The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1934-09-20
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S HO or
By Bob Mich OILS
Iootins Editor. Field and Stream ~


nNE of the commonest errors Of
" the novice upland hunter is TO |
try 10 shoot a gun that Is too long in |
the barrel There is a widespread be- |
lief that long barrels make gun shoot |
harder. Practically speaking. this |
isn't true. The short barrel gun |
shoots just as hard. and kills game
Just as far away. as the old-fashloned |
"I.ong Tom" The gun with 81. or
even a0-nch barrels is too long. You |
will do better work with 2S-hetter |
still, with 26-inch barrels. | am even |
of the opinion that most standard gun
stocks are slightly too long. The |
standard stock is about II inches from |
front of trigger to the middle of the |
utt-plate NY favorite gun has 26r
inch barrel and 13h inch stock. The |
shortened gun--at the barrel as well |
as nj the stock-speeds up your hand |
ling of 1t tremendously.
In the latest designs OF American |
shotguns being turned out today. one
trend is definitely towards the 26inch |
barrel. This Is undoubtedly the gun
for upland use. Robert Churchill. the
famous English gun maker. was the
pioneer In this field Of shotgun re-
search. Some years ago he brought
out his now well known line INV
guns, SO named because OF their n
inch barrels-and most Immediately 1t
became apparent that the users OF
these short-barrel guns were to do bet
fer work In the field than sportsmen
of equal skill using longer tubes. The
reason Is easy to demonstrate. The
shorter you make your pointer" the
quicker you can point 1t. Try point
Ing with walking stick. Much quick
er. Try pointing with your finger
instantaneous.
II you want to learn TO shoot, and
learn 1t quickly. begin now with a
short harreled lightweight 2O~guage.
Have 1t properly stocked to fit you.
Then watch your scoring begin to
climb
Just within the last year | have had
fine opportunity to observe how the
right gun can make wonderful diff
ference In speeding up mans acqul
sltIon OF skill have friend who
has been hunting for the past ten
years Up until last summer. even
with all his experience, he was still
q miserable shot Shortly after | met
him early last spring he told me, jok-
ingly and regretfully that the only
reason his friends ever took him on
hunt was because he has big feet and
had the reputation for kicking up more
game than any other shooter In the
party
He finally showed me his gun. 1t
was all | expected 1t would be.
12-gauge with 30-inch barrels that
tipped the scales at exactly seven and
fhree-quarter pounds. Moreover, 1t
was bored modified and full choke
much too close for field gun. AS
crowning fault 1t had good 8 inches
OF drop ut the heel OF the buttstock--
In other words. an under shooting
gun. The big drop explained why he
could kill an occasional rabbit. for the
right way to shoot rabbits is to slightly
understood But pheasant. woodcock,
or grouse, were too much for him. He
had arrived at the hopeless stage
where he was convinced that he could
never become a decent shot
Shortly after that he did me kind
favor. In return presented him with
an extra gun I had In my cabinet-a
neat little 20gauge pump gun, with 20
inch modified choke barrel, that
weighed just short of six pounds. He
was grateful. but just little dubious
about 50 small a gun. In fact the
gun did look funny In his hands. be-
cause he is better than six-footer
During the remainder OF the sum.
mer and on up through September. |
took him CROW and hawk shooting fire.
quently. Slowly I taught him that he
had to swing from behind his target,
swing past. and shoot ahead OF 1t. Be-
fore long he was tumbling the corn
stealers and chicken-snatchers from
30 to 40 yards out OF the sky with
fair regularity-and was he delighted
Later, during the hunting season. he
shot with the same friends who for
merly regarded him as the game dog
OF the party Only this time the laugh
was on them. He killed grouse. pleas
ant, woodcock taking Dummies. he
told me later. was like shooting fish
in a bathtub. On two occasions he
ont-shot every man on the party.
Anyone can learn to shoot II he gets
the RIGHT gum
q. Western Newspaper Union