Chapter IV: Part I: How a Shotgun is Made

Hunting and fishing have always held the most important places in the field of sport. Primitive man was an expert hunter and a skilled fisherman. He had to be in order to secure food and skins, and while but few men are now dependent upon this method of getting a living, the call of the outdoor world is still heard by millions of men and women. This, then, may be reckoned the inheritance which our primitive ancestors have bequeathed to every man, and every man will find health and recreation through it. It would be interesting to begin this chapter at the start and set down the history of weapons, trace the evolution of the hunting arm all the way from the bow down to the modern hammerless shotgun, but as this is a practical article on how to pick out a good gun and the knack of using it, only modern weapons will be discussed. While the novice need not know the detailed process of constructing a shotgun, he will find it an advantage to know something of the way in which a serviceable weapon is manufactured, for with this knowledge he is better qualified to pick out a suitable arm for his own particular use.

The frame of a shotgun--that is, the part to one end of which the barrels are affixed, the stock being bolted to the other--contains the lock mechanism, and that the weapon may give the most satisfaction for many years, the stock must be of good quality, of the exquisite temper, and the bolting mechanism--securing the barrels to the frame--must be simple, yet strong and serviceable. For the frame, a solid drop forging is milled to make a shell into which the working mechanism is fitted, and two types of frames are used in making the modern shotguns. The side-plate lock is really a development of the old hammer lock, with the striker inside. This lock is preferred by some shooters because of its neat and graceful lines, and some manufacturers use this type because it enables them to make use of a lighter frame.

The box type of frame likewise has its champions and possesses certain advantages. Certainly it makes a strong and rigid frame, and for inexpensive weapons it would be difficult to improve upon. While its square, boxlike form is not graceful in line, it enables the maker to use a spiral, or coil, spring instead of a flat spring for operating the locks, which is an advantage. In brief, the merits of both types may be summed up in this fashion: The use of the box type of lock enables the maker to turn out a better quality of gun at a low price, but in the case of a well-made gun, selling for a reasonable figure, there is very little choice between them so far as dependability and long service are concerned. Both are much used by manufacturers of the finest weapons, hence the shooter may pick out the one which best suits his fancy.

The Cocking Mechanism of the Hammerless

The locks of the hammerless shotgun work inside of the frame or lock, and are cocked by an ingenious little mechanism operated by the movement of the barrels when they are opened. The Anson & Deely cocking mechanism is one of the oldest and best of these devices, and is still used on many American as well as European arms. The levers of this mechanism are hung with pivots in the end of the frame--one end projecting into the fore end and the opposite end resting beneath the hammer toe. As the gun is “broken,” or opened, it presses down the forward end of the cocking lever, and the other end rises and pushes the hammers into the cocked position. This is the principle upon which all cocking devices are constructed, and while it works smoothly and is so simple that it is not likely to get out of order, it is mechanically weak, owing to the short frame required to secure adequate leverage. Perhaps one of the best variations of the Anson & Deely device is one employed by an American manufacturer who makes use of a rod running through the frame from the fore end to the hammer. To each end of this rod is attached a crank, so hung that as one crank is depressed the other rises and pushes the hammer to the cock position as the barrels are swung to open the gun.

The cocking hook is an ingenious device found on American shotguns and many variations of it are, of course, used on the different makes of arms. The Parker gun is provided with a hook working a slide, thus pulling the hammers to cock. In the Baker, a bent arm is pivoted to the breech to serve the same purpose. Another example of American ingenuity may be noted in the lug-cocking devices used on the Ithaca and Fox guns. This simple arrangement is made by connecting the toe of the hammer directly with the lug, which is an integral part of the barrel. The hammer is thus made to act as its own lever, for as the toe portion rises when the barrel is opened, the striker falls back until it is caught in the notch of the sear.

To guard against the possibility of accidental discharge of the hammerless gun, in which type of gun the hammer must be always at full cock, a safety trigger bolt is utilized. This bolt is affixed in the frame in a vertical position by pivoting it, and to the upper part of the lever is attached a slide placed on top of the tang immediately back of the top lever which opens the barrels. As this safety slide is pushed, the lower end of the lever is brought close up against the triggers, blocking them, and thus prevents them from moving while the safety is in the “on” position. To discharge the gun, the slide must be pushed forward to the “off” position, which moves the lower end away from the triggers. This type of safety is of the nonautomatic variety and can only block the triggers when the slide is operated by the shooter.

The automatic type of safety consists of a block, or bar, fitted in the frame and extending from the safety bolt to the post of the top lever. When the top lever is pushed to one side to open the barrels, this block, or bar, pushes the safety bolt over the triggers, automatically blocking them and preventing accidental discharge. The triggers must be pressed to withdraw the automatic safety bar.

To make the shotgun less likely to go off in the hands of the careless gunner, the tumbler safety has been incorporated into the mechanism of a few American weapons. The tumbler safety is a bar, automatically operated by the triggers, and interposed between the strikers and their firing pins. This device makes it impossible for the arm to be discharged by the hammer jarring off when dropped, for the tumbler bar occupies its position between the strikers and firing pins until the triggers are pulled.

The practical value of both the automatic safety and the tumbler type of bolt is questioned by practically all experienced gunners. Its presence is designed to make the arm less dangerous in the hands of careless and ignorant sportsmen. This it may serve to do, but since there should be no excuse for tolerating the latter, most handlers of the scatter gun fail to see the utility of the former. The novice should lose no time in acquiring the knack of handling his chosen weapon, and if he will but exercise a little care, he will find the hand-operated safety quite sufficient, for he will not be troubled through accidental discharge of his gun. By far the larger portion of accidents occur through careless handling of the gun and by the untimely pulling of the trigger, either by dragging the gun through the brush or by nervousness, and it is impossible to make use of a safety device to prevent the accidental discharge.

The Barrels of a Shotgun

Between 15 and 20 years ago shotgun barrels were made by combining bars of iron and steel and welding them together to form barrels of the proper diameter or bore. When these strips of metal were twisted to make a spiral tube they were welded together to make the familiar “twist,” “laminated,” and “Damascus” barrels. Sometimes three, four, and five strips of iron and steel were twisted together to make the “three-stripe,” “four-stripe,” and “five-stripe” Damascus barrels. This old type of a barrel was strong and flexible, but being comparatively soft, it was easily damaged by denting.

The modern compressed-steel barrels are fashioned from solid drawn steel, are very hard, will stand much higher pressure than the Damascus type, and since the process of manufacture is simpler, a first-class steel barrel may be produced at one-quarter the cost of the old type. The several manufacturers have adopted trade names to distinguish the various grades of steel barrels. Various trade names come from abroad, and those of American manufacture are labeled “nitro-steel,” “armor steel,” “high-pressure steel,” etc. While differences very likely exist in the quality of the different barrels sold under the several names, all the barrels used by reputable gun builders will be found amply strong to resist any pressure exerted by ordinary charges of powder, hence the cheaper guns are perfectly safe and will stand many years of hard shooting.

Locking the Barrels to the Frame

In the early models of the breech-loader the barrels were locked to the frame with a bolt operated by a lever placed under the fore end. All modern guns have the top-lever action. In this device a “lump” is fastened to the under side of the barrels near the breech, forming a hinged joint to which the fore end is attached when fitting the barrel and stock together. When closed, the breech end of the barrels is held down to the action and tight up against the breech by a slide, or bolt, which fits into the “lump” attached underneath the barrels. Different makers use various forms of top-lever bolting devices, as the “hook rib” or “extension rib,” otherwise known as the “doll’s head,” and the cross bolt first used by Greener, the celebrated English gun builder. All of these devices are satisfactory on a good grade of gun, but the strongest mechanism is an American invention, known as the Smith rotary bolt. This rotary bolt is tapered and is pushed through an opening in the rib by means of a strong spring. Mechanically this locking device is all that can be desired, and it cannot loosen through manipulation, because of its compensating feature, that is, the spring forces the bolt farther in as the bearings become worn through much service. Many of our well-known builders use this splendid fastening.

Shotgun Stocks

Walnut is exclusively used for gunstocks, and the several grades are termed plain American walnut, fine American walnut, English walnut, selected English walnut, fine English walnut, Italian walnut, and Circassian walnut. The plain American walnut is simply a common quality of black walnut, oiled and varnished, and fitted on the cheaper guns. Fine American walnut is of better quality, darker in color, and of better grain. It is strong and durable, and when well oiled and polished by hand, it makes a neat stock for the inexpensive gun. The selected English walnut is of good color and with good grain. When oiled and hand-polished it makes an attractive stock for the knockabout gun. Fine English walnut is usually fitted to guns selling at a higher price, and is generally made to order. Italian walnut is a dark wood with a fine grain and is usually supplied to order on the finest guns. Circassian walnut is the finest wood obtainable, of a rich dark color and a fine curly grain. It is therefore expensive and only finished to order and fitted to the most expensive guns.

The Fore End

The fore end is an extension of the stock beyond the triggers and frame and affords a grip for the extended hand--protecting it from the hot barrel--serves to lock the barrel to the frame, and likewise holds the ejector mechanism. The Deely & Edge, and Snal fore ends are both used on American guns, and they are so well designed and made that it is practically impossible for the modern types to loosen even when the arm has been subjected to long, hard service. Hence this detail of the shotgun need not be considered when selecting an arm.

Self-Ejector Mechanism

Although a great many shooters do not use the self-ejector, this handy device will many times prove of great value in the field, for when the birds are coming fast and the shooter happens to score a miss, the self-ejector throws out the empty shell and enables him to shove in a fresh load to bring down the following bird. The nonejecting arm is plenty good and quick enough for trap use, for when shooting “clays,” plenty of time is given each man to reload between shots, but for upland-bird and for duck shooting, the automatic ejector is a desirable addition to the double-barreled gun.

Repeating and Automatic Shotguns

While a good double-barreled gun in the hands of the average shot will very likely bag as many birds as the shooter is entitled to--and it may be depended on to do this when fitted with a good automatic ejector--many shooters prefer the repeating gun. The hand-operated, sliding fore arm, trombone-action, or pump gun is so well-known that no recommendation is needed. It will suffice to mention that it will do everything that a double-barreled gun can perform, and considering that every pump gun is self-ejecting, and its cost less than an equal grade of double gun equipped with an ejecting device, it is not difficult to understand its popularity. So far as accuracy is concerned, the repeater will shoot rather more steadily than the double-barreled gun in the hands of the average man, and after two shots have been fired, there remain four more in the magazine. Rapid firing is not always an advantage, of course, but when after ducks, the third shot is often wanted in the interval that is required to load the double-barreled gun.

The automatic, or self-loading, shotgun is the logical development of the repeater, and while its mechanism is necessarily more complicated, it has some merits peculiarly its own. The devotee of the double barrel is inclined to believe that the repeater and the automatic shotgun do not balance so well as his favorite weapon, and the man who swears by the pump gun is inclined to think that the automatic arm is balanced like a club and prone to get out of order. Both factions can put up plenty of argument to support their opinions, but to the unprejudiced gunner, both the repeater and the self-loader will prove very fine guns after the shooter has become familiar in handling them. The double-barrel is a mighty fine gun, so is the repeater and again the automatic; so let the gunner pick out the type he likes best.

How to Select a Shotgun

That the shooter may not be handicapped by using a misfit gun, it is well to make a selection at one of the larger dealers’ where guns of various sizes, weights and lengths, as well as drops in stocks, may be tried until one is found that fits the gunner the best. A good shot can pick up almost any gun and do fairly accurate shooting with it, but he can do better work with a gun fitting him properly. The chief measurements of a gunstock are the length and drop of the stock, and the drop and shape of the comb. The ordinary thickness of the grip will suit the average hand, but in the case of unusually large or small hands, this must be taken into consideration. For the average man these measurements will probably be about right: Length of stock, from forward trigger to center of butt plate, A-A, 14 to 14¹⁄₂ in., drop at comb, B-B, 1¹⁄₂ to 1⁷⁄₈ in., which will give corresponding drop at the heel, C-C, from 2¹⁄₂ to 3 in. A fairly straight stock of good length may be reckoned an advantage for trap shooting, but for use in the field, a somewhat crooked stock with more drop at the comb, say, 1⁵⁄₈ in. with 2⁵⁄₈-in. drop at the heel, will more fully meet the average shooter’s idea of a well-balanced gun. However, as men differ, and there are as many faces and eyes as there are men, every shooter must decide this question for himself. So far as the circumference of the grip is concerned, the size of the shooter’s hand and the length of his fingers will decide this detail. For a small hand, a 7-in. grip is about right, while a grip of 7¹⁄₂ in. will probably fit the large hand well. The question of straight or pistol grip is purely a matter of personal taste, for one is as good as the other so far as accurate handling of the gun is concerned.

The Gauge, or Size of Bore

The 10-gauge may be occasionally useful for long-range duck and goose shooting, but for ordinary duck and upland use the 12-gauge is plenty large enough. The larger the gauge the greater will be the killing zone, and up to their ranges the small bores may, for all practical purposes, be regarded as shooting quite as accurately and with as much power as the heavier gauges, that is, the small bores will shoot to kill if held correctly. The standard 12-gauge gun is fitted with 30-in. barrels, weighs 7 to 8 lb., and the standard load for the field is 3 dr. of powder and 1¹⁄₈ oz. of shot. This gives a killing range up to 40 yd. The standard 16-gauge, with 30-in. barrels, weighs from 6¹⁄₂ to 7¹⁄₄ lb., and the standard load is 2¹⁄₂ dr. of powder and 1 oz. of shot, with a killing range up to 35 yd. The standard 20-gauge, with 28-in. barrels, weighs from 5 to 6¹⁄₂ lb. and the standard load is 2¹⁄₄ dr. of powder and ⁷⁄₈ oz. of shot. Best killing range up to 30 yards.

For an all-purpose gun, suitable for wild fowling as well as upland shooting, the 12-gauge is the best choice although the 16-gauge will be found a hard-hitting weapon. For the good shot, the 20-gauge will prove a fine little arm for upland work, only the gunner must shoot well with the small bore to kill his bird clean. Contrary to the notion, the large bore, not the small gauge, will bring the most game to the novice’s bag.

Mission Candlestick

Even though a candlestick is one of the simplest of the smaller household furnishings, it nevertheless can be made a very attractive feature.

For the illustrated mission design, a base, 4 by 4 by ⁷⁄₈ in., should be provided. This is cut, with the grain, for a ¹⁄₂-in.-wide groove, ¹⁄₄ in. deep and extending from one side to within ¹⁄₂ in of the opposite side. In this groove is to fit the handle, which is made from a piece of ¹⁄₂ by 2¹⁄₄ by 3³⁄₄-in. stock. It is provided with a finger-grip hole ³⁄₄ by 1¹⁄₄ in. at one end. Its upper edge should be marked off from the center pedestal and fitted to it. The pedestal can be made from stock 1⁷⁄₈ by 1⁷⁄₈ by 5 in. A tenon, ¹⁄₄ in. long by 1¹⁄₄ in. square, is formed on the lower end. This tenon is to fit a mortise in the center of the base. A slot ¹⁄₂ in. wide is cut centrally in the pedestal, and 2 in. above the lower end, to fit the handle. The upper end of the pedestal is cut straight for ¹⁄₄ in. and squared off to 1¹⁄₈ in. This is to serve as a tenon to fit a corresponding mortise in the ¹⁄₂ by 2-in. square top. The sides of the pedestal are evenly tapered off from the 1⁷⁄₈-in. square base to the lower end of the 1¹⁄₈-in. square tenon, at the top.

The parts, before assembling, should be thoroughly sandpapered, as considerable difficulty would otherwise be experienced. No nails or screws need be used, as good glue will keep the parts together equally well. When completely assembled, a hole should be drilled through the top and into the pedestal, to fit the size of candle to be used. A carefully applied mission stain and varnish will give a proper finish to the candlestick.--Contributed by G. Crossley, Erie, Pa.

Pin Setter for the Home Tenpins

Bowling with a set of small tenpins, which can be purchased at a department store, is a very interesting game. The chief drawback, however, is the setting of the pins. With a little rack like the one shown in the illustration, the interest in the game may be increased considerably. It not only helps in setting the pins rapidly, but insures a good setting with the proper spacing between the pins. It is very simple to make, as it consists of a triangular piece of wood with ten holes bored into it at the proper places, the dimensions of which will be governed by the size of the pins, and three supports. The pins are dropped in the holes and the rack lifted from them.--Contributed by F. K. Howard, Los Angeles, California.

Magically Naming a Written Card

This experiment consists in requesting anyone of a company of spectators to name a card and write it on a piece of paper, whereupon the performer instantly names the card written.

Two persons are necessary, the performer and his assistant. The performer leaves the room while the spectator writes the name of the card on the paper, the assistant supplying the paper and pencil. When the name of the card is written, the paper is folded by the spectator and handed to the assistant with the pen or pencil. The assistant lays the pencil and paper on a table in certain positions to designate the name of the card. Previous to this test, the performer and the assistant must have the positions of the paper and pencil mentally fixed in their minds. Referring to the sketch, the four sides of the table represent the card suits, viz., spades, hearts, clubs, and diamonds; and an imaginary circle divided into twelve parts indicates the number of the card, 1 standing for ace, 2 for deuce, and so on.

The assistant, knowing what has been written on the paper, places the paper to indicate the suit, and the pencil is laid so that it points to the number on the imaginary circle, or dial. The one shown in the sketch is designating the four of hearts.

Dry-Cleaning Mixture

An emulsion of gasoline and water is much used by dry cleaners for removing grease, tar, and paint spots from clothing. It is in the form of a thick, white sirup, which evaporates entirely and is not injurious to any fabric or color. The directions for preparing this emulsion should be followed out carefully.

Dissolve, in 1 qt. of boiling water, ¹⁄₂ oz. of pure castile soap, and ¹⁄₄ oz. of gum arabic. Allow this to cool, and then add 1 oz. glycerin, 1 oz. strong aqua ammonia, 1¹⁄₂ oz. chloroform, and 2 oz. sulphuric ether. Shake well, and pour enough of the mixture into a quart bottle to fill it for ³⁄₄ in. On top of this, pour not more than ¹⁄₄ in. of gasoline, and shake until creamy. Repeat the addition of gasoline, shaking each time, until full. The cleaning mixture will then be ready for use, and may be applied with a rag, or small brush.

If, on adding the first lot of gasoline and shaking, the mixture does not become emulsified, it proves that too much gasoline has been added. In this case, allow it to stand for a few minutes, and pour off the excess gasoline which comes to the top. Shake well, and add a smaller quantity of gasoline. When the bottle is half full, larger quantities of gasoline may be added at a time.

It is interesting to note that the more gasoline is added, the thicker the emulsion becomes, and if the addition of gasoline and shaking is prolonged, a semisolid jelly is formed, which will not run from a bottle.--Contributed by H. E. Zschiegner, Wellsville, N. Y.

Locking Window Sash

An excellent lock for window sash is to use two small, but strong, hinges one fastened on each side of the top sash close to the upper edge of the lower sash. This allows one wing of each hinge to swing freely which permits it to be swung over the upper edge of the lower sash, locking both securely. In placing the hinges in this position, they are out of sight and not in the way.

AND HOW TO USE IT

BY Stillman Taylor