GUNS' AND AMMUNITION. 



21$ 



SAVAGE NOT TO BLAME. 



W. A. Cone's criticism of the Savage rifle 

 is not fair. Because a rifle jams once is no 

 reason it should be thrown away as useless. 

 He should try it thoroughly, and if it per- 

 sists in doing the Marlin act he should then 

 discard it and complain to the manufactur- 

 ers. Any rifle will jam occasionally if 

 pumped slowly and spasmodically and cant- 

 ed while doing this; and it will jam with 

 a cartridge that does not fit. Every man 

 who writes to the gun department of Rec- 

 reation claims his gun is the best made, 

 none other being worth having. One first 

 class gun is as good as another, while the 

 man behind the gun is wrong. I own a 

 pump and a Clabrough, and these I con- 

 sider as good in shooting qualities as any 

 other first class ones. The pump I prefer 

 to a double gun for late fall duck and goose 

 shooting, while for snipe, black and teal 

 ducks I use the Clabrough. 



I notice the Savage Arms Company has 

 the space in Recreation the Winchester 

 Arms Company had. 



S. E. Sangster, Port Perry, Ont. 



A NOVEL PATENT. 

 726,399. — Gas-Operated Firearm. Andrew 

 Burgess, Owego, N. Y. Filed Novem- 

 ber 3, 1902. Serial No. 129,912. 

 model.) 



Claim. — 1. A forwardly moving barrel, 

 a gas receiving chamber, an opening from 

 the barrel to said chamber, and means by 

 which the gas pressure in the chamber 

 acts to press the barrel forward, etc. 



A FRIEND ASKS ADVICE. 



Can some of your helpful sportsmen, 

 which all real sportsmen are, help me on a 

 personal proposition? I was a reasonably 

 good shot until I lost the sight of my right 

 eye by an accident. Since then I have shot 

 but inefficiently. I still twist my neck over 

 clumsily and use the right side with the left 

 eye. Of course, anyone would say, try to 

 take the other grip ;• but I can not. I have 

 tried it faithfully. I feel as if I were sew- 

 ing with mittens on. Somehow, the muscles 

 and nerves and remaining eye do not work 

 together. 



Can I have a stock made with much drop 

 and twisted to the right at the grip, if 



necessary, so there will be all the old easy 

 balance and unconscious dropping to place 

 in an instant, and so I can shoot again, 

 without bother, in the good old way? Sure- 

 ly I am not the only shooting man who has 

 suddenly lost the use of his right eye, and 

 I hope, too, I am not the only one inadapt- 

 able and incapable as to left hand shooting. 

 Stanley Waterloo, Chicago. 



AN OLD ARM. 

 One of my friends has an old muzzle 

 loading rifle which was made by the Taylor 

 Rifle Works, Vienna, Ohio. The stock is 

 made of curly grained wood, with Swiss 

 butt plate of brass. The lock is fitted with 

 a set trigger. On the barrel are a plain 

 open sight and a globe sight, which screws 

 into the tang for elevation. It may be 

 turned down when not in use. On the 

 right side of the stock is a brass cap, or 

 patch box, with a spring cover. The barrel 

 is extra heavy. It has twist rifling with 

 5 grooves about 1-16 inch wide and 1-32 

 inch deep. The gun shoots the 32 caliber 

 round or conical bullet, and weighs 10 or 

 12 pounds. 



L. M. Badger, Ouaquaga, N. Y. 



NOTHING SMALLER THAN 22. 



Will anyone tell me his experience with 

 rifle or pistol, and ammunition for same 

 smaller than 22 caliber? I am thinking of 

 ordering a rifle of a caliber about 12-100 to 

 15-100 of an inch, high velocity. I am not 

 convinced that this is impracticable. 



Edgar C. Barnes, Troy, N. Y. 



ANSWER. 



As far as I know, there is no rifle or pis- 

 tol made of a smaller caliber than 22, and 

 nothing smaller would be practicable. It 

 is extremely difficult to thoroughly clean 

 a 22 caliber, and the difficulty would be in- 

 creased in the same ratio that the caliber 

 of the rifle would be decreased. I do not 

 advise you to invest in anything smaller 

 than a 22. — Editor. 



SMALL SHOT. 

 Three years ago I bought an Ithaca gun 

 and commenced trap shooting. The first 

 day I broke 12 out of 25 ; second day, 14 

 out of 25 ; third day, 16 out of 25 ; fourth 

 day, 19 out of 25. In 6 months I shot 

 against a Parker. I broke 59 out of 65. 

 That fall I returned my gun to the factory 

 and had an extra set of barrels made; 28 

 inch cylinder for brush shooting. During 

 the 60 days our season lasted I shot 40 

 ruffed grouse, besides other game. I have 

 now shot thousands of loads out of my 

 gun. It is as tight as the day it came from 

 the factory. There is no better gun for the 

 money and the firm will do just what they 

 say. S. S. Dice, Ligonier, Pa. 



