:(!Kxn»n;B 9, 1880. ;j 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



369 



GUK8, POWDER AND SHOT. 



PKAOTIOAL HINTB AKD resTRTTOTTOK*. 



PAKKTSRSBTruG, W. Vs., Nov. 33. 



Ill AVE read a number of rather scientiflc article.s in your 

 reeoiit numbers, whicli 1 found very intereRting and 

 hich could not fail to impart mucb valiialile information to 

 ly S|)ort8man. It is only witluu the past few vi'ars that the 

 ie of the ehot-gUT) for shooting birds un the wing lius be- 

 iiae a science. The scientiflc knowledge of lids ruanly and 

 Bcinaling sport is yet confined to a very liinited number of 

 jortsmen. 



The rainntiffi of shot-gun practice, if closely studied, show 

 tilt to become au efHcient marksman it is not only necessary 

 ) be a good shot, but also to regard the peculiarities of your 

 un, noticing closely the proper charge, the Uuid of annnuni- 



Dn best suited to it, etc. ' E 

 nue requiring more powdc 

 id more shot, a lighter or 

 Is often fouud that two n 



id If; 



I has i 



'id. 



les, charged exactl3' nl 

 ances, \vill not give the pii 

 be wisdom of future a-c-nen 

 loring gmi3 and iMudiiif; rl: 

 lertaintV and unirormily in 

 sometimes dianppoiiit'fd ^ 

 orrecl and he generally lil, 

 ■''lity, the fault is owinff t 



and fir< 



npposrd I 



jjeculiaritie.s, 

 less powder 

 •use may he. 

 rxact du])!!- 

 »fl iimlfi- llic- same circum- 

 It, and it yr-t, rfniaina for 

 liuiiM 10 discnrerV.me system of 

 em winch shall insure absolute 

 every di.scliargc. A sportsman 

 I'hen he knows tlial liis aim is 

 inu's liirt gim, when, in all proba- 

 li'Ti/ct in loading or in the 



Iftlits' of ammunition. Jbist ffmis shoot well wben properly 

 aded and the finest gnn will only yivr- ;<- 1,-- r--ip when 

 ilded just right. Many persons thin i; lidieu- 



m-sly large chargesof powdergreater i ; 'nnod; 



fliers assert just the revej-se. 'Discus;-i' . i.iactioal 



tiowledge is' useless. By experiment only can such infor- 

 Ifltion lie gained. My object is not to appeai- learned in this 

 jsjpect, but to offer a few suggestions which may lead to ex- 

 Brimcitt and a more perfect knowledge where, in jnimy 

 IBes, iricfi!-. liijvo existed basr-d onlj' on hearsay evidence. 

 Among licgjniiiTS, and tliose who have nol, had large expe- 

 snce, the idea seems to prevail that a good gnn should kill 

 _ from 100 yards to as far as the object can lie rtiBtinctly 

 sen. This is all a mistake. Forty to sixt v yards is as far a'q 

 ly guu can be considered reliable. f=Sliots'niay occasionally 

 I! niade a,t longer range, but tliey are more" the result of 

 liance than calculation. Tlie majority of Itivds killed in 

 eld-shooting are within thirty yards! Tn duck-sliooting 

 fhere large shot arc used, the ranire is !■ , • 1 n 1 1 Mit- moRt 

 an.iful and successful market shoot, r ,: ,,,-, dose 



Iyer.? and seldom attempt long cliancij ; "Sinade 



yamalour sportsmen, who thinkliitk:or.iii^::iu_;i!.ii wasted 

 tmany uusuccessful long shots, but prefer the credit of oc- 

 fsioiiftlly making a brilliant e.xhibition of long-range shoot- 

 ig. A gun that will distriliute two-thirds of the pellets con- 

 am.'d in ihe load evenly in a Ihiily-ineh circle at forty yanls 



fthat will put half thi 

 dereda reliable field ffun. 

 •inn are even distribution 



are not only dependent 

 d is bored, but also on the 

 if anirnnnition, etc. This 

 vine the eharirc. or per- 

 ■ninc |50wder, as' llic smi 

 rities of sbol-s-nns those 



■ dies, p. 

 la led lo I 



e.\t«nt by 



'<U1 e.':ce]jlioiially good gnn. and f 

 (Sd in the same space may be cims 

 llic most important requisites in a 



the shot and penetration ; these 

 )on the manner in -which the liarr 

 Ky in which it is loaded, the son 

 lay be re;iulated veiy mncb liy \-a 

 ups by using a faster or s!o\\'{V Im 

 lay rerpiire" Among ihr i.Kuli; 

 Wch claim the mosi adeniioii tire 

 jilingorthrowinrr the sliot in h\\ 

 (d leading: all ll'iese uia.y bo n -u 

 ireful attention to loadinsr. 



Tn tiyinga gim. I would adyise ; 

 ei. a thirty-inch circle, witi 

 Lickness liehind it to show 

 Ages penetrated. Regular penetrai ii 



t paper of aniform thickness, may be obtained froin most, 

 ou dealers. Find out howmuch powder of a certain lir.and 

 om' .gtm will burn by tiring over while paper, a sheet, or 

 iiooti) surface of snow ,■ wiiat is not Ijiiriied can thus be seen. 



is of no use to load moa-p powder ihan can lie burned, it 

 illly incroa.ses the recoil and only that whicb is bnmed in 

 le barrel propels the shot. 



[After finding out the largest quantity of powder that 

 pur gun will burn vary the load of shot. Shoot at least 



-iipiil 



ird ran 

 pad of 



1 puds, 



. Tar- 

 .fficieut 

 le number of 

 ladc of sheets 



■h barrel and take the 

 inee ; nimiber IS, 

 \ Try light and 

 'O or three "pink 

 ' that they are perfect and 

 possible. "Wads that are 



inr loads of the same quantity 

 rcrage. For number 10 bore, ]•' k 

 -toli ounce; number 14, f to lr> 

 cavy wadding over the powder, oi 

 flge" wads; examine them and 



5 nearly the same thielmess . ,. 



licker on one side than Ibc other will be apt to turn wldl 

 assing from the barrel, throwing the shot one side and pro- 

 ncing R very irregular pattern. Tlie lighter the -lyad over 

 he shot the better." Tlie ihicker and more ela.stic the wad is 

 letween the powder and shot the less the shot will bcknocked 

 illt of shape by the sudden toncnssion and, therefore, more 

 Wllets will reach the object. Sliells forbrepch-Ioaders should 

 Iways be exactly the length of the chamber of the gun and 

 light to fit snugly in every way. Breech-loaders require 

 bout one-sixth more powder than muzzle-loaders of the same 

 tee. 



Tn selecting a gim get it to lit yon ; one that comes up and 

 alances well so it will naturally point at the object of your 

 im without requiring you to feel around lo find the sight. 

 tWlcn ordering stale the weight, length of barrel, size of b'ore-, 

 Bngth of stock from the front trigger to the noddle of the 

 hlt"t plate, t»ie drop of stock, measuring from a straiLdit line 

 rlth Ihe top of the barrel to the top of the butt, also from 

 Kiie line to the top of stock just back of the grip, and aa 

 early as possible how you want it to shoot, whether a close 

 •spreading pattern. 



Too nnicli attention cannot be paid to the quality and 

 Haptabilitv of aiiiniiinition. jVfter deciding on Ihe kind best 

 llited to yonr gnn use it only. Don't be changing all the 

 Ime until you become so con fused that you are at the raercy 

 if every whim. A slight additional cost is often more than 

 lompensated for by an incrc-used quantity of game, to say 

 othing of the satisfaction. 



Improvements recently made in the manufacture of shot 

 lave set many to thinking and given rise lo many theories. 

 Tie subject is undoubtedly one of more importance than is 

 pnerally supposed. The" general idea for many years has 

 ,een that if shot were uniform in size, spherical in "form and 

 niooth in finish, the best results would be obtained ; every 

 he considering only quality and appearance when pvit 

 Bto the gim, and tiot its quality upon its leaving the barrel 

 nd during its flight to the object of the shooter's aim. A 

 imnber of years ago upon the introduction of baidened shot 



England, various experiments were made, all going to 



low that soft shot, although absolutely perfect when put in- 



to the load, were so deformed and out of shape upon letiving 

 the gun, that a very large iiroporiion of the charge was lost ; 

 this was owing to their being crowded against, each other 

 with such tremendous fnrec bv ■!.. ..-.,,1,.--:,.;, „f (hg powder, 

 andby contact with the snrf.n, ; '-'id very few, if 



any, of the pellets retained I] M -'. if 'any one 



will take the trouble to erect : ihl f '-i sqnarc, 



made of plank thickly padded with i i-no 



stretching a cloth on the ground froo. 

 say forty yards, they will find ui)on ii i -_ 



pellet? bci'in to fall ttt a very short disiaacp ifvim i;io rnuzzlf; 

 of the Loiii and will be sprinkled alniis on the crn.nid in an 

 mere as ins.; ratio up lo the uin^nX. and thai liie shot caught in 

 the target arenearlyall tiadly but of shape, many "f them hav- 

 ingindeuttitionson their several sidcsfroni compression aeuinst 

 other pellets while passint^ from the barrtjl A!os! nr iii.- per 

 lets which have fallen sho'rt of the target will he found lo he 

 flat, tin ' I lave everj' shape e.xcept roimd. 



Ale W Greener, a celebrated gunmaker of 



Blrmie ,1, published in a circidar the results of 



a nuuilier oi iii.ii,^. jiroving concbi.sively that to .secure the 

 best result, it was necessary that shejt should possess thctpial- 

 ites of perfection during its flight through the air, and to do 

 this it must be hard enough tej resist the concussion incident 

 upon the discharge. Slnit of an irregular .shape, or mi.xed 

 size, will have a scattering and uncertain oiTcct. The princi- 

 pal quality of perfection in soft shot i.s that each pellet in a 

 load slinuld be of the same weight. If some, pellets are 

 heavier they \vill fly faster and in their passage throw the 

 lio;htpr ones out of range. This ..f e:ourse. holds'gejeiri with all 

 drop shot. "Improved Chilled" shot )ios?esses qualities of 

 perfection that soft shot does neit, resist inLM_H)ncussion and re- 

 taining its spherical form. 'flip.s in a more conipact and uniform 

 mass and therefore, mee'tinc with less resistance in its pas- 

 sage, penetrates deeper ; it will not ilatftn on the feathers of 

 a bird, or. sldn of an animal. S(|iiirrel ahootevs when taking 

 off the skin often find many of the shot just underneath yyhen 

 soft shot has been used. In brush shooting liard shot is of 

 great iidvantago as it cuts through the foliage and branches, 

 often killing game Avhere soft shot wotdd allow it to escape. 

 Shot that may be hard upon the surface only would not se- 

 cure the advantages to be found in an article of tiniform re- 

 sistance to concussion and of such toughness as to prevent 

 splitlin,' or breaking. 



In .Tinip, t'iVR, the New York State Sportsmen's Associa- 

 tion ad- ijil eel a standard of sizes known as the "American 

 Stioidard." The object was to induce all manufaclm-erR to 

 numlicr their shot by the same .scale, so that any specified 

 number should represent the same size everywhere'. Some of 

 the shot-makers confornted to this standard,' many did not, ao 

 there is a Considerable difl'ercnee in the sizes of shot made by 

 different tnanufacturers. In experimentiu.ij, or for accurate 

 .shooting, it is necessaiy t" know that shot is of the right size. 

 Among other ridiculous theories is one which prevails only 

 among tho.se who form liasty conclusions, without considera- 

 tion or experiment, that chilled shot may injure finely fin- 

 ished gun barrels. In loading the shot is poured in and set- 

 tles into its place entirely by cluauce. It is not likely that 

 the pellets in any I wo loads take exactly the same poBilions. 

 Iliereforc the points of contact of tlie different loads upon the 

 surface; of tlie liarrel is never the aanie, so it conld not cut or 

 wear gi-ooves as many suppose. The surface of the shot be- 

 ing smooth, no sharp edges or corners, it is impossible that 

 the liarrel could even fie scratched. The shot in the outside 

 hiyera of the load, even of the hardest, metal, after being fired 

 from a gnn, will be fonmi tei have their sides flattened and 

 i;roaiid off by friction in passing from the gun ; but no pel- 

 lelt: can be fonnel possessing any sharp, in-egular surface that 

 could .scratch or injure tlio hneat barrel. .Soft .shot wears a 

 gun riut in time and hard shot may wear out one a trifle sooner, 

 but the wear will be as smooth and imiform as bv soft shot 

 and so slow that no eme will ever notice the ditTercnce. 



Kegarding ''leading," abcait which there seems to be such 

 a diversity of opinion, when ,<i gnn does Itecnme leaded it is 

 with metallic lead, not plnmbic^n nr black lead, which is a 

 fine lubricator, and ilie besj s,,i|-,.i^^-intrfl .n,_;-aiicit leaeling. To 

 prove this wash all the polish ^fr ' tic;' shot iiefore nsino. and 

 note the result. Load acveral shells witli black lead instead 

 of shot and after firing se^ eral rounds, enougli to dirty -. our 

 guu, wipej it out clean and find anv lead adhering to ihe'bar- 

 rel if you can. If it is remembered that plmnbngo is not 

 lead and tliat its characteristics arc sncli as to makelt valua- 

 ble to prevent the metedlic lead, r.f which the shot are made, 

 from adhering to Uie harrcl, tin' tricat advantage of "patent 

 finish" catmot hut he seen. The canse of guns leading has 

 never been satrsfacforily explained : it seems to be pecidiarto 

 some guns. You will sometimes find a sun that leads with 

 soft .shot and not with tmrd,- other will' lead with hard and 

 not wilh soft, and some will lead with either kind. Many do 

 nol lead at all. Tliere are some powdci-s that leave a hard 

 and almost insoluble residuum. This is often mistaken for 

 lead, especially when the earn has not been vripcd before the 

 accumulation has become hard. 



The liest way to treat a gun wh^n loaded is to wipe it out 

 clean, then rub plenty of strong mercurial ointment on the 

 inner smaace of the barrels, pm it in a warm place and the 

 mercury will dissolve the lead, which can be easily yyiped out 

 with a rag : then polish the inside well with plumbago and it 

 will be some time before it leads again. By this treatment 

 there can be no injury to the barrels, as might occur bv the 

 use of a wire brush or scraper. 



Powder used in breech-loaders is generally of coarser grain 

 than that used in muzzlpdoaders. The larger gi-ain burning 

 nifjrc sleiwly, .allows of a larger charge and distributes the 

 shot, more regularly than a quick sharp powder, A powder 

 that burns moist and can easily be wiped out is preferable to 

 that which burns dry and hard. The recent articles on the 

 mnnufiicturc of powder in the Fokest and Stbk.*m give the 

 greatest information. 



■What is known as "balling," or the shot being thrown in 

 hunches, seems to be dependent on various causes and can 

 generally be remedied by care in loading. A shell that is too 

 sliort or too long for the chamber of tlie gun may occasion it, 

 or the use of powder that is too quick, " Sometimes it can 

 be cured by the tise of a stiff wad or a soft wad over the 

 shot, astheca.se maybe; sometimes by increasing the wad 

 ijctween the powder and shot and it is often dependent upon 

 the boring of the gun. 



The great increase of interest infield sports during the past 

 few y^cars has so increased the ntimber nf experts in wing 

 shouting that it has become necessary lo protect game bylaw, 

 especially during breeding season'. Tlie oreaiiization of 

 clubs for that purpose has accouiplished much good in many 

 localities, and it is to be hoped that the good work will con- 

 tinue : that farmers and landowners will see that their inter- 

 est in the matter is identical with that of the best class of 

 sportsmen. If these twD classes will work t«gether for rea- 



sonable and judiciotts game protection and the advancement 

 of field sports in a gentlemanly way, the rougher and ill-bred 

 class of persons who cause so" much annoyance, and go out 

 merely to butcher something, anything in fact, from harmless 

 songsters to " barnyard pheasan'ts," will .soon be. compelled to 

 behave themselves or quit. rTame laws slionld bo so made as 

 to protect both the interest of farmers .and non-re.sident 

 -'•"' "■'• '< "lul clubs should be organized with this object in 

 i -able to aid in euforcing the laws by malcing 

 11- , j;, .viiether farmers or non-resident sportsmen, gam'e 

 constables, with power to act at any time. BEDroRD. 



One-luilf of the guns that are condemned by reason of 

 their poor shooting arc in no fault, the fault being in the user 

 or the improper manner in which they are loaded. Is a gim 

 lo lilame for having the charge improperly placed in its bar- 

 rels? Is a liorso to blame for being poor 'if it is jjoorly fed ? 

 Is a locomotive to be blamed .and thrown aside if it iaiinprop- 

 erly used and consequently does not perform as its manufac- 

 turer intended it to? A horse, may be a yotmg, good blooded 

 animal, full of life and vigor, but ou passing into hands tliat 

 do not Iviiow how to take care of and feed it, does not do the 

 worl". assigned it in a satisfactory manner. 



A locomotive may not be wantmg in those essentials which 

 .constitute a masterpiece in the ' art ; its proportion and 

 strength may be such as to render it capable of lugging thou- ■ 

 sands of tons up the steepest grade, and yet, if it has not the 

 proper amount of steam it cannot do the labor or work which 

 it was designed to do. 



The same argument holds good with flrofirms as wall, aud 

 since the makers of "choke-bores" intended them to shoot 

 well they also intended them to be property loaded in order 

 to do so. 



For instance, take a No. 13 gmi and place one dram of 

 powder in it, and put an ounce t.if shot on top, and on firing 

 at a, target you will see at once that something is wrong. Its 

 killing power is '' very sm.all," but on increasing thepowder 

 to 3^ drams we find a vast difliercnce both in range and pat- 

 tern. 



The proper way to test a gun has been hinted at in these 

 columns some time ago and was correct as far as it went, but 

 there is such a wide difference in the boring of guns, espe- 

 cially the "choke-bore," that a set rule will not always win, 

 consequently many a good, close, hard shooter is tlu-own 

 aside with the fault in its owner. 



J. W. Long says that chokmg a gim is performed by in- 

 serting a tool made for the purjjose in the rear end of thebai'- 

 rel and working (turning around) it forward until a pointnot 

 to exceed one-eighth or one-quarter of an inch from the muz- 

 zle is reached. This is repeated by placing a slip of paper 

 between the tool "a short bar of three-eighths to one-half an 

 inch stjuare, steel, about six inches in length, the comers 

 ground and sharp, and welded to a handle of one-half inch 

 round-iron the length of the barrel. To one side of this bit a 

 thin, flat piece of pine or other soft wood, rounded on its 

 outer side in conformation vidth the bore of the gun is fitted," 

 and the wood, until enough boring is accomplished, when the 

 gmr may be tried at a target and if "sick " properly " doc- 

 tered." 



This constriction at the muzzle must affect the .shot in their 

 exit, hence the better the shot chamber at this point the more 

 regidar and even they are thro-nm from the gim. Some sup-' 

 pose the shot, more especially thehargekind, should chamber 

 at the breech ; but this is a dangerous mistake in a closely- 

 choked gun. A very fine .shooting "choke bore" impropei-ly 

 loaded will "disgrace its race," and when the shot are cham- 

 bered at the breech a cylinder-bored gim will outshoot the 

 choke-bore in an astonishing manner. My plan, which I . 

 have found lo win, is to take a cardbo.ard yvad which will 

 fit tightly in the muzzle aud ram down about half an inch, 

 and then try the shots and see if they will chamber, keeping 

 the number of till the kinds you wisli to use. Now load your 

 gun \yith Bi drs, of coarse-grained powder and 1 oz. of the 

 shot you have foimd will fit. at the muzzle, when you will 

 be surprised at the evenness of your target if your giin is 

 properly choked. 



Always take a " rest," so you may know whether your gun 



loots over, under, or o;.i:;.,...,v-, T' --f .i,-„-.- ^Qt g^jt ^p yg^^ 



an tmd ge"t it 

 . iiot, are better 

 •vn at Ihe choke 



tern and iiene- 



8h< 



have to do i 



"cured " to ye.n, , , 



than soft, for tie , -,- mi 



of the gnn. crmsequ-ailly Ih" 

 traticm. Some liiiie sincp I :- 

 No. 13 at a ttir-et with L P, en, I imi.;, : ]- le.ld me he cTid 

 not know what wiis tlic rea'j.-.n los nir-i cli-inrider v.-fuild shoot 

 them no better, so VI ng, "They just chamber in tlie brass 

 Bhpll perfectly; no;y, ^vll:-l■ is ihe rip ?" I loaded .some of his 

 empty shells tend Iried iny |ilan, which wasadecided success, 

 much" to his pleHSure and edification. 



Now, all who read this ailiele that own poor shooting guns 

 please test niv .netiiod. mul let mehearfrom youthi'oiigh the 

 ■columns of Fi,' o[i.<.M. 



I neglect e: hen buckshot were used the 



spaces iieiweeii i, ; y are placed in the shell should 



be filled with iione nnsi , ' Dfj.t.. 



Sauk Centre. Minn., Nm. 2fi. 



Wk „ 

 and in 

 farmet' 

 nhoot. 



' i\''e« York CiUj, 



, ,_..i,,j afford to pap this 



'iiff the quai! fvr him to 



A DUCK SHOOT ON THE KANKAKEE. 



ON November .5 our party of foiu- made an arrange- 

 ment to go to the Kankakee and neighborin? swatrips 

 duck shooting ' At midniLdit, the time of taking the 

 train, the weather was very eUsHgreealile, raining and 

 snowing. When we arrived at Momence, III., at S.HO 

 .\. .v., the snow was some four inches deep and still 

 snowing. Our ardor was considerably damp<;ned and we 

 began to get n little blue over the prospects. But having 

 gone so far we determined to make the remainder of the trip. 

 We left oiu- baggage at the depot and went do-syn for break-. 

 fast, after which we made inquiry as to the shooting. The 

 resident sportsmen told us that the shooting had been good 

 and was now a little "off," but with the present snowsform 

 they thought it would be good again on the river. We hired 

 a livery team lo take us eieht miles up the river to Taylor's, 

 wth the understanding that we should he taken farther if we 

 desired. On arri\dng at Taylor's he informed us that ha 

 could not keefi us as his spare rrHim was already 'occupied. 

 He said that the shootin.g was not verv good at" that point, 

 that it was much better farther up the river, and advised us 

 to go up some eight miles to Bradys. for which point w« 



