26 BIG GAME OF WORTH AMERICA. 



rescued by their companions on shore, after the Moose had 

 been shot several times. These incidents convince me that 

 a man can not successfully battle with, a Western Moose 

 hand to hand — at least, not in the water. 



The question of the best rifle to use in hunting Moose 

 can not be settled to the satisfaction of all hunters by any 

 one writer, for there is a great diversity of opinion on the 

 subject of guns. There are, however, some essential re- 

 quirements that may be stated in general terms. The rifle, 

 to give satisfaction to the Moose-hunter, or any other 

 hunter of large game, must be accurate, effective, and 

 capable of rapid manipulation. Hunters of long experience 

 shoot mechanically, and not with conscious deliberation. For 

 such marksmen no gun is like the old gun, worn and rusty 

 from faithful service. To such veterans I raise my hat, but 

 offer no advice. Their success makes? them honorary sports- 

 men in every society, and also makes their word law with 

 amateurs. There is, however, one maxim that no thinking 

 man will dispute, and that is, that the new guns are 

 better than the old ones, simply because modern rifle- 

 makers have profited by- the experience of their predeces- 

 sors. The improvements in rifles in the past few years, 

 have been the greatest success of the scientific world. It 

 is unnecessary to note here the steps in the evolution from > 

 the old flint-lock to the perfect repeater of to-day. This 

 has all been gone over in other works. Being called upon 

 to choose the best gun for Moose-hunting, my vote would 

 be cast for the new Colt's Lightning Repeater, forty cal- 

 iber, using sixty grains of powder and two hundred and 

 sixty grains of lead, twenty-eight-inch barrel, ten pounds 

 weight, and carrying ten shots. This gun I unhesitatingly 

 pronounce the most perfect in balance, the safest from 

 premature explosions, capable of the most rapid work, 

 and the least apt to fail to fire when subjected to the 

 test of heat and to the manipulations of unsteady hands. 

 The arrangements for working the gun with the left hand, 

 while the right hand and right shoulder support it, almost 

 without disturbing the aim, is the most important advan- 



