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the touch-hole the feather of a partridge's wing, which will not only clear it of these dangerous remains, but, if the piece is delayed to be recharged, will take away all humidity that may be contracted there.

Every sportsman has his own manner of bringing his gun up to his shoulder, and of taking aim; and each follows his own fancy with respect to the stock of his fowling-piece, and its shape. Some like it long, others short; one prefers it straight, another bent. And, although there are some sportsmen who shoot equally well with pieces stocked in different ways and shapes, yet certain principles may be laid down as well upon what is the proper length, as upon the proper bent, that the stock of a gun should have. But in the application such principles are very frequently, nay, most commonly, counteracted, by the whim or the particular convenience of the shooter. Generally speaking, however, it is certain, that for a tall long-armed man the stock of a gun should be longer than for one of a less stature and shorter arm. That a straight stock is proper for him who has high shoulders, and a short neck; for, if it be much bent, it would be very difficult for him, especially in the quick motion required in shooting at a flying or running object, to place the butt of the gunstock firmly to the shoulder; the upper part alone would in general be fixed, which would not only raise the muzzle, and consequently shcot high, but make the recoil more sensibly felt than if the whole end of the stock were firmly placed on the shoulder. Besides, supposing the sportsman to bring the butt home to his shoulder, he would scarcely be able to level his piece at the object. On the contrary, a man with low shoulders, and a long neck, requires a stock much bent: for, if it is straight, he will, in the act of lowering his head to that place of the stock at which his cheek should rest, in taking aim, feel a constraint, which he never experiences, when, by the effect of the proper degree of bent, the stock lends him some assistance, and, as it were, meets his aim half-way. Inde pendently, however, of these principles, the application of which is subject to a variety of modifications, we venture to advise the sportsman in the choice of a fowling-piece, that a long stock is preferable to a short one, and, at the same time, rather more bent than usual; for a long stock sits firmer to the shoulder than a short one, and particularly so when the shooter is accustomed to place his left hand, which principally supports the piece, near to the entrance of the ramrod into the stock. The practice of placing that hand near the bridge of the guard is undoubtedly a bad one: the aim is never so sure, nor has the shooter such a ready command over his piece, as when he places his hand near the entrance of the ramrod, and at the same time strongly grasps the barrel; instead of resting it between his fore-finger and thumb, in conformity with the general custom. It may, therefore, be depended upon, that a stock bent a little more than ordinary is better for shooting true than one too straight, because the latter, in coming up to the aim, is subject to the inconvenience of causing the sportsman to shoot too high.

-We would also advise him to have his fowling-piece a little elevated at the muzzle, and the sight small and flat; for the experienced well know, that it is more usual to shoot low than high. It is, therefore, of service that a piece should shoot a little high, and then, the more flat the sight, the better the line of aim will coincide with the line of fire, and in consequence the gun will be less liable to shoot low.

The method by which to avoid missing a crossshot, whether it be flying or running, is not only to take aim before the object, but likewise not involuntarily to stop the motion of the arms, at the moment of pulling the trigger; for the instant the hand stops in order to fire, although the space of time be almost imperceptible, the object, if a bird, gets beyond the line of aim, and the shot will fly behind it; and if a hare or rabbit be shot at in this manner, whilst running, and especially if at a distance, the animal will only be slightly struck in the buttocks, and will be taken but by hazard. When a bird, however, is flying in a straight line from the shooter, this fault can do no harm; the object can scarcely escape, if the piece be but tolerably well directed, unless, indeed, it is fired at the moment the game springs, and before the birds have taken a horizontal flight. In that case, if the hand stop ever so little at the instant of firing, the sportsman will shoot low, and inevitably miss the mark. It becomes, therefore, extremely essential to accustom the hand, in taking aim, to follow the object, without suspending the motion in the least degree, which is a capital point towards acquiring the art of shooting well: the contrary habit, which is very difficult to correct, when once contracted, prevents that person from attaining perfection in the art, who, in other respects, may eminently possess quickness of sight and steadiness of aim.

Nor is it less essential in a cross-shot to aim before the object in proportion to its distance, at the time of firing. If a partridge, for instance, fly across at the distance of thirty or five-and-thirty paces, it will be sufficient to take aim at the head, or, at most, but a small space before. The same rule will nearly hold in the cases of shooting quails, woodcocks, pheasants, or wild ducks, although these birds move their wings slower than the partridge. But, if the object be fifty, sixty, or seventy paces distant, it then becomes necessary to aim at least half a foot before the head. same practice should be observed in shooting at a hare or rabbit when running in a cross direction, making due allowance for the distance, and for the swiftness of the pace, which is not always the same. It is also proper, in shooting at an object very distant, to take aim a little above it, because shots, as well as balls, have but a certain range in point blank, beyond which each begins to describe the curve of the parabola.

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When a hare runs in a straight line from the shooter he should take his aim between the ears, otherwise he will run the hazard either of missing, or at least of not killing dead, or, as it is sometimes called, clean.' A true sportsman, who has the ambition of shooting well, is not content with only breaking the wing of a partridge, or the thigh of a hare, when he shoots at a fair distance

for, in such case, the hare or the partridge ought to be shot in such a manner that it should remain in the place where it falls, and not require the assistance of dogs to take it. But if he shoots at a great distance it is no reproach that the partridge is only winged, or the hare wounded, so that it cannot escape.

Practice soon teaches the sportsman the proper distance at which he should shoot. The distance at which he ought infallibly to kill any kind of game with patent shot (No. 3), provided the aim be well taken, is from twenty-five to thirty-five paces for the footed, and from forty to forty-five paces for the winged game. Beyond this distance, even to fifty or fifty-five paces, both partridges and hares are sometimes killed, but, in general, hares are only slightly wounded, and carry away the shot; and partridges, at that distance, present so small a surface, that they frequently escape untouched between the vacant spaces of the circle. Yet it does not follow that a partridge may not be killed with No. 3, patent shot, at sixty, and even seventy paces distance; but then these shots are very rare. Those who know the range of a fowling-piece, and the closeness of its shot, shrug up their shoulders at the romances of sportsmen who, according to their own accounts, daily kill with shot (No. 3) at the distance of ninety and 100 paces. Nay, some even go so far as to assert that they have killed, with this sized shot, hares at 110 paces, and pheasants at 120. It cannot, however, be denied, that with shot No. 5, a man may have killed a hare or a partridge at 110, or possibly at 120 paces; but then these shots are so extraordinary, and occur so seldom, that the whole life of a sportsman will scarcely afford more than two or three instances; and when it does happen it will be found to be by a single pellet, which, by great chance, has hit either the wing or the head of the partridge, or has struck the head of the hare, by which it is stunned, or perhaps has penetrated the small part of the shoulder, where there is, to prevent the wound being mortal, only a very thin skin, which, being stretched by the animal in running, is thereby rendered more easy to be pierced by the shot.

For expertness in finding the game a sportsman must pay attention to the difference of the seasons, and the weather; to the temperature of the air, and even to those hours of the day which are more or less favorable for shooting. In warm weather he should hunt for the game in plains and in open grounds, at the same time bearing in mind that, during the heat of the day, the birds frequent moist places, marshes where there is little water and much high grass, the sides of rivers and brooks, and hills exposed to the north. But, in cold weather, they will most commonly be found on little hills exposed to the south, along hedge-rows, among the heath, in stubbles, and in pastures where there is much furze and fern. In hard frosts they get into thickets, low places, and marshes, where they seek to shelter themselves from the cold, as well as the heat, in different seasons. The greatest part, however, of these rules will only apply when the weather is extremely hot or severely cold, at both of which times the hares and partridges almost to VOL. XX.

tally desert the plains and open grounds. The game is more easily approached, or, in the language of sporting, 'lies better,' in covert than in open places: a double advantage is therefore obtained by hunting for them in the former. He should, at all times of the shooting season, go out in the morning before the dew is off. At that time the shepherds and their flocks, the husbandmen and their teams, have not entirely spread over the fields, and have as yet sprung but a small quantity of game; the scents of the preceding night will also be more warm, and the dogs will hit them off better. Besides, if he be not early, he loses such opportunities of shooting as he will not meet again during the remainder of the day. All these advantages, therefore, greatly counterbalance the notion generally received, that, as the birds will not lie well while the ground is wet, the sportsman should not go out early in the morning, or before the dew is gone off.

The color of the dress which the shooter should wear is worthy of notice. Green is unquestionably the best in the early part of the season, whilst the leaves remain on the trees. For, if he be clad in a glaring color when the face of the country retains its verdure, the game will perceive his approach more easily, and from a greater distance. In winter, for the same reason, his dress should be composed of a dark brown, or some color resembling that of the dead leaf.

It is best to hunt as much as possible against the wind, not only to prevent the game from perceiving the approach of the sportsman and his dog, but also to enable the dog to scent the game at a greater distance. We say as much as possible, because in advancing and returning upon his steps in order to range the ground well, the shooter cannot always keep the advantage of the wind. When, therefore, it is proposed to hunt any particular tract of country in which game is expected to be found, it is indispensably necessary to take the wind, and it behoves the shooter to range and quarter his ground in such manner and direction as to preserve it in his favor.

He should never be discouraged from hunting and ranging the same ground over and over again, especially in places covered with heath, brambles, high grass, or young coppice-wood. A hare or rabbit will frequently suffer him to pass several times within a few yards of its form without getting up. He should be still more patient when he has marked partridges into such places; for it often happens that, after the birds have been sprung many times, they lie so dead that they will suffer him almost to tread upon them before they will rise. Pheasants, quails, and woodcocks do the same. He should always keep a sharp eye, and carefully look about him, never passing a bush or a tuft of grass without examination; but he should never strike either with the muzzle of his gun, for the reasons assigned where we speak of wadding. It is also proper to stop every now and then; for this interruption of motion frequently determines the game to spring, which would otherwise have suffered him to pass. He who patiently beats and ranges his ground over and over again, without being discouraged, will always kill the greatest

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quantity of game; and, if he be shooting in company, he will find game where others have passed without discovering any, As soon as he has fired he should call in his dog, and make him lie down until he has re-loaded his piece; for, without this precaution, he will frequently have the mortification to see the game rise when he is not prepared to shoot.

In shooting in an open country, one of the most essential points to be observed is, to mark the place where the partridges alight; therefore, when he has killed his bird, he should not immediately run to pick it up, or attend to make his dog bring it to him, but he ought to follow the others with his eye until he sees them settle, or as far as his sight can extend, without interruption from a wood or a hedge. In the latter case, although he have not been able to distinguish the exact spot on which they have alighted, yet he may tolerably well guess whereabout they are, especially if acquainted with the country in which he is shooting. And, when two or more sportsmen shoot in company, each should mark the birds which fly on his own side. These general rules will, with equal propriety, apply to all game of course or feather. We might next proceed to the detail of particular directions for hare and rabbit, partridge, pheasant, grouse, woodcock, snipe, and wild fowl shooting; but, as these would draw this article to too great a length, we shall conclude it with a few observations respecting guns, powder, and shot.

To make gun barrels of a fine brown color.As a brown barrel seems to be the most pleasing to a sportsman, the following is a certain and easy method of giving it this hue :-Rub your barrel bright with sand paper, or if bright, scour it with dry brickdust to take off all greasiness, and fit a stick or piece of wood into the muzzle long enough to hold it.by. Bruise roughly about half an ounce of stone-brimstone, and sprinkle it over a gentle fire either of wood, or coal, or charcoal; hold your barrel over the smoke, turning and drawing it backward and forward until it be equally tinged all over; this done, set it in a cellar or damp room till next day, in which time you will find it has thrown out a fine rust, over which you may draw your finger to spread it even, and let it stand another day. If you perceive any parts that have not taken the rust, Scour such parts bright, and repeat the above operation. It is then to be polished with a hard brush (first rubbed with bees'-wax), and afterwards with a dry woollen or rough linen rag, which will make it look of a beautiful brown color. This rubbing must be repeated every day so long as it throws out any roughness. No oil or grease should come on it for some time, as that may bring off the rust in places; but if by neglect it should get so strong a roughness that you cannot get it down with common rubbing, in that case wipe it over with sweet oil, and rub it off gently with a clean linen rag, and the next day you may polish it down with your brush as before directed.

Directions for keeping your guns in order.—If your lock and furniture be bright, the best way to save the trouble, as well as to prevent the damage that may be done by unskilful polishing,

is never to suffer them to rust, which may easily be prevented by frequently rubbing all the bright parts with a small brush, dipped in sweet oil, . which should be well rubbed off with a linen rag: and this should never be neglected both before and after using it. It is needless to take the lock often to pieces: if you take it off and brush it with plenty of oil, and pull up the cock and hammer a few times, the dirt with the oil will work itself out, which is to be wiped off, and a little clean oil put on those parts where there is any friction will answer the purpose.

To wash out the barrel.-Fill it either with cold or warm water, and empty it, and let it stand a few minutes, and the air and moisture will soften the soil left from the firing of the powder, so as to come off the easier. You may use sand with your rag or tow to wash it out, which will remove any of the soil that sticks hard to it without hurting its smoothness. Care must be taken to wipe it very dry, and, if it is to be set by for a time, it will be proper to wipe it out with an oily rag, and to stop the muzzle with the same, otherwise it will be apt to rust.

Of the stock, lock, &c.-The wood which is most commonly employed for the stock, and which appears the best for the purpose, is walnut. It is only necessary, however, to observe, that the grain be even and close, and as free as possible from knots and burs, which, though they may add to the beauty of the stock, seldom fail to take away from its strength, unless they are confined entirely to the butt part. As to the curvature, no particular degree can be assigned as a standard; different persons requiring different degrees, according to the length of their neck, and to the manner in which they hold their head whilst taking aim. This, however, as well as the length of the butt, which depends partly upon the circumstances just mentioned, but chiefly upon the length of the arms, can be determined with great accuracy by the gunsmith from observing the manner in which the shooter presents his piece and takes his aim.

With regard to the locks, we shall only observe that the genius and industry of the English workmen have already brought them to such a degree of elegance and perfection that we have scarcely any thing farther to hope for, or require. The real improvements are not confined to any particular maker; and, though the minutiae peculiar to each may determine the purchaser in his preference, no person need fear much disappointment in the essential qualities of a lock, provided he goes to the price of a good one. It is of much more consequence to the excellence of a lock, that the springs be proportioned to each other, than that they should all be made very strong. A mederate degree of force is sufficient to produce the required effect; and whatever exceeds this proves detrimental, by rendering the trigger difficult to draw, or producing such a stroke as breaks the flints, or throws the piece from the direction in which it was pointed. If the main-spring be very strong, and the hammer-spring weak, the cock is often broken for want of sufficient resistance to its stroke, until it is stopped all at once by the check of the lock-plate. Whilst, on the other hand, if the hammer-spring be stiff, and the main

spring weak, the cock has not sufficient force to drive back the hammer. And, in both cases, the collision between the flint and steel is too slight to produce the necessary fire. The face of the ham mer, also, may be too hard or too soft. The former is known by the frint making scarcely any impression upon it, and the sparks being few and very small. The latter by the flint cutting deep into the hammer at every stroke, whilst the sparks are also few in number, and of a dull-red color. When the strength of the springs, and the temper of the hammer, are in due degree, the sparks are numerous, brilliant, and accompanied with a considerable whizzing noise. To explain these differences, it is necessary to observe that the sparks produced by the collision of flint and steel are particles of the metal driven off in a strongly heated state, and which, falling among the powder, inflame it instantly. By snapping a gun or pistol over a sheet of white paper, we may collect these sparks, and, by submitting them to a microscope, demonstrate the fact. If the sparks be very brilliant, and accompanied with a whizzing noise, we shall find the particles collected on the paper to be little globules of steel, which have not only been melted, but have actually undergone a considerable degree of vitrification from the intensity of the heat excited by the collision, their surface exactly resembling the slag thrown out from an iron foundry. When the face of the hammer is too hard, the particles which the flint strikes off are so small that they are cooled before they fall into the pan; and, when the hammer is too soft, the particles driven off are so large as not to be sufficiently heated to fire the powder. We think the conical form of the touch-hole a real improvement; but do not approve of its widening so much as it does in the patent-breech, as the force of the fuse against the opening into the pan is greatly increased by it. Gold pans are of very little advantage; for, as the iron must be softened before they can be applied, it is very liable to rust, and thus destroy its connexion with the gold; the tin, also, by means of which the gold lining is fixed, is frequently melted by the fire of the fuse being directed upon the bottom of the pan, and the gold thereby detached from its hold this will happen more readily when the touch-hole is placed very low, and when, from its form or width, the fire of the fuse is considerable. A great improvement, however, has lately been made in the manner of putting in the gold pans; they are now dove-tailed in before the lock-plate is hardened, by which means they seldom or never blow out; and it is now found that they will stand better than any other species of pan, provided the lock is eased from the touchhole, or taken off when the barrel is taken out of the stock. Still we are of opinion that the steel pan will be found, with common care in cleaning it, to last as long, and to answer every purpose as well, as when lined with gold.

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Of the choice of gunpowder.—The excellence of this article as to its properties, and the relative condition in which it is at the time of using it, with respect to dryness, dampness, or age, are in themselves circumstances so obviously

important to the sportsman, that we have often been astonished at the almost total neglect which attends this part of the shooting science: but he may henceforward be assured, that, without the utmost circumspection and care herein, his highpriced fowling-piece will but little avail him; mortification and disgust will generally ensue, and the gunsmith too frequently be blamed for the fault which the sportsman alone has created by his own neglect. Gunpowder is composed of very light charcoal, sulphur, and well refined saltpetre. The powder used by sportsmen in shooting game is generally composed of six parts of saltpetre, one of charcoal, and one of sulphur; but these proportions, as well as the introduction of other ingredients, and the sizes of the grains, are undoubtedly varied by the dif ferent manufacturers in the composition of the powders of the same denomination, and are always kept profoundly secret. Powder, however well dried and fabricated it may have been, loses its strength when allowed to become damp. If daily observations on powder put into damp magazines, and carefully preserved in barrels, are not sufficient to establish this fact, the following experiment will render it incontestable :Let a quantity of well-dried powder be nicely weighed, and put into a close room, where the air is temperate, and seemingly dry, and be left for three or four hours; on weighing it again, its weight will be increased. This same powder, exposed to an air loaded with vapor, acquires much additional weight in a short time. Now the increase of the weight being proportional to the quantity of vapor contained in the atmosphere, and to the length of time that the powder is exposed to it; it follows, that powder easily attracts moisture. Wherefore, if a degree of heat sufficient only to fire dry powder be applied to powder that is damp, the moisture will oppose the action of the fire, and the grains either will not take fire at all, or their inflammation will be slower; thus, as the fire will spread more slowly, fewer grains will burn; and the penetration of the fire from the surface to the centre of each grain, and consequently their consumption, will require more time. Whence it may be concluded that all degrees of moisture diminish the force of powder. Saltpetre, not sufficiently refined, attracts moisture very readily; and as the substances that render it impure lessen the quantity of fluid, and prevent its detonation, it should be refined as much as possible before it is employed in the fabrication of gunpowder. The force of powder is owing to an elastic fluid generated at the explosion, the suddenness of which depends upon the proportion of the ingredients, the contact between the nitrous and combustible particles, and the size of the grains, &c. Hence it may be concluded that when several powders, equally well dried, and fired under the same state of the atmosphere, are compared together, that which produces the greatest quantity of the elastic fluid, in a given space of time, is the strongest. There are two general methods of examining gunpowder; one with regard to the purity of its composition, the other with regard to its strength. Its purity is known by laying two or three little heaps near each other upon

white paper, and firing one of them. For if this takes fire readily, and the smoke rises upright, without leaving any dross or feculant matter behind, and without burning the paper, or firing the other heaps, it is esteemed a sign that the sulphur and nitre were well purified, that the coal was good, and that the three ingredients were thoroughly incorporated together, but, if the other heaps also take fire at the same time, it is presumed that either common salt was mixed with the nitre, or that the coal was not well ground, or the whole mass not well beat and mixed together; and, if either the nitre or sulphur be not well purified, the paper will be black or spotted. For proving the strength of gunpowder, a number of machines have been invented, all of which are liable to many objections, and, upon trial with the same powder, are found to give results so different that no dependence can be placed in them; to so many modifications are the principal properties of powder subject, even in experiments conducted with the utmost care. These variations have been attributed, by many, to the different density of the atmosphere at the time of the different experiments; but the opinions upon this matter are so improbable in themselves, and so contradictory to each other, that they claim neither attention nor belief. Thus, some will have it that gunpowder produces the greatest effect in the morning and evening, when the air is cool and dense; whilst others assert that its force is greatest in sunshine, and during the heat of the day. Mr. Robins concludes from the result of several hundred trials, made by him at all times of the day, and in every season of the year, that the density of the atmosphere has no effect in this matter, and that we ought to attribute the variations observed at these times to some other cause than the state of the air: probably they are owing to the imperfection of the instrument, or to the manner in which the trial was conducted. In this state of uncertainty, then, upon the theory of the effects of gunpowder, we remain at this day.

If experiments, however, are made with the prover, great care must be taken not to press the powder in the smallest degree into the tube, but to pour it gently in; and particularly in trying the strength of different powders, which is the best use to which the instrument, imperfect as it is, can be applied, attention must be paid that one powder is not pressed closer than another at each experiment, nor the successive experiments made until the prover is cool, otherwise no comparative certainty can be gained. By far the most certain method, however, of determining the quality of powder, is by drying some of it very well, and then trying how many sheets of paper it will drive the shot through, at the distance of ten or twelve yards. In this trial we should be careful to employ the same sized shot in each experiment, the quantity both of the shot and the powder being regulated by exact weight; otherwise we cannot, even in this experiment, arrive to any certainty in comparing the strength of different powders, or of the same powder at different times. Powder ought to be kept very dry; every degree of moisture injures it. Good powder, however, does not readily imbibe mois

ture; and, perhaps, there is no greater proof of the bad quality of powder than its growing damp quickly when exposed to the air: this readiness to become moist depends upon the saltpetre employed in the composition not having been freed from the common salt it contains in its crude state, and which, in consequence, has a strong attraction for watery particles. Powder may acquire a small degree of dampness, and be freed from it again by drying, without much injury to its quality. But, if the moisture be considerable, the saltpetre is dissolved, and the intimate mixture of the ingredients thereby entirely destroyed. Drying powder with too great a heat also injures it; for there is a degree of heat, which, although not sufficient to fire the powder, will yet dissipate the sulphur, and impair the composition by destroying the texture of the grains. The heat of the sun is, perhaps, the greatest it can with safety be exposed to, and, if properly managed, is sufficient for the purpose: when this cannot be had, the heat of a fire, regulated to the same degree, may be employed; and for this end a heated pewter plate is perhaps as good as any thing, because pewter retains so moderate a heat that there can be little danger of spoiling the powder by producing the consequences beforementioned.

It is observable that damp powder produces a remarkable foulness in the fowling-piece after firing, much beyond what arises from an equal quantity of dry powder; and this seems to arise from the diminution of the activity of the fire in the explosion. Unless the sportsman is very particular indeed in the mode of keeping his powder, we would recommend him always to air it and his flask, before he takes the field. Flasks made of copper or tin are much better for keeping powder in than those made of leather, or than small casks: the necks of these should be small, and well stopped with cork. After this dissertation on gunpowder, it will naturally be expected that we point out to the sportsman the best powder for shooting; for this purpose we shall recommend the Dartford powder of Messrs. Pigou and Andrews, for being not only stronger, but the cleanest in burning and the quickest in firing, of any other at this time manufactured in the kingdom; and we also venture to give it as our opinion that the manufacturers of this powder seem to have attained, as nearly as any purpose can require, that accuracy of granulation, and of the proportions and qualities of all the ingredients, which most readily produces the destruction of all the composition, and yields the greatest possible quantity of the permanent elastic fluid in a given time; which properties alone can constitute powder of the best quality.

Of shot. The choice of this article is highly worthy of the sportman's care. It should be equal, round, and void of cavities. The patent milled shot is, at this time, to be preferred to all other sorts, and is in such general use that the instructions which here follow on the size of the shot to be adopted in the different chases must be understood to relate to the patent shot only.

It is extremely important for the success of the chase that the sportsman should proportion the size of his shot, as well to the particular spe

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