Spare limbs should always be taken, viz. extra hammers, mainsprings, tumbler pins, and foresights, and lessons should be taken from an experienced gunmaker in taking weapons to pieces and putting them together again properly. Turnscrews, such as working gunmakers use, should be specially ordered, and not the slight and nearly useless tools usually found in rifle and gun cases. These are made by the gross, and are generally well-nigh worthless. Do not fail to have a very powerful screw-driver to take out the breech-pin, which is always very firmly screwed up.
With large bores and all rifles that have very much recoil insist upon having the front trigger thick and well rounded, to prevent its cutting the forefinger when firing the left barrel. It is a very good plan to have the front trigger hinged or hung quite loose, so as to give way to the finger. Also see that the left trigger pulls at least 6 lbs., to prevent both barrels being fired together. There is no objection to having both locks of such weapons made with a fairly heavy pull off; the fact being that when a rifle weighing 12 or 13 lbs. is being handled a 6 or 7 lb. pull does not feel heavier than a 4 lb. pull does in an ordinary shot gun. See that all your rifle stocks are made of tough strong wood, and that the grasp or handle is left sufficiently thick to give a good hold to the right hand. It is also a very good plan to have the hand of the stock strengthened by having the strap of the action made so as to extend its full length and come over the comb. This plan was first suggested by Sir Samuel Baker, and there can be no doubt but that it very considerably strengthens the stock in its weakest part.
Try your cartridges in the chambers of your rifle or gun before starting for the day’s shooting, and carefully discard all that will not go into the weapon freely and allow the action to be closed with ease. It is desirable to have cartridge-correctors made the exact size of the chambers of each weapon.
Rebounding Locks.—Many sportsmen think that when the hammer is at the rebound or half-cock it is in a safe position, but sometimes it is quite the reverse. This is because some rifles and shot-guns are made with the face of the hammers too close to the end of the strikers; when this is so, it will be found that, should the hammer be pulled up nearly to full cock and then let down again (without touching the trigger), there is sufficient ‘give,’ or ‘spring,’ in the parts of the lock to allow the hammer to just reach and to ‘flick’ the striker hard enough to fire the rifle. The danger of this defect must be obvious. The face of the hammer when pushed forward as far as it will go (without the trigger being pulled) should be well away from the end of the striker. If there is any doubt as to whether there is sufficient space or not, hold a flat piece of metal or card against the face of the action, lift the hammers nearly to full-cock, and then release them; if the metal or card be marked by the end of the striker, it is evidence that the space between the hammer and striker is not sufficient. This should not be done often, as it has a tendency to injure the end of the scear of the lock.
Fig. 18.—Illustration of adaptation to Sir Samuel Baker’s .577 rifle
Stocks, Loops, Stops, Cases.—In ordinary rifles do not have the stocks made the same shape as in your guns. Most sportsmen miss birds by shooting under them, but with a rifle more game is missed by being shot over. It is desirable to have the stocks of rifles made a quarter of an inch more bent than those of guns, and in heavy bores even half an inch extra will be found an advantage in shooting, to say nothing of saving the shooter’s face from being punished by the recoil. Also remember that as you increase the weight of your rifle you must decrease the length of your stock.
When loops are attached to rifles for the purpose of enabling you to use slings, it is desirable to have flat ones, thus—
Fig. 19