874 
FOREST AND STREAM 
out. doubt tbe English guns are flue guns, and first-class 
in all respects from tlie best maters, but the American 
guns, with some slight improvements, are equally as good 
at tbe same prices ; and this I say', without being in any 
way prejudiced in fa.vor of American guns, as I am En¬ 
glish myself. My objections to the guns! have mentioned 
may r not be classed as objections by' many others, but then 
every one to his own taste and opinion "in these matters. 
T merely give my experience, as 1 gained it, from actual 
use, and perhaps, if others would do the same they might 
find out many more things to cry out about than I have, 
while some again wouldjdefend the points I have found 
objectionable. I hope that some one more competent 
than myself will discuss tliis matter from an impartial 
stand point, and give us the benefit of more experience 
in the purchase and selection of a gun. If wishing the 
best maker success in the race will benefit him in any¬ 
way, I sincerely wish it to him. Au. Sauble. 
Shooting Buckshot is Choke Bokes. —. Editor Forest 
and Stream .—The undersigned, who has not crowded 
into your columns for some time, desires to state for the 
benefit of Ids sportsman friends tbe result of various ex¬ 
periments in trying to make a full choke-bore gun shoot 
buckshot well, firstly, 1 desire to say, I have lost no 
less than four deer, by' not having the gun loaded right 
with buckshot, and one fine buck was lost because the 
gun would not open easy. Why is it that some Parker 
guus, when new, all open so hard, while other breech¬ 
loaders work easy ? If it were not for this one drawback, 
I should consider the Parker gun faultless. Mine strikes 
half the time so hard, I have to take off the stock-exten¬ 
sion piece before I can open it. Explain ; the Parkers 
have the floor. Why choke bores will not. shoot buck¬ 
shot closely, loading the ordinary way, I will not stop to 
conjecture. I have tried all the now plansjl have heard 
of, such as using bags, putting layers of three wads on 
the shot, chambering the shot at the muzzle, etc.—but 
there is but one way: I make my gun, No. 10, 30-inch, 
choke bore, shoot closely, viz.; The shell chambers seven 
No. 8 buckshot. 1 use five drachms of powder, one pink- 
edge wad, and twenty-one buckshot. Now take a No. 
12 paper shell—it slips into No. 10 brass shell—cut it off 
short enough so that when in the brass shell twenty-one 
buckshot will just crowd in even with the top. You ha ve 
now a pattern to go by. Out as many of these—same size 
—as you wish loads of buckshot. Take the patterns now 
and cut a piece lengthwise, out, of each one, so when 
pressed together the pattern will just slip into the muzzle 
of the gun. Cut these all alike. When cut, they will 
look like this : 
B Now slip one of these into each shell down on 
to the powder wad. Put in your buckshot, 
just to come even with the top of the paper 
shell, and press a good wadfirmly down on the 
buckshot. You will find (whether you look 
into the muzzle or not, when the gun is dis 
charged) that most of the buckshot will be 
thrown ten to fifteen rods compactly, and also that, when 
the load reaches the choko, the paper shell is pressed 
together, and the charge kept from diverging by being 
elongated, This idea is worth knowing, Try' it. 
R. W. II. 
Thread-Wound Cartridges. — Rochester, N, Y ,—On 
Wednesday last a party consisting of Seth Green, Supt. 
Fisheries : W. J. Babcock, President Monroe County 
Sportsmen's Club; Dr. C. E. Rider, and myself, went to 
the farm of Mr. Babcock to try the thread-wound long- 
range shot cartridges advertised in your paper. The gun 
was a 10-gauge breech-loader, Charles Green's make, 
moderately choked, paper shells, four drachms Dupont’s 
“choke bore No. 7," two Eley p i n k- edge wads, No. 9. 
Cases tilled with an average charge of 175 pellets, No. 6 
shot. Five shots were fired at fifty yards. The poorest 
target, 30-inch circle, had 107 pellets in it; average, 166 ; 
or 94 per cent, of all. 
Ten shots at a. paper target, 36x40 inches, seventy 
yards, gave one failure, the cartridge failing to open. 
Of the other nine, the poorest target had fifty-five pellets 
in it. Average of the nine, 181 nearly ; or nearly 70 per 
cent, of all. 
Five shots at 90 yards at paper target, 36x40 inches, 
gave 157, 97, 188, 143, and 182 pellets, or an average of 
nearly 80 per cent. 
The average penetration in pine was 9-16 inch at fifty 
yards; j inch at seventy, and 1 inch at ninety. 
This device, by which the effective range of the shot 
gun has been greatly increased, although not yet perfect, 
is, as it stands, in the opinion of the writer, more certain 
and effective than the Eley long-range wire cartridge. 
I remember, while hunting in Iowa in the fall of 1873, 
of killing a Canada goose, seventy-five yards, with a 
Paine cartridge. This was, of course, prior to the time 
of the improvement made upon it by Sehleber & Co. 
A. B. Lambeuton, 
The Thread-wound Cartridges. — Rochester. N. Y., 
Nov. 33d. — In reply to your Florida correspondent’s let¬ 
ter in your last number, we would say (1): That he used 
but one pink-edge wad, where he should have used two, 
The cartridge must have a good bed behind it, in order 
to perform well. Besides, one wad is not sure to retain 
the gas ; and the slightest escape of gas is fatal to the in¬ 
tegrity of the winding. 
(3) When he found his shots going to the left, he 
should have held to the right. The fault was in his gun : 
for the cartridges go where round balls will go when shot 
from the same barrel, only the cartridges are more accu¬ 
rate in then- flight than round balls, as we have proved 
by experiment, To prove it, let him shoot a few ninety- 
yards' cartridges at a target seventy yards away ; the 
cartridges will then go through the paper as solid bolts. 
Then from the same barrel shoot an equal number of 
round balls that fit the bore of the gun with a patching 
of, say, cotton flannel. We think he will find the first 
target will be the better by string measure. 
(3) As to the tapes, they are of no use with brass shells. 
It is best to use the cartridges with paper shells only, 
as a matter of convenience. 
( 4 ) As to buckshot, if he will open one of the cases he 
-will find that No. J will not chamber well. No. 3 buck 
chambers well, and for that reason we made the hole in 
the rear- just large enough to admit this size. 
(5). As to the general performance of the cartridges, 
persona inexperienced in their use generally make the 
mistake of experimenting with the longer ranges first, 
whereas they should first learn to use the shortest range. 
And for practical work also, five of the reds should be 
used for every one of tbe blue, because with the former 
you are virtually fifty yards nearer your game than with 
loose shot, and with the latter all imperfections of gun 
and cartridge, and all errors of judgment as to distance, 
elevation, allowance for wind, and motion of object, etc., 
are greatly magnified. H. H. Sohlkbek. 
Ditthar Powder. —New York, Nov. 18th—Editor 
Forest and Stream .—When tbe Dittmar powder was first 
brought before the public, I purchased a couple of cans 
of the “B" and “C” grains, and tried several experi¬ 
ments with it, but could not get the penetration neces¬ 
sary for good shooting; nor was it satisfactory in any way, 
excepting the advantages that it possessed of having little 
smoke, and keeping tbe gun clean, 
As there was no recoil when the charges exploded, I, of 
course, reasoned that the powder was extremely slow ; 
otherwise the gun would kick as the inertia of the shot 
was overcome. 
The penetration was sufficient for woodcock shooting 
however, and I used the Dittmar in this kind of shooting 
for several months, being delighted with the absence of 
smoke. Birds were frequently killed with the second 
barrel that escaped the first, when such a thing would 
have been impossible if black powder had been used. 
One day, while shooting in the western part of the 
State, a charge exploded in a very strange manner, I 
fired at a woodcock in a fair Bhot where the bird had no 
chance of escape, but he flew on untouched, and the dis¬ 
charge gave me such a terrible shock that I was obliged 
to give up shooting for that day. Speaking of this occur¬ 
rence shortly afterward to my friend, Amasa Drake, of 
Ithaca, lie mentioned a similar accident to himself: when 
he had received a tremendous skakingup, and the fasten¬ 
ings of his gun were loosened by the discharge. Neither 
of us have used more than tkree-and-one half drachms of 
powder in ten bore guns. From that time we returned 
to the use. of black powder, 
This season, after reading all that laid been written on 
the subject in the columns of Forest ANd Stream, I 
decided to make further inquiries, and found that the sale 
of the artiole had increased very largely, that the powder 
was carefully tested before being put upon the market, and 
that no more accidents were reported from it. 
Several cans of the “C" grain were given me by a 
friend, and loaded a couple of hundred of cartridges with 
tins to be used on a hunting trip for partridges (ruffed 
grouse). To say that the powder was perfectly satisfac¬ 
tory, is not enough. It is the thing for the sportsman 
who shoots in the brush, and I shall never use anything 
else as long as the Dittmar is to be had. The tests at the 
target were all that could bo asked. The first day out I 
made a double shot on a coupleof partridges that jumped 
up together, and flew so nearly in the same direction that 
the smoke from black powder would have prevented my 
killing the second bird, I also killed a great many that 
were not stopped with the first barrel, and marked down 
birds whose course was difficult to follow through the 
trees. Sportsmen who make a specialty of partridge 
shooting as I do. will at once appreciate the advantages 
of this absence of smoke, and will find their pleasure and 
their hag doubled at the end of a day’s shooting when 
using Dittmar powder, 
Tbe charge used by me on tliis trip was four drachms, 
with one and one-eighth ounces of No. 6 shot, in a ten 
bore Webley gun. The charges exploded evenly as far as 
it was possible to see, and the birds died in fine style. 
Mark YVest. 
A Bewildered Shooter.— A r eio York, Nov. \2\st.—Ed¬ 
itor Forest and Stream :—Several years ago the late 
Richard Sands and 1 were hunting on a favorite ground 
of ours in Pennsylvania. We had been out for three days 
without getting a deer or a turkey, but on the fourth 
morning the hound started a buck, and Sands and I im¬ 
mediately posted ourselves on runways. After a run of 
half an hour we heard the hound bringing the buck to¬ 
ward us. Sands was waiting on a dry ridge that ran 
through a hackmatack swamp, and was very closely hid¬ 
den. While the deer was coming toward us, but still a 
long way off, judging by the voice of the dog, Dick 
heard a turkey chuckle, and looking up he saw five big 
turkeys walking in single file along a log across a little 
stream within four or five rods Jof him. Here was a di¬ 
lemma, Dick could not for the life of him decide whether 
to shoot at the turkeys and kill at least tln-ee for certain 
and scare the buck, or to wait and kill the buck and let 
the turkeys go. He let the turkeys walk off, and as they 
disappeared among the trees the hound’s voice stopped 
all of a sudden. A pretty state of things for Dick : the 
birds were gone, and the dog had lost the deer. While he 
was “cussing” the luck another turkey came out in an 
opening but at a very long shot, but he risked the chance 
and fired both barrels at once. Tbe turkey was not hit, 
but it did not know where the shot came from, and being 
confused, ran within a few rods of Dick and flew before 
the latter could load up, and at the same time the buck, 
wlficli bad been coming all of the time and had run close 
to him, jumped off to one side in the swamp in a splen¬ 
did chance for a shot, hut bounced away before the gun 
could be ready, although it was a breech-loader. But 
you know that under the circumstances a man could not 
put a cartridge into a bushel basket in fifteen minutes, 
much less could he slip it into the breech of his gun; 
they never will go in when you only have six and a half 
seconds to spare. Since that day Dick's mind was always 
affected. Long Joe. 
A Pistol Sportsman. — I have shot with a33 cal. pistol 
since March 18th : one wild goose which was shot on the 
wing, falling with both wings broken near the body, 
thirty-five rods less one-and-one-lialf feet from where i 
stood when the shot was made ; four hawks and an eagle, 
three hawks and the eagle from the tops of tall trees from 
my buggy, one away at tbe distance of ten or twelve rods 
from where I stood ; five pickerel after getting them on 
hook and line, and I think fully a score of rabbits, though 
could not give exact number. Tonio. 
Ohio ^ 
New Haven Gun Club.— New Haven, Nov. 33d.— 
Editor Forest and. Stream ;—The New Haven Gun Club 
have twice beat the Branford Club at glass balls, and 
this resulted in a regular challenge from the Branford 
Club, which was promptly accepted by the New Haven 
Club, But when we arrived on the shooting ground 
early on the morning of the match only half of the Bran¬ 
ford team had put in an appearance, which broke up tho 
match. 
As the New Haven boys had gone to shoot, they made 
up a team, including what Branford men there were 
present, and the New Haven Club scored 319 coots, 
which was pretty good, considering the delay of forming 
a team. Nothing happened during the shoot to mar the 
pleasure of it, except that Hanson was somewhat 
startled when he received a single No. 3 in the bead, and 
Beers received from a Branford man a whole charge of 
No. 4 hr the back and side, but having on two shirts, two 
vests, a knit jacket, jumper, and several other clothing 
stores, the shot did not go through. Joey had to quit 
shooting at 11 A. m. ; was sea-sick ; it makes him dizzy to 
see the coots tumble. Merwin is always sick from the 
same cause, and this is the reason that he prefers to 
shoot pensioners, as he didn’t have to see them fall. 
Howard did well with his 8-bore, but he killed his ducks 
so far off, and put so many shot into them, that most of 
them sank before he conic! get at them. He says he will 
have a very light duck-boat built, and if he does, and 
shoots that 8 -bore in it, the recoil will send h i m under¬ 
water stern first. 
Fulton got his bony fowl and thought it wasn't fair not 
to count the ducks he could not pickup. Waterhouse can 
comb ’em every time when they come right over his bead, 
and these are the kind of shots the boys'like to have him 
get, as there is more roomfor his double barrel to circulate. 
Armstrong likes to stop at a regular hotel when he goes 
duck shooting, because they never forget to call him very 
early in the morning. Sanford’s boa t gave a lee lurch 
just as he pulled on a coot, and lrej killed him; which so 
encouraged tbe shooter that he goes ducking regularly 
twice a week. 
The headquarters of the duckers of the New Haven Club 
are at George Lomdfare’s, near Double Beach, where good 
board is furnished at one dollar per day, and the cove 
there, is one of the best on the Connecticut shore for keep¬ 
ing duck boats. The club have about a dozen boats there 
at present, and Thanksgiving Day there was a grand 
duck shoot, after which the hoys sat down to one of 
those sea-food dinners that no other man on the shore 
can get up like Mr. Lorndfare. 
Tins place is less than one hour’s drive from tbe city ; 
there is good woodcock and partridge shooting within five 
minutes walk of the house, and the best of blue and black 
fishing can be had in then- season. 
There has beon excellent woodcock shooting here, the 
boys getting all the way frora*six to twenty-six birds to a 
man ; never before can the shooters of the present day 
remember such good shooting as there has been this 
fall. 
Leete was out in the woods the other day, and saw a 
rabbit about two gun lengths off, and as he did not wiBh 
to blow h im all to pieces he thought that he would rake 
him along the back, so he let go and missed him, although 
John was somewhat surprised he did not forget that 
when Waterhouse wasn’t around, he was the champion 
second barrel shot in the club, so he let go agam, and 
missed ; but John thinks quick, and being a special con¬ 
stable, and good on the run, lie threw down his gun, and 
gave chase to the rabbit and caught it by the tail, and cut 
its throat with his Jack-knife. 
New York —Shelter Island, Nov. 24th. —The wild fowl 
are scarce along these shores to-day, the cold, blowy 
weather and the sail and battery boats combined having 
dispersed them to some more genial feedrog ground. The 
scallops, their favorite food, are plentiful here, and I see 
a dozen craft dredging for them every day, but the poor 
fowl are too much disturbed to enjoy the feast. Nearly 
all the bunker steamers and yachts are now laid up, 
but tbe few that still continue the business have been 
doing well the past week. One of them, the Peconic, has 
been very lucky, taking as many as 200,000 in one day. 
The factories close up early, as their expenses are very 
great, the two on this island employing over one hundred 
men in the work. The geese have been flying over here, 
bound south, butthey pass over beyond rifle shot,looking 
insolently down upon upon us, without stopping. 
Isaac M. Lellan, 
New York — Homellsville, Nov. 33 d .— About fifteen 
deer have been shot near here since the 1st of November. 
Two were seen last night right in the village; they fol¬ 
lowed a load of hay, and eat some that the man dropped 
for them. Plenty of red foxes, John. 
New Jersey. — Cape May, Nov. 5th. — Dennisville, six¬ 
teen miles northwest of here, is a paradise for sports¬ 
men. Mr. Al. Benezet, proprietor of the three Greed- 
moor shooting galleries here in summer, is located tem¬ 
porarily at Dennisville for the winter, and gives ns the 
following information respecting sporting matters. He 
is an enthusiastic sportsman, but bemg engaged in mer¬ 
cantile pursuits oannot fully indulge Ins bent; is very 
reliable in hiB statements, and cheerfully informs brother 
pleasure seekers of all good points respecting shoot¬ 
ing anywhere in this vicinity or through our county. 
Quail shooting commenced Saturday last, and they are 
very numerous indeed. In riding from Court House to 
Dennisville, four miles, he saw eight covies a few days 
before the law came in. Between 200 and 300 were shot 
Saturday around Dennisvillle that be heard of. Messrs. 
Spicer, 'Learning, of Cape May, and Edw, Wheaton, of 
Court House, shot forty-seven quail and eleven wood¬ 
cock, three miles east oE Dennisville the first day. Mr. 
Benezet killed eleven Wilson’s snipe Saturday afternoon, 
in less than an hour, on the fresh meadows near the 
town; and a few clays previously shot three in a few 
minutes for a sick person. He says the snipe are very 
thick all around the town, and he never saw them more 
abundant in his life. 
There is a pond quite near Dennisville much frequented 
by large numbers of teal and wood duok. About the mid¬ 
dle of October Mr. Benezet visited it at 4 v. M., and killed 
five. He got eight the preceding week, making thirteen. 
They are very handsome—four of them were males; and 
he had one stuffed by Mr. John Kinder, of Philadelphia, 
and placed on exhibition in bis shooting-gallery window 
, at Cape May. Mr. Benezet killed seven mud teal, or short 
