462 
anced. However, I came near condemn- 
ing it. For my first shot at a deer I 
stepped on a little tree lying down. I 
looked ahead about 60 yards and saw 
a fine buck standing behind another tree. 
I thought I could take him through the 
shoulder. 
in a poor position. I shot and he nearly 
fell to the ground, but hobbled off. I fol- 
lowed about 60 yards and he went 
between 2 saplings. This opened the 
wound and the blood spurted out. I fol- 
lowed him and shot again. He hobbled 
off, cracking brush as he went. I shot once 
more, but the brush was too thick. He 
got in the creek and I had to give him 
up. I thought then if I had the gun I 
had carried before, which was a .45-75, I 
would have got that buck. The .30-30 
came in all right afterward, however. 
Even the big caliber has failed to draw 
blood at times so as to track. I thought 
if I got another chance I would take the 
buck in the head and the .30-30 got its 
chance again. I left camp early and went 
nearly 3 miles to watch for deer. I had 
also seen a few moose tracks. As I was 
going through the woods I stopped to 
pick up something and when I raised my 
head there stood what I took to be a large 
cow moose, with big ears, only 25 yards 
away. There was a down tree between 
us and a limb with yellow leaves: on ran 
above the head. I looked at it a few min- 
utes but dared not shoot. She turned her 
head slowly and then I saw it was a bull. 
He held his head high and looked back 
in the woods, where he had come from. 
I put my gun against the tree. The 
moose straightened and looked at me. I 
stood about 4 feet lower than he did and 
I thought there was a chance for the ball 
to glance, but I had the satisfaction of 
seeing him go down behind the tree at the 
first shot. I stood ready to see what 
he would do. He began to kick and 
struggle, turned partly around, and got 
his head higher and higher. Then he 
arose partly up in front and I shot him 
4 inches back of the point of his shoul- 
der. That ball finished him. I found it 
had splintered a rib. It tore a hole as 
big as a hen’s egg, nearly cut his heart 
and. went through his lungs. He was 
’ filled with blood, but we did not find the 
bullet. The shot in his head, hit even 
with his eyes and 2 inches in from the 
right eye, bulged his eye out so much 
that I pressed. .it back “with “a. ‘stick. 
Either shot would have killed him. He 
would have weighed 1,000 or 1,100 pounds. 
My .30-30 shoots through 7 or 8 inches 
_ of dry timber with soft pointed bullets, 
so I cannot see that N. L. Davis’s .30 
would not shoot through the shoulder of 

I wasn’t very steady, for I was. 
_ Company, 
RECREATION, 
an elk, but I agree that the hole where 
the bullet goes in is small. they 
would make the .38-56 with high explosive 
smokeless powder, 8 or 8% pounds in 
weight, I should prefer it above all others. 
L. Broost, North Baltimore, O. 

AMERICAN VS. BELGIAN GUNS. 
For the past 8 years I have made a study 
of guns and ammunition and during that 
time I have had considerable experience 
in hunting both large and small game, 
with rifles and shot guns. I have ex- 
perimented with different makes of guns, 
different sizes and different ammunitions. 
I have read the communications in REc- 
REATION with great interest. In July is- 
sue, A. J. Applegate, of Wichita, Kan., 
says he has a 20 gauge Belgian shot gun 
with which he can stand alongside of any 
I2 gauge gun made and kill at the same 
distance, or farther, bird for birds or hit 
target for target. 
If his Belgian gun can do that it is 
the best one I ever heard of. I have 
seen many Belgian guns but never yet 
saw one that was as good as some guns 
made in the United States. Without 
doubt a 20 gauge is large enough for 
light shooting, such as snipe, doves or 
quails; but for ducks or trap shooting I 
have never seen a small bore gun that 
could hold up with the larger gauges, 
especially a 20 gauge and at the same dis- 
tance. I think the 12 or 16 bore guns 
made in America are the right size for all 
ordinary shooting, either in the field or 
at the trap. They give the best satisfac- 
tion ordinarily. I am now using an Amer- 
ican gun, made by the Winchester Arms 
1897 model, slide action, 12 
gauge, rolled steel barrel. It would retail 
for about $17.50 or $18. I should like to 
shoot this gun, either in the field or at the 
traps, with any 20 gauge Belgian gun I 
ever heard of, both to shoot the same dis- 
tance, and if a 20 gauge Belgian was ever 
made that can do the work of the Ameri- 
can made 12 gauge gun, I will yet have 
to be convinced. 
Mr. Applegate says he has a Winchester 
.22 caliber rifle that he thinks is as effec- 
tive on deer or turkeys as a larger eali- 
ber. I know the Winchester .22 caliber 
is a strong and wicked shooting little gun, 
but when it comes to killing deer with any 
.22 caliber rifle I think it would be advis- 
able to get the deer in some small yard 
where they could not get away. I have 
hunted and killed deer in the Rockies 
and nothing smaller than the .38-55-255 
will suit me to hunt with. When I shoot 
a deer I want it to fall and stay there 
until IT can reach it. Many hunters are 
using the .30 caliber rifle now, but I am 

