GUNS AND AMMUNITION. 



213 



is the best I have to offer. Should be 

 pleased to hear the opinions of others. 

 Such things, undoubtedly, are of interest 

 to many readers of Recreation. 



EFFECT OF BARREL LENGTHS. 



What effect do varying barrel lengths 

 have on the trajectory of the modern small 

 bore rifles, using smokeless powder? What 

 is the difference in the shooting qualities 

 of a 28 inch, 30 inch and 32 inch shot gun? 

 Of course increase of barrel length has a 

 tendency to efficiency, as far as accuracy 

 is concerned, since the distance between the 

 front and rear sight is thereby increased ; 

 but will a 24 inch or 26 inch rifle barrel 

 shoot as hard as one 28 inches long? I 

 believe most of us would prefer a 26 inch 

 to a 28 inch barrel, provided the velocity 

 was the same. 



Frank Q. Rutherford, Chihuahua, Mex. 



I referred the foregoing question to an 

 expert gun maker, who replies as follows : 



Generally the length of barrel influences 

 velocity. Up to a certain length the long- 

 est barrel has the greatest velocity. This 

 is particularly true in rifles. In shot guns 

 where dense powders are used the same 

 rule applies, but in less degree. The dense 

 powder is entirely consumed in less space 

 than the bulk powder. A 24 inch rifle barrel 

 will shoot as accurately as a 26 or 28 inch, 

 provided it can be held as closely. By the 

 words "shooting hard" w r e suppose the 

 party means hitting hard. The cartridge 

 being the same, the long barrel rifle deliv- 

 ers the greatest velocity. In making up the 

 figures for foot pounds striking force of the 

 bullet, the velocity enters into the equation 

 as the square, and therefore slightly differ- 

 ing velocities mean greater differences in 

 foot pounds. This is true for both black 

 and smokeless pow T ders. Black powder ve- 

 locities in rifles differ less with different 

 lengths of barrels than smokeless powder 

 velocities. In the 30 caliber rifle, using 

 Winchester U. S. Army ammunition, there 

 is about 100 feet difference in velocity be- 

 tween the 30 inch and the 26 inch barrel. 

 C. D. R., Hartford, Conn. 



SOME PETERS ITEMS. 

 I note what P. R. Mills has to say about 

 Peters ammunition. He is not far out of 

 the way. Last fall I was in a town where I 

 could get no other ammunition than Peters. 

 1 here was plenty 01 that ; the storekeeper 

 said afterward that his jobbing house had 

 unloaded on him. In 3 days' shooting with 

 those shells I missed more birds than in 

 all my liTe before. Some of the cartridges 

 would miss fire and others would hang 

 fire 15 seconds or more. When one got 

 off . while a quail was in sight it would 



knock feathers off the poor bird and veil 

 further proceedings in clouds of blue 

 smoke. I had similar experience with their 

 22 rifle shells. In one instance one hung 

 fire 30 seconds bv actual count. 



Dr. J. R. Verne, Farmington, Minn. 



A laughable incident occurred as I was 

 wandering around the Garden during the 

 Sportsmen's Show.. 1 stepped up to one of 

 the booths and asked a young red haired 

 mick if he could tell me where Recrea- 

 tion's booth was. 



"Recreation is a thing of the past," said 

 he. "That's a magazine that is dead;" and 

 off he went on a long, jumbled tirade 

 against Recreation. When I recovered 

 sufficiently from my surprise at this out- 

 burst I looked up at the sign and read 

 "Peters Cartridge Co." 



L. G. Warren, Stamford, Conn. 



I think the Peters Cartridge and Pow- 

 der Co., make a big mistake in leaving 

 Recreation. It was through your magazine 

 that I bought their ammunition. If they 

 had not been advertising in Recreation I 

 should not have thought of trying their 

 powder. E. L. Cobb, Portland, Me. 



STRAIGHT GROOVE RIFLING. 



In April Recreation A. Kennedy, of 

 Missoula, Mont., speaks of an old muzzle 

 loading rifle having straight grooves from 

 breech to muzzle. That system of rifling 

 is supposed to have been invented by Gas- 

 pard Zollner, of Vienna, in the latter part 

 of the 15th century. Although in theory 

 no increased accuracy was given to the 

 fire by such grooving, yet in practice, the 

 accuracy was better, because the grooves 

 allowed the windage to be diminished, and 

 formed receptacles for the residuum of 

 powder and ash, which in smooth bores 

 lodged on the surface of the bore, causing 

 wild shooting after a few discharges. 



The rifle seen by Mr. Kennedy is a rare 

 specimen, and would be justly prized by a 

 collector of antique arms. Doubtless it 

 has been altered from a flint to a percus- 

 sion lock. 



Some years ago, I was told by an old 

 gentleman from W T enham. Mass., that his 

 grandfather, who was a srreat sportsman, 

 used to scratch the inside of his long 

 smooth bore s?un before comoeting in a 

 shooting match with round ball. A little 

 4 or 6 prong iron tool was fastened to the 

 ramrod and forced straight in and out of 

 the gun, making small straight grooves the 

 entire length of bore. Better scores were 

 made with the scratched guns than with 

 plain smooth bores. 



Those who are shooting round ball from 

 their cylinder bore breech loaders, might 

 get a hint from the practice of long ago, 



