowledge
the gun he supplied to Dr. Carver in 1878 was
fired one hundred and thirty thousand times with-
out any repairs being done or required ; and the
gun is still in use, and has had possibly thousands
of shots fired from it since the author last saw it.

With a top cross-bolt barrels may be fired
together without the least possibility of the breech
action giving way, and as this is a contingency
that may at any moment accidentally arise, it is as
well to be furnished with a gun that will stand
both barrels being fired together.

The sportsman will choose a gun with top

And How to Use It.

cross-bolt, providing that he wants a gun that will
fire any charge without the breech action giving
way, providing he requires a light gun — a gun for
very heavy charges — a gun for hard wear — a gun
that will last him and always be satisfactory.

HAMMER, HAMMERLESS AND EJECTOR GUNS.

A hammerless gun is to be preferred to the
hammer gun, as being safer to use and easier to
manipulate. The hammerless gun is stronger than
the hammer gun, less liable to damage, less com-
plex in construction, more durable, in all more im-
portant particulars the superior of the hammer
gun.

The hammerless gun of inferior make is as
dangerous as the inferior hammer gun, if not
more so ; and in the choice of a hammerless gun
the sportsman will be guided by, 1st, the simplicity
of the mechanism; 2nd, the efficiency of the me-
chanical parts introduced to effect that hitherto
performed by hand ; and 3rd, the reputation of the
maker whose name it bears.

All guns cocking by means of mechanism
geared on, or in any way connected with, or de-
pendent upon, the motion of the top breech action
lever for effecting the cocking of the locks, will be
at once rejected, because they are liable to miss
fire if the lever does not snap “ home,” and
because they are generally fitted with weak main-
springs, and often require great force to open.

6 4

The Breech-Loader,

Of those guns cocked by the falling of the
barrels, or closing of the gun, will be rejected all
that, ist, do not permit of the barrels being placed
readily upon the stock ; 2nd, that may be wrongly
put together and so cause a breakage ; 3rd, that
require a jerk to open or shut ; because all such
guns will be an annoyance to the owner, and in the
case of the last objection will cause undue wear at
the hinge joint and need early repairs.

There are several guns which will fulfil
every requirement of the sportsman so far as
mechanism goes. The hammer gun notwithstand-
ing the use of the rebounding locks, which saved
the many accidents that resulted from the half
cocking of the locks, cannot be so safe as hammer-
less, as hammer guns have been known to go off
unexpectedly owing to a twig wedging in between
the hammer at half-cock and the striker, and many
more owing to wear or faulty construction have
exploded when at the rebound by means of an
accidental blow upon the hammer. The most
common cause of accidental discharge in the
hammer gun is when placing the gun at full-cock
from half-cock, or the reverse, the hammer is likely
to slip from the thumb and explode the cartridge.
With some hammerless guns, nothing short of
pulling the trigger can fire the gun.

However expert he may become in manipula-
ting the locks and loading the gun, a sportsman
armed with a weapon of the ordinary type is

And How to Use It.

heavily handicapped by the sportsman provided
with an arm in which, without any trouble or
extra exertion on his part, such processes as
cocking the locks and taking out the fired cases
are performed for him more quickly and more
surely than they could be were he the most expert
manipulator.

The self-cocking of the locks is in itself an
immense advantage, and the self-ejecting of the
fired cases, by reducing the number of movements
to be made by the hands when loading, is decidedly
worthy of support. The ejecting mechanism as
made by the author has been tested in every
quarter of the globe and under all possible con-
ditions, it has been found thoroughly reliable in
every climate, and is consequently recommended
by all who have made use of it ; at the present
time it stands at the head of sporting guns, the
nearest to perfection.

For speed the self-ejecting gun is ahead of all
magazine or repeating shot-guns, and not only can
it be fired more quickly, but it is free from any
liability to “jam” when rapidly manipulated,
whilst the repeating mechanism of shot-guns is
more prone to “jam” than the mechanism of a
rifle, owing to the use of paper cartridge cases
turned down to various lengths.

THE PRICES OF GUNS.

Much nonsense is written, chiefly by sportsmen

The Breech-Loader,

who think they know all about trade matters, con-
cerning the price of guns and the cost of producing
them. In one book, which is intended as a work
of reference for sportsmen, a detailed list is given of
the cost of producing a gun, and to every item in
that statement exception could be taken, and
whatever its utility it may safely be asserted, that if
the full value of every item there given be used in
making one gun the result would astonish no one
so much as the man answerable for that bill of
costs.

A double barrel, central fire, 12 gauge breech-
loader can be purchased wholesale for about thirty
shillings, a best gun with hammers, a really sound,
useful sportsman’s weapon, is sold at sixty guineas
by some makers, and will not be sold for less. The
difference, it need not be said, is not for the name
of the maker engraved upon it. The best gun,
even when made in the centre of the gun-making
industry, costs very much more to produce than
sportsmen or critics suppose. The barrel is made
of a splendid quality of metal, costing a fabulous
sum per ton. In constructing a pair of tubes 18 lbs.
will be used, and the metal will be worked at a red
heat, and from its multitudinous welds, as well as
from its inherent quality, will gain strength, i.e.,
tenacity. This 18 lbs. of iron, by hand labour, has
to be reduced to 3, and the superfluous metal must
be removed just as and when required, or the
barrel will be worthless. Through twenty-six

And How to Use It.

succeeding processes these tubes have to be handled,
worked, and treated with care, and may, after
receiving every attention human skill can devise,
prove defective at the last moment, and instead of
figuring in the best gun be relegated to the waste
heap.

It is in the attempt to make something of really
superior quality that material is spoiled and work-
manship wasted. To produce a best gun, not only
must a staff of skilled workmen be obtained, and
every man must not only be able, but inclined to
do his best, both with respect to his own work
upon the weapon, and with due regard to the work
of those who have taken, or are about to take, a
part in the production of that gun.

The best gun must be tried in various stages,
and must pass in each before proceeding to a suc-
ceeding stage ; hence time as well as money is
needful to its production. The well-finished gun
is one in which the .design is good and carefully
executed, every portion being exactly shaped,
rightly placed, and perfectly adjusted, with that
accuracy of detail which skill and practice alone
can give. Finish consists of the due relation of
each part to the whole, and is a thing apart from
the ornamentation or embellishment of the weapon.

A gun made and finished in the best manner
will stand more hard wear than an ordinary gun,
even if the principle upon which the commoner
gun is constructed be superior to that of the best
f 2

The Breech-Loader ,

gun. Common guns always give way first in small
details : a pin works loose or breaks, and as soon
as it is replaced, and the gun is made good in one
place, it gives way in another, whereas a best gun
is practically indestructible, and, barring accident,
will last a life time. If, therefore, you purchase a
gun in order to enjoy sport have a best gun ; if
you must shoot, and do not mind when, take an
ordinary gun ; it may fail you when you have a
first-rate chance to bag game, but the best gun is
always good alike, and thirty seasons’ hard wear
will leave it as good as new for all practical
purposes.

Between the cheapest gun and the most ex-
pensive there are weapons which serve the needs of
a very large number of sportsmen. Those guns
which are sold at the lowest prices, and are actually
the best value for money, are the weapons of a good
type which are out of fashion. Guns with double-
grip action, with side-lever action, with under-lever
snap action, with non-rebounding locks, with
hammers of large size and standing high, have
much depreciated in market value; from to ;£io
is sufficient to give for such a gun, unless it is by a
maker of very high standing, when, even as a
second-hand gun, it may realise £25. Good service-
able hammer guns with a sound top connection,
fine barrels, and of honest workmanship through-
out, may be purchased new from about 12 to 13
guineas. And hammerless guns, upon a principle

FAC-SIMILE OF ONE OF W. W. GREENER’S EJECTOR GUNS.

And How to Use It.

which every practical sportsman and expert will
endorse as being good, may be purchased at about
15 or 16 guineas. There are writers and advocates
who will contend that this price is too low for a
reliable hammerless weapon, but such writers judge
from prices asked in the most expensive shops, and
are not acquainted with prices current at the centre
of production. It is generally admitted that guns
are made in Birmingham of quality equal to those
produced in any other town in the world, also that
they can be produced more cheaply there than in
any other town in Great Britain. Verbam sap.

The high prices obtained for Birmingham guns
the last few years go to show how highly they are
esteemed by sportsmen. Twenty years ago 35
guineas was considered a very high price for a
Birmingham gun, now the modern breech-loader of
two or three makers sells at 45 guineas, complete,
whilst the author’s Royal Gun realises 60 guineas
without a case.

The author trusts that he has made clear to his
readers the necessity for close investigation of work-
manship before purchasing. In general appearance
a cheap untrustworthy gun may closely resemble
one of good quality. It is the practice of some
manufacturers to make the outward appearance of
their weapons exhibit some fine, if not careful,
workmanship, and a few shillings spent upon
polishing, hardening, chequering, engraving, etc.,
will make a badly-fitted gun look the same as a

The Breech-Loader ,

fine gun to the eye of the average buyer — even to
be preferred to one of much superior quality, in
which the money has been expended in the fitting
of action work, lock mechanism, barrel boring, etc.,
etc., all of which are essential to the gun, and really
determine its worth.

Very fine workmanship, elaborate finish, and
the best of material, is a combination always costly.
Good material, sound workmanship, and careful
finish are more easily obtainable, and these points
should be required in the cheapest weapon. Inferior
workmanship, indifferent material, and “ elaborate ”
finish cost less, and are more often found, as makers
hope, by imitating the well-designed and executed
patterns of the best makers, to convince purchasers
that the copies are of equal quality. For instance,
the polish and gloss outside a pair of barrels is of
small importance, yet a few shillings saved in the
boring and shooting, and half of the money so
saved expended on the polish and bronzing of the
barrels will “ fetch ” more buyers than a gun in which
all the money has been spent upon essential points.

An expert will tell whether a gun action is well
fitted or not — whether the locks are well filed, or
badly made. The average sportsman cannot, hence
gun-makers tempt buyers by appealing to the eye,
instead of expending money where the result
cannot be seen, but is found by experience. Some
London makers and others have followed the
author’s plan of producing guns quite plain, almost

And How to Use It.

7 *

musket-like in their outward appearance, and the
money usually expended upon polishing, engraving,
chequering, and otherwise embellishing the weapon,
spent where it is absolutely required. The result
is a sound, serviceable gun, at a low price, and bear-
ing a name which is sufficient guarantee of its
reliable quality. If the gun cost quite as much, and
various prices were cut down, and others increased,
so that a prettier gun might result, the manufacturer
of good reputation would not care for it to bear his
name. A cheap gun of flashy appearance should
be avoided. A pair of good straight barrels, well-
fitted breech-action, and reliable locks, may not
show to advantage by the side of a pretty stock,
glistening barrels, and artistic engraving, but in the
field are worth very much more.

GUNS WITH EXTRA BARRELS.

When a gun is required with two pairs of barrels,
of the same calibre, for one stock, one pair full-
choke, and one cylinder, the latter cannot be made
more than 40Z. lighter than the choke pair.

Gun-makers are sometimes instructed to make
guns having a pair of io-bore and a pair of 12-bore
barrels for the same action. This plan cannot be
recommended, as the weight and balance of the
gun has to be sacrificed to one pair or the other, if
not to both. The action must be large enough for
the 1 o-bore, therefore the 12-bore barrels must be
very thick at the breech ends.

7 2 The Breech-Loader,

It is better to have two guns than such a weapon
as indicated.

The weight of the gun with 12-bore barrels
cannot be made much lighter than with the io-bore
barrels, as sometimes supposed. A pound difference
is quite impossible if the weapon is to be satisfactory
with either pair of barrels.

The cost of fitting new barrels to old guns is
usually about half the original price of the gun, for
fine guns, but no barrels can be fitted properly for
less than ten guineas, as much hand-work is re-
quired, and that of the best skilled gun-smiths.

And How to Use It.

CHAPTER III.

OF THE SHAPE AND DIMENSIONS OF GUN-

STOCKS.

There is no definite authority for the prevailing
fashion in gun-stocks, and the dimensions and
shape of this part of the gun have given rise to
more frequent discussion amongst gun-makers and
sportsmen than anything else connected with
shooting.

The measures of the gun-stock include the bend,
length, and cast-off. These are of great importance
to the user of the gun, and must suit his particular
method of handling the gun, as well as the stock
being of such dimensions as the shooter’s build,
i.e., length of arm, breadth of chest, etc., may
determine.

The measures of the gun-stock may be ascer-
tained as follows : —

Take a piece of wood or iron, with a perfectly
straight edge, sufficiently long to reach from the
sight on the muzzle to the extremity of the butt ;
lay this straight-edge along the rib, and measure
the distance from A to heel, and from B to COMB.
This is the BEND. The LENGTHS required will be
from the centre of the fore or right-hand trigger to

The "American” Gun-stock.

The Breech-Loader ,

the HEEL, CENTRE, and TOE respectively, and the
depth from the heel to the toe. The circumference
of the hand may be obtained by passing a string
round it immediately behind the trigger-guard,
measuring the string. In taking the length, measure

Showing how to Balance a Gun.

the extreme length, and not to the edge of the heel-
plate. The dimensions given above are in due pro-
portion, and as usually made for English and
American sportsmen respectively.

CAST-OFF is the amount the stock is thrown out
of truth with the barrels in a lateral direction.
Most gun-stocks are twisted over — that is, the toe
of the butt is more “cast-off” than the heel — the
usual “ cast-off” is Teths for heel, and fths for toe.
The object of “cast off” is to admit of a proper
aim being easily taken, and the amount will vary
according to the build and physique of the person
for whom the gun is constructed.

Balance . — This is always to be measured from

And Bow to Use It.

the breech-ends of the barrels. It is best to balance
the gun on thin string.

A 1 2-bore with 30-in. barrels weighing 7lbs. or
over should balance at about 3ms. from the breech ;
if with 27-in. or 28-in. barrels and 5flbs. to 61 bs.,
about 2§ins. from the breech would be considered
a good balance.

The measures given in the illustration of the
English gun-stock are the dimensions usually-
adhered to by gun-makers in this country, and
guns so built are found to suit quite 80 per cent,
of British sportsmen.

Americans use guns with stocks much more
crooked, as, when shooting, they keep the head
erect, and many English colonists follow this rule,
the crooked gun-stock being quite common in
South Africa.

The lengths of the gun-stock from fore-trigger
to toe and heel will regulate the angle of the butt,
and the cast-off will throw the butt over a little, so
that unless the butt were rounded or champfered,
its edge only would touch against the shoulder.
The amount of champfer required will depend upon
the amount of “ cast-off,” and the build of the person
for whom the gun is intended. Dr. W. F. Carver
always shoots with a heel-plate, not only much
hollowed — i.e., very much shorter to centre than to
the extremities — but also champfered so as to fit
squarely against the muscles of his shoulder.
Many shooters will find it more comfortable to

And How to Use It.

shoot with a gun having the butt so rounded, or
sloped, than with the usual butt, which is of equal
length to either edge.

Guns with stocks from 14m. to I4fin. long,
measured from the fore-trigger to the centre of
heel-plate, will be found in most gun-makers’ stock,
and the common “ cast-off” is T 3 gin. at heel, and fin.
at toe. A sportsman, above the average height,
should take a gun-stock longer than usual, and also
one slightly more bent. The longest stock the
author has made is I5fin., and the greatest bend
4fin. It rarely happens that stocks shorter than
I3fin. are required. A shooter with sloping
shoulders will find that a stock about 2fin. bend
at heel and ifin. at comb, will probably suit him
best.

The gun-stock must be so fashioned that the
butt shall be at a right angle, or nearly so, to the
barrels, and the gun will stand with the barrels
almost perpendicular. Some, however, prefer that
the gun when stood upright shall be such that the
sight and the centre of the butt shall be in a
plumb-line.

The “cast-off,” as already explained, is the
lateral deviation of the stock from the common
axis of the barrels. This permits of the barrels
being more readily aligned.

A thin man requiring but little cast-off to his
gun, whilst a stout man with broad shoulders may
need a gun much cast off.

The Breech-Loader ,

Explanation. — At the time of firing the whole of the butt-plate
should be in contact with the shoulder of the shooter. When firing at
ground game this is almost impossible with a straight gun stock having
the usual amount of toe. Usually the gun stock projects much above
the shooter s shoulder — as shown — the result being that the recoil causes
the gun to jump up. If the gun be fired whilst held as shown above, the
cheek of the shooter would have to sustain a goodly share of the force of
the recoil.

Shooting a Straight Stock Gun.

And How to Use It.

Shooting with a Rational Stock.

Explanation. — The rational stock is, at the time of firing, squarely
bedded against the shoulder of the shooter, and whether firing at ground
game or at birds flying straight over, must always have a greater portion
of its butt-plate in contact with the shoulder of the shooter than it is
possible to get when using the ordinary straight stock,
a

The Breech-Loader,

The pistol hand gun-stock, especially in that
form shown in the illustration of the American gun-
stock and known technically as half pistol-hand, is
the common form throughout Canada and the
United States, and is also being adopted by the
sportsmen of Australia and South Africa.

Amongst English sportsmen the use of the
pistol grip is confined chiefly to double rifles
and large bore guns, and it permits of a firmer
grip than the straight hand stock, but is not
so convenient for pulling the left trigger in quick
succession to the right. With the straight grip the
hand may slide backwards, but with the pistol grip
it is necessary to bend the trigger finger more to
fire the second barrel rapidly. Some sportsmen,
whether using straight or pistol hand stocks, find it
more convenient to pull the near trigger first and
move the hand forward to fire a rapid second.

There are other shapes of gun stocks, with some
of which sportsmen may be acquainted, but to
others they will be novel and offer certain advan-
tages.

First, there is the horn guard, equivalent to the
scroll guard of the old-fashioned English rifle.
This guard is supposed to allow a better and firmer
grip of the gun to be obtained with the right hand
— the same advantage as claimed for the pistol hand
stock, which, moreover, prevents the fourth finger of
the right hand from being bruised by the back of
the trigger-guard.

8 4

The Breech-Loader ,

The horn guard is much used by some Conti-
nental sportsmen, and the German gun-makers
particularly fashion it into an ornamental fitting
for either the shot gun or rifle.

Another Continental form is the shield guard,
or horn before guard. With this style of stock the
gun is grasped just in front of the trigger guard by
the thumb and forefinger of the left hand, the palm
of the left hand and the remaining fingers being
firmly pressed against the guard. This style of
holding the gun is not to be commended, but it
must be admitted that many fine shots are to be
found who never hold their gun differently.

The rational gun stock was introduced by the
author some time ago, and it embodies qualities
long sought in pistol grip guns, and the undeniable
advantage of the straight stock.

In this stock, as will be seen from the illustra-
tion, there is more than the usual bend at the bump
or heel , and that the comb is not straight, but arched
slightly ; and as the cheek touches the stock about
midway between the heel and the thumb , it is there,
and there only, that the stock need be straight.

With the usual English gun stock, put up in the
usual manner, it will be found that about one-third
of the upper part of the butt projects above, and
has no bearing against the shoulder. This leaves
the sharp narrow toe to steady the gun and to take
the recoil.

With the rational stock the face of the shooter

The Breech-Loader.

will be resting upon the stock when the bump or
heel has reached a level of the shoulder, and the
whole of the butt will find a bearing in the hollow
of the shooter’s shoulder.

The bend of the gun will, with the “ rational ”
stock, be about 2 Jins, at heel, ij at comb, and if
midway between heel and comb.

In the rational stock the wood is left thicker at
the toe, and thinner than usual at the heel. This
enables the shooter more easily to get his gun into
proper position ; with the large heel and thick
comb the stock often catches against the shoulder,
and jumps afterwards to the position from which it
is fired. It is believed that by reversing the taper
of the butt the gun will invariably be brought with
greater certainty and speed to its proper bearing at
the shoulder.

The rational gun stock also, instead of being
straight from trigger bow to toe, is arched slightly
near the end of the grip. This shaping of the stock
is a very modified form of pistol grip, and allows
not only of a firmer and easier grip being taken,
but also permits the elbow to fall lower and to a
more natural position when the gun is at the
shoulder and about to be fired.

Of gun stocks built for special purposes the
most common is that for use from the right
shoulder, but to be aimed with the left eye. This
form of gun stock shows in an exaggerated form the
utility of cast-ofif. The stock is bent over not until

The Breech-Loader.

the rib is convenient for the right eye, but until it
is in a position to be readily aligned by the left
eye when the gun is brought up to the right
shoulder.

The author when treating of the handling of the
gun and the art of wing shooting will point out
exactly of what value a correctly-fitting stock is
to the shooter.

Many sportsmen and some gun-makers are in-
clined to overrate the importance of the fit of the
gun, even going so far as to say that one’s
shooting may be greatly improved by having an
exactly-fitting gun stock. In this connection the
experience of many sportsmen will bear out that of
“ F.,” who wrote to the Field of April 9th, 1 892, as
follows : —

Extract from The Field , April 9th, 1892.

SHOOTING UNAMENDED.

Sir, — I am but an average shot. After reading
much correspondence concerning the utility of try
guns, and their power of improving a man’s shoot-
ing twenty per cent., I went to a well-known gun-
maker to see what I could do.

After a certain amount of shooting which
seemed to point to the fact that I shot high to
the left, the try gun was altered, and with it
properly adjusted I certainly seemed most suc-
cessful. I accordingly ordered a gun to pattern, the

Stock cast over for left Eye.

The Breech-Loader ,

gun-maker saying I ought to be a good shot, as I
shot so regularly in the same place, and it was
only that my gun did not suit me.

I have now been shooting a great deal, but I
find to my astonishment that it makes not the
slightest difference which gun I have in my hands.
One (the new one) has a fair bend and much cast-
off ; the other (my old gun) is very straight with
no cast-off.

The only thing noticeable is that after a change
of guns the gun seems to come up awkwardly the
first shot or two. But now if I change my gun,
before beginning to shoot, I put the gun to my
shoulder a few times, I find that my left hand goes
a bit farther forward on the bent gun, and that I
am inclined to move my head a little to the right
with the gun without cast-off, which I take it
is the natural consequence of the difference of
make.

But if I take the precaution to put the gun
to my shoulder a half-dozen times or so before
shooting, what gun I have in my hand signifies
nothing.

I offer these remarks on the utility of fitting
a gun, in case any of your correspondents might
wish to comment on the fact of my experience.
I should much like to find a gun which would
really improve my shooting.

At present I am far from gun-makers. I am
afraid I feel convinced that a good eye alone can

And How to Use It.

make a good shot, and provided the gun is of good
make and pattern, fitting is of little or no im-
portance.

Central India. F.

OF THE FIT OF GUNS.

The fit of a gun is a truly personal matter, for
although the majority of sportsmen can shoot well
with the gun which suits eighty men out of every
hundred, unless the gun is liked by them they will
never feel that they shoot so well with it as they
should, as no two persons are alike ; therefore
every person to be exactly suited with a gun will
require something different to that which will suit
another, but in practice the difference is often so
slight as not to be noticeable. The most important
point is the weight of the weapon, for many sports-
men sadly overweight themselves with needlessly
heavy weapons ; the gun when put up at a mark
for trial does not seem heavy, but after carrying it
for a few hours or when fatigued by walking,
waiting, or working, the gun will not be “ put up ”
as it was when the sportsman was fresh. The
lighter the gun the greater control the muscles
have over the gun to align it properly, and the
longer they retain that power. The ability to
handle a gun with precision is more likely to fill
the game-bag than the possession of a perfectly
fitting weapon. The really good shot can shoot
well with almost any gun ; a perfectly fitting stock

The Breech-Loader ,

will never make a good shot out of a bad one.
There is no reason, however, why the sportsman
should use a gun that does not suit him, nor need
it be advanced that because Mr. E. D. Fulford,
who grassed 194 pigeons consecutively, Dr. Carver,
Captain Brewer, Mr. J. Elliot, and other world-
renowned shots, were never “ measured ” for a gun,
other sportsmen may not avail themselves of the
best methods for getting a gun that will suit them.

Most men align a gun with the right eye, that
eye usually being the stronger. If the sight of the
left eye is stronger than that of the right, the
shooter must close his left eye when aiming, shoot
from the left shoulder, or have a gun so made that
it is alignable with the left eye. To ascertain
which eye is the stronger, take a finger ring and
hold it out at arm’s length, look through it with
both eyes open at some object twenty or more feet
distant ; close the left eye ; if the right eye still
sees the object through the ring, which has not
been moved, the right eye is the stronger, and may
be trusted to align the gun, and the sportsman
may with advantage dispense with shooting cor-
rectors, two-eyed sights, et id genus omne , and keep
both eyes open in shooting.

TO CHOOSE A GUN THAT WILL FIT CORRECTLY.

Take a gun and put it up to the shoulder two
or three times without aiming at anything in par-
ticular ; if it seems to come up easily and be under

And How to Use It.

perfect control, look at a mark ten or twenty feet
distant and slightly higher than the shooter’s
shoulder, fling up the gun quickly whilst looking
steadily at the mark, and immediately the gun is
at the shoulder, close the left eye, and glance at
once along the rib, the sight on the muzzle should
cover the object at which the shooter was looking
as he brought up the gun. If, upon this manoeuvre
being repeated several times, it is found that the
gun each time covers the mark at which it is
aimed, it should be tried in like manner at other
marks, at different distances and elevations ; if
these marks are covered in the same manner, the
gun may be considered a fit, and a little practice
will make the shooter quite at home with the
weapon ; it should then be tried at a target, take
a few snap shots at a bull’s eye, and if the shots are
not placed central, something is wrong with either
the gun or the shooter. If a man cannot hit a fixed
mark at thirty to forty yards every time with a
shot gun, he cannot expect to hit birds on the
wing.

The sportsman who can make his choice out of
a large stock of guns or with the assistance of an
experienced man to guide him, has a great advan-
tage over the man whose trials must be made with
a few weapons and without the help of an expert
to correct any faulty actions which may escape the
observation of the shooter. For instance, a person
adept in the art of gun fitting would detect at once

The Breech-Loader ,

whether a second aim was taken in aligning the
gun, and could immediately so alter a dummy try
gun as to come up in the way desired ; whereas
the shooter, if alone, must note where the gun
points, and calculate what amount of alteration
is necessary. If a gun is pointed much below the
mark at which it is aimed, the stock of the gun is
too crooked, too short, or the gun too heavy.

If it points above the mark at which it is aimed,
it is too straight or has too much toe upon the
stock. It is much better to use a gun that is too
straight than one that is the reverse, as we shall
try to prove in our chapter on the use of guns.

If it points to the right, it is cast-off too much;
if to the left, the cast-off is not sufficient. If it is
not horizontal, but twisted over so that the left
barrel is the higher, the stock requires to be twisted
over by casting off the toe more ; if the right barrel
is higher, which is very rarely the case, both the
cast-off of the gun and the shape of the butt must
be altered.

The straighter and longer the stock which can
be manipulated with ease, the better and quicker
will be the shooting, and less fatiguing the work of
a heavy day’s shooting. All good guns are so re-
gulated that, aimed point-blank and dead-level
along the rib, they will centre on the mark at forty
yards’ distance.

Some trap shots require their guns to carry as
many as 6in. high at forty yards ; this is preferable

And How to Use It.

to using a gun which shoots high because, being
too straight in the stock, it is aimed too high.
Misses with a shot-gun, as with a rifle, more fre-
quently arise from errors in elevation than the
misdirection of the aim.

The hand or the grip of the gun must not be so
thick that it cannot be grasped with ease ; it may
be of oval section, or egg shape, with the smallest
point at top, or, to afford a better grasp, even dia-
mond shape in section : it must not be round, or
have too fine or too flat a chequering, or feel
clumsy, and the fore-end must be narrow, standing
high from the barrels, and fall full into the palm
of the left hand, gripping the barrels.

A short gun-stock assists the shooter to get up
the gun freely, but is against his holding it firmly
against the shoulder ; a large butt, not too flat, and
with a fairly broad toe, is the best for bedding
firmly against the shoulder ; it should, in most
cases, be slightly shorter to the left edge of
the butt-plate than to the right. The better and
more truly the butt fits the shoulder the more com-
fortable will be the gun in use, and the less appre-
ciable will hi the recoil.

The “ try gun ” is a gun-maker’s tool, which
permits of the stock being altered to any length,
bend, cast-off, and shape of the butt, and is of use
in fitting a sportsman who needs a gun of special
build. Most of these guns are capable of being
fired, but, as not one of them handles at all like

And How to Use It.

an ordinary gun, it does not follow that, because
a shooter is able to use it with success, a proper
gun made with the same measurements of stock
will prove quite suitable. It is a gun- makers’ tool
only, and can be used to good advantage only
when in the hands of an experienced gun-fitter.

OLIVER’S SIGHT-ALIGNER AND ADJUSTABLE

GUN.

The sight-aligner and adjustable gun, invented
in 1882 by Mr. E. Oliver (Mr. W. W. Greener’s
London House manager), is so contrived that an
expert stands behind the sight disc, and while the
aim is being taken he can discover whether both
eyes of the shooter are open, and if the aim is a
correct one. It is possible for him to see right
down the barrels, providing there is a good light.
This was used with the first try gun made, and
was adopted by many gun-makers to get their
customers properly fitted with guns.

It is sometimes said that a sportsman cannot
shoot with a gun that suits him if he varies his
clothing ; possibly some men cannot, but they are
not good shots, nor should they pose as such, for, as
before stated, the good shot, the man who knows
how to handle a gun and how to aim, will shoot well
with any gun. Dr. Carver has in a single exhibi-
tion shoot of less than an hour’s duration shot and
performed equally well with a Winchester repeat-
ing rifle of the military model, a double shot-gun

Breech-Loader , and How to Use It. 99

of 2fin. bend, and a double shot-gun of 2 in. bend.
The man who really means to shoot well does so
irrespective of any trifling wrong dimension in the
weapon he has to use, and the acquisition of the
art of shooting enables one to do what the hyper-
critical Piccadilly sportsman would not attempt
under the most favourable conditions.

SHOOTING POSITIONS.

Of the many shapes of gun-stocks, the sports-
man will have to determine which is the one best
adapted to his style of shooting.

A manufacturer has a collection of photographs
of the members of a first-rate gun-club, taken as
they face the trap and have given the word “pull?
Of these crack shots there are not two who hold
the gun exactly alike ; each shooter, in some mea-
sure, adapts himself to the gun which he prefers.

In the illustration of the Continental style of
shooting, it will be noticed the gun is nearly at
right angles with the chest of the shooter, and the
left hand grasps the gun immediately in front of
the trigger-guard. A man holding the gun in this
fashion could do with a stock ijin. longer than
when shooting in Captain Brewer’s style, which is
just the other extreme, the left hand is as far
forward as it is possible to get it. Much import-
ance is to be attached to where the gun is grasped
by the left hand.

Another style of shooting is to hold the gun
h 2

102

The Breech-Loader ,

across the chest, as in the illustration showing the
use of the “ Rational Stock.”

Some men who attend second-rate pigeon shoots
and do not take their own guns, but rely upon
borrowing one when they arrive at the grounds,
are able, by putting up the gun a time or two, to
adapt themselves to the measurements of the gun.
Should it be too long in the stock, they hold it
well back with the left hand ; if too short, they
slide the hand forward until they find it comes up
comfortably. When too crooked, by placing the hand
farther forward it makes the stock appear straighten
When ordering a gun, to do so personally is, of
course, the best, but should it be impossible to do
so, a photograph would be a great assistance to the
gun-maker, as it would enable him to form an idea
of the man for whom the gun is to be made. If
the sportsman possesses an old gun which suits
him perfectly, the gun-maker should have it, in
order to copy it exactly in measurements, etc. At
the author’s works in Birmingham, try guns and
every modern appliance are used for fitting guns,
and there is always a large stock of guns of dif-
ferent measurements on hand, so that invariably a
gun may be selected which will suit, and the shoot-
ing performance tried on the shooting range which
is on the premises, the advantage of this being
that the choking can be modified to the shooting
required by the purchaser, and he knows exactly
how the gun will perform.

And How to Use It.

103

CHAPTER IV.

HANDLING THE GUN — HOW TO PUT IT TO-
GETHER — HOW TO CLEAN IT, AND KEEP IN
GOOD ORDER — HOW TO PREVENT BREAKAGE
AND DAMAGE — HOW AND WHEN TO SEND
FOR REPAIRS — TEMPORARY BREAKDOWNS AND
THE REMEDY — ROUGH-AND-READY REPAIRS.

The purchaser of a new breech-loader should
receive instructions 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 matter 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 fore-part 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-part, 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 in
the direction of the barrels and towards the muzzle.

The gun being put together should be wiped

104 The Breech-Loader,

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 extractor in the barrels ; take them in
the left hand and hook them into the breech action
as shown in the illustration, 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 oh the
fore-part.

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 posi-
tion, 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 locks must not be snapped off until the
barrels are home. The gun cannot be closed

io 6 The Breech-Loader ,

unless the locks are cocked. Should there be any
difficulty in closing the gun it is proof that the
gun is not cocked, and it must therefore be opened
still wider before it can be closed ; the barrels are
taken off in the usual way. The locks may then
be snapped off without injury.

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 barrel, do not attempt to force the barrels in,
but search for the cause. Probably, if a hammer-
less gun, it will require cocking ; 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 the barrels going
home.

In cheap guns the extractor often works very
stiffly ; this is not so noticeable when a gun is
together as it is when one is trying to force out
the extractor with the lifter upon the breech-action.
If the extractor is rusted in, it will be impossible to
force it out with the lifter on the action, and it
must be made to work smoothly before the gun is
put together.

Having put the gun together, it should be
opened and shut several times, and any stiffness
or clogginess will at once be noticed. If the gun
is a snap-action, the lever should be carried home
as the gun is closed. Dirt often finds its way
underneath the extractor , and this, even in a most

And How to Use It. 107

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 found, and the obstruction removed.

The keeping of the gun clean, and the mechan-
ism free from grit, will ensure 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 ;
it must not be pushed underneath the seat of the
dog-cart or waggonette, and left to take its chance ;
it should not be left muzzle-up or muzzle-down
against a wall, a gate, or a tree. It should not be
used as a crutch, an alpenstock, or crowbar. From

108 The Breech-Loader ,

a critical examination of many guns returned to
the author, after very little wear, he fancies they
must at times be utilised for very different pur-
poses to those for which their makers intended
them. To speak more plainly, 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 sports-
men 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 breech-loaders get shaky in the action
by being worked carelessly than from repeated
firing or the use of heavy charges. The barrels of
a breech-loader should never be jerked down, nor
should they be thrown back into a 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.

The best cartridge cases are the cheapest in the
long run ; when the shells are of poor quality the
gas escapes at the breech end, the breech-action is
unduly strained by the firing and rendered foul.
Cartridge cases must fit the chamber accurately ;

And Hoiv to Use It. 109

if a case is too large, bulged by an overtight wad,
or swelled by wet, it must not be forced into the
chamber. More especially the barrels must not
be rested upon a fence at the muzzle, and the
leverage thus obtained used to force in tight cart-
ridges. A cartridge case with an unusually thrck
rim forced into the gun will cause more strain on
the breech action than much firing with the proper
ammunition. If the gun is a good one, it can be
preserved longer if only good ammunition is used.

Guns must be taken care of ; they will then
last many seasons, and give every satisfaction.
When not in use they should be stored in a dry
cupboard, either on a rack or in their travelling
cases. The gun must not be put away at “ full
cock ” ; the tumblers may be lowered by pulling
the trigger, and such is better than allowing them
to remain at “ full-cock ” ; but if the gun is laid by
whilst together, two used cartridge cases, well
greased, may be put in the chambers, and the
locks snapped off ; or the tumblers may be lowered
by pulling the triggers whilst the barrels are open,
but this cannot be done with guns fitted with auto-
matic trigger-holding safeties, nor with hammerless
guns which are not cocked by the dropping of 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

The Breech-Loader ,

cleaning of the barrels and breech-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
foiling, put muzzles on the floor, and push the rod
down to within an inch of the muzzle and draw up
to the chamber, or the rod may be pushed right
through the barrels from the breech first time. 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
neatsfoot, 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 leading from the interior of a gun
barrel soak with turpentine, then clean well with a
bristle, or even a wire brush, but never on any
account use emery.

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 occa-
sionally.

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 hammerless guns, if the cover plate
underneath the breech-action body is taken off, the

And How to Use It. iii

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, 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 hard and
dry, cold water, or hot soapsuds, 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 muzzle-loading
barrels may often be turned out, providing the
breech-ends of the barrels have been soaked in
petroleum. Very obstinate breeches may require

112

The Breech-Loader ,

to be well heated, 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 mechanism
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 re-arrange 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 en-
deavour to effect any repairs, but it is not advisable
to interfere with any gun that functions properly,
nor to practise upon any gun that works satisfac-
torily. If practicable, have a good gun examined
each summer by its maker or a practical gun-
smith.

To take to pieces a breech-loader 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 ; another pin will then
be seen in the rear end of the trigger-plate ; re-
move this pin (occasionally this “hand-pin ” is
placed in the reverse way, the head of this pin will

And How to Use It.

”3

then be found on the top of the grip in the tang of
a long break-off). The “ furniture-pin ” should
next be 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 whilst the pin is being turned out. 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 towards the head of the pin.
It will then be free from its bearing, and may be
removed by completely turning out the spring
pin. (This does not apply to spiral springs.)
Next proceed to turn out the pin or pins con-
necting the tumbler with the bottom bolt, and
remove the bolt by drawing straight out back-
wards. 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 tumbler. The
lever may then be removed, and the top bolt, if
any, will fall out.

The Breech-Loader ,

1 14

In side-lever guns, first knock out the pivot on
which the lever works, then remove spring and
bolt. Snap guns with lever under-guard 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, we are unable to say
that the above directions will be sufficient to enable
an amateur to strip his gun ; but we trust they will
be explicit enough as regarding guns of our own
make. There are many breech-actions made that
puzzle expert gun-smiths 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 reason-
able distance.

To strip a gun-lock, first remove the mainspring.
This may be accomplished with a pair of lock vices,
or a cramp may be made by filing a notch or slot
in a narrow strip of iron or steel, the size of the
breadth of mainspring when at full cock. Having
cocked the lock, slip the cramp up the mainspring
until 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 remove 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

And How to Use It.

i i5

pin. Now the hammer 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 impossible to re-
move 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
together, first screw on the scear spring, then the
tumbler, then place on the scears and cramp the
spring with a pair of pliers or tongs, place the
tumbler 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, pro-
ceed as follows

Having removed the barrels, snap down the
hammers 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-
1 2

The Breech-Loader ,

n 6

end joint, and remove the cocking levers ; partly
screw on the cover-plate, and carefully knock out
the centre-pivot or tumbler-pin, remove the cover-
plate, and the tumblers and mainsprings will drop
out upon the breech-action being reversed. The
scear springs lie along the bottom of action, and
may be removed after turning out the pins. To
put the lock-work together, first place the main-
spring in the bend of the tumbler, with the stud of
mainspring bearing in its proper slot, and its other
extremity bearing against the under side of the
nose of the tumbler ; 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 manner, knock 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 main-
springs, may be taken to pieces in the same way,
but there are no dogs or lifters to be removed.

In stripping muzzle loaders, first raise to half
cock, then remove the locks by turning out the
side pin, then lift off the barrels and proceed to re-
move the furniture, and break off as already
directed for breech-loaders.

REPAIRS.

When possible, guns should be sent to the

And How to Use It.

ii 7

makers for all repairs, as no one else is interested
in making the gun last as long as possible, and at
the least cost.

At the end of each shooting season guns should
be sent to the gun-maker to be examined, cleaned,
and if necessary repaired. Some sportsmen find it
advantageous to leave the guns with the gun-maker
until the reopening of the season, as he knows they
will then be cared for properly, and will be returned
in perfect order fit for use.

The most common damage is a dented barrel.
A small dent may not be noticed by the sportsman,
yet be sufficiently large to affect the shooting
qualities of the gun. A bruise or large indentation
is a serious damage, and a gun barrel so injured
should never be fired until properly repaired or the
barrel will bulge at the bruised part.

Repairs to shaky breech actions require care-
ful workmanship; if much worn, new bolts, hinge-
pin, etc., may be replaced at little cost, but re-stock-
ing a gun is an expensive matter; alterations to the
shape or dimensions of the stock also become
expensive, as the gun requires to be “done up,” ?>.,
polished, blued, etc., after setting.

If unable to send to the makers, avoid advertis-
ing jobsters who are in the habit of putting their
own name on the gun under the pretence of having
improved its shooting; also prevent all tampering
with the barrels unless you know that the man 1o
whom the gun is intrusted has the necessary tools

1 1 8 The Breech-Loader,

and skill to do the work properly. When sending
for repairs send the complete gun, not any par-
ticular part.

The following are the approximate prices for
such repairs as are most frequently required : —

Restocking hammerless guns, £3 to £ 6 or
about one-seventh of the actual cost of the gun.
Hammer guns from 21s. for keepers’ guns ; to £$.

Taking dents out of barrels, reducing small
bulges, and repolishing and browning barrels, 10s.
to 35s.

Tightening breech actions from 10s., where new
bolts, etc., are not required, to 30s.

Cleaning guns simply, hammer guns, 10s. ; ham-
merless guns, 15 s. to 20s.

Doing up an old gun, cleaning, polishing, and
browning barrels, polishing and blueing furniture,
colouring breech-action, cleaning, re-chequering
and polishing the stock, and renovating stock, lock,
and barrels, from 20s. to 70s., according to value
and work done.

Other repairs are : re-browning from 10s. Re-
boring barrels to remove rust and testing the gun,
from 1 os. per barrel. Re-boring cylinder barrels to
improve shooting, 15s. per barrel. Removing
choke, shooting, testing, etc, 12?. 6d. per barrel.

Altering bend of s f ock, 10s. to 25s.; altering
length of stock, 10s.

New cocks, from 5s. each; new hammerless
tumblers, from 7s. 6d. each ; new mainsprings, from

And How to Use It.

i 19

8s. per pair ; new top-lever or action springs, scear
springs, etc., from 2s. 6d. each.

EXTRA LIMBS AND TOOLS.

The following extra parts of a gun should
always be taken out when out hunting, or exploring
in wild countries : — Extra pair of lock mainsprings,
extra hammers or tumblers, pair of extra scears,
pair of extra nipples and strikers, extra side-pin,
extra action or lever-springs, scear springs, and extra
triggers.

The following tools will be found useful : — Set
of three turnscrews, mainspring cramp, or lock vice,
small pair of pliers, small pincers, notched to grip
springs and pins.

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 imme-
diate 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. The strikers of ordinary guns will become
useless after continued wear, owing to the hardened
hammer flattening the head of the striker, and so
shortening its travel as to make miss-fires of frequent
occurrence. The nipple must then be turned out

120 The Breech-Loader,

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 copper-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 breakages are of very rare
occurrence.

To remove a dent, the following is the readiest
expedient : — Having removed the barrel from the
action or stock, insert in the barrel at the breech-
end a solid leaden plug or bullet, as near the size
of the barrel as possible. Place the barrels on a
solid block with a stout ramrod or stick in the
barrel, reaching within a few inches of the chamber.
Then proceed to flatten out the plug or bullet by
striking it with another rod and a hammer. The
bullet being prevented from slipping down the
barrel by the ramrod underneath, it will expand
until it perfectly fits the barrel. Then proceed to
force the plug — having first lubricated it — towards,
and gradually past, the bruise ; turn the plug half
round in the barrel, and repeat the process until the
bruise is raised. The barrel should be warmed
during the process, by applying a hot iron to the
outside of the bruised part. Great care will have
to be taken not to get the plug jammed in the
barrel. If a taper lead plug can be obtained, the
process will be greatly simplified, and a slightly
taper iron or brass plug is much better than a soft

And How to Use It. 12 i

lead one. If the barrel is bulged, a similar plug
should be made, and great care will have to be
taken to hammer the bruise down to the plug with
a light hammer. If a hard metal plug can be
obtained near the required size, it may be packed
with paper until of the required diameter. The
plug must be slightly longer than the bruise
or dent.

To splice a broken stock, first glue the stock as
well as possible, then glue round the fracture a piece
of thin leather or canvas, and whilst warm tightly
bind with waxed thread or a fine lace ; when the
whole is dry it will be almost as sound as before.
The wood should be warmed before glueing, to
enhance the chances of perfect success.

ALTERING GUNS.

Guns cannot be converted from hammer to
hammerless upon any good reliable system ; they
cannot be made self-ejecting on the Needham or
Greener principle, and with the exception of con-
verting non-rebounding locks to the rebounding
principle, it is doubtful if any conversions pay for
the cost.

THE GUN-ROOM.

Guns and shooting paraphernalia should be
kept together. If a room cannot be devoted solely
to them, a capacious cupboard, or a case fitted with
a gun-rack, and several drawers and shelves, will

122 The Breech-Loader,

contain a small battery and the requisite acces-
sories.

Guns are best kept put together, and placed
butt down on a gun-rack in a glass case or gun
cupboard, but if the case is not practically dust-
proof, the guns should be first put in pliable canvas
or cloth covers. Guns kept in racks in the open
room should always be kept so covered.

Loaded cartridges are best kept on an open
shelf, and in a current of air ; boxed up in an air-
tight cupboard, they will deteriorate more quickly.

After the close of the season, inspect the guns
very closely, and send those concerning which
there is any doubt to the gun-maker for repairs at
once.

On receiving his report, it will be as well to
decide quickly as to whether or not new weapons
must be purchased for the next season. Some wet
summer day overhaul the contents of the gun-
room, put the odd cartridges handy for popping at
rabbits or vermin, see that the cleaning tools are
complete, that the cartridge-bags, game-bags, etc.,
etc., are in good condition, and make a list of the
things which will be required when the season
opens.

In the season the gun-room will require fre-
quent attention if it is made use of by more than
one person. The cartridges, as soon as they arrive
from the gun-makers, should be transferred to the
magazine or cartridge-bags of the shooter for

And How to Use It.

123

whom they are intended ; a cleaning-rod and gear,
turnscrews and extractor put in the travelling gun-
case, and the oil bottle refilled.

Useful tools in the gun-room are full length
ash or hickory cleaning-rods, and a rod with cotton
wool or fine tow kept specially for oiling barrels.
It should be a standing rule never to put this oiler
into a foul, dusty, rusty, or dirty barrel, but keep it
for oiling only.

An oval tundish for cartridge loading, a set of
turnscrews, some bristle brushes for cleaning out
action slots, etc., small pliers, notched pincers for
drawing out tight-fitting pins, a few steel knitting-
needles, refined neatsfoot oil, vaseline, petroleum,
and turpentine, may be placed near the gun-case
for use as required.

124

The Breech-Loader ,

CHAPTER V.

THE ESSENTIALS OF A GUN — THE FLIGHT OF A
CHARGE OF SHOT — PATTERN — PENETRATION,
VELOCITY, STRINGING, SPREAD, RANGE, RECOIL,
CHOKES V. CYLINDERS — HOW TO LOAD — USE-
FUL LOADS.

PATTERN.

When a gun is said to make a pattern of 200, it
means that 200 is the average number put within a
circle 30m. in diameter on the target, the butt of
the gun being forty yards — not paces — from the
target, the load being 3 drams of black powder, or
the equivalent in nitro powder, and i| ounces of
No. 6 shot, 270 to the ounce (304 pellets to
ii ounces), which is called the standard load, and
originated at the Field Gun Trials of 1875, when
the charge of shot was first counted.

It is necessary that the pellets of a charge
should be counted into the case if a correct esti-
mate of the gun’s shooting is required.

The target should be 3ft. 6in. square, and the
bull’s-eye marked in the centre. After the gun is
fired, to find the pattern, describe a circle around
the thickest of the pellets. This can be done by
taking a piece of wood with two nails knocked

And How to Use It.

125

through 15m. apart, holding one nail in the
centre, and marking the target with the other.
When shooting at paper targets, substitute a black
lead pencil for one of the nails. The best of the
pattern is thus obtained, which is called the
selected circle. Unless this is done, should the
aim be defective, when using a small target, a
wrong estimate of the gun’s shooting powers may
be arrived at.

PENETRATION.

To find the penetration a rack is used, con-
sisting of a wooden frame, so constructed to hold
sheets of strawboard about £ of an inch apart ; the
sheets measure 6in. by 7in., and weigh 25 to the
pound.

The rack is placed about 4ft. from the ground,
and fired at from the standard distance (40 yards) ;
the number of sheets pierced by one or more shots
is the penetration.

The purposes for which a sporting-gun is re-
quired are various. The author has been com-
manded to build one gun which shall be effectual
at all game, from snipe to an elephant ; and
although this weapon was tolerably successful at
everything, it is not to be supposed that it was
actually fitted for anything except the elephant.
Another customer of the author’s, to decide a bet,
shot a couple of snipe with a heavy elephant rifle
of 8-bore. There is, therefore, no actual limit to

126

The Breech-Loader, ,

the capabilities of any weapon until trial has been
made. The collector who requires humming-birds,
and the wild-fowler who thinks of getting wild
geese, will arm themselves very differently.

Again, some guns have to be carried throughout
a long day’s walk ; in other sports the gun is only
in the hand the couple of seconds requisite to aim
and fire. It is, therefore, evident that what is
desired for one sport is of little importance in a
gun desired for another sport.

There are certain essentials, however, which
should be possessed by all varieties of guns.
Amongst the chief of them are : — Facility in
loading at the breech, freedom from danger to
the user or his companions, simplicity of mechan-
ism, speed in manipulation, handiness, lasting
power.

LARGE BORE GUNS.

As stated in the previous chapter, large bore
guns are made for wild-fowling, but the subject is
too large to be treated here ; the best all-round
gun for shore shooting is a double 8-bore of eleven
to fifteen pounds weight and full-choked, bored for
brass cases ; this gun with No. i shot will have
sufficient power to kill ducks at 1 50 yards, but its
available range is practically 80 to 100 yards ; at
longer distances the pattern is too open, and there
is great difficulty in hitting the bird. With 2 \ oz.
No. 4 shot at 40 yards, the pattern should average

And How to Use It. 127

300 and the penetration be equal to 34 sheets of
strawboard ; with No. 1 shot, pattern 220, penetra-
tion 40 sheets ; at 60 yards the penetration of No. 1
shot 34 sheets, at 80 yards 24 sheets, at 100 yards
16 sheets. The penetration of seven sheets is suffi-
cient to kill a duck.

With paper cases, 5 drams and 2| oz. of No. 1
shot, has given a pattern of 175 pellets, at 40
yards ; same charge and conditions, but brass
cases, the pattern was 225.

For particulars of the shooting powers of other
large-bore guns and of their use, sportsmen will
not hesitate to procure such books as “ The Gun
and its Development,” the volume “ Moor and
Marsh,” of the Badminton Library, and “Wild-
fowling in Ireland,” by Sir Ralph Payne Gallwey.

With respect to io-bores, their use is, as already
stated, very circumscribed, and sportsmen may
judge of their utility for any particular purpose
by comparing the following figures with those
given for 12 and smaller bores.

The 10-bore duck-gun full-choked, weighing 8|
lbs. and over, will make a pattern of 250 in a thirty-
inch circle at forty yards, with 4 drams of powder
and 1^ oz. to if oz. of No. 6 shot.

With 4I drams, and i| ozs. of No. 2 shot,
pattern in 30-inch at 40 yards, 160 pellets ; pene-
tration, 25 sheets of strawboard. Same charge,
distance, etc., but No. 1 shot, pattern 135, pene-
tration 3 1 sheets of strawboard. At 60 yards

Breech-Loader , and How to Use It. 129

No. 4 shot, the pattern should average 65, and
penetration be 18 sheets; with No. 1 shot, the
pattern 50, the penetration, 26 sheets.

THE PIGEON-GUN.

This is the most powerful variety of the 12-bore
gun ; it must be so built as to meet the rules of
the chief clubs ; in England the bore must not be
larger than 12, nor the gun heavier than 81 bs. ; the
charge to be used must not exceed four drams of
powder and i| ounces of shot. On the Continent
and in America io-bores are allowed, but there is
usually some restriction as to charge. The pigeon-
gun may be made with hammers or hammerless,
preferably the latter. It should not have a trigger
bolting safety, and an automatic trigger safety for
this species of gun is the greatest mistake that can
be made.

The shooting required will in some measure
depend upon the distance at which the user is
generally placed, it being required to have the
largest possible killing circle at one yard beyond
the trap with the first barrel, and at five yards
with the second. In no class of gun is uniformity
and regularity of shooting more essential than in
the trap-gun. The weight may be from f to f of a
pound greater than in the gun carried for game-
shooting, but it is important that the balance be
perfect.

An ideal pigeon-gun will balance at about

130 The Breech-Loader ,

3 inches from the breech, weigh only lbs., and
fire the full charge of shot (i^ ounce) with the
greatest uniformity ; the gun will be hammerless
without any safety bolt ; it must have a strong
breech-action and be fitted with the Greener cross-
bolt. The barrels will be chambered for 2f-inch
cases, and in it a charge of 50 grains of Schultze
powder may be used without excessive recoil. The
gun may have an engine-turned, flat, or half hollow
rib. Good shots prefer that the gun should shoot
high at forty yards, and that the gun throws the
pellets well to the centre. Other shots, standing
nearer the traps, do not want extra elevation, and
ask for as large a killing circle as can be obtained
at 30 yards ; with ij ounce of shot this is a circle
of about 36 inches in diameter, and means a very
close shooting gun. An average pattern of 250
in a 30-inch circle at 40 yards is the very best the
12-bore gun will do. For ordinary trap shooting a
gun is required to shoot as closely as possible at
the trap. The bird must be shot at quickly, and
the nearer to the trap it is grassed the better.
Naturally, the pigeon-shooter requires as large a
killing circle as is compatible with a close pattern.
He requires the pattern to be equally spread over
the “ killing circle,” to have the greatest velocity,
and the pellets to keep together as much as pos-
sible ; but of greater importance than all these,
it is required that the gun always perform alike.
Uniformity in shooting is a quality only found in

And How to Use It. 13 i

the best of guns, and even cylinders, when most
carefully bored, will make occasional bad shots,
any one of which would allow of the pigeon es-
caping at twenty-five yards. Therefore, the gun
must never shoot wildly, but be always good
alike.

In deciding as to the amount of choke required,
it must be borne in mind that the pattern made at
any given distance does not fairly represent the
position of the charge at any given moment. The
pellets of the charge issue from the muzzle as com-
pactly as a ball, then, having individual velocities
— some go ahead, others lag behind, so that,
roughly speaking, there is a distance of twelve
feet between the first and last pellet when the
bulk of the pellets arrive at forty yards ; but of this
feature more will be explained later.

FAVOURITE MAKERS OF PIGEON-GUNS.

When reading the reports in the English papers
of the events at Hurlingham and the Gun Club, it
will be noticed that only a few different makes of
gun are used there. These few London gun-makers
cater specially for this particular trade by sending
their representatives to attend every event, etc.,
and have thus secured the monopoly, not that their
guns shoot any better than guns by other London
or provincial makers, nor is it to be assumed that
they alone can make good shooting pigeon-guns.
This system of advertising would not suit every

j 2

132 The Breech-Loader ,

gun-maker. The author, who makes numbers of
pigeon-guns for use all over the world, and which
have been used with such great success for many
years past, could not give his special attention to
these clubs only. The author has tested guns of
good makers and has found them give very low
patterns occasionally, for instance, one shot will
give a pattern of 260, the next will not put more
than 50 pellets on the target. The larger the
charge of powder used the more frequently will
this happen. Modified chokes are the worst in
this respect ; for uniformity of shooting there is
nothing like a full choke-bore. The shooting of
a pigeon-gun should not be passed which makes
a less pattern than 150 with black powder.

THE GAME-GUN.

The best all-round gun for sporting purposes
is the 12-bore with 30-inch barrels, weighing about
7 lbs., providing the sportsman can carry and handle
a weapon of this weight.

Twelve-bores much under 7 lbs. will not shoot
a heavier charge than 3^ drams and ii oz. with
comfort to the shooter. If 7^ lbs., 3^ drams and
1 1 oz. If 7! lbs., the charge may be 3^ drams and
oz. ; over 7J lbs., guns are usually built for
extra-long cartridge-cases and special charges.

The usual full-choked 12-cal. gun with 30-inch
barrels, and weighing 7 lbs., should average —

And How to Use It.

133

AT FORTY YARDS.

Charge.

Pattern.

Penetration

Mean

Force at

Drams
of powder.

Oz. of
shot.

Square 10"
centre.

30 in.
circle.

Strawboards

Velocity.

Impact.

3 i

15 No. 8

320

800

o'8o

if No. 6

215

839

1 "8o

3 i

ijj No. 6

210

857

1 '83

3 !

No. 6

200

912

1-87

3 i

i£ No. 6

240

864

1 -85

15 No. 5

175

878

1 ’89

3 t

ii No. S

190

882

1 '91

3 ?

ij No. 4

160

900

2‘8i

3 i

i? No. 3

135

950

3 - i 6

No. 1

105

980

4'i8

i| No. 1

loo

988

5 ’30

AT SIXTY YARDS.

ig No. 6

652

°'93

No. 6

3 6

100

723

1 ’28

4 No. s

757

1 ’47

No. 4

786

2 'OO

3 b

i| No. 1

799

2 ’46

Guns with 27-inch barrels will be found to per-
mit of better marksmanship than with shorter
barrels, and consequently, unless there is a good
reason for doing so, guns should not be made with
shorter barrels than 27 inches.

Light guns and guns with short barrels will
shoot 3 drams and 1^ ounce of shot, and an average
pattern of 200 with No. 6 shot may be obtained.
The superiority of this gun to guns of smaller bore
may be judged by the following figures.

The 16-BORE FULL-CHOKE, with barrels 30
inches in length, and the gun weighing 6^ lbs.,
should average —

134

The Breech-Loader ,

AT FORTY YARDS.

Charge

Pattern.

Penetration

Mean

Force at

Drams
of powder.

Oz. of
shot.

30-inch circle.

Strawboards

Velocity.

Impact.

1 No. 5

160

763

o'98

2 i

1 No. 6

190

x 9

814

I- 35

2 i

1 No. 5

*55

2 3

847

2 '49

2 i

1 No. 6

180

833

2*27

1 No. 6

174

858

2 ‘33

o 3 .

1 No. 5

I 5S

2 5

856

2 ’48

2 2

1 No. 1

2 9

93 6

3-00

AT SIXTY YARDS.

2 !

1 No. 6

6 35

I ‘IO

2 f

1 No. 5

675

I 26

2 i

1 No. 1

830

1 '5 2

Weight from 5f to 6 \ lbs.

Recoil

82 lbs.

For 16

and smaller bores it is a good plan to have the
right barrel an improved cylinder.

The 20-BORE is the smallest bore sought after
by the general sportsman ; a gun of 5^ lbs. weight,
and with 28-inch barrels, may be taken as repre-
senting fairly the 20-cal. class, and should average —

AT FORTY YARDS.

Charge.

Pattern,

Penetration

Muzzle

Force at

Drams
of powder.

Oz. of
Shot.

30-inch circle.

Strawboards

Velocity.

Impact.

2 i

1 No. 8

230

756

o'6j

2 i

1 No. 6

180

77 2

1 '37

2 \

i No. 6

160

849

1 '94

2 i

i No. 5

120

890

2 '37

2 h

i No. 1

6 5

2 9

950

2 '72

3 2 grs.
Schultze

| No. 6

150

820

2 ’OO

And How to Use It.

135

AT SIXTY YARDS.

2 i

1 No. 6

650

076

2 1

1 No. 5

684

o'89

Weight not less than 5f nor more than 6 lbs.
Recoil under 90 lbs.

The 28-BORE should have 25- or 27-inch barrels,
which will require but little choking, and average —

Charge

30-inch Cardboard

Mean

Force

powder.

Pattern, penetration.

velocity, at impact

1 2 drams

| oz -
i oz.

No. 8

150

705

0‘66

'32 grs. Schultze

No. 6

124

940

1 '96

ij drams

5 oz.

No. 6

130

720

187

* Over-loaded. This charge has been too frequently used ; 26 grains does
better.

The weight should not be less than 4, nor more
than 4f lbs. Recoil 60 lbs. The 28-bore must not
be loaded with 1 oz. of shot, as is too often done.
This calibre especially is too frequently much over-
loaded.

THE FLIGHT OF A CHARGE OF SHOT.

The shooting powers of a gun and the relative
values of various loads, powders, etc., used in it are
ascertained by comparing the pattern, penetration,
velocity, stringing, spread and range of the shot fired.

The pattern is the shown shooting of a gun, the
only visible proof of a gun’s powers — the killing ot
game being in some measure dependent upon the
skill of the sportsman. The pattern of a gun, besides
being the most reliable test applicable to a gun, is
fortunately the easiest. To ascertain a gun’s

136 The Breech-Loader,

merits, fire it at the largest sheet of paper obtain-
able — for most guns forty yards will be found the
best distance. For comparative results count the
number of perforations formed in a circle 3oin.
in diameter marked upon the paper. A good close
pattern is a guarantee that the gun has sufficient
force to kill at that distance. The greater the
velocity of the mass of pellets of the charge the
closer is the pattern. No close-shooting gun has
inferior penetration, and, generally speaking, the
less distant each individual pellet is from the
common centre depicted on the target, the less is
the distance between the first and last pellets of
the charge — in other words, a close pattern means
uniform velocity in the pellets of the charge.
Occasional bad patterns, orpatchy patterns, prove the
gun to be improperly bored. The closer the pattern
at forty yards, the longer the killing range of the gun.

Penetration is the result of thevelocityof the shot.

The velocity of shot depends upon the nature
and quality of the explosive used, the perfect finish
and shape of the barrels, the rotundity, size, and
specific gravity of the pellets. The details of the
various deviations in results obtainable by different
grains of powder, different gauges of guns, different
sizes of shot, chokes and cylinders, would be tedious.

Stringing of the charge is the result of the
different velocities of pellets in the one charge ;
for instance, with a cylinder gun, 42 grainsof nitro-ex-
plosive and ounce of No. 6 shot, the front pellets

And How to Use It. 137

reach the target in 138 of a second from the time
of leaving the muzzle, but the last pellets to reach
the target arrive after the expiration of *187 second.

This means that whilst the first pellets may
strike a bird at forty yards the slower pellets have
not reached a distance of thirty yards from the gun.

As a matter of fact, about 5 per cent, of the
pellets of the charge arrive simultaneously at the
target at forty yards distance from the gun ; these
pellets are closely followed by 25 per cent, to 30
per cent, of the pellets of the charge if the gun be
a good one, and this 30 per cent, to 40 per cent, of
the pellets represents practically the actual killing
value of the shot, for the remaining pellets flying
irregularly, and at a much lower velocity, tail off so
rapidly that little reliance can be placed upon them.

The spread of the charge of shot or its diver-
gence from the line of flight differs with individual
guns, it being the gun-makers object to make the
shot fly compactly. A few stray shots from the
charge will occasionally diverge to the extent of
twenty yards at a range of forty yards, 16, 18, or
20ft. is the usual limit of the divergence of outside
pellets, at forty yards’ range. Guns bored cylinder,
and guns with sudden chamber cones cause the
shot to spread more irregularly than choke bores.

The range of a gun is dependent upon the
velocity of the pellets of the charge, a gun in which
the spread and stringing are less has a greater
range than one which will send a few pellets at

Jards

Cylinder at 30 Yards.

Breech-Loader , and How to Use It. 139

high velocity : there is the momentum of the
charge in flight as well as the momentum of the
individual pellets of which it is composed.

It is impossible, without going deeply into
figures, to prove the many variations in the flight
of a charge of shot caused by differences in the
loading, size of shot, size of bore of the gun, grain
of powder, composition of powder, and other
matters which more or less modify a gun's shooting.
We reproduce a few standard diagrams and figures
for reference, but must refer the reader interested
in the subject to “ Modern Shot Guns ” for further
details upon these points.

Charge.

Yds.

3 °

Yds.

5 °

Yds.

drms. 02.

4 1

No. 1

1039

1022

979

802

780

f »

11S5

n68

1150

1120

1076

1039

992

939

919

880

852

831

» 1

1169

1140

1126

1089

1054

1003

962

935

914

891

861

823

3 $

» l

1220

1198

H 75

1143

1103

1060

1012

966

938

914

890

876

3 !

t 1

II72

US 1

1130

1073

1029

989

949

908

867

835

799

> )

1239

1221

1205

n8i

1144

1106

1066

1022

976

936

909

863

2 i

l >

996

975

953

924

886

850

831

792

77 1

744

710

684

» »

1160

ii 33

1106

1066

1021

969

922

879

840

801

764

729

> »

1127

10.34

1070

1047

IOI4

970

914

875

835

790

741

672

» »

1182

1164

1136

1088

1045

1002

960

907

875

838

799

757

J 1

1130

IIII

1088

1058

1026

979

931

880

834

790

74 i

689

> »

1207

Qgffl

II7I

1134

1094

1051

994

932

892

853

810

764

2 i

l l

990

94 i

905

863

829

804

776

752

722

690

6 5 i

1 1

1154

1130

I IOO

1061

1012

950

904

862

826

770

730

694

» »

IO91

1063

1035

999

942

890

850

808

769

717

652

3 h

» »

1175

1153

1120

1079

1032

986

940

894

861

825

780

723

3 l

» 1

1121

1050

1015

970

912

858

810

762

7 i 4

663

) 1

1199

1177

1159

1122

1082

i °34

977

907

850

816

774

734

2 2

l >

922

892

872

841

802

760

703

670

622

55 i

465

370

t »

11-20

EEZ!

IO7I

1029

959

891

809

751

704

630

559

440

l >

1076

1041

999

941

886

831

775

710

540

465

43 °

375

3 §

» 1

1126

1012

965

892

830

781

711

630

550

460

1 1

1066

IO4I

1017

980

940

896

834

760

706

620

540

446

» >

114s

1045

987

927

964

792

720

642

55 i

495

140 The Breech-Loader ,

All these figures were obtained with a Greener-
choke 1 2-bore gun, with Schultze powder and good
wadding. Inferior wadding will produce lower
velocity, especially at the longer ranges.

CHOKE-BORES V. CYLINDERS.

The larger the killing circle and the greater the
range, the greater the efficiency of the gun. To
make a charge of shot fly compactly, to increase
the velocity of the mass of the pellets, to prevent
the divergence or straying of the shot, it has been
found that the choke-boring of the gun is most
effectual.

The adjoining diagrams will give at a glance an
approximate idea of the difference in the flight of a
charge of shot from a choke-bore and a cylinder
gun, and also the difference caused by an increased
charge of powder in the choke, but as the velocity
varies at the different ranges, the diagrams do not
show accurately the approximate divergence at all
ranges.

The best pattern is that of the choke-bore gun,
and sportsmen seem slow to grasp the fact that
pattern is the all-important factor in the killing
range of the gun. The author made a series of
experiments by which he ascertained that it
requires at least four pellets of No. 6 shot (chilled)
to kill a pigeon, excepting, of course, such flukes as
a pellet striking the head or breaking the neck,
and the pigeon, if struck by six shots, none of

And Ho w to Use It.

141

which might prove immediately mortal, should be
dropped at once by the aggregate. An old or true
cylinder gun will not, upon the average, put three
pellets into a pigeon thirty yards distant. The
cylinder gun must, therefore, be considered prac-
tically useless at this distance ; for, providing the
pigeons were fairly struck, and in the centre of the
charge, not more than one out of three would be
killed and gathered. To ensure four pellets being
put into a pigeon, a pattern of at least 200 in the
30-inch circle is necessary. It is possible to kill
pigeons at forty yards with a choke-bored gun if so
small a charge as 2\ drams and oz. of No. 6 shot
be used ; with a pattern of 240 in the 30-inch
circle the value of penetration is lessened. Where-
as, unless the pellets strike the bird penetration is
quite useless ; pattern never is.

A gun, by varying the load, can always be
made to spread, so that for covert or rabbit shoot-
ing a choke-bore gun, loaded with scatter charge
and the quantity of shot slightly reduced, may be
used with better effect and less danger than a
cylinder. There is a prejudice against choke-bores
amongst a certain clique of English sportsmen, but
the system of boring has such enormous ad-
vantages and adds so greatly to the gun’s range
and power that it continues to gain rapidly in
favour.

The barrel may be contracted from, say 5,oooths
of an inch, being then almost cylindrical, to

And How to Use It.

143

Facsimile of the Shooting a W. W. Greener Gun with Schullze Powder
and No. 6 Shot (reduced by photography).

• •

Fac-simile of the Shooting of a Full Choke bored Gun at 40 Yards,
3 drams of No. 4 Powder, and ij oz. No. 6 shot.

These two illustrations represent exactly the distance the pellets are
apart ; those reduced by photography may convey a wrong impression
on account of their reduced scale not being taken into consideration.

Fac-simile of the shooting selected from the centre of the pattern oi an
improved cylinder bored grin, at 40 yards, 3 drams of No. 4
powder, and oz. No. 6 shot.

146

The Breech-Loader ,

33,oooths of an inch when it is an extra full choke.
The graduations are as follows : —

With a twelve bore gun, standard load
distance and conditions, the ordi-
nary full choke will make an average
pattern of ... ... ... ... 215 pellets

The half-choke ... ... ... 185 „

The quarter-choke ... ... ... 160 „

The improved cylinder ... ... 140 „

The old, or true cylinder ... ... 115 „

Better shooting than average of 215 can be ob-
tained from an extra full-choked bored 12-bore
gun, by using Schultze E.C. or S.S. powder. oz.
of shot improves the pattern of choke guns from 10
to 30 pellets when using No. 6 shot, it fills up the
pattern just round the 30-inch circle.

No increase in the charge of shot will improve a
cylinder.

OF CHOKE-BORES AND CYLINDERS.

A gun must be more or less choke-bored, unless
the sportsman wishes to handicap himself need-
lessly. The invention of choke-boring is certainly
as important as any of the improvements intro-
duced into the firearms industry during the last
half century, and notwithstanding the assertions of
misinformed persons to the contrary the choke is
rapidly growing in public favour. Not only does
choking cause the gun to shoot more closely ; it

148

The Breech-Loader ,

also makes it shoot more regularly, more uniformly,
and, to a very great extent, prevents the erratic
flight of a few pellets in a line widely divergent
to that taken by the body of the charge. For
ordinary sporting purposes a gun which shall give
its largest killing circle at 30 yards with the first
barrel, and at 40 with the second, will be found the
most convenient of good shots. This means a
pattern of 140 to 150 at 40 yards with the right
barrel, and 200 to 210 with the left. The patterns
of the first barrel at 30 yards, and that of the second
at 40 yards, when compared with each other, will be
about the same, both with regard to spread and
number of pellets in the 30-inch circle.

The difference between the size of the killing
circle of the right and left barrel at 25 yards would
be very little, both being about 24 inches, but at 20
yards the cylinder would have killing circle 2 to 3
inches larger.

With the old, or true cylinder, at 20 yards the
spread would be larger and the pattern patchy and
irregular, so that a bird might sometimes escape
when within a few inches of the centre of the
charge. At all distances these patterns are very
irregular, sometimes shooting so wildly that they
do not put 30 pellets on the target.

It has been stated by some writers in favour of
cylinders that they will give a greater killing circle
than 30 inches.

The author never saw the cylinder that could

And How to Use It.

149

Facsimile. — Circle, 30 in. diameter, Plate 4 foot.

Number of pellets in circle, 250. Killing circle, 35. This diagram
represents the shooting of a pigeon-gun, 12-bore, with 4 drams
and ij oz. No. 6 shot.

1 50 The Breech-Loader ,

be relied upon to do it. The pattern outside the
30-inch circle is so thin and patchy that it cannot
be expected to kill.

Excellent shots may have the range extended
ten yards, if possible, and indifferent shots the
range reduced ten yards. It is the ability of the
shooter to aim the gun which will determine the
amount of choke. The fullest choke-bore will not
“riddle” a partridge at twenty-five yards, but as
the spread of the shot at that distance will be
smaller than the killing circle of the gun at forty
yards, a true aim must be taken. It is easier to
correctly align a gun at twenty than at forty yards,
and the indifferent shot, whose poor shooting arises
from the inability to aim, should avoid long shots.
The poor shot who misses from nervousness should
try long shots. A very little practice will give
much more knowledge on the subject of a suitable
choke than any number of instructions.

There is but one cylinder. It is useless to ex-
pect patterns, penetration, and velocity from a
cylinder-barrel which are beyond the capabilities of
the cylinder-bore, and go to whomsoever you may,
if you want closer patterns, greater penetration, or
more uniform shooting, he must “improve” the
cylinder by choking to give you what you want.
For a trap-gun a full choke is absolutely necessary.
For a game-gun the pattern may be reduced, but it
is rarely advisable to purchase a gun which will not
make an average pattern of at least 140 with either

And How to Use It.

151

barrel, which is in reality a modified choke. The
choke can always be so loaded as to equal the
cylinder in wideness and regularity of spread, but
no gun-maker, or sportsman, can load a cylinder to
shoot as closely and evenly as the choke.

Any number of instances might be cited which
illustrate the immense superiority of the choke-bore.
For all-round game-shooting there is certainly
nothing to equal it, and as a trap-gun it is in-
variably used. The choke has no disadvantage.
It may be too close in its shooting for certain game
at short ranges, but this is a fault at once remedied
by having a special load for the choke-gun when a
large spread at short range is required. It must,
however, be remembered that a cylinder-bore gun
at fifteen yards range has put fifty-four pellets of
No. 6 into a pigeon, and that a choke at twenty
yards will not average more than forty, even if
“ dead on ” each shot. The choke may be used for
wild-fowling for rough shooting, and it will, in many
instances, enable the good shot to secure game,
where he would, if restricted to the cylinder, have
no chance whatever.

HOW TO LOAD A GUN.

The standard loads of guns for various gauges
have already been given in this chapter. The
sportsman must, however, remember that the close-
ness of a gun’s shooting may generally be improved
by the use of Schultze gunpowder, if the gun is

152

The Breech-Loader ,

full or modified choke. The No. 4 black powder is
that usually best suited to guns from four to twenty-
eight gauge.

As to the size of shot, No. 6 of 270 to the
ounce is the standard for 12-bores, in which also
every size may be used.

The 28-bore will do relatively better with eight
or seven than with six or five, and with a 4-bore
gun anything smaller than No. 3 is wasted.

Modified choke-bores and cylinders give a
larger killing circle the smaller the shot. 20, 16,
and 12-bore cylinder barrels may be used at the
ordinary winged game of Great Britain with greater
success if charged with No. 7 than with 5 or 6. In
12-bore guns it is not wise to load with larger shot
than No. 4, unless the gun has been regulated for
use with a certain size of large shot. For 10-bores
No. 1 size is the limit. These remarks must not be
construed to mean that the 12-bore game-gun must
always be used with one size of shot ; for quail and
young partridge shooting No. 7 may be employed
to advantage, and for shore shooting even larger
size than No. 4. But the sportsman must remem-
ber that when he uses the large shot he is sacrificing
closeness of shooting for the extra benefit he
obtains from the increased range and smashing
power of the large shot. Cartridges loaded with
nitro-compounds must be well turned down.

Good close shooting in guns of any bore can
only be obtained by using cartridges loaded

And How to Use It.

153

rationally, and to be rationally loaded there must
be good wadding between the powder and the shot
The secret of good shooting is in the employment
of a first-class felt wad over the powder ; and it is
imperative that this wad be of good quality. The
texture must be close and firm, but the relative
hardness or softness of the wad is of less moment.
It should be of the same diameter as the internal
diameter of the cartridge-case in which it is to be
used — f or T 7 g- thick for 12-bores, thinner for smaller
bores, and thicker for larger bores. To protect the
powder from the injurious effect which may result
from continuous contact with the chemically-pre-
pared felt wad, a thin card wad or a waterproof wad
should first be inserted ; and it is supposed to be
conducive to closer shooting if this protective wad,
instead of being a simple card wad, be a compound
paper and felt wad — technically known as the
“pink-edged” or “Field” wad. This “Field”
wad should always be used when loading with
nitro-compounds ; with black powders its use is not
so imperative. It is customary to place a third
wad, of thin card, between the thick felt wad and
shot, but it is very doubtful if any benefit will
accrue from its use.

The cartridge loaded for close shooting will,
therefore, be charged, as in the illustration on next
page.

Heavy charges of powder are a mistake. Using
larger charges in a 12-bore than 3^ drams, or the

154

The Breech-Loader ,

Cartridge Loaded for Close Shooting with Black Powder.

Cartridge Loaded to Scatter.

Cartridge Loaded for Close Shooting with a Nitro-compound,

And Ho iv to Use It.

155

equivalent in nitro-powders, no matter what weight
the gun is, only scatters the charge, and spoils the
regular shooting of the gun.

Loading with two pink-edge wads over the
powder, and one pink edge wad over the shot, as

Brass Cartridge Case Wadded for Close Shooting.

Cartridge Loaded to Scatter the Shot.

is often done in the United States, causes the
charge to scatter, and such loading will lower the
pattern 15 per cent, in a gun fully choke-bored.

If charged with “ Schultze ” or “ E.C.” gun->
powder the wads used will be the pink-edged or
“ Field,” the thick felt and the thin card as shown.

156

The Breech-Loader,

If brass cases are to be loaded for close shoot-
ing, put the wads, as illustrated, between the
powder and shot, and crimp the case.

When loading long 1 2-bore cartridge-cases,
2 \ or 3 inches, with large charges of powder,
two thick felt wads (soft and elastic) should be
placed over the powder, and a thin card over
shot, to obtain the closest and most regular
pattern.

To load choke-bore guns so as to scatter the
shot at close quarters diminish the thickness of
wadding between the powder and shot, and in-
crease it over the shot. This is pretty effective,
but the best plan is to load as illustrated.

The charge of shot, it will be seen, is separated
by two cardboard wads. This will cause a full-
choke-bore gun to make a pattern of 140 at 40
yards instead of 220. A still smaller pattern may
be obtained by using one ounce of shot instead of
the ounce and eighth, and still further by substi-
tuting No. 5 for No. 6 shot. If it scatters too
much, separate the shot by one wad instead of two,
or by simply using one pink-edged wad only over
the powder, and one over the shot.

The scatter-charge has good penetration at 30
or 40 yards, but of course not so much as when
loaded for close shooting.

For rabbit shooting, with a full-choke-bore gun,
at 15 and 20 yards’ distance, very successful results
have been gained by reducing the charge of shot

And How to Use It.

IS 7

to f oz., the smashing of the game being thus
avoided.

There is an idea prevalent that by diminishing
the charge of powder below the standard charge,
and keeping the standard charge of shot, the close-
ness of the pattern will be increased. This is
erroneous, so far as it applies to guns choke-bored,
and the use of black gunpowders, and in any case
it is productive of irregular shooting and patchy
patterns.

By overloading the gun with powder and shot,
or with powder only, irregular patchy and open
patterns are produced.

When small charges are used the cartridges
should not be shortened by cutting down or turn-
ing over beyond the usual limit but by filling the
space with wadding — or the case may be slightly
turned down, and then crimped, as are the thin
brass cases.

It will be found to be true economy to pur-
chase just such cartridges as are required for the
sport purposed than to use unsuitable loads. For
partridge shooting use the Sporting Life cartridges;
they are also suitable for grouse shooting, and may
be looked upon as amongst the best for all-round
purposes. For shooting in pigeon matches and at
wild fowl use the very best cartridges procurable,
and by no means employ reloaded cases.

For rabbit shooting a cheap cartridge may be
purchased, but such cartridges should not be stored.

158 The Breech-Loader ,

It is economical to work up old, damaged, mixed,
or suspected cartridges at a rabbit shoot.

SELECTING BUCKSHOT.

To select a buckshot which will suit a particular
gun, put a wad in the muzzle of the gun about
| an inch down, and fit the shot in perfect layers.
There will be no need to try them in the cartridge
cases, as it is immaterial how they fit there. Buck-
shot of a size which will average 9 pellets to the
1 1 oz. will generally fit a full choke-bored 12-gauge
gun, the three shot to the layer. If a smaller shot
be required choose four or five to the layer, avoid-
ing sizes which do not fit fairly well ; with such
well-chosen buckshot nearly the whole of the 9, 12,
16 or 20 shot of the charge will be in a circle of
about 30 inches diameter at 40 yards’ range, if the
gun is of good quality and properly bored.

SHOT-GUNS AS BALL-GUNS.

It is well known that the ordinary double-
barrelled cylinder shot-gun will shoot spherical
bullets with fair accuracy up to fifty yards.

The recoil felt by firing a light 12-bore gun
with a spherical bullet is very considerable ; as a
matter of fact the recoil is 13 lbs. heavier with the
bullet and the standard charge of powder than
with the standard charge of shot.

Choke-bore guns may be used as ball-guns,
providing that the bullet to be fired will pass easily

And How to Use It. 159

through the muzzle ; and it may be interesting to
sportsmen to know that choke-bore guns shoot
ball quite as well as guns bored perfectly cylinder.
Especially is this of interest to those who use but
one gun, and have often the chance of a shot or
two at big game. Gun-makers and sportsmen alike
have been misled by the proof marks ; formerly, on
all choke-bores “Not for Ball” was imprinted.

Another point to be noticed is that when one
barrel be modified choke or cylinder it is only
necessary to use the one-sized ball, the larger bored
barrel shooting, to all intents and purposes, as well
as the barrel for which the ball is moulded.

Any gun which is safe to use with shot is quite
as safe with ball, provided that ordinary care be
taken to see that the ball be not larger than the
smallest part of the barrel, and the charge of
powder does not exceed 2 \ drms. of powder No. 4, or
No. 6, black, for light guns, and 2f to 3 drms. for
heavier than 7 lbs. One card and one thick felt
over the powder, the ball being fixed in either by
an ordinary turnover or crimper, will give all that is
desired. Neither wad nor patch over the ball.

Bullets cast in a 14-bore mould will invariably
suit a full choke, and 1 3 bore for cylinders.

i6o

The Breech-Loader ,

CHAPTER VI.

A MISCELLANEOUS CHAPTER — GUNPOWDERS —
NITRO-EXPLOSIVES — SHOT — CARTRIDGE-CASES
— LOADED CARTRIDGES — GUN-CASES, ETC.
ETC.

GUNPOWDERS.

The explosive used in shot guns is either black
gunpowder (saltpetre, charcoal, sulphur) or a nitro-
compound (carbon base, treated with nitric and
sulphuric acids). The black gunpowder is granu-
lated, the grains being of various sizes, ranging
from dust to i|--inch cubes for use in cannon.

The ingredients of best black gunpowder are in
the following proportions : saltpetre 7 5 per cent.,
charcoal 15 per cent., sulphur 10 percent. — and this
is the proportion generally followed by English and
the best foreign makers.

The explosive force is generated by the saltpetre
and charcoal ; the sulphur raises the temperature
of the freed gases, and adds to their volume by its
own decomposition. The speed with which a
charge of powder explodes is due to the size and
density of grain. This question of grain is of the
first importance to the sportsman.

No. 4 is unequalled for all-round shooting in

And How to Use It.

i 6 1

guns of any gauge. For 12 and smaller bores,
when strong shooting is required, the No. 4 alliance,
having a larger proportion of the finer grains than
is usually found in ordinary No. 4, will be found to
give satisfactory results. This powder would not
be obtained by mixing No. 3 and No. 4 together in
any proportions, but would require to be specially
sifted.

To sum up the question of grain in one sentence:
whilst No. 6 gives regular and even patterns, it has
not the velocity of smaller grained powders ; the

No. 4 Alliance Powder.

Nos. 3, 2, and 5 grained “ Basket ” cause the pellets
to scatter more rapidly than the larger grained
powders ; the No. 4, therefore, is the happy medium
for the ordinary purposes of the field and trap
shooter.

The best gunpowder requires the very best
alder-wood or dog-wood charcoal, refined sulphur,
and the purest saltpetre. These three ingredients
must be thoroughly corporated, and the powder
submitted to great hydraulic pressure, before being
broken up and granulated.

The charcoal of inferior quality, or badly burnt

162

The Breech-Loader,

or of the wrong wood, will spoil the quality of the
powder, whatever pains be taken with the subse-
quent stages of manufacture.

The brown, or cocoa powders, recently intro-
duced, owe their colour to a different treatment of
the charcoal, and these powders have no special
quality to recommend them for sporting purposes.

TO TEST THE QUALITY OF GUNPOWDER.

Rub a few grains in the palm of the hand, or
between the finger and thumb. If it is reduced to
dust with little pressure, its density is insufficient,
and the quality poor ; if the colour of the dust is of
inky blackness, the charcoal is of inferior quality,
and the powder poor in consequence. Good gun-
powder can scarcely be reduced to dust by rubbing
in the hand ; the dust will be of a rich dark brown,
and if a little powder be ignited in a piece of paper, no
residuum should be left, nor the paper burnt through.

These rough and ready tests are not of course
equal to trying the powder in a gun of known
quality or to laboratory tests, for flashing point
which should be 6oo° F., etc.

The chief nitro-explosives are the “ Schultze ”
“ E. C.” and the “ S. S.” or Smokeless, they are
made by impregnating some carbon basis, cotton
or wood pulp, with nitric acid and purifying them by
chemical means. Schultze is the oldest and best
known, it is made from pulped wood which, after ni-
trification and purification, is granulated and water-

And How to Use It.

163

proofed ; “ E. C.” is granulated gun cotton water-
proofed and treated in a special manner. The
“ S. S.” of the Smokeless Company is a chemically
prepared powder, and the Company manufacture
other powders of a quite different nature for rifles.

Nitro-powders possess various advantages over
black, the chief being the absence of smoke after
the discharge, and the small amount of residue
deposited in the barrel. This is on account of the
greater percentage of available gases contained in
nitro-compounds to that of gunpowder. Black
gunpowders usually give about 65 per cent, solid
residue and 35 per cent, available gases, which, of
course, have to drive out of the barrel the solid
residue, in addition to the charge of shot and wads
in front of it, the major portion of the solids being
in a state of fine division or smoke. The best wood
powder will give about 30 per cent, solid residue, 70
per cent, available gases ; consequently, one-half
the charge of powder by weight is equivalent in
force to a full charge of black powder. This leaves,
therefore, only about 15 percent, solid residue to be
expelled from the barrel, against nearly 65 parts
solids from black. The solids resulting from the
wood powder are expelled in a coherent form instead
of smoke, thus slightly lessening the recoil.

Unconfined wood powder, in common with other
nitro-compounds, may be ignited without obtaining
a third of the available explosive force ; to get the
best results the ignition must be made by a detonator
l 2

164

The Breech-Loader ,

The detonating powder contained in the ordinary-
sporting cap is sufficient for a sporting charge.

Black gunpowder, on an average, will fire at a
temperature of 5 39 0 Fahr., whilst nitro-cellulose or
“ E. C.” and Schultze powder increases in a greater
ratio than black, and when heated requires less
detonation.

The strength of nitro-compounds generally is
better developed when the detonator is in actual
contact with the explosive. The flash alone of an
explosive cap would not develop nearly so much
energy from the powder as would a detonator fired
in the middle of the charge ; but the explosion
would be stronger than if the charge were fired by
insertion of a heated wire, or by the application of
a flame.

All nitro-compounds are more violent in their
action the more tightly they are confined and the
stronger the detonation by which they are exploded.

The pleasure of shooting is so greatly increased
by the use of these smokeless powders that they
are rapidly superseding black gunpowders for all
sporting purposes. Powders so carefully made as
the “ Schultze ” may be relied upon as safe to use,
provided not more than usual sporting charges are
employed. An increased load of shot permits of
greatly increased explosive force being developed
by chemical powders in the chamber of the gun,
and consequently it is important to adhere to those
proportions of powder and lead which have been

And How to Use It. 165

found generally suitable for the guns of various
calibres.

In large-bore guns and when large charges of
shot are used the use of black powder is recom-
mended as it is far safer than nitro-compounds.

Avoid fine grain powder, as it is likely to burst
the barrel on account of its quick ignition ; this
applies even more especially to rifles. Never use
nitro-powders in rifles unless it is made specially
for rifles and so marked.

Powders of the chemical class, other than those
above cited, must be used with great care unless the
sportsman has actual proof that they are absolutely
safe in guns of usual strength, the risk will always
be somewhat greater than that which follows the
use of black.

This applies more especially to nitro-compounds
of foreign manufacture, many of which develop an
increased internal pressure which renders them unfit
for use in light guns.

SHOT.

Lead shot is of two kinds : that which is

moulded, as large buckshot, and that which is
“ dropped,” as the ordinary small shot.

Drop shot should be made of lead without a tin
alloy ; it may be hardened by the patented process
of the Newcastle Chilled Shot Company. Hard
shot is preferable to soft for all purposes, but it
is more expensive. The hardest, heaviest, and

The Breech-Loader,

i 66

roundest shot made in the world is that manu-
factured at Gateshead by the Newcastle Chilled
Shot Company. The hardest lead shot will not
injure a gun-barrel, even if the barrel be of soft
Belgian metal.

It is well known that sometimes several shots
of a charge will take an erratic flight, but it has been
fully proven that chilled shot is less prone to thus
fly off at a tangent than soft shot, and this whether
the gun used be choke-bored or cylinder. Therefore
it is much safer to use.

The nearer to a perfect sphere each pellet of a
charge is when the charge leaves the muzzle, the
nearer perfect will be the flight of that charge. In
passing through the barrel the shot, by pressing
against one another and the barrel, become deformed
unless they are of hardened metal. Chilled shot will
improve the shooting of any gun ; it does not lead
so much as the softer shot, and if made as it is by
the Newcastle Chilled Shot Company is of the same
specific gravity and free from poison as soft shot,
whilst as a projectile it is superior in every way.

American and Continental shot is not so regular
either in size or shape as the best English shot, and
as there is no recognised standard gauge, and instead
of testing what a gun will do with No. 5 or No. 6 of
a particular make, it will be better to give it as the
number of shots to the ounce as 270, 218, 450, etc.

No. 6 shot of different makes as sold in England
will vary as much as 100 pellets to the ounce, so it

And How to Use It.

i 67

may readily be seen that unless a person knows the
exact number of pellets to the ounce of shot he is
using he could easily be deceived as to the gun
performance at a target.

The following are the sizes sold by different
makers ; but, except in one or two cases, these
figures are not strictly adhered to by the makers
themselves : —

STANDARD SIZES OF ENGLISH SHOT.

Lane and Nesham,
London.

Newcastle Chilled Shot Co.,
Gatbshead-on-Tyne.

Size.

No. of Pellets to

the Ounce.

ol^c •

the Ounce.

A A A A

AAA

35 to 40

A A

B B B B

B B B

5 o

B B B

B B

104

1 12 to 120

122

x 35

I4O

175 to 180

I72

218 to 225

218

278 to 290

27O

340

300

462

340

568

450

985

580

Dust

1672

85 °

*S G

1040

*S S G

1250

*SSSG

Large Dust.

1700

*L G

Small Dust.

2800

M G

S G

—

S S G

—

S S S G

* Walker, Parker, & Co. London sizes.

SIZES OF AMERICAN DROP SHOT.

168

The Breech-Loader,

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And How to Use It.

169

CARTRIDGE-CASES.

The cartridge used to day is still the same in
principle as Mr. Daw introduced over thirty years
ago, the sizes being identical. The ordinary 12-
bore cartridge case is correctly 2 x 9 ein. long, but
much confusion results from this case being called
sometimes 2fin. and sometimes 2|in. Other sizes,
from 10 to 20-bore, are made this same length.

There is some difference in the shape of the
anvil. All the best English and Continental
makers adopt the plan of a movable anvil, but
American makers use caps, which fit upon an anvil
formed in the base of the cartridge-case, or a small
anvil is used which is contained within the cap.
The metal of American caps is thinner and softer
than that used in England, the object being to
have a more sensitive and easily-exploded cap.
The drawback to this is that the striker frequently
perforates the cap, and a large escape of gas re-
sults, and occasionally a dangerous escape, some-
times splitting the stocks of hammerless guns and
blowing out the strikers of hammer guns.

Very fine cartridge-cases, as the “Ejector” case
of Messrs. Eley Bros., and “ The Grouse ” case of
Messrs. Kynoch, are covered with thin brass nearly
the whole length of the case, following a principle
adopted some dozen or more years ago by M.
Bachman in the “High Life” case; for wet
weather they are perfect.

170 The Breech-Loader,

The chief requisites in cartridge-cases for
shot-guns are : perfect ignition, uniformity of size,
capability of resisting atmospheric changes, and
moderate pressure.

Nothing is more tantalising to the sportsman
than miss-fires ; hang-fires, too, are a great nui-
sance. To enjoy shooting there must be perfect
freedom from tight-fitting cartridge-cases, and the
cases must be well made to stand heavy charges
and extract freely. Not unfrequently with cheap
cases the heads are pulled off by the extractor, the
cylinder being left in the chamber to be removed
by the grip extractor , sold by gun-makers for this
purpose, or cut out with the shooter’s knife.

The cases must be of exact size also in the
rim ; many have small rims, so that in loading
they may be pushed past the extractor, if force is
used. Care should be taken not to do this ; if the
cartridge is put against the extractor and the gun
closed, after the cartridge is fired the base will
expand, and it will extract properly. It is also of
importance that the case be substantially made,
capable of resisting such pressure as careless
packing in the magazine, or the usual accidents of
travel may occasion. A stout well-made case will
keep the powder in better condition than will a
thin unglazed imperfectly-finished one.

Good cases are made by all the leading makers.
Since the introduction of nitro-compounds dis-
tinctive colours are used, and the old line of colour

And How to Use It. lyi

as denoting quality is not so strictly observed.
The brown colour is still used for cheap cases.

For perfect ignition, few makers equal, and
none surpass, the best cases of Messrs. Eley Bros.;
the average of miss-fires through faulty caps is
in their best cases only a small fraction of i per
cent.

Their new case for nitro-compounds has a
metallic capsule covering outside the paper like
the old “High Life” cases, common on the Con-
tinent a dozen years ago.

The thin brass perfect case of Messrs. Kynoch
has greater capacity than the paper cases of the
same nominal gauge. These cases do not swell,
and keep the powder in good condition. They are
much favoured by some sportsmen ; others do not
like the “ feel ” of the sharp edges of the metallic
cases, and continue to use paper. The latest
pattern of perfect case has the base filled with
paper pulp, which strengthens the rim, renders the
base solid, and lessens the liability to miss-fire.
These cases do not give way in the least ; and if
the primers are kept of uniform good quality,
sportsmen may congratulate themselves upon
having a truly “ perfect ” case. In America good
paper cases, or “ shells,” are dearer than in England,
and not equal in quality to those made here. The
American metallic cases are good, but very dear.
On the Continent a very cheap paper case — colour
greyish-brown — is sold, which is of such poor

172 The Breech-Loader ,

quality that all sportsmen would do well to avoid
using them.

IGNITION.

Different makes of cartridge-cases, being fur-
nished with different caps, are not alike in the-
method of ignition, of the explosion, nor in the
time occupied in igniting the powder.

The time actually passed between the pulling
of the trigger of a good C. F. 12-bore gun and the
exit of the shot from the muzzle of the gun should
not exceed '0075 of a second ; with the “ Life ” cases
this is reduced to ’0065 of a second, and if quick
powder, as “basket” or No. 3, is used, it is again
reduced to ’Oo6o of a second or less. With smaller
bores the time is less. When the time taken is ’03
of a second or more, a “ hang fire ” is perceptible ;
when 06 of a second, a click is heard between the
pulling of the trigger and the report.

The original Sporting Life cartridge, introduced
by the author some years ago, had a stronger
cap, with respect to the quality and amount of
fulminate used, than the other cartridges in use,
and was the only cartridge perfectly adapted for
nitro explosives.

The cartridge-makers now supply cases with
strong caps, which offer similar advantages.

The difference in the form of anvil and the
ignitions of the caps may be estimated from the
accompanying illustrations.

And How to Use It.

173

Sporting Life E. B. Case. Original " Life" Case.

Ignition of Central-fire Cases.

View of the Cap-chambers and Section of Caps and Anvils of the
"Life” and ‘ ' Eley Cases.

174

The Breech-Loader ,

The Sporting Life cases have given every
satisfaction, and have attained a high reputation
for killing power ; many sportsmen will use no
others, as they declare that they will kill game as
no other cartridges can. These cases, when loaded
with first quality powder, good wads, and chilled
shot, make a cartridge far superior to any other in
the market.

WADDING.

The wadding used in the shot-gun is of three
varieties : ist, the simple cardboard wad ; 2nd, a
felt wad ; 3rd, a hard felt paper-faced wad, known

Felt Wad. Field Wad. Shot Wad.

as the “ pink edge ” or the Field wad. A cardboard
or waterproof (pitch paper) wad must be placed
over the powder ; this must be followed by a
lubricating felt wad, usually fths of an inch in
thickness. The top wad over the shot must be of
the thinnest cardboard. Pink-edged, pink-faced,
“ Field,” and thick cardboard wads, cloth wads, and
black wads, are used for special purposes, as speci-
fied in the section on cartridge loading.

And How to Use It.

i7S

The best felt wads are elastic, of a light pink
colour, deeper at the greased edge. Cheaper quali-
ties are of a deeper tint, and the commonest are
brown in colour and not close in texture. The
“ Field ” wad is black (pitched paper) on one
face, pink paper on the other ; the edge is greased.
Pink-edged wads are greased at the edge, and
have paper faces of a light pink tint ; they should
be of elastic felt.

Numerous wads have been invented to act as
concentrators in confining the charge of shot in its
flight, but for the most part they act but imper-
fectly even with cylinder guns, and are quite use-
less with choke-bores. Wads of hard brittle
material, which will crumble to dust when the
gun is fired, are sometimes used over shot, though
the thin card wad is still employed generally.

Felt wadding must be used between the powder
and shot, a wad T V inch thick is enough for a
28-bore, and | inch would not be too thick for an
8-bore ; as there is not a wad so thick, a pink-edged
wad must be used as well ; f or T V is the correct
thickness for a 12-bore wad.

Wads need not fit the case tightly. There is
little doubt but that the wads are expanded in the
cartridge case before the shot is started. The felt
wad serves to clean the fouling in the barrel left
from the firing of the previous charge. The
blackened edges of the felt wad are not caused
by the gases of the ignited explosive singeing the

176

The Breech-Loader ,

wad, but the fouling in the barrel, which fouling
also hardens the wad edge very materially. It is
quite possible that this fouling is in some way
beneficial to the gun barrel, as it acts as a lubricant
for the shot, and it is well known that a shot barrel
with a certain amount of fouling will throw the
shot closer and harder than a dry, bright barrel.

TO LOAD CARTRIDGES.

To load quickly and accurately, place the cases
to be loaded base down upon the table. Adjust
the powder measure, put the powder into a basin,
take up a full measure, strike it off level with the
base of the case to be loaded, and pour it in the
case carefully, holding the case over the basin.
Having filled all the cases with powder, put in the
first wad and press it squarely and firmly down ;
the succeeding powder wads may then be put in
and rammed home together. The shot must be
poured in through a tundish, and preferably
counted with the “ Greener Shot Counter,” or
weighed to measure, the top wad of thinnest card,
and not too tight, the turning over firmly and
evenly done.

Cartridge-cases do not pay to reload ; it is false
economy in England to reload paper cases or
perfects — abroad it may be necessary to do so
occasionally, but no case fires so well a second
time. Paper and brass cases both quickly lose
their elasticity if reloaded and fired time after

And How to Use It .

1 77

time, and in reloaded cases there will always be
a greater percentage of miss-fires than in new ones.
The de-capping must be done as soon after firing
as convenient. New anvils will be required to
some cases ; and care must be taken that the cap
and the anvil are both got well “ home ” in the
cap chamber when re-capping, or miss-fires will
certainly ensue.

Paper cartridges and brass may be kept over
from one season to another without appreciable
deterioration, provided they are stored in a dry,
airy place, and at equable temperature of 50°.
Powder, whether black, Schultze, or “ E. C.,” that
has once become damp or sodden, can never be
dried so as to recover its original strength. Some
nitro-compounds may be over-dried and develop
dangerous qualities, but with either the Schultze or
“ E. C.” powders it is not probable that such will
result with even the most careless storing. It must
not be supposed that the powder in. damp cartridges
can be dried without unloading the cartridges ; to
attempt to do so would be like trying to dry one’s
stockings without taking off one’s wet boots.

THE “GREENER” SHOT COUNTER.

Further particulars of the “‘Greener’ Shot
Counter ” have been so frequently demanded, that
the adjoined illustration and description of this
simple contrivance will doubtless be welcomed by

And How to Use It.

179

those cartridge-loaders to whom the machine is
still unknown.

By drilling holes of the requisite size and depth
in a sheet of hard brass, a species of trowel is
formed, in which the pellets of shot will stick when
the trowel is forced into a mass of shot and slowly
withdrawn. For the use of sportsmen a pattern is
now made with a sliding cover, by which the num-
ber of holes exposed in the trowel may be varied,
according to the charge of shot it is wished to
load into the cartridge.

As already stated, the charge of shot is in this
manner regulated by number — 270 pellets of No. 6
weigh one ounce, 304 holes for 304 pellets are
allowed for the r^oz., or standard charge, and be-
yond this charge the graduation may be varied
with the greatest nicety.

In order to obtain exact results it is absolutely
necessary that the same number of pellets are
loaded into the cartridges ; if the number varies
— although the weight of the charge may not —
there will be a variation in the pattern, which will
probably prove misleading, and as it is easily
avoided by using the counting trowel, the weighing
of charges of shot should be discontinued.

The use of the trowel, with a plentiful supply of
shot and the specially-made square — or ribbed —
tundish, enables anyone to load cartridges accurately
with great speed and ease, and it is a method far
in advance of any system of weighing or measuring
m 2

i8o The Breech-Loader ,

shot charges. A glance at the trowel as it is with-
drawn filled from the shot-box will show whether
any undersized or misshapen pellet is on the
trowel, any irregularity in size, shape, or number
of the pellets being instantly discernible, as each
pellet occupies a separate cell and is seen dis-
tinctly.

The price, with box, tundish, and stand, is so
trifling — viz., 21s. — that everyone who loads cart-
ridges should give this method of loading a trial.
It will be found satisfactory, and a properly-made
trowel will load millions of cartridges before the
holes become so worn that it has to be discarded.

The author uses this counting trowel in loading
all his cartridges, and has done so for many years.
Sportsmen who do not load their own cartridges
should see that the maker with whom he deals
counts the pellets of the charge into the cart-
ridges or states the number of pellets to the ounce
used.

GUN-CASES AND IMPLEMENTS.

The gun that is worth owning is worth pre-
serving. If kept in a gun-rack, or, better still, a
dust-proof gun-cupboard, it will last longer, and if
put away clean will always be ready for use. To
take guns from place to place a case is necessary ;
if they are to be sent, a substantial oak case,
leather- covered, is the best — such a case, well made,
is worth about It affords complete protection

And How to Use It. i 8 i

to the gun, and will itself withstand the roughest
usage.

Sole-leather cases— that is to say, cases in
which best leather is sewn to pine frames — are
light and handy, and do well to carry guns in,
but they must not be used as packing-cases ; and
although they will upon occasion stand several
trips to the Rocky Mountains, they are not adapted
to the rough usage they receive in the goods-van,
and do not protect the gun as will the oak-covered
case. A best sole-leather case is worth £\. The
leather-leg-of-mutton case affected by trap shooters
is very light, and serves well to carry the gun ; the
cost is £2 to £3. Cheap soft canvas cases of the
same shape are used largely in America, but they
are not to be recommended, as the barrel is liable
to injury and the trigger guard bent by coming in
contact with each other. A case to carry the gun
at full length has been recommended, but its bulk
makes it inconvenient in many situations where the
shorter case is no encumbrance.

It is preferable to carry cartridges in a separate
magazine than in a tray in the gun-cases. These
magazines are made to carry 50 — the neat little
case carried by the trap-shooter — and 100, 200,
300, 400, or 500, the last a substantial trunk,
heavily made, and able to withstand luggage-
porters’ careless handling.

The divisions are preferable as in the English
magazine, for the cartridges then travel better, and

The English Gun-Case.

184 The Breech-Loader,

are more easily packed into and removed from the
magazine.

The impedimenta in England may be restricted
to a full set of cleaning implements, including
pocket cleaner and chamber brushes, action brush,
tow, rag, flannel, and oil. A pocket extractor is
useful, and a pair of turnscrews may be kept in the
cases.

Cartridge-loading apparatus will be found use-
less in England, where ammunition is cheap and it
is not the rule to reload cases.

When travelling abroad, powder and shot
measures should be taken, also a rammer and turn-
over de- and re-capper.

Cartridges are best carried in a magazine of
solid leather, or wood canvas covered. In the field
cartridges may be carried in the pocket. Cartridge
belts cannot be recommended for ordinary shoot-
ing, although there are times when they are very
useful, if not indispensable. Cartridge bags to hold
75 or 100 cartridges are large enough for all pur-
poses, and will be found to hang very heavily if
much walking is done. Two small bags feel much
lighter than one large one.

THE WEIGHT OF TRIGGER PULLS.

To test the weight of the trigger pulls it is
necessary to pull them with the spring balance,
each trigger at a different angle, as shown in the
illustration.

Use It.

185

The Breech-Loader ,

1 86

When a spring balance is not procurable, a dead
weight, such as shot in a small bag, attached to the
trigger by a piece of string, and the gun held at the
angle, as shown, will answer equally as well. It
will be seen that the angle in the illustration of
the spring balance is different for each trigger ; if
the balance were pulled straight back instead of at
the shown angles, the pull would be much heavier,
especially with the left trigger. As the angles
given are similar to the action when pulling the
trigger with the finger, it is necessary to know this
when trying the pulls of guns ; it is the way in
which all gun-makers test the pulls of their guns.

The usual pull off for fine game and pigeon guns
preferred by English sportsmen is 4 lbs. for the
right and 5 lbs. for the left lock. Light 20-bore
guns will do about 1 lb. lighter, but for heavy duck-
guns and rifles the pulls must be heavier.

Some Continental sportsmen cannot use a gun
which has a pull heavier than 3 lbs. for the first
and 4 lbs. for the second barrel ; the objection to
such light pulls is, they are likely to jar off if the
gun receives a slight blow, or even when closing
the gun after loading, if it is done rather sharply
as it is sometimes.

The practice of slamming the gun up is dan-
gerous, and young sportsmen should be very care-
ful to close the gun after loading as gently as
possible.

Some sportsmen prefer heavy pulls. Mr. Ful-

And How to Use It.

i 8;

ford, the pigeon shot, always has the pulls of both
his triggers io lbs. This weight is the heaviest
the author has ever made for the ordinary 1 2-bore
gun.

Gentlemen abroad, when ordering guns, should
state exactly what weight the trigger pulls are
desired, so that the maker may regulate them pro-
perly. It very often happens that fine hammer-
less and ejector guns are spoiled by jobbing
gunsmiths in attempting to alter the pulls ; it
would be far better to go on using the gun as it
comes from the maker, and get accustomed to the
pull, than trust it with such men. The author has
had several ejector guns returned from abroad
which have been spoiled in this way.

It would be only a simple matter for the maker
of the gun to alter the pull properly. The author
considers that if a gun requires any alteration or
repairs the maker of it is the proper person to do
it, as he is more interested in seeing that it is done
thoroughly.

1 88

The Breech-Loader ,

CHAPTER VII.

THE GUN : HOW TO USE IT.

Should a man carry a gun in such a manner as
to endanger his companions he will be shunned by
sportsmen generally, and quite deservedly.

Sportsmen who have been allowed the use of
a gun from their boyhood generally make the best
and most careful shots, therefore the earlier a boy
is entrusted with a gun the more likely is he to
make a safe shot. The boy who shoots, or is
learning to shoot, is the one who most rarely fools
with firearms. The maxim that “ familiarity breeds
contempt ” does not apply to the knowledge of
weapons, for the person of the “ didn’t know it
was loaded ” order is usually someone who has had
nothing to do with firearms in their proper place.

To point a gun at any person should in itself
constitute a criminal offence, and all firearms must
invariably be treated as if loaded ; therefore in
all drill, preliminary to going into the field, make
a point of treating the weapon as loaded. With
practice safe handling becomes habitual, and it
must be habitual before any sportsman should
venture to shoot in company. The man who
knows in what direction the muzzle of his gun
is directed may be puzzled if it is accidentally

And How to Use It. 189

discharged, he is rarely disconcerted, never flurried
or alarmed.

This state of complete self-possession is ac-
quired by the practice of always treating the gun
as loaded. There is time for a shooter to consider
if every shot he fires is aimed in a safe direction,
this without interfering with the rapidity or
accuracy of the aim, provided he has previously
noted in which direction he may fire with safety.

The beginner should first practise the handling
of an unloaded gun until he can bring it up sharply
and well to cover any point at which he is looking.
In shooting, as with other sports, ease of movement
is the first requirement, and this is only attained
by practice — drill.

To become proficient in the use of the gun it is
advisable to handle a gun for a few minutes every
day in the shooting season, and at least once a
week in spring and summer.

For this drill it is best to take a good position
such as that of a crack shot at the trap ( see illus-
tration) — the left foot should be slightly in advance,
the knees straight, the body bent very slightly
forward from the hips, the left shoulder brought
well forward, which allows a longer reach with the
left hand ; the gun must be grasped firmly with
the right hand, the forefinger on the trigger, the
left hand must be got as far forward as will permit
of the gun being quickly manipulated, the gun
being held well across the body. The left hand

J. A. R,

And How to Use It. 191

well forward gives a better command over the gun,
especially with respect to its elevation, but if too
far forward it retards a change of aim from left to
right.

In taking a double rise from traps, or in making
a right and left at game, it is advisable to swing the
body with the gun, and change the position of the
feet also. Thus, the shooter will be always in
practically the same position with respect to the
object at which he has to aim. The change of
position can, with practice, be accomplished without
any loss of time, and the advantages are important.
There is greater certainty of aim, and the firing is
easier than when the upper half of the body is
swung round from the hips.

For marks use something distinctive. A red or
black seal, on a white card, is as good as anything.
These should be fixed at different heights, and if
indoors two should be at least twelve feet apart,
standing, as illustration. Look at one of the marks
and bring the gun quickly to the shoulder, pressing
it firnjly into position in doing so. The muzzle of
the barrels should cease their motion just under the
mark at which you were looking. Put up the gun
similarly to other marks, changing from left to
right, and high to low, at irregular intervals, until
convinced that when your gun is brought to the
shoulder, it is directed automatically to the point
above mentioned.

To pull the trigger so as not to change the aim,

192 The Breech-Loader ,

let the forefinger be well bent, the first joint resting
lightly on the trigger, the other joints being held
free of the gun. The trigger must be pressed, not
pulled, or the alignment of the gun may be altered
thereby. Snapping off the gun with a fired case in
the chamber will do the gun no injury, and will
enable you to determine whether or not the pulling
of the trigger affects your aim.

Next try a few shots in the open, either at a
wall or shot-proof screen. If the mark is fairly in
the centre of the group of shot, practice at moving
objects may be commenced.

It is also good practice to walk up to a certain
distance, and upon reaching it to raise the gun and
fire immediately. When this can be done well,
learn to fire the gun when on the march, or nearly
so. That is to say, bring the gun to the shoulder
at the same time that your left foot goes forward
with your body into position. This can be practised
until you can be certain of the mark without break-
ing your regular walk, except for the very instant of
firing.

Practise until both barrels can be fired with
accuracy, within three steps forward, that is, the
steps in which the left foot is advanced.

The main point is to get a good, quick, correct
aim, and to fire immediately the gun is to the
shoulder. This does not mean that the gun is to
be fired in a hurried or haphazard manner, but when
the object is in range the gun must be raised and

And How to Use It.

193

fired. There must be no taking aim as with a rifle,
nor must the firing be delayed after the gun is at
the shoulder. The shooter who attempts to follow
the object by swinging round the gun is a dangerous
shot, as will be fully explained later, and cannot
become an adept shot until he fires upon the first
sight.

There must be no practice at birds or other
animals not in motion. Practice at the target is
preferable to this sort of shooting, as from it some-
thing can be learned.

HANDLING THE GUN IN THE FIELD.

Before treating of the art of wing-shooting and
its acquirements, a few words on the carrying and
use of the gun in the field will not be out of place.
The safest method of carrying a loaded gun in the
field is to place it, top rib down, on the right
shoulder ( see illustration). Other safe positions
are : — Under the right arm, the muzzle straight to
the front ; across the breast, muzzle high, and well
to the front ; the muzzle raised, the left side of the
stock against the right hip ; at the “ trail,” that is,
grasped in the right hand, the arm at full length,
and the gun horizontal.

When standing for driven birds take a position
as recommended for trap-shooting, when expecting
a shot at game in sight ; when waiting, hold the
gun in one of the above-mentioned positions, or
take one of the positions illustrated, or vary them.

196 The Breech-Loader ,

The gun should be carried at full-cock, and if
hammerless, with the safety off. Under ordinary
conditions, it is better to unload a breech-loader
when getting over a fence, crawling through a gap,
or jumping a ditch. Even with hammer-guns
(most top levers will open at full-cock) it is easy
enough to take out the cartridges and reload the
gun. Changing the hammers from full to half-cock
is a very dangerous practice, or manipulating the
safety-bolt of the hammerless only lessens the risk,
does not absolutely remove it.

We have seen a man fall in getting over a five-
barred gate ; luckily for us he had previously
unloaded his gun. One may come to grief in
getting over a sheep hurdle or at an iron fence ; the
simpler the obstacle the more careless one is apt to
be.

Before putting a gun out of hand, as through a
fence, gate, or over a wall, or handing it to another
person — unload.

Wire fencing is a great nuisance to shooters,
both hands are often required to negotiate it
properly — unload the gun before attempting to
cross it.

Loaded guns in boats and vehicles are an
element of danger.

To load a gun, there are several safe positions
which are also convenient. In closing the gun the
barrels often swerve to the left. This is especially
the case when tight-fitting cartridges are used, or

198

The Breech-Loader ,

the gun is cocked by the act of closing the gun,
and care must therefore be taken that the gun
is not brought directly across the body. Let the
left hand grasp the gun at long distance from the
breech, it gives one greater power and facilitates
both the opening and the closing of the gun. If
an ejector is not used, two loaded cartridges may
be taken up and held between the first and second,
and second and third fingers of the right hand,
whilst the fired cases are withdrawn by the thumb
and forefinger of the same hand.

The proper position to load a breech-loader is
with muzzles pointed to the earth, for it not un-
frequently happens that in dry weather and when
using black gunpowder, flakes of the fouling will
fall down into the breech action, when the barrels
are higher than the breech, upon the gun being
opened. The fouling, by lying in the angle of the
action, prevents the gun from closing perfectly ;
this is often very annoying to the shooter who,
seeing that the bolts or the lever do not snap
home, imagines the gun is broken ; or if he be care-
less and fire the gun in such a state it may allow
the breech action to be blown open, being but
imperfectly bolted, and thereby result in a serious
accident to the user and his companions.

To load a muzzle-loading gun, place the butt
on the ground, or on your foot, and incline the
muzzle well outwards. When you have to load
one barrel only, let the loaded barrel be that

2CO

The Breech-Loader ,

farthest away ; do not grasp the ramrod with the
hand, but with the thumb and forefinger only;
both locks should be at half-cock when loading.
Muzzle loading caps should fit the nipples accu-
rately so as not to burst in putting on ; they may
then be taken off easily, but are not likely to drop
off ; if waterproofed and capsuled, no fulminate is
likely to adhere to the head of the nipple and
cause an accidental discharge.

In all cases, the finger should not touch the
trigger until the gun is in the act of being raised to
the shoulder. Hammers should never be left rest-
ing on a cap or striker when the gun is loaded ; let
the hammers be carried at full-cock. Look
through the barrels before loading the first time
after creeping through a fence, and after putting
the gun out of hand for any purpose. If one
barrel is fired repeatedly without discharging the
other, it is advisable to take out the unfired cart-
ridge occasionally, and ascertain whether the top
wad has moved, or place the same in barrel which
is fired first. With thin brass cases the starting of
the charge is more likely to occur than with paper
cases having a proper turn-over.

THE ART OF WING SHOOTING.

Much is performed automatically by the
muscles, and muscular sense, or intuition, varies
in degree with different persons. The shooter
must look at the bird or other moving object, and

And How to Use It.

201

depend upon his own muscles to correctly align the
gun, just as a boy watching a cricket-ball will put
his hand where he knows the ball will be at a
given moment of time, and does not need to look
at his hand.

The physiology of shooting was cleverly stated
by Dr. W. J. Fleming in a letter to the Field of
February 19th, 1887 — a letter which, we regret, we
have not space to reproduce in full, and can but
summarise indifferently. It has been demonstrated
by actual experiment that what is known as
“personal error” in the observation of objects is an
important factor in calculating time or distances ;
astronomers, for instance, need to allow for this
“ personal error ” in recording the time of a star’s
appearance at a given point. If two distinct lights
are so placed that either may appear or disappear
instantly, different observers vary in their ability
to quickly determine which light is shown, and
record it by the depression of a key ; the time
required varied from one-hundredth to six-hun-
dredths of a second. If it is assumed that instead
of light appearing a game bird is the object visible,
it follows that before any person can aim his gun
at it, at least one-hundredth of a second of time
will elapse, whilst another person, equally quick in
aligning his gun, will not be cognisant of the object
seen until upwards of six-hundredths of a second
have passed. Consequently it follows that the
allowance which one person would rightly make in

202

The Breech-Loader,

order to hit the object would not be correct for
another person ; for, taking the two extremes, the
object may have moved but 6 inches before known
as seen by one, and 3 feet before known as seen
by the Other.

Anyone with a rudimentary knowledge of
optics knows that before seeing an object that is
visible, several physiological processes are auto-
matically performed by the organs of sight. Its
position and its distance from the observer are
estimated by the other processes, mainly by the
adjustments his eyes require to make to see clearly,
compared with previous experience. The principal
adjustments are the amount of convergence of the
two eyes required to bring their optical axis to a
point at the object, and the amount of accommo-
dation necessary to bring the image of the bird to
a sharp focus in the retina. These adjustments are
made by muscles both within and without the eye,
and they inform of the amount by the muscular
sense, that same sense which informs whether we
have one ounce or a pound weight in our hands.
The muscular sense may be trained ; it enables
sportsmen to judge accurately of distances, as
letter-sorters and others judge of weights to a
nicety. As it is dependent upon previous experi-
ence, it does not follow that the sportsman who can
tell whether a partridge is thirty or fifty yards dis-
tant will know as well as a sailor how many leagues
distant is a vessel, or the letter-sorter estimate the

And Ho iv to Use It.

203

weight of a bullock. Muscular sense differs in
quantity and quality with individuals, and is a
matter for special training. The sportsman who
wishes to become a good shot must observe care-
fully and practice constantly. The ability to shoot
well is a special gift to some, and though it may
be acquired by all, we can only indicate how the
skilful use of the shot gun may be developed. A
sportsman may be a first-rate shot, yet unable to
explain how he has acquired an unerring aim ;
some attribute it to one style of aiming, others to a
different method, so many discussions take place
amongst sportsmen and experts as to the correct
method of aligning the gun, and the advocates of
the various styles of shooting in the sporting
papers detail circumstantially the most opposite
experiences.

HOLDING AHEAD.

It is not the intention of the author to enter
into a long dissertation upon the various merits
and disadvantages of “ holding on ” and “ holding
ahead.” It must be confessed that the advocates
of the last method have theoretically the best
argument, as the following figures prove : —

The utmost speed at which game birds fly
may be taken as forty miles per hour, which
means that a bird flying across the shooter at that
speed will have travelled about twelve inches before
the quickest shooter can have brought his gun to

204

The Breech-Loader ,

position and pulled the trigger. The following
“ delays ” may be assumed as unavoidable : —

Time occupied in raising the gun, 3-iooths sec.

Time occupied in pulling trigger, i-20oths sec.

Time occupied in igniting charge, i-200ths sec.

Time occupied in shot travelling 40 yards, 14-iooths sec.

During which the bird will have travelled 10ft. 6in.,
or thereabouts, and to hit a mark 10ft. 6in. to the
right or left of the mark aimed at, the muzzle
of the barrel would require to be more than 3
inches to the right or left of the line of aim. As
pointed out previously, if, instead of being able to
pull the trigger in zAoth °f a second, the shooter
needs Troths of a second, the bird will have flown
i6in. further than is stated above.

Even whilst the charge of shot, having left the
muzzle, is on its way, sufficient time elapses for a
fast-flying bird to travel a considerable distance ;
for the first fifteen yards or so, it may be taken
that for every yard the shot advances the bird
travels 2 in. The shot does not maintain its high
velocity, and, providing the bird does, we have at
forty yards’ range nearly iin. fled in the time the
shot advances 1 ft., and at sixty yards i^in. fled for
every foot advance made by the shot.

Allowing Troths of a second as the time neces-
sary for performing the involuntary and voluntary
actions of seeing the mark, determining to shoot,
raising the gun and firing, and also the small
fraction of time required for the ignition and com-

And How to Use It. 205

bustion of the powder and its passage through the
barrel, we find that with the 12-bore and standard
charge at fifteen yards’ range, a bird flying at forty
miles per hour will have traversed 5ft. 6in. before
the shot reaches that range from the gun.

If 20 yards, then 6ft. 6in.

If 30 yards, then 8ft. 9m.

If 40 yards, then 11ft. 5m.

If 50 yards, then 14ft. 8in.

If 60 yards, then 19ft. 4m.

A great deal of difference is caused by the
manner of bringing up the gun. Some sportsmen
acquire the habit of bringing up the gun with a
swing in the direction the mark is moving ; others
bring up the gun and follow the object, whilst the
majority of good shots put up the gun and are
supposed to jerk it ahead of the game, and fire it
before the latter motion has ceased. Those who
shoot with the gun on the swing, and intuitively
increase the speed of the “swing” in the same
action as the increase in speed of the mark, never
require to “hold ahead.” Those who hold on, by
shooting promptly, prove the truth of the theory
that it is necessary for the hand and eye to act in
unison ; whilst they who hold ahead, although
agreeing that the hand must follow the eye, yet
so shoot that the hand must point the gun in a
different direction to the object on which the eye
is fixed. If the hand can be entrusted to intui-
tively direct the gun to any required distance

206

The Breech-Loader,

Showing the alignment of gun for various shots when practising the
“hold on" principle.

And How to Use It. 207

above or before the object upon which the shooter’s
gaze is fixed, well and good ; perfect shooting will
result.

The following hints as to aiming, etc., will be
appreciated by all who have convinced themselves
that they can, by practice, aim ahead of moving
game : —

The young shooter, and all who desire to im-
prove their shooting, should practise in the follow-
ing manner : Commence by shooting at slow-flying
birds, as pheasants (flushed, not driven), pigeons
whose wings have been slightly clipped, or at. rab-
bits frisking on the sward. Let all shots be at short
range — twenty to thirty yards. When the bird
gets up, the gun is to be brought quickly to the
shoulder and fired whilst both eyes are looking at
the bird.

Birds going straight away, and neither very
high nor skimming low down, should all be killed,
as the aim is the same as for a snap-shot at a fixed
mark. Birds crossing may be missed, probably
because the shooter fires behind them. By just
how much the gun will be pointed ahead of the
cross-flying birds may not be actually observed,
but it must be known by the muscular sense, and if
the shooter, whilst looking at a fixed object on a
large wall or screen, consciously directs the gun
(not aiming it by glancing down the rib with the
right eye) to the right or left, he will quickly
educate the muscles to direct the gun to any dis-

208

The Breech-Loader,

tances right or left of the object seen, and further
practice will make him proficient in altering the
elevation to any desired extent.

It is always necessary to keep the eyes steadily
gazing upon the bird, and no attempt must be
made to aim into space. Nor can any instructions
as to aiming three, eight, or twenty feet ahead of
moving objects be followed. My estimate of
twenty feet may differ greatly from that of another,
but practice at various ranges and previous ex-
perience of similar shots will direct me, as it will
everyone who follows these instructions, to aim
the gun intuitively in that direction where the
charge of shot and the game simultaneously bisect
— the one the line of flight, the other the line of fire,
so long as the bird is seen.

When practising wing shooting there will be
many misses, of course. After each miss the
shooter should consider why the object was missed,
and whatsoever cause may be assigned let him do
his best to guard against it in the future ; if a
cross shot, and most probably he was behind the
object, he must determine to direct his gun further
forward when another similar shot presents itself.
If he does this and continues to shoot without
being hurried, flustered or disheartened, he will
steadily improve in his shooting, but to go on
missing, time after time, without giving a thought
as to the cause, will do no good whatever.

When a bird rises, follow its exact course with

And How to Use It.

209

your eyes, and when it is in the best position for
shooting bring up the gun from below or behind it,
and if your hands act in perfect harmony with the
eye and the will, as you have schooled them to do,
the gun will be aligned instinctively, and imme-
diately the object is in the position indicated in the
illustrations well press the trigger. You may stop
the gun at the moment of firing, you may not, it is
immaterial, for your muscles, benefiting by their
previous experience, will have performed for you,
of their own accord, that order which you have not
had time to think out or give them.

It is a good plan to continue the swing of the
weapon whilst firing ; by so doing you send the
charge of shot in the direction in which the gun is
moving, but if you have acquired the habit of
stopping the swing at the moment of firing and kill
well, there is no need of changing the method. It
is a mistake to bring up the gun so that it has to
be lowered again in order to cover the object, or to
bring it from before the object, though this latter
plan is sometimes necessarily followed, as when the
shooter facing No. 2 trap gets a quarterer to the
left from No. 5, but ordinarily follow the flight of
the bird if for the fraction of a second only, then
bring up the gun and fire.

The allowances which will have to be made, as
already explained, can only be determined by
actual experience. The following general indica-
tions may, however, be of some service : —

210

The Breech-Loader,

The straight going away shot at birds should
be point blank at any distance.

At ground game going straight away, shoot over
the animal. Of approaching shot at birds shoot
dead on, unless the bird • is very high, when aim
well in front. If high at long range and approach-
ing, make less allowance, or wait until it can be
shot at a pleasant angle nearer the shooter.

An approaching low shot, when a driven part-
ridge or an “ incomer ” from the pigeon traps, aim
under the bird rather than over it. Birds which can-
not be shot as they approach, owing to the position of
beaters, etc., must be allowed to pass over, and will
furnish similar shots to those obtained by walking
up to the birds, but their flight will probably be
much quicker, and they will be higher. The bird
must, therefore, be shot well under, i.e., actually in
front of it. A bird that has passed and flies low is
a more difficult shot ; the shooter must get ahead of
it, and this is only to be done by shooting over
it.

Birds crossing to the right are more difficult to
hit than those crossing to the left. It is often ad-
visable to move the position by turning one-quarter
round on the right foot before raising the gun when
there is a quick flyer to the right and you are shoot-
ing along or on the right extremity of a line.
Longer shots may be made at crossing than at
straightaway birds.

Some quartering shots are very easy, others most

And How to Use It. 21 i

difficult — it depends upon the speed and angle of
the flight.

Ascending shots are difficult — the most if at
short range, and flying quickly, shoot over the bird.

If the bird is well away and going straight or
quartering, to get before it, i.e., to hit, it will prob-
ably be necessary to aim below it.

Aim at the head of a pheasant rising ; indeed,
all game of which the head can be seen should be
shot at as though the head, not the body, were
the sportsman’s mark.

Shoot at the head of all ground game. It often
happens that incoming and motionless ground
game is shot over, and neither hares nor rabbits
should be shot at when more than forty yards
distant. We have seen men fire at hares fully a
quarter of a mile away and blame the gun !

The prettiest of shots and a difficult one to
make is the perpendicular shot. In attempting
this shot bring the left hand much nearer the
breech than is usual for any firing at an angle of
45 0 or less and aim in front of the bird if approach-
ing, and under it if going away.

Occasionally shots may be had at birds and
hares descending, chiefly when shooting on the
hillside, and these shots are difficult, the sports-
man generally shooting over his game. Low flying
wild-fowl, woodpigeons coming into lofty trees,
hawks, crows, and vermin, generally afford different
shooting practice, of which the sportsman will
o 2

212

The Breech-Loader ,

profit. In order to become an expert shot, if other
game is not readily available, starlings, fieldfare,
larks, and even sparrows, may be used as marks,
and much learned from shooting at them.

To practise systematically nothing is so handy
as trap shooting, almost a separate art, but one
which may be followed with beneficial results even
by expert game shots.

OF HOLDING ON.

Snap-shooting and the “ hold-on ” principle of
aiming is synonymous. We fail to see how any-
one firing a snap-shot — as we understand it — can
possibly hold ahead with any amount of certainty,
for the space of time which the opportunity affords
in many cases is only sufficient to take in the
situation, and fire, it will not allow even for a mental
calculation. We favour the '‘hold-on” and snap-
shooting system for several reasons, chief of which
are — it is prettier, safer, and in our opinion surer,
and it offers, to say the least of it, many more
chances of a full bag than the slower way of
aiming. First, it will be admitted that the style
is far better in snap-shooting than in the “ hold
ahead ” practice ; second, it is safer, in so far that
there is no tendency to “ poking,” which the hold
ahead and slow calculating shots lean to, even
though a little — a little which with young shooters
is likely to become more. It must be remembered
that “ the man who hesitates is lost ” ; hesitation in

And How to Use It.

213

firing, at any rate, means loss of game and perhaps
everything else except experience to the shooter.

An instance of the danger of the “ poking” aim
once warned us of the dangers of the system even
when practised by a sportsman and regular shooter
of twenty-five years’ standing who, 011 one occasion,
allowed himself to be carried away by his excite-
ment to the extent of “ following up ” a partridge
at least three parts of a circle before firing. The
bird rose on his left and flew low across his front
quartering to the right until it had nearly completed
the circle before it fell to the long-expected shot.
The shooter had his gun to the shoulder the whole
of the time the bird was on the wing, and in follow-
ing up and trying to make the proper allowance
his gun covered many of his companions, the
beaters, and dogs, although, in the end, the bird
only was shot ; the attitude of the shooter appeared
extremely ludicrous to the others of the party after
the muzzles of the gun were directed towards a
safe quarter. Third, very many more opportunities
occur for a snap-shot and to one accustomed to
take them than to one practising the slower
methods.

For instance, when shooting cover, either in
line, alone, or by beaters.

After reading those paragraphs in this chapter
relating to the physiology of shooting and optics
the reader will probably understand more of the
reasons why we favour the “snap- or hold-on”

214 The Breech-Loader ,

system ; it is, moreover, much easier to become
proficient at this style than at the other, and there-
fore more easily learnt. We are not so much in
favour of copying a good shot's style ; everyone is
built differently and has different degrees of mus-
cular sense, therefore everyone should find out for
himself the method that suits him. To give one
confidence there is only one necessity, and that is,
that the shooter can rely on his gun coming up to
the shoulder exactly to the same position every time.

OF POSITION IN SHOOTING AND THE ALIGN-
MENT OF THE GUN.

The accompanying illustrations show several
positions in shooting and the proper alignment of
the gun for game taking different directions of
flight ; these will be found to be pretty nearly
correct, and at any rate will serve as a basis upon
which young shooters may begin. The illustrations
in this chapter showing positions of the gun for
different shots we hope will be some kind of a
guide for the beginner as to the fit and handling
of his gun. It will be seen that we hold to the
old style of allowing the stock of the gun at the
comb to lie against the cheek, by this one is able
to tell that the gun is in exact position. If the
shooter has good command over it he should fire
the instant the stock touches his face ; by always
adopting one position for the head, shoulders,
body, and feet, with the touch of the stock on the

And Now to Use It.

215

cheek as an indication for the time to fire, one will
very soon make good progress in the art of snap-
shooting.

Some quick shots, however, anticipate the time
it takes to fire the gun and pull the trigger whilst
raising the gun to the shoulder. This requires
considerable practice to perfect, and the gun must,
of course, be within an ace of the proper position ;
but, however the practice may be deprecated, it is
certainly au fait for trap- as well as general snap-
shooting.

For high overhead shots it is not advisable to
shoot at a greater angle than that shown in position
(page 217) ; this is quite awkward enough, and
even then the certainty of the alignment is not so
effective, owing to the left hand having to be held
nearer to the breech.

For cross-shots, although in theory the gun
should be held ahead, in some cases as much as
7 ft. at forty yards, yet in practice we have found
that in holding on to the head, as on page 206,
was quite sufficient allowance to kill, though in
many cross-shots at any angle not above 45 de-
grees the gun is always brought up from behind.
It may be that the swing has the effect of throwing
the muzzles more in that direction than intended
by alignment. If the gun is fired before the motion
is stayed the shot will, of course, fly in that direction
in which the gun was swinging when the charge of
shot left the muzzle.

218

The Breech-Loader,

Bad position, not to be imitated,

And How to Use It.

219

The above position shows how the muzzles of the gun should be when
firing ; unless they are perfectly square, bad shooting will result
with one barrel. The habit of getting the left barrel higher than
the right must be guarded against ; it is a frequent occurrence
with some sportsmen just when pulling the trigger to give the
gun a twist over to the right. By aiming at a mirror and pulling
the trigger any fault of this kind will be easily detected.

220

The Breech-Loader,

CHAPTER VIII.

OF SHOOTING GENERALLY — THE ETIQUETTE OF
FIELD AND COVER — HOW TO OBTAIN SPORT
AND ENJOY IT — HOW TO FIND GAME — SHOOT-
ING EXPENSES.

The sportsmanlike use of the shot-gun implies much
more than is included in good marksmanship.

The sportsman not only uses his gun, but must
exercise his brains in order to use it properly. It
is important to acquire an accurate judgment of
distance in order to determine what is, and what is
not, a sporting range at which to fire ; it is also ad-
visable to observe carefully the result of each shot,
and mark where the game was struck, this may
save much time in retrieving wounded birds, but
for the old-fashioned art of woodcraft there is little
demand now, and good and safe marksmanship is
considered a better qualification.

The modern style of shooting is the natural
result of present day methods of agriculture. The
scythe and reaping machine have succeeded the
sickle, and the stubbles are now shorn so close that
they do not afford cover to partridges, and when
partridges resort to them, as they do, to feed, at
certain hours of the day, it is generally quite im-

And How to Use It. 221

possible to approach within range either with or
without dogs.

The sowing of root crops in rows has also
spoiled the chance of the dogs in the turnips, the
birds sneak out of the field as soon as the men and
dogs enter it, as the game can see from one end of
the field to the other, and cunningly escape un-
observed. The sportsman who is determined to
have some shooting, resorts to driving, by which
means he accomplishes his purpose, and also makes
the game much more wild.

The sportsman who is determined to shoot over
dogs and hunt his game in the old-fashioned way
will find full instructions in the many books on
shooting which have been published, but will need
considerable experience before becoming successful.
The fact that changed conditions have greatly
handicapped his chances, and have forced sports-
men to other methods, may not deter him from
persevering in his method, and it is quite possible,
with hard work and much cunning, to out-
manoeuvre a few coveys by what practically
amounts to stalking them ; no one will grudge the
sportsman whatever success he ultimately achieves.

The sportsman whose shoot is small and the
game — not being hand-reared — scarce and wild,
will be unable to practise driving to any advantage ;
the best plan will be to walk up to the birds as
afterwards described. The drive, or battice as it is
more commonly called, is the best manner for a

222

The Breech-Loader,

proprietor or lessee to demonstrate the quantity of
game upon the estate, and it is generally the only
way of securing a fair proportion of it.

To organise a drive upon a fairly large scale
the assistance of many men as beaters will be
required; the plan is therefore only suited to a
large party, and its management is a business
requiring much knowledge, forethought, and pre-
paration. The methods employed with the
greatest chance of success are detailed in such
a book as “ Shooting ” of the Badminton Series,
to which we must refer the reader for further
information as to the management, or what may
be called the “ engineering ” of work of this kind.
The host or other responsible director, if he does
what is considered to be his duty to the shooters,
will see very little of sport and will have an
onerous task to perform.

As to the shooters, they will learn very little of
woodcraft or of the habits and habitat of the game,
but they may have ample opportunities for testing
their skill as marksmen and of observing the
peculiarities of the flight of frightened birds; and
they may rightly enjoy the day’s sport, in which
they do not so much participate as — to use a
Gallicism — assist.

The shooter called upon to take part in a day’s
sport of this kind will find, if partridges be the
game sought, that the keepers or their assistants
have, previous to the arrival of the guns, driven the

And How to Use It.

223

birds into a convenient field with sufficient cover
to hold them, that is, with a growth which will
hide the birds. The shooters are then posted
behind a tall fence, barrier, or even artificial screens,
which will conceal them ; they should be such as,
whilst hiding the shooters, will permit them to
observe the flight of the birds when driven towards
them.

The shooter should be informed of the location
of the other shooters and the direction in which
the beaters will advance, and then go at once to his
stand and wait quietly and expectant until the
warning “ mark over ” of the beaters informs him
that birds are on the wing.

All alert then, he will, as soon as any bird
comes within range and within his circuit, be ready
to fire. In some positions he may be able to fire
at the birds as they approach ; in others he must
wait until they have passed over. Frequently two
shooters will be stationed together ; it is usual for
one to take birds on the left and the other birds on
the right, a rule which must be loyally observed
and to which the only exception is the firing at
your companion’s birds after he has fired both
barrels and the birds are in range.

In partridge-driving the stations are frequently
changed, and the object is to break up the coveys
as early as possible in the day, marking the escaped
birds down, and putting them up again and again
in successive drives, so that often a covey from

224 The Breech-Loader,

which little is bagged in the morning will afford
excellent sport later in the day.

Pheasant-driving is pursued, not so much for the
sake of securing shots at the birds, as is the case
with partridge-driving, but for the object of obtain-
ing sporting shots.

The drive is, or should be, so managed that the
birds are forced to rise at some distance from the
shooters, and consequently approach at a good
height, and flying faster than if put up as straggling
birds in hedgerows or cover. Here, again, the
shooter will be called upon to exercise his skill as a
wing shot. There will be little walking — no hunting
in the true sense — and the man who can keep cool,
shoot deliberately, and observes the usual etiquette
of the shooting-field, will probably enjoy good
sport, unspoiled by blank covers or too wary birds.

Some guns are usually told off to walk up with
the beaters. These do not, as a rule, get so much
shooting as those posted in the line towards which
the game is driven ; they see more of the working
of the “ battue,” and require to be even more careful,
both as to the direction in which they shoot and
when to fire.

Grouse-driving has become very popular with
all able to rent or subscribe to a moor. The guns
are stationed in batteries, boxes, or shelters,
especially constructed for the purpose. In Derby-
shire they are occasionally posted behind the stone
walls common to the country. Fifteen to twenty

And How to Use It.

225

beaters will drive, commencing a mile from the
guns, and form a line, nearly half a mile in length
beating towards the centre. Driven grouse fly at
great speed, and afford excellent opportunities for a
display of skilful markmanship.

The young shooter will do well to observe most
punctiliously the written rules and accepted con-
ventionalities of the shooting- field. Smartness of
manner is considered very bad form. A young
man is not supposed to be an unerring shot, nor ex-
pected to tell good stories. If a shooting com-
panion, older than yourself, and a shot of estab-
lished reputation, fires both barrels at a bird, and
misses, it is better to let the bird go, even though
within range, than “drop” it, to your companion’s
mortification. You have life before you, and may
get other opportunities. Don’t shoot to wound
game, but to kill it. If a wounded bird struggles
in front of you from a companion’s gun, drop it if
you can. Explain to the first shooter that you did
so to save time in gathering it, or remark, simply,
“ Yours.”

The compilers of books of instructions to
young shooters deem it necessary to advise
beginners against calling attention to the clever
shots they make. It has never been the writer’s
luck to meet with young sportsmen guilty of this
practice ; they are prone to remark “ clever shot,”
or “ that was well done,” when someone else has
brought down a difficult bird, when perhaps absolute
P

226

The Breech-Loader ,

silence would have been preferable. They will talk
of their performances at other times, and so un-
fortunately will older men, who ought to know
better.

In order to stand well in with shooting com-
panions, and your host, or his keepers, avoid risky
shots, make yourself well acquainted with your
gun’s power, and shoot at nothing not well within
its range, and do not bang away at game too close.
Learn to judge distances accurately, and you will
make few mistakes on this score. Give fair play to
the game, and to your fellow-shooters, and if a man
near you is getting more shooting than he can
manage, whilst you have none, it is his place to call
you to help him, not yours to edge up to him.
Think of this when you have more than your full
share of luck.

When walking in line up to birds, or with the
beaters in covert, mind and keep to that line. It is
dangerous to you and your companions to be either
ahead or behind it.

When shooting with one friend, take the birds
in the covey nearest to you, and ground game
directly before you.

To fire at low birds and ground game in covert
is frequently very dangerous. In the same way
low birds coming towards you from the line of
beaters must not be shot at unless you know that
the beaters are well beyond the range of your gun.

Do not fire at anything you imagine to be a

And How to Use It.

227

rabbit moving in covert, this is the way dogs,
foxes, and sometimes beaters, get shot.

Do not waste your time and that of your com-
panions by insisting upon a bird you thought you
saw fall being retrieved.

When shooting alone, or over dogs, the sports-
man has greater latitude as to what, when, where,
and how to shoot.

The shooting of grouse over dogs is fully
treated in all old sporting works and several
modern ones. The well-known authority upon
sporting dogs, “ H. H.,” will probably republish a
book from the excellent series of articles now
appearing in a sporting paper. If these should not
be procurable, the sportsman in want of informa-
tion may refer to Thornhill, Craven, or F. Speedy.

To get partridges, a small party will find it best
to walk up to them. Dogs, except for retrieving,
will be useless, and a keeper or beater or two to
gather the birds, look after the dogs, and mark
down the birds, will add greatly to the success and
enjoyment of what is the finest of modern field
sports followed in this country.

In the early morning the partridges are usually
to be found feeding in the stubbles, and as it is
next to useless to attempt to get within range of
them there, it will save time if two or three men
will walk the stubbles before the shooting is com-
menced, and thus send the birds to better cover.

A mixed line of shooters, beaters, and keepers

p 2

228

The Breech-Loader ,

is then formed, and if game be plentiful it is advis-
able to have as many retrievers as there are
shooters, as better speed will be made if beaters or
keepers are not occupied in picking up, and can
look after wounded and towering birds ; a badly
broken dog, will, however, prove the greatest
nuisance which can be introduced into the party.
The beaters should also mark as nearly as possible
where each bird has fallen, and in this they can
also be aided by the shooters ; a mark from dif-
ferent positions on the base line of the triangle will
frequently save a prolonged search by confirming
accurately or rectifying an error in marking.

In turnips, partridges are always more easily
approached if the party make their progress across
the drills. If it is preferable to walk in a line with
the drills in order to drive the partridges towards
any other particular cover each man should change
frequently a few steps to the right and left of the
drill in his direct line.

When there is no object to be gained by driv-
ing the birds in any particular direction the line
will wheel at the end of the field and take the
next strip, otherwise the steps may be retraced
over the ground already traversed, and the line
re-formed so that the field may be worked uniformly
in the one direction ; as the field is worked to the
finish the flank men of the line will advance so as
to hem in any birds which may have moved to the
extremity ot the field and are unwilling to leave it.

And How to Use It.

229

A line, instead of being formed at right angles to
the fence, may traverse it in echelon , i.e., at an angle, a
manoeuvre often successful ; also, when the shooters
may be relied upon to shoot carefully, instead of a
straight line the party may form so that the shooters
and beaters at the flanks will keep in advance of
those in the centre. A line almost semicircular
will sometimes prove effectual, or other modifica-
tions may be made to accomplish a particular
object, but this can only be done with safety when
one and all carry out the plan with mathematical
exactness. When working the bowed line it is
only fair to the shooters that in wheeling the
pivot man is alternately at the right and left
extremity of the line. If the line is re-formed each
time the field is traversed the party should either
cross over, equalising chances, or one half should
do so, thus bringing the flank men to the centre
and the centre men to the flank alternately.

In stalking partridges do not attempt to get
near them in a direct line, but walk half round
the covey, closing in gradually to the flushing
point. If the party divide to the right and left,
and carry out this manoeuvre carefully, it is possible
that the party flushing the covey will drive the
escaping birds within range of the other division
and thus increase the chances of securing the
majority of the birds.

Late in the season, when the birds “ pack,”
driving is the most effectual method of making a bag.

230

The Breech-Loader ,

The use of kites is said to have the effect of
driving the game to other ground, and should,
therefore, be used rarely by proprietors. Lessors
sometimes stipulate that kites shall not be used.

A shooting leased of farmers cannot be well
preserved without great expense, and some farms
are so badly situated that the game bred upon it
frequents neighbouring lands in preference. Some
lessors obtain high prices for shooting which it is
almost impossible to work with satisfactory results.
More game can sometimes be bagged from land
the shooting rights of which are sold for sixpence
an acre, than other ground in the same locality
for which five times the price is obtained. The
price paid for shooting bears no relation whatever
to its value.

Where the shooting is small, a couple of
hundred acres or so, and the land well farmed, it
is advisable to stipulate that at least a few acres
shall be sown with something that will afford suit-
able cover to the birds late in the season. Turnips,
potatoes, clover, mustard, etc., are good ; but to hold
the birds late in the season, if there is no natural
cover on the shooting, a patch of buck-wheat will
afford that protection and shelter the birds prefer ;
grass, furze, fern, ample hedgerows, and some
planted cover, will attract partridges, and in order
to increase the stock the birds, except old cock-
birds, should not be shot after December.

If an attempt is made to rear pheasants there

And How to Use It.

231

must be a “ pheasantry,” or suitable plantation on
the shooting, and at least a couple of men to look
after the birds ; a trouble when increasing the stock
of pheasants on a small shooting is the greater
relative expense compared with that of doing the
work on a larger scale, and the difficulty of keeping
the birds at home. To raise pheasants for your
neighbours’ shooting is often unavoidable, and if
the covert frequented by pheasants is made more
attractive by often placing tempting food there, a
stock may be increased by birds from adjacent
coverts ; barley, beans, malt, raisins, etc., are used
for this purpose, and it is said that a few hundred
of common gooseberry-bushes planted as under-
wood makes a first-rate cover.

Hares are becoming scarce in this country, they
are an easy shot even when driven with other
game. They may be looked for on fallows, grass-
land, and amongst turnips. In Scotland the Alpine
hare, a different variety, is plentiful, and these hares
are often driven, owing to the nature of the ground ;
hitting them is more difficult than on a fallow field
in the south.

The woodcock is, unfortunately, still more rarely
found ; put up in thick cover and taking an irregular
flight it is one of the most difficult birds to bag ;
if shot at close to it will probably be missed, if the
sportsman waits it will be lost sight of in the covert,
its turn to right and left being most erratic and
unexpected.

232 The Breech-Loader,

Rabbit shooting is the easiest shooting obtain-
able in this country, and there are very few people
fond of shooting who cannot command, at least,
a few days’ sport of a friendly farmer or land-
owner.

Rabbit shooting, the most generally practised of
sports with the shot-gun, is the most dangerous ;
firstly, because all the firing is done with the gun
pointing towards the ground ; and secondly, because
the speed with which the rabbit bolts is provoca-
tive of random shooting. It is not uncommon for a
rabbit to run between the shooter’s legs and be
shot within three yards of him by some reckless
shooter on the alert for fur. In a warren or quarry
a rabbit about to disappear over a ridge will be
shot neatly just as the hat of a man on the other
side becomes visible. When ferreting, it is quite
impossible to keep men from getting into places
where, for their own safety, they should not be.
The young sportsman can more easily do irrepa-
rable damage when rabbiting than at any other
sport, and must consequently use the utmost care
to avoid accident. Always fire at the head of a
rabbit, and to shoot safely in covert do not make a
shot at where the rabbit will be, but shoot straight
for him or not at all.

Another dangerous practice is the division of
shooters by a substantial hedge with dogs working
the hedgerows, the rabbits will run out and
straight along the hedge and then run in again. It

And How to Use It.

233

is unadvisable to shoot towards the hedge under
any pretence ; dangerous to do so unless you know
exactly the position of the man, or men, on the
other side of it.

If rabbits are put out properly and the shooters
keep well back, good shots may be obtained when
the rabbits make a run across the open for fresh
cover.

The young shooter may ruin his prospects as a
sportsman by a single indiscretion — the making of
a risky or a dangerous shot ; he will not be an ac-
ceptable companion to shooting men unless he
endeavours to kill his game in a sportsmanlike
manner, avoiding the wounding of game, and not
firing at quite impossible distances.

The man who may be relied upon as safe to
shoot with under every condition, and who, in addi-
tion, is better pleased by killing a few birds in a
clean and sportsmanlike manner than in making a
heavy bag, will have opportunities for obtaining
sport denied, on principle, to others.

234

The Breech-Loader ,

CHAPTER IX.

PIGEONS AND TRAPS — BOUNDARIES — RULES —
MODIFICATIONS— RECORD MATCHES — HINTS ON
LIVE BIRD SHOOTING— INANIMATE TARGETS —
RULES — BEST SCORES — HOW EXPERTS SHOOT
— GUN TRIALS — LONG SHOTS — GROUSE DRIV-
ING, BY SIR F. A. MILBANK.

TRAP SHOOTING.

PIGEON shooting, against the practice of which
many sportsmen protest, unlike British field sports,
is of lowly origin, but for several generations it has
been a popular pastime with many of the best
known sportsmen of this country and is practised
fairly and legitimately in all parts of the world. At
all respectable clubs there is no cruel treatment of
the birds and fair play is accorded to every shooter.
Pigeon shooting has long been a holiday pastime
with the frequenters of low public-houses, and has
been and still is used as a means by sharpers to
fleece the unwary young sportsman. It is wise to
shoot pigeons at recognised clubs only, whether in
England or elsewhere ; and before accepting an in-
vitation to shoot a friendly match, to make sure of
the character of the person who invites the contest,
or experience at the trap may be very dearly bought.

Pigeon shooting as a sport may be said to date

And How to Use It. 235

from about the middle of this century, although
there were occasional matches and contests earlier.
The first handicap is said to have been shot upon
Mr. Purdey’s grounds at Willesden in 1856, but
previous to this there had been fashionable contests
at the “ Old Hats ” public-house, on the Uxbridge
Road at Ealing, near London. The “ Old Hats ”
obtained its name from the fact that the pigeons
used for the matches were placed in holes in the
ground, and were covered with old hats. The “Red
House ” at Battersea was afterwards the favourite
metropolitan resort for wager shooting. The first
bona-fide pigeon club was formed at “Hornsey Wood
House.” Traps were used here, and the “ small
cannon ” which were formerly in vogue as pigeon
guns were discountenanced, and the ordinary
double-barrelled fowling-piece substituted.

PIGEONS AND TRAPS.

The pigeon generally employed for trap pur-
poses is known as the Blue Rock. The best variety,
the Lincolnshire Tin Blue Rock, retain the wild
nature of the common blue Coast Pigeon. They
are fed in Lincolnshire by the farmers in winter
time, who also raise cotes for them at a good distance
from their other buildings, as the wilder the birds
and the nearer the coast they are raised the stronger
and more hardy they are. The true Tin Blue Rocks
afford the best sport, and afe much the hardest to
kill, being small in the body, quick in flight at

The Coast Pigeon (Blue Rock).

A xi) How to Use It. 237

starting, tough in their nature, and game to the
death, especially the hens.

Other Blue Rocks are bred in Oxfordshire and
Yorksaire in large quantities, but are inferior to the
Lincoln birds.

Many of the so-called Blue Rocks are also
imported from Antwerp ; in fact, the greater
portion of the pigeons used for trap shooting are
brought over from that port, and sold here as Tin
Rocks. Some years ago a number of Tin Rocks
were exported to France and Belgium for breeding
purposes, and their offspring is now imported ; the
foreign climate has not improved them, as they
possess little of the gameness peculiar to the
English bird.

The real Rock is not always of the same marking;
there are light and speckled Rocks.

Pigeons intended for trap shooting should not
be used to being handled, and at the principal clubs
several stringent rules are in force against any ill-
treatment or mutilation of the birds. The purveyor
to the club should find it to his interest to supply
the best, that is the strongest, healthiest birds, and
the trapper should be the servant of the purveyor,
so that it is to his interest that the birds fly strongly.
The hampers used should be spacious and well
ventilated and a proper place should be provided
for them under shelter or in the shade. The
retrieved birds should be placed on or near the
hampers containing the living pigeons. The

238 The Breech-Loader ,

purveyor should provide good dogs for retrieving.
The puller should be a club servant.

Then if the ground be properly laid out and
arranged and the standard rules adhered to, any
collusion as to the trapping of weak birds may be
prevented and any form of dishonesty, except the
wilful missing of birds, may be guarded against.

The pulling apparatus should be of the very
best. Buss’ is a very good one ; that used at
Monte Carlo and the Hurlingham pulling apparatus
is also good. The traps must not be too small
and should work smoothly, being flush with the
ground when pulled over. The cords or wires to
operate them should be underground.

PIGEON-SHOOTING BOUNDARIES.

Boundaries vary to 20 yards. The Hurlingham
boundary is 90 yards from the centre trap, and the
enclosure fence 8ft. high. The Gun Club boundary
is 65 yards and the fence 9ft. The Monaco boun-
dary is 17 metres (about i8|- yards) and the fence
only 3ft. 4in. high.

An ideal ground would have a fence about 8ft.
high at least, with reserved ground outside this fence
that wounded birds may be readily recovered.
At Monaco and Paris the birds fall into the
water.

The handicap distances should be available from
81 to 35 yards from the centre trap ; the puller
should be at or near the 30 yards firing point.

240

The Breech-Loader ,

RULES OF LIVE BIRD SHOOTING.

In England, as well as in America, the English
Colonies, and in most clubs founded upon the same
basis as our English clubs, the Hurlingham Rules
are accepted without important modifications. At
the Gun Club, and at Hurlingham, the weight of
the gun is now unlimited.

THE HURLINGHAM CLUB RULES.

1. The referee’s decision shall be final.

2. The gun must not be held to the shoulder until the

shooter has called “ Pull.” The gun must be clear
below the armpit, otherwise the referee shall declare
no bird.

3. A miss -fire is no shot under any circumstances.

4. If the shooter’s gun miss fire with the first barrel, and he

use the second and miss, the bird is to be scored lost.

5. If the miss-fire occurs with the second barrel, the shooter

having failed to kill with his first, he may claim
another bird ; but he must fire off the first barrel with
a cap on, and a full charge of powder, before firing
the second.

6. The shooter’s feet shall be behind the shooting mark

until after his gun is discharged. If, in the opinion
of the referee, the shooter is balked by any antagonist
or looker-on, or by the trapper, whether by accident
or otherwise, he may be allowed another bird.

7. The shooter, when he is at his mark ready to shoot, shall

give the caution “Are you ready ?” to the puller, and
then call “ Pull.” Should the trap be pulled without
the word being given, the shooter may take the bird
or not ; but if he fires, the bird must be deemed to be
taken.

8. If, on the trap being pulled, the bird does not rise, it is

at the option of the shooter to take it or not ; if not,

And How to Use It. 24 i

he must declare it by saying “ No bird but should
he fire after declaring, it is not to be scored for or
against him.

9. Each bird must be recovered within the boundary, if re-
quired by any party interested, or it must be scored
lost.

10. If a bird that has been shot at perches or settles on the

top of the fence, or on amy part of the buildings higher
than the fence, it is to be scored a lost bird.

11. If a bird once out of the ground should return and fall

dead within the boundary, it must be scored a lost
bird.

12. If the shooter advances to the mark and orders the trap

to be pulled, and does not shoot at the bird, or his gun
is not properly loaded, or does not go off owing to his
own negligence, that bird is to be scored lost.

13. A bird shot on the ground with the first barrel is “No

bird,” but it may be shot on the ground with the
second barrel, if it has been fired at with the first
barrel while on the wing ; but if the shooter misses
with the first and discharges his second barrel, it is to
be accounted a lost bird, in case of not falling within
bounds.

14. All birds must be gathered by the dog or trapper, and no

member shall have the right to gather his own bird,
or to touch it with his hand or gun.

15. In single shooting, if more than one bird is liberated,

the shooter may call “No bird,” and claim another
shot ; but if he shoots, he must abide by the con-
sequences.

16. The shooter must not leave the shooting mark under any

pretence to follow up any bird that will not rise, nor
may he return to his mark after he has once quitted it
to fire his second barrel.

17. Any shooter found to have in his gun more shot than is

allowed, is to be at once disqualified. Any loader
supplying in sweepstakes or matches cartridges loaded

242 The Breech-Loader,

in excess of the authorised charge, will be dismissed
from the Club grounds.

1 8. None but members can shoot except on the occasion of

private matches.

19. No wire cartridges or concentrators allowed, or other

substance to be mixed with the shot.

20. In all handicaps, sweepstakes, or matches, the standard

bore of the gun is No. 12. Members shooting with
less to go in at the rate of half a yard for every bore
less than 12 down to 16-bore. Eleven-bore guns to
stand back half a yard from the handicap distance,
and no guns over 11-bore allowed.

21. The winner of a sweepstakes of the value of ten

sovereigns, including his own stake, goes back two
yards ; under that sum, one yard, provided there be
over five shooters. Members saving or dividing in
an advertised event will be handicapped accordingly.

22. Should any member kill a bird at a distance nearer than

that at which he is handicapped, it shall be scored
no bird, but should he miss, a lost bird.

23. 1^ oz. of shot and 4 drams of black powder, or its equi-

valent in any other description of powder, is the
maximum charge. Size of shot restricted to Nos. 5,
6, 7, and 8.

24. All muzzle-loaders should be loaded with shot from the

club bowls.

25. If any bird escapes through any opening in the paling,

it shall be a “ No bird.”

RULES FOR DOUBLE RISES.

1. In Double Shooting, when more than two traps are

pulled, the shooter may call “No birds,” and claim
two more ; but if he shoots, he must abide by the
consequences.

2. If, on the traps being pulled, the birds do not rise, it is at

the option of the shooter to take them or not. If not,
he must declare by saying “No birds.”

And How to Use It. 243

3. If, on the traps being pulled, one bird does not rise, he

cannot demand another double rise ; but he must wait
and take the bird when it flies.

4. A bird shot on the ground, if the other bird is missed, is

a lost bird ; but if the other bird is killed, the shooter
may demand another two birds.

5. If the shooter’s gun misses fire with the first barrel, he

may demand another two birds ; but if he fires his
second barrel, he must abide by the consequences. If
the miss-fire occurs with the second barrel, the shooter
having killed with the first, he may demand another
bird, but may only use one barrel ; if he missed with
the first barrel Rule 5 in Single Sh- oting will apply.

MODIFICATIONS.

On the Continent the rules of the Cercle des
Patineurs of Paris are usually adhered to, they are
practically the Hurlingham Rules. The charge is
limited: 4 drams of powder by measure, and i\
ounce of shot, is the maximum ; the boundary is
87 yards (80 metres) from the pavilion ; 54 yards
from the centre trap, the traps are 5 metres from
each other.

The shooter has a right to another bird if his gun miss-
fires or refuses to go off through any fault not his
own.

The pigeon is lost if the shooter has neglected to cock
his gun, to load it, or to place on the cap.

If the first barrel misses fire, and the shooter fires the
second, he loses his right to another pigeon, unless
the second barrel also miss-fires.

If the second barrel misses fire, the shooter having fired
and missed the bird with the first, he may claim
another bird ; but in that case both barrels must be
Q 2

2 44 The Breech-Loader ,

loaded, the first with powder only, and neither barrel
must be discharged until after the trap is sprung.

It is forbidden to shoot both barrels at the same time.

The standard gauge is twelve, any gun of larger
bore than this is handicapped half a metre for each
size ; thus ten bores, the maximum bore allowed,
stand one metre back, fourteen bores advance half
a metre, sixteen bores one metre ; no further ad-
vantage is allowed to any smaller bore.

HINTS ON TRAP SHOOTING.

Trap shooting cannot be recommended as a
profession. However good a shot a sportsman
may be he will find so many uncertainties in trap
shooting that it is doubtful if any person shooting
continually will make trap shooting pay expenses.

At an ordinary bird, shot at under Hurlingham
rules by an average good shot, the chances are five
to two in favour of the shooter. To be considered
a good shot the number of kills must average more
than 70 per cent. Mr. “ Grace,” at one time con-
sidered a reliable shot, with a Greener Gun once
scored a percentage of 84 3 kills in a series of
International contests. Other shooters have oc-
casionally made a higher percentage in a short
series of matches.

In a series of International matches, out of
1,120 birds shot at by thirty-six different shooters,
799 per cent, were killed, and this is about the
average in matches between first-rate shots.

And How to Use Ft.

24s

The following hints may be of use to young
shooters who wish to try their skill in trap shoot-
ing : — Commence at a short distance — say 1 8 yards
— at live birds ; stand in an easy position, gripping
the gun well forward with the left hand. This is a
great aid in quick shooting. Do not stare at the
trap which you think will give the most difficult
shot to you, and if you do not particularly regard
any trap so much the better.* Do not say “ Pull ”
until you are quite ready to shoot, and have your
attention concentrated upon what you are about
to do. When the bird gets up, up with the gun
quickly but steadily, and immediately you have it
in place at the shoulder it should be aligned at the
bird, and the trigger pulled. Pigeon guns should
be so constructed that at forty yards’ range they
will throw the body of the charge a few inches
higher than the line of aim ; consequently, at any
distance up to forty-five yards you will have the
advantage over a bird rising in flight.

When shooting at thirty yards’ rise, this quality
of the gun will be the more requisite, as to be a
sure trap-shot you will require generally to kill
your pigeon within four or five yards of the trap,
and for that distance the pigeon generally rises,
and if he does not do so immediately will, in all
probability, do so long before he is out of range.
The happy medium between snapping just over

* Captain Brewer’s position is facing the fourth trap, as he considers
it easier to turn to the left.

246 The Breech-Loader ,

the trap and “ poking ” after the pigeon must be
sought.

In choosing a gun all will depend upon the rules
under which it will be used, but it may be said that,
as a rule, a gun of 7^1bs. will be the thing. Let it
be taken from the rack just before going to the
mark, and let a point be made of loading and cock-
ing it methodically. Quite a large number of birds
are scored lost every year because the shooter has
forgotten to cock his gun, move the safety off, or
some other cause, equally easy to prevent.

Hammerless-guns with automatically-bolting
safeties are a great nuisance when pigeon-shooting.
A hammerless pigeon gun should not have any
safety upon it. If there is a safety it should be of
independent action, and the trap-shooter will do
wisely to have a screw pin put through it to prevent
it being meddled with, or inadvertently put “ on ”
by himself. As pigeon-guns are not loaded until
the shooter is at the firing point, the gun is as safe
without as with a locking safety bolt.

It is best to take no heed either of bystanders
or trappers when going to the mark, and if one can
be quite deaf to the shouts from the “ ring ” the
score is likely to benefit.

In contending in a handicap It is the time spent
in waiting between the rounds that tires and tries
nerve and patience. At Monte Carlo a man may
have to fire but nine times, and possibly have the
whole of two afternoons in which to do it. Very

And How to Use It. 247

much, therefore, will depend upon the temperament
of the shooter. In contesting a match at 100 birds
it must be remembered that the task will be trying
to endurance ; and if a lighter gun can be found
which suits as well as a heavy one, the use of it
will enhance the shooter’s chance of success. The
shortest time occupied by the match will be two
hours and a half, and it may drag along for double
that time.

In match shooting the percentage of birds killed
will be greater than in handicap shooting, and un-
less the shooter knows, by experience or former
practice, that he can kill on the average ninety birds
out of one hundred, he will do best not to contest a
match with the best shots of the day.

Drive straight to the shooting-ground, so as to
arrive at the time the shooting is advertised to
commence. Waste no time in plating your gun.
If the results of the shooting at the target should
not please you, you will lose confidence in your gun
and gain nothing. You should ascertain that the
gun shoots well, and that the cartridges are suitably
loaded before you get to the shooting-ground.
Keep yourself to the matter in hand, and pay no
attention either to the remarks of other contestants
or the “ betting.” Having won or lost, leave the
ground at once. Unless the ground is one not
often visited, trial shots before the serious shooting
commences are not to be recommended. Upon
visiting a town for the purpose of contesting the

248 The Breech-Loader ,

International Tournaments, it is best to lodge at
some distance from the shooting-ground, and to go
there only so often as the business of the contests
may require. Nothing is gained by constantly
hanging about in the vicinity of the shooting-
ground, nor by experimenting upon it. You should
go to the ground to kill every bird at which you
shoot ; you must practise and experiment upon a
private ground elsewhere.

A little experience will soon prove to the young
shooter whether it is best to take or leave a pigeon
which does not rise immediately the trap is sprung,
and in other ways how to win , providing he is a
good shot, and can keep in perfect health.

PIGEON SHOOTING SCORES.

As shooters are always pleased to compare
their own performances with those of acknow-
ledged experts, the following accounts of matches,
compiled from various sources, will occasionally
be useful for reference.

In a series of three matches between Mr. E. D.
Fulford and Captain Brewer in November, 1891,
at New York, 100 birds each at 30 yards, Mr.
Fulford, using a gun by W. W. Greener, scored
the full number to his opponent’s 99. The follow-
ing day the scores were — Fulford, 99; Brewer, 98 ;
the 95th bird shot at by Mr. Fulford fell dead
out of bounds, thus practically 200 consecutive
shots resulted in 200 kills, a truly marvellous

And How to Use It.

249

Fulford at the Score. ( From an instantaneous photograph. J

250 The Breech-Loader ,

performance which certainly no game shot could
equal. This was the highest score ever made at
the trap. The third match resulted in a tie, both
gentlemen scoring 94 each. The tie was imme-
diately shot off at 25 birds each, Captain Brewer
killing all his birds while Mr. Fulford scored 24,
leaving Mr. Brewer — who also used a Greener gun
— the winner of the shoot-off by a single bird.

One of the best scores on record is that of
Captain A. H. Bogardus, who on July 2nd, 1880,
succeeded in scoring 99 birds out of 100, the
47th bird falling dead out of bounds. This
extraordinary score was made in a match with
Mr. Rimmell, an English gentleman, for 250 dol-
lars aside. Bogardus, 30 ; Rimmell, 28 yards ;
IOO birds, 5 traps, weather fair, and birds in good
condition.

In England Captain Bogardus never even
approached the excellence of this score, his best
recorded shooting being in a match with Mr.
Dudley Ward, who shot a tie with him, each
scoring 84 out of 100. Mr. Ward won in shoot-
ing off this match.

The match with Mr. Wallace, at the Gun Club
Grounds, shot July 19th, 1878, resulted in a tie,
each shooter scoring 69 birds out of 100. The
following Wednesday the tie was shot off, resulting
in a win for Mr. Wallace, he killing 71 birds to the
captain’s 69. On July the 23rd, in the same
year, the captain shot a match with Mr. H.

And How to Use It.

251

Cholmondeley-Pennell at the same grounds ; the
scores being— Captain Bogardus, 71 ; Mr. Chol-
mondeley-Pennell, 69. These scores are amongst
the best ever made in England.

Dr W. F. Carver, the celebrated rifle shot, was
and is, an excellent performer with the shot gun.
When in England in 1881 he shot off a series of
matches of which the following are the best, as far
as high scores are concerned : —

On March 16th, with Mr. W. Scott, 100 pigeons
at 30 yards. Dr. Carver scored 79 ; Mr. Scott, 74.
The longest string of consecutive kills was one by
Mr. Scott, of 26. Both shots used guns by W. W.
Greener.

Dr. Carver and Mr. Scott had previously
(February 7th) shot a match at 100 birds, when the
scores were: — Dr. Carver, 66 ; Mr. Scott, 62. The
birds were the finest and quickest seen during the
winter, and the weather was vile, the greater part
of the match being shot in a blinding snowstorm
and a driving squall from the south-west.

In America in 1884 Dr. Carver shot a series of
matches with Captain Bogardus. The following
are the scores and distances : — First match (at
Louisville, Ky. ; 100 birds, 30 yards rise, 80 yards
boundary, Hurlingham rules) — Carver, 83 ; Bo-
gardus, 82. Second match (at Chicago ; same con-
ditions as first match) — Carver, 82 ; Bogardus, 79 ;
at the 80th round scores were even, and remained
so until the 90th, when Carver killed all succeeding

252 The Breech-Loader,

birds, and won a well-contested match by 3 birds.
Third match (at St. Louis; 50 double rises at 21
yards) — Carver, 79; Bogardus, 81.

At Hendon, in March, 1881, Dr. Carver won the
Championship of the World Challenge Cup, pre-
sented by the proprietors of The Sportsman, value
£100, added to a sweepstakes of ,£50 each, and
part of the gate money. There were 13 com-
petitors, who fired at 50 pigeons each, 30 yards rise,
usual conditions.

Dr. Carver made several matches with the best
trap-shots of England. He was beaten once by
Mr. Heygate, of The Gun Club, in a match of
25 birds a side.

Dr. Carver tied with Mr. A. J. Stuart-Wortley
in a match for ,£500 a-side, shot at the Hendon
Ground, December 8th, 1882 — score, 83 each.
This match was the more exciting from the fact that
at the 50th bird the scores were equal, as they were
again several times during the last part of the match
and at the finish.

Dr. Carver’s string of 50 birds killed straight
off, which he accomplished at Lynchburg, Va.,
U.S.A., with a Greener lbs. 12-bore gun, is his
best on record in this line.

A final contest for the Championship of Eng-
land Cup took place at Hendon on July 3rd,
1888, and resulted in a win for Captain Brewer,
who killed 24 out of 25 birds, at 30 yards rise, and
having thrice consecutively gained the prize against

And How to Use It. 253

all comers, claimed the trophy as his own. Cap-
tain Brewer used a Greener gun in all contests.

In the contest for the American Field Cham-
pion Wing-Shot Cup, 1890, Mr. Elliott, the holder,
successfully defended it with a Greener gun, scor-
ing 59 out of 60, 48 out of 50, and 94 out of 100
birds.

In the celebrated three days’ match between
Mr. Elliott and Mr. Brewer, shot off at the Jersey
City Heights Gun Club, both contestants used W.
W. Greener’s hammerless guns. The conditions
were 100 birds each man each day; distance, 30
yards. The score was 93 each ; the tie was shot
off at 25 birds each, out of which Brewer killed
23 and Elliott 21. On the second day Mr. Brewer
killed 69 straight off, the 70th fell dead out of
bounds, and finished with 30 kills — score : Brewer,
99 ; Elliott, 92. On the third day, Brewer scored
93 and Elliott 89. This shooting is equal to the
record score made by Captain Bogardus in 1880 ;
and Captain Brewer has since, at a recent trial at
Long Branch, killed 105 pigeons in succession.

Mr. J. A. R. Elliott is a brilliant and reliable
shot, and has won eight times successively the
American Field Champion Wing-Shot Cup, each
time with a W. W. Greener gun.

The advantage of snap-shooting is clearly
shown in the following extract from the Forest and
Stream , of New York, of May 5th, 1891 : —

“Elliott v. Fulford, for the American

254

The Breech-Loader,

American Champion Wing-Shot Cup. Became the property of Mr.
J. A. R. Elliott, of Kansas City, on July 30th, 1892, he having held
it against all comers for two years.

And How to Use It.

255

Held-Champion Wing-Shot Cup. — Mr. C. W.
Budd, who umpired the match, sends us the score,
with these comments by the local reporter : —

“ Considering the day, the scores made by both
shooters were remarkably good. The wind was
blowing a perfect gale from the south-west, and
once a bird got started from the traps and got up
in the wind he went away like a streak of lightning.

“ The difference in the style of the two men
was in Elliott’s favour under these conditions. The
Kansas City champion shoots very quickly, and
thus was enabled to kill many birds close to the
traps. Fulford, on the other hand, is rather a
deliberate shot, and he made difficult birds out of
a number of them by letting them get too far away.

“In the drawing of the birds the men had
about equal luck, each getting about the same
number of drivers. The largest consecutive run
was made by Elliott, who grassed his last 37 birds
straight. The score shows that Elliott used his
second barrel more frequently than did Fulford, but
on a majority of the birds this was used simply for
safety. There was a large attendance of shooting
men, and the victory of Elliott was well received.

“ Elliott shot his Greener, weighing ylb. 30Z.,
and Fulford used his Hammer Greener, weighing
7lb. noz. Both men used Schultze powder in
both barrels. Elliott, 46, winning the cup for the
eighth time ; Fulford, 43. Conditions-— 50 birds

each, 30 yards rise.”

256 The Breech-Loader ,

The greatest prize and highest honour ever shot
for is the Championnat Universel, the one triennial
event of the Monte Carlo International Meetings.
This was won with a W. W. Greener gun, in 1886,
by Mr. H. C. Pennell (who also won the Grand Prix
du Casino in 1878 with his Greener gun), and again
by Mr. W. Blake, in 1889, and it may interest some
to know that neither of these shots was measured
for his gun ; indeed, the gun used by Mr. Pennell
was an ordinary weapon from stock, and a few
hours before the match commenced the right or
upright trigger was changed to act upon the left
lock and vice versa.

The winners of the Grand Prix du Casino must
also be considered amongst the best of trap
shooters. This match is contested for by the best
trap shots of all nations, and the birds are supplied
by one of the most esteemed purveyors, whilst the
Monaco boundary is acknowledged to be much in
favour of the bird. The contest extending over
several days also necessitates careful shooting over
an extended period, and to kill 13 consecutive
birds without a miss, firing only at long intervals, is
evidence of the ability of the marksman.

The following gentlemen have won the Grand
Prix du Casino : —

Year. Winner of the Grand Prix.

1872 — Mr. George L. Lorillard (American).

1873— Mr. J. Jee, V.C., C.B. (English).

1874 — Sir Wm. Call, Bart. (English).

And How to Use Tt.

25 7

1875 — Captain Aubrey Patton (English).

1876 — Captain Aubrey Patton (English).

1877 — Mr. W. Arundel Yeo (English).

1878 — Mr. H. Cholmondeley- Pennell (English).

1879 — Mr. E. R. G. Hopwood (English).

1880 — Comte Michel Esterhazy (Hungarian).

1881 — M. G. Camaueur (Belgian).

1882 — Comte de St. Quentin (French).

1883— Mr. H. T. Roberts (English).

1884— Le Comte de Caspela (Italian).

1885 — M. Leon de Dorlodot (Belgian).

1886 — Signor Guidicini (Italian).

1887 — Count Salina (Italian).

1888 — Mr. C. Seaton (English).

1889 — Mr. V. Dicks (English).

1890— Signor Guidicini (Italian).

1891 — Count Gajoli (Italian).

1892 — Baron Trautmannsdorf (Austrian).

In several instances the killing of a dozen
pigeons in succession has taken the Grand Prix, as
was the case in 1887 and 1888, and in 1891 Count
Gajoli, with his Greener, killed his 5 birds at 26
and 5 at 27 metres.

INANIMATE TARGETS.

As a pastime the shooting at glass balls or
bottles has long been practised in this country, but
was developed and made a fashionable amuse-
ment in the United States by Mr. Ira Payne,
Captain Bogardus, Dr. Carver, and other profes-
sional shots.

The inanimate targets now in use may be

258 The Breech-Loader ,

divided into two distinct classes — balls and
“ pigeons.”

The balls, at first plain hollow spheres of colour-
less glass, were afterwards made of blue or amber
glass, and filled with feathers ; later the spheres were
chequered to prevent the shot from glancing, and
this stage of development is the highest reached
by the glass ball. Balls made of various resinous
compositions have been tried, and have a certain
sale, but as there is difficulty in getting them suffi-

The “Carver” Revolving Trap.

ciently brittle they have not generally supplanted
the glass balls. Other plans have been tried, as
bell balls, puff balls, explosive balls, etc., but they
have not proved successes commercially.

The traps to throw the balls have been wonder-
fully developed. From the modified catapult used
at English fairs they have advanced to a rotating
trap which simply defies trickery on the part of the
trap puller or his assistants.

The “Hatch” was one of the first popular
traps, it was followed by the “ Bogardus ” and
the “ Carver,” which has a coil spring instead of

And How to Use Tt.

259

a flat one. The “ Mole ” was an early rotating
trap ; the card was an improvement upon it, and
the modern rotating trap is a close copy of its most
approved pattern.

The Ligowsky clay pigeon trap was the next
improvement in the way of an inanimate flying

The Blue Rock Trap).

target ; the trap now much improved, and pigeons
also perfected, are still on sale.

Instead of “ glass balls ” or “ clay ” pigeons, the
broken fragments of which are objectionable on
lawns and in parks, thin brass balls or pigeons
filled with fine powdered charcoal may be obtained ;
when fairly struck they emit an unmistakable
cloud of dust, and the worn-out targets are readily
collected. Inanimate targets made of a com-
position of resin and plaster, coal tar, and ashes, or
other suitable materials worked up until thoroughly
incorporated and moulded under great pressure, are
a 2

26 o

The Breech-Loader,

now largely used ; they fly well, break easily when
struck, and are so coloured as to be visible against
any background.

Good traps such as the “Standard,” “Keystone,”
“ Blue Rock,” or “ Peoria,” will throw these targets
so well as to afford excellent practice even to good
shots. Nothing affords so much amusement with
the gun at a small cost, and as a pastime it may be
strongly recommended to all who are fond of snap-
shooting. The trap recommended is so constructed
that it imparts to the thrown target a high rotary
motion, and at the same time throws it with little
friction. The trap also so throws the target that it
has a steady flight and a good velocity, which is
not perceptibly greater at the commencement than
at the end of the flight.

There are certain accessories necessary, such as
cords, planks, and holding-down pins, and clubs
will also provide themselves with pulling gear ;
and whether using three or five traps, will decide
upon a definite method of determining in which
order the traps shall be sprung. The use of dice
or a trap-pulling indicator will effectually prevent
collusion between the shooter and puller.

The following rules are those generally observed
in inanimate target shooting, and with little or no
alteration may be applied to matches with any
number of traps.

RULES FOR INANIMATE TARGET SHOOTING,
i. Decision of Judges.— Two judges and a referee shall

And How to Use Ft.

261

be appointed to judge all matches. If the judges
cannot agree, the referee shall decide, and his decision
shall be final.

2. Special Duties of Referee.— The referee shall see

that the traps are properly set at the beginning of a
match, and that they are kept in order to the
finish.

3. Flags for Judges.— E ach judge shall be provided with

a red flag and a white flag. They shall raise the red
flag to indicate a “broken” bird, and the white flag
to indicate “ lost ” bird ; they shall raise both flags to
indicate “ no bird ” or an imperfect bird ; they shall
also announce the score in a loud voice.

4. Keeping the Score.— It shall be optional with the

judges and referee to keep the score themselves, or
appoint some one for that purpose, and the score thus
kept shall be the official score, provided, however,
that the referee must testify to the correctness of the
score or scores made under his supervision, if re-
quired.

5. Score with Ink. — All scoring shall be done with ink

or indelible pencil ; the scoring of a lost bird shall be
indicated by a “ 0 ; ” of a dead or broken bird by a

U j »

6. Traps. — All matches shall be shot from three traps set

level, in the segment of a circle 5 yards apart. The
radius of this circle shall be 18 yards. The traps
shall be numbered from No. 1 on the left to No. 3 on
the right consecutively. All traps must throw the
birds a distance of not less than 40 yards.

Each trap must be tested for this standard distance before
the shooting begins, and if any trap be found too weak
to throw the required distance, a new trap or spring
must be substituted.

7. Adjusting Traps. — The lever or projecting arm of the

trap shall be so adjusted that the elevation of the bird
in its flight at a distance of 10 yards from the trap

262

The Breech-Loader,

shall not be more than 8 feet nor less than 4 feet, and
the angles of flight shall be as follows : —

No. 1 trap shall be set to throw a left quartering bird.

No. 2 trap shall be set to throw a straight-away bird.

No. 3 trap shall be set to throw a right quartering bird.
After the traps are set for the above angles, if the bird for
any reason shall take a different angle, it shall be con-
sidered a fair bird, provided the trap has not been
changed.

8. Pulling of Traps. — T he trap-puller shall stand at

least 6 feet behind the shooter, and when the shooter
calls “ Pull,” the trap or traps shall be instantly
sprung. In single bird shooting he should pull the
traps indiscriminately, and not one, two, and three
consecutively. He shall pull equally and regularly
for all shooters. If the bird is sprung before or at
any noticeable interval after the shooter calls “ Pull,”
he can accept the bird or not, but if he shoots the
result shall be scored.

9. — Screens. — No screens shall be used. Back- stops may

be provided for trappers, not to exceed 10 yards
from the end traps, and not to exceed 3 feet in
height.

10. — Distance. — In single bird shooting the rise shall be

18 yards for io-bore guns, 16 yards for 12-bore guns.
In double bird shooting the rise shall be 15 yards for
io-bore guns, 14 yards for 12-bore guns.

All distances mentioned in these rules must be accurate
measurement.

11. — Gun. — N o gun of larger calibre than io-bore shall be

used.

12. — Loading Guns. — In single bird shooting only one

barrel shall be loaded at a time, and the cartridge
shall not be placed in the barrel until after the shooter
has taken his position at the score ; in double bird
shooting both barrels to be loaded at the score.

13. — Position of Gun. — The butt of the gun shall be held

And How to Use It. 263

below the armpit until the shooter calls “Pull.” If
this rule be violated, and the bird is missed, it shall
be scored as a “lost bird.” If it be broken, it shall
be declared “no bird,” and another shall be shot at.

14. Broken Birds. — A bird to be scored broken must

have a perceptible piece broken from it while in the
air. The decision of the judges and referee on this
point shall be final. No bird shall be retrieved to be
examined for shot marks.

If a bird be broken by the trap the shooter may claim
another bird, but if he shoots, the result must be
scored.

15. Single Bird Shooting— Each contestant shall shoot

at three birds before leaving the score. If two birds
are sprung at the same time, it shall be declared “ no
bird.”

16. Double Bird Shooting.— B oth traps must be pulled

simultaneously, and each contestant shall shoot at
three pairs consecutively, thrown as follows : —

First pair from No. 1 and 2 traps. Second pair from No. 2
and 3 traps, and third pair from No. i and 3 traps.
If only one bird is thrown it shall be declared “no
birds,” and if the gun miss fire on either bird it shall
be declared “no birds.” In each and all such cases
another pair of birds must be shot at.

17. — Tie Shooting. — A ll ties shall be shot off at the

original distance, and at the number of birds agreed
on by the contestants. If, however, the contestants
cannot agree promptly on this point, the referee shall
fix the number, and his decision shall be final. The
rules prescribed for single and double bird shooting
shall prevail in tie shooting.

18. — Challenge. — N o challenge shall be considered unless

the parties challenging are contestants.

THE BEST RECORDS.

The best records made at inanimate targets are

The Breech-Loader ,

264

very much higher than anything obtained from live
bird shooting. According to a list recently pub-
lished there are more than a dozen shooters in the
United States who have broken IOO of the in-
animate targets without a miss, and the score made
and recorded at a public competition. Upwards of
fifty shooters have scored more than 90 out of 100.

“ Young Nimrod,” an English boy, has, with his
28-bore gun and foz. of shot, frequently scored
88-100 at clay pigeons.

In a series of twenty-five matches, at IOO clay
pigeons each at each match, between Dr. Carver
and Capt. Bogardus, 2,227 were broken by Dr.
Carver, and 2,103 by Capt. Bogardus, at 18 yards
rise. Dr. Carver made two scores of 100 each
without a miss, and won nineteen matches, tied in
three, and lost three. His lowest score was the
first — 72 ; and twenty of his scores exceeded
90 broken. Capt. Bogardus once scored 99, his
highest, and three times 63, his lowest in this series
of matches.

At glass balls still less skill is required ; but the
best record is Mr. Scott’s - — 700 smashed con-
secutively with a Greener gun. Dr. Carver, in a
match with Mr. Scott, broke 9,7 37 out of 9,950
shot at; Mr. Scott, 9,735 out of the same number.
Out of the last 950 in this match Dr. Carver missed
two only, and Mr. Scott three.

The quickest time recorded for breaking 100
glass balls with a shot gun is just under five minutes.

And How to Use It.

265

Capt. H. Bogardus, the great American wing shot,
made a match against time in December, 1879, and
succeeded in breaking 5,500 glass balls in a few
seconds less than 7 hours 20 minutes. The misses
numbered 356. The captain used an English gun
with two pairs of barrels — one pair (10- bore) shoot-
ing 4 drams of powder and ijoz. of No. 8 shot;
the 12-bore pair were loaded with 3^ drams 1 oz. of
No. 8 shot. During the match the captain loaded
for himself, and changed the barrels no less than
fifty-five times. Three miss-fires only occurred in
the whole series of 5,855 shots. The balls were all
sprung from spring traps.

At a gun trial held at Leavenworth in 1886, a
Greener 12-bore gun was shot with “King’s Quick
Shot ” powder, an explosive the author has never
had an opportunity of trying. The gun beat all
its opponents easily — some were much heavier
guns and larger calibre.

HOW EXPERTS SHOOT.

The most skilled exponents of the art of wing
shooting should be able to give some hints of value
to all who wish to become expert in the use of the
shot gun. The author having unique opportunities
for acquiring a knowledge of the methods followed
by professional trap shots in aiming and handling
the gun, is enabled to give a few facts which prove
ho\v diverse are the modes of unerring shots, and
how different the advice which would be given by

266

The Breech-Loader ,

various successful shooters. Dr. Carver shoots on
the snap-shot system, shooting both barrels in
quick succession at the pigeon. Captain Brewer
shoots at some pigeons, and holds ahead of others,
determining which to do immediately the bird is
released from the trap. Mr. J. A. R. Elliott, than
whom there is, perhaps, no better or steadier all-
round trap shot, also follows the dual plan. He
shoots on both systems most successfully, and is
able to change his methods of shooting from one
pigeon to the next. He appears to shoot most
rapidly, but is in reality a most deliberate shot,
judging every bird the instant it takes wing, shoot-
ing slowly at a slow-flying bird, and very quickly,
and with both barrels, when a quick-flying bird is
released. With quartering birds, that is at cross
shots, it is his invariable plan to hold ahead of
them, estimating the angle in which and the rate
at which they are flying, and leading them from
six inches to two feet with the first barrel, and
from two feet to six feet with the second. This
ability of accurately judging the flight of birds and
the allowance necessary to grass them won him
the match at fifty birds with Mr. Fulford. The
wind was high at the commencement, and de-
veloped into a stiff gale during the match, and
blowing irregularly made it almost impossible to
gauge accurately what wind allowance should be
made. The first dozen birds were shot at with a
light gun, with a charge of 3^ drams of Schultze,

And How to Use It.

267

and 1 5 ounce of No. 6 shot ; at the fourteenth bird
a heavier gun was taken and No. 5 shot used.
The match finished with thirty-seven killed straight,
the score being 46-50 to Mr. Fulford’s 43-50.
With the second gun and heavy shot Mr. Elliott
shot very rapidly, catching his birds as near the
trap as possible, and using both barrels.

Mr. Fulford, whose score of 194 grassed in suc-
cession has never been approached, holds ahead of
his birds. Having ascertained by actual experi-
ment that at forty yards his shot was stringing
from twenty to thirty feet, he took that margin in
shooting, and found that whether holding a little
high or a little low he still killed the pigeon clean,
providing that he held eight to ten feet ahead of a
bird going across.

The great stringing of the charge is due to
the heavy charge of explosive used. The average
stringing in a properly loaded gun is about ten
feet at forty yards ; this is equal to a drop in the
mean velocity from 900 feet per second (the ve-
locity of the first pellets of the charge) to 650 per
second (the velocity of the last pellets of the
charge).

The swiftest flying pigeon travels at about one-
third the rate of a charge of shot at thirty yards,
and whilst theoretically it is correct to lead a
quartering pigeon from five to seven feet, there are
few trap shots who do it.

268

The Breech-Loader ,

TABLES OF THE PATTERNS MADE BY THE BEST GUNS IN
THE LONDON GUN TRIALS OF 1859, 1866, 187s, 1878, 1879, and
the AMERICAN GUN TRIALS OF 1873, 1874, 1879.

London Gun Trial,

1859 -

Muzzle-loader

Bore.

drams, oz. shot.
a| X i* No. 6

290 pellets to oz.

Pattern
Right. Left.

158 118

Breech-loader

3 x ij No. 6

144

London Gun Trial,
1866-

Breech-loader

2 x i{No.6

280 pellets to oz.

131

123

Breech-loader

2J x 1 No. 5

100 n8

London Gun Trial,
1875—

• Breech-loader

3^ x ii No. 6

270 pellets to oz.

Average.

214

* Breech-loader

4 x No. 6

241

•Breech-loader

2J x 1 No. 6

J 45

•Breech-loader

6 x 25 No. 6

358

London Gun Trial of
Explosives, 1878 —
Breech-loader

3 . x ij No. 6

220-08

London Gun Trial,

1879 -

Breech-loader

3J x No. 6

Chilled shot.
270 pellets to oz.

223

Breech-loader

2{ x 1 No. 6

174

Breech-loader

25 x J No. 6

174

New York Gun Trial,

1873 -

Breech-loader

3X1! No. 6

Shot with paper shell

150

Breech-loader

3^ x ij No. 6

Shot with metal shell

21 1

Breech-loader

4J x ij No. 6

Shot with paper shell

211

Chicago Gun Trial,
1874—

Breech-loader

4 xi No. 7

309 pellets to oz.

j 80

Breech-loader

4i x 1 No. 7

191

Chicago Gun Trial,

1879-

Breech-loader

3i x 1} —

291 pellets to oz.

Breech-loader

4 x ii —

2-J- XI

25 X I —

200

163

138

These four guns were shot in the selected circle, and with chilled shot.

And How to Use It.

269

LONG SHOTS.

The extracts from a few letters received by the
author will best serve as instances of exceptionally
long shots which have recently been made. One
sportsman, writing from Canada, says : —

“Since I have had my Treble-Wedge Fast
12-bore hammerless gun, 28 inches long, 7J lbs.
weight, forty guinea quality, made by you in 1880,
I have made many exceptionally long shots in
duck-shooting.

“ In the month of October this fall, however, I
made three shots which, in justice to you, are de-
serving of especial mention. On the occasion in
question my gun, which is full choke in both
barrels, was charged with 3! drs. of Curtis and
Harvey’s No. 4 powder, with one felt and two card-
board wads between powder and shot, and j | oz.
of No. 2 chilled shot with cardboard wads.

“With the first shot I killed two black ducks
crossing on the wing at 7 5 yards, with the second a
single blue bill (small duck) sitting at 100 yards,
and with the third a single black duck sitting at
fully 1 10 yards. When the length and weight of
my gun, and the moderate charge of powder, and
the large size of the shot used, are taken into con-
sideration, I think the three shots in question, which
were all fired one after the other within an hour’s
time, are worthy of ranking as extraordinary shots. ’

From another gentleman the author has just
received the following : —

270

The Breech-Loader ,

“ Mr. W. W. Greener,

“ Birmingham.

“ Dear Sir, — The little 16-bore Ejector gun I
ordered came to hand, and I have had a good
opportunity of testing it, and must say I am very
much pleased with it.

“ I killed some geese at 50 to 55 yards with it,
using 3 drs. E.C. and 1 oz. No. 1 shot, but of course
it is not a goose gun.” — F. G. S., May \yth t 1892.

From The FIELD, December gth, 1876.

Grouse Driving, by Sir Frederick A.

Milbank.

Sir, — Having read several letters in The Fitld
on the subject of choke-bores, perhaps a few lines
from one who has given it a severe and fair trial
may be of value. Since September 1 I have been
shooting grouse with a full choke, made by W. W.
Greener, of Birmingham, and I can verify, through
experience, its wonderful shooting powers. My
usual practice in grouse driving is to take two guns
into the “ stands ” (called by some butts). Con-
sequently, I decided upon taking my full choke
and one of my old guns, my object being to fire
the choke at long shots when birds came singly or
two together ; but when birds came thick, I kept

And How to Use It.

271

up a continuous fire, oftentimes till both guns were
too hot to hold comfortably. In these cases birds
were killed at all sorts of distances, from twenty to
fifty and sixty yards. I fired away promiscuously
with both guns, and I can state positively in no one
instance did I ever see a bird “ blown ; ” and after
a drive was over, when twenty to thirty brace of
birds were picked up, myself, friends, and keepers
could not discover a single bird that was hard shot.
Moreover, after a day’s driving, when perhaps two
hundred brace of grouse were hanging up in the
larder, no one could detect the “ blowing ” of a
single bird.

Perhaps some of your critics may take exception
to my “ choke,” and think it does not shoot close
and hard : I ask them to read to the end of
my letter before they arrive at any such con-
clusion.

When shooting with such rapidity with the two
guns it is perfectly impossible to Say how many
shots are fired from the one gun, but I am not
above the mark when I say I fired 120 shots with
the choke-bore daily. As I have attempted to de-
scribe what I did at haphazard shots, allow me to
say something as to the wonderful shooting at long
distances. Grouse at the beginning of October
commence congregating in what we call in North
Yorkshire large “ packs ” of hundreds together, and
they take up their abode on the large flat mosses,
which in many instances are situated on the tops

272

The Breech-Loader ,

of the high hills ; when disturbed by the drivers,
they take their flight from one hill to another.
The “stands” in many places being below the
hills, it naturally follows the birds cross over at a
great height, and become what is usually called
“ rocketers.” Here comes to the fore the very
great superiority of the choke-bore. I have often
killed birds at such a height, that my friends
shooting with me with their old guns never even
attempted to fire at them. Remember, I don’t
take what I call “ fluke shots ” into consideration,
as many guns can and will do this ; but when you
find the choke can go on doing this successively,
the point can never be disputed as to the superiority
of one weapon over the other. Again, as to cross
shots. Birds passing the stand at any number of
miles an hour in a gale of wind, I fancy, tell more
than any other as to the excellence of a gun, for
the birds come at a tremendous pace, sailing along
with their feathers closed, and without a movement
of the wing. I have often in a day stepped dis-
tances of sixty-five yards and thereabouts, where
the birds have been killed stone dead. It would
be useless on my part to enter into further par-
ticulars as to the excellent and, I may say, won-
derful, shooting of the choke-bore above all other
guns, because shooting so often. There was not a
day but what the gun excited in many instances
the admiration of myself and others But I wish
to add a short statement, which conclusively bears

And How to Use It.

273

out all I have stated. In the third week in No-
vember I went out partridge shooting in Yorkshire
(birds, as every one knows, are as wild as hawks at
this season of the year). Accompanying me were
two gentlemen, both quite first-rate shots. All
three of us had equal chances throughout the day.
At the end of it one of my friends had seven brace,
the other six brace, but the choke had sixteen
and a half brace. I advisedly say the “choke,”
because I was fully convinced that the gun alone
was the cause of my overtopping my friends by so
large a number. I measured that day three suc-
cessive shots — 65, 71, and 62 yards ! In my honest
opinion, I look upon the full choke-bore as the
greatest and most wonderful improvement ever
made in a gun, and I prophesy in a few years we
shall hear but little of the old style of boring. I
have observed in some of the letters you have pub-
lished that questions have been asked as to the
cartridges. I have given no particular orders on
this point to my gunmaker, only telling him to
send me green Eley gas-tight cartridges, 12-bore
central fire, 3^ drams of powder, one ounce and an
eighth of No. 5 chilled shot ; and I have nothing
to complain of. It may be asked why I did not
shoot with the choke-bore in August. My answer
is, I did not commence grouse shooting until the
23rd of August, and as a choke was new to me, I
felt the alarm of others, viz., “ that it would blow
birds to pieces ; ” but I have since learnt the
s

274 The Breech-Loader ,

contrary, and I shall be surprised if next year I
shoot with any other guns.

Frederick A. Milbank.
Wemmergill Lodge, December 5.

P.S. — I have fired away upwards of 4,000 cart-
ridges on the moors, two-thirds of which have been
with the choke.

From The Field, December 23rd, 1876.

Sir, — I was aware, when I wrote on the sub-
ject of choke-bores, that my letter would be criti-
cised. J. W. G. S. believes that my experience
with choke-bores has been confined to grouse and
partridge shooting, but this is not the case, and I
only made the statement referred to because I had
given the gun what I consider a very severe and
excellent trial at that description of game. How-
ever, I can now further state that I have tried it at

And How to Use It. 275

“ very hot corners ” at pheasants, and I defy any
one, after a day’s shooting, to point out a single
bird that has been “blown.” My experience has
proved beyond doubt that the choke-bore does
not blow pheasants or any other game to pieces at
20 yards.

As for general shooting, I have not the slightest
hesitation in saying that the choke is incomparably
the best gun. Snipe and woodcock shooting, as
far as I am concerned, partake too much of the
rara avis character to test the shooting of a gun ;
but I have shot a good many snipe with the choke
on the moors, and I have never found any more
difficulty in bringing them down than I have
grouse or partridges.

W. C. does not agree in my prophecy as to the
universal use of choke-bores in a few years’ time.
He says in confirmation of his opinion, that he has
“ seen it proved to his satisfaction that right and
left cannot be taken in such good style as with
smooth-bores.” Why not ? Suppose two birds
rising together at forty yards, flying straight away
from you, I maintain that a good shot should kill
both to a certainty with the choke, whereas with
the smooth-bore the chances are immensely against
you. And as to closer shots, I think I have proved
on grouse driving and partridges (see my last
letter), that birds are killed as easily by the choke
as any other gUn. Therefore, I maintain, if you
can kill right and left at very long range, and the
s 2

The Breech-Loader,

276

same at close range, the choke-bore undoubtedly
shows a great superiority.

W. C. wishes for a trial at pigeon shooting, but
I say no pigeon shooting (which is a knack) can
shake the practical experience of the severe trials
I have subjected the choke-bore to. We cannot
ignore the test all guns were put to at the great
gun trials at Wimbledon, which proved beyond
doubt the superiority of strength and hardness of
shooting of the choke over other guns. Instead of
W. C. wishing for a trial at pigeons, let him make
a match with the old style of gun against the
choke, either at a target of 40, 50, 60, or 70 yards,
or a hard day’s shooting where game of all sorts is
plentiful. If at the target, try it at 18 in. by 12 in.
at all distances ; then you will see the extraordinary
shooting powers of the choke.

Apropos to this, I may state that one day las-t
September I was staying at a house in Scotland.
The morning being wet, we were prevented shoot-
ing. I suggested a trial of our guns. Consequently
seven guns, made by the most eminent firms in
the trade, were brought out to compete against
W. W. Greener’s choke. We tried the guns at the
distances I have named, and in every instance the
choke proved eminently successful. If you try it
at a hard day’s shooting (as I have done) at all
sorts of game in October, and where the shooters
are excellent shots, you will find the bag at the end
of the day decidedly in favour of the choke-bore.

And How to Use It. 277

It is not in my power to give the gun a severer
trial or a better one than I have already done. I
had no partiality in the matter, having purchased a
choke-bore purposely to find out whether it was
superior to other guns. I have found this to be
the case, and I think you will allow that my test
has been a good one. I state truly my opinion
when I say that I believe the full choke to be the
greatest improvement ever made on the sporting
gun in modern times.

I cannot conclude without making a few re-
marks on A. F.’s letter, as he is labouring under a
very great mistake when he says I “ fail to establish
the fact of the choke-bore being useful for any de-
scription of shooting, except grouse driving, and
then only when the stands are very much lower
than the flight of the birds.” Can A. F. seriously
think this ? I gave that instance of height to show
what choke-bores can do ; he surdly cannot sup-
pose that all stands are so situated. He forgets
that I instanced birds coming cross shots — skim-
ming the ground at great distances off. How-
ever, to put him right, I may state that the stands
on a large moor are placed in every sort of situation
— under hills, on brows of hills, on flats, edges of
deep ravines, &c., and yet the choke has never
failed, in my experience, to do its duty.

I do not say that you must shoot with chilled
shot in covert. I believe chilled shot to be the
best ; but if there is a fear of reducing “ accidents

The Breech-Loader.

278

to a certainty ” (as A. F. states) by its use, then use
the common lead shot, which will not disappoint
you. He also adheres to the theory that “ if a
choke is held straight it will smash birds at 20
yards.” Experience is a stubborn fact, and in the
many thousand shots I have fired, at all distances,
not a single bird has been blown.

To conclude, I may mention that since writing
my letter in The Field the week before last I have
been reminded by my keeper that at one drive in
October I killed with the choke forty-seven grouse;
so I have a strong idea in some instances I “ held
straight,” yet not a single bird was blown.

Frederick A. Milbanic.

Wemmergill Lodge, Yorkshire, December 19.

[So convinced is Mr. Milbank of the superiority
of the choke-bore over the cylinder- bore, that he
has ordered another gun to have the barrels made
full choke, to shoot as close as W. W. Greener can
make them.]

Extracts from the London “Field.”

From The Field, December i^rd, 1876.

When shooting hares in the open, on some salt marshes
in Lancashire, where some 1,100 were killed in three days —
which said hares got up straight in front of you some 30
yards off, with their ears down — the chokes I found would
stop them, when the ordinary guns only wounded.

For covert shooting here also, where the pheasants, flying
down from steep hill coverts, puzzle ordinary guns, and
where in many cases it is necessary to erect high stages to
shoot from in order to get within range at all, the chokes,
loaded with a heavy charge of powder and double wads over
it, with ii oz. of No. 4 chilled shot, render an excellent
account of themselves. R. L. Lloyd Price.

Rhiwlas, Bala, N. Wales, December 18.

My gun is one of W. W. Greener’s first quality, 28-in.
barrels, 6 lb. 10 oz., both barrels full choke. I used it on
partridge the first half of September with a light spread
charge (2| drs. and 1 oz. No. 6, card wad only between
powder and shot) in both barrels, and found it all I could
desire. When birds got a little wilder I introduced the
ordinary long-range charge for the second barrel, and fre-
quently brought down birds dead at 5° yards to over 60
yards. I have used the spread charge with good results in
covert shooting, on pheasants, hares, rabbits, and woodcock,
without in a single instance spoiling either fur or feather.

280 The Breech-Loader,

I find it kills well up to 40 yards. With the ordinary long-
range cartridge, loaded with No. 5 shot, I have on three
occasions killed pheasants dead at over 60 yards. But,
apart from the extra range gained with the choke-bore, there
is another and to my mind a more important advantage — I
mean the style in which it kills at the middle distances — 30
yards, 35 yards, and 40 yards. This is noticeable with all
kinds of game, but perhaps especially with hares. The col-
lapse of a hare under the choke-bore, with No. 4 or No. 3
shot, is remarkable.

The accusation against “ chokes ” of smashing the game
is, I believe, much exaggerated. With the ordinary cart-
ridge I have killed pheasants, hares, and rabbits within
20 yards, and they have not been shattered. The new gun
seems to me much less objectionable in this respect than the
old gun with the concentrator.

In conclusion, I would say to those seeking information
and advice, “If you are a fair shot, and want a new gun for
general shooting, by all means get a choke-bore ; but do
not go to a second-rate man, or to one who does not believe
in chokes, but will make you one if you like. Go to one of
the makers whose names are associated with these guns,
and who ‘do believe in them.’ ”

Lancashire, Dec. 18. Fiat Experimentum.

From The Field, January 6 th, 1877.

SIR, — Soon after The Field trial of choke-bored guns, I
ordered a full-choke of Mr. Greener, at the same time send-
ing him my old gun, a first-rate tool made by Dougall, which
fitted me exactly, as a pattern, that the weight, bend, and
set-off might be the same in the new gun. I have used the
Greener during the last two seasons as much as or more
than the old gun. I have never troubled myself about
special cartridges or special charges, but use it just as I
would an ordinary gun, and the result is perfectly satis-

And How to Use It.

281

factory. For partridge driving it is all that one could wish,
and not more difficult to shoot with than a cylinder. But
you must be just as quick with it— no poking and waiting,
and frightening yourself with the idea that you are going to
blow the game to pieces. At extremely short ranges any
gun will make unpleasant holes in the victim. I tried the
Dougall and choke carefully at 25 yards ; the former
put into a 30 in. circle 237 pellets, the latter 267 ; either gun
at that range will put a large number of shot into a partridge,
the choke perhaps three or four more than the cylinder —
that is all the difference. At 40 yards the choke will
always fetch down a partridge if the gun is held in the right
place, whereas a cylinder will not do so. If any one wishes
to convince himself that a miss at that range with an ordi-
nary gun is not always the fault of the gunner, let him cut
out, in thin oiled, and therefore transparent paper, the section
of a partridge, with its wings extended (minus feathers, of
course), and having made a diagram at 40 yards, lay the
pattern on it — he will see the shot marks through the paper —
move it about, and he will find a great many spaces, and
near the centre too, where the bird would escape.

A partridge going straight away exposes a surface about
the size of the top of a claret glass, plus the projection of the
wing bones on either side of two inches by one-eighth. No
gun but a good choke can make sure of so small an object
at such a range.

In conclusion, when taking out the choke, let a man
straightway forget what manner of gun it is, and shoot as
usual ; he is not likely to be disappointed.

Boughton House. Fred. Morton Eden.

From The Field, January 13th, 1877.

Sir, — I have recently been using a choke-bore, full
choked, built for me by W. W. Greener, at rabbits ferreted
in small coverts and hedge banks, and can therefore answer

282

The Breech-Loader ,

some of the inquiries as to the effect of such guns for that
kind of shooting. My gun weighs 7 lbs., is 28 in. long in
the barrels, is light at the muzzle and heavy at the breech,
and is an exceedingly handy one, with which I can get
quickly on my quarry. I was desirous of finding a charge
that, with No. 5 shot, would give a pattern of about 130 in a
30 in. circle at 40 yards, and found that with 3! drs. of No. 4
powder, a fin. felt wad on powder, ioz. of No. 5 chilled
shot, and card on shot, I could obtain a steady average of
130 pellets at such circles at 37 yards (the extent of my
target range), the pellets being very evenly distributed over
the whole circle, and with great force. This charge I have
been using at rabbits with marvellous effect. It paralyses
them so completely on hitting that they are utterly unable
to move. The penetration is so good that the pellets pass
clean through the rabbit when hit sideways, and when hit
going straight away the penetration is proportionally deep,
and they are rolled over at once. Not one that has been
hit has escaped, and there has not been an instance of one
being cut into ribbons, and afterwards creeping into a hole.
The effect was the same at about 45 yards. An ordinary
gun, with a charge of i^oz. of No. 6 shot and 34 drs. of
powder, puts into a similar circle from 130 to 140 pellets, but
with far less penetration than the first-mentioned charge
from the choke-bore, consequently the killing powers of the
choke-bore are much greater. The rabbits that were shot at
moderate distances were not spoilt, and those shot at very
close quarters were not more so than would have been the
case had they been shot with ordinary guns. If thicker
shooting is required, the addition of ioz. of similar shot, and
also of a cloth or pink-edged wad on the powder gives a
pattern of about 165. The addition of another ioz. of shot,
making ijoz. of shot, the powder being kept up to 3J drs.
throughout, brings the pattern up to about 180, and with
great penetration, but without any appreciable recoil when
using the gun at game. It is evident, therefore, that by the
use of different sizes and charges of shot these guns can be

And How to Use It.

283

so loaded as to make them available for any description of
shooting, and as I find that I can hit with this gun equally
as well as with my other guns, I feel assured that choke-
bores will become favourites in the hands of those who know
how to use them, and who take care that the bend and
length of stocks are right for them. Such guns will kill in a
far cleaner manner, and score more game. Should thinner
shooting be required, the shot only should be reduced, as
reduction of the powder reduces the penetration, and tends
to keep the shot more clustered, and makes the pattern less
regular. Should less penetration be required, it is preferable
to use smaller sizes of shot and lesser charges of them than
to reduce the full charge of powder, as a full charge of the
latter spreads the shot more, and makes the pattern far
more even, thereby increasing the chances of hitting.

W. F. B.

Sir, — I have taken a very lively interest in all that has
been written in The Field for the last twelve months as to
your system of choke-bore guns. I say your system, because
the whole merit is due to you as the first to bring it out and
to demonstrate its superiority, and in doing so you have had
to contend with a vast amount of prejudice. I think choke-
bore is the very thing wanted for duck and wild-fowl shoot-
ing, and as an old sportsman I am free to confess I don’t
feel properly equipped, or at all happy, until I get one of
your most approved make. If you will kindly give me a
line informing me when you will be at your place of business
in London, I would come up town for an interview. — Yours,
Colchester. J- C.

Sir, — I received the gun back safely, also your book on
choke-bore guns, with which I am much pleased. It con-
tains some very useful information, and is first-class as a

284

The Breech-Loader ,

reference. Since my letter in The Field , two years since,
where I said I had never killed single birds at 100 yards, I
beg to state that since then I have done it, not only the
herons I mentioned in my last, but ducks, oyster-catchers,
and golden plover, have fallen to the hard hitting and close
shooting of the io-bore. The gun has not deteriorated in
ts shooting, as the left barrel still puts three-quarters of the
charge in a 30-inch circle, at 40 yards. I quite agree with
you, the chilled shot has much better penetration than the
soft, and kills better. C. Metcalf.

Kingston Villa, New Parks, Scarborough.

[Second Letter.]

Sir, — W hen I was over at Scarborough a few weeks
since I shot seven herons, four of which I killed at extra-
ordinary distances with No. 4 shot. They were as follows :
80 yards, 95 yards, no yards, and 130 yards ; the last bird
I fired at was at an angle of 50 degrees, and fell directly it
was struck, falling head first, and as the day was fine and
no wind, the distance I was off could not be over-estimated,
as from where I stood to the dead bird it measured a trifle
over 100 yards. I may mention that I fired at it out of spite,
it having seen me and would not come nearer.

Sir, — I received the gun all safe, and must tender you
my thanks for fulfilling my order to my entire satisfaction,
both as to finish and shooting qualities of the gun ; and my
friends to whom I have shown it claim that it is the prettiest
gun they have yet seen. G. W. P.

Mobile.

And How to Use It. 285

Extracts from The Field.

Sir, — I have often read inquiries in your columns about
choke-bore guns. I purchased a 12-bore last September
direct from Greener, and must say that I have killed a few
most extraordinary shots — viz., a wood pigeon (single bird)
at least 100 yards distant ; several partridges at or over
80 yards ; one rabbit running, broadside on, distance
measured 81 yards. I put five No. 6 shots into her, two of
them passing clean through. Another most extraordinary
shot : — I fired at a single mallard rising from the Thames,
wounding the bird sufficiently for my companion to walk up
to it and kill it afterwards. This distance was judged by
three friends with me to be at least 150 yards. No. 4 shot
used. I am prepared to prove all these statements, if re-
quired, by independent witnesses. I have since purchased a
second gun for a friend, and that turns out equally good.

William Box.

Uffington, Faringdon, Berks, Jan. 12.

Sir, — H aving purchased one of Greener’s No. 12 choke-
bores this season, I beg to give you the following as my ex-
perience of it. I consider it kills on an average at least
20 yards further than a non-choke bore, and if large shot is
used will kill at great distances. I myself killed a heron
sitting at 100 yards, and on skinning the bird found he was
hit in five places. I have also tried it on wild-fowl with good
success at distances at which an ordinary gun would not
have been of any service. I have made good bags on snipe
and other game during the last month without smashing the
birds.

Leamington, Jan. 10.

286 The Breech-Loader ,

You will be pleased to read the following : — I was out on
the Monday following Christmas-day with a shooting-party
in the bush, and had with me one of your noted PATENT
Treble Wedge-Fast guns that I purchased from you,
when I did good work with it. I killed at 90 yards a fine
bush buck ram, weighing about 150 lbs. ; hit him on the
heart side ; had a charge of buck shot A.A.A. ; and a friend
of mine killed a wild duck, with one I sold him, flying, at
over 90 yards.

W. Thompson.

Port Elizabeth.

Sir, - I can only say that the io-bore gun I got of you is
the best I ever shot with, and I have tried some scores. I
have read the late accounts in The Field , and am surprised
that men do not try for themselves. I certainly, as you are
aware, did not credit your first statement. I have tried the
gun I think now under every circumstance, as regards differ-
ent sizes of shot, and find it shoots all well and evenly, except
during a gale of wind. My latest trial was with No. 1,
42 drams 1^ oz. ; it put the whole charge into a 2ft. ioin.
circle at 50 yards. The size of shot seems to make no differ-
ence as regards diameter of pattern. I have tried at hares
with No. 4, and have killed them dead at 60 yards, going
away, which is sufficient for me. I shot three golden plover,
consecutive shots, at 65, 75, and 81 yards, dead. I have
purposely tried it at gulls and ducks, which I consider pretty
tough ; it is a certainty at 50 yards with No. 4. I have shot
two out of three snipe with No. 6 at 50 yards. In fact I
consider your gun 20 yards better than any gun I ever tried
before.

J. D.

And How to Use It.

287

Sir, — The gun arrived safe, and I have spent a few days
at plover shooting, and find that the gun shoots first class.
I killed with one barrel at 45 yards twenty plover, I also
killed a single plover at 63 yards, and two out of three that
were flying at 80 yards. I killed three out of a flock of
about 150 plover at 101 yards. The gun suits me in every
way. I enclose you the account of the first pigeon match I
shot with it ; you will see that I made the best shooting,
killing my birds cleaner than any one.

W. M.

London, Ont.

[Second Letter.]

Sir, — The gun shoots better and better every day. I
won the champion cup of London the other day at 26 yards
rise ; killed seventeen out of twenty, and two out of bounds.
Won it by four birds.

I shot in Toronto the other day against a 10-gauge gun
at thirty-one birds, to see which gun killed the best. The
10-gauge killed twenty-six, I killed thirty ; the other fell
dead out of bounds. I have shot nine matches and won
every one with it. No money would induce me to part with
it. W. M.

London, Ont.

Extract from the American Field, January gth, 1892.

Fulford made extra good kills on his thirteenth (a very
strong driver from No. 3 trap), his fifty-fourth, and several
others ; F ulford’s first, twenty-first, fifty-seventh, and sixtieth

288 The Breech-Loader.

were birds that on a regulation boundary would have been
lost birds.

The bounds for this match, although not quite what one
man remarked, were all out of doors. I think in some
directions the distance must have been over ioo yards.

Extract from Letter received February i $th, 1889.

In 1870 my father bought two io-bore W. W. Greener
guns, one of them has been in use continually ever since in
the hands of my uncle in Dakota, and he writes me that
the gun is as sound as when purchased nineteen years ago,
the only breakage that ever occurred being the lever spring.
He has killed upwards of 200 deer, and, to use his own ex-
pression, “ over a steamboat load of wild fowl,” with it. The
gun has been re-stocked, and is apparently good for fifteen
years to come. Your bolted extension rib, however, is in-
comparable, and I would purchase your gun for this feature
alone. H. M. D.

The Standard Work upon Firearms.

The Gon and its Development.

With Notes on Shooting.

Fifth Edition.

Revised and Brought Down to Date,
with many Additions, containing
some 550 Illustrations, 750 Pages.

Price 10 / 6 .

T HE GUN AND ITS DEVELOPMENT” contains a full
history of Early Firearms, and traces the evolution of
the Modern Military Rifle and Sporting Shot Gun. No point
of interest is left unnoticed, and the work has been thoroughly
revised, added to, and brought down to date by varied
additions.

A few Opinions of the Press.

“ Written with creditable fairness.” — The Times.

“ We can cordially recommend the book to our readers.” — The Field.
“An elaborate and comprehensive treatise.” — Turf \ Field, and
Farm ( New York).

“Artistic in character, and full of entertainment.” — Illustrated London
News.

“A comprehensive encyclopaedia. . . . An invaluable book of

references, which will take its place unchallenged at the head of the litera-
ture of firearms.” — Forest and Stream (New York).

“The handsome volume is a perfect storehouse of knowledge in
reference to shooting and the implements of the shooter.” — The Sportsman.
“ Most interesting and instructive.” — United Service Magazine.

The FIFTH EDITION now ready at all Bookstalls, or will be sent
post free by the Author on receipt of price, 10/6.

W. W. GREBNEE,

08, HA Y MARKET, EONDON, 8.W.; and

PRIZE WORKS, ST. MARY’S SQUARE, BIRMINGHAM.

Modem Shot Guns.

A Tre atise on Modern Gunnery.

W. W. GREENER.

Second Edition,

200 pp. and many Illustrations,
Price 5j-

THE BO OK FOR SP ORTSMEN.

T HE two hundred pages of this pocket encyclopaedia of
the Shot Gun contain the information which sportsmen
seek, and which is indispensable to everyone who wishes to
buy a gun to the best advantage, to keep it in perfect condition,
or repair accidental breakages.

“Modern Shot Guns” is a wonderfully comprehensive
work, dealing with the Shot Gun in all its branches. It is
divided into Three Parts — the First treating of the Gun
historically, descriptively, analytically, technically, specifically,
critically, and practically ; the Second of Ammunition and
Accessories ; the Third Part of Trap Shooting. Of incal-
culable value to the Sportsman.

The book is profusely illustrated in the highest style of art,
and altogether a work which no lover of the Gun should be
without, it being both instructively and interestingly written.

May be had of the Publishers (Cassell & Company), of all
Booksellers, or of

W. W. GREENER,

68, HAYMABKET, LONDON, S.W. ; and
ST. MARY’S SQUARE, BIRMINGHAM.

The Latest Great Win to
the Greener Gun.

“ Kansas City, Mo.,

“W. W. Greener, Esq., 11 August 2, 1892.

“St. Mary’s Square, Birmingham, England.

“ My Dear Sir, — I enclose herewith several newspaper
clippings giving a correct account of my record in recent con-
tests for the American Field Championship Cup, as well as the
local championship trophy. The latter shoot took place on
Thursday, the 28th ult., it being necessary for me to score
35 straight kills in order to win.

“ In the contest with Mr. James A. Bolen for the American
Field Cup my score was 49 out of 50. In the ten shoots for
this trophy at 500 birds I have killed 479, or an average of
47 -9 out of 50. These scores, I think you will agree, have
never been equalled in this country. In all of the events
I have used the GREENER GUN.

“Yours truly,

“J. A. R. ELLIOTT.”

Scores made for the American Field Champion
Wing-Shot Cup

J. A. R. Elliott

George C. Beck ...

... 43

J. A. R. Elliott

Sam Gray, Jun.

... 45

J. A. R. Elliott

. 48

James E. Haggerty

... 47

J. A. R. Elliott

W. B. Crosby

... 39

J. A. R. Elliott

. 48

James E. Haggerty

... 45

J. A. R. Elliott

. 49

C. W. Budd

... 46

J. A. R. Elliott

. 50

W. B. Crosby

... 48

J. A. R. Elliott

. 47

A. W. Wiley

... 43

J. A. R. Elliott

. 46

E. D. Fulford

10.

J. A. R. Elliott

. 49

James A. Bolen

... 40

The Cup has now

become

the property of Mr.

Elliott,

he having successfully held it for two years against all comers
winning it ten times in succession.

Prices of

W. W. GREENER'S

BREECH-LOADING GUNS,

WITH ALL THE LATEST IMPROVEMENTS.

HAMMER GUNS.

No. 203. A Top-lever Gun, with either Bar or Back action,
Laminated or “ Siemans ” Steel Barrels

No. 108. Greener’s “ Forester ” Gun, Treble- wedge- fast
Cross-bolt, Rebounding locks, Front action,
Engine-turned rib, neatly finished, and
slightly engraved

No, 107. Greener’s “ Far-killer ”

No. 106. Superior make and finish ...

Better qualities, 25, 30, 35, 40, and 45 guineas.
No. 100. Royal Quality

10 o

13 13 o
16 16 o
21 o o

57 15 o

SINGLE BARRELLED GUNS

From 5 to 10 guineas.

HAMMER DUCK GUNS.

Single Barrel 8-bore Duck Guns from 15 guineas.

33 3 ) 4'fiCU*- 33 31 33 20 ,,

Double ,, 8-bore ,, ., ,, 20 ,,

3 3 3 3 4 " fi° re 33 3 3 33 3*- 1 3 3

HAMMERLESS DUCK GUNS.

Single Barrel 8-bores from 25 guineas.

,, ,, 4-bores „ 30 „

Double ,, 8-bores ,, 30 ,,

tt )t 4"fiou-S 4® 33

[ iii ]

GREENER’S HAMMERLESS GUNS.

The “ Facile Princeps ” lock mechanism, the celebrated Treble-wedge-
fast Breech Mechanism, patent side Safety Bolt, with which these guns are
fitted, have given every satisfaction in all parts of the world.

No. 28. A plainly-finished, well-made, Hammerless Gun

without engraving ... ... ... ... £16 16 O

No. 27. Better quality, neatly finished and engraved ... 21 o O

No. 26. With Greener’s “ Sterling Steel ” or English Lami-
nated Steel Barrels ... ... ... ... 26 5 o

This Type of Gun, 12-bore, can be made, with 27-inch barrels,
as light as 5| lbs.

Better qualities, 30, 35, 40, and 45 guineas.

Royal Quality, £57 15s.

W. W. GREENER’S SELF-ACTING
EJECTOR GUNS.

No. 5. The highest development of the Sporting Shot Gun,

neatly engraved, and well finished ... ... ^36 15 o

Better qualities, 40, 45, and 50 guineas.

No. 1. Royal Quality, being the very best, both as to
material and workmanship ; the Barrels,

Greener’s “ Sterling Steel,” best Laminated
Steel, or finest English Damascus ; and the Gun
most tastefully finished and artistically engraved
with sporting scenes or fine scroll design ... 63 o o

Repairs should be sent direct to the factory at Birmingham, when a
quotation {net and for cash) will be given.

W. w. GREENER’S RIFLES.

Double Express Rifles with hammers '400, '450,

or • 500-bore ... ... ... ••• from £17 17 0

■577-bore 2 guineas extra on all grades.

Hammerless Express Rifles from 30 to 60 guineas.

Elephant Rifles, 4 and 8-bore, from 40 guineas.

T 2

GREENER’S MARTINI SINGLE EXPRESS
AND LONG-RANGE RIFLES.

Prices for Express Rifles ‘360, '400, '450, - 5oo-bore, fitted with Martini
action, from 6 to 10 guineas.

■577 Express, 8 to 10 guineas.

Rook Rifles with Martini action, 4, 5, and 6 guineas, with top lever and
side lock, superior quality, 8 to 10 guineas.

Volunteer, Match, and other Long-Range Rifles, 5, 6, and 7 guineas.

All kinds of Volunteer Requisites and Shooting Accessories supplied.

The New Regulation '303 Magazine Rifle, identical with those in use by
her Majesty’s forces, 10 and 12 guineas.

•303, fitted with the Martini action, 8 and 10 guineas.

REVOLVERS.

Greener’s Bull - Dog Revolver, ’320, ‘360, ‘380, and

•450-bores ... ... ... ... ... each £ 2 2 O

Cheaper qualities, 30s., 21s., and 12s. 6d.

Very superior self-acting Army Revolver, same as supplied to

the British Government ... ... ... ... £6 6 O

CARTRIDGES FOR SHOT GUNS.

All W. W. Greener’s Cartridges are loaded in one way with perfected
machinery, whilst the pellets of the charge are counted in. The same
exactitude is observed in choosing and fitting the wadding, etc. The prices
are the lowest possible for the best quality cases and material, and careful
loading.

PRICES OF LOADED CARTRIDGES.

The “ Smokeless Cartridges,” 12-bore, per 100.

“ Sporting Life" Cases, “Schultze,” “E.C.,” or “S.S.,” 42 grs. and
igoz., ios. 6d. cash, or ns. 6d. booked.

Or in red or buff Cases, “Schultze,” “E.C.,” or “S.S.,” 45 or 47 grs.,
and oz., ns. cash, or 12s. booked.

Ditto, 47 grs. and i£ oz., ns. 6d. cash, or 12s. 6d. booked.

The “Prize” Cartridges, 12-bore, per 100.

Green or blue paper Cases, 3 drams and 1 1 oz., 9s. 6d. cash, or ios. 6d. booked.

3^ drams and 1^ oz., ios. cash, or ns. booked.
3i drams and i| oz., ns. cash, or 12s. booked.

“ Perfect,” “Perfectly Gas-tight,” “Grouse,” or other fancy Cartridge
Cases, 6d. per 100 more ; 2|-in. Cases, 6d., and 3-in. Cases, is. per 100
extra.

The “ London Club" Cartridge . — In Eley’s Green Cases, with special
large Caps, for best Black Powder and Soft Shot, at 9s per 100 for
12-gauge. For “Schultze” or “ E.C. ” powders, in Eley’s Special
Cases, at ios. per 100 for 12-gauge.

IV. IV. Greener's “ Gamekeeper' s " Cartridges . — Loaded in Eley’s Brown
Cases, with superior Black Powder, four wads, and Walker Parker
shot, accurately loaded and thoroughly reliable, 6s. 9d. per IOO.

Small Bores . — From the above prices deduct 6d. per 100 for 16-bores
and is. per 100 for 20-bores, with usual charges ; other sizes and loads
at special prices.

The above prices are for delivery at 68, Hay market , London, S. W., or
at the Works, St. Mary's Square, Birmingham. No Railway Carriage or
Packing Cases are included in these prices.

Strong Packing Boxes, to hold 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, or 1,000 Cart-
ridges, 3d., 6d., 9d., is., is. 3d., or 2s. 6d.

Delivery, Cart iage forward or paid, to any Railway Station at home or
abroad, by arrangement.

Empty Cartridge Cases . — Ordinary Best quality, Blue, Red, Green, and
“ Sporting Life" Cases, or Eley’s, Joyce’s, or Kynoch’s, at 40s. per
1,000. Fancy Paper Cases and “ Perfects ” from 42s. 6d. per 1,000.
“E. B.” Brown Cases, 30s. per i,ooo. 20-bores, is. per 1,000 less.

Gunpozuder, Shot, and Wadding . — Very best Black Gunpowder, No. 4
Alliance, retail at 2s. per lb.; “Gamekeepers’” Powder, is. 6d. per
lb. ; Genuine Newcastle Chilled Shot, 8s. per 28 lbs.
“Schultze,” “E.C.,” and “ S.S.” at 8s. per lb. Felt Wadding,
3s. to 5s. per lb. ; Pink-edged ditto, 5s. per 1, 000. Waterproof and
Card ditto, is. and is. 6d. per 1,000.

TERMS. — On no account will the Cash ivith Or dev Trices be allowed
unless the Cash accompanies the order ; otherwise the Quarterly
Hooked Trices will be charged.

INANIMATE TARGETS FOR MATCHES
AND PRACTICE.

The “ Blue Rock ” Target is the best imitation of the living bird.

THE “BLUE ROCK” TARGET TRAP.

Net Cash Only.

The Standard “ Blue Rock ” or other First-quality Trap ... £ 2 2 o

,, “ Blue Rock ” or other First-quality Targets per 100 084

,, Cord for Trap ... ... ... ... ... q i o

No allozvance made for breakages in transport .

These Traps and Birds are obtainable only of W. W. Greener, at
any of his addresses.

[ vii ]

W. W. GREENER’S GLASS-BALL TRAPS.

THE “ CARVER.”

Fixed or Stationary Trap. Very strong and easily adjusted.

Price for single ball ... ... ... i o

To throw two balls extra 050

Throws the ball any direction but towards the shooter. Can be used as a

Stationary Trap if desired.

Price for single ... £2 2 o

If to throw two balls ... 270

Pigeon Traps, best quality, as used at the Gun Club, £2 2s. each.

W. W. GREENER,
ARMS MANUFACTURER,

Contractor to the British and Foreign Governments.

AIR CANES

AND

WALKING-STICK GUNS.

Bent Air Canes,

With Rifle and Shot Barrels, to use from the
Shoulder. Complete with Pump and Key,
Price 55s., 60s., 80s., and 98s.

If Breechloading, 8s. extra.

The

Improved Central-
lire Walking-Stick
Gun,

For the 410 Cartridge,
with Movable Butt
and Safety Bolt.

Price 50s.

^vwvwwwwv

W. W. GREENER,

68, Haymarket, London, S.W.
Works— St. Mary’s Square, Birmingham,

THE <@> COMPANY’S
“SMOKELESS SPORTING POWDERS.”

TWO SILVER MEDALS.

Highest Award for Gunpowder.

PIGEON SHOOTING AT THE GUN CLUB, & c., 1891 AND 1892.

A RECORD FOR “ E.C." POWDER.

Three Members’ Challenge Cups won outright within a year with
“ E.C.” POWDER in both barrels, clearly demonstrating the regularity
and penetration of this well-known Powder.

WINTER SHOOTING, 1891-2.

Forty Prizes were won with “E.C.” POWDER in both barrels, as
against seven only with any other powder alone.

SUMMER SEASON, 1892.

At HURLINGHAM and the GUN CLUB 114 winners used “E.C.”
POWDER in both barrels, the highest number of winners using any other
powder alone being sixty-seven.

INTERNATIONAL WEEKS.-LONDON, 1889, 1890, 1891,

AND 1892.

The highest percentages of kills by the use of any one powder alone
were obtained by gentlemen using “ E.C.” POWDER in both barrels.
During the INTERNATIONAL WEEK, 1891, prizes were won with
“E.C.” POWDER alone amounting to nearly three times the value of
those won with all other powders combined.

The 33 and 32 Yards Sweepstakes, the longest distance sweepstakes
shot for at the Gun Club in 1890 and 1891 , and the Champion Stakes,
1892 , were all won by gentlemen using “E.C.” POWDER in both barrels.

N.B.— The “ E.C.” POWDER, as at present manufactured, is by far the MOST
RELIABLE SMOKELESS POWDEB, being bard in grain, free from dust, and.
regular in combustion. Pattern and penetration better and more regular tban those
of any other sporting Powder.

The public are cautioned against inferior and cheap imitations,

SOLD WHOLESALE BY

PIGOU, WILKS, & LAURENCE, Limited,

11 , Queen Victoria Street , London, E.C.

Sole Mercantile Agents for Great Britain and the Colonies.

THE NEWCASTLE CHILLED SHOT COMPANY, LIMITED.

SOLE MAKERS OF NEWCASTLE

“CHILLED SHOT.”

. 'Beware of Imitations.

TRADE

£ Mk v»

CHILLEDSHOT

MARK.

Special attention is called to the Trade JHarJc, as imitations of
the Company’s manufacture are being offered
and sold as Chilled Shot.

NEWCASTLE CHILLED SHOT has no equal
for hardness, rotundity, uniformity in shape, and even-
ness in size.

This Shot is now being used by all the leading
English and Continental Pigeon Shooters. It gives
greater penetration, superior pattern at long ranges, and
keeps its shape better than any other kind of Shot. See
records of the London Gun Trials of 1875, 1877, 1878,
1879, as to its superiority.

Manufactured by improved machinery, it is without
equal for use in Choke-bores or Cylinders, and has no
deleterious effect upon the Gun Barrels.

The Company are the SOLE MANUFACTURERS of CHILLED
SHOT, which is composed of lead only, and free from
any poison.

Offices and Works :

GATESHEAD-ON-TYNE, ENGLAND.

PERFECTED AMMUNITION

FOR THE

MODERN BREECH-LOADER ,

MANUFACTURED BY

KYNOCH, BIRMINGHAM.

Thoroughly Damp-proof and Gas-tight.
Turns down like a Paper Case.

Ejects Easily.

Has No Iron Lining.
Can be Reloaded,

Gives Regular and Strong Shooting.

Epoch’s Patent “Perfectly Gas-Tight” Case,

Construction similar to that of the “Grouse,” but the solid-drawn
tube under the head is shorter, leaving more paper exposed.

Blue and Brown Cases of Unequalled Quality.

LOADING A SPECIALITY.

Express, Rook Rifle, and Revolver Cartridges.

G. KYNOCH & COMPANY, L TD

WITTON, BIRMINGHAM.

S. ALLCOCK & Co.,

STANDARD WORKS , REDDITCII.

MA1TUFAOTURBRS OF

FISH HOOKS, FISHING RODS, LINES,
REELS, and FISHING TACKLE
of every description.

HIGHEST AWARDS at Fifteen
International Exhibitions .

(WHOLESALE ONLY.)

BRANCH HOUSES; Toronto, Canada.

GUT FACTORY : Murcia, Spain.

LONDON OFFICE : 60, Queen Victoria Street,

PARIS: E. Foucault, 77, Rue Rambuteau.

VIENNA: Otto Noot, III. Heumarkt.

NEW YORK: The U.S. Net and Twine Company,
219, Fulton Street.

MELBOURNE REPRESENTATIVE: Mr. J. D.

WRAGG, Olderfleet Chambers, Collins Street.

SCHULTZE GUNPOWDER

(SMOKELESS).

IMPROVED WATERPROOFED.

Manufactured at the Works of

The SCHULTZE GUNPOWDER COMPANY,

LIMITED,

EYEWORTH LODGE,

HAMPSHIRE.

All the principal events of late years :

The GRAND PRIX DU CASINO, Monte Carlo, 1886, 1887, 1888, 1889, 1891, 1892
The TRIENNIAL CHAMPIONSHIP, Monte Carlo, 1889 and 1892.

The HURLINGHAM CUP, 1886 , 1887, 1888, 1889, 1890, 1891.

The GUN CLUB INTERNATIONAL CUP, 1886, 1887, 1888, 1889, 1892.

The GUN CLUB CHALLENGE CUP, 1892, 11 out of 13 competitions.

AGENTS:

United States. — Von Lengerke & Det-
mold, 8, Murray Street, New York.
Canada. — H. S. Howland, Sons & Co.,
Toronto.

India. — Manton & Co., 13, Old Court
House Street, Calcutta.

Treacher & Co., Limited, Bombay.
Oakes & Co., Exchange Hall, Madras.

Italy. — Luigi Colombo, 23, Piazza
Nuova, Genoa.

New South Wales.— McLean Bros.

& Rigg, Limited, Sydney.
Victoria.— H. Abrahams & Co., Eliza-
beth Street, Melbourne.

Ireland. — Cambridge & Co., Carrick-
fergus.

To be had Retail and in Cartridges from all respectable Dealers, and by
Traders Wholesale at the Offices of

The SCHULTZE GUNPOWDER COMPANY, Ltd.,

32, GRESHAM STREET, LONDON, E.O.

CAUTION, — “ Schultze” is the oldest , best known ,
and most reliable Smokeless Powder , and the Public
is cautioned against inferior and imitation powders.

ELEY'S

Breechloading Cartridges.

Cartridge Cases and Cartridges must be kept
in a Dry place.

A s Cartridge Cases of an inferior make are frequently sold
as ours , please note that all Cases manufactured by us have
“ Eley ” printed on either the Metal Base or Paper Tubes , and
our Labels on the Packages.

AMMUNITION

FOR

Sporting, Express, and Military Rifles

OF ALL KINDS, AND ALSO FOR

EVERY DESCRIPTION OF REVOLVER.

To be had of all Gun Makers.

ELEY BROTHERS, Limited,

LONDON, BIRMINGHAM, & LlldGE.

WHOLESALE ONLY.

Digou, Wilks, & Laurence,

X LIMITED.

Head Office - 11, Queen Victoria Street, London, E.C.
Mills - - Dartford, Kent.

CONTRACTORS TO

H.M. Navy and War Office, the Colonial
and principal Foreign Governments.

Manufacturers of Every Description of

MILITARY, SPORTING, AND
MINING POWDERS.

SOLE MAKERS OF

The “Alliance” Prize Sporting Powder,

which, at the last “Field” Trials, con-
ducted under the management of the
Editor of “ The Field,” attained the
Highest Average Figure of Merit in
competition with all other leading brands
of Sporting Powder.

“Forest and Stream.

The Leading American Journal of Shooting ,
Fishing , Yachting , Canoeing , Camp
Life , # 72 ^ Travel.

Y OU may go fishing and catch no fish, or shooting and
get no game, but you cannot buy a copy of “ Forest
and Stream ” without finding it brimful of capital
sketches of shooting and fishing, and papers on natural history
and sportsman’s travel and experiences, and discussions of
yachting and canoeing.

Established in 1873, the “Forest and Stream” has
exerted an important influence in the development of outdoor
sports in the United States. The popularity of these sports
has increased at a marvellous rate during the last decade, and
promises to attain greater proportions in the immediate future.
With this development the “ Forest and Stream ” has kept
equal pace in worth, influence, and circulation. It is to-day,
as in the past, recognised as the representative exponent of
the American sportsman’s interest.

Every number is handsomely illustrated with sketches of
camp life, fish and game, yacht and canoe races, and portraits
of dogs.

Send for particulars of the “ Forest and Stream ”
Amateur Photography Competition, open to the
world.

“ FOREST AND STREAM ” PUBLISHING CO.,

318, Broadway, New York , TJ.S.A.

Books on American Sport and Travel.

We publish an extensive list of the Best Works
on American Fish and Game , Sport , Field \ Adventure ,
and Travel. Among others are :

Samuels— With Fly-Rod and Camera $5 00

Nessm UK— Woodcraft 1 00

Seneca— 611 Hints and Points for Sportsmen ... 1 50
WEEKS— Log Cabins: How to Build and Furnish Them ... 1 50

Bogardus— F ield, Cover, and Trap Shooting 2 00

Hammond— P ractical DogTraining) or, Training vs. Breaking 1 00

Mercer— The Spaniel and its Training 1 00

Stephens— Canoe and Boat Building for Amateurs ... 2 00
KUNHARDT— Small Yachts: Their Design and Construction... 10 00

We also supply every Book published in these
fields ; among them —

Greener’s

‘‘Modern Shot Guns”

AND

“ The Gun and its Development.”

Send for our Free Illustrated Catalogue.

FOREST AND STREAM PUBLISHING COMPANY,

318 , Uroadway , New York.

LONDON AGENTS; DAVIES & CO.,
No. 1, Finch Lane, Cornhill.

F. GREENER &. Co., Edmund Street, Birmingham.

THE “ GREENER ” LIGHT ROADSTER.

(Weight, with if inch Pneumatics, about 36 lbs.)

Price £18 : O : O nett, Cushion Tyres.

£20 : O : O nett, Pneumatic Tyres.

THE “ GREENER ” MODEL A.

Price ... £17 : 0 : O nett, Cushion Tyres.

THE “GREENER” MODEL B.

Price £14 : O : O nett, Cushion Tyres.

THE “GREENER” MODEL C.

Price £10 : 10 : O nett, Cushion Tyres.

Pneumatic Tyres fitted to the above, price £ 2 extra, nett.

THE “GREENER” CYCLES.

F. GREENER & CO.,

E DM US I) STREET, JilRMIN OH AM, ENGLAND.

THE BREECH-LOAD

AND HOW TO USE IT

W. W. GREENER