GUNS AND AMMUNITION. 



215 



Finally nature rebelled. I began to feel 

 ill. I lost my appetite, and my friends told 

 me I ought to go to the mountains. 



It ended with the only possible ending. 

 I paid another visit to the Pacific Coast 

 Agent and bought a Jones, listed at $60, 

 and, leaving my old pump gun, I paid 

 $47-5.0. 



To appease my conscience I undertook 

 a trip, although I declare I did not want 

 to. The trip turned out the usual way — 

 all day I floundered in a swamp banging 

 away at ducks, and somewhere I lost 

 a knife worth $3.75. The cold I caught is 

 with me still. Also my rheumatism, which 

 I thought cured, has reappeared and when 

 I walk my knees cry out. 



On a farewell tour I again bearded the 

 City Agent, the Sole Agent and the Pacific 

 Coast Agent. The last named firm made 

 the best offer and increased it slightly when 

 informed I had purchased from them di- 

 rect. The gun was good as new, was new 

 in fact, but they took off $5 for wear and 

 tear. So they gave me $7.50 more than I 

 paid them, since the pump gun was no 

 account anyway. I have as much as if the 

 City Agent had paid me $7.50 outright and 

 I had never heard of the Jones. 



The same week I transacted a little busi- 

 ness with a man down town; we hate each 

 other like brothers. He looked pale when 

 it was settled. 



"You need recreation, Dash," I suggest- 

 ed. " Buy a gun; they're below par. I'll 

 send you a list of makers to-night." 



THE .25-36 FOR BIG GAME. 



Randolph, Wis. 



Editor Recreation: I can say for the 

 .25-36 that mine killed a cow so quickly 

 she fairly picked her feet from under her, 

 when shot through the head. The cart- 

 ridge was loaded with 12 grains of Du- 

 pont's No. 1 smokeless powder and a soft 

 lead bullet. This rifle also killed a horse, 

 the bullet of hardened lead passing clear 

 through its head. 



Again, a neighbor had an ugly cow he 

 wished to butcher, but was afraid of her; 

 so he borrowed my .25-36. He asked for 

 3 or 4 cartridges. I gave him 6, but told 

 him to bring back 5. He laughed and 

 looked dubiously at the small bore. That 

 evening he returned the gun and 5 cart- 

 ridges, having killed the cow with a single 

 shot. A metal patched 117 grain bullet, 

 backed by 26 grains of Dupont's 30 calibre 

 smokeless powder, was the charge. The 

 bullet entered the cow's forehead and 

 passed clear through the head, thence 

 through the full length of the cow's neck, 

 coming out back of her right fore leg. The 

 cow dropped as if struck by lightning. 



After this work of the .25-36, I concluded 

 to risk it in the North woods, for deer. 

 When the season opened, my friend Smith 

 and I went to the North for an outing. 



Starting from camp early one morning, 

 we went to a gulch where game was ex- 

 pected. Starting down the gulch, we had 

 gone about 15 rods when up jumped a 

 buck. Straight up the side of the gulch 

 he went, when a short, hoarse blat stopped 

 him, broadside. Up went my .25-36 and 

 Smith's .38-55. Snap, bang, at the same 

 instant, followed by a jump from the buck. 

 Down he went in a heap. We climbed the 

 steep side of the gulch to where he lay. 

 We cut his throat, and then looked for the 

 bullet holes. We could easily tell the .25 

 bullet had struck him at the point of shoul- 

 der, or rather the butt of shoulder blade. 

 Only a little hole, the size of a lead pencil, 

 but the bullet had crashed through and out 

 on the other side, making a big, ragged 

 wound. 



Smith also made a good shot, hitting the 

 buck back of the foreleg, 2 inches above 

 the heart, the bullet passing out on the op- 

 posite side. 



The shell I used was loaded with 13 

 grains Dupont's No. 1 smokeless powder 

 and a 106 grain homemade bullet, one part 

 tin to 10 of lead. Smith's load was 19 

 grains Dupont's No. 1 and a 255 grain 

 bullet. 



My rifle is a Marlin, and cost about $30. 

 It weighs 8 pounds 11 ounces, and has a 

 30 inch barrel. I never advise the use of 

 black powder in the .25-36. The low press- 

 ure nitro is just as accurate as black. All 

 we need to look out for is to not try to in- 

 crease the velocity over that of black pow- 

 der. It should be remembered that if 

 velocity is increased, the bullets must be 

 hardened in proportion to the pressure you 

 wish to get. Hence the metal patched bul- 

 lets for nitros. I use Dupont's No. 1 

 smokeless powder and homemade bullets 

 for small game. I once tried .30 calibre and 

 nitro powder with home cast bullets. The 

 result was terrific. I could not hit a 3-foot 

 tree at 8 rods; but when using the metal 

 patched 117 grain bullets, and the same 

 charge of powder, the accuracy was good. 

 I dress all of my shells to a proper length, 

 so the crimp barely takes effect. The shells 

 should not be crimped tightly. I say not 

 to crimp the shell, providing your bullet 

 is hard enough to give the proper amount 

 of resistance. With nitro powder you must 

 have resistance from the bullet, or crimp. 

 I prefer the resistance from a hardened bul- 

 let, rather than in crimping. Crimping is 

 equal to adding powder, and is likely to 

 burst the shells; whereas a hard bullet and 

 no crimp gives the resistance and hard 

 shooting. 



J. W. Griffiths, Randolph, Wis. 



THE IDEAL GUN FOR COYOTES. 



Ever since I first heard of smokeless 



powder and rifles to use it, I have been 



suspicious of it as regards accuracy and 



killing power; but I could not be con- 



