Sporting Firearms of Today in Use by Curtis Paul A

Author:Curtis, Paul A
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781632207890
Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing
Published: 2015-01-01T05:00:00+00:00

The size of shot given in each case is that which I have found to be the most satisfactory for long range shots at ducks in the various gauge guns mentioned. It is noteworthy that in each case the large gauge guns, if bored the same percentage of choke, will throw a greater number of pellets into a 40-inch circle at 30 yards, despite the fact that the size of shot is larger than that used in the next smaller size gun. And the larger shot will, of course, carry further and kill at greater range. With the loads given, the guns mentioned are dependable at the following ranges; the 8 at 80 yards; the 10 at 60 yards; the 12 at 50 yards; the 20 at 40 yards. It is not meant that they will not kill further, but they are not certain to at greater distances, even though the aim is correct. Most sportsmen believe that a full choke 12 is certain at 60 yards, but careful patterning will prove that this is not true. The average man overestimates the distance at which he kills his game.

For all practical purposes, it is safe to say that, loaded with the same size shot, the 20 gauge will do the same work at 35 yards that the 12 gauge will at 45 yards, and the 10 gauge will at 55 yards.

It is not my intention to belittle the 20 gauge gun; it has its sphere and for field shooting, due to its handiness, which allows the sportsman to get on his birds quicker and, consequently, kill them closer, it will hold its own. But it has not the killing range of the large bore guns and will not supersede the 12 for general purposes and more particularly for long range shooting. It has been shown that the 20 gauge does not shoot any harder than the 12 gauge, as its spread is fully as great as that of the 12 and, consequently, the pattern must be more open at the longer ranges, due to the reduction in the charge of shot.

The old idea was, that to get a long range, hard-shooting gun, one had to have long barrels on a heavy frame to shoot large charges of powder. This is a mistake, and it seems incomprehensible that, with all the experiments made, and interest taken in the shotgun, American sportsmen should not have discovered it before.

The British sportsman recognized this fact years ago and today you will see few guns used on the other side weighing more than 7¼ pounds and sixty per cent of them will be 6¾ pounds. Some years ago there were a good many 4¾ pound, 12 gauge guns built to shoot light 12 bore charges in England. It is by no means urged that a 12 bore should be as light as these “feather weights” were, because recoil was unpleasant from them, even if only a few shots were fired; the contention is merely that

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