The Breech-Loading Rifle.—Most of the rules suggested as aids in forming judgment upon the quality of the breech-loading shot gun, can be trusted as bearing with equal force in case of the breech-loading rifle. The makers of breech-loading rifles in the United States have won for themselves a noble reputation throughout the world; and, to be perfectly plain, there are very few unreliable manufacturers to be met with among them. As a consequence, there is not much risk to run in passing judgment upon a breech-loading rifle of American make. The first thing to decide upon is the principle, if there is a preference in this direction. Such decision brings up the gun of some particular maker, after which the road is easy enough—the price set upon the grade of gun by the maker, may always be accepted as a clear indication of its quality.
In referring thus to American rifles the idea is not advanced that good guns are not made in other countries—such a position would be going wide of the truth. There are some gunmakers in England who turn out the finest rifles that the world has yet seen, and the most costly. They are models of perfection in every particular, but when the best shooting is ascertained it is discovered that they have not proven themselves superior in that respect, to the more substantial (generally speaking), but less finely finished and less expensive guns of the American makers. It is this matter of a really good rifle at comparatively low figures that has given the American product such an enviable reputation throughout the world.
Then there is another reason for favorable mention of American rifles in cases where the quality of the gun is to be judged—there are fewer chances for meeting with counterfeits on American guns than there are on guns of foreign make. Here the gunmaker is so deeply concerned in his own good name that it would be very unsafe to attempt running a “bogus” upon him—he would trace it to the “last ditch.” Not so in case of the English maker—having no direct interests thrown all over this country like a network, as have the American makers, he would, in all probability, never hear of the bogus gun branded to him and sold on his good reputation for many times more than it was really worth.
In case where there are no means of getting at the quality of a rifle from the grade affixed and tests made by a responsible manufacturer, the gunsmith will of course be forced to fall back upon his own resources. What these are we need not state. The gun must be subjected to a most critical examination in every part, in obedience to rules laid down for examining breech-loading shot guns, after which its shooting qualities must be thoroughly tested. To no botch at the business can be trusted the shooting test, if it be wished to decide whether or not a certain rifle can be recommended as being of first-class quality—the work must be performed at the hands of an expert, and it must be continued until is secured unmistakable proof as to how the gun shoots. When a man buys a good rifle he does it in the expectation of becoming the owner of a gun qualified to shoot well, and, no matter how perfect it might be in all other respects, the slightest deficiency in this particular would be sure to rouse a high degree of uncompromising dissatisfaction.
CHAPTER XXXVI.
ON USING THE RIFLE.
The Old Kentucky Rifle.—The old backwoods hunters who used the long Kentucky rifle, had really but a very imperfect idea of its capabilities. The gun was provided with a hind and a fore-sight, the latter a “bead” located near the muzzle and rising but little above the common level of the surface of the barrel, and the former a small vertical plate set in the barrel a short distance in advance of the lock, and containing in the centre of its upper edge a fine slit through which to look at the “bead” in the act of taking aim. The hind-sight stood further above the barrel than the fore-sight, but why it so stood was something about which the owner seldom concerned himself. Of course the gunsmith knew it was for the purpose of setting the “aim” below the starting line of the bullet, in order that the natural curve in its flight might be accommodated, but this was usually a secret of the gunsmiths which nobody cared to possess. The sight was immovable, could neither be raised nor lowered, consequently the gun could not be adapted to circumstances of long or short range. The elevation of the sight usually crossed the line of vision and that of the flight of the bullet at about one hundred yards distance, hence the shooting at shorter range was apt to be a little too high and too low at longer range. At two hundred yards it was merely accidental, though the bullet struck with a degree of force apparently unabated at that distance. If the hunter killed his game at two hundred yards, he did it by aiming a few feet too high for a “sight” at one hundred yards, consequently he never shot at that distance so long as there was a prospect of being able to creep nearer. And yet, with the right kind of elevated sight the gun would have been equally as effectual at two hundred yards as at one hundred; in truth it would have been good for four and perhaps six hundred yards, but the old hunter had not so much as a dream of any such thing, but went creeping about through the woods endeavoring to steal upon his game, unconsciously carrying upon his shoulder an instrument that with so simple a contrivance as an elevated sight of proper grade might have brought it down almost as far as the eye could have seen it. And the game well knew the limited capacity of his gun, particularly the deer, which would frisk off to the distance of about three hundred yards and there stop, turn around, stamp their feet and “whistle” at him in apparent derision. Ah! that he had understood the real capabilities of his gun, and had suddenly invented and applied an elevated or long-range sight made after some of the approved modern plans, how he would have astonished them!
In those days of pioneer life in the States now no longer on the frontier, “match shooting” (it was not called target shooting, then) was always confined to a certain distance, sixty yards off-hand or one hundred yards with a rest. The marksman was permitted to take his own choice of modes. “Shooting matches” were very common in those earlier times, usually for beef. A fat ox was put up to be shot for at so much per shot, something on the plan of the modern raffle. When the amount asked for the animal had been made up, the shooting commenced. The best shot took first choice, which was one of the hind quarters of the ox, the second best took second choice, which was the other hind quarter; the third best took third choice, which was one of the fore quarters, and so on to the fifth choice, which consisted of the hide and tallow. Happy occasions, indeed, were those old “shooting matches,” and splendid, indeed, was some of the shooting. A regular attendance upon numerous target matches of more modern times, with all the modern appliances, in the hands of marksmen with national reputations, has never shown us better shooting at sixty yards, off-hand, or one hundred yards with a rest.
General Directions.—Mr. Edward C. Barber, author of the “Crack Shot,” says the greatest care and nicety is required in loading any kind of rifle, if we desire to have it shoot with accuracy. A few grains too much or too little powder will alter the range of the bullet, and the bullet itself, if not placed in the barrel exactly right, in the case of the muzzle-loader, will come out at an irregular angle, and, instead of going straight to the mark, will be turned sideways. This trouble is avoided by the use of a “starter,” to be had at any gun store.
Supposing that a young man has just possessed himself of a rifle, but who knows nothing of its use save such information as he has been able to gather from mere theorists. He makes choice of a suitable place for taking his first practical lesson, where there is no danger of inflicting harm upon disinterested persons. He puts up his target and steps off fifty yards, or it might be better to measure it more accurately than by stepping.