214 



RECREATION. 



tears the largest hole in game. The ve- 

 locity has more to do with it than the size 

 of the bullet. A blue grouse shot with a 

 miniature load of 5 grains of powder in a 

 Savage rifle will only have a small hole 

 through the body, while one shot with the 

 regular cartridge with 30 grains of the 

 same powder will be utterly torn to pieces 

 and the parts will fly in different direc- 

 tions. 



Mr. J. Irwin, of Bruce's Landing, B. C, 

 claims those little bullets tear fur-bearing 

 animals so badly that the fur is damaged. 

 So far I can not see much difference in 

 that respect from a .45-90 or a Martini- 

 Henry. Deer will act differently, no mat- 

 ter what gun they are shot with. I have 

 seen them run quite a distance with the 

 heart shot to pieces, and I have seen them 

 run a long way shot through from end to 

 end, with the blood flying out of both ends 

 at every jump. I have seen them, when 

 shot through high up in the shoulder, sink 

 in their tracks and never kick. I shot 

 2 deer as near the same place as possible, 

 namely, within an inch of the tail. In both 

 cases the bullet came out low down on the 

 breast. They were both running up hill. 

 The first I shot with the .38-55. That deer 

 ran about 100 yards and lay down, bleeding 

 profusely. When I came near it jumped 

 up and ran about 200 yards, and again lay 

 down, the place being bushy. I again 

 started it and it ran another 150 yards. 

 When I came within sight it was standing 

 with its back humped. I was within 60 

 yards. I put a bullet through its lungs. 

 It made 9 or 10 jumps and fell dead. The 

 other I shot with my Savage, at about the 

 same distance, namely, 80 yards. That 

 one stopped instantly, but did not fall. It 

 staggered around on the side hill utterly 

 paralyzed. As it turned sidewise I fired 

 again and broke its neck, not knowing 

 certainly how badly it was shot at first. I 

 judge from this that the great shocking 

 and paralyzing effect of the Savage caused 

 this deer to stop instantly, while the one 

 shot by the .38-55, in exactly the same way, 

 kept going. One deer appeared to be as 

 badly torn as the other, but the meat near 

 the hole made by the Savage was smashed 

 soft, so it could be scraped off with the 

 hand. It looked as if it had gone through 

 a fine sausage machine and there was no 

 fibre left near the course of the bullet. 

 The other hole had jagged edges. 



It is a wonder to me and many others 

 that no rifle larger than a .303 and a .30- 

 30 is made for high pressure powder. 

 Most people would prefer one about .38 

 or .40 for big game. The Savage Arms 

 Co. said, some time ago, they were going 

 to turn out such a gun. 



Fleming Robinson. 



THE .30 ARMY FOR BIG GAME. 



Three Rivers, Cal. 

 Editor Recreation: 



I am a constant reader of your official 

 organ of the League of American Sports- 

 men and believe it to be doing great work 

 all over the land. I notice, however, that 

 some of your correspondents give the .30 

 caliber rifle a great calling down, and with- 

 out any good reason whatever. They 

 either write for the fun of it, or they have 

 not yet been brought face to face with the 

 facts concerning the shooting qualities of 

 the .30 caliber. Every one knows all rifles 

 do not shoot alike, even though they are 

 of the same make. There is just as much 

 difference between rifles as there is be- 

 tween human beings. All the American 

 magazine rifles used in the army do not 

 shoot alike. No 2 models of the Win- 

 chester Arms Company's make, or of any 

 other make, shoot alike. Every man must 

 find out how to shoot his rifle, at any 

 known or unknown distance. A man 

 should use $5 to $10 worth of ammunition 

 in testing his rifle before he goes out to 

 hunt. 



He should also know what elevation to 

 take for all ranges; how to get good 

 shots at long distances; and how his 

 rifle shoots in hot or cold weather, 

 or in high or low altitudes. When 

 shooting for practice, or to kill, always 

 draw a long breath of air into the lungs 

 and hold steady for an instant. When 

 sighted on the object shoot. A few les- 

 sons will suffice. The breathing while 

 taking aim is not steady. Every owner of 

 a .30-caliber rifle that shoots the steel 

 jacketed bullet ought to be proud of it, 

 and should be prepared to handle it in as 

 skillful a manner as possible. Otherwise 

 he will not get good results. The old 

 Springfield rifle won such a reputation in 

 its day that it can never be wiped out of 

 history; but the American magazine rifle 

 used in the army of to-day surpasses it so 

 much that it will penetrate metal where 

 the old Springfield would only leave a 

 leaded spot on the surface. I mention 

 these 2 rifles because almost everyone 

 knows what the former one did in years 

 gone by, and every one knows what the 

 latter is doing to-day. The Krag-Jorgen- 

 son is the ideal rifle to shoot, after a man 

 once gets used to it. If I were going to 

 buy a rifle I should certainly buy the Win- 

 chester 1895 model that shoots the .30-40 

 U. S. cartridge, with magazine underneath. 

 It is not unlike the army rifle of to-day. I 

 think it the pride of the Winchester Arms 

 Co. With such a rifle I should not be 

 afraid to stand face to face, or at any 

 known or unknown distance, before the 



