130 



RECREATION. 



make on the goods you manufacture, I 

 feel justified in writing you in regard to 

 the article on pages 378 and 379 of that 

 issne. 



It is quite apparent to me that Mr. 

 Shields has done more for the manufac- 

 turers of your line of goods than any one 

 else has. 



First, he has done so by his never-let- 

 up war on game hogs. I know from per- 

 sonal observation that the army of game 

 hogs is decreasing, and only because of 

 the work done by Recreation. If mat- 

 ters had been left to go on as they have 

 gone heretofore it would not take a great 

 number of years for all the game to be 

 exterminated; in which event I can not 

 see where the demand for your class of 

 goods would come from. 



Mr. Shields is right when he says, 

 "These people have been wise enough to 

 see that an occasional adverse criticism 

 is decidedly advantageous to them, be- 

 cause it gives their friends opportunities 

 to come out and defend the goods.'" 



I conscientiously feel that you have 

 ruined years of your work done by ad- 

 vertising, as well as treated Mr. Shields 

 unjustly, by withdrawing your ad. 

 Yours very truly, 



A. M. Bowman, Sec'y- 



MARLIN PUFFS. 



Santa Ana, Cal. 

 Editor Recreation: 



I notice the Marlin people have had the 

 nerve to commence an action against you 

 for telling the truth about their goods. 



I regret to say I have had considerable 

 experience with Marlin rifles, having had 

 2 fancy guns made to order, and having 

 owned several plain ones. If I ever get 

 forgiveness for it I will take a solemn 

 oath never to do it again. I believe in a 

 fair deal, though, and will say Marlin 

 makes an elegantly finished, fine handling, 

 and accurate shooting rifle, when it takes 

 a notion to shoot; but with all this, Mar- 

 lin rifles are, in my estimation, barring 

 the Zulu scatter gun, the bummest rifle 

 on the market. They have been the cause 

 of more profanity than all the mothers-in- 

 law and hired girls in existence. The Mar- 

 lin action is as uncertain as an old maid's 

 temper, and more likely to buck just at the 

 critical moment than a bunch grass bron- 

 cho. 



In the West there are a few hunters 

 who go out occasionally to shoot chip- 

 munks, and who swear by the Marlin; 

 but the percentage of hunters who swear 

 at Marlins till they can dispose of them 

 to some unsuspecting tenderfoot is much 

 larger. 



I have also found the Marlin people 

 unsatisfactory to deal with. Some time 



ago, after corresponding with them, they 

 agreed to make me a 28-inch half octa- 

 gon, 22-5-40 barrel for my Schuetzen 

 Ballard. I expressed the frame to the fac- 

 tory and sent remittance to cover entire 

 cost. After waiting and writing them 

 several times, and receiving several -stand- 

 offs I wrote them to cancel the order and 

 I would ship the frame to the Stevens 

 people to have the work done. Instead of 

 doing so they fitted in a light 24-inch bar- 

 rel, that was not at all what I wanted, and 

 said they had nothing else in stock; but 

 they kept the full amount of cash for the 

 special barrel I had ordered. I was so dis- 

 gusted with them I was glad to get off 

 that cheap. In future I shall send such 

 orders to Stevens. 



A great many gun dealers in the West 

 will not carry Marlin rifles in stock be- 

 cause these guns are so unreliable. I 

 have had a good deal of experience in 

 rifle shooting, having used most of the 

 American makes, and a good many for- 

 eign makes; and for an all around gun, 

 fine handling, simplicity, accuracy and 

 reliability, I consider the Savage, fitted 

 with Lyman ivory bead and Lyman sport- 

 ing rear sight, the acme of perfection. 

 With miniatures, black powder, and full 

 smokeless loads, it is anything from a 

 22 to a 4 year old cannon, and a more ac- 

 curate gun I never handled. It will kill 

 anything from a cockroach to a game 

 •hog. 



C. B. Maxwell. 



Cripple Creek, Col. 

 Editor Recreation: 



If the courts have not tied you up to 

 keep the peace regarding those Marlin 

 rifles, I want you to print this; not to in- 

 jure Marlin, but to protect your readers 

 and especially those contemplating hunt- 

 ing trips. 



Last fall I was located at Rifle, Col., 

 in the taxidermist business, and met all, 

 or nearly all, the hunters going into the 

 White river game fields. Being a gun 

 crank, my place was headquarters for dis- 

 cussions as to the merits of different rifles, 

 etc. A man from Philadelphia came in, 

 en route to the mountains. He had a 30- 

 30 Marlin and asked my opinion of it. I 

 told him I did not like the action. He 

 went on and did his hunting in a place 

 where game was scarce. He hunted dili- 

 gently 7 days before seeing a good head. 

 Finally a good one got up and the Mar- 

 lin cut loose, scoring a clean miss. Out 

 jumped 2 more bucks. The hunter 

 threw down the lever and got ready for 

 the next shot; but that lever never came 

 up. Just what did happen I could never 

 find out; but the man brought the gun to 

 me to be repaired. I advised him to 

 throw it in the river. That man came 



