GUNS AND AMMUNITION. 



377 



the crimp is bulged so as to make the shell 

 stick in chamber of barrel. 



I have had excellent results with Laf- 

 lin & Rand loaded in U. M. C. shells. If 

 Mr. Crampton will buy L. & R., 'loaded ac- 

 cording to directions on can, he will get 

 good results if he has a 'good gun. It 

 has greater penetration than Robin Hood, 

 and it will keep 12 months without losing 

 its strength. 



Last winter I shot a goose on the wing, 

 at 45 yards, with L. & R. and No. 3 shot, 

 4 or 5 shot going clear through the bird. I 

 use a 10-gauge, 30-inch Ithaca, and load 

 50 grains L. & R. and 1% ounces No. 3 

 shot for duck shooting. Should like to 

 hear the experience of others with Robin 

 Hood powder; also how L. & R. compares 

 with Walsrode. 



Chas. H. Bentley, Hampton, Va. 



In April Recreation A. W. Crampton 

 asks if Robin Hood shells are as good 

 as U. M. C. or Winchesters. Last fall I 

 tried one box. Out of 25 shells 9 split 

 nearly the entire length, and the heads blew 

 off of 3 others. Taking it all around, I 

 prefer the U. M. C. smokeless. Have also 

 had trouble with Peters shells when firing 

 them in a Winchester shot gun. Have 

 known them to split and send part of the 

 case half way through the barrel, besides 

 blackening the remaining shells in the mag- 

 azine. 



In answer to A. B. Turf, will say I have 

 been using Winchester and U. M. C. shells 

 loaded with nearly all kinds of smokeless 

 powder. Have had no trouble so far, and 

 my gun barrel is as bright as a new dollar. 

 The gun is a single, 12-gauge Davenport, 

 with barrel cut down to 26 inches. 



H. B. W., Rockland, Me. 



Answering A. W. Crampton, St. Albans, 

 Vt. I have used Robin Hood smokeless 

 powder since it was first put on the mar- 

 ket in this Province and have found it all 

 one can wish for. I have had loaded shells 

 laid by 18 months and as good when used 

 as when first loaded. It is not affected by 

 changes of temperature within reasonable 

 limits. It can be loaded in the same way 

 ?.s black powder and in the same shells. I 

 have always used it in Kynock's Perfect 

 brass shells and find it better than the best 

 black powder. 



Chas. E. Poeriti, Treherne, Manitoba. 



In answer to A. W. Crampton's question, 

 would say that in 20 years' experience with 

 various brands of powder I have found 

 none so satisfactory as Robin Hood. It is 

 the quickest, strongest and cleanest powder 

 made. My favorite load for bird shooting, 

 using a 7 pound, 12 gauge gun, is 3 drams 

 Robin Hood and 1^2 ounces No. 7 shot. 

 J. W. Calkins, Putnam Sta., N. Y. 



THE IDEAL GUN. 



To my mind the ideal gun is one that 

 meets the requirements of a sportsman go- 

 ing after a certain class of game, and no 

 single gun was ever built, or ever will be, 

 that is equally satisfactory for all kinds of 

 shooting ; therefore, in order to obtain best 

 results it is necessary to choose the gun 

 best adapted to the game we expect to hunt. 

 . For small game like rabbits, squirrels, 

 birds, etc. I suggest the 22 caliber rifle. 

 It is accurate up to 100 yards and does 

 not spoil meat as a large bullet would. 

 It is necessary to keep this gun thoroughly 

 clean, otherwise its accuracy will be im- 

 paired. For deer, my choice would be either 

 a 30-30, .303 or the 32 Special. Provided 

 with a Savage or Winchester rifle of any 

 of these calibers, the hunter possesses a 

 light, strong and exceedingly accurate piece, 

 and if he is a skillful marksman it is rarely, 

 indeed, that he will lose his game by 

 wounding and not killing. I have hunted 

 with a friend the past 4 years who has never 

 missed killing his deer with a single shot 

 from a 30-30. Any man who will practice 

 target shooting occasionally, and not de- 

 velop an attack of buck fever every time 

 he draws a bead on an animal, may make 

 as good a score. 



For bear, moose, elk and caribou, the 

 great majority of which are killed within 

 200 yards, my preference would be either a 

 30-40, 33, 35-40 or 45-70. They have terrific 

 shocking and penetrating power and this 

 is an absolute necessity where one hopes 

 to secure a trophy after finding it. The 

 power of endurance in this class of game, 

 even after receiving a mortal wound, is sim- 

 ply marvellous. Unless the hunter has in- 

 flicted a severe injury with his first shot, 

 the chances are in favor of the animal's es- 

 caping, and this, I claim, is much more 

 frequently seen when using a smaller cali- 

 ber. 



Each year finds experienced hunters grad- 

 ually discarding the 30-30 for game larger 

 than deer. Few experienced men would, if 

 armed with a 30-30, be willing to take 

 chances with a grizzly, and for one who is 

 not experienced it would be almost suicidal. 

 I do not claim that a 30-30 is incapable of 

 killing animals of this size, but for the ordi- 

 nary hunter the larger caliber is to be pre- 

 ferred. 



I emphasize the wisdom of following 

 the instructions given by the manufactur- 

 ers of arms, especially as to the ammuni- 

 tion used. It is of interest to these people 

 to give the hunter the best possible goods, 

 and when they recommend a certain class 

 of ammunition for certain guns it should, 

 in justice to them and to ourselves, 

 be used. As yet I have never seen either a 

 Savage or Winchester jam if the proper 

 cartridge was used and the gun kept clean, 



