Size of Gun.—­American bushrangers advocate a long heavy pea-rifle, on the plea of its accurate shooting, and the enormous saving in weight of ammunition when bullets of a small size are used.  The objections to small-bored rifles are, insufficiency against large game (even with conical bullets), and a tendency to become foul after a few shots.  A short light rifle, whether with a large or a small bore, is, I believe, utterly worthless.  In the hands of a man trembling with running and with exhaustion, it shakes like a wand:  the shorter the rifle, the more quickly does it oscillate, and of course, in the same proportion, is it difficult to catch the exact moment when the sights cover the object.

For the larger kinds of game, such as elephants and buffaloes, experienced sportsmen mostly prefer guns of immense Bore, carrying round bullets that weigh a quarter of a pound.  The recoil is tremendous, and would injure the shoulder if the sportsman did not use a pad against which he rests the gun.  The guns must be strong, because very large charges of powder are invariably used where great power of penetration is required.  African sportsmen found this out experimentally long before the idea occurred to artillerists.

Sights.—­The hind sight should be far from the eye, even though it be placed half-way down the barrel:  else it becomes out of focus and indistinct, when the eye is firmly set on the object aimed at; this drawback is never compensated by the advantage of having the front and hind sights far asunder.

Ramrod.—­The guns of servants and indeed those of their masters, should have thin soft-iron ramrods; the elasticity of these when slightly bent, will retain them in the ramrod-tubes; both ends of the ramrod must be forged broad.

Screw to secure the Cock.—­In common guns, this screw is very liable to get loose, fall out and be lost; it is therefore desirable to have one or more spare screws.

Water-proof Cover should not be forgotten.

Rust, to prevent.—­Paraffine and mercurial ointment are perhaps the two best things to keep rust off iron, in sea voyages or in boat-shooting.  Before embarking for a voyage, it is convenient to enclose the guns in a leaden case, which, on arrival, can be melted up into bullets.  It is remarkable how much better dirty guns withstand rust than clean ones.

Olive oil, to purify.—­Put a piece of lead in the glass bottle that contains the oil, and expose to the sun; a quantity of cloudy matter will separate after a few days, then the refined oil may be decanted.

The small of the stock is the weakest part of a gun:  it is constantly broken by falls in travel.  Sir Samuel Baker justly recommends that “all guns made for sport in wild countries and rough riding, should have steel instead of iron from the Breech-socket, extending far back to within six inches of the shoulder plate; the trigger-guard should likewise be steel, and should be carried back to an equal distance with the above rib; the steel should be of extra thickness, and screwed through to the upper piece; thus the two being connected by screws above and below, no fall could break the stock.”