130 RECREATION. 
respectively. My bullets were a 103 grain 
No. 25,717 Ideal, and a 150- grain ' No. 
308,156 Ideal; both hardened 1 to Io. 
As a result of the test in both guns I 
find a remarkably flat trajectory as com- 
pared with black powder; excellent pene- 
tration, and phenomenal accuracy at all 
ranges. Also great cleanliness, absolutely 
no fouling, no jumping and no leading. 
There is great stability to the powder and 
so far no deterioration. My opinion of 
the powder is, it is the best in the world; 
J. W. Henderson, Ouray, Colo. 

In January RECREATION J. W. Brown 
wishes to know how a full choke gun can 
be made to give an open pattern. Var- 
ious articles on this subject have ap- 
peared in RECREATION from time to time 
but one more may not be amiss. 
“Shot spreaders” have been on the 
market for some time, costing about 50 
cents a 100. They consist of 2 rect- 
angular pieces of pasteboard morticed 
into each other at right angles. When 
one is placed in the shell it forms 4 com- 
partments for shot. This “spreader,” of 
course, takes up room, hence it is ad- 
visable to use a longer shell instead of 
fewer wads. 
This will open the pattern very con- 
siderably, though it probably lessens the 
penetration. The spreaders are so sim- 
ple in construction that anyone can make 
them. 
Another method is to separate the shot 
by wads. Put in part of the shot then a 
card wad, then the rest of the shot. One 
or more wads may thus be used. 
Of these 2 methods I think the first will 
be found more satisfactory. 
A. E. Midgley. 

Will someone tell me why the .32-40 
rifle, with smokeless powder and _ soft- 
nosed bullet is not just as good a weapon 
as the .30-40 or .30-30? 
2. What is the best way to clean a gun 
after ordinary usage? 
3. Why does not some company put 
out a revolver of small caliber using 
smokeless powder and soft-nosed bullet? 
I endorse the idea of H. A. Ives, in 
January number: Limit the number of 
shots to be fired at certain game instead 
of the number that may be killed. 
The hunter who can match his own 
cunning against that of his game and get 
within a reasonable killing distance is a 
truer sportsman than the fellow who 
“pumps lead” after everything that jumps 
up, only to send a large majority wound- 
ed to die in some secluded place. 
F. B. Ellis, 
Walnut. Grove, Minn. 
I would like to find out from good 
authority if shooting a round ball from a 
shotgun can in any way injure the gun 
or spoil the choke. 
The Ideal Handbook No. ito says: 
“Never shoot a naked ball. Procure a 
square piece of fine linen large enough 
to enclose the ball and fasten with strong 
thread, first dipping in a good lubricant.” 
It says further that they do not recom- 
mend round ball for choke bore guns. 
But it does not state why, whether be- 
cause the shooting is not accurate or be- 
cause it is injurious to the gun. 
With the bullet wrapped in linen and 
lubricated, I believe it is perfectly safe, 
but I do not care to take any chances of 
injuring the choke until I am certain. 
R.,,G.. C.,. Seattle; Wash: 
Will some reader of RECREATION tell 
me the danger-limits of the .32 short C. 
F. and the .22 long rifle? I mean the ex- 
treme distances at which, in case of their 
striking anyone, they are likely to cause 
trouble for the shooter. I think it must 
be in the neighborhood of 850 yards, but 
fortunately have never verified my cal- 
culations. 
While camping last summer, I found 
the bullets go through one inch of sea- 
soned chestnut at about 500 yards. The 
shooting was done across a body of 
water, thus preventing accurate judgment 
of distance, but I will give the trajectory 
figures, and from them some expert can 
work out the probable range. 
The mark was 6 feet tall and 12 feet 
long; and behind it was a tree estimated 
to be 4o feet high. By aiming for the 
top of the tree we were able to hit the 
target I0 times running. Overshooting 
by 4o feet gives the bullet a mid-range 
ascension of 20 feet and points to range 
hard on 500 yards. 
The shots were well bunched; most of | 
them would have hit a man standing in 
center of the target. - 
Will someone kindly fet up on the .30- 
30 taffy-pull long enough to answer my 
query? 
W..-S!C.- Brooklyn Nee 

My gun is a 12 gauge Ithaca hammer- 
less, No. 2, $60 list, Damascus barrels, 30 
inches, full choke, drop of stock 2% in. 
I had it made to order. It is one of few 
of its kind. I had it built with 12 gauge 
barrels on a 10 gauge stock, barrels 4% in. 
thick at breech. It weighs 9% pounds, 
but is so perfectly balanced that one does 
not find the weight burdensome. Stock 
delicately built yet strong enough for any 
gun. It is an ornament to a parlor. 



