446 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



LJply 5, 1883. 



Bkajkp on thk i ah.it.ika Coast— fiWw Varmt and 

 During the winters of 1880-1881 and 1881 1882 

 then swftS HO .ilniiidnuce of I. runt at Moichead Cilv OH tin- 

 eas! ,,1 this Slate, bill last winter, that of 18&J-1883, HUrfi 

 Were nun. al all, exeepl r voq few Can you explain the 

 alisetice during- Hie last winter? Some say' il was not cold 

 UDOUgh. It is true WD didn't have much clear cold weather, 

 hut we had plenty of disagreeable winter weather, mostly 

 rainy.— V. B. [Without knowing more of the conditions 

 it would be quite out of the question to arrive al any solu- 

 tion of the matter. | 



Maine Bbab Bouotv. — fflilor Fvml.umMStnwii: I have 

 noticed in several newspapers the statement thai the bounty 



on bears was repealed by the Inst Legislature uf .Maine. 

 This is not the fad Section 2 of Chapter 58 of public 



lows of 1881 was repealed. This section prohibited the Day- 

 man of any bounty on bears unless the same were kilted 

 between June 1 and Nov. 1. As the law now atands, the 

 ircas.ircj- ol .-aeh town is obliged l.i . pay a lion nfy of $5, 

 upon propel evidence luiug produced, lo each porbor who 

 kill- a b-ai at any time of the year. -J. F. 8. (Monson, 

 dune 1lii. 



liei WED &HOtmis Shooting.— Elsie. Mich., dune 2,3.— 1 



lad upward of thirty ruffed grouse iu a day, and 



onci I fctlled thirty-three in one-halt day's shoot, l" have 



i'. i w.i consecutive birds without a miss, and 1 



do not claim to he the best wing shot in the country. 



Quail in this locality are more plenty than they have been 



tar years: they wintered splendid. We inaj 'expect good 



shooting i he coining season. It bids fair lor a good supply 

 'i idge. — A. I). L. 



Mux-tax v Gamk Sf.Asons.— Fort Custer, Montana, dune 

 21. — Since I lasl wrote the game laws of this Territory have 

 been changed, and the open seasons are now as follows: All 

 large game and grouse, Aug-. 15 to Jan. 1; eeese and dueks, 

 Aug, lo to May "l.— J. C. M. 



India* TbrBiTobY. — Muskogee, June, 1888, — We wdll 



have a large crop of ehickeu and quail in this locality; 

 season opens July 15. — D. O. 



MUZZLE vs. BREECH. 



VIEWS UP A 



E QUESTION. 



Editor Fvnst '111,1 SI, 

 However il uiaj seem to son,,., of your ivodeis.lt appeal's to xae 



(.hat tbcri is too much acrimony creeping inn. He- discussion of muz- 

 i . ih-loatlei'i Tins noigbl just as profitably be if ft out, 

 Aniui:uUev-ioa it: neither (act nor argument; an.l facts. find, argu- 

 ments arc what are wanted. Although an aii.ucuie of the breech- 

 loader as a bunting gun, under huniing conditions, as against tin 



uan-do-loa-lc. under siiml i ions, I confess I 



sonahle conviction, and t hope the advocates 

 also open to conviction, and oh that asstunptioi 

 tuns .. few remarks upon the subject 



Let as go book to a beginning-, and fr..n. tttat 

 i can fiud bearing upon tins subject, a 

 can as to the merits or demerits ol .ill 



thee 



open 





facts 

 what 

 load. 



it 



tli.' word van" »il- d. lived from the 



and corruption: but tins is foreign toth 



it is a iiiaclnni- of a lidiular (OJ D) used 

 sou,.- f. .i-rn "I clastic force, and one of 

 IS !!,.■ '■blow gun" "I (be South Amen 

 isoiied arrow, with its infl •• 

 .:.. .- -:ir ,.f lie lulie. and blown by (I 

 wolideiful aim and elfeel for almost i 

 weapon. On ii.cs„iii>> principle is tti, 

 large and ; ... :. - lie-. ...... !.•■ consid- 

 er- ,e, I their origin lost in the dim 



lioingbael; to the iutr. .duel ion of gn 

 used to project the missiles from these 

 !,,,.! ■•i.r.-.o, |..a.br.-" among lie- li.>l 

 probably known l..t.c ...tore aiithenti 

 counts are doubtful, and r-: 



lii-ei the thirteenth ■. i" ■;•• -mil eel 



thirteenth century are not I. 



..r the fourteenth e.-ninry •-..■.• I1..111 .(••> 



beariug on this subject, u ".-It ..- 1 



Kurope. and early 111 the list are lo 



l.-.-io, .->.- as wellas-nnu/:- 



were property "cannon.' as 



Unit the comparative -hooting of bre. 



recorded, so that v ' 



, be a 



ilm .-.- ,.i.|. 1 



red I 



hna. 



■ life, II. 



till lo kiOl •■:. 



i..:: e.-w. and |.r, 



a probably have o$ much antiquity a- t he inn ggto-loatler, 

 ..nd that among the drat attempts ..... i>- !•■ eoustruci a gun, the 

 people of tie- lime -..w the •• ormeipli' anil tried to 

 us>* it. an.l in a v.-ry eredltabh- ...;i:i.i. . I 1,-10-rilig the lueaus 



at hand with which to construct such weapons, and probably oulj 



ahaudon.-d the breech loading principle beau.-, i 



iusufneieucv of tools, proper workm.n. and material with which to 



,, ibis principle. liildilig that l! I., -tic f, f ,]„. hum 



ihg gunpowder 1.1 not be eoiuii.eil hylic- 



able to malic, and. therefore, turned to I he lube perm in. inly closed 



at on,- en xecpt il.. v.nt or t...i.h I...1.-.. and the leading b; the 



muzzle, not because ol :.... supcioi -it> inherent m this method, bill 

 because it was easier I" make properly at that lime 



"Hand guns" were cr- h.Ki.e g into lav.r 1 Ivos 



Using Ihem being eallc I '-barbarian-," h. those who did not. hut II. ev 

 . ,in,l rcc, ids ,.|- (heir use arc to he to.ui. I in 



early lis the four ,ll-. century Naturally enough the first were 



mu.-./.h leader,-, simply Ji. cans.- the lii-st br.-.-ch ■l.ei.lm..- 



ine faih-.I r,,r waul ol prop.-, talent lo make them, tie Mrs! efforts .11 



small arms would foil be muscle-loading stya- as it hadpracti 



colly succeeded. Hut in the sixteenth century bo . .11 loading small 



1., -loiuid. and very fair ones, too, in principle, lacking 



only the manual dexterity, 1 tlianj al knowledge aud proper tools of 



our llav to have heel, made fullv successful ; and as civilization a. I 



vaneed, knowledge grew, and proper skill. 1....1. and n...i. ...,i 1 



the rule, we .111,1 lie hrecch-ioii.l.-i coiitinuiiig mil II I la- pi . -lit da , . 



Il line; ..Is ■ li.-i-.-iii.-inli.-ivi| that the ancient guns \\,v.- :i! lira 



, lien m. itch lo.-l.-. wa.-el lock, and then 1I111I lock., ill 



mueb more applicable .-• ......-./.;■ ih.,„ o. 1 .ch-loaders: and 11 was 



o bleeCh c 



loader all the lime; the nniz/.e- heeler succeeding for reasons air. 

 stated, viz. : the praell.-ahilit.y of cunning tie- elastic !••.■ • 

 tube jicriuanentlv closed at one end. 



Having -,.. far ,-uisorllv fell. .wed up -the gun'" from earl, roe 

 t , tie- prcs.-nl d:u, Id us look for a momci.i al the prj iciplei 

 ,,,!...!. remarking at once. t-. cno-.n.-i 1 ei-ite.-isin. 1I.1.1 I an 

 sharp, rea.li lo argue the mutl.-r oul by .\. y, and /.. 

 Miiuply 10 look 111 tie- mailer from a practical and common 6 

 Standpoint, 



\ gun, l.eiiiga 



elo throw mi-sili'-. by 11. co. of flB ela-tie 

 fOrel . thl'O ■,-l... tube, IS It hot the most natural way to introduce 



Dbn.1 missile al II ml from which ii i- 10 I -opelle.d. as 1.1 the 



l.l.c. ■■gun, an- gnu, pola I. a- pop gun. etc. . ..nd i-it not contrary t" first 



. put 11 in at tin', muzzle, end, ram it down 1 

 blown out:- H. iutlodueiug it into the breech end and applying 'he 

 force behind ft, at least the labor ot ramming il dov. 11 line the muz 

 ,-h- is obviated, leaving, for the present, all other considerations out 



the force, 

 as the mi. 

 Mint, it w.i 



pi Dcipli ."■ ■ c .ii..- . in . 1 1 1 ■ 1 lei M iteep be 



Id -bl-.-.v g. or- as, samples. 



in-opelling if- tniSsilS by an "elastic force.- lo fully obtain 

 this force must be so confined as to expand ir^ energy to 

 upon I he missile. In the •■liH M n-shoo|er.'' thel.realh being 



• ■ iredoul B 11 ii en tttnr or Ii M force, according 



sile lil-i tighter or looser, with certain limits, I remember 



ed by inertia, wil 



, || ,i, : ... 



■ , !■, 



The ii.--.f. ton rati n.li 



ei 1 in of the bullet, a c 

 overcoming this inertia, 1 



Of the bullet, liei y, or em' 



in a sudden pufP. 



Now on accour.l of this verv fact ,.f v. h, -..pHrioritv 



on principle for the hreeeh-loafle Ide ..- introduced into the 



end naturally It..- proper one, the mtssiloBolnserleu. having 01.lv once 

 to traverse the tube, can he made lo fit with n... 1 „. r. ,, ,1 il .:, 1, i, 



an I thereto. .- I he full strength of the eia-lic 1 e lie made available 



1... work, 



Upon this very point allow mo lo quote rn.in one lie. I I believe (.., 



be a. standard ...ulioriiv. vie. Dottgall. p 72: -f'usl habilnales 



nitttltiiud 10 1. u.nv imperfections and fallacies, which, when in tie- 

 course of time once broken in upon or dispelled In discovery or im- 

 provement, arc looked back upon with n pi >ae 1 ■■■■ ■ 1 "■. hem 

 consider the pnrp.se of a gun; that it is nn 1 ii-:,-:.!!. ■,, 1 1,1 ,.- , .f iu-i-.I 



through which a projectile is 1 die,- : L, •.-.,,- \i -1 ,,-ji v of a c-.-r- 



tain gas, and that much of the force of this gas depends npon the 



exact fitting of thB projectile to that tube, or 1 words upon 



the abSel.e ■■■ rOUldsUpp"-- 1 h-e it should n.w,-r h.ne 



I 





. uor do I 

 1 upon this 

 living been 



breech-load. 



rle-ioader, a 

 il tO be abai 



cause they 1 



g I ■" 1 • breach 



■s Some muzzlo-load- 

 Joubl '1 iicv collide'! 



■BJ over the t.uc 



■ 1 chW or thai 1 



■ 







_. .■.,-.■. ,■:. 



ch. 





hi a 





-ed, 





t does lip 



in ii..- veloi 



hy. 







s. ami als. 



'it 



■ ill the 

 eloeity 



hull, is ai 

 bullet licit 



■ 



,'"'" 







it. using the ivgulali-n aiium 

 ir,l.-i. closet shoolingguns I ei 

 1- np I" Ii*'} tls. without any all' 



...Id ••leader" fi .mu 

 on.lingl.v -over" wh 

 filer model- and mi 



I found I 



and killed g, 

 ■ r holding nil, 



he palhof I hi projectile Ihrougii the 

 6 11 r fflll le.c .hough il may ai.|.r,.,-.e 

 ..■ally to he cons, ..■:,■. 1 such, and ..re- 



in the tbrUPl ClllVe of lb 



ihslauce the gun will thn 

 -'..•n-.ii.l. difference in the 

 and oilier things bains . 

 projectile the highe-l VI 

 proximate to ibis right Ii 

 and the longer killing .lis 

 takeout all limes 

 Th. -pi-..!.-. 



then 



rule. 



b.for,, me the lectui'e OeUven 



V . . ..pen .he subject ot the new arm 

 I he British .,o.c.nment. mentioned by • 

 of April l(i. -.."'i. bv .' 



Mo» 10, and 1 lane read lie- same with v 

 . ..... videncc of tin- fact that l.iv. 



ae fully aware of anv d.-merii- lie- 



Ionic :,ii„i ,ic:.;iivinc their titmosl 1 

 m -i. deullv at all rati 



.viler 

 iirk left, to the 



