GUNS AND AMMUNITION. 



Anybody can shoot all day, but a gentleman will quit when he gets enough. 



SEEKS INFORMATION. 



Last fall I bought a No. V/ 2 grade Ithaca 

 shot gun, and have had no cause to regret 

 my choice. The gun is a beauty, shoots 

 well and being made to order, is just the 

 right fit. I intend to buy a rifle, and have 

 almost decided on a Savage, .303 caliber. 

 I want the rifle for small game, with now 

 and then a deer or bear. Is there a rifle 

 made to fulfil these requirements, using 

 cheaper ammunition than the Savage? Or 

 can shells be reloaded to make them cheap- 

 er and just as good? 



Will your readers enlighten me on the 

 following subjects: Would a $10 No. 24 

 Sidle telescope be a desirable feature on a 

 Savage hunting rifle? Or would a Lyman 

 rear combination and ivory front be a bet- 

 ter sight? What about paper patched bul- 

 lets for hunting? Are they used with 

 smokeless powder? Who makes a belt for 

 these cartridges? In molding bullets 10 

 to one, are the parts proportioned by 

 weight or bulk? What is a wind gauge 

 sight and its advantage? What are dense 

 powders? How is a 25-pound pressure de- 

 termined on gun wads ? Is a 25-pound 

 weight placed on the rammer when wad is 

 placed in shell, or is same weight dropped 

 one foot? What is the best shot gun black 

 powder? Does coarse powder burn slower 

 and stronger than fine? What constitutes 

 a good hunting knife? What does a good 

 compass cost, and what is meant by a stop 

 to same? What is the range, velocity, and 

 penetration of the s 2 short Harrington & 

 Richardson revolver with 5-inch barrel? 

 Are these shells reloaded with good re- 

 sults ? 



In my 12-gauge Ithaca I use U. M. C. 

 Magic shells, 2^4 drams powder, 2 B. E. 

 felt wads between 2 card wads and 1% 

 ounces shot, with card wad and good 

 crimp. 



Thos. Ford, Boston, Mass. 



ANSWER. 



A .303 Savage would come as near 

 meeting all your requirements as any rifle 

 on the market. The miniature cartridge 

 would be all right for short range target 

 work and for small game at short range, 

 while the full charge cartridge would be 

 good for anything from a fox up to a 

 moose. There is no rifle on the market 

 that would give this combination and that 

 uses cheaper ammunition than the Savage. 



I never advise anyone to reload rifle 

 shells. Many people do it and get fair re- 

 sults, but on the other hand unless a man 



makes a careful study of it and devotes a 

 great deal of time to the work, and has a 

 complete and somewhat expensive outfit 

 for it, he can not get the best results. The 

 machinery used in the large cartridge fac- 

 tories for reloading shells costs many 

 thousands of dollars, and is absolutely ac- 

 curate. It is, however, better to buy re- 

 loaded ammunition, even at the difference 

 in price, than to load shells yourself and 

 occasionally miss a fine animal by having 

 a bullet seated slightly out of line in the 

 shell. 



Such a telescope as you mention is all 

 right for target shooting and for small 

 game about home and in the fields, but is 

 not practicable for rough usage in the 

 woods or in the mountains. It is delicately 

 constructed and is liable to be knocked out 

 of line. I should prefer the other combina- 

 tion you refer to. 



Paper patched bullets are hot necessary 

 in modern rifles using smokeless powder. 



There are several forms of wind gauge 

 sights on the market, but they are intended 

 only for long range target shooting, and 

 are not practicable for hunting purposes. 



Get a catalogue of hunting knives from 

 the Marble Safety Axe Company, Glad- 

 stone, Mich., and select from it the knife 

 that pleases your fancy. They are all good 

 and you will scarcely make a mistake in 

 buying any one of them. 



This company also makes compasses, and 

 if you will write them they will give you 

 full information regarding the use of them. 

 — Editor. 



SMALL BORE RIFLE. 



Regarding the communication from A. J. 

 Hubbard, color sergeant of the 23d Infan- 

 try, N. Y. N. G., in Recreation for Janu- 

 ary, the United States is to be congratu- 

 lated on possessing such a fine rifle of 

 American make, as heretofore it has fa- 

 vored foreign arms and those not of the 

 best make. Sergeant Hubbard mentions 44- 

 grain charges, but does not say what kind 

 of powder is used. I assume it is Du Pont 

 ,30-Caliber Military. I have shot 42 grains 

 of this powder in my Mauser and in a 

 Remington-Lee 7 mm. sporting rifle regu- 

 larly without damage. Sergeant Hubbard 

 says the Krag is not strong enough to stand 

 this heavy charge, but that the breech bolts 

 were broken. The Krag has only one lock- 

 ing lug on the breech bolt. It is the 7 mm. 

 Mauser that has 2, and the Remington-Lee 



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