GUNS AND AMMUNITION. 



401 



Ditto, shot back of shoulder. Ran 100 

 yards. 



Bear shot through shoulders. Both 

 der. Dead when I got to him. 



Bear 40 yards. Fore-leg broken and shot 

 in the breast. Was disabled, but not dead 

 when I got to him. The shot in the breast 

 went through lengthwise, coming out over 

 the tail. 



Bear shot through shoulders. Both 

 shoulders broken. Dropped in his tracks. 

 A. E. Hammond, Darby, Mont. 



I have been reading your valuable maga- 

 zine for some time past, and it is the great- 

 est sportsmen's journal I have ever seen. 

 I have been reading several back numbers, 

 and it seems almost impossible for me to 

 take time to eat my meals. When I receive 

 Recreation, I eagerly devour the contents, 

 from cover to cover. The department 

 which interests me most is guns and am- 

 munition, and I wish more might be written 

 on that subject. I wish to ask the editor of 

 Recreation which is the best grade of 

 smokeless powder, and which loads are best 

 for all kinds of game shooting — hand 

 loaded, or machine loaded paper shells? 

 David J. Shafer, Covington, O. 



These questions are respectfully referred 

 to my readers, and to the back number 

 powder companies who do not advertise in 

 Recreation. — Editor. 



Replying to C. R. W., who wishes in- 

 formation concerning a 16 gauge gun: 

 For the past 10 years I have used 12 gauge 

 guns — Lefever and Parker — but the 16 

 gauge Charles Daly I got last fall I think 

 is best of the lot. For pattern, penetration 

 and long shots, it beats all others. I have 

 killed fox squirrels at 70 yards, with No. 

 6 chilled shot. I always use chilled shot 

 for game, as it will break bones, where soft 

 shot will flatten against them. Two and 

 one-half drams of Dupont smokeless pow- 

 der, one card, 2 felts on powder, 1 ounce 

 No. 6 chilled shot, with thin card on shot, 

 makes a good load for a 16 gauge. 



C. A. Peterson, Allegheny, Pa. 



Will some reader of Recreation please 

 write something on " How to learn to 

 shoot, with a rifle, on the run." 



Homer Raleigh, E. Oakland, Cal. 



I wish to say to those who are using, or 

 about to use, the new 30-30 calibre rifle. 

 I have found, by experience, that it is use- 

 less to use the metal patched bullet in such 

 a rifle, after having fired one or more lead 

 balls from your rifle, until you have first 

 wiped it out thoroughly. No matter how 

 small the amount of lead may be, that is 

 left in the barrel, it seems sufficient to de- 

 flect the metal patched bullet. I have seen 



one thrown 3 feet off the target, in a dis- 

 tance of 75 yards. This was done when 

 shooting from a rest; and, on one occa- 

 sion, the metal patched ball darted down 

 and struck a rock, not more than 30 yard, 

 from the muzzle of my gun, and about 2 

 feet below the line of sight. 



W. E. Bartlett. M.D. 



In reply to M. B., Conway Center, N. H., 

 will say I have a fine 14 gauge breech load- 

 ing shot gun that I have done some won- 

 derful things with. It did not shoot close 

 enough so I, like M. B., took it into my 

 shop and rechoked it to a -i- taper choke. 



I then took it down on Tulare lake and 

 shot a jack snipe at the great distance of 

 190 yards, and put so many pellets in him 

 that he sunk to the bottom of the lake be- 

 fore I could get to him. 



Geo. Richardson, 



L. A. W. Repair Shop, 



Tulare City, Cal. 



P. S. : Size of shot was No. 9: charge of 

 powder 3^2 drams, 1% oz. shot. This is a 

 true statement. 



In answer to E. R., in July Recreation, 

 as to using the 16 bore shell as a shot case, 

 and firing from a 12 gun: It is the best 

 thing I have yet found and I have tried 

 everything I have ever heard of in the way 

 of shot concentrators. 



I loaded 2 shells with 3 drams of nitro 

 powder to Y% ounce of No. 8 shot. The 

 first shot, at 25 yards, put 136 pellets in a 

 9 inch circle. The second shot, at 30 yards, 

 put 127 pellets in the same sized circle. 



In both cases the shot remaining in the 

 case struck aBove the circle, and made a 

 large hole in the target. 



We owe our abundant supply of game, 

 in Sussex, to the mild winter. Quails, rab- 

 bits and doves are plentiful. Plovers and 

 grouse I have heard little of. 



Comet, Newton, N. J. 



To make a good gun grease take of pure 

 lard (no salt) V2 pound, gum camphor a 

 lump the size of a hickory nut; place over 

 a fire and boil until a scum raises. Take 

 this off, then mix with the clean oil enough 

 graphite to give it a dark, steel color. 

 (Graphitoleo would be a good substitute 

 for the graphite.) Then take 2 ounces of 

 raw linseed oil; place over a fire and boil 5 

 minutes. Darken this with graphite also. 

 Then mix all together and let it cool. Then 

 bottle for use. Keep it well corked. This 

 is cheap and will come as near preventing 

 rust as any preparation I know of. 



W. B. S., Lock 53, Md. 



I should like to hear from some of the 

 small bore cranks, through Recreation, 



