LL GOOD soldiers and all good shots know that care and maintenance of one’s arsenal is of paramount importance but never more so than during lulls in activity. Although our lives may not always depend upon it, the proper care and attention to our guns and equipment will pay dividends in the long run, and it is surprising how many fine guns get neglected entirely during the close season. Owners of vintage cars would never think of laying up their machine for months at a time and then expect it to work faultlessly and at pace when next it was needed. This analogy may be flawed in the fact that cars are much more complex beasts than guns but the principles are similar. A classic British game gun may have provided wonderful service for more than a century and with minimal care and maintenance will continue to do so for another one. However, most of its components will have been handcrafted by a master of the trade at some magical bench in Birmingham or London, and this very fact
