aes 
F 

3° RECREATION. 
squirrel’s head off with “ neatness and de- 
spatch.”” I also have a .22 caliber long tar- 
get revolver that will bring a squirrel down 
from the top of a tree about as well as the 
ordinary rifle. Taking all things into con- 
sideration, I believe that the .22 caliber 
weapon, in the hands of a marksman, will 
yield its owner as much game in a day’s 
hunt as any gun, and the .20 gauge shot-gun 
as well. With the former you must be able 
to place a bullet where you want it, and 
must know where it should be placed to do 
the most damage. With the latter you must 
know how to hold your gun on the object to 
be brought down. Of course it is easier to 
put a handful of powder and another of shot 
in a gun with a diameter as big as a tea-cup 
and a pattern 4 feet across, shut both eyes 
and shoot toward game, and then get a 
(doubtful) reputation for the number killed. 
but there isn’t much science or sportsman- 
ship in it, to my notion. 
By “‘ game’ I mean the ordinary game of 
civilization; buffaloes, moose, elephants, 
etc., excepted. 
I am a reader of your magazine, and do 
not hesitate to pronounce it the best printed. 
Its motto should be that of the Boston Post, 
“With a mission and without a muzzle.” 
A. J. Applegate, Wichita, Kan. 

RIFLES OF TO-DAY. 
Seattle, Wash. 
Editor RECREATION: For the past 3 years 
I have made a thorough study of guns and 
ammunition, and during my experience as 
guide in the Rocky mountains I have han- 
dled rifies of nearly every caliber made, 
from the Henry .44 caliber rim fire to the 
latest model small bore, and I have found 
in hunting large game the best results are 
obtained by using a heavy rifle. 
The .30-30 does not produce the shock of 
a hea. y bullet, and many an old bull elk I 
have seen drop when struck with a .30-30 as 
if stone dead, but never have I seen one 
killed. Invariably they get up and travel 
for miles, and the hunter returns to camp 
without overtaking the wounded animal. 
It the shot does not prove quickly fatal the 
victim takes refuge in a canyon, where the 
hunter loses him, and dies a slow death. 
Here is an objection that should be con- 
sidered by all true sportsmen. I always 
have rebelled against carrying a gun in the 
hills that would not hold the game down 
when it had fallen. 
Some claim the flat trajectory is a great 
advantage. It may be to a tenderfoot, but 
by being careful one can gauge the distance 
at a glance between himself and the object. 
On several occasions I have watched a 
tourist dismount and empty his magazine 
at a band of antelope as they raced across 
the flat, fully 4% of a mile away; then hur- 
riedly reloading he continued the bombard- 
ment until the last animal had disappeared. 
I have found that more shots are ob- 
tained under 100 yards than at a greater dis- © 
tance. Game is rarely killed when the 
sights have to be elevated. A hunter per- 
forming this feat is playing in luck. and 
usually will admit it at the time, but when 
he tells in RECREATION about his hunting 
trip, this great shot of his is an every day 
occurrence. 
I take pleasure in recommending the .30- 
30 for antelope, but it is impossible for a 
bullet from one of these guns to pass 
through and shatter the shoulders of an elk 
or moose. 
Some object to the smokeless powder and 
steel jacketted bullet. To these poor unfortu- 
nates I wish to say, the smokeless ammuni- 
tion is a wonderful invention and is fast 
becoming popular with sportsmen. In a very 
short time black powder will be practically 
a thing of the past and will be used on!ly by 
the muzzle loader crank who still contends 
that his old cap and ball musket willl out- 
shoot any breech loading rifle made. 
For 3 years I have used a .45-70 Winches- 
ter. This I had made to order, with a 
28 inch barrel and shot gun stock. I have 
used nothing but smokeless ammunition 
with metal jacketted bullets. It is a deadly 
weapon for large game, more accurate than 
any .30-30 I have ever seen, and possesses 
wonderful killing power. 
It is a pound or 2 heavier to pack, but I 
am willing to carry this extra weight be- 
cause I know I can stop any animal I may 
meet. 
N. Ls Davis: 

A WORD MORE ON THE DRIFT OF PROJEC- 
TILES, 
Henniker, N. H. 
Editor RECREATION: I have read with in- 
terest the article in February RECREATION . 
on the “ Drift of Projectiles,” by E. P. Ser- 
vin. I am inclined to believe the printer 
made a mistake with the author’s name, and 
that the gentleman is Garret P. Serviss, 
the writer on Popular Astronomy. The 
man who takes pleasure in sighting at 
planets, stars and nebule through a fine 
telescope will naturally enjoy sighting a tar- 
get over a good rifle. 
But whoever the gentleman may be, I 
question his explanation of the drift. I 
am not prepared to say that the drift of the 
rifle bullet is a myth; though my own ex- 
perience with a Ballard .40-70, which will 
do splendid work up to 600 yards, has not 
confirmed it. I have used many other 
rifles, and have shot at all distances up to 
1,000 yards, but have never been able to de- 
tect the drift. 
But, admitting the ball does drift, does 
Mr. Servin’s theory explain it? He sup- 
poses that the ball rolls on the cushion of 
air formed under it as 1 falls. Now would 
it thus roll from ‘eft to right? As the ball 
rotates from left to right, the right side of 

