GUNS AND AMMUNITION. 



29s 



a 38-56-256 cartridge, will give about 10 

 inches penetration in pine. This cartridge 

 is a killing charge for any game found 

 in this country at ordinary ranges. For 

 large and dangerous game, a still heavier 

 charge would be desirable, although this 

 charge would kill if the shots were proper- 

 ly placed. The 38 caliber is excellent for 

 deer, brown and black bear and smaller 

 game. The penetration of a 38 long rim 

 fire pistol cartridge 'is about 2 inches in 

 pine at a distance of 20 feet. This, of 

 course, would be sufficient to wound a 

 man fatally anywhere within 100 yards, if 

 hit. There have been instances where 

 game as large as deer has been killed by 

 charges no heavier than the 38 rim fire, 

 but this must be considered as accidental. 

 It is usually folly to shoot at game with 

 so small a charge, as the chances are the 

 ^animal will escape wounded and ultimately 

 die. — Editor. 



PREFERS BULK POWDER. 



I have tried every brand of nitro powder 

 made or sold in this country. As I found 

 the bulk powders in every respect better 

 than the dense, I will write only of the 

 former. In those, I obtained good results 

 with DuPont, 3^ drams loaded in 2^4 inch, 

 12 gauge U. M. C. shells, one nitro card and 

 3 black edge wads. This load gave good 

 pattern and fair penetration. An increase 

 of powder did not improve it. 



My favorite load for field shooting 

 and at the trap is 3^ drams powder 

 in 2j4 inch shell ; one nitro card, one 

 nitro felt, one black edge wad; 1% ounce 

 No. 7 soft shot. In my Lefever gun this load 

 will pattern 260 in a 30 inch circle at 40 

 yards, and fairly pulverizes clay targets. 

 For live birds I use 3^ drams of powder, 

 a black edge wad in place of the card, and 

 same charge of shot. For ducks, the same 

 load with No. 5 or No. 6 shot. The live 

 bird load will target 268 pellets in a 30 

 inch ring at 40 yards. January 1st I 

 killed with it 43 birds straight at 31 yards 

 rise. Only one fell out of bounds, and I 

 used the second barrel but 5 times. • 



I am sorry the Shultze people do not ad- 

 vertise their products in Recreation, for 

 I am sure it would pay them to do so. 

 Nitro, Auburn, N, Y. 



SMALL SHOT. 



Which has the longer range, the 7 mm. 

 Mauser or the 6 mm. Lee straight pull ? 

 Which the greater penetration? 



T. J. Gibbs, Eckley, Ohio. 



ANSWER. 



Because of its heavier bullet, the 7 mm. 

 Mauser has a far longer effective ramge 



than the 6 mm. Lee. No data are obtain- 

 able as to the extreme range of either of 

 these arms, but in the .311 German 

 Mauser it is 4,300 to 4,400 yards. The 6 

 mm. Lee has a greater point-blank range 

 and consequently a larger danger zone than 

 any other rifle, but at distances exceeding 

 800 yards its light bullet, 112 grains, loses 

 velocity rapidly, drifts badly and is seri- 

 ously influenced by the \*ind. At short 

 ranges the Navy rifle has more penetration 

 than either the Mauser, Krag or Spring- 

 field. At mid-range the Krag and Mauser 

 will lead, while at 1,500 yards the old 45 

 Springfield with its 500-grain bullet will 

 come to the front. — Editor. 



While hunting last season with a 47 

 caliber Snider Enfield, I put a bull moose 

 from his bed at 40 yards, and planted a ball 

 behind the shoulder before he had run 10 

 yards. He staggered a little, but rallied 

 and was making straight away, about 100 

 yards off, when I put a ball in his flank, 

 lodging in the shoulder, and down he 

 went. As I approached he arose and start- 

 ed to run. I fired again, the ball passing 

 through the shoulder blade, but not until 

 a fourth bullet caught him in the neck, as 

 he was getting out of sight, did he give 

 up. Why did not the ball in the shoulder 

 paralyze him and make him drop? 



H. G. Finch, Lidstone, Manitoba. 



ANSWER. 



Evidently the bullet neither disabled 

 the leg or passed through the heart and 

 the shock was not sufficient to stop the 

 moose. There is nothing unusual in this ; 

 animals frequently travel miles after being 

 shot in the shoulder. — Editor. 



Please tell me through Recreation of a 

 satisfactory light load for the 25-35 Win- 

 chester rifle, other than the factory minia- 

 ture loads. I should like to do consider- 

 able practicing, but 75 cents a box of 20, 

 counts up rapidly ; besides, that load is too 

 powerful for small game. 



R. G. Joslin, St. Ignace, Mich. 



ANSWER. 



As far as I know, the only reduced charge 

 for this cartridge, that gives good results 

 is 5 grains by weight, or 5-16 dram by 

 black powder measure, of Laflin & Rand 

 sharpshooters' powder, with the regular 

 bullet. If you will obtain a number of 

 factory loaded miniature shells with the 

 crease, you could reload them a limited 

 number of times with the reduced charge 

 referred to, using, of course, the same nitro 

 primer and seating the bullet the same as 

 in the regular factory miniature. — Editor. 



