DUCK GUNS.

GENERAL DIRECTIONS FOR.

As we have now lost poor Joe Manton and Fullerd, I am rather puzzled to give advice about a duck gun, as it is an article scarcely understood by the London makers; and, when they get an order for one, they are obliged to charge an exorbitant price, because their journeymen require extra payment for all jobs out of the common line. I allude to a gun of about 16lb. or 18lb. weight. But as to a heavy single gun-(say under 14lb.) the London makers can serve you extremely well; as this just comes within the comprehension of themselves and their men. There is no question that (except the flint) the copper side-primer is the only ignition for duck guns; and it matters not whether you have Lancaster's or Long's new one, or the original one of Joe Manton; because you seldom fire a gun of this kind so often as to be annoyed by having frequently to push in the primers.

As we must now go to Birmingham for barrels, I should be inclined to hand over all the heavy duck gun work to either Westley Richards, or Burnett, of Southampton; and I am sure the London artists will thank me for the recommendation; as I know that they scarcely get a fair living profit by sending out Londonfinished guns beyond a certain size; and after all their turn-out proves, nine times in ten, more an ornamental than a useful concern. A duck gun should have a substantial stock-such as a fancy workman would be ashamed of—it should be made so large at the breech that neat gunmakers would laugh at it—the stock

should rise well up to the eye; because you have not the power to lower your head when holding out a heavy weight—and, above all, the barrel should lay level and well up to the eye, instead of being let down into the stock so as to pitch under, the mark in quick firing. Many of the "rough-stockers" in town can do this job well; but when it comes to the "screwers-together" and finishers, it often becomes so changed as to be more injured than improved. A duck gun should have either no heel-plate at all, or one of a metal that will not rust from loading in a wet place; and therefore it is folly to put engraving about the heel-plate of a gun of this description. For my own part, I never desire to see any engraving on a duck gun; it only collects rust, and answers no purpose except to hide bad work.

Having made these new observations, let me now reprint what I before published on duck guns, as I have not a word to alter, or retract, from what appeared in the earlier editions: on the contrary, I have had some years' more experience as to the truth of my assertions. I have, however, made one alteration, and that is, reducing the charge of shot, and for why?—because I originally wrote for flint-guns, and now I must have in view nothing but detonaters which recoil so much, that with them the shooter could not bear the same charge of shot: though I still recommend him not to reduce his charge of powder.

Many will tell you, that a large gun will do no more execution than a small one; and, by the same rule, they may say, that a gun will kill no farther than a pistol. The advantage of a duck gun is that it will carry large shot more compactly, and may be fired with double or treble the charge for a piece of an ordinary size. You are therefore enabled to use large shot, with the same advantage, that No. 7. may be fired from a double gun; by which means, at a large object, you may kill considerably farther; and in a flock, many more birds at a shot.

In comparing small shot from a double gun, as having the same advantage over large, that a pin, with a moderate pressure, would have over a nail, in piercing the feathers of game, by the same argument it may be said, that large shot from a duck-gun would have the effect of the nail driven by a hammer through the strong bones and feathers of wildfowl. A large gun to carry

twice as much as a small one (say three ounces), should not weigh less than 12, nor exceed 16lbs. and be used with No. 1 or 2 shot; and the same proportion of powder as before recommended. One to carry four or five ounces should not weigh less than 11, nor exceed 20lbs., and so on in proportion; but this is the most that can well be fired without a rest.

The recoil of a duck gun can only be checked by weight of metal, and there are two ways to dispose of it: the one, immense thickness, whereby the gun may be short, portable, and easily managed; and the other, considerable length, by which you may kill farther, and take a much more accurate aim. The former was the plan of Mr. Joseph Manton, the latter that of the late Mr. D. Egg; and, in order to partake a little of both advantages, I should steer between the two, and have my barrels never less than three feet eight, nor more than four feet four inches, unless I used a rest; by which means a gun being topheavy is rendered the reverse of objectionable. In this case, I should adopt the plan of Mr. D. Egg, as the best in every respect.

A broad but contributes greatly to lessen the recoil; and, in some of the largest-sized shoulder guns, a sponge has sometimes been found necessary, to prevent the guard from cutting the second finger.

As to the best length for duck guns that are used without a rest, and must therefore be made to mount tolerably well, I will lay down a simple rule for those of every size: viz. measure the barrels of your best double gun, and see how many times they are in length the diameter of the punched wadding; and order your duck guns to be never less than from four to six more diameters in proportion. That is, if your double gun of fourteen gauge, should be of the common length (2 feet 8 inches), which is forty-four diameters, let your duck gun of seven gauge, and of 13lbs. weight, be never less than from 3 feet 6, to 3 feet 8 inches (or, if you can manage 4 feet, so much the better); and so forth. on a still larger scale. The latter gun at forty-four diameters would be 3 feet 2 inches, but with this length it would scatter more at long shots; and, if properly loaded (say with 3 ounces of shot), would, by flying up forward, be felt too severely to the shoulder.

Recollect, that although the same ratio might hold good for guns, yet neither the weight of the atmosphere nor the muscular power of a man can be made to serve in proportion. If a duck gun is too large in the caliber, in proportion to its weight of metal, it will recoil considerably: and if too small, it will not have the desired effect of allowing the shot to lie compactly together.

A gun fired from a rest is felt more than if held out, because the left hand, when grasping it, checks the recoil. The stock of a heavy duck gun, as I before said, should be more bent than that of a common gun, as, when we are holding out a great weight, it is not so easy to lower the head: and it should also be observed that the curve in the stock tends to lessen the recoil.

I have of late years had the duck gun stocks, which I use on the coast, made with a pistol grip, and whipped with waxed end, round the handle, similar to a cricket-bat, which rather lessens the jar; and the upper part of the but very much cut away, in order to prevent it from hurting the shoulder-bone. I also paint and varnish the stock, by which means it does not get cracked, after being wetted with salt water. The gunmakers' stocks I found were always a great plague on this account, as well as from the trouble of keeping them in order, after being exposed to the spray of the sea. Add to which, they recoil most unmercifully, and are therefore only fit for light charges. I should always have these stocks rather short; as one that would mount well in a shooting jacket would be unmanageably long in a gunning dress.

For shooting in windy weather, and killing birds that would dive at a flash, there can be no question as to the superiority of detonating duck guns.

In loading a duck gun, the farther you wish to reach a flock of birds the more powder and the less shot you must put; because you may often make good a few random shots into flocks of wildfowl, by putting a considerably larger measure of powder than of shot; when by the usual mode of loading, you might only hear the shot rattle on the wings of many, without bringing down a single bird.

To conclude this subject, it need only be observed, that the

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same directions as those before given will hold good for the choice, care, and cleaning of duck guns. They cannot, however, be made to balance quite so well as guns on a small construction, without an unmanageable quantity of lead; and, in these, the scrollguard, or what is far better, as I before observed, a pistol grip to the stock, may be adopted, in order to prevent the right hand from being driven against the face, in the event of a recoil. But, if they should have been loaded some time, it is best to loosen the charge of shot, which, otherwise would be felt severely.

If one of these guns should be laid aside for a season or two, your filling it with mutton suet will entirely prevent rust.

GREENFIELD'S NEW MACHINERY FOR MAKING WATER-PROOF COPPER CAPS.

1844.

The Board of Ordnance have now to thank Mr. Greenfield for this most ingenious discovery, by which he has rendered more effective all the copper caps that would otherwise have proved a failure in the service. He has invented machinery that causes a pressure of 20 tons weight on 1000 loaded caps at a timemaking nearly 45lbs. pressure on each cap. These 1000 caps are all completed in three minutes, with only a little boy for a workman. By this process the detonating powder, instead of being porous, is made as hard as possible; and, consequently, by the addition of varnish, becomes as water-proof as a sealed primer. The nipples are opened at each end; or rather, I should say, contracted in the middle (similar to an hour-glass), so that the detonating flame is forced through a narrow passage, in the same way that velocity of shot is increased by the friction of a barrel opened behind and relieved forward. This seldom fails to drive the blast through the long and angular communication which