Part 5

One fault which is very bad in choke bores, and counts against shooting straight-going and straight-coming game well, far more than with cylinders, is that of patches without any shot in them in the outer edge of the circle. What is meant here is not a misdirection of the load but an erratic spread of it. In a close-shooting weapon this fault is almost as bad as a misdirection, but differs in this, that the patch varies its position with each shot. These patches sometimes extend from the outer edge to very nearly the centre of the pattern, and consistent shooting when they occur is impossible. They are not chance happenings, and can be obviated by good boring and good loading. The author thinks they most often occur when the shot can be shaken in the cartridge, and it may be that a size of pellets which do not lie evenly on the outer circle on the wad assist in deforming the pattern.

But theory is of no use, and it is the gun-maker’s business to sell a gun that he can show has none of these faults. Whether he overcomes them by a change in size of shot, quantity of them, or in an alteration of brand of powder, matters nothing to the shooter, and is not his affair. Enough has been said when the gun-buyer is placed in a position that it took the author many years to arrive at in regard to the choke bore, namely, that everything on the plate that is bad is not the fault of the shooter, but of the gun-maker.

There is another advantage of the choke bore. It shoots No. 5 shot at 50 yards as hard as No. 6 is shot by a cylinder at 40 yards, and the pattern will be quite equal at 50 yards with the large shot to that of the cylinder’s small shot at 40 yards.

This is very important in shooting at straight coming or going grouse. The farther off the first bird can be taken, the more certainly will the others be killed. No. 6 shot has enormous energy when the speed of a quick advancing bird is added to the speed of the shot. If it gets in the bird, it will go a long way through him; but when grouse are coming low, and dead straight to the gun, they glance the small shot like a shower of hail upon a duck’s back. Consequently more heavy shot will get in, although fewer will hit.

The kind of gun to be bought can hardly be determined until the shooter has settled what size of pellets he wants to use at various game. Messrs. Kynoch sell more than twice as many No. 5 shot as any other size. No. 6 comes next, and Nos. 7 and 5½ are nowhere.

With a cylinder gun only placing 100 pellets of No. 6 shot in the 30 inch circle at 40 yards, one could not expect great work from No. 5 pellets on birds as small as partridges walked up. The pattern would be too open at 40 yards, and the penetration unnecessarily high at 25 yards.

Some, at least, of No. 6 shot has penetration for a slow partridge flying dead away at 40 yards. With a very quick driven bird shot at behind, it has not more than enough penetration beyond 30 yards. The pace of the retreating game reduces the energy of the impact, but there is very little glancing off the feathers when they are struck from behind. The author is inclined to say that in shooting coming game all glancing is away from the game, and from behind all glancing from feathers is into the bird. He has himself heard the clatter of the shot on a straight-coming duck at about 30 yards when no damage whatever was done. At a low skimming partridge coming straight for an open gateway in which the writer was standing, he has shot, as at a sitting mark, for there was neither swerve nor rise or fall; he has seen the earth kick up all round the bird at about 25 yards, and has not been any nearer bagging the game. Surely nothing but glancing shot can account for such escapes.

┌──────┬─────┬──────┬───────────┬──────────┬──────┬────────┬────────┬──────┐ │1906. │ No. │ Name │Partridges.│Pheasants.│Hares.│Rabbits.│Various.│Total.│ │ │ of │ of │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │Guns.│Beat. │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ├──────┼─────┼──────┼───────────┼──────────┼──────┼────────┼────────┼──────┤ │Dec. 4│ 8 │Blanch│ 91│ 657│ 574│ 139│ 2│ 1,463│ │ │ │Whin │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │Dec. 5│ 9 │Gold’n│ 15│ 3,824│ 526│ 92│ 3│ 4,460│ │ │ │Vall’y│ │ │ │ │ │ │ │Dec. 6│ 9 │High │ 11│ 3,037│ 182│ 42│ 2│ 3,274│ │ │ │Cliff │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ├──────┼─────┼──────┼───────────┼──────────┼──────┼────────┼────────┼──────┤ │ │ │ │ 117│ 7,518│ 1,282│ 273│ 7│ 9,197│ └──────┴─────┴──────┴───────────┴──────────┴──────┴────────┴────────┴──────┘

A bird partly crossing can be killed farther away, but a partridge coming dead on, in spite of the increase of impact caused by its speed, is far out for a cylinder and No. 6 shot at 30 yards, but with a choke bore and No. 5 shot it is well within range at 40 yards. Then a fast going-away driven bird is 10 yards nearer than it looks if you have No. 5 pellets in the gun, and a good deal farther off than it looks if you have No. 6.

So far only the actual bringing down of game has been considered, but there is the question of ethics too. With all shot there is some distance at which a body shot ceases to be effective, and when killing must depend on hitting a vital exposed part, or the wing. As the body is more than twice as big as these exposed vitals, namely the head and neck, it follows that the body will be hit twice as often as these vital parts. Beyond the distance at which body shots will kill, it follows that the shooter wounds twice for every head he bags. Consequently there is a wounding distance for each kind of shot pellet for straight going and coming game.

This wounding distance, for No. 6 shot, the author would be inclined to place at all ranges beyond 30 yards and up to 100 yards; for No. 5 shot, all distances beyond 40 yards and up to 120 yards. But as most people do not shoot at game beyond 50 yards, for practical purposes the wounding distance is from 30 to 50 yards with No. 6, and from 40 to 50 yards with No. 5 shot. Full-feathered partridges are the birds alluded to. August grouse can be killed farther away with much more certainty.

In all the public London trials of guns the patterns of cylinders have not averaged as high as 100 pellets of No. 6 in the 30 inch circle at 40 yards range. With 1¼ oz. of No. 6, of 270 pellets to the ounce, about 250 pellets in the same circle have been frequently obtained at the same 40 yards range from choke bores. But the majority of guns sold as cylinders now will put as many as 120 pellets in the circle, and the author has seen one of Holland’s put 160 pellets in that circle. In this gun there was no noticeable choke bore when a barrel gauge was used at all distances within 8 inches of the muzzle. The author did not attempt further to learn how this barrel was bored, and it would not be fair to expose it if he knew, which is not the case. But now that the principle of boring is well understood, there appear to be several methods by which a similar result would be possible. The barrels are known to stretch very considerably under the pressure of the powder-gas, and consequently any treatment of the barrels at the muzzles that would prevent them stretching with the rest of the barrel would act, more or less, like a modified choke. This might be done perhaps by an external thickening of the barrel, or by a hardening of the metal just at the right spot.

However, to prefer a cylinder that gives a high pattern to a modified choke bore that does the same, is only a fad. The former is difficult to obtain, and the latter is everywhere; and it is not the modified choke that so often is made to shoot untrue to centre, but the full choke.

The disadvantage of the choke-bore pattern is that it may plaster the game at distances nearer than the cylinder does. To compare the two patterns made at 20 yards, it is difficult to believe that the choke is almost as free from plastering as the cylinder. As a matter of fact there are several reasons for the well-known surprise that it does not often plaster feathered game.

The birds are not often coming straight at the gun nor going quite straight away from it, and any tendency to cross the line of aim is equivalent to allowing the game some benefit for any slight inaccuracy of timing the shot, and any wrong allowance in front. For instance, perhaps 5 inches too much allowance in front, with otherwise correct timing, at 20 yards, might very well allow half the shot column to go past a slow bird before he flew into the remainder of the shot column, which would be equivalent to shooting at a motionless bird with only half the pattern.

On the other hand, a very fast bird may fly right through the shot column before more than half of it has passed his line of flight. When the bird is caught by the centre of the head of the column at 20 yards range, he has but 10 inches to fly to get out of the line of flight of the shot from a full choke bore. The last pellets in the load will not be travelling more than 700 feet per second, and fast game is often going at 100 feet per second and more, although newly started game in still air may not often exceed 60 feet per second. But probably the real reason why good shots especially do not plaster their game at near distances is that they always shoot well in front, with a view to hitting only in the head and neck. At short range the slowest pellets are quite equal to killing whenever they hit straight for a vital part, exposed or otherwise. A shot aimed well forward with the intention of almost missing, by premature arrival of the pellets on the line of the bird’s flight, is almost sure to result in the cleanest kind of kill, brought about by two or three shot pellets in the head and neck and none anywhere else.

This also is often accomplished even at long distances, but not in the same way. Then the shot that succeeds must be well timed to get the bird’s body into the thickest of the pellets, and one of the reasons why the body is not plastered is that from most angles of impact, on a coming bird, the body shots glance off, and only the head, neck, and wing shots tell. The only great chance of smashing winged game that occurs is in near shots at going-away game, and then, whether a man holds a cylinder or a choke bore, he will assuredly give lots of “law,” even if, in doing so, the game passes out of sight.

There is an idea that the killing circle from a gun can be mapped out by geometric progression. That is to say, that if lines are drawn from the muzzle to the extremity of a 40 inch circle at 40 yards, you will be able to measure off, or calculate, the killing circle for straight-away game at any distance. That is not so. At the nearer distances the size of the killing circle is regulated by the pellets that, at 40 yards, are outside of it altogether. There they are too thinly scattered to count for chances. Thus the killing circle of a cylinder and of a full choke have no relationship to each other, or to geometric progression of the spread of pellets for each distance.

The author has measured many patterns at different distances, and he believes that the following table shows very truly the diameters of the killing circles covered, on the basis of that pattern which was regarded as thick enough to kill game in the cylinder days. That is to say, the latter sort of gun was tried at 40 yards where it spread fairly evenly over a 40 inch circle. But its proper distance was 30 yards, and at that range nothing else at any other distance gives the shooter an equal chance with No. 6 shot.

FOR STILL, OR STRAIGHT AWAY, OR STRAIGHT COMING GAME. THE SIZE OF THE KILLING CIRCLE BASED ON A MINIMUM 100 PELLETS IN A CIRCLE OF 30 INCH DIAMETER

┌────────────────────────┬────────┬────────┬────────┬────────┬────────┐ │ Description of gun and │ At 20 │ At 30 │ At 40 │ At 50 │ At 60 │ │ size of shot. │ yards. │ yards. │ yards. │ yards. │ yards. │ ├────────────────────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┤ │Cylinder and No. 6 shot.│22 in. A│35 in. A│40 in. B│ none │ ... │ ├────────────────────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┤ │Even spreading choke │20 in. A│26 in. A│30 in. B│37½ in. │45 in. C│ │ bore and No. 6 shot │ │ │ │ C │ │ ├────────────────────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┤ │Centre clustering choke │20 in. A│25 in. A│28 in. B│34 in. C│40 in. C│ │ bore and No. 6 shot │ │ │ │ │ │ ├────────────────────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┤ │Cylinder and No. 5 shot │21 in. A│34 in. A│ none │ ... │ │ ├────────────────────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┤ │Even spreading choke │19 in. A│25 in. A│30 in. A│37½ in. │ none │ │ bore and No. 5 shot │ │ │ │ B │ │ ├────────────────────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┤ │Central clustering choke│19 in. A│24 in. A│27 in. A│35 in. B│ none │ │ bore and No. 5 shot │ │ │ │ │ │ └────────────────────────┴────────┴────────┴────────┴────────┴────────┘

In the above table each circle of shot has been marked with a reference letter, which is intended to imply—

A, that all pellets will have enough strength to kill if they only hit the body, and in direct line for a vital.

B, that only the fastest pellets in the load will have enough strength to kill by body shots, and that at least half the pellets will only have enough strength to kill if they hit head, neck, or wing.

C, that none of the pellets will kill by body wounds, but only the small number that chance to hit head, neck, or wing.

The pellets that come under the description applied to C can be greatly extended beyond the distances named, and at ranges to which it would be foolish to apply the term “killing circles.” Thus the author has seen a roe deer killed at 60 yards with No. 6 shot from a 12 bore. Lord Walsingham has made four consecutive shots with No. 5 shot at wild ducks at an average range of about 88 yards, or, to be accurate, at 84½ yards, 89 yards, 84 yards, and 114 yards. But these lucky shots in vital spots do not affect the question, except to show that it is difficult to apply a limit to the killing power of even weak pellets when they strike head, neck, or wing. Outside the zone marked A one is certain to do some wounding without killing the game, but although many pellets will hit without being straight for vital spots, others will probably kill the same bird. But in the C zone it is always two or three chances on wounding to one chance of killing.

The reason for attempting to draw a distinctive line between these zones for the different guns and loads is that there is far too much unhealthy, random shooting at game, which gives rise to prolonged agony, while the sportsman is dining well, and, as he believes, sleeping the sleep of the just. Even on the baser score of economy and next year’s sport, it is wise to wound no more game than human blundering compels, and not to lay ourselves out to wound by attempting to kill when the chances are so bad that the wild shooter would not risk them upon a horse-race, much less in a mere commercial speculation.

There has often been controversy on the difference of penetration from a choke bore and a cylinder. When penetration was taken by recording the number of sheets of paper, or boards, pierced by one pellet, or even by three, the choke bore always won. But really this was merely a double counting of pattern, because when two guns shoot with the same velocity of shot, that which has the best pattern will also have most pellets through. That is how it came to be settled by the public London gun trials that choke bores had materially the most penetration. As a matter of fact, nobody knows which has most penetration. Sometimes the number of sheets pierced by half the shot which hit a penetration testing pad will be in favour of one, and sometimes of the other gun, and moreover the difference in piercing by the pellets of the same discharge may be as much as two to one.

Chronographic testing for time over a range has never proved very satisfactory, for the instrument makes but one record of time for 300 different pellets, which are known to vary in velocity over some ranges by 300 foot-seconds, and in striking velocity by 200 foot-seconds.

This was brought out by the late Mr. Griffith, who as manager of the Schultze gunpowder works had great opportunities, and took them. Powder-makers may very well use the chronograph in testing powders at 10 yards range. At this range Mr. Borland of the E.C. Company informed the writer that he could never find a difference between small shot and large pellets; which goes to prove that at the distance they have not scattered longitudinally enough to make the chronograph the absurdity it becomes when it records one time for 300, all various.

But once the chronograph was used for small shot on the right principle. This was when Mr. Griffith applied it to his revolving target experiments.

┌───────────┬────────────────────────────────────┬────────────────────┐ │Description│ Length of shot column at these │ How the length of │ │of gun and │ ranges in yards as previously │column was obtained.│ │ load. │ accepted. │ │ ├───────────┼──────┬──────┬────┬─────┬─────┬─────┼────────────────────┤ │ 〃 │ 10 │ 20 │ 30 │ 40 │ 50 │ 60 │ 〃 │ ├───────────┼──────┼──────┼────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼────────────────────┤ │Choke bore │ │ │ │ │ │ │By actual │ │ 12 gauge,│ │ │ │ │ │ │ measurement on the│ │ 49 grains│ │ │ │ │ │ │ Griffith revolving│ │ Schultze,│ 2¼ │4 feet│ 6¾ │ 3¼ │ 4¼ │ 4½ │ targets, assuming │ │ and 1⅛ │ feet │ │feet│yards│yards│yards│ velocity of shot │ │ oz. shot │ │ │ │ │ │ │ to be only 200 │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ f.s.—the same as │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ that of target │ │ 〃 │ │ │ │ │ │ │By multiplying the │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ length of actual │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ measurement as │ │ │ 11 │ 19 │ 27 │ 33 │ 35 │ │ above by the ratio│ │ │ feet │ feet │feet│feet │feet │ │ of shot speed at │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ the end of the │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ range above the │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ 200 f.s. of the │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ revolving targets │ ├───────────┼──────┼──────┼────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼────────────────────┤ │The same │ │ │ │ │ │ │As in first line │ │ gun and │ │ │ │ │ │ │ above │ │ load, but│ 20 │ 40 │ 6 │ 9 │ 12 │ 4¼ │ │ │ with only│inches│inches│feet│feet │feet │yards│ │ │ 42 grains│ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ Schultze │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ powder │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ 〃 │8 feet│ 15 │ 22 │ 28 │ 29 │ ... │As in second line │ │ │ │ feet │feet│feet │feet │ │ above │ ├───────────┼──────┼──────┼────┼─────┼─────┼─────┼────────────────────┤ │Cylinder │ │ │ │ │ │ │As in first line │ │ gun 12 │ │ │ │ │ │ │ above │ │ bore, 42 │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ grains of│ 2¾ │5 feet│ 7½ │ 4 │ 4½ │ 4¾ │ │ │ Schultze │ feet │ │feet│yards│yards│yards│ │ │ powder, │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ and 1⅛ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ oz. shot │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ 〃 │ 11 │ 22 │ 28 │ 35 │ 30 │ ... │As in second line │ │ │ feet │ feet │feet│feet │feet │ │ above │ └───────────┴──────┴──────┴────┴─────┴─────┴─────┴────────────────────┘

_This table is only inserted because the figures contained in it have hitherto formed the bases of public knowledge and calculation; it is corrected and superseded by another on page 44. Its errors consist in no deduction for the natural spread of the pattern and in the multiple adopted being based on the striking velocity of the first five per cent. of pellets._

He did this to discover the longitudinal spread of the shot pellets at various distances. If ever the chronograph could be used for taking differing shot velocities, this appears to be the way. But it has never been repeated, and some results appear to throw doubt upon their own accuracy. The various lengths of the shot spread on the targets moving at 200 f.s., at right angles with the line of fire, were as follows upon the top lines. On the bottom lines in the table the shot pattern spread, caused by the 200 feet per second, is multiplied by the ratio of greater speed of shot than the 200 foot-seconds of the revolving target. So that in the following table the bottom lines, in respect of each gun, represent something near the true length of shot column at each distance. The speeds taken in the foregoing table can be gathered from the Griffith figures on the next page. But if, for the 30 yards range, the truer mean speed of the shot column is wanted, this is equal to the striking velocity of the most forward pellets and the velocity of the rear of the column added together, and divided by two. For this calculation there is a slight inaccuracy originating in the following tables, because the striking velocity of the rear pellets has been taken at the full range, instead of at the length of the shot column less than the full range. This position can only be found by trial and error. It will vary the results by a yard or two. Inches have been disregarded in the tables.

It is often said that we want guns to send their shot up all together, but if we had so to time our “letting off” as to cause the game to fly on to a knife edge, with the shot spread out like a tea-tray, it is doubtful whether we should hit oftener than with a rifle. Lord Wolseley tells of seeing an officer who by means of a soldier’s rifle killed a wild goose flying high overhead.

Keeping the line of flight for such a shot would not be difficult, but the timing and allowance in front could not often be so cleverly arranged. That is the reason why there is a good deal of doubt whether we want to decrease the length of shot columns, and besides, if we did wish it, probably it could not be done. It is observable that the extra half-dram measure of powder materially increased the choke bore’s lengths of shot columns. It also had a very great influence in the increase of velocity at all distances.