Capt. Jas.
58 Cal.
- Joined
- Aug 19, 2005
- Messages
- 3,038
- Reaction score
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AH, I am familiar with that excerpt as well. In that flowery comment that is hard to correctly interpret, he does not say you CAN but you MUST load 1/3 more shot. The context appears to be concerning shooting the woodcock.
The equal powder and shot quote comes form the portion where he is talking of shooting the hare.
He must be trying to tighten the pattern by adding a little more lead and opening up the center of the pattern by using equal amounts?
There was also a book on shooting done in the 1760s called The Art of Shooting Flying by thonmas Page or Paige. I have not seen it except for a small quote. Anyone seen the full text?
FRIENDLY
Pray, what is your method of loading? I have been told that gunsmiths in general put in a large quantity of small shot, to make them fill the paper they shoot at .AIMWELL
'Tis very true, indeed, they are often obliged to it, when gentlemen won't be satisfied with what is reasonable for a gun to do; and it is a common practice in this country to load with a pipe bowl of powder and a bowl and a half of shot ; and when they find they can't kill often, think they don't put shot enough, and so put in more, and are obliged to lessen the quantity of powder to prevent its recoiling; not considering this axiom, "that action and re-action are equal''-that upon discharge of powder the gun is forced back, as the shot is forwards, in proportion to the weight of shot to the weight of the gun. . . . But if less of shot than powder will not carry the shot close enough for long shoots, they will certainly fly thick enough at shorter distances. To avoid the extremes, I use the best powder, and put in equal measures of that and shot, which in weight is nearly as one to seven, but usually prime out of that quantity. To a barrel of a middle-sized bore, whose diameter is about five-eighths of an inch (which I look upon to be the best size for shooting flying), I put in two ounces of shot, No. 4, which are about 200 in an ounce, and an equal measure of powder. This is the charge I use in the field.
"The Art of Shooting Flying", by Thomas Page 1767
The equal powder and shot quote comes form the portion where he is talking of shooting the hare.
He must be trying to tighten the pattern by adding a little more lead and opening up the center of the pattern by using equal amounts?
There was also a book on shooting done in the 1760s called The Art of Shooting Flying by thonmas Page or Paige. I have not seen it except for a small quote. Anyone seen the full text?
FRIENDLY
Pray, what is your method of loading? I have been told that gunsmiths in general put in a large quantity of small shot, to make them fill the paper they shoot at .AIMWELL
'Tis very true, indeed, they are often obliged to it, when gentlemen won't be satisfied with what is reasonable for a gun to do; and it is a common practice in this country to load with a pipe bowl of powder and a bowl and a half of shot ; and when they find they can't kill often, think they don't put shot enough, and so put in more, and are obliged to lessen the quantity of powder to prevent its recoiling; not considering this axiom, "that action and re-action are equal''-that upon discharge of powder the gun is forced back, as the shot is forwards, in proportion to the weight of shot to the weight of the gun. . . . But if less of shot than powder will not carry the shot close enough for long shoots, they will certainly fly thick enough at shorter distances. To avoid the extremes, I use the best powder, and put in equal measures of that and shot, which in weight is nearly as one to seven, but usually prime out of that quantity. To a barrel of a middle-sized bore, whose diameter is about five-eighths of an inch (which I look upon to be the best size for shooting flying), I put in two ounces of shot, No. 4, which are about 200 in an ounce, and an equal measure of powder. This is the charge I use in the field.
"The Art of Shooting Flying", by Thomas Page 1767
