_The Breech Loaders._—The breech-loading gun is now before the public in considerable variety; and being really the gun of the day, and, consequently, engaging the best thought of inventors, it is constantly appearing in new forms. This being the case, about all that could be expected in this work, is a mere mention of the general principles upon which it works. Taking a double-barrel shot-gun for illustrating these general principles, it may be stated that the barrels are movable at the breech or rear end, and butt upon the face of the standing breech peculiar to the latest and best muzzle-loaders. The face of these barrels fits smoothly against that of the standing breech. There is nothing in the way of a breech-pin to resist the backward force of the ignited powder, or hold the barrels in place. The hooks mentioned as peculiar to the patent breech muzzle-loader are not there—nothing at all like them. But the barrels, when put into place for shooting are held there by means of a solid piece of iron attached to them underneath, called the “lump.” To effect this, it descends into an iron bed on the stock called the “action,” its projections fitting into suitable recesses in the action and being held there by the agency of keys, wedges, bolts or grips. There are many devices for gripping, bolting or wedging up the gun, as it is called; and also many for attaching the barrels to the stock. In all cases the barrels play upon a hinge pin, which admits of their dropping down at the muzzle and rising at the breech, the latter to reject the empty cartridge and receive the loaded one. At every discharge the gun is opened and closed by throwing up the barrels for the purpose just named, and then letting them down again into position for shooting. The means by which this opening and closing is effected vary greatly in the guns of different makers. _Variety of Breech-Loaders._—This gives the general idea of about all there is of it. There are a few breech-loaders made in both this country and in Europe whose barrels are fixed, the cartridge being inserted through some other device; and there are still a few others whose barrels slide forward or sideways in the stock to receive the load—do not tilt on a hinge-pin—but neither of these kinds are so common as the kinds just referred to. CHAPTER IV. PISTOLS NOW IN USE.