No one would think of hunting quail, ducks, or rabbits with a rifle, and even if you were an excellent rifle shot at a still mark you might not be able to hit moving game at all.  A shot-gun is less dangerous for the reason that its range is limited to a little over a hundred yards, while a rifle may carry a mile.  A cheap shot-gun is far more dangerous than a cheap rifle.  Until it is possible to buy a good one it is better to have none at all.  A good American-made gun can be bought for about twenty-five dollars.  A gun suitable for its owner should fit just as his clothing fits him.  When a gun is quickly brought to the shoulder in firing position, there is no time in actual hunting to shift it around.  When you buy a gun, remember that your canvas or corduroy hunting coat makes more of a bulge at the shoulder than an ordinary suit and accordingly see that the stock is the proper length.  The “drop” of a gun is the number of inches that the stock falls below the line of the barrel.  If the stock is bent too much you will shoot under your game.  If it is too straight the tendency will be to shoot over game.  The average stock is made to fit most people and will probably answer most purposes unless you can afford to have a stock made especially.  The principal thing is to do all your practising with your own gun until it becomes second nature to bring it up quickly and have the eye find the barrel instantly.  A shot-gun is not aimed in the same way as a rifle.  The method of good shots is rather to keep their eye on the game and when they “feel” that the gun is pointed right to fire.  A skilful shot can tell whether he is shooting too high or too low just as he pulls the trigger.  The brain, head, and eyes and trigger-finger must all work in harmony or you will never be a good shot.  Never flinch as you shoot.  This is a very common fault of beginners and it is fatal to becoming a marksman.

The first lesson in handling a gun is to understand perfectly how it works.  If it is a hammerless gun, remember that it is always cocked.  When you open the barrels you cock the gun automatically.  For this reason there is some kind of a safety device provided, which should always be left at “safe” except at the actual instant of firing.  It is just as easy to learn to push the safety off when you fire as it is to learn to pull the trigger, if one starts right.

Never carry your gun with your finger on the trigger.  Wait until you put the gun up as you are ready to shoot.  Don’t forget the safety.  A great many shots are missed because the hunter forgets whether he has left it on or off and in his anxiety to hit the game will tug and pull on the trigger until, just as the game disappears out of range, he will remember that he did not release it.  This shows the importance of acquiring the proper habit at first.