148 



RECREA TION. 



with it I do hope will not all gather around 

 my death bed; but I trust they will let the 

 old, gray haired hunter die in peace. 



About 20 years ago a young lady visited 

 our family, from Boston, and when as- 

 signed the best room in the house she ob- 

 jected to it on account of " a horrid old 

 gun," being in it; so father told, me to 

 take the gun to the shop and have the 

 hammers both taken off, so it surely could 

 not shoot. But the sweet girl said, 



" Oh yes, old rusty guns are the very 

 worst to shoot when they are not supposed 

 to be loaded." 



So I gritted my teeth, with as sweet 

 a smile as possible, took the gun and bowed 

 myself out of her presence, while father 

 kindly put both arms around her to hold 

 her while I moved the " horrid thing " to 

 the shop. 



I was in such a jolly humor, at thinking 

 how father got a good hug, that I re- 

 moved the hammers and have never seen 

 them since. I never told mother, either. 

 But how I did really love that sweet girl! 



And that is how the gun became a " ham- 

 merless." It is so old the name and dates 

 are all rusted off, but " New York," and a 

 faint " m " and " London." It had a load- 

 ing stick on the right side for the rifle, and 

 one on the left for the shot barrel; so that 

 from a muzzle view it looked like a 4 barrel 

 gun. G. Denton, Roswell, N. M. 



was expected, but was still much less than 

 the penetration which would have been ob- 

 tained from the bullets if they had entered 

 wood when they started upward." 



A FALLING BULLET. 



Mr. P. McCarthy, Yonkers, N. Y., asks 

 whether a rifle ball, fired straight up, would 

 have the same velocity as if fired horizon- 

 tally; also whether, on its downward 

 flight, it would acquire a velocity and 

 penetration, at the earth's surface, equal to 

 that given by the powder charge when fired 

 horizontally or vertically. 



I referred this question to Gen. G. W. 

 Wingate, who' replies as follows: 



" In going up the bullet is kept point 

 first, and straight, by the twist. Conse- 

 quently it attains a great velocity. Coming 

 down it would turn so that the heavy end 

 would be downward, and it would ' wobble.' 

 Not only is its velocity reduced, from these 

 causes, but in addition, the rule of falling 

 bodies is that after they have obtained a 

 certain speed they go no faster, on account 

 of the resistance of the air. This velocity 

 is not very great, and is far from being 

 equal to the velocity which the ball has 

 when it starts out of the rifle to go upward. 

 Where the bullet is thrown so as to de- 

 scribe a curve and come point down, as in 

 the new rifled mortars, it strikes much 

 harder. 



" In firing the Springfield cartridges 

 from a gattling gun, on such a curve that 

 the bullets would fall quite close to the 

 gun, they penetrated, I believe, from iy 2 

 to 2 inches of plank. This was better than 



AN ALL ROUND GUN. 



Bellevue, Ky. 



Editor Recreation: I have, for 3 years 

 past, used a gun that was about a pound 

 too heavy, and with a stock of Yi inch too 

 much drop. Hope none of my brother 

 readers have been similarly handicapped. . 



I think E. W. S. in April number, has 

 about the right idea in regard to an all- 

 round gun, i.e., 12 gauge, 30 inch barrels, 

 right modified choke, left full choke, etc. 

 Personally I prefer both barrels full 

 choked, on account of superior range and 

 killing power; as well as on account of an 

 excitable temperament. I have better suc- 

 cess, at wing shooting, when making 

 rather long shots. 



If you load your own ammunition, such 

 scatter shells as may be needed can be 

 loaded, by dividing the shot charge in 2 or 3 

 equal parts, with cardboard wads between, 

 and using only 1 ounce of shot. With pink 

 or black edge wad on top of shot this 

 makes a load that is good for brush shoot- 

 ing. 



The consensus of opinion, as expressed 

 in letters to Recreation, seems to be that, 

 other things being equal, the bigger bore 

 will do the greater execution; though I 

 see in the last issue an advocate of the 16 

 gauge. The arm in question weighs 7^ 

 pounds, has 28-inch barrels, right modified, 

 left full choke, and the writer says he uses 

 1 ounce of shot for all shooting. I also 

 am an advocate of 1 ounce of shot for 

 quail and general shooting, when No. 7 or 

 smaller shot is used, and when extreme 

 range is unnecessary. 



I hope to have a new gun, some day, and 

 wishing to be satisfied with same, and being 

 unable to see how the above 16 gauge 

 would be superior to a light 12 gauge, 

 would like the following queries answered: 



Would not a 12 gauge, 28 inch, 7 pounds 

 or less, full choke, shoot 1 ounce of shot 

 as well or better? Is not the ammunition 

 as cheap and more easily procured? Can 

 more than one ounce of shot be used in a 

 16 gauge, with good results? Does it shoot 

 the larger sizes of shot as well as a 12 

 gauge? If the 16 does not shoot the 12 

 gauge charge of shot (iVg ounce), how can 

 it have the killing circle, or range? 



C. D. K. 



ANOTHER REPEATER MAN. 



Britt, la. 

 Editor Recreation: As everyone seems 

 to have a right to express his opinion, re- 

 garding the best make of gun, I will give 

 you mine. I am particularly fond of a re- 



