There were freak inventors in the flint-lock period just as there are to-day. Some of them wrestled with the problem of repeating guns, and put together a number of barrels, even seven in the case of one carbine. Others tried revolving chambers, like our revolvers, and still others, magazine stocks. Pistols came into use in many interesting shapes, but these were too practical to be considered freaks. ~WHY WE CALL THEM PISTOLS~ Pistols, by the way, are named from the town of Pistola, Italy, where they are said to have been invented and first used. We must not forget that rifling was invented about the time that the wheel-lock appeared, and had a great deal to do with the improvement of shooting. Austrians claim its invention for Casper Zollner, of Vienna, who cut straight grooves in the barrel’s bore. His gun is said to have been used for the first time in 1498, but the Italians seem to have still better warrant as these significant words appear in old Latin Italian, under date of July 28th, 1476, in the inventory of the fortress of Guastalla: “Also one iron gun made with a twist like a snail shell.” The rifling made the bullet spin like a top as it flew through the air, thus greatly improving its precision. In the year 1807 the Rev. Alexander John Forsythe, LL.D., got his patent papers for something far better than even the steady old flint. He had invented the percussion system. In some form this has been used ever since. Which is to say that when the hammer of your gun falls, it doesn’t explode the powder, although it seems to. Instead it sets off a tiny portion of a very sensitive chemical compound called the “primer,” and the explosion of this “primer” makes the powder go off. Of course, the two explosions come so swiftly that your ear hears only a single bang. Primers were tried in different forms called “detonators,” but the familiar little copper cap was the most popular. No need to describe them. Millions are still made to be used on old-fashioned nipple guns, even in this day of fixed ammunition. But now we come to another great development, the Breech-loader. [Illustration: THE MODERN AUTOMATIC RIFLE THE MODERN SPORTSMAN WITH HIS AUTOMATIC RIFLE IS PREPARED FOR ALL EMERGENCIES] Perhaps you have had to handle an old muzzle-loader. It was all right so long as you knew of nothing better, but think of it now that you have your beautiful breech-loader. Do you remember how sometimes you overloaded, and the kick made your shoulder lame for a week? Or how, when you were excited you shot away your ramrod? The gun fouled too, and was hard to clean, the nipples broke off, the caps split, and the breeches rusted so that you had to take them to a gunsmith. Yes, in spite of the game it got, it was a lot of trouble, now you come to think of it. How different it all is now! [Illustration: ASSEMBLING REPEATING SHOTGUNS AND RIFLES]