Shooting Quote by Charles Askins
““It is a queer weapon, a shotgun. Every effort to secure additional range is well paid for. A bird may be going away at tremendous speed, "burning the air" as a youngster would put it. Seemingly nothing but chain-lightning, which zig-zagged a bit, could stop him. A crack of the gun and that wild flier is dead in the air, a full forty yards away. Right then the conviction comes to us that man never made another weapon so deadly as the shotgun. However, go back another forty yards, set the bird up on the limb of a tree and you might shoot at him all day and not kill him. The shotgun is a deadly weapon but its range is strictly limited and we are ourselves pretty well convinced that nothing less than a two-inch cannon will regularly kill single game-birds at one-hundred yards, with any kind of shot that can be put in the gun.””
About This Quote
Source Article: Hunting techniques, 1960
The shotgun is powerful but limited in range; effectiveness depends on distance and target behavior.
In simple terms: Shotguns are deadly up close but not at long range.
Key Takeaway
Choose weapons appropriate to the situation.
Themes
strategy
technology
limitations
Mood
practical
analytical
Type
tactical
educational
When to use this quote
- hunting
- self‑defense planning
- military tactics
Key Concepts
weapon range
effectiveness
adaptation
Questions to Reflect On
- When is a shotgun the best choice?
- What alternatives work better at longer ranges?
A Different Perspective
Relying solely on a shotgun fails at distance; other tools may be needed.
