GUNS AND AMMUNITION. 



3i5 



AS TO NITRO POWDERS. 



Buckingham, P. Q. 



Editor Recreation: I have recently 

 made a careful test of various smokeless 

 powders. I find that S. R. is not good for 

 the 40-82 but that .450 Rifleite is " just what 

 the Dr. ordered " for this gun. I have also 

 used 6 grains of .250 Rifleite in the .25-20 

 Winchester single shot, with good results. 

 These powders are suitable for various 

 other rifles. From 12 grains to 18 grains of 

 .250 Rifleite gives good results in the 44 - 40 

 Marlin. No doubt this powder will work 

 well in nearly all small bores, as it is rec- 

 ommended for them; but I am speaking 

 only of those in which I have tried it. 



In the 40-82, I use 50 grains (measured) 

 or about i of the usual black powder 

 charge. The penetration, with this charge 

 and a metal patched bullet, is 26 inches of 

 green cedar. With a soft point bullet the 

 penetration is 12 inches dry cedar. The tra- 

 jectory is very low — about 7 inches for 200 

 yards, as nearly as I can find out. 



The powder I speak of is clean, strong, 

 gives perfect shooting, and far less noise 

 and recoil than any black powder I have 

 used. 



During the last few weeks I shot 9 wood- 

 chucks, with the 40-82. The soft-nosed bul- 

 let would simply tear them open, crush the 

 head bones into small pieces, and frequent- 

 ly blow one side of the head clean off. They 

 were shot at distances of 15 yards to 100 

 yards and I did not miss one shot. 



I am now experimenting with the 32-40 

 Marlin and will give you the results when 

 satisfied they are worth reporting to Rec- 

 reation. L. D. von I. 



HOW TO LEARN. 



I would like to add a mite, for the infor- 

 mation of D. T. R. and others in regard to 

 learning to shoot on the wing. Many good 

 things have appeared in your recent issues 

 that are of profit to old as well as young 

 lovers of field shooting; but I want to say 

 that, in my estimation, the most essential 

 thing is to learn to bring up your gun with 

 precision. This can be done only by prac- 

 tice. Fix your eye on some small object 

 near you. Throw your gun to your shoul- 

 der without taking your eye from the ob- 

 ject. Then look along the barrel and see 

 how far off your aim is. 



Practice this every time you can, in your 

 room or out of doors, and you will be de- 

 lighted to see how soon you can learn to 

 bring your gun exactly on the spot you 

 look at. Then advance to moving objects 

 in the same manner; taking some particular 

 point of flight for your object, and when 

 that point is fixed in your eye, bring your 

 gun to bear on it. Then you will have 

 learned to shoot on the wing. 



When you can do this, all you need is the 

 practice, in order to become expert. I ad- 

 vise, in shooting at straight-away flights, 

 that you wait until you see the height they 

 will attain and then fire as if the bird were 

 stationary. 



For cross shots, you will need to hold 

 ahead, in proportion to the speed the ob- 

 ject has attained, which you will have to 

 learn for yourself, by actual practice. 



I had for a companion, on a duck hunting 

 trip last spring, a man who had never shot 

 at a duck, and who had only owned a gun 

 a few weeks. He was coached as above 

 and his bag contained 11 ducks at the 

 close of one day, all of them killed on the 

 wing. 



Donnel, Springfield, 111. 



RIFLES FOR AFRICAN GAME. 



I saw in the May number of Recreation 

 an article by E. E. Vandyke, in which he 

 advocates the use of 45-90 rifle for large 

 game. 



The only game here, antelopes, are small 

 — not weighing more than say 100 pounds 

 at most. What would you consider the best 

 calibre for use on these? At present I use 

 a repeating carbine, 44-40-200, and find it 

 often takes 3 or 4 shots to kill these small 

 animals. 



What is your opinion of the 38-55 and 32- 

 40 rifles, for game? Which is the better 

 cartridge, a 25-20 or a 25-25? 



I saw an inquiry about Lyman sights for 

 rifles. I have them fitted to my 44-40 and 

 although at first I did not like them I now 

 think them indispensable, especially for 

 running shots. 



W. T. Adams. 

 Adamhurst, Natal, South Africa. 



ANSWER. 



I should recommend, for your game, a 

 30-30 Marlin or a 30-40 Winchester, using 

 the new smokeless cartridges. If you have 

 read the reports on the work of these guns, 

 in the various issues of Recreation during 

 the present year, you understand fully what 

 I mean by advising the use of these guns. 

 They have undoubtedly greater killing 

 power than the 45-90, or even the 50-95, 

 while the ammunition is much lighter, and 

 the absence of smoke is a great advantage. 

 The 38-55 and the 32-40 should both prove 

 effective, arso, on your small antelopes; but 

 the other cartridges have ample power and 

 the guns in which they are used have the 

 added advantage of being repeaters. 



I should not advise the use of the 25-20 or 

 the 25-25, as these calibres are too small and 

 the powder charge too light to be effective, 

 on antelope, unless the bullet be placed in 

 the most vital spot. — Editor, 



