There are many things to learn in order to become a good shot. First of all, be sure to get a good gun and have it fitted to you by the dealer. Have the drop and stock best suited to you; don't go according to what some one else uses. The best average drop of stock is two and three quarters inches; length of stock fourteen inches from front trigger pull. This will make a good fit with tight clothes on; with loose clothes use a rubber heel. The heel may also be used to make the stock a little longer if necessary. Nine men out of ten shoot off the muscle of the arm, either because the gun does not fit, the load is too heavy, or their clothes are too heavy or tight.

A twelve gauge gun of about eight pounds weight is the best for field shooting. Always use smokeless powder and use chilled shot and a two and three-quarters inch shell.

Let the right barrel be a modified choke that will make a good pattern at thirty yards, and have the left barrel full choke. This will be good for both field and trap. A choke bore gun will make a pattern of eighteen inches to a three-foot circle from twenty-five to forty-five yards. The finer the shot the larger the circle.

Never shoot a heavy load that kicks and makes the arm sore.

If the gun kicks, it is either because there is too much powder in the load, or because the gun is not held properly, and so instead of holding the gun firmly against the shoulder, the hunter is "shooting off the muscle." This is much more common than is imagined, as few who suffer with a sore arm after a days hunt care to confess that they did not know how to hold their guns correctly, but it is nevertheless true that many a hunter finds his right arm tender for days after a day's shooting.

Often the stock of the gun is too long, and if there is any tendency on the part of the gun to kick, a dealer in guns should at once be consulted and the fault located.

For target shooting by amateurs, the best load is No. 7 to No. 7 1/2 shot with one and a quarter ounces of shot. Always load smokeless powder by grains. There are many kinds of powder loads and they will run from 24 to 38 grains.

For a pigeon load, use No. 6 to No. 7 shot, as the amateur will not shoot as quickly as an expert, and the larger shot will give a better killing chance than the finer shot, at a long distance. Use the same judgment about the powder as for the above.