Almost everyone will acknowledge that the use of fowlers had developed to its peak in England by the end of the 18th century.
I thought some may find it interesting to read the instructions on how to load a fowling piece from an 18th century English source.
This is from "An Essay On Shooting" published in London in 1789, pages 192-196.
CHAP. XIII.
Method of Loading a Fowling-Piece.
Some attention is requisite in loading a piece; the powder should be only slightly rammed down, for which purpose, it is sufficient to press the ramrod two or three times on the wadding, and not (as the usual practice is) to ram down the wadding by main force, by drawing up the ramrod, and then returning it into the barrel with a jerk of the arm, many successive times. For, by compressing the powder in this violent manner, some of the grains will necessarily be bruised, whilst the explosion will not be so quick, and the shot will be spread wider.
In pouring the charge of powder into the barrel, care should be taken, to hold the measure as much as possible in a perpendicular line, that the powder may be the more readily fall to the bottom. It is even of service to strike the butt end of the gun on the ground, in order to detach those grains of powder, which, in falling down, adhere to the side of the barrel.
The shot should never be rammed down tight; after having given a stroke on the ground with the butt end of the gun, in order to settle it, the same as for the powder, the wadding should then be gently put down, but much less close than that of the powder; for when the shot is wadded too tight, it spreads wide, and the piece will recoil.
In this, therefore, as well as in every other mode of loading, the sportsman should never carry his gun under his arm, with thw muzzle inclined to the ground; that practice, at all times loosens the wadding and charge too much, and sometimes produces the loss of the shot.
When the piece is fired, it should be re-loaded immediately, whilst the barrel is warm, lest by delaying it, a certain moisture should be formed in the barrel, which would retain a part of the powder when pouring in the charge, and hinder it from falling to the bottom.
Powder, also, as already mentioned, will imbibe moisture from the air, and therefore it is of additional advantage, to load the piece whilst the barrel is warm, because some part of the moisture will be thereby evaporated.
For the same reasons, the sportsman should fire off a little powder before he loads the first time, for it has been found, even in the driest seasons, that tha coldness of the barrel, and perhaps some little moisture condensed in its cavity, has sensibly diminished the force of the powder, in the first shot.
Some sportsman prime before they load; this may be proper when the touch-hole is enlarged, and hath but little thickness at the breech, because, in that case, if the piece is not primed, it will in loading prime itself, which diminishes the charge; but when the touch-hole is of its proper size, the piece should never be primed until after it is loaded; for then it will be known from the few grains of powder which usually make their way into the pan, that the touch-hole is clear and unobstructed; and on the contrary, if no grains come through, that it will be proper to strike the butt end of the gun smartly with the hand, and prick the touch-hole until they appear.
But, whether the practice is to prime before or after loading the piece, it is highly proper, after every discharge, to prick the touch-hole, and what is still better, to guard against all remains of fuze or squib, by inserting into the touch-hole the feather of a partridge's wing, which will not only clear it of these dangerous remains, but, if the piece is delayed to be re-charged, will take away all humidity that may be contracted there.
If there is any further interest there is an interesting chapter on the selection of powder, wadding, and shot that I would be happy to post.
Regards, Dave
I thought some may find it interesting to read the instructions on how to load a fowling piece from an 18th century English source.
This is from "An Essay On Shooting" published in London in 1789, pages 192-196.
CHAP. XIII.
Method of Loading a Fowling-Piece.
Some attention is requisite in loading a piece; the powder should be only slightly rammed down, for which purpose, it is sufficient to press the ramrod two or three times on the wadding, and not (as the usual practice is) to ram down the wadding by main force, by drawing up the ramrod, and then returning it into the barrel with a jerk of the arm, many successive times. For, by compressing the powder in this violent manner, some of the grains will necessarily be bruised, whilst the explosion will not be so quick, and the shot will be spread wider.
In pouring the charge of powder into the barrel, care should be taken, to hold the measure as much as possible in a perpendicular line, that the powder may be the more readily fall to the bottom. It is even of service to strike the butt end of the gun on the ground, in order to detach those grains of powder, which, in falling down, adhere to the side of the barrel.
The shot should never be rammed down tight; after having given a stroke on the ground with the butt end of the gun, in order to settle it, the same as for the powder, the wadding should then be gently put down, but much less close than that of the powder; for when the shot is wadded too tight, it spreads wide, and the piece will recoil.
In this, therefore, as well as in every other mode of loading, the sportsman should never carry his gun under his arm, with thw muzzle inclined to the ground; that practice, at all times loosens the wadding and charge too much, and sometimes produces the loss of the shot.
When the piece is fired, it should be re-loaded immediately, whilst the barrel is warm, lest by delaying it, a certain moisture should be formed in the barrel, which would retain a part of the powder when pouring in the charge, and hinder it from falling to the bottom.
Powder, also, as already mentioned, will imbibe moisture from the air, and therefore it is of additional advantage, to load the piece whilst the barrel is warm, because some part of the moisture will be thereby evaporated.
For the same reasons, the sportsman should fire off a little powder before he loads the first time, for it has been found, even in the driest seasons, that tha coldness of the barrel, and perhaps some little moisture condensed in its cavity, has sensibly diminished the force of the powder, in the first shot.
Some sportsman prime before they load; this may be proper when the touch-hole is enlarged, and hath but little thickness at the breech, because, in that case, if the piece is not primed, it will in loading prime itself, which diminishes the charge; but when the touch-hole is of its proper size, the piece should never be primed until after it is loaded; for then it will be known from the few grains of powder which usually make their way into the pan, that the touch-hole is clear and unobstructed; and on the contrary, if no grains come through, that it will be proper to strike the butt end of the gun smartly with the hand, and prick the touch-hole until they appear.
But, whether the practice is to prime before or after loading the piece, it is highly proper, after every discharge, to prick the touch-hole, and what is still better, to guard against all remains of fuze or squib, by inserting into the touch-hole the feather of a partridge's wing, which will not only clear it of these dangerous remains, but, if the piece is delayed to be re-charged, will take away all humidity that may be contracted there.
If there is any further interest there is an interesting chapter on the selection of powder, wadding, and shot that I would be happy to post.
Regards, Dave
