Encyclopaedia Britannica > Volume 21, ROT-Siam

Balance.
Calibre.
those long shots of which sportsmen are so proud and
which are due to the central pellets flying straight to a
pellets01181^1^16 dlStanCe’ mucl1 bey°nd that of the outer
. d?ie1next1 pomt “ a Sun is balance; that is, the metal
in the barrels must be so apportioned and the general con¬
strue ion be so arranged that there is no tendency in the
muzzle to droop at the moment of discharge, just when
the faculties of the sportsman are absorbed in taking aim
and his muscular energies are in abeyance. The gun should
balance at a point a little in front of the trigger-guard
The centre of gravity should also be low, so "tha/there
may be nothing of what may be called “top-hamper in
other words, that his gun may not roll in his hand, but may
keep on an even keel, as it were, while he is taking aim.
if we weigh m the scales two guns of nearly the same
weight the one well the other ill balanced, the former
although feeling quite light in the hand, will generally be
found to be really heavier than the latter,—a fact which
is frequently the cause of much surprise to sportsmen,
less fatigu1361^ balanced, a gun can be carried with much
The calibre—a much disputed point—is, within the
bounds commonly used, a question more of the capability
of the sportsman to carry weight than one touching his
effectiveness m the field. It has been plausibly argued
that it matters little how narrow the calibre of a fowling-
piece is, and that even gauge “35” (-510 inch) is wide
enough. It certainly would throw a few pellets of swan-
shot effectively, especially if the barrel was not less than
40 inches long. But for all common purposes the most
useful calibre is the twelve-bore, if the weight is not under
o£ lb, or somewhat less for hammerless guns. When a
less weight is required, “16” gauge (which in breech¬
loaders is really “15”) is preferable. Calibre “20” belongs
to toy-weapons, such guns being also uncertain in their
delivery; and, as strong and effective “16” double-barrelled
guns can now be made weighing only 6 fi>, a smaller calibre
can hardly be required, except under peculiar conditions.
Against the advantage of less weight has to be set the
important matter of recoil, and one cause of recoil is the
e ongation of the body of the shot (and especially of the
small-sized shot used in such guns) when placed in the
barrel or cartridge. The longer that body, and the smaller
the shot, the greater the difficulty in starting it • hence
“?0/’as regards recoil to an equality with a
ta, the weight of the charge of shot must be unduly
reduced, with a more than proportionate reduction of the
probability of killing, save in the exceptional cases where
the size is not larger than snipe-shot. The shot in a “12”
has no part at any appreciable distance from the wadding
over the powder, and every pellet may fairly be said to
receive a direct impetus from the explosion. An exceed-
mgly light gun has also the fault of causing unsteadiness
when the sportsman takes aim.
of barrel. Tf Tile Iength of tilG barrels need not exceed 30 inches,
i a sportsman possesses a remarkably correct eye, he may
safely go down to 26 inches or even less; but it must be
borne in mind that the shorter the barrel the greater the
necessity for a perfectly correct aim. Any divergence on
a barrel under 26 inches is vastly increased at 30 or 40
yards. On the other hand, aim is more quickly taken
with short barrels. Thirty inches is a sound medium.
tt years there has been a run on what are termed
“choke-bores” (see Gunmaking, vol. xi. p. 281). But
unless the choking is most mathematically true the flight
of the shot will not be coincident with the axis of the
barrel or the line of aim, but will “train off” in some oblique
direction; and this obliquity will also be more or less
affected by any required modifications of the charge. A
SHOOTING
833
in fold °ng Tf*8 ? rr t0 narrOW editions
ably reduced J> y thf ^ also consider-
y reauced, the killing power depending less on tW
-w MS tar
dd’co^umn IT06’ “ 11 Were’ in a nmow and pro-
rel®r’barrcnhrfr-';a\a.Pr0I>lrIy bored “friction and
sportsman m a better position for all kinds of common
game at fair sporting ranges; but since the introduction
of breech-loaders barrels so bored have (undeserved^
fallen so greatly into disuse that the delicate art of friction
and relief boring has nearly been lost. A purely cylindrical
thaTL ^ u0tS Wel1 When Perfectly cIean>~a condition
that every discharge impairs.
and shut his left eye when he w/l fin l oim1 he fUU ,in P^ion
sa^xj-s s sssssjaz-SB
earned the whole piece may be said to form an inteS nart of h^
own body. A few minutes’ daily practice in so pointing a gun at
any small object, although in a room, will give the fpoitsman
dextenty in its use even before he has burned powder inTt How
the shutting of one eye (unknown in billiards and similar games'!
in taking aim came to be practised in using firearms seems inexpli¬
cable to those who know how detrimental it is. The keeping of
both eyes open was formerly not quite unknown but was so btH.
practised that, when the present writer took the matter up some
thirty years ago and publicly advocated it, he was looked upon as
mg quite in error; but now his correctness is acknowledged
and what is termed the “two-eve” sve+om ^ ?
more into use.
Bore
two-eye ” system is coming more and
..I .er? are stld many uncertain “shots” who are
not aware that their frequently unaccountable misses are caused by
the scientific fact that shutting one eye deprives them of the power
o measuring distances, and also of watching the movement of a
running or flying object. As a rule, whilst the right eye is actually
taking aim, the left is acting subsidiarily and showing the right
whether or not it is taking it correctly. It may be noted that
almost all exceptionally good shots have the eyes set wide apart
and so take their observation from a broader base. 1
i if altitude in taking aim should be free and upright, with the
left foot somewhat advanced. The right elbow should never be
raised to a horizontal level with the shoulder,—a common but bad
practice. _ The gun should be lifted directly upwards, the hut-end
just grazing the right front of the chest when reaching its final
position the eyes all the while looking fixedly upon the obiect.
io illustrate this by way of contrast, there is another bad style of
throwing the gun forward, the shooter all the while trying to look
along the rib (which cranes the neck), and then bringing it back
against the shoulder before firing. This, however, is a waste of
muscular power and quite throws out the adaptation of the stock
to the shoulder, because it is impossible to bring back the gun quite
correctly, and it has therefore to be readjusted (which can hardly
be accomplished) before firing. Besides, all this consumes time, for
which game will not tarry. In military phrase, three “motions”
are required ; with the proper style there is only one.
. Th.e question how far the left hand should be extended in taking Use of
aim is much disputed, but is really of secondary consequence, left hand
rigeon-shooters extend it as far as they well can, because their
great object is to prevent the muzzle from drooping at the moment
of discharge; but from this, and also from their custom of plantiim
their feet firmly and squarely upon the ground, so as to stand with
their full front to their probable line of aim, no lesson in shootirm
game need be taken. Good game shots are not unfrequently poor
shots at pigeons, and vice versa ; to be expert at the former depends
upon the acquisition of a certain knack, and above all of calculation
in time, i.e., of the power of estimating the average time from the
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