Jantjart 13, 1882.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



469 



deer, t 



iii I hi 



•to th< 

 S come 



uot have been tony yards away, bounced ofE 

 if the gun. Jo both these instances I was 

 the wind. J think neither of the deer last 

 mything of me until the report Of the gun. 



101 i Ltl i for he had bis head down eat- 



!IB 1 have uhseivcd, the deer in the 



ross the river from Arkansas 



rd to approach as the wild domestic 



i ground. There are large tracts of 



md the best of deer ground over there that, 



ii being dues not pass over once a year. 

 ; very mild winter so far, ducks and geese 

 down this fur very plentifully yet, but they 

 lg with a rush. January and February are 

 hs for sport here. Byrne. 



if, ArkcmaUH epmtiy, AiL, Dec, 2b. 



CARTRIDGE CARRIERS. 



CARTRIDGE belts, vests and bags are the usual appli- 

 ances employed in the held for the conveyance of cart- 

 ridges, to say nothing of the ordinary pockets. Bairs and 

 pockets are, I think, the least satisfactory. Belts and vests 

 ■with attachments for shells should be light, and, when empty, 

 should take up the least possible amount of space. Having 

 >st of the contrivances ill the market, 



the writer has abandoned them iu favor of a simple 

 expensive appliance that any one may make forhims 



rd 



make 



tdge 



These 

 ugh to 



Of ( 



est, procure two or three 

 t a cost of five cents a dozen and, with 

 SW mem to the front of an old vest,. 

 a 12 gauge paper shell, being large eric 

 dy of the shells to pass through, but. not the 

 te, wheu the cartridge is removed for use, the 

 lg falls flat against the vest and occupies a minimum of 

 Space. Thirty of these rings weigh abuut three-quarters of 

 ah ounce. 



To make a cartridge belt, mike or obtain a plain belt of 

 suitable material and sew the rings to it, or perfectly attach 

 them with shoe button fasteners. This arrangement fulfills 

 the requirements of lightness, cheapness and minimum space 

 when not in use, and to me has proved very satisfactory in 

 the field. I inclose sample of ring and fastener used. 



H. G. P. 



RUST SPOTS IN GUN BARRELS. 



CINCINNATI, O. 



I wish to take one more turn at the wheel which has been 

 at work of late tryiug to giind the rust spots out of guu 

 barrels, and give the crank a gentle turn, fori respect the 

 various experiences and opinions as presented in your col- 

 umns. I have noticed very plainly that, while one sports- 

 man could find nothing but coal oil that would keep his run 

 in desired condition, another was positive it. would not do. 

 Others have tried peculiar remedies and have met with suc- 

 cess, while there undoubtedly still remain a few whose ex- 

 perienee would be directly to the conirar}-. Often have 1 

 gone to my tent after dark, tired and hungry, and, before I 

 would give any attention to satisfy ing my appetite, woubl 

 get out. my wiping rod, low, rags, ?perm oil and vaseline, 

 and go to work ; would rub aid scrub and clean inygun and 

 lay it away carefully, and then in, the morning take a peep 

 through the barrels and find a spot here and there, which 1 

 gave credit to not quite enough diligence the night before. 

 Now, my way is to wipe off the outside and oil properly; 

 break the guu ami oil breech piece, plungers, and, in fact, 

 clean ihe outside, but do not touch the inside cf the barrels, 

 and I am positive that inygun is in as good condition to- 

 day as it was when 1 first tried the experiment. 



The information that I obtained from an old California!! 

 (as per Forest and Stekam, Oct. 20, 1881) was from Col. 

 Horace Park, a resident gunsmith of Ibis city, with whom I 

 am well acquainted and kuow to be a man with great expe- 

 rience and a superior mechanic. 



1 send to you herewith a very interesting letter, which he 

 has kindly written at my Tequest, and I hope it may be of 

 henefit to brother sportsmen. Frank K. Dkeiui. 



COLWMBTJB, O. 



Editor Forest and Stream : 



Can barrels made of clean, refined, homogeneous iron will 

 not, get the "measles." My theory, from observation, is 

 that the finer the grade of barrels, as "our manufacturers 

 grade them, the more liable they arc to "scab," as I call it. 

 Take the fine Damascus barrels (so-called), that is, the bar- 

 rels with the fine, beautiful, curly figure. In the nrmufae- 

 ture of such barrel the maker must use great care in welding 

 — that is, nurse it em fully with the hammer so as to pre- 

 serve the curt regular. As a result, the iron is not so close 

 grained as it would be if Spaflked down right hard with the 

 hammer, without reference to the shape of the figur< s, as in 

 the comnun barrels. Of course all understand that the dif- 

 ferent figures and colors in guu barrels are made by a mix- 

 ture of stetl and iron, or different kinds of iron. In case of 

 steel and iron being used, the iron— being softer— will rust 

 easier, leaving the steel brighter, clearly showing the figure 

 of the barrels. If nursed too much in welding, the 

 figures will not ■ lerfectj but in ease of s'cel i f i: 



any irregular twist made of small scrap iron and steel, such 

 as 'needles, fish-hooks, nails and screws, the fagots are put 

 undera heavy hammer, and s i Ihorougbly incorporated as to 

 almost make the iron ol one c threat texture; Guu bar- 

 rels made in this way will not spot under ordinary cure. J 

 discover from ihe various Correspondents that the finer the 

 gun and the more the care, the more they spot. L be] - 

 that conclusion is almost anaSiom; but some of y oar cor- 

 respondents, on their dignity, appeal to "common sense" to 

 prove such is not the ease. If a farmer would daubllhj 

 plows with a roixtUVC of common blasting powder am: 

 he could leave his plows in the fence e hut with no fear of 

 their rusting. Tho real causes of. spots in guu barrels are 

 various. 



I believe, with one of your correspondents, that the grades 

 cf powder that a'!- called the be>t bave ffibrew 1ee3 to do 

 with it. The cl i ipe : gl ides ol powder, in 

 adulteration, hav s ino p ated in tharo moirt 

 some shape. In blasting pi iwdcr, soda is Med i Log thj in- 

 stead of nitre : and soda is known to be one of the be 

 preventives we hive. Any Machinist who haB ever need a 

 solution of sal-soda for drilling, or as a drop on the tool 

 when turning shafting, knOWS the same will not rust even if 

 allowed to lie about 'the shop Ol yard for months. 1 find 

 one of your correspondents cliauger] from the higher to the 

 lowergradeof powrl Ifi oud a cure for the rust tm 



I believe, in all business, results are what men are after. I 

 have used, in comparison, the very best grades Of powder, 

 from Q. & II. down, and have found by actual imj' ri' i oi; 

 that just as g ')d results are obtained from the lower grades 

 of our be.- 1 powder waiters. 



I am the : ' Oalifortfian " referred to by Mr. Beebe, and llic 

 ■ d 10, i hat leaving your gun after shooting Without 

 cleaning until the gun is to be used again would preserve 

 the inside in good condition, was first brought to my atten- 

 tion in California M Lawson's Meadow, on the head waters 

 of the North Fork of Feather River, where I was prospect- 

 ing. In going to the meadows I found the slough and 

 bayous literally covered with ducks of all kinds. With my 

 rifle I ci u!d make poor headway with the ducks. I went to 

 Mr. Knight (who was running a ferry and the only man 

 living in the meadows at the time) and asked it he had a 

 shot gun. He had not; but thought there was in bis wood- 

 shed an old army musket that some '49er liad left there. 

 He did not know what condition it was in, as he had not 

 seen it for several years. This was in 1856, We went in 

 search of it, and finally found the old musket buried in chips 

 and dirt. 1, being a mechanic and iron-worker, took oil 

 the lock and with a Utile repairs found that it would wcrk, 

 but it. was badly eaten with rust. The outside of the bar- 

 rels was coated Willi rust, and the stock nearly rotted off. I 

 took oil the barrel and with a hatchet and an iron wedge 

 succeeded in getting the breechpin out, it took but a 

 moment, to wash out the jmn, and, to my astonishment, with 

 the exception of two or three inches of Ihe muzzle-end, the 

 polish was as perfect, as on the day the gun left the U. S. 

 Arsenal. The gun had been banged about, without clean- 

 ing, for four or five years. The^perfect condition of the 

 inside of this musket led me to the conclusion that the 

 proper thing to do was to leave a gun, after shooting, with- 

 out cleaning— a practice which I have followed ever since 

 and never have had any trouble with rust nor do my barrels 

 ever lead. 



Another sure test that a gun will not rust if left after 

 shooting, was furnished at the Licking Cornpany reservoir 

 near here, last winter. "Johnnie Webb" as he is familiarly 

 known, an old and expert hunter who lives at the reservoir, 

 was ojji shooting, a year ago last, fall ; and by some mishap 

 he capsized bis boat and lost, his gun, a Parker fine twist. 

 He did not find the guu until late this summer after the 

 water was very low. The gun lay in the water and mud 

 over six months. The outside of the barrels was rusty and 

 eaten away until it resembled an old rusty file, but the in- 

 Side after being wiped out was bright as the day it was lost 

 in the water. I overhauled this gun myself, so 1 know. 



There is no prepiration that f know of that would have 

 as well prcseived the gun as the burnt powder did, and it 

 confirmed my experience that it is safe to put away your 

 gun without cleaning the inside; the outside must be looked 

 after, (hie of the best ways to prevent rust on the outside, 

 is to take a piece of heavy chamois skin and rub into it well 

 some mercurial ointment ; wipe off your gun properly and 

 csrefully, and you will have no trouble with the outside. 



\ou," i. f tee benefit of tho-e very nice men who say to 

 leave your emu without (leaning after shooting, ia a very 

 shiftless, slovenly way of doing things, I will say that if 

 eni'oua man would get up a preparation of the 

 residue oi burnt powder, put U up in very small bottles, and 

 labeled in gilt letters, some outlandish name, ending with 

 "nisi preventive, 1 ' these men would buy it at the rate of 

 liTly cents per bottle, and go to Ihe trouble of wiping out 

 their guns with it, and swear it was perfection. 



No man, using a medium grade of powder, will ever have 

 any regret for putting his gun away without cleaning the 

 inside if he will try the experiment. 



Will some one, familiar wbh the manufacture of powder, 

 give some items through ihe columns of Forest and Sjkeam, 

 as lo whether the best grades are strictly nitre, saltpetre 

 and charcoal . and whether the. lower grades contain E da in 

 any form ; if by using soda gym barrels wJll be better pro- 

 tected from "scabbing," I think it would be well to know 

 it. These discussions are valuable ; let the good work go on. 



Calipornun. 



Flatbusd:, L. I. 

 Editor Forest and Stream : 



During the last twenty odd years I have handled a number 

 of muzzle-loaders and breech-loaders. It is with pride aed 

 pleasure that I can claim that I have yet to record my first 

 trouble with the rust. But I always give first-class care to 

 my guns. During the niuzzle-losding regime, often after a 

 light day's work, when I bad fired my gun only four or five 

 times and intended shooting Ihe next day, I have laid the gun 

 aside afti r carefully wiping off the outside, and inside as far 

 as the load, With moderately greased rags, and hav - 

 this for a week at a time— but this was m dry mountain air— 

 ami never experienced any trad results. The reason I write 

 so positively is that, even against the gunsmith's instructions, 

 I would insist on having him once a year, in my presence, 

 remove the breech pins, and the barrels were given a careful 

 examination by myself and gunsmith. Since the ad i ip tion of 

 the breech-loader, iu consequence of its manifest and vast 

 superiority, I can at my pleasure look through the tubes. I 

 have made the following rule: Immediately on my return 

 from a shootmsr trip I feed my dog before he becomes stiff 

 , [j -|. ■. . ■ } ;ht after his I e'eau my gun, for in the case 



i •:■, where it is so easiiy cleaned, there is no 



excuse for delay. My method is this: I take a ra 

 with common kerosene, pump out the barrels well, 

 ill n,, ,;i in the barrels I can; J put something down to pro- 

 tect the floor and stand my gun muzzle downward until after 

 supper, wle u I take up my gun again and swab it out with a 

 dry, clean rag, Then i£ I rough the Lubes at a strong 

 light and, if rn.rfeeiiy clean, put iuarag greased with the 

 best Wintei'-BtrBioeq sperm oil. Then 1 rub the gun carefully 

 all over with a. greased clath and scrub lie iron Eurniture, ts- 

 peoi ly h&l in i is engraved, -with a stiff toothbrush soaked 

 in sperm oil : oil ihe stock well and place away in [he driest 

 the house— alongside the kitchen chimney is a first- 

 , as it is always warm and dry summer uud winter". 

 If this plan is closely followed I don't, think you will have 

 outs from this plague than the writer. 



Black Ned. 



: -o .oroN, N. Y. — /■'■ -". ■' J n 'W 



. , .... ,o., and have no trouble. First with a 



.. i ,I:o,ijel, dampened, loosen the dirl and v. . 



After the pieces ol rag no longer show dirt, wipe with a 

 piece of dry cloth. Now« wipe out thoroughly with one of 

 the ordinary wool swabs, tilled with either pure sperm oil or 

 wdiat is perhaps better, petroleum butter, or eOsaiollnr 

 Finally, put some mercurial ointment on another wool swab 



and give the bat rels a heavy coating' inside. In a week or 

 so, remove the coating and put in fresh. Your gun will i ow 

 keep without rusting indefinitely. 



I have tried putting away my gun with the dirt in the bar- 

 rels, and it works well, sometimes ; but since I nearly ruined 

 my new Colt, in that way, I have quit. In my opinion, the 

 rust is largely induced by the powder dirt, apart from the 

 moisture, and there is undoubtedly a great difference in 

 powder in this respect. I have used several brands since 

 adopting this method and now have no irouble. 



Although the above looks rather foimidable, itrarely takes 

 over ten minutes to clean my gun. The object is to get the 

 guu perfectly clean and to mix no dirt with the oil left in the 

 barrels. I am assured by a friend who has used the above 

 method for many rust except years, that he never had a gun 

 from neglect.— 0. E. 



FLORIDA SHOOTING AND FISHING. 



Paxatka, Florida, Jan. 4, 1882. 

 Editor Forest and Stream : 



I have not written you for a long time ; have just located 

 here for the winter. Palatka is a very pretty place, almost 

 an orange grove, sixty miles above Jacksonville, i. e. south, 

 good hotels, no better in the State, and good boarding 

 houses. A new railroad, called Florida Southern, has just 

 been opened nearly a hundred miles, and all through a new 

 country full of game and fish, making it a real sportman's 

 paradise. The road now runs down nearly -to Ocala and 

 across to Gainsville. I have been over the road twice. The 

 country is full of ponds and lakes filled with ducks, waders 

 and fish. The birds rise in clouds as the cars go along. 

 Just ihe place for collectors and naturalists as well as sports- 

 men. One place we pass called Pain's Prairie, only a few 

 years ago was a nice, dry farming land, covered with cattle 

 and crops. It was drained by what is called a sink- hole. 

 That filled up and the prairie turned into a lake nearly 

 twenty miles long, and six miles wide, water now over the 

 telegraph poles, now a great feeding-place for water birds of 

 all kinds. Orange Lake near the road was swarming with 

 birds, and no end to the fish, and if I should write you the 

 size of the black bass the colored men has to sell, you would 

 say it was a fish story. 



I have bought, a season-ticket to go out on the road at any 

 time or place, good until May 1, for only fifteen dollars. 

 Cars run twice a day to Gainsville, once down toward 

 Ucala. Take the morning-tram out, and back on the evening 

 train gives a good day's shooting and fishing. No good 

 stopping-places on the road, unless you go to Gainsville or 

 Orcala. A small light-boat or canoe for the ponds would be 

 useful. Quail are very plenty, but a good dog would be re- 

 quired. Geoegk A. Boardman. 



The Game asd Trespass Laws — Sutton, Mass., Dec. 28. — 

 The Auburn Grange, Patrons of Husbandry, of Auburn, and 

 the Millbury and Sutton Farmer's Clubs, of Millbury and 

 Sutton, held a union meeting here to-day. Hon. H. L. 

 Bancroft, (,f Millbury, presided. One subject discussed was 

 "The Game and Trespass Laws— Are They All That the 

 Interests of the Farmers Requires?" Mr. S. Payson Perry, 

 of Auburn, in a paper which he read, took the ground that 

 the present law was enacted through the influence of sports- 

 men. At, certain times of the year Ihe farmer cannot kill 

 game on his own land without being liable to a fine of $20 

 and Gosts; He claimed that the object of the game laws was 

 not for the protection of the society but the selfish interests 

 of sportsmen. Hon. James Stockwell, of Sutton, a member 

 of the Senate in 1879, did not agree with Mr. Perry. He 

 was in favor of a law which prevented the killing of game at 

 the lime of breeding, and even farmers should not have the 

 risihl to kill them at that time, even on their own laud. He 

 took the ground that the present law was as much for the 

 interest of the farmer as for the sportsman. Rev. Hiram A. 

 Tracy, of Sutton, referred to the laws of England, where 

 the farmer in many instances 'received damages from the 

 sportsman who rode over their farms. He was in favor of 

 the farmers standing up for their rights; make the law for 

 the sportsman weaker and the trespass law stronger. Mr. 

 John McClellon. of Grafton, denounced the present law ; it 

 was all wrong. Sportsmen, as they were called, had been on 

 his land, torn down a rod of stone wall for a rabbit. They 

 had also cut down valuable trees to get sqirrrels. Down in 

 his town, it looked, he said, as though tho sportsman did not 

 care what they did, to secure the game. The discussion 

 ended at the noon recess."— 0. 



Marshall's Cheek, Monroe county, Pa.— Our prospects 

 are very good in regard to the Marshall's Creek Spot tsmen's 

 and Shooting Clubt Several gentlemen from different parts 

 of the county have showed their willingness to become 

 members by Bending their names. The members purpose 

 organizing early in January to make arrangements for a 

 gupply of quail to liberate on our preserve, as quail are the 

 only game that has been scarce this season on our club 

 grounds. I would take charge of the first consignment of 

 quail and care for them.— E. D. Huffman. 



Mrthna, N. Y., Die. 30, 1891. — A pirty of four from this 

 vicinity have just returned from Chesapeake Bay duck hunt- 

 ing; they report moderate success. A white owl was brought 

 into our taxidermist lo be mounted, a week ago. It was a 

 beautiful female specimen, shot fourteen rnile3 northwest of 

 this place, near Lake Ontario. Grouse and woodcock shoot- 

 ing has been very poor in this locality this fad. Black and 

 gray Squirrels have been moderately plenty. The writer and 

 a friend went to the swamp, hunting pigeons last October. 

 Thirty were bagged in a few hours, more wild pigeons than 

 have, been brought into town in several years. Sai. Niteh, 



An American Shooting Grounds in Scotland .— I learn 

 from Baltimore that. Mr. W- L. Winans of that city his 

 taken the extensive farm of Kockfin, on the Chisholm 

 estate, and almost the whole estate of Kintail belonging to 

 Mr. J. T. Mackenzie, of Glenmuick. Scotland. These 

 grounds are all now under sin ep, but Mr. Winans will 

 convert l hem into a deer forest. Mr. Winau'8 shooting 

 grounds now extend from the enst to the west coat 

 Scotland, from the beautiful Firth to the Atlantic, and in a 

 straight line. Tue length is sixty miles. He is having plans 

 prepared for sn extensive shooting lodge, which, it is said, 

 wilt be one of the largest and most handsome in Scotland. 

 .ml,, ,, o c:imtrymeu cannot be outdone when abroad. 



Homo. 



