47° 



RECREA TION. 



monkey with the buzz-saw. The Winches- 

 ter people say, emphatically, that smoke- 

 less powder cartridges cannot be success- 

 fully reloaded and that exhaustive tests have 

 demonstrated the folly of attempting to do 

 so. It has been shown by these tests that 

 the first firing of a smokeless powder shell, 

 weakens the brass, and that in a large per- 

 centage of cases, a second shot, fired from 

 such a shell, results in its breaking, and a 

 portion of it being wedged into the 

 chamber. It is wise, therefore, for all rifle- 

 men, using smokeless powder rifles, to use 

 only factory loaded ammunition. 



Another interesting feature of this new 

 catalogue, is that it gives an exhaustive 

 chapter on the much discussed question, as 

 to whether intense cold will affect smoke- 

 less powder. The Winchester people, in 

 common with the powder makers, have 

 conducted exhaustive tests in this line. 

 They have placed large numbers of cart- 

 ridges in a refrigerating machine,* and have 

 reduced the temperature around them, to 

 90 below zero, which is colder weather 

 than has ever been recorded by any Arctic 

 explorer. Then these cartridges have been 

 taken out and some of them fired, while 

 thus fro*zen, with remarkable results. It has 

 been found that there was a loss of but a 

 few feet per second in the initial velocity, 

 and practically, no less of penetrating 

 power. Others of the cartridges have been 

 fired after being partially warmed, and still 

 others after they had returned to a normal 

 summer temperature. These latter showed 

 they had not been affected by the cold, in 

 the least. 



The Winchester Catalogue is sent free to 

 anyone who may ask for it. If you want a 

 copy say so, and say you saw it mentioned 

 in Recreation. 



Please inform me, in next Recreation, 

 as to the proper distribution of a purse, in 

 the following rifle contest: 



A, B, C,. D and E compete. A and B 

 make a score of 21. C makes a score of 20. 

 D and E make a score of 19 each. The 

 purse is divided into 3 prizes, 1st, 2d and 3d. 

 How should it be divided. 



We have a rifle club here and there is a 

 question as to what the proper division of 

 this purse should be. Most of the members 

 are readers of Recreation and we would 

 like your opinion; or would like to be in- 

 formed as to what the law is in relation to 

 divisions, in such cases. 



George A. Philips, Ballston Spa, N. Y. 



Unless some special provision had been 

 made in the first place, as to dividing first 

 prize on highest scores, the highest scores 

 of A and B would take first and second 

 prizes. It is not likely the scores of 21 are 

 of equal value. The National Rifle Asso- 

 ciation Rules provide a variety of means of 

 deciding which is the best of 2 or more 



scores which count the same total. I think 

 the best score of 21 would take first, the 

 other score of 21 would take second and C's 

 score of 20 would take third; unless, as I 

 said, it had been agreed that highest scores 

 should divide. 



NOTES. 



H. J. Henry, McDougall, N. Y., asks in 

 Recreation which is the best single barrel 

 shot gun. This, like most other questions, 

 may be answered in several different ways. 



I bought a Remington single barrel shot 

 gun, in the fall of '97, with the intention of 

 experimenting. It is a 20 gauge, and gave 

 me entire satisfaction. It proved so effec- 

 tive that I soon had a buyer for it. I then 

 bought a 12 gauge, single barrel, but it 

 does not do the work the little Reming- 

 ton did. If I were to buy another single 

 barrel I would surely get a Remington. 

 The price is low, so that any one can af- 

 ford one. 



I did some of the best shooting with this 

 little gun that I ever did, or expect to do, 

 with a single barrel. There may be other 

 guns as good, but I have never found any 

 of them. 



Dan Wogaman, Quincy, O. 



T. C. Campbell of Knoxville, Pa. ? ad- 

 vertises in another part of this issue for a 

 double barrel Ithaca hammerless gun, 

 which was stolen from him in January last. 

 It has 30 inch barrels, is of the $50 grade 

 and is numbered 27,919. When you see an 

 Ithaca gun anywhere, look for this number 

 on the barrel, and if you find it turn the 

 muzzle of the gun toward the fellow who 

 showed it to you and take him to a police 

 station. Then notify Mr. Campbell. It 

 would be well to remember, however, that 

 the gun might be in the hands of an inno- 

 cent purchaser. 



I have been reading the articles in Rec- 

 reation, about the 30-30 and 30-40 rifles. 

 That the writers of some articles never saw 

 one of these rifles used, is evident, from 

 what they say. 



I have 3 30 calibre rifles. One 30-30, 

 1894; 1, 30-40, 1895, and 1, 30-40 single 

 shot. They are all Winchesters. For all 

 around work I think the 30-30 is the best 

 gun. If you wish to hunt large game, at 

 long range, the 30-40, is the rifle. J. M. 

 Harris and I killed mountain sheep, on 

 Bear mountain last fall, at 1,000 yards, with 

 30-40, 1895 Winchesters without raising the 

 sights, as this rifle shoots high as it gets 

 dirty. 



Every hunter has his favorite calibre 

 rifle, but all will use the 30 within the next 

 2 years. They shoot harder, with less re- 

 coil, and are the most deadly rifles made. 

 E. H. Parsons, Browning, Mont 



