2l6 



RECREAT10X. 



t lie papers, I can well believe it. This 

 rugged worthy never carried over 4 cart- 

 ridges, but with these he wrought won- 

 ders. He never shot anything under 500 

 yards. When he ran on game suddenly 

 he. backed off to the proper distance, and, 

 presto! his quarry fell dead without a gur- 

 gle. And, remember, "the rifle of the 

 Boers was an old-fashioned muzzle-load- 

 ing affair." To quote from the daily press, 

 that well of information undependable: 

 "With this weapon at 500 yards a flying 

 bird could be brought to earth with one 

 shot.* * * At 700 yards the nimrods of 

 South Africa could bring down a running 

 buck. * * * When a single hunter was 

 attacked by several Zulus or Kaffirs, he 

 waited until they were within 800 yards; 

 then he would shoot the foremost and 

 have time to reload for the others before 

 they could reach him. * * * Ten years 

 ago Kruger could plant a bullet in the 

 brain of a lion at 800 yards nearly every 

 time, killing the animal instantly." 



In view of the above, it is no wonder 

 "the teeming multitudes of wild beasts 

 have long since been cleaned out of the 

 Transvaal." And now let the British lion 

 beware, for Ooom Paul is after him with 

 a smokeless gun! 



M. B., Washington, D. C. 



TELESCOPE RIFLE SIGHTS. 



Brooklyn, N. Y. 

 Editor Recreation: 



Don Duncan, in May Recreation, asks 

 information from persons using telescope 

 rifle sights. I use them and have found 

 them a great aid in shooting. Several 

 years ago I had my .22 short Winchester 

 repeater fitted with a side-hanging sight. 



By its use I have placed 50 to 100 

 consecutive shots in a target the size of a 

 penny, at 20 to 25 paces. Have thrown 

 objects in the air or rolled them on the 

 ground and hit them with ease; and have 

 used the rifle as a continuous shooter by 

 holding the trigger back and operating it 

 with the forearm slide, and made good 

 targets. 



It is a valuable aid in overcoming the 

 habit of flinching which embarrasses so 

 many rifle shooters. And the confidence 

 inspired, as well as the pleasure felt in see- 

 ing your shots strike and locating them 

 from the firing point without taking the 

 rifle from your eye, is of incalculable 

 value. I have my .303 Savage fitted with 

 these sights, and for squirrel or small game 

 shooting it is a great improvement. The 

 .303 miniature and the black powder cart- 

 ridge can be used with ease. But the gun 

 is too light to overcome the recoil of the 

 heavier cartridges, and injury to the eye 

 might result from the use of the telescope. 

 On all guns using light charges it is in- 



valuable. I intend having one of my 

 heavier rifles fitted, by way of experiment, 

 with a telescope, and shall be happy to 

 give my experience in its use. 



On the front of my .22 caliber rifle I use 

 the Lyman ivory front sight, No. 5; on 

 the breech, Sigman's leaf, No. 6; and on 

 the tang, Lyman's combination sight with 

 disk No. 3. Then on the side I have my 

 telescope sight; so I have all kinds of 

 sights combined, and can test them with- 

 out change of rifles. 



E. E. Stokes. 



ANOTHER MAN WHO LIKES THEM. 



I have used a number of telescope sights 

 of such well known firms as Cummings, 

 Sidle, etc. A hunting trip without a 

 'scope would no longer be a pleasure for 

 me. My rifles are a .30-30 Winchester, 

 half magazine, take down, fitted with a 

 4 power 'scope, and a Stevens pocket rifle, 

 18-inch barrel, with same attachment. The 

 telescope should be detachable and read- 

 ily interchange to other rifles. 



I have used the .30-30 on some big game 

 and find its range almost unlimited. I have 

 made a few shots so far away that I dare 

 not tell the distance. Formerly I used a 

 .45-90, but prefer the lighter caliber now. 

 The .30 is an easier gun to carry, it has 

 much longer range, flatter trajectory and 

 greater penetration. Beyond this there is 

 no advantage. I doubt if any man will 

 say that a .30 would kill as quickly as a 

 .45-90 with hollow point ball. I have cer- 

 tainly experienced the opposite. 



One thing about the telescope I am now 

 using should recommend it — its fine il- 

 lumination. That enables one to use it in 

 feeble and uncertain light, where open 

 or peep sights would be useless. The field 

 is also large, being about 380 square feet 

 at 100 yards. It can be readily used on 

 running game. I use the little Stevens as 

 a bicycle rifle. It is extremely deadly on 

 squirrels, frogs and any small game. 



To the bird lover a powerful glass of 

 some kind is almost indispensable, and 

 makes the killing of birds for the purpose 

 of identification entirely unnecessary. A 

 careful scanning of a bird's prominent 

 markings will serve to identify in nearly 

 every case. ' A field glass is cumbersome 

 and is never where you can get it in a 

 hurry. A 'scope on your rifle barrel is 

 just where you want it, and should the bird 

 be a rare one the means of securing it are 

 at hand. 



Frederick W. King, Babylon, N. Y. 



EFFECTIVE VOLLEY FIRING. 

 In answer to J. B. Pyrus' question in 

 November Recreation: Ye*s; I can name 

 an instance in Puerto Rico where volley 



