GUNS AND AMMUNITION. 



3°9 



ITHACA GUNS. 



In answer to Mr. E. R. Wilson's inquiry, 

 in December Recreation, will say I have 

 used both 12 and 16 gauge Ithaca hammer- 

 less guns. Am now using a 16 gauge, 6J4 

 pound, 28 inch barrel, Ithaca ejector, and 

 it is satisfactory. I have owned and used 

 8, 10, 12, 16 and 20 gauge guns, by the best 

 makers. 



If Mr. Wilson will get a 12 gauge Ithaca, 

 7 to 734 pounds, 28 or 30 inch barrels, and 

 use 2^4 to 3 drams of King's nitro pow- 

 der and 1 to i l /s oz. of shot; or a 16 

 gauge, 6 to 6]/ 2 pounds Ithaca, and use 2 l / 2 

 to 2^4 drams King's powder and one oz. 

 of shot, I think he will not complain of 

 either gun, for field shooting. I have killed 

 ducks with a 16 gauge 6% pound gun, at 

 as great distances as I ever did with a heavy 

 10 gauge. 



George Hayden, Jacksonville, 111. 



In December Recreation I note E. R. 

 Wilson's query as to the shooting of the 

 Ithaca gun. My father has a 12 bore Ithaca 

 hammer gun, that he used all of last fall, 

 with fair success. It shoots too close for 

 ordinary field use, but would make an es- 

 pecially fine duck gun. 



The game in thi^ vicinity, though plenti- 

 ful, is being cleaned out by game hogs. 

 One party killed 72 rabbits and another 30. 

 I call that downright butchery. 



Comet, Newton, N. J. 



Mr. E. R. Wilson asks about the Ithaca 

 gun. I bought one last shimmer and have 

 used it at the trap and afield. It has given 

 perfect satisfaction. My gun is a 12 gauge, 

 32 inch barrels, and weighs 8^2 pounds. At 

 35 yards, with 2]/ 2 drams of Dupont smoke- 

 less, it put 81 shot in a space 3x4 inches; 

 and many of the shot went through an inch 

 pine board. With No. 4 shot, it has killed 

 ducks at 65 yards. Mr. Wilson will make 

 no mistake if he buys an Ithaca. 



L. Van Buskirk, Angola, Ind. 



AN ALL AROUND GUN. 



Living near the mountains, and hunting 

 mostly for large game, with a rifle, I have 

 had little use for a shot gun. I used a 45- 

 75 Winchester and found it quite effective. 

 Recently I became interested in the study 

 of birds; and wanted a shot gun to secure 

 them in good condition for study and 

 mounting. I sent for a Charles Daly 3 

 barrel gun, with 12 gauge barrels for shot, 

 and a rifle barrel shooting the 38-55 cart- 

 ridge. Left barrel is cylinder bore; and 

 when hunting where there is large game I 

 carry a cartridge of buckshot in it. It is 

 very effective for deer at short range, run- 

 ning or standing. For longer range, I like 

 the 38-55 mushroom bullet. I am not a 

 professional hunter; but with this gun I 



have killed, and gotten, 11 out of 13 deer 

 shot at, within the last 2 years. This gun 

 is light, weighs 8-)4 pounds, and suits me 

 for anything, from a humming bird to ;t 

 bear. With it, I am always ready for large 

 or small game of any kind. 



W. F. Dean. 



LOADS FOR INDOOR SHOOTING. 



Those who wish to charge the regular 

 45-70 shells for indoor, and short range 

 shooting, will find the following load about 

 right: Nine grains, by measure, of King's 

 smokeless shotgun powder, and a 144 grain 

 " collar button " bullet. Seat the bullet 

 with the double adjustable chamber in an 

 Ideal No. 5 tool. Use No. 3 W. primers in 

 Winchester or U. M. C. shells. 



For a light charge for a 25-20 Winches- 

 ter, use a musket cap full of the same 

 smokeless powder, and the regular 77 grain 

 bullet, as cast in the Ideal No. 4 tool. Seat 

 the bullet, about the regular depth, with 

 the fingers. Both of these loads are satis- 

 factory for indoor shooting. They make 

 no noise, nor smoke; and the powder does 

 not foul or injure the rifle barrel. 



Bald Eagle, Buffalo, N. Y. 



REPEATERS VERSUS DOUBLE BARRELS. 



Wolcott, N. Y. 



Editor Recreation: I should like the 

 opinion of some of your readers as to the 

 relative penetration of black and nitro pow- 

 ders, in shotguns. Because a powder is 

 quicker, will it necessarily give better pene- 

 tration? I am a repeater crank and conse- 

 quently favor nitro powder; but cannot 

 make it penetrate equal to the black. 



It has been my fortune to use some of 

 the best American makes of both hammer 

 and hammerless guns, including the Parker, 

 Remington, Ithaca and Baker; but for 

 actual use would not exchange my little 12 

 gauge repeater for any gun I ever saw. 

 When it comes to getting game the re- 

 peater is as much ahead of a double breech 

 loader as the breech loader is ahead of the 

 old muzzle loaders. The repeater is the 

 coming gun. 



I should like to hear from others who 

 are using them. R. H. H. 



NOTES. 



I spent my vacation with a party of 4 

 others at Attean Camps, Jackman, Maine. 

 It is a first class place for hunting or fish- 

 ing, and is well managed by Mrs. J. T. Mc- 

 Laughlin. Board and guides are good and 

 deer are abundant in that vicinity. 



I used a 30-30 Winchester, with the soft 

 nose bullet, which I think is the best rifle 

 I ever saw for large game. The first deer I 

 shot at proved to be a doe. She was shot 

 through the body. With any other bullet, 



