GUNS AND AMMUNITION. 



SELECTING A RIFLE. 



PENOBSCOT. 



At the age of 15 I received an old muzzle 

 loading shot gun. Its original design was 

 almost obliterated by the nails, screws, 

 wires and patches that had been added by- 

 its successive owners. How I ever sur- 

 vived that gun is a mystery. It is my dim 

 recollection that the weapon suddenly col- 

 lapsed in irretrievable ruin. Anyway it 

 passed out of my existence, and for 15 years 



1 had no gun. 



A year's experience with a breech loader 

 gave me an appetite for the chase, and an 

 acquaintance with sportsmen that led to an 

 invitation to go deer hunting, in New 

 York. The prospective change from squir- 

 rels, rabbits and grouse to deer and bear, 

 nearly took my breath avvay. Of course a 

 rifle was the next thing to secure and I an- 

 ticipated little difficulty in obtaining what 

 was best suited to my needs. Alas for the 

 ignorance of the novice! How was I to 

 know that there is a crank attached to every 

 gun? My first thought was to buy one that 

 had been thoroughly tested. I called a 

 friend to the telephone and explained my 

 mission, humbly confessing my inexperi- 

 ence, and clearly setting forth my brilliant 

 theory. " How many rifles have you? " I 

 asked. " Nine," came the reply. I shook 

 the telephone. " How many did you say? " 

 " Nine." Here is my man, I hopefully 

 soliloquized. " Do you care to sell one?" 

 " No, I have use for every one of them." 

 Whew! I certainly had had no adequate 

 conception of the gun mania up to that . 

 time. I next went to the friend who had 

 invited me to take the trip. I found he 

 was also looking for a rifle — in fact had 

 been studying the subject for months. 

 With eager interest I listened to one of the 

 most learned discussions on the subject I 

 had ever heard. Reputation of firms, dif- 

 ferent models, degree of twist, top and side 

 ejectment, lever or slide action, open or 

 peep sights, calibre, black or smokeless 

 powder, solid or express bullets, ad infi- 

 nitum, until my brain was in a whirl. In the 

 presence of such wisdom I surrendered, 

 and told my friend to order 2 of the same 

 kind. The next day, I met one of the ex- 

 pert riflemen of the village. In a moment 

 of fatal confidence I told him my decision. 

 A perfect inundation of contrary opinions 

 came near sweeping me off my feet. After 



2 more of the brethren had essayed the task 

 of instructing me, my mind was brought to 

 a dead centre, refusing to move either way. 

 The result was my friend decided for me, 

 and I bought a Winchester '86 model 38-56 

 calibre. I had the good fortune of shoot- 

 ing the first deer, and the guide estimated 

 the distance at 35 rods. Here certainly was 



a success that should have settled the mat- 

 ter; but no, the gun was too heavy, the 

 action stiff, the ammunition hardly the 

 thing, etc., etc. In a party of 9 there were 

 7 different models of gun used, and the 

 battle waged furiously about the camp fire. 

 The next year 2 trips were planned, one to 

 New York and one to Maine. Meanwhile, 

 I had sold the 38-56, and had bought a 45- 

 90 of the same model, so as to be well 

 equipped for bear and moose. The pros- 

 pective Maine trip brought out several 

 more experts and the 45-00 was returned, 

 and a 38 calibre '95 model with smokeless 

 cartridges was secured in exchange. With 

 this I shot a deer that got away. Of course 

 the gun was to blame, and its banishment 

 speedily followed. The Savage and Win- 

 chester 30-30 were looming on the horizon. 

 New firms, more models, fresh regiments 

 of gunatics! The prospect was appalling. 

 I turned to one of the most successful 

 sportsmen of my acquaintance. He put a 

 beautiful Winchester 45-90, half magazine, 

 in my hands and asked me to try it. After 

 some unexpectedly good shooting at a tar- 

 get, I told him it was the gun for me, and 

 asked the price. He made me a present of 

 it, on the spot, and saved my life. We do 

 not sell or give away our gifts — love for the 

 donors preventing such base uses. To this 

 alone I owe my escape from incarceration 

 in the asylum for gun-cracked sportsmen. 

 What has been the result or rather results? 

 First: a gun that constantly reminds me of 

 the giver; that excites the admiration of 

 all who see it; that can clip the head off a 

 grouse or duck or kill a moose; and that, 

 in my 2 trips with it, has dropped 3 deer 

 almost in their tracks. Second: a mind at 

 rest, at least as regards rifles. Go on, 

 brethren, with the interminable discussion. 

 I have seen a deer shot with a 30-40 that 

 traveled 100 yards with a hole large enough 

 to put my hand in, and I have seen a black 

 bear that was dropped with one shot from 

 a 32. I have seen deer killed with every 

 calibre, from a 25 to a 50-110, and have been 

 told by a reliable party of a bull moose 

 killed by a boy with a 22 repeater. I have 

 a friend who took 3 rifles to camp; shot 

 grouse with his 45-90, tumbled onto a bear 

 with his 38 and, while carrying his 22, came 

 within 50 feet of a monster buck. He is 

 now using one gun, is tending strictly to 

 business, and like myself has a mind at rest. 

 From all of which I conclude: (1) That a 

 successful shot is due to the gun plus the 

 man. (2) The gun you are successful 

 with is the gun for you. (3) That the ex- 

 penditure of brain-tissue in discussing the 

 merits of a half dozen equally good rifles, 

 if turned in the direction of acquiring a 

 mastery of any one of the 6, would give any 

 man his fair share of the same. 



306 



