.jpg) | |
| 17th Century |
While doing research, I found a little book on
handling guns in England. It has a long title, which seemed to be the norm in
those golden, olden days. Today, with all the gun control that abounds the news
media, a good look at how an 18th century Englishman viewed the proper handling
of guns (pieces), what shot to use, and which dogs are best, would be a nice topic to blog.
The following information will also aid the
reader or author when coming to a point in the story where a gun is used,
loaded, or whatnot. It’s the details that make a story believable.
The full title is,
The Art of English Shooting; Under the Following heads: Of the Knowledge of
a good Fowling-Piece. The ordering and managing the Fowling-Piece. The
Appendages of the Fowling-Piece. The Choice of Powder, Shot, and Flints. Of
Partridge Shooting, with the Choice and ordering of Pointers. Of Pheasant
Shooting, with the ordering of Spaniels. Of Woodcock Shooting. Of Snipe
Shooting. Of Water and Fen-Fowl Shooting; and the Use of proper Dogs. Of Upland
Winter Shooting.
Not finished yet. The title continues as,
With the Necessary Observations for the Young
Sportsman, when out and on Returning Home.
Now, we're done.
The book was authored by George Edie, Gentleman.
Printed in London for J. Cooke, at Shakespear's Head (as spelled in the book),
in Pater-noster Row (also as spelled in book). MDCCLXXVII (1777), Price One
Shilling.
It is a mere 34 pages. The copyright page is
interesting, too. It states:
"This Pamphlet being entered in the
Hall-Book of the Company of Stationers, and at the Stamp Office (according to
Act of Parliament) whoever pirates the whole or any part of it, shall be
prosecuted as the Law directs."
The more research I do the more alike we are to the
ones we write about.
 |
| 18th Century |
Now, for the guts of the matter:
By late 18th century, manufacturers of fowling
pieces had made great improvements, but bad guns were still available. The
young sportsman must be aware of this prior to making his purchase.
“Of the Knowledge of a good Fowling-Piece.”
To determine a good modern piece (as in 1777),
the barrel must be... "of a tolerable large bore, and very smooth, with
a handsome outside, and the length from three foot to three foot six inches;
the lock rather small, with good and strong springs; the stock neat, not too
much bent in the butt; and, on the whole, the Piece to rise light and handy to
the shoulder..." Brass was
recommended over steel, since it's easier to clean.
The internal parts of the Piece cannot be "well
done, dear fellow" until one tries it out. Prior to the purchase, the
young sportsman must fire it.
Keep in mind the following when you fire the gun
you wish to purchase: "tack a large sheet of brown paper, with a card
in the middle, on a clean barn-door, or some such place, that the degree of
scattering may be the better observed; stand at about the distance of 70 yards,
and try at first the common charge of a pipe of powder, and a pipe and half of
shot; and, to do the gun justice, be as steady as possible in your
aim..."
Once the gun is fired, and shot hits the card,
you can be assured you will purchase a good gun. If you know your aim was
steady, yet you still missed the card, try this:
"...try then an equal quantity of powder and
shot (which some barrels are found to carry best) at the same distance, and if
you then miss giving the sheet a tolerable sprinkling, refuse the Piece, as
being but an indifferent one.
For the second, or more indifferent sort (gun), let
fifty-five or sixty yards be the distance of trial, and a judgment formed
according to the above rule: but it must be observed, that as some Pieces carry
a larger quantity of powder and shot than others, so it will be adviseable to
try three or four different quantities..." before you are certain of the best shot for that
gun.
With the selection and purchase of a Piece, the
next thing is to take care of it. This
will keep it working for a good many years, and be a fine inheritance for your
son or daughter.
"...it is necessary the inside of the
barrel, the touch-hole, and the lock be kept clean; and the springs and moving
parts of the lock properly oiled.
The barrel should be washed at least after every
eighteen or twenty fires, where the best sort of powder is used; but if the
gunpowder is an inferior sort, then the barrel will require the oftener washing.
The best method of washing a barrel is, by taking
out the britch-pin (breech-pin today); but as this can seldom be
conveniently done, take the barrel out of the stock, and put the britch-end into
a pail of warm water, leaving the touch hole open; then with an iron rod, with
tow (fiber of the flax plant stem; not recommended today. Bits could
break off and left within barrel) or a bit of linnen rag at the end, draw up
and down in the syringe manner, till it is quite clean; changing the water, and
rinsing the inside, as the foulness requires: when the barrel is perfectly
clean, its inside must be dried by tow, or linnen rags; and when this is done,
it will be proper to put it in a red-hot iron, of six or eight inches in
length, (which any blacksmith will furnish) and move it up and down to dry any
remaining damp: the outside of the barrel should be well dried, and a little
oil rubbed over every time of cleaning. "
This is true for today’s black powder guns
(except the red-hot iron part). While researching for TWINS, I needed some
expert advice. As a result I went to gun shops, especially those with antique
gun collections. These proprietors were very nice, and showed me their guns
that dated quite a' ways back, but never to the 17th century which is my time
of study.
Today the fowling piece is a shotgun, and the
breech-pin refers to the method by which the barrel can be removed from the
stock. The breech end is closest to the trigger. The iron rod today is called a
cleaning rod with a cotton patch attached to the end.
With the barrel removed, this booklet states to
insert the breech end of the barrel into the water. The cleaning rod is then moved
up and down the barrel from the muzzle end. This forms suction, and brings
water up and down with the cleaning rod. This method cleans the barrel of
powder and all residues.
To keep the cleaned barrel from rusting, it must
be dried inside and out. With no blacksmiths to contact, there are no
rods to put into a fire and get red-hot. Today, the barrel can be placed in a slightly warmed oven or in direct
sunlight to remove any dampness.
As a result of so much study, my husband purchased a black powder pistol
for me, a replica of 1851 Navy with cartouches. (Happy Valentine's, dear.)
I
learned when used several times, the gun gets very dirty. To clean it, my
husband dismantles it, and puts most of the parts into near boiling water to
have a good soak, which I found pretty amazing, and the last thing I expected.
It'll rust, right?
Once cleaned, and the barrel swabbed out,
everything must be dried, and oiled.
Keeping guns clean and ready to shoot is hard work. Husband and I made a
bargain: If he cooks, I'll clean up no matter how many dishes, pots and pans he
uses. With guns, I'll shoot the gun, but he has to clean up afterward.
End of Part I.
Next installment: The Appendages of the Gun
For historical novel reading (ebooks pricing has been reduced) please go to:
No comments:
Post a Comment