GUNS AND AMMUNITION. 



455 



the dream of rest before the camp fire and a 

 good dinner, is haunted by the nightmare 

 of a dirty gun, wanting immediate atten- 

 tion or threatening the result of spoiled bar- 

 rels. 



I love to go a hunting, 



From morn till set of sun — 

 But when I'm tired and hungry 

 I hate to clean my gun. 



In June last, before starting for the woods 

 on my usual vacation I sent my gun and 

 rifles to the " Gun Bore Treatment Co.," 

 7 and g Warren Street, N. Y., and had tjiem 

 treated inside and out to prevent rusting and 

 pitting, thus avoiding the necessity of clean- 

 ing them after the tiresome hunt. I shot 

 both black and smokeless powders for 3 

 months, fully 100 shells in all, and let my gun 

 lay out on the ground at night. I never once 

 cleaned it and never got a spot of rust or a 

 pit in or on its barrels. They are as bright 

 to-day as when I bought the gun. I write 

 this to tell sportsmen how to be relieved of 

 the care of their firearms which they prize 

 so highly and which when left uncleaned are 

 ruined. 



G. Lenox Curtis, M.D., N. Y. City. 



LIKES THE FLAT TRAJECTORY. 



I am interested in the different views given 

 in Recreation regarding guns and ammu- 

 nition. I think the .30 calibre rifle is the 

 only arm for the sportsman of to-day, not 

 because that is the opinion of some particular 

 sportsman, but because it has been demon- 

 strated by severe tests in the factory and on 

 game. 



I claim one great advantage in the .30 cal- 

 ibre smokeless over black powder cartridge 

 and heavy calibre; that is the flat trajectory 

 of the bullet. The rifle can be used without 

 any elevation of sights up to 400 yards, with- 

 in which range most game is killed. 



I bought a Winchester, .38-55, and prac- 

 ticed with it for a month or 2 in anticipation 

 of hunting deer. The time came. My 

 friend, who accompanied me, had a rifle of 

 the same make and calibre. I saw 2 deer 

 in a canyon at about what I judged to be 200 

 yards away. I elevated my sight, took 

 steady aim and fired. The bullet struck 

 over and so did the other ones I fired. The 

 deer ran away. I am sure if I had had a .30 

 on that trip I could have killed 2 deer as I 

 saw 7 and had some good stands. After 

 measuring the distance for the first shot it 

 was a little over 100 yards. 



J. H. Porter, Willows, Cal. 



SEVERAL QUERIES. 



Should like to hear from users of the Bur- 

 gess repeating shotgun, as to its pattern and 

 range. It seems to me the best action of any 

 gun on the market, though I should like it 

 better if it were hammerless. 



Will the Spencer repeater stand the strain 

 of smokeless powder? 



What results can be obtained with the .32 

 smokeless in the '92 model Marlin? 



Can anyone explain how it pays to load 

 shells with black powder for shotguns? 

 Some claim it does. 



What would be the rifle calibre of a 20 

 gauge gun? 



A. T. N., Syracuse, N. Y. 



ANSWER. 



So far as I know the Spencer and Burgess 

 guns are not on the market now, so there is 

 no use wasting time in discussing them. If 

 you want a first class repeating shot gun — 

 one that can always be depended on, in any 

 emergency — get a Winchester. It is made 

 especially for smokeless powder, but also 

 shoots black powder as well as any other 

 gun. 



It doesn't pay to load shells with black 

 powder. Smokeless is as far superior to it 

 as a breech loader is superior to a muzzle 

 loader. 



The bore of a 20 gauge gun is equivalent 

 to that of a .615 calibre rifle. Editor. 



MR. GREENER'S BOOK. 



I have read Mr. Fitzgerald's letter in June 

 Recreation. That gentleman seems to 

 think " The Breechloader and How to Use 

 it " was written for an advertisement pure 

 and simple. I should be glad if he would 

 tell me the number of the chapter in which 

 American guns are disparaged. I was first 

 attracted to the firm by reading a copy of 

 that book and was struck by the fair and 

 unbiased descriptions Mr. Greener gives of 

 other guns than his own, leaving the reader 

 to draw his own conclusions. Mr. Greener 

 is of far too great prominence in the gun 

 trade to have to advertise his guns in that 

 manner. No, Mr. Fitzgerald, I am happy 

 to say from my personal knowledge of the 

 firm of W. W. Greener & Sons that you 

 are mistaken. I am not interested in the 

 firm in any way but write this solely in the 

 interest of common justice. 



A. H. Verschoyle, Marvine Lodge, 



Meeker, Col. 



LYMAN SIGHTS. 



Last fall I bought a Marlin .22. It had 

 buckhorn rear and Rocky mountain knife- 

 edge front sights. While I could use it with 

 fairly good results, my shooting was not at 

 all uniform and I resolved to try a Lyman 

 rear peep sight, with the knife edge front. 

 The shooting was better but still not what 

 I wanted. Having a Winchester express 

 front sight I fitted it in place of the knife 

 edge and the result was just what I wanted. 

 I now feel perfect confidence in reaching 

 the mark when I press the trigger. 



Holly, Bainbridge, Mass. 



THE .22 MUSHROOM. 



I have been using the smokeless .22 short, 

 in my Marlin, with most satisfactory results. 



