19th Century Shotguns

Changing with the times

by ROBIN BARKES

During the second half of the 1800s, the centuries-old system of front-end loading drew to a close when “loose” ammunition components were replaced by “fixed” or self-contained cartridges that were breech-loaded in break-open guns. This was a major design change, and the hunters of that time, being a conservative lot, must have undergone a serious dilemma when contemplating whether to move with the times or stay with what they knew. Breech-loaders were costly, complicated and seemingly fragile. Would they shoot any better than muzzle-loading shotguns? Well, two Eastern Cape sportsmen decided to go back in time, put themselves in the place of those 19th century wildfowlers, and make the comparison. For our breech-loaders, I opted for my antiquated Greener with twist-steel barrels, while Jason, my fellow frontiersman, chose to use his…

You're reading a preview of

Man Magnum (Digital) - 1 Issue, September 2016

DiscountMags is a licensed distributor (not a publisher) of the above content and Publication through Zinio LLC. Accordingly, we have no editorial control over the Publications. Any opinions, advice, statements, services, offers or other information or content expressed or made available by third parties, including those made in Publications offered on our website, are those of the respective author(s) or publisher(s) and not of DiscountMags. DiscountMags does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, truthfulness, or usefulness of all or any portion of any publication or any services or offers made by third parties, nor will we be liable for any loss or damage caused by your reliance on information contained in any Publication, or your use of services offered, or your acceptance of any offers made through the Service or the Publications. For content removal requests, please contact Zinio.