•424 



FOREST r AND STREAM. 1 



%u% md §ttn. 



GAME IN SEA.SON FOR AUGUST. 



per,or ox-bird 

 vii, or mnrlln. 



e breecu- 



lld push urii.1 



Blnek-b". • . f. Squa- 



: rialitia senlipM- 

 Stllt, or long-BlianK.'- 



Yello.v-simllks, M'lnm 



Red-breasted snipe or dowitcher, 



XacrorhoinpliiiH jriw«. 



« Bav birds " generally, including various species of plover, sand- 

 piper, snipe, curlew, oyster-catoher, surf i.'ir . i. 



,11 ore Biro Ian] 



prairie lowl (pinnated grouse) shooting alter AiiKust 15th. 



MORE RECOIL THEORY. 



Stkdbknville, Ohio. 

 EnrtOE Forkbt inn Stream: 



I observe in your paper a very elaborate expression of opinions con- 

 cerning the cause of recoil. The subject being of interest to the 

 philosopher and importance to the sportsman, and no proper explana- 

 ilon being yotmnfle by your correspondents (to my mind), I take the 

 liberty of luHiuiKa few suggestions 



I lelllnja ball from a barrel,, force Is required to give It motion 

 to overcome the retarding influence of friction in passing through the 

 artel; sua", lastly, to counteract the effect of atmospheric pressure. 

 Tula force, when developed by the dash of the powder, is equalized on 

 all its enrroundiogs. There is exactly the same pressure on each side 

 of the barrel, and the same on the breech-pin and the ball. The fric- 

 tion of the ball in passing through the barrel would have the effect of 

 moving the barrel In its own direction j but this effect Is counterbal- 

 anced by an Equivalent fotce pressing against the breech-pin in the 

 opposite direction. The principle is illustrated by lying in a skiff o 

 water with the feet against one end and tho shoulder against tli 

 other. The end may be pushed by the feet until pushed out without 

 Imparting any motion to the vessel. Simplybecause there waa as much 

 pressure in one direction as In the other. Let us estiuiale tin 

 of forco needful to overcome the friction of a light ball m passing 

 through a barrel as being 50 lbs., and we have then, thus far, 511 lbs 

 pressure ngainat breech-pin and 50 lbs. against the ball, which servet 

 to pnll the barrel in the opposite direction from the force against the 

 l/reech-pin. 



The next division of force we have is that portion that is necessary to 

 give motion to the ball. If the ball lying loose in the barrel and 

 could be expelled without any friction, it would require a force to ijo 

 so in proportion to the veloolty given the ball. This force being de- 

 rlve-i from the name source as that just mentioned for overcoming 

 friction, we must add it to that in its press il ol Hie 



barrel, the ball and on the breech-pin, and we will estimate It al 

 BUI tt will be observed that this 25 lbs. ha 

 tu push it backward by the pressure o 

 pin. If an Individual stand on a skiff or 

 other vessel of like weight and like si:'.e, tlieforce will be equalized, and 

 both vossels will move from each other Bxactly the same distance and 

 at the same rate of motion. But If the vessel on which you stand be 

 lour times the weight of the one you are pushing, you will onlymoye 

 abbot one-fourth as far as the Other. '1 lie force i a us fully equalized as 

 in the former case, bur the one being lour times the ■ I ol ' 



Other, uk- Bftme foi oe jvfll only have one-quarter the effect bio 

 has on the lighter one in imparting motion. 



On the same principle we have 33-lb. pressure on the breech-pin that 

 is developed lor moving the bull from it, and Justin proportion as 

 the ball is lighter than the gun, Just In that proportion, all other things 

 being equal, will the recoil be light; and in proportion as the ball is 

 made heavy, so will the recoil be increased. Suppose the man in Hie 

 skiff wsuld push against a Steamboat, it is apparent that his recoil 

 would be very manifest, and if our friend Mr. "Smooth-Bore," who 

 claims. In his lengthy article on this subject, "that the missile plays no 

 part in the action of recoil," will load his gun with a missile as 

 the gno, he will And that the gun will go just as far as the missile, and 

 if he will make the missile as heavy as himself anil the gun, both he 

 and the gin will go together one way, and the missile an equal 

 the other. This, no doubt, would be ihought by him a very crude way 

 of argning a question, but I would recommend him the experiment If 

 the above explanation is not sufficient lo correct his erroneous nolioas 

 of recoil. 



We come now to the third division of force needful to expel the ball, 

 via., force sufficient to resist atmospheric pressure. The prei 

 on the outer extremity of the ball, and the force to propel the ball 

 against and through it lies iu the same receptacle as the force for tile 

 other purposes. Its effect, also, like the last force mentioned on the 

 barrel, will only be to ihrow it backwards. Springing up as it does be- 

 tween the air and the breech of the gun, its effect would be t 

 the barrel in oue direction and the air another. Estimating this at 25 

 lb. also, we have now out of the entire force developed, which presses, 

 for the sake of count, soma 100 lbs. between the ball and breech-pin, 

 and only 60 of this backward pressure is counteracted. Hence we have 

 the recoil. 



The following deductions may be made from the above : 



1st. Kecoil commences with the llrst motion of the ball, and continues 

 nntli ll leaves the barrel. 



gd. The resistance of the atmosphere being in proportion to its 

 velocity, or the velocity of the object coming in contact with it, it fol- 

 lows that whatever increases the speed of the ball through the barrel 

 will increase the recoil. 



8d. As more force is required to produce a fast motion of a ball than 

 a slower motion, it follows that all circumstances, such as quick 

 powder, large charges, etc., thai are capable of causing increased 

 -., are likewise capable of causing increased recoi'. 



«h. The weight of the ball governs the tendency to recoil to a great 

 extent. 



6th. The weight of the gan 

 great regulation of recoil. 



6t b, Tnar the barrel is moved 



7th. The line of the barrel I 

 tne *"??.?'!: JJJS? l ~Z,,t ,r,,m 



Th.vt Dhtmak I'i i i , iring a friend 



purchased some of the. Liitmmr powder, with a vii w to 

 it itt his rifie— the powder being contained in 1 1 think i a half 



pound can. The rifle was a heavy muzzli 



gun, with a barrel at least a quart ol an inch . 

 of good quality steel. He loaded '•fiameas Mack powder," 

 hulk for hulk, mid fired it. The. result was that the barrel 

 ■ I urate pieces, Which were found, besides 

 Other small pieces which were-not found. Besides this, the 

 tip stock was blown into splinters, the trigger-guard loosened 

 and the gun completely wrecked generally.' I also succeeded 

 in blowing one of the tubes out of my gun with some of the 

 saute. After this I shall use hitrd-glycerine in preference. I 

 do not say this to injure the reputation of Mr. D.'s powder 

 in any way. but simply to show what it lias done for my friend 

 aud myself. The rest of the can of powder and the 'remains 

 of the rifle can at, present be seen at one of our gun stores. 



Woodcock are quite plenty in the surrounding country, and 

 the pot hunters are shooting 'them right along in the face' of the 

 law, although several of the aforesaid pot-hiinters neither shoot 

 for a living nor sell their game. There waa a match lit glass 

 balls here last, Friday between I). Worms, of Springfield, 

 Mass., and L. Abbot, of this city, resulting in favor of Worms, 

 by a score of 33 to 13 Out of possible 85, Dog poisoning is on 

 the wane in this town, for which let us be truly thankful. If 

 I go into Massachusetts or Long Island and kill woodcock, 

 would if be a breach of the jaw which says that "no one shall 

 iiiiv.-- in his | Dasession any woodcock, partridge (ruffed grouse), 

 o) quail between the first of January and first of October," 

 provided, of course. I wanted the birds to eat ami give away ? 



But, as I have already protracted my letter more than I 

 meant to, and hoping its length may not be wearisome, I re- 

 main, Yourstiuiy, ' S. H. H. 



Bridgeport. Ot., .July 18, 1877. 



[If our correspondent had followed the directions of Mr. 

 Dittmar, we think the result would have besn different, as lie 

 says: "Care only has to be taken not to compress into too 

 small a space, as it is more elastic than black powder. * * * 

 It is tJtree times as Strong as black powder, and three times as 

 bulky, f * * Simply use force enough to permit the bul- 

 let to rest on the powder." — Ed.] 



Small vs. Large Bop.es.— Muj . H. W. Merrill writes: 

 To throw equally far, guns of different gauges should have 

 charges each proportional to the areas or surfaces of their 

 bores. When so loaded Lhi i My compressed and 



powerful, but othe he areas for these guns, as 



taken from the table hereafter referred to, are 1 for No. 14, 

 and 1.12 for .No. 12. These numbers 1 and 1.12 represent 

 not only the ratios ol the areas of these giu j but they repre- 

 sent, also, Lie '..'.' ■"...'. :if their cylinders for containing the 

 gas or force to be used. But now observe, the 

 capacity for confining an equal amount of gas, for the charge 

 is the same, the less will be its expansive force or power. In 

 this instance, as will be seen, the small bore, has It! per cent. 

 advantage in compression over the large bore, while the 

 amount of shot to be thrown is equal. Hence, the small 

 bore should throw the farthest or give the hest penetration 

 with equal charge*. As you, 31 r. Editor, correctly remarked, 

 "Increase the diameter to a foot, and the chl _■■ 

 scarcely mate a disturbance in the cvlrnder. Ihe force iu- 

 stead of being concentrated, would lie divided up 

 it were, in open space, Other reasons may enter this ques- 

 tion lo a certain extent, 'tis true, leu, the main one is plain. 

 But the cardinal point to be always held in view is, thut guns 

 are alike entitled to terms of equality if possible — to be loaded 

 :. 58 which differ in size astheir bores differ. Then, 

 eaeli pellet in each gun will be backed with an equal amount 

 of powder, and for the same length of barrel the compression 

 and force of the gas will be the same ; and it is doubtful if a 

 little difference in the lengths of the barrel will make any 

 essential difference. If not, it would seem that almost per- 

 fect, equality may be established for our guns in shooting, 

 especially with like made ones. When we'shall come to re- 

 gard this rule of proportionate charges, and to study well the 

 theory and facts on which it is based, we will then' have but 

 little trouble in applying its principles to account in a satisfac- 

 tory manner for quite all those tittle mysteries which have so 

 long produced a conflict of opinions, even among all those, I 

 may safely say. who have used the shot-gun. If these guns 

 were of similar construction and not faulty — they should kill 

 equally far, provided they were loaded as above described— 

 the best wins. (See iNo. 3, Pokest and Stream, Feb. 15, 

 1877, or Bod AND Guv, April 7, 1877, for explanations and 

 table mentioned ; or Ilallock's "Sportsman's Gazetteer." 



Maj. H. W. Mekhili.. 

 m,o Roehelle, A r . T., July 6, 1877. 



Small Bore vs. Laroe.— Writers labor v«ry earnestly to convince 

 apbrl nien that a small bore gnu will shoot shot as far and strongly as 

 a large bore. If there has ever been anything to the contrary published 

 in the columns of Fokbsi a.vd Stream, it has escaped my notice, and 

 certainly no intelligent hunter will gainsay the argument: bui when it 

 is asserted that a small bore gun will shoot closer than a large, with all 

 i beg to differ. If he who really believes this should issue 

 a challenge to shoot with a small bore shot giro, (not larger than 30 gauge 

 .aller as he chooses) against a tO-gauge gun. al 

 e inches to thirty, any distance from thirty to eighty 

 test the matter. And If he does not go home a badly 

 hen I will make a public apology, and pay his bills be- 

 Tied a gun which was originally a rifle, and had been 



a excess of that of the missile Is the 



the barrel bein« above its parallel extended from 

 . ■■■ us point to 

 , anJ y ..... ..i - . greater uoll 



in vour'%frM\fondoiitnow feels like recoiling himself after writing 

 vyis hot afternoon, and will fayadieiL J. P. P. 



—Charlie, son of " Jacobstufi," a boy but fourteeu 

 years of age, and Will Lane, Jr., arc earning reputations as 

 crack shots. Oliarlie writes us a very nice letter, too, 

 evincing talents far beyond those usually recognized in boys 

 of his age. The boys are enjoying good sport among the 

 jacks aDd dowitchers at Lane's, Good Ground. 



— Baybirds are reported u u ■.cm p ion. y ab u i uln a ■ 

 Xew Jersey. 



circle from 

 yards— thai 

 whipped rr 

 sides. I or 



Smoothed out. The job was so nicely done, that, if properly loaded with 

 a patched ball, It would shoot inside a 5-in ring, 100 yards, as often as it 

 .Hi.-: gun would drive No. -t shot through an Inoh pine 

 board at tinny panes, it would also scatter more, and farther, and 

 worse than any gun I ever saw. It was, in fact, perfectly worthless as 

 jiiil I afterward had it re-rifled ; Its gauge was il. I am 

 also bound in honor to say that I once knew of a gun of 30 gauge, which 

 shot splendidly ; but It was not a cylinder bore, for a bullet which hid 



ii ' [i rii.lv into the first three inches next the muzzle, 



would to foot, so that it was in. fact a chofce^bore— 



years before snoh were ever heard of. But what I wish to 

 jiuod as raying is. that a gun will uot shoot closer simply becu use its 

 Lore is smaller than another, but rather the reverse, other tilings being 

 e«ual. 

 One statement commands my unqualified admiration, which is: that 



en . . . 1 1 i therefore use * U 



This is logical and consistent; but I cannot agree with him [hat i 



ei i.f aprojpctllelslndircc.tproportiou;toitsdiaiin ■ 

 means, 1 presntnc, that if a bullet of a certain diameter, shot through an 

 iea.ru in two hours; one of twice the size snot 

 through the same place would Kill him in one. Having used all sizes 

 from 32 to 60-100, on the largest land of game. I can testify that (his is 

 not by any means the case. But enough for the present. Pemobscot. 



Smaxi, Bores. — ''Fourteen-Cauge," writing from Newark, 

 says; " 'Smaller-Bore,' in your last issue, strikes the right 

 spot. I have long maintained that if a bird is not covered 

 by the gun he deserves to be let i 

 want a gnu that will cover a barn-dour al 

 'Smaller Bore' says: 'A small-bore n q 

 That is jiir-t. the beauty of shooting, ind I ei with him 

 heartily. If a shooter throws a charge from a 14 or JG- 



gtiuge at a ipiail going down wind in the Pal), In loi 



thing that he can talk about wilh a elem conscience, wholly 

 free from murderous twinges that certainly tauat trouble 

 the sportsman who uses the larger bores. I trust lhat. 

 'Smaller Burtfs' ISo. Hi will convert some of his less " Lhi 

 dox fricDds." 



Paper and Metal Shio i.s.-Iu your issue of May 21. IffJT, Mi. A. B 

 DoleauswerHmy letter of Apiai M, on loading shell?. Iliuveread M's 

 communication with greal pi i ure. m to favor the exclusive 



'" a ■ ■" "e " - i 1. 1 i "■, . .i, in i -. . a o 



reason why paper shells should be. Nmv, tho gnaii. trouble with 

 nietal shells Is that the wad over shut is opt to get started fioin carry- 

 ing In the pocket, or In a belt, and more especially no, i.y the discharge 

 of one barrel of the gnu jarring the charge in Ihe other. B 

 the paper shells be loaded In the snme manner as the metal shell, the 

 edgos arclikc-1', n I ' ■ . . ie I ..|,i, and thus impair the shooting, particu- 

 larly if the charge doc- not II II the shell, which y, i 

 cannot agree with A. Q. p. that the crimping oilers too innoh resist- 

 ance to the charge, as I think crimp ng Could betlone In such a rummer 

 as to set the wad just as firmly, and no more so, as the ramrod in the 

 old muzzle-loader. The only question in my mind is, should Ihe paper 

 shell after the explosiou be of the earn.. 



how Is this to be attained.! 1 have loaded my shells with two wads, 

 then cut them off, leaving just enough to crimp, ami M)o 

 no thorough experiments at targets am of Hie opinion that, n the hell 

 Is sherter than the chambers there fa Seat i . . . 



There is a great diversity or opinion on loading ol shells, no iwo 

 writers holding the same opinion ; mmy of thntu differing widely 

 I should like to hear from A. G. D. again. A. B. B. 



IS'evv York, July 9, 1ST7. 



Nkv, Shass Bali. Trap.— Mr, Fred Andrews, of the 



Bloomington (111. 1 organ factory, is ihe inventor of n, new 

 trap, which throws the balls in three different directions, the 

 person shooting not knowing which way the hall Will be 

 thrown. The Evergreen City Club are practicing '.villi the 

 new trap, and give it their unqualified approval Mr. I'r. -.-. 

 Bently made seven out of ten balls at. the match of this cl 

 held Saturday, July 14. 



New Top.k, _4</</i ,,'.', ' ID.— The 



severe weather of February and March ;n aol i ■: 1 1 up 

 the game entirely. Wosee'deei in the laki nlmost everyday, 



and we- find a great mairybi ol pai rids 



dry sprinc saved them. The ,..■ n,, i i, 



size of full grown quails BOW, arid able to ii 

 my brother and I bad a good sight at a while deer 

 feeding in sight for twenty minutes, while tve sat in tho bunt 

 watching it, about sixty rods liver. [I Ii iki I to be pure 

 white. Wecould not see that it had a colored hair on it. ' We 

 did not disturb him, but lei aim go out when be e i. i.l,. 

 The. hoys have just ctil n path to Hie top 01 the Tie 

 tain, the highest peak in this vicinity. All parti 

 nounce Ihe view very tine. A. it. i't'ci. ku. 



Masixakd— Utoderiak, July 19— There is no scarcity of 

 game in this section of the country. Phea . Icoel 



and hares abound throughout the !'.■'■' I ■■ from the 



foot-hills of Catochin Mountains to the summit of the Limra- 

 nore Hills. Along the. grown up wal c ides 

 cy Bivcr, Linganore Israel. Tuscarora, Bush and I nriell 

 Creek you can hear oaeiver n i i i II ■: .■ , 



eve, the well-known and familiar lo 



and the hills and mouutniu si . i rj ,. 



growth, or with pine, hickory, oak, chestnut, laurel and the 

 like are filled with gray and fax squirrels, which may he Been 



leaping from tree to tree, white Si 01 



along the paths. In the thickly wooded and seehi 

 the ruffed grouse awaken the ech with their drilrjirjling, 

 and there ie scare Ij a mountain ravine, down which the 



■tally where 

 the foliage overhead is dense and shady, and where the rich 



stable loam is covered with long e ■■ . 

 lonely brake, bay or thicket, where you will find sn i i i 

 sconced one or two broods of woodcock. 



Bills of tiNGANoRE. 



ViBaiSU, Abingdon Park, July 20.— As regards deer, 

 there is one section of this State, I know to my positive 

 knowledge, where they swarm. I rarely ever take a stroll 

 through the wuods withOUl some. I speak truly 



when I say for every rabbit started there are two !■ 

 This region is known be rfi i ,,, and com- 



prises the two counties ot Susses ■' ■ il iron. It is 

 thinly settled, and few hunt since the war. Asa hunting 

 ground for deer, turkeys, quail, 'possums, raccoons, foxes, 

 etal, I consider it uneqttaled in this State ; and I have 

 hunted much since the war. To gel there go to Richmond, 

 then to Petersburg, Vn. ; take the Petersburg and Weldon 

 B. R. and stop at Stony Creek station, Sussex Co. There is 

 a boarding house at the station for the interior ; there is no 

 need of inns, every bouse having, like the Irishman's shanty, 

 " the latch hanging outside of the door ;" and hoard, if in- 

 sisted upon, can be got for a song. The best headquarters 

 for the sportsman are Sussex, C. H. and Jerusalem, the 

 county seat of Southampton. There is no public convey- 

 ance at depot (Stony Creek), but a private oue can always 

 be had. 



JKentcckv, Stanford, July 20.— No sportsmen of this locality 

 dared hope that tho quails could survive the ex 1 

 and snow of such unprecedented depth and continuance last 

 winter. Especially did they despair when on sei 

 sions domestic fowls were" " frozen to death " upon their 

 roosts. But the causes of apprehension proved a " blessing 

 in disguise," as they pot a stop to shooting early in Decern/ 

 her, and the birds survived the winter. If the multitudes 

 of pairs can be taken as an index to (he crop, this part of 

 Kentucky will not have produced such an abundant harvest 

 of the little fellows in the last twenty years. A country 

 friend told us that he believes thee of birds 



on his farm of 250 acres. KbnTui 



Ohio, Oreenrilk, July 10.—" F. G. S.," your correspond- 

 ent from Fern Bank, writing under date 



quail laW is on for another year vet iu this Slate, aDd gives 

 '•(Tloan " as his authority. 



little closer he will find lie is mistal -■ is off the 



15th day of September, 1877. Que 

 here for (10) ten years as they are at present \ in fact f anaef i 



