GUNS AND AMMUNITION 



55 



Consequently the magazine would not be 

 more than 1-3 inch in diameter. The top of 

 the barrel could act as the lower part of the 

 magazine, and could be slightly grooved. 

 In this way the magazine would project but 

 little above the barrel. In the common re- 

 peating rifles the cartridges feed up and the 

 shells are thrown out. According to my 

 idea the cartridges would feed down and the 

 shells drop out. The present method has 

 many serious objections. In case any one 

 should think that by having the magazine 

 on top of the barrel it would interfere with 

 the shooting of the rifle, I will say, I own a 

 Daly 3 barrelled gun and, although there 

 are 2 shot barrels over the rifle, I never 

 found a rifle that shot more accurately. A 

 gun such as I have described should be 

 made " take down," and with slide action. 



W. E. 



A GOOD GUN FOR LITTLE MONEY. 



When the question, What gun shall I 

 buy? comes up — as it does to every sports- 

 man sooner or later — examine the Rem- 

 ington hammerless. You will find it per- 

 fectly balanced, and the easiest to cock 

 of any hammerless in the market. I have 

 used guns all my life and have handled 

 many, but the Remington beats them all. 

 Last fall I spent 60 days in the Leech lake 

 region, with a friend who had a crown 

 steel gun, list $125. My Remington, $35, 

 would bring down as many ducks, at long 

 range, as his. 



Before buying my last gun I asked my 

 dealer's advice. He gave me 2 guns to try, 

 a Parker and a Remington. I preferred the 

 Parker, but after giving each a thorough 

 trial I found the Remington had more 

 penetration, more even distribution and a 

 better balance than the Parker, and was 

 $15 cheaper. The ejector I cannot rec- 

 ommend too highly. It is simple and not 

 liable to get out of order. I think so much 

 of this ejector that I am trying to have one 

 put on a fine gun recently given to me. 



The Remington Co. is now making a 

 16 gauge double ejector gun, which I am 

 sure will be a rapid seller. The 16 is the 

 gun for quail and rabbit shooting. In 

 buying a Remington you get a whole lot 

 of gun for little money. 



Chas. T. Smiley, O'Fallon, 111. 



CLEANING RIFLE SHELLS. 



The article by J. P., in March Recrea- 

 tion, entitled " Hints for Beginners " on 

 the care and selection of rifles, is good. I 

 agree with him in all he says. Every rifle- 

 man who prefers to reload, should read his 

 remarks about cleaning rifle shells. My 

 method is a little different but amounts to 

 the same thing. I never have a corroded 

 shell. Soon after shooting, I remove the 

 exploded primer, put the shells into an 

 earthen vessel and cover with vinegar, stir 



them well and pour off. Then immerse 2 

 or 3 times in cold or hot water, the latter 

 preferred. Shake, to remove the acid. Put 

 them on a sheet of soft paper — a newspaper 

 will answer — to absorb the moisture. They 

 soon dry and are ready for use. Sometimes 

 I place them in a tin pan, on a stove mod- 

 erately hot, and let them dry gradually. Be 

 careful not to get them so hot as to be an- 

 nealed, for then they are worthless. I have 

 plenty of leisure time, and for amusement 

 prepare my own ammunition, even to cast- 

 ing the bullets. I use No. 3 grain smoke- 

 less powder. I own 5 rifles — 3 Winches- 

 ters — of different calibres. I have 300 rifle 

 shells which I have reloaded a dozen times 

 and they are yet as good as new. 



A. E. L., New Haven, Ct. 



NITROS AND REPEATERS. 



In April Recreation R. H. H. asks what 

 is the relative penetration of black and nitro 

 powders in shot guns, and what are the ad- 

 vantages of repeating guns over double 

 barrels. Having used several kinds of nitro 

 powders I find, from experience, that in 

 some the penetration is not equal to good 

 black powder. Gold Dust gives penetra- 

 tion fully equal to the best black powder. 

 It is uniform, and does not deteriorate. If 

 R. H. H. will try 45 grains (Gold Dust 

 measure) in the proper shells for same, for 

 his 12 gauge repeater, I think he would be 

 pleased with the result. 



More game can be killed with the re- 

 peater than with the double barreled shot- 

 gun. That is, perhaps, no great advantage 

 in these days of scarcity of game. I used a 

 Winchester repeating shotgun last fall, in 

 preference to an ejector hammerless, for 

 duck shooting, as fewer wounded birds get 

 away. Some claim a repeater is more easily 

 and accurately sighted over than a double 

 barrel. That is true after a person gets used 

 to them, though, at first, they seem awk- 

 ward after using a double gun. There is 

 an annoyance about a repeater, sometimes, 

 from the jamming of shells in the magazine 

 when it is kept full. That can be Overcome 

 by using shells with round crimp instead of 

 square, or by putting but 4 or 5 shells in 

 the magazine instead of 6. 



H. S. N., Wellington, Ont. 



NOTHING WRONG WITH THE MARLIN. 



In April Recreation, Brooks, of Olivet, 

 Mich., says he never saw a Marlin rifle 

 pumped out which did not stick or clog 

 during the operation, and he also says the 

 side ejection of shells is a nuisance to a 

 left handed shooter on account of shells 

 striking him and falling on his right arm. 



With due respect for brother Brooks's 

 opinion, on this subject, I cannot agree 

 with it. 



On my last 6 hunting-trips in Maine, 

 Marlin arms were used by every one of 



