GUNS AND AMMUNITION. 



49 



ers brought them to bag, the result of a 

 long chance shot, which caused vexa- 

 tion among the party of shooters. If 

 deer shooters would go after a good 

 head with horns which, if properly mount- 

 ed, would be a pleasant reminder, instead 

 of killing does in the majority of cases, it 

 would be preferable. 



J. L. Tait, Holyoke, Mass. 



THE SAVAGE COMPANY REPLIES. 

 In the March issue of Recreation W. A. 

 Cone denounced a Savage rifle and the 

 makers therof, in severe terms. When 

 the Savage people read the article they 

 wrote me as follows, regarding it: 



We have always understood that Recre- 

 ation was a debating ground on which 

 sportsmen might air their complaints, ad- 

 vance ideas and suggestions. Anything 

 that has been written about our goods, 

 good or bad, we have taken in the right 

 spirit, and we intend to do so in future. 



We are aware that in all man's work 

 nothing is perfection, and that there are 

 as many opinions as there are mina\s. 

 Recreation is the only journal that caters 

 to the ideas and opinions of the sporting 

 public. You have certainly built up the 

 magazine on these grounds, and, of course, 

 the protection of game. Your work on 

 these lines must always redound to your 

 credit. Your work is also, to a certain ex- 

 tent, influencing other sportsmen's journals, 

 although they would dislike to acknowledge 

 it. We often notice that they omit game 

 hog photographs, which accompany some 

 writer's vainglorious description; and the 

 explanatory notes under such illustrations 

 as they now publish are often modified 

 far beyond their former tones. 



While you have lost the ads of a few 

 manufacturing concerns, who have be- 

 come piqued at adverse criticisms, on the 

 whole you should be the gainer, because 

 of the general interest these discussions 

 have created throughout the country. 



We would never dream of withdrawing 

 our ad because of your publishing criti- 

 cisms against our arm. On the contrary, 

 we have always used any criticism that has 

 appeared for the purpose of obviating the 

 troubles and faults that will crop out in 

 any manufacturing business. 



We are now making improvements in 

 our rifles, slight, perhaps, in themselves, 

 but always important, that have been sug- 

 gested by readers of Recreation. 



We have gained a great deal of busi- 

 ness and reputation by your publishing so 

 many communications from the owners of 

 Savage rifles who are well satisfied with 

 them. Savage Arms Company. 



Arthur Savage, Managing Director, Utica, 



N. Y, 



PISTOL POINTS. 



What is the best manner of holding a re- 

 volver? How is it possible to rind out if 

 the bullets are shaved in passing through 

 the barrel ? How can I tell whether the 

 barrel is loaded, and how can leading be 

 removed? Would it be advisable to put a 

 little gun grease on each bullet used? 



Harry Aughe, Dayton, O. 



ANSWER. 



The correct manner of holding a revolver 

 is to grip the handle firmly with the thumb 

 extending horizontally along the frame on 

 the left hand side arid the trigger finger 

 resting lightly on ti e trigger when the 

 hammer is set. The revolver should not 

 be grasped so tightly as to cause the hand 

 to tremble, but with just a firm, comforta- 

 ble grip. To get good results, it is neces- 

 sary to hold the weapon with the same de- 

 gree of firmness and in identically the same 

 way for each shot ; otherwise there will be 

 variation in the elevation. The secret of 

 good shooting is to press the trigger gradu- 

 ally and let the revolver off with a squeeze 

 of the hand rather than by a direct pull, 

 keeping the sights in correct alignment 

 while the pressure is being increased on 

 the trigger. 



"Shaved bullets" are bullets shot from 

 a revolver in which the chamber of the 

 cylinder does not align perfectly with the 

 bore of the barrel. This is not likely to 

 happen with a revolver of standard make. 

 You can determine whether the bullet is 

 shaved or not by shooting it into a roll of 

 cotton batting or soft cloth. Either mate- 

 rial will not distort the bullet. 



Leading of the barrel can be readily seen 

 by any one who has had practice in inspect- 

 ing barrels. Originally the grooves, as well 

 as the lands, are bright when thoroughly 

 clean and free from oil. When leaded, the 

 grooves will have a duller finish apparent 

 on the surface. A good way to remove a 

 slight coat of lead is to fill the barrel with 

 mercury and let it stand until the lead 

 coating is removed. In shooting important 

 matches, many expert shots use brass 

 brushes, which are effective in removing 

 any leading that may occur while shoot- 

 ing. If the bullets in the cartridges are 

 greased with gun grease before firing them, 

 the ammunition will work much cleaner 

 than otherwise. — A. L. A. H. 



LOADS. 



Some readers of Recreation owning 30- 

 30 rifles have possibly wished to use light 

 loads for small game or for short range 

 target work without having to buy special 

 bullet molds, etc. I have been experiment- 

 ing a little, and have at last found a load 

 ikzJt ° c is accurate up to 100 yards as any 

 cartridge in the market. I use the regu- 

 lar 30-30 shell, with 7}^ grains DuPont 



