In recap of this first chapter the author provides "a few words of advice as to the purchase of a rifle". I included a summary below:
length and bend of stock: "No man will ever shoot even tolerably with a gun, or with a rifle, that is not accurately adapted to the length of his arm and neck, and to the shape of his shoulder." - "
Try any number (stock) till you find one that suits you exactly; have a pattern cut from this, out of plate of zine, or tin, and let the maker never after, deviate from it even to the extent of an eighth of an inch in any direction."
barrel weight: "The weight in the barrel out to be as much as you can bear without inconvenience. Let me repeat, as I have frequently affirmed before, that no good shooting at long ranges can be expected with a light barrel, at the same time that it is much more liable to injury that one of the stouter make." - "
The barrel should not weigh less than six pounds; it would be better still if it weighed seven or even eight."
Material: "
The best material of all for barrels is not steel, but a peculiar quality of iron, technically termed "homogeneous iron".
This one didn't age well (TBD). I find the above conclusion very interesting and will research more. For now here is a 2024 perspective comparing iron and steel gun barrels: For gun barrels, steel is generally considered superior to homogeneous iron due to its strength, durability, resistance to wear, and ability to maintain accuracy over thousands of rounds. Modern gun manufacturing predominantly uses various steel alloys, such as chrome-moly or stainless steel, tailored for the specific demands of firearm performance.
Emphasis: "Let me here particularly impress upon every one intended to have a rifle made for him, the extreme importance of insisting that
there shall be at least double the ordinary amount of metal in the breech behind the chamber. For some reason, there is the greatest difficulty in inducing gunmakers to conform to this injunction; and yet nothing tends so much to diminish recoil as a solid mass of metal at this particular part, to receive the concussion of the powder and act as a shield to the shoulder."
"It is plain, that if a man were to lie on his back, and in that position were to receive a blow from a sledgehammer on the chest, he would very likely figure as a principal in a coroner's inquest; but were an anvil interposed between the hammer and the man's frame, any number of blows might be struck with impunity."
"Let there be no side vents below the nipple. Many gunmakers have foolish propensity to perpetuate this useless absurdity."
"The mainspring should not draw more than 12 lbs., nor the trigger more than 3lbs."
"Should the rifle be required by the pupil for drill purposes, and not merely for target-practice, it must have a metal rod; but nothing is more injurious to the rifling, than the constant use of these rods, especially in unskilled hands. A tough wooden loading rod, with the grip well roughened, and with brass fittings, would answer every purpose except the one above."
"When cartridges are not employed,
a stout brass tube the full length of the barrel, with wooden funnel shaped top, will be found very convenient for delivering accurately the precise charge of powder into the chamber."
"I am not an advocate for greased patches in rifle-shooting. I much
prefer using a bullet (that fits the bore within three-four thousands of an inch) coated with a mixture of three parts lard, one part white resin, and one part wax, well boiled together, or, better still, with eleven parts of bees-wax and one part mineral oil."
I'm going to stop there. If you want to learn how to coat the bullet I recommend seeking out this book.