GUNS AND AMMUNITION. 



HOW TO GET THE DROP ON YOURSELF. 



" Amateur " in August '98 Recreation 

 asks for some points as to the proper drop of 

 stock. I will describe a method adopted by 

 the leading gun makers of London. A gun 

 called a " try gun " is used. It has a uni- 

 versal joint in the grip, whereby any re- 

 quired drop or " cast off " can be given;. 

 Everybody knows what the drop of a stock 

 is. " The cast off means the distance from a 



as it did. There are as brave men using .30 

 calibres as ever used black powder rifles; 

 yet I never see one without thinking the 

 owner is scared and that he is a pot hunter. 

 Why? Because it does not tell of his hid- 

 ing place and has such a tremendous point 

 blank range. 



Here is Old Silver-Tip who has for years 

 used a black powder rifle and lead bullet, 



feast off- 



line drawn down the centre of the rib, and a 

 line drawn through the centre of the stock. 

 A broad shouldered man needs more cast 

 off than a narrow chested man. The butt 

 plate of the try gun is arranged so it can be 

 given any length at either the heel or the 

 toe of the stock. The first operation is to 

 get the right length of stock. The gun mak- 

 er adjusts the plate on the butt until this is 

 accomplished. Then the drop and cast-off 

 are obtained by trial. A target representing 



$l»..~ Adjusting Screws- 



butt {)fete' 



a bird with a small hole in the centre is 

 used. The gun maker stands behind this 

 target and the man who is being fitted puts 

 the gun to his shoulder and aims at the bird. 

 After about half a dozen alterations in the 

 universal joint of the grip the correct 

 amount of drop and cast off are found. The 

 measurements are taken and the gun stock 

 is made accordingly. This is the only suc- 

 cessful method of getting the right amount 

 of drop for the individual in question. Any 

 one who has had a gun made to fit him will 

 be surprised at the marked improvement in 

 his shooting. 



Ralph L. Montagu, Bannack, Mont. 



THE 30. CALIBRE. 



OLD "SILVER-TIP." 



Here in the last days of the big game we 

 have had introduced into our midst a regular 

 Armstrong cannon. We can scarcely call it 

 a rifle. In the good old days when the buf- 

 falo, the elk, and other species of deer were 

 abundant we found the little .44 good 

 enough. There never was and never will be 

 another cartridge that killed so much game 



I Dro|j 



and they have- never gone back on him. I 

 was foolish enough, a few years ago, to buy 

 an Express. It was a splendid shooting 

 rifle but altogether too powerful. There are 

 laws in some States prohibiting the use of 

 any gun larger than 10 gauge. Why not 

 pass a law forbidding the use of the .30 cali- 

 bre, or of any high velocity smokeless pow- 

 der rifle, on big game? 



Here is the L. A. S. organized to protect 

 the game. It must take a step in this direc- 

 tion and also forbid the Indian Agents from 

 allowing the Indians to leave their reserva- 

 tions if it wishes to succeed. I heartily agree 

 with Mr. Wm. S. Crolly. I think black 

 powder and leaden bullets are good enough. 

 Man takes advantage of everything to obtain 

 a shot when still hunting. Then when he 

 gets within 150 yards if he cannot kill his 

 meat with the old style rifle I say let him stay 

 at home. 



With a .30 no game is safe. I have been 

 told by different men their point blank range 

 is 300 to 600 yards. What game can ever 

 hope to escape such a weapon as that? If 

 these rifles continue in use and the Indians 

 are allowed to roam at large, killing game 

 when and where they please, there will soon 

 be no need for the L. A. S. 



I should like to say to Mr. M. P. Dunham 

 that when only 20 feet away from any bear 

 the little .32-40 Winchester is just as good 

 as any .30 calibre rifle ever made, providing 

 it is in the hands of a good, cool man. 

 Even a shot gun would do. My choiceof a 

 rifle for Western bear alone would be either 

 a .45-125 with a 330 grain hollow point ex- 

 press bullet, .50-110-300 or .50-100-450. I 

 fully agree with Mr. Van Dyke as to rifles 

 and so will any person who has had any ex- 

 perience with big game in this Western 



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