136 



EEC RE A TION. 



M. K. Barnum asks why shot some- 

 times ball. He used Dupont's smokeless 

 powder. I knew of several other kinds of 

 smokeless powders causing shot to ball. 

 This is caused by the extreme change of 

 cold or heat. If the shells are put in a 

 cold place the shot will ball; and if they 

 are put in a warm place the same result 

 will follow. The size of the gun does not 

 matter. I have a 10 gauge with which I 

 have had the same trouble. 



D. M. Hazeltine, Corning, N. Y. 



Note. — It is now believed by experts 

 that balling of shot is caused by defective 

 wadding. Very hard wadding will cause 

 it, if quick burning powder is used. — Ed- 

 itor. 



Will bullets seated below mouth of shell 

 work through the magazine of a Winches- 

 ter rifle, models 1886 or 1894? How do 

 Whitney & Kennedy rifles compare with 

 other makes? R. B. I., Oneida, N. Y. 



Answer. — Rifle shells with bullets seated 

 below the mouth will not work satisfacto- 

 rily in repeating rifles. The Whitney & 

 Kennedy rifle is little used. Better buy one 

 of standard make. — Editor. 



Is there any difference in the shooting 

 qualities between the '97 model and the 

 lever action Winchester shot guns? 



While I think the slide action would 

 handle the best and be the quickest shoot- 

 er, is it not more complicated and likely 

 to get out of order sooner than the lever 

 action? Will the lever action not wear 

 longer and stand more hard usage? 



Sport. 



Answer. — There is no difference in the 

 shooting. Both shoot as well as possible. 

 Either action, with reasonable care, should 

 last a lifetime. — Editor. 



In April Recreation R. H. H. asks 

 about the relative penetration of black and 

 nitro powders. I, like R. H. H., use a re- 

 peating shotgun, and I find King's smoke- 

 less powder gives better penetration than 

 any other. 



-I can get all the game I want with a 

 good double breech-loader. Of those I 

 have tried I think the Remington hammer- 

 less (for a man with moderate means) is the 

 best. The repeater for game hogs, but for 

 sport the double barrel. 



N. P. N., Grove City, Minn. 



W. S. Allen wished to hear from some- 

 one who had used the .22 short smokeless 

 powder, mushroom bullet cartridges, in a 

 '92 model Marlin. I have used them exclu- 

 sively on small game, and find them supe- 

 rior to black powder cartridges. Compared 

 with them it has these advantages: No 

 smoke, little fouling of barrel, high velocity, 

 and no noise. The bullet will, on striking 



flesh, expand to twice its size, making a 

 large hole. I have never tried it on wood- 

 chucks, but see no reason why it would not 

 prove very effective on them. 



C. G. M., Albany, N. Y. 



My shotgun recoils unpleasantly. Is 

 there any way to prevent it? Will shooting 

 slugs in a gun injure it? 



H. Paul, Boise, Idaho. 



Answer. — The only way to reduce recoil 

 is to reduce your loads. You can use a 

 smaller charge of both powder and shot, 

 or less shot only. The latter will give 

 lighter recoil and increase penetration. 

 Shooting slugs or buckshot in a choke 

 bore gun is likely to injure it. — Editor. 



The Bristol Gun Club was recently or- 

 ganized with A. F. Gove, president; Clar- 

 ence Lathrope, vice-president; W. W. Wil- 

 son, secretary; C. A. Hanks, treasurer and 

 club captain; Milo Abernethy, W. W. Wil- 

 son and George K. Prime, directors. The 

 club has leased a range a mile north of the 

 village. The traps and targets are in place. 

 The club already has a membership of 25, 

 and that number will undoubtedly be 

 doubled before the season is over. 



H. C. B., Bristol, Vt. 



I have owned a number of .22 and .25 cal- 

 ibre rifles. Recently I bought a .32 rim- 

 fire, and am disgusted with it. I expected 

 it to shoot accurately up to about T20 

 yards, but it is not reliable beyond 50. Is 

 the fault in the rifle or the ammunition? 

 Have had bullets keyhole at 35 yards. Have 

 tried different cartridges, but they are all 

 alike. . W. R. J. 



Will "A. L.," of Auston, Minn., who 

 wrote about reloading .30-30 shells, in Oc- 

 tober Recreation, give W. W. Allen, Sari 

 Louis Potosi, Mexico, his full name and 

 address? . 



In answer to G. N. Tetor, Dundee, N. Y., 

 would suggest 11^2 gauge thin black edge 

 shot wad, or 12 gauge wad, using some 

 good strong glue on edge of wad. Above 

 refers to 12 gauge gun. 



D. D. Cornell, Knoxville, la. 



In answer to " N. K.," Elkhart, Ind.: To 

 make a full choke scatter; divide the shot 

 charge into 2 or 3 or even 4 parts,, with thin 

 wads separating them. The more parts the 

 more spread. 



D. D. Cornell, Knoxville, la. 



In answer to Dr. F. J. Hood, I will say 

 there -is no rifle on the market, which, in 

 my opinion, compares with Stevens " Fa- 

 vorite " shooting the .22 long rifle cart- 

 ridge, either in cheapness or weight. No 

 rifle can beat it for accuracy. 



Le Wyk, Philadelphia, Pa. 



