St. Landry democrat., 1888-02-11
HUNTING WEAPONS.
Some Valuable Suggestions From an fx-
pert as to Their Proper Care.

Some Valuable Suggestions From an Ex-
pert as to Their Proper Care.
Just 60 up that dark stairway in
the rear of the building, and you Will
find our gunsmith, who can tell you
what YOU want to know said MI
Joseph Beck to an excited young man
who had in his hand double-barrel
| shotgun with q hole in the right sldo
near the muzzle.
| At the head of the stairway there was
one long room filled with vises and
lathes and benches around the sides.
while peculiar old guns and strange
tools were scattered here and there.
"Ah. ha, You have had Il wad in that
barrel.' said the old smith, as he looked
over his glasses at the gun. "a thin
paper wad, af1iording only the resist
ance necessary to hold it in the barrel,
will burst a gun if the wad is at tho
muzzlc A rim Of dirt will prove
equally effective in destroying a gun,
and for that reason one should never
put the muzzle of his gun on the soft
earth, as some sportsmen do in climb
ing fence or passing an obstruction.
TO eighteen inches above the butt
barrel is built to withstand a lateral
resistance. The remainder of the bar
rel might as we'll be made of tn. All it
does is to retain the direction of the
discharge. This is true of all guns.
Last summer at shooting park here
one of the best marksmen in the State
blew I'D one of the finest guns in
this city by little carelessness. He
was cleaning out the barrels and did
not take time to pull out a loose piece
of flannel which was hanging partially
out at the muzzle, when a stray bird
fving over his head gave him a chance
for good shot. He killed the bird but
he also took out nearly eight inches OF
the side Of his gun.
''In cleaninga gun always take OFT
the barrel and clean from the brcech.
Powder that burns wet should be used
and the gun cleaned before the burned
powder bakes on the sides of the barrel.
A piece of flannel will remove the dirt.
If the powder has baked moisten tho
flannel with sperm oil, vaseline or cos
moline. After cleansing the barrels
thoroughly they should be moistened
with oil and then placed in the case,
which ought to be kept in dry atmos.
phere 1t is remarkable how effective
" moisture will make its way into "A
gun-barrel If rust has begun in the
barrels it should be cut out with a
wire burr or some similar contrivance.
and the gun cleaned in the ordinary
, way. The barrels of a gun should be
inspected at least once a month and
particles of rust removed on their flrsa
appearance. Rust impairs the range
of gun.
Can new barrel be substituted fos
one that is broken in a shotgun?"
mot without great cost. A majority
+ of guns are made by machinery, and
!, the various parts to fit one another al
!, door-hin ges do. 10 make broker
, part for such a gun would be like max
! ing a broken part for a hinge. i
would be special work and the cost
would be extravaganza. 1t would cost
p $75 or 800 to put a barrel on a gur
that originally cost only s25 or $Se
y When a gun bursts all you can do will
!. it is to throw it away, unless the in
. jury is near the muzzle, where it car
be cut out. Barrels are good so Ions
as they are not shorter than twenty
9 six inches. How are the holes put il
q shotgun barrels? might most intelli
( gently say they are wrapped or PLATED
r around cores. The boring OF barre
q is merely process of dressing.
think there is no work of gun bette
than the American. Unless one is &C
ouainted with the methods of tn
q house that sold his gun he can not tel
,s whether gun is imported or do
n nestle. For example, there are New
II York houses that send to Englan'
Is large contracts for guns. The bar
% rels may be made in half a dozen cite
10 of England, and the stamp, beside
h bearing the name of the man who CAV
f. the contract, also bears the name G
Il the city at which the work is done.
IL uOGHluS tSso dlHSo /" oiA 'h%o - '"
d made in England, and at the same tim
k the only thing in its favor is cheapress
% They make guns in England for les
e money than we do here. The range c
,e gun depends on several condition
a which might be summarized unde
" concentration of power. The long
70 est range guns are constructed to pu
" their force where it will do the bulle
,e most good The rifing or coiling OF
barrel enables the bullet to overcom
,e atmospheric resistance. which in
creases the distance of it's range. The
~ the powder must be good, and tn
/. principles of concentrating power az
" piled to the manufacture of the cart
" ridge. The guns best cared for wer
a those which the pioneers hung o
= forked sticks over the fire place. -
Y Indianapolis Journal.