134 



RECREA TION. 



quicker than if shot with a .38-55. I have 

 heard it said deer shot just back of the 

 shoulder with a .38-55 will die quicker than 

 if hit with a .45. The reason given is that 

 owing to the smaller hole made by the 

 .38, the animal bleeds more internally and 

 less outside than if shot with a larger bul- 

 let. 



What I have said of the .38-55 is based 

 on experience. Everyone to his taste, 

 however; but if a man can hit a bear in 

 the breast, head, or back of the shoulder, 

 the .38 is good enough. Old Hunter. 



NITRO POWDERS IN BRASS SHELLS. 



Now that smokeless powder has come 

 into general use, some of the readers of 

 Recreation may wish to use it in brass 

 shells. As the theory that it cannot be 

 used in brass shells, because it requires a 

 crimp to cause its full combustion, has 

 been advanced, I will give my experience. 

 I procured a can of King's smokeless, 

 primed some shells with Winchester 3W 

 and some with Peters primers No. 4, and 

 loaded them with 3 drams of powder, one 

 card, 4 black edge, and one card, all 10 

 gauge wads over powder; 1*/$ ounces No. 

 7^ chilled shot, one 10 gauge black edge 

 wad on shot. They were as good or bet- 

 ter than any smokeless paper shell I ever 

 shot. They are cheap too; a considera- 

 tion with the sportsman whose means are 

 limited. 



Here is an itemized bill of the cost of 

 loading 100 12 gauge shells with the above 

 load. 



1% lbs. King's smokeless powder... $0.65 



500 black edge wads 28 



100 primers 10 



7 lbs. chilled shot 41 



$1.44 



I cut my own card-board wads, thus sav- 

 ing a small amount- I do not use -soft 

 shot, as the diameter of a brass shell inside 

 is 10 gauge and the gun only 12 gauge. 

 Soft shot being forced into so much small- 

 er space are jammed out of shape and fly 

 wild. I have tried the new Victor shells, 

 made by the Peters - Cartridge Company 

 and they are all right. 



Wm. R. L. Dwyer, Jr. 



New Petersburg, O. 



GOOD REPEATERS 



I have heretofore been a warm advocate 

 of the Marlin repeater. It is an honest 

 weapon, an accurate shooter, and a hard 

 hitter. Its outline is graceful, and its fin- 

 ish attractive. As between it and the Win- 

 chester — a much more popular weapon — it 

 is easily the better gun. 



Recently, however, several new claimants 

 to the sportsman's notice have appeared. 



Most conspicuous of these, are the Savage 

 and the Blake; both repeaters, both using 

 the .30-30 smokeless metal-jacketed bullet, 

 and loading at the breech in cylindrical 

 magazine. 



So far as accuracy is concerned there is 

 little choice between the* 2. In conven- 

 ience and quickness of loading — an impor- 

 tant consideration sometimes — the Blake 

 possesses a unique advantage. The cart- 

 ridges come in packets of 7, and are so car- 

 ried in the belt. These packets are of light 

 metal, and turn on trunnions, like the cylin- 

 der of a revolver, each cartridge in turn 

 being forced in the barrel by the bolt. 



The bottom of the receiver opens to dis- 

 charge the empty packet and receive a full 

 one; thus permitting 7 loads to go in at 

 one motion. The action is quick, and 

 strong, and its operation positive. The 

 whole may be taken apart and reassembled 

 in a few seconds, with the fingers alone. 



The range is as great as that of any rifle. 

 In durability this arm will probably surpass 

 any other now made. 



Unfortunately, for its inventor, the price 

 is high. This should indicate superior qual- 

 ity, but will necessarily retard sales. 



W. H. Nelson, Forest Glen, Md. 



A NEW GUN OF THE OLD BRAND. 



Salt Lake City, Utah. 

 Editor Recreation: A year ago I wrote 

 you a few lines relating to my experience 

 with an old Ithaca gun I had used 10 years. 

 Since then I have bought a high grade 

 Ithaca hammerless ejector and when in 

 Tres Piedras, New Mexico, the rancheros 

 laughed at the " ornament," as they called 

 it, and predicted its early destruction in that 

 rough region; yet, in spite of their raillery 

 they manifested a " sneaking " admiration 

 for the little weapon, with its modern im- 

 provements and remarkable penetration. 

 That these rough mountaineers and ran- 

 cheros, accustomed to 10 bore hammer 

 guns, should take this for an " ornament " 

 can readily be understood; inasmuch as its 

 symmetrical outline and superior hang and 

 balance give it a decidedly graceful appear- 

 ance; while the beautifully figured Damas- 

 cus barrels, slender grip and neatly en- 

 graved locks render it almost delicate to 

 the eye. When, after being subjected to 

 the severest trials for 3 months in this wild 

 region, it emerged from the test unscathed, 

 sound and firm in every detail, the men 

 changed their cynicism to open mouthed 

 admiration and unanimously voted the gun 

 a priceless treasure. Since then I have used 

 the gun in Arizona and Utah without any 

 accident, of any kind, and all who have 

 had an opportunity to use it are loud in 

 praise and admiration. I have had numer- 

 ous offers for it, but by far the most unique 

 occurred in Keam's Canyon, Arizona, when 

 an old Moqui Indian offered me his squaw 



