SHOOTING.

It is my purpose, in the present chapter, as in the two preceding,

to offer, as companion to the system of exercises described in the

first part of this work, certain practical rules upon another of

those popular field sports, a knowledge of which has in all ages

been considered, in this country, part of a gentleman’s education.

The perfection to which we have attained in the manufacture of all

the implements connected with this branch of sporting, would make

a dissertation on the _materiel_ of shooting a piece of useless

information to those for whose service these notices are intended.

Instead, therefore, of filling these pages with elaborate instructions

for selecting his guns, gun-cases, flasks, belts, and the whole

catalogue of shooting gear, I present my reader with one solitary

golden maxim, which will ensure to him the possession of a perfect

apparatus, and that eventually on the most economical terms: Let him

go, for every article of his equipment, to the most celebrated artist

in the item of which he has need. It is true that, compared with the

scale of prices in the provinces, the charges of the first-rate London

gunmakers are startling things upon paper, and so are those made by

coachmakers of the same class. Indeed, the same may be said of the

rate of demand common to the leading dealers of the metropolis; but

he will find that _finis coronat opus_. An economical friend of mine,

who was recently quartered in Ireland, ordered, of one of the most

respectable firms in Dublin, a travelling chariot, the price, with the

usual _et ceteras_, being two hundred and fifty pounds: here it would

have cost him three hundred, or three hundred and twenty. Just as it

was completed, he was ordered home; and his new bargain broke down with

him fourteen times between Liverpool and London. As a contrast to this:

An old sporting associate, never particularly distinguished for his

thrift, recently showed me a pair of shooting shoes, for which he paid

Hoby two guineas, that he has had in constant work for sixteen years!

No record has been preserved of the number of times they have had new

bottoms. The only perishable portions of these cordwaining phenomena,

however, are their _soles_: their bodies appear to be immortal.

To return to the appointments of the young aspirant to the honours

of the trigger. Although I set out with supposing him equipped with

the best double detonator that money can procure from a maker of

known character, and all other mechanical appliances for the field,

a proper management and judicious arrangement of them is by no means

to be similarly obtained. Upon the condition of those mechanical aids

his success depends, quite as much as the adroitness to which he may

arrive in the use of them. Whether that department be in the hands of

a gamekeeper fully competent to all its details, or there be an actual

necessity for the master’s eye to direct it, a knowledge of the most

approved means will be found equally essential. Proficiency in any

art or science requires an intimacy with the whole machinery of its

economy. It was this conviction that made an emperor a labourer in a

dockyard, and should induce every sportsman to acquaint himself with

the minutest particulars bearing upon his craft. To this end I will

give a few rules, derived as well from personal experience as from some

of the most approved authorities on the subject that have appeared in

print.

GUN-CLEANING.--Use cold water for the purpose of cleansing the barrel,

and finish by pouring in boiling water, taking care to stop the

touch-hole. Shake it up and down well, and drain it from the muzzle,

which will clear the chamber. The hot water greatly aids the process

of drying,--one of the most important parts of gun-washing. After the

washing is concluded, by looking down the barrel with the touch-hole

open, you will be enabled to see into the chamber, and ascertain

whether it be effectually cleared out or otherwise. The foulness of the

barrel of course must be the criterion by which the person employed in

cleaning it will be decided. Should it require to be scoured, to remove

powder encrusted on its sides, very fine sand and hot water should be

used, and care taken to rinse it out thoroughly, at the last, with

boiling water, to clear the chamber of anything that may have been

driven into it by the washing-rod. The material in ordinary use for

gun-cleaning is tow, to which there is the objection that particles are

apt to become detached from it, and lodge in the chambers. To prevent

any chance of this kind, I would recommend the substitution of cloth,

which will be found to answer the purpose quite as well, being at the

same time free from all such hazard. It is a bad habit to fall into,

that of laying by your gun loaded: let the charge be drawn after the

day’s work. If you have had but a few shots, the less trouble there

will be in the cleaning: a mere hot-water rinse, and a good drying,

will be enough. Should your gun contain an old charge when you go out,

do not put your faith in it: the odds are all in favour of its hanging

fire. Squib it off, first drawing the shot, and load again while the

barrels are warm; probe your touch-holes; wipe your locks within and

without; and if you cannot command success afterwards, you will have

the satisfaction of knowing that you have taken the best course to

ensure it.

Every time you load, observe whether your touch-hole be free: it is

but a moment’s occupation, and a certain security against a monstrous

annoyance--missing fire, probably at one of your best chances during

the day. In all cases of hanging or missing fire, the seat of disease

is the touch-hole or chamber, if your cap has exploded: to these apply

the remedy. I speak only with reference to detonators, as they have

now become so very universal: of course when a flint gun is used, the

mischief may be caused by a faulty flint. Your last act should be, when

the day’s sport is over, before you enter the house, to let down the

springs of your locks: the less stress you keep upon them, the more

power and elasticity they will retain. This is the plan to make one

lock wear out the best Damascus barrel.

POWDER.--The names of most of the great manufacturers of gunpowder are

now sufficient guarantee for the excellence of the article bearing

their signatures. Purchase your supply from any respectable house,

and you will be secure that it is genuine: beyond the label you need

not seek. Your care, then, must be to preserve the original strength,

by putting it into canisters closely corked and sealed, after first

having carefully dried it,--a process for which Colonel Hawker gives

this excellent recipe: “Your powder should always be properly _dried_,

in order to do which make _two_ or _three_ plates very hot before the

fire, and (first taking care to wipe them well, lest any particle of

cinder should adhere to them) keep constantly shifting the powder from

one to the other, without allowing it to remain sufficiently long in

either to cool the plate. The powder will then be more effectually

aired, and more expeditiously dried, than by the more common means

of using only _one_ plate, which the powder, by lying on it, soon

makes cold, and therefore the plate requires to be two or three times

heated.” Nothing can be added to this, save the admonition that the

operation be performed at such a distance from the fire as to prevent

the possibility of a spark or cinder reaching you. The surest way is to

dry your powder in one room, and to heat your plates in another.

SHOT.--Here is a division of my subject much less easily disposed of

than the last. The selection of shot is a question upon which many of

the best authorities are at issue. Some deal with it only in reference

to the game for which it is intended; others consider it merely as

having relation to the length and diameter of the barrel for which it

is required. I recommend the middle course,--_medio tutissimus ibis_.

Colonel Hawker tells us that “it is not so much the magnitude of the

pellet, as the force with which it is driven, that does the execution.”

No one can accord more cheerful fealty than I do to the generality of

that first-rate sportsman’s opinions; but I cannot allow my admiration

to dazzle my common sense, or to subscribe to this hypothesis. With a

swan-drop, you break the leg of wild-boar or red-deer; but could any

force known to the science of projectiles accomplish it with a grain of

number 9, or dust-shot? The rule should be, to suit your number to your

game--the exception, to your gun and its calibre. Taking the average

size at which fowling-pieces are now made, and the general character

of English sporting, I have no hesitation in saying that there are

very few instances in which number 7 will not be found to answer

the purposes of a day’s shooting. It is not the power to penetrate

that fills the bag. Many a bird carries off a quarter of an ounce of

lead in his body; but break his wing, and what can he do then? The

advocate of small shot urges the increased space which it covers, and

_consequently_ the increased chances in favour of its hitting; but to

hit your bird, and to bring him down, are two very different things.

Catch him anywhere with a good-sized pellet, and the odds are that he

comes to bag; stuff him with _dust_, and he flies away with a whole

charge, unless it has encountered a vital part. It is to be remembered

that I am not here addressing my observations to first-rate masters

of the trigger,--to such professors as Ross, Sutton, or Osbaldiston.

I have not deemed it necessary to go into the relative merits of shot

upon such minute niceties as the increased rotatory motion of the

larger pellets, and the like. In an epitomised treatise like this,

the length of my design only extends to offering the best general

hints that suggest themselves to me, as applicable to the service of

the novice. To such, then, I say, in all ordinary cases, make use of

number 7: never go higher, for a jack-snipe will often fly away with

the full of a charger of number 9 in his body. If, however, your sport

lies exclusively in thick woodlands, or where only very long shots are

likely to be had, supply yourself with numbers 2 or 3; but at the same

time take care to provide a long and heavy gun, that will throw them

even, and not in lumps and clusters.

PERCUSSION CAPS.--Detonating guns have now been so long in general use,

that the familiarity thus produced with the various properties and

kinds of fulminating powders, ensures the very general perfection to

which these invaluable auxiliaries of the shooter have attained. They

are to be had, of an almost uniform excellence, at all the respectable

gunmakers in town and country.

WADDING.--Here again is a matter on which you will find a vast variety

of opinion. Some get rid of it altogether by adopting the new system

of cartridges. Upon this point I do not wish to offer any of the

results of my own limited experience. I have shot with these, and with

average success--a low average I admit, for I have no pretensions to

the name of a crack. They are, however, worth the experiment of a

trial, though I am disposed to believe the success or failure of it

will much depend upon the accidental properties and effects of the

materials submitted to the test. To return to the sort of wadding

which may best serve those who still adhere to the old system of mere

powder and shot. After enumerating the various claims of paper, hat,

card, and leather, Colonel Hawker gives the preference to punched

pasteboard,--the thickness to increase in the ratio of the diameter of

the barrel. The best that have ever come under my notice are Cherry’s

prepared waddings, suited to every calibre. They are manufactured from

felt which has undergone a process that prevents the accumulation of

damp after firing, and are to be procured at any gunmaker’s for the

cost of the materials in ordinary use. These I do recommend, and I am

sure those who accord them a trial will have no reason to regret it.

They cover the powder effectually, and offer but little resistance to

the shot, which is all that is required of wadding. Mr. Cherry would

improve upon his invention by piercing the waddings intended to cover

the shot, as it would facilitate the operation of loading, while the

shooter made the distinction by carrying those for the powder in his

left-hand pocket, and those for the shot in his right.

THE POWDER-FLASK.--It is strange that, among the many ingenious

improvements effected in the implements of the shooter, the

powder-flask, certainly the most important of all, should have been

left in its present dangerous condition. I am aware that an attempt,

and a praiseworthy one, was made some years ago by Mr. Egg, to reduce

the chances of accident which the present construction of the flask

involves; but I ask why has not some contrivance, without any of the

old leaven in it, been suggested and effected? In the shot-belt the

charger is wholly detached--where no risk, at all events, would follow,

were it otherwise--whereas, when loading with powder, the charger, with

the flask attached, is introduced into the muzzle of the gun, so that

should it, by any accident, become ignited, an explosion (and most

probably a fatal one) of the whole ensues as matter of consequence.

However, to deal with it as you find it, with proper precaution, when

you fill your charger let back the spring gradually, that no chance

may be given away in the event of a bit of flint, or any substance

that might throw out a spark, being struck by it. Never lose sight of

the material which your flask contains. Let nothing induce you to fire

with it in your hand. If a chance shot offer while you are loading a

discharged barrel, throw it behind you, if there is not time to return

it to your pocket.

LOADING.--I have not thought it necessary to occupy any of my limited

space with the shot-belt, because it is so simple, and at the same

time so excellent in construction, that the merest novice cannot be

astray in the use of it. Not so is it with the important office--that

of loading your gun aright, although it is impossible to lay down any

rules for it applicable to every case. Experience alone will enable you

so to proportion your charge that you shall come at the full powers

of which your gun is capable. The gauge, the length, the weight--all

must be taken into account, and provided for. For the ordinary run of

fowling-pieces, the following is a fair proportion:--A shot-charger

that holds an ounce and a half of shot may be filled to the brim with

powder, which wall serve to load with, as also to prime: the same

measure filled up with shot will constitute your charge of lead. By

these proportions, you can thus regulate the chargers of your belts and

flasks. Against this system it is contended, by the ultra-particular,

that it is a bad one in reference to powder, which is manufactured

without regard to weight, only the projectile force being considered.

These are minutiæ, however, into which I do not desire to introduce

the learner. He will have enough to do with the more immediate affairs

of preparing his nerves, forming a judgment upon sight and distance,

and laying a foundation upon a basis of right principle and prompt

performance, without which he will have little business upon that

arena to which I am about to introduce him, after a long but still a

necessary preface.

SHOOTING. THE FIELD.--Unless where some positive mental or physical

prohibition exists, a certain degree of excellence and dexterity

in every art and science is open to such as seek with care and

perseverance. Thus, although, from natural causes, every man cannot

aspire to the honour of becoming a crack shot, there is scarcely any

that may not acquire the art of shooting tolerably well. The sooner

the essay is made, the better the chance of its success; and as my

pupil is supposed to be in this condition, I proceed, without further

introduction, to offer such practical rules and maxims as may best

serve to promote the end he should have in view--that of becoming

cautious in the management, and steady in the use of his gun.

The first step, assuming the learner to be a complete novice, will be

to acquire the proper mode of putting his gun to his shoulder, and of

bringing the sight to bear upon a particular object,--the latter only

to be rightly accomplished with the breech and sight on a level. Having

attained this preliminary, let him take a flint gun, with a piece of

wood substituted for the flint, and practise at the object so situated,

always remembering to pull the trigger the moment the sight is on the

mark--a precaution he will find the vast advantage of as he comes to

apply it to flying shots. After a practice so conducted till the eye

ceases to flinch when the trigger is drawn, he may begin to load with

half charges, and continue to practise at his object, occasionally,

without his knowledge, small charges of shot being added, so that he

shall strike his mark without the nervous excitement of feeling that he

is making the attempt.

The great point--that of steadiness combined with

self-confidence--being arrived at, he may now try his hand at small

birds; but even after he has become adroit at these, he has still

another ordeal to go through. This is the tremour at the springing of

game, whether a pack of grouse, a covey of partridges, or a solitary

cock-pheasant, which, indeed, often makes as startling a flight as

either. In this case, it will serve him greatly to return to the

system he began with, and learn to cover his game without the nervous

apprehension of a miss. While at this practice, he may begin to use

himself to cover with both eyes open, the advantage of which he will

soon discover when he comes to quick shooting.

Being tolerably _au fait_ at these points of practice (for perfection

can only result from long experience, whence come skill and judgment),

it will be necessary that he bear in mind those rules for rightly

effecting his purpose when his game is moving. He must shoot before an

object that crosses his point of sight; high for a bird rising in its

flight, or skimming the surface; between the ears of hares or rabbits

running in a straight line from him,--being guided, of course, in every

case, by the distance between him and the mark at which he aims. For

example, if a bird range forty yards from him, calculating the ordinary

velocity of its speed of wing, he may safely aim six inches before it.

No fixed rules, however, can be laid down, where the casualties of

powder, a dull or lively-shooting gun, high winds, and fifty other et

ceteras, are opposed to a system. One principle he may always adopt

with success, and that is, to fix his eyes on the mark he has selected,

and fire _the instant_ the gun is brought to bear upon it. It is very

difficult to say at what distance a bird may be which can be called a

fair shot, because it rests with so many contingencies. Forty yards

are generally considered as point-blank range, but it will often be

found easier to bring down game at fifty than at thirty yards. The

wind, as in cross shots, and various operating causes--all the result

of temporary accident--must be taken into account. You will always

have a better chance to kill long cross shots than those approaching

or flying from you. It is very hard to do execution upon birds with

a stern-chaser, and in coming towards you they present a surface off

which shot is very apt to glance without penetrating. I have said

nothing about the hold of his gun most convenient for the learner to

accustom himself to, because, in whatever manner it may be put into his

hands at first, he is sure, ultimately, to adopt a style of his own,

arising from natural causes, or habits almost as forcible. The nearer

it is placed to the guard, the less risk is run should a barrel burst.

The grasp of the stock more forward affords the greatest facility in

bringing the gun to bear upon its object, and more firmness of position.

While I am on the mechanical portion of the young shooter’s

acquirements, or rather things to be acquired, I do not think a better

opportunity can be chosen to introduce a few hints upon a more advanced

state of practice, albeit some may, at the time of perusing them,

be unfit to receive what may be termed finishing lessons. When you

are about taking a cross shot at a long range, fire well before it,

from one to three feet, according to the speed with which the bird is

flying, and let your gun be thrown above the object. The same rule

must direct you in firing at hares or rabbits, whether it be a cross

shot or one in a right line. It is a most mischievous practice, as far

as regards your day’s sport, to make much noise in the field, however

strong the provocation from the disobedience of your dogs, or any cause

whatever. Should your pointers prove incorrigible, I would rather

recommend you, when they have sprung a covey, to cause them to be

taken up, and then walk yourself as near as you can to the spot where

you saw it drop. Should the birds rise singly or by the brace, continue

to beat and shoot while you think one remains: it will be time enough

to look after the slain (that cannot abscond) when you make sure of the

living. This plan may also be successfully adopted when there is not

scent enough to prevent the staunchest dogs from running in upon their

game. In marking your covey down, remember they cannot fall so long as

they continue to skim: they cannot alight till they stop themselves,

and prepare for the pitch, by a flapping of the wings.

I should not advise you to begin beating for partridges, even in

September, before nine o’clock, and then desist from it at noon. From

three till dusk is the golden division of the day, at that season, for

the partridge-shooter. If your ground happen to lie in the vicinity of

manors that have been shot over during the day, you will be certain to

meet the remnants of scattered coveys, of all chances the most sure to

fill your game-bag. With pheasants, however, when they are to be sought

in strong covers particularly, your system must be almost reversed.

As the day advances, these birds resort to the thickest and strongest

lying that the woodlands frequented by them afford. When beating, in

the early morning, after rain, you will generally find them in the

skirts of covers, or in the hedgerows adjacent. In such cases, always

contrive to place yourself between them and the strong old woods: to

these they are certain to fly,--instinct teaching them that there they

are most sheltered and secure. In _battue_-shooting, all you have to

attend to is the situation of the best opens, and such sides of the

covers intended to be beaten, as the direction of the wind, and the

ordinary resort of the game, point out as the most judicious stations;

but when about to engage in a single-handed day’s sport, you will

require a more skilful disposition, and closer attention to the manner

of your tactics. In this latter case, your best assistant will be a

steady old pointer: one that will range near you, work round every

piece of copse and underwood, and poke into every nook and crevice;

well broke he must be, so as to fall at shot, and crouch down on

bringing in his birds.

In a treatise such as this, it would be impossible to give even

the briefest epitome of directions for the various classes of game

and wild-fowl shooting. Before, however, I close my address to the

young disciple of the trigger, I will offer him a few familiar

hints on a division of his craft neither the least in importance or

interest,--namely, his relation to his best ally and friend, the dog. I

am not going to suggest the species best suited to general shooting, as

so very much depends upon the country to be hunted, and the chance that

may direct selection; but whether pointer, setter, or spaniel, you will

find your account in making such as you intend for coadjutors in the

field your ordinary associates and companions. Try the experiment by

committing one puppy of a litter entirely to the breaker, and retaining

another (when the general rudiments of his education have been

acquired) constantly with yourself, and at every opportunity subjected

to gentle but firm discipline, and you will soon discover which is the

better plan. Adopt the same system with a perfectly-made hunter--a

master of his business; and you will soon find out the difference of

being served by one who, from habit, will be enabled to understand your

looks, and another who, at best, will have to puzzle out your wishes,

or require to have them announced at the hazard of flushing half the

game in the parish.

With this parting word on the social economy of shooting, closes the

last of those notices of our FIELD SPORTS which the publisher thought

it convenient to appear in this volume, and the treatment of which he

confided to me. If his purpose has been fulfilled, my desire will be

accomplished,--the wish to please being our unity of design. The little

talent the writer possesses, at all events will not have failed from

lack of anxiety to accomplish his task: what is writ is writ,--

“Would it were worthier!”