GUNS AND AMMUNITION 



147 



REPEATING SHOT GUNS. 



In answer to A. H. W., Amarillo, Tex., 

 regarding the use of the Winchester re- 

 peating shot gun, I will give my experience 

 for what it is worth. 



About 12 years ago, when the Winches- 

 ter repeating lever action shot gun made 

 its debut, I fell in love with it, and bought 

 one. I used it several years, with perfect 

 satisfaction. Then I swapped it for an- 

 other gun. 



During the next few years I used 3 or 4 

 makes of double guns, both hammer and 

 hammerless, until the Winchester company 

 brought out a shotgun with a forestock ac- 

 tion. This struck me as being a good 

 thing; so I bought one of the first pair 

 that came to Southern California. I had a 

 gunsmith cut off 3 inches of the barrel, 

 at the muzzle, as I wanted the gun prin- 

 cipally for use on quails and doves. It was 

 a good shooter and many a duck has it 

 brought down, at 50 to 60 yards, with No. 

 8 shot. The barrel was now only 27 inches 

 long, with cylinder bore. 



This gun had but one fault. It would 

 balk, by jamming the cartridges, just when 

 I needed it most. The Winchester people 

 have now entirely overcome this fault, by 

 the adoption of a cartridge guide which 

 makes the passage of the cartridges, from 

 the magazine to the barrel, sure and posi- 

 tive. 



Last year I went on an expedition into 

 Old Mexico, and lower Southern Califor- 

 nia. On this trip I took a later and im- 

 proved Winchester shot gun, with a fore- 

 stock action and with barrel cut off. The 

 way it would bring down quails and doves 

 would do any sportsman's heart good. Sev- 

 eral times I stood on one spot, and with- 

 out moving from my tracks killed 4 and 

 5 birds, in almost as many seconds. On 

 this Mexican trip we sent home, to friends, 

 several bags of birds, of which the little 

 pump gun could rightly claim a large per- 

 centage as its share. 



I now have gone back to my old and first 

 love, a Winchester lever action. It is the 

 ideal action for me. Well balanced, easily 

 operated, quick and sure. If you will only 

 use a gun like this, with the barrel cut off 

 one or 2 inches, and regularly read Recre- 

 ation you will always get more game than 

 any one else in the party. Jack Beldin. 



AS TO LYMAN SIGHTS. 



Helena, Montana. 



Editor Recreation: In your issue of 

 May I noticed a query, by one of your 

 many readers, as to the virtue of peep 

 sights on rifles, and beg to give my views 

 on this subject. 



I use the Lyman hunting sight for the 

 rear. It is adjustable to any range and my 



rifle, a 40-65 Winchester, will carry from 

 point blank up to almost 1,000 yards with 

 proper adjustment of this sight. Any one 

 not used to these sights would be surprised 

 at the accuracy that can be secured, at dis- 

 tances far beyond those to which a bullet 

 can be sent with any chance of hitting, with 

 the common open sights. For a front 

 sight I use one of copper, made to order, 

 with the least possible bead. 



I have hunted with these sights 3 sea- 

 sons and have found I can shoot at least 

 50 per cent, better than when I used open 

 sights. In rapid shooting (and there is 

 often where the game is bagged), there is 

 no over shooting. Looking through the 

 peep the game is in plain view and all there 

 is to do is to put the bead just where you 

 want the bullet to go, and pull. With the 

 open sights the mistake is often made of 

 holding the gun on the game; but with 

 too much of the front sight showing. This 

 cannot be done with the peep sights. 



Another advantage of the Lyman sight 

 is that good shooting can be done with it 

 in the evening and the early morning twi- 

 light. With the open sights everything 

 would be a blur; but looking through the 

 little peep the bead comes out finely and 

 the game can easily be covered. 



These are but a few of the good points 

 of the peep sight; but any one who uses 

 it would never use any other. The best 

 way to learn all of its virtues is to try it. 

 Do not go at once to the hunting grounds 

 to do this; but after having your sight 

 properly adjusted test it at target until 

 thoroughly familiar with it. At first you 

 will think it impossible to hit anything, 

 with the whole country spread out before 

 you, through the little hole; but a few tri- 

 als will convince you that you can do a 

 great deal better shooting in this way than 

 in any other. R. C. Fisk. 



AN EARLY HAMMERLESS. 



Roswell, N. M. 



Editor Recreation: I have an interest- 

 ing old gun that was made by Wm. Green- 

 er, father of the late W. W. Greener of 

 London. It is a double barrel gun — a rifle 

 barrel on top of a shot barrel. It is finely 

 made and sighted. Was a flint lock and has 

 been changed to a percussion lock. This 

 was done by Peter Powell, of Cincinnati. 

 The gun was sold to the father of Abraham 

 Lincoln and afterward became the prop- 

 erty of the late President. He" brought it 

 from Kentucky to New Salem, 111., near 

 Springfield. 



My father, J. A. Denton, traded a yoke 

 of cattle and 10 cords of wood to Mr. Lin- 

 coln, delivering the wood to the firm of 

 Lincoln & Herndon, Attorneys. 



I have used the gun ever since 1852, and 

 the ducks, geese, rabbits, etc., I have killed 



