.^6 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Dkobmbbk S, 1881). 



W W. CusMng +1 ST n. Doiifflass 



18 A. H. Comi: 41 SS B. B. Th 



li T. G. Wmiamson d an w . c. 01;i,rk- si- 

 lo G. WllUnms tl 40 F. Mrv 'M 



1« J. R. B. Bayly ii 41 J. P. surrninU ."i; 



IT J. W. Wrik'llt.; 41 42 J. M. TUT-UPV 3(1 



IS E. Bornmler 40 4S J. Moorti 36 



IB Jas. lios.-; -Ill 41 H. B. Tlnrtlrr JB 



SO J. D. Rllov 3» 4r, 1'. F. .MI11A1-; 35 



21 W. II. smti p.a 4U H. Downev k 



•a J. W. nuic ;t!» dlj. H. Sa.imdrrs 3:. 



23 A. J. Hni,;, M ,;9 4SO»H.StOilP :;;: 



84 E. C. l-r:-. ■ ;i9 4fl K. A. LWl",i :.'■ 



?5A. Bf'jm- ■!« 50 \V. M Numiyi-!>, i;:: 



Gabdseh, Mass., J\'oi' 26. — Tbare wa-s a good attendance at tho 

 Hackinataok Eauge yestorday. A aeries of meetings was iiiangn- 

 rated. There la to bo a coutest each week iiutll a certain mim ifl 

 realized. It is open to all. Tlie iiri7,03 to lie awarded aggre- 

 gate ?50. The first prize is SIO. Distance, 200 yards, otT-liand, 

 ■naing the indi-iing and Creedmoor target combined. The work 

 of yesterday is told hy the following score : 



T'l. T 1. 



I.N.Dodge 89 ST— ISC Geo. F. Ellsworth l?3 89—17-2 



Chas. .Sluimw:iy 4f. f.i-iin O.K.Pratt ; Tl 63—18-4 



Fi-eilKniiwllon le, fir,— 14-i .A. Matt.liews 84 «— 128 



Ohas. M'MTlU ST tiS-l'j,-) Ii, C. Knowllon 89 39—178 



Chester lUiuLs TO 70—152 .Vmos Colman m 64—1,14 



Geo. W. Cauu .4C 31— Tu S. I,. Walker. ... , SI 6T-148 



H.S. PlCrOO Tl T6-I4T P.E.Nichols 84 83-107 



CO. Bent....,,. ....80 80— 160 



Mammoth Eiixe Galt.erx— Boston, Nov. .26.— Thanksgiving 

 week was a busy one at the Blammoth Gallery, and tho contestants 

 in the Excelsior Rhle Match were large in point of numbers ; the 

 gallery was well filled both day and evening dm-ing the week with 

 riflemen and their friends, many members of the several rifle 

 olnhs in this vicinity being among the number, 



Mr. K. S. Gray, of the UlaBsachusettH Eifle Aseoeiation, still 

 holds the lead with 191, clo.sely followed by ilr. N. W. Ai-nold, of 

 tho same .-Vasooiation, with 191, and Mr. V. A. Pollard with 1«1 

 ranliiug in the order named. The three leading contestants are so 

 close that it wUl be hard for any one to name the winner. Mr. K. 

 F . Eichsa-dson follows closely with 190. Next iu order is Mi-. J. 

 Merrill with 18S, and sixth is Mr. 8. Cauterbiuw, with 186, out- 

 ranking Mr. H. Appleton, who also has 18G. 



On Dec. 1 will commence a new match, called the Any Eifle 

 Match, with six cash prizes, as follows : Fir.st pi-ize, t7 ; second 

 prize, ^0 ; third prize, Bn ; fourth prize, S4 ; fifth i>rizo, $2 ; sixth 

 prize, -"^l. ConditiouK of tho match are: Any twenty-two calibre 

 rifle three pounds pull ; rounds, eight ; possible 40 ; five scores 

 to win, or possible 200 ; position, off-hand. 



The mauagemont, desiring some oue to make a clean sooiss, will 

 offer an extra prize of S15 to any one making a clean score of 

 eight consecutive buUseyes. This the management thinks wiU be 

 an incentive for the crack shots to put forth greater efforts in this 

 direction. This new match w-ill commence on next Wednesday. 

 The followiug are the leading competitors, with their scores to 

 data ; 60 yards, ronuds 8 ; possiWe 40 ; five scores to win, or pos- 

 Bihle 200 : 



K.S.Gray ■•■^ :-^ M Si 89-191 



N. W. Arnold :: 3S ks 39 39-191 



Tl. A. POlllU-a 3S 3S 3^ 3S 39-191 



E. P. lilchardson _ ::T -ji 3> 3s 3y-l^ii 



ciios. H. HuUlnsoo.., ■'■' ■'•' ■' 3; 3^-;s,. 



Frank llolUs "''' ' - ■ 30 3i,— ;3H 



Q. Wan-.Mi , _ ■■: -. - 30 .T.'-Wl 



A.L. Lo-'kr - ' 30 Si^lSO 



A. C. MayiKUHl : 30 S6-17S 



N.S.James-- ' ■■ 3i; so 86—178 



t. W. Ffin-ar ?•'> s,-. 3.'; 86 S5— 177 



D.L.Ncal S5 SB 85 36 86—177 



F.H. HOlUm «5 35 36 35 85—175 



F. J. Snow 35 85 35 35 85-175 



Chas. B. Otis °'i 85 S5 85 85-174 



E. C. Sawyer S-1 84 85 85 35—173 



O.T.Harr 34 S4 84 85 8r>— na 



B.H.Daley 34 34 34 34 85-171 



H.B. Furnace si 34 34 34- 84— 170 



A.E.LODg SS 34 34 VA 34—169 



Piatoll'riiefciee—T)us favorite range has been lively also dmiug 

 the week, and the crack ol this little arm has been almost ineoB- 

 sant. Mr. ,1. J. Dunne was nearly successful in getting the gold 

 prize, trnco making thh-ty-umes, his third shot on one score was a 

 three o'clock uipper, and his sixth shot on his next score was a 

 seven o'clock four ; it -nas a fine effort, and showed caijitul holding. 

 On Dec. 1 will commence a pistol match with three cash prizes, as 

 follows : let, §5 ; 2d, 83 ; 3(1, -^a ; also an extra prize of five dol- 

 lars to any one making a clerui hcore of eiglit consecntive bulls- 

 eyes. (Joiiditions are : Uoldhig the weapon at arm's length, 

 rounds 8, possible iO, tlueo scores to win, or jjossible 120 ; dis- 

 tance 50 feet : the match to contuuie during tho mouth of De- 

 ceml)er. Tho following are some of the best scores ; 50 feet, 

 rounds 8, possible 40 : 



J. J. Dunne.... 5 B 4 S S B 5 5—39 



'• ro-eutry.. « 8 5 5 5 4 b 6—89 



S-Odlorne -S 5 B 6 B 4 B 5—39 



" re-entri' 5 n b B b 6 4 4—33 



F.J.Eahbeth 4 4 5 4 4 4 6 5-S5 



A. L. AlUlreWi^ 5 5 4 4 4 5 4 4—35 



H.M.GlUlg 5 4 4 4 4 4 B 4-S4 



S. 8. Fogg:. 4 4 S 4 4 5 4 4-34 



A.B.PrS£con f f 5 •} f f t f-S! 



A.H.DOII 5 444444 .1-83 



6.s,Gray 5 443435 4-32 



^ " ^ Geo. E. Raymoke. 



BuooiLnri.!., .'i/.c-,>-., Xoi: 2tJ— Yesterday, Thanksgiving Day, 

 sevorsl :;i Irn: i:iv!iiiifj ni' the Uportsmau's Club had a practice at 

 the ran- i-. hiv;a;;r-,- ;-4artS ballf. Each had ten shots; tho balls 

 ■were thrown from a rotar>- trap, with eighteen yards rise. Tlie 

 record was as follows : C. IT. Griffin, 10; J. V. Crosby, H. P. Ger- 

 ald, George Chapin and Henry t'rosl>y, 9 ea«h. Tho two last are 

 but 13 yeitt-8 old. 



HUNTING RIFLES, 



Newpobt Babiiaces, Ky. 



AIXOW me, as a sportsman of many years' experience, to ven- 

 tilate my views on what I consider good, serviceable sporting 

 rifles- rifles wiiich in their way and lor actual work cannot be ex- 

 ceUed ; and although I admit they still may be Improved tipon, at 

 all events, for tho present, they slftiid, in my estimation, as the 

 best ill this country, regardlesB of cost. 



I will eomnience with what I consider to bo the best rifle for 

 eportuig in tina.191 . for solfHlefence against odds, for general utility, 

 BDd, in fact, the best ritlo for Idlhng game on the run, and qm'ek 

 pnap-Bhootmg generally. 



Jn 1870 I bought a cal. .44 rim-flre Winohestei- repeater, wliieh 



shot 28 grs. powder and 200 grs. lead. With this rifle I killed a 

 good many deer and some ellc, and in its d,iy it was the best 

 AiTiericau repeater made ; but theu it had many shortcomings, 

 I especially for killing large game— the load was entirely too small to 

 give good results, and although a most oonveuiont gun, yet it was 

 Inot "thetliiug." 



' In 1873 I bought ono of same msl.-e, but of lator model, which 



Khot H heiiyierlonil--40 grs. poivj-r nii'l 2'iri kis. ](".i<l. Thin gnu 



v.,1'. !, Kool one. and »ilh it T 1.-;i\m1 ,,; u.y ,|..i 1. ;; ,i^■iM, , . ,,.:k joid 



liulTalo. .-slill it wan not a '-boo.-i rriish.-i," uiiO idliiouyh 1 iilvsays 



I used a boilow-pointcd exjilosiv!! biillr-r, m rnaoy cases I did not bag 



game which a heavier ball and tai-r'i 1 h 'aci of powder would have 



I "called in." When first J used this gnu 1 tried fnetoi^ [immuni- 



j tion-vin., aoUd bullet and ordiunry rill.; powder. Afterward I 



' UKcl Cmtis A Harvey powder, ncid made my own boUon -pointed 



bolls, ^^'lth these 1 ciune out vevy well, and consider that for 

 1 hght sporting rifle -one that is not intended for game any largei 

 I than door, and exclnsix e!y for shooting hi limber, wbc-rn the range 

 I seldofu exceeds 100 yai-ds, and no wind to disttu-b tho flight of the 

 ball— tliis is an exceUcut rifle ; but for prairie work the bidlet is too 

 j light, especially when cast hollow-pointed ; and I Imve been sadly 

 ) disappointed when shootmg at black-tail deer across ravines, at 

 I say, 250 to ,100 3-ards, to see my buUet drift away to ono side, per 

 ) haps several feet, when I laiew I held where I thought was right 

 I malung due allowauoc for n-iud, depression of ground, etc. 



Since then this same firm (Winchester) has turned out what 



consider the very best rifle in tho world as an aU-ronnd gun — viz. 



' a cal. .50 Winchester Express, burning 95 grs. powder and 300 grs, 



[ead (hollow-pointed biiUet). This gun la rather heavy, to be sm-o, 



j but that is all that can be said against it, and it must be borne in 



I mind that a strong shooting gim must bo full weight, as a light 



gun would kick fearfully with 9,") grs. powder, even it it docs shoot 



! a light bullet. I don't Uke tlio long magazine, but oue that car- 



' ries, say, six cartridge.', and that, makmg with ono iu the b-arrel 



seven shots, is as many ns ure generally required. Such a weapon 



I in the hands of a skillful mai-ksmuu is a perfect annory in itself, 



I and will stop any animal at which it is fired, backed by an accurate 



I aim and good judgment. 



The penetration is not so great aa that attained by rifles -which 

 I shoot a more pointed and heavier bullet, but it will bo found 

 I amply sufficient to bowl over a gri/.zly, buft'alo, or any animal that 

 is a native of this hemisphere, and that with ono shot, if properly 

 deUvered. But what if tho first shot doesn't '? \'ou still have six 

 1 others — and there is the beauty of the ropoator. Should you jump 

 ' a baud of deer, by keeping cool and givuig tho gun a show, you 

 1 may bag three or four before they get out of range. This, of 

 , coTO-«e, depends upon the ground, etc. At all events, you can 

 \ always count upon doing more niiscliief with seven sliots at your 

 I fingers' ends than yoii could under tho most favorable circum- 

 j stances expect to -with only ono or two shot^. Then again, when 

 ' hunting iu the Northwestern States in the winter, it is an inexpli- 

 [ cable luxury to be able to do all yoiu- loading at liome before you 

 j start, as when it is ten or twelve degrees below zero I have always 

 ' fomid it was more comfortable to keep on my gloves — or, nither, 

 I iiiiltens— and no other gim (other than a repeater) cim be haudlec 

 \ -iiiiessfuUy with these ungainly hut indispensable appendages. 

 P; \ the way, for hunting in cold weather, a regular mitten for the left 

 1' hand and with one a forefinger for the right is what is wanted. I'he 

 { trajectory of this cal. ..^O Winchester Express is very flat, and that 

 I is one of its best points. To those wishing a somewhat lighter 

 gun I woidd recommend tho gun of this make which shoots 60 grs. 

 powder and 300 gra. lead (solid ball), but for a smashing, killing 

 bullet, give me the cal. .50. Aa to the gun being too complicated 

 and liable to get out of order, that tlieory has been entirely for- 

 gotten out West, where thoy are most extensively used, and with 

 decent care and attention they will last as long as ca:i reasonably 

 be expected, cousidermg their price. 



Itegarding the Express system — or hoUow-pointed ball and pecu- 

 liar grooring — there is, I believe, 110 ono who now doubts tlieh- 

 superiority over a sohd bail, any more than that a choke-bore shot- 

 gun will outshoot a cylinder, or but what a 10-gaugo gun, if properly 

 bnUt, will outshoot a 12. These things happily seem at last to be 

 settled facts, and it would bo folly to argue witli a man who 

 would not accept tbem, as sucli an hidividual could never be 

 convinced. For my part I am fully convinced that a ICO-grain 

 hoUow-poiuted bullet, driven by 40 gi-s. powder, -wUl do more 

 damage and have a more domoraUzing effect than a 500-grain 

 shai-p-pointed bullet, mth 100 grs. powder. This I know to be a 

 fact on antelope and door. For buffalo and other liu-ge animali 

 tho former is too Ught>nd has not tho recinisite penetration ; but 

 the 300-gram ball from the cal. ..'iO Exijresa is jnst the thing. 



I hope I have not opened a hornet's nest by advocating a certiLin 

 rifle in preference t-o others, as I do tliis merely as a word of advice 

 to beginners, and not iu contradiction to ideas w-hich may be too 

 deeply rooted to allow of any change. Tdiadob. 



Boston, Mass. 



OF late much has boon written upon the subject of "Hunting 

 Bifles," aud the articles have been eagejly devom'ed by me. 

 The late Bayard Taylor used to say that he never found himself in 

 the comijauy of a person but what he could learn something, and 

 so each of the new contributors I am introduced to through your 

 cohmms tells me some little useful point, which adds to my store 

 of Ituowledgo on this subject. 



Eifle shooting is my madness. Huntiug with a i-ifle I prefer to 

 liJl other sports, so if I may tell follow sportsmen my opmion of 

 hunting rifles, perhaps— even if I am thoroughly thrsshod by some 

 abler sci-ibe— some one may find a grain of wisdom which will profit 

 them. 



In himtuig witlJ a rifle we are supposed to be iu pursuit of game 

 which is too large and too shy to be bagged with the shot-gun, 

 therefore we want a more powei-ful arm. The iiuestion naturally 

 arises, " What cahbre do I rciiuire and liow much powder do I re- 

 quire to charge my rifle?" Look over the market, and you will 

 find many excellent weapous, but a large, very large, propoi-tiou of 

 the so-called huntiug rifles in the gun-stores to-day are totally unfit 

 to lull anything above the size of a bare, Eiilo makers generally 

 to-day seem to be mauufactiu-ing alijfds d'afl instead of weapous 

 of usefulness and defense. 



When I go Imnting I take either my shot-gnn or rifle, and when 

 I take the latter I go to kiU what I cannot kill with a shot-gun, aud 

 I therefore have a weapon with which I can kill my game from 100 



to 500 yards. To do this, BO grs. powder is theleast I should think 

 of usmg, and never have shot less than 70 grs. Tho buUet I want 

 to weigh at least 420 gre. The rifle to bo .46 cal., aud to vjeigh not 

 imdCT 9 lbs. Now, some of your readers will exclaim, " None of 

 that for iiip,'' and wUl cito oases of tigers and bears being killed 

 with .,18 cal. rifles ; but because such a case has been brought to 

 to their attention, it is no reason that the weapon is suitable to hunt 

 such auimals. Dr. Cones once shot a wolf dead with T^n. 10 shot, 

 but 1 don't believ.-- our ornitholoj.;icni eucychM'india would go wolf- 

 huuting Avith such ammunidou. 



I have owned many rifles, and what I tell your readers is the 

 i-esult of a long experience and many tests. The finest and best 

 hunting rifle I ever owned I bought in a city gun-store — a poor, 

 despised, second-hand. Sharps " Old BeUable Businesa" rifle, tlie 

 old model, with an outside hammer. How insiguilicant it looked m 

 the background, for in front were those object-ii d'ari— those 

 beautiful, liigh-priced, hot-houao-flowor rifles, -with Italian walnut 

 stocks, natty white sti-sps attached to the slings (how white and 

 clean those sti-aps were !). But my eyes were upon that plain, 8ul>- 

 stantinl .Sharps, aud aa an art connoisseur would seize a Kem- 

 braudt, a 'Titian, or a Guido, I seized that rifle, paid for it, and bore 



Now, if I may be poi-nu'tted to, transfer tho reader to the plains 

 of the Great West Time, early iu the morning ; vei-y cold, a strong- 

 wind bloiving : in the distance, five antelope ; two hunters 

 approaching them, ono armed with a hght rifle, shooting about 

 30 grs. powder, aud bullet to correspond ; the second, the writer, 

 anned with the Sharps rifle above mentioned, charged with the 

 Winohesler goverument ammunition, 70 grs. powder and 420 gr». 

 load. We manage, by being nioimted, to approach within about 

 250 yards, when away go the antoloiJC Uke tho wind. They run 

 about 50 yards, and with that habit so fatal to them, stop for an 

 instant to indulge their curiosity. In a second two shots are fired, 

 the lighter bullet strikes the ground about 150 yards from the 

 shooter. The antelope nm, but before they have covered fifty 

 yards, one is down, stone dead, bored through with tho 420 grains 

 of lead I look around, and in the distance, upon a sUght emi- 

 nence, stands a noble buck. In as quick time as I ooiUd "pump" 

 a shell into a Winchester, I had slipped ono into " Old ItoUable." 

 Tho buck was so far away that as he faced me he looked like a tiny 

 object, but he soon presented lii.s side, and my rifle was at my 

 shoulder. "Don't Ih-e," shouted my companion. Crack wont my 

 rifle. " You've hit him ! What a shot ! He's aU right '." I hoard 

 as I jumped into my saddle. What a distance, I thought, as I can- 

 tered up to my game. Hon- pretty he looked, so slook and clean. 

 He was shot behind the shoulder — a weU-pJaced shot, but bo was 

 not dead, and he jumped to liis feet. .Another shot brought him 

 down, aud I cut his throat just as the boys from camp came ridmy 

 up. "We thought yon -wild," they exclaimed, "to shoot at such a 

 distance. What a gun to 'holdup.'" The distance was paced, 

 and 468 paces counted. 



I have detailed this account— which is a truthful one— to illus- 

 trate -(vhat I wish to say in conclusion. I have shot many deer and 

 antelope ; of the latter I have rarely killed one under 206 yards, and 

 from that distance up to 468 paces. 



I want and have a rifle— the ono mentioned — that 1 can shoot, la 

 cover, bears and moose ; and my buUet, with the charge of powder 

 mentioned, will, if wcU placed, bring to bag the laj-gest game. It 

 will also shoot perfectly at long range. When antelope shooting, I 

 sometimes use the Government sheU, 85 grs powdur and a 500 gr. 

 patched bidl. This is very effective in making long shots. 



I do not behove In magazine rifles. I have used them, and know 

 their merits and domorits, aud cannot but believe that, sooner or 

 later, hunters w-ho uow favor them will believe as I do. 



To sum up my statements in a concluding paragraph ; I do not 

 beheve any lifle is fit for actual Held service but what tiltcs powder 

 aud lead enough to make a nearly flat trnjectoiy up to 150 yards. 

 Have yoiu- rear elevating sight fast, and learn to shoot at different 

 distances by drawing a fine or coarse sight. Let tho front sight 

 regulate the elevation. Get such a rifle, brother sportsmen, aud 

 you will find it a fit iveapou to shoot in timber or on the open 

 prairie. Have tai-get sights, if you like, interchangeable with the 

 hunting sight, and you will find yon have a " thing of joy forever. " 



TnAJBOToni. 



Hop Bitters have more patience than Job, curing thousands of 

 patients daily. See l*roverbs. 



Go to 0. L. Hitzmann, 943 Broadway, if you want a good Knife. 



ffachiittg and ^anaeing, 



EIGHT AS FAR AS HE GOES. 



EiMtov Forest and Stream : 



IHA\Ti; observed that you think American builders give too much 

 beam and too little depth to a yaoht of given length ; also, 

 that yon oppose the use of the centreboard and the use of much 

 canvas in oue sail. I infer from yom- account of the race between 

 Georgie and Annie and Ayrahh-e Lass that you eajiocially object to 

 iJio cat rig, probably as the embodiment of all the above-mentioned 

 defects. 1 think your condemu.i.tion of these models and rigs just, 

 60 far at applied to lai-ge yachts intended for rough work and much 

 •' outsido" cruising, liut when apiJlied to om- smaller sailing boats, 

 of which the cat is tlio chief, I consider it entirely too sweeping. 

 The very things which seem failureB when apphed to sea-going 

 yachts arc, it, seems to me, those which make the cat such a favor- 

 ite. Her small draft and centreboard enable her to sail in very 

 shallow water, and when in deep water to use a large keel. As we 

 cannot deepen our inlets and shallow lakes, and still like large 

 boats, we can only increase the beam to add to their Bi^e, which in- 

 crease of beam also prevents the necessity of much ballast — a great 

 -?onsideration to a small crew. 



I suppose ahuost everyone has had experience of the convenicnco 

 of the single sail plam. Every summer I handle cat-boats alone, 

 which it wotdd be impossible for mc to handle if the canvas was 

 divided into two sails. 



In your review of Kemp's " Yacht and Boat Saihng," you said, in 

 speaking of tlie part relating to the ten and fivc-tonners and smailei 

 craft, that we hud practically next to nothing to learn froiu th--; 

 English, our small sloops Ije-ing lai- superior to anything of their 

 cliisM described hi liis book. And as couceming smaller sail-boalo, 

 " On Bmoothwator we are king." Now, the cat is the chief of 

 these smaller boats, and I clium that it is in her class especially 

 that " we are kmg." Dixon Kemp speaks very highly of the cat- 

 boat, as reproBcuted bv the Una, saying that the hiindiness of the 

 boat was 11 marvel to tliose w-hoso simplest rig was that of a wutei- 

 man's boat with thx-ee sails. I think it shoold also be remembej-ed 

 that our waters are not as rough and choppy as those suiiouudiu^t 



