GUNS AND AMMUNITION. 



THE 30-30-160 SMOKELESS. 



W. E. CARLIN (CHELAN). 



In a former paper I outlined some 

 shooting incidents, showing the excellent 

 killing powers of the 30-40 smokeless car- 

 tridge. That its more moderate power 

 companion cartridge, the 30-30, is also ef- 

 fective on big game is evident from the 

 many reports from the game fields, which 

 my own experience may help to confirm. 



A friend and I were climbing a broken 

 side hill one morning, and after a straight 

 pull of some 1,500 feet, sat down on a rock, 

 to smoke a pipe and to discuss the situation, 

 which we did in too loud tones. Our 

 conversation was interrupted by the rattling 

 of a dislodged piece of slide rock above us. 

 Glancing up, I saw a small goat disappear- 

 ing around a point of rook, some 75 yards 

 away. Jumping to our feet we made for a 

 point from which we could command a bet- 

 ter view, and in so doing disturbed 3 more 

 goats. These ran out on a ledge, 50 feet 

 above us, and looked over to learn the cause 

 of the disturbance. My friend, who had 

 never killed a goat, shot at the largest one, 

 and killed it so dead it did not even 

 struggle sufficiently to fall over the ledge, 

 although its head and one fore leg hung 

 over. This goat was shot with a 30-30 

 Marlin rifle, using the U. M. C. flat-pointed 

 full-jacketed bullet. The ball struck the 

 goat fairly in the brisket, smashing the bone 

 and making a hole in the lights that you 

 could put your hand into; while the large 

 arteries at the top of the heart were torn 

 to pieces. The bullet made its exit beside 

 the backbone, tearing a 2 inch hole, and cut- 

 ting away a tuft of white hair, that was 

 borne slowly along the mountain side by 

 the breeze. 



My next experience, with the 30-30, takes 

 me to the high meadow country lying East 

 of Elk Summit. Wright and I had walked 

 over to some lakes, the larger of which I 

 named Lake Jeannette. It is a beautiful 

 sheet of water and we regretted not having 

 taken a camera with us. We determined to 

 return and photograph it, which we did 2 

 days later. Mrs. Carlin, Wright and I were 

 riding through a vast meadow, where the 

 red top grass came half way up the horses' 

 sides, when I saw a movement among the 

 small trees, on the side hill to our right. A 

 moment later a young bull moose stepped 

 out and walked rapidly across our front, 

 without apparently noticing us. 



Slipping from my saddle I drew my rifle 

 — a 30 Winchester, model 94-— from its boot; 

 but while the moose was clearly visible fromV 

 the horse's back, he appeared indistinct, 

 through the brush, now that I was on the 



ground. He had come to a stop and was 

 listening. Firing at the only visible part, 

 I missed him. He turned and made several 

 steps toward us, exposing his right shoul- 

 der, diagonally, which I fired at. He turned 

 and walked unconcernedly from us. I fired 

 again, at his flank, and again at his neck, as 

 he walked majestically away. So far he 

 had not flinched nor given the slightest* 

 sign that he was hit and I started after him, 

 shoving in a cartridge as I went. He had 

 gone perhaps 30 yards when he stumbled 

 and fell, stone dead! The second bullet had 

 entered back of the shoulder, breaking a 

 rib, passing through the lights, leaving a 3 

 inch hole, and had lodged under the skin 

 on the opposite side. The 3d shot had 

 passed through him sideways, smashing his 

 liver to a pulp and making a 2 inch hole 

 where the bullet went out. The last shot, 

 fired at his neck as he walked away, had 

 merely cut a gash in his withers. 



The killing of the moose was especially 

 fortunate as we had been out of meat for 

 some time. We had had little time to hunt 

 and had seen nothing but does. Of course 

 as soon as we had meat in camp we saw 

 plenty of game. We shot nothing more, 

 however, until we reached the cedars, where 

 Mrs. Carlin killed a deer. As you wished 

 some salmon skins, we moved down about 

 8 miles, to where we had seen salmon. 

 Near-by was a lick, but nothing but cow elk 

 and does seemed to be using it, and they 

 came only at dusk, or after dark. 



On the third evening I suggested to Mrs. 

 Carlin that she kill something, as we need- 

 ed meat to last us out of the country. 

 The next animal that came down, happened 

 to be a barren white tail doe, which, as the 

 shadows grew long, and the light dim, 

 stood some 60 yards from us, with her 

 shoulders hidden behind a tree. Mrs. Car- 

 lin shot at the exposed portion, and as the 

 white flag waved among the trees we said 

 it was a* clean miss. She was certain, how- 

 ever, she had held well; so Wright fol- 

 lowed its track. He found blood and soon 

 came on the deer, lying dead at about 150 

 yards. 



The bullet — a 30 caliber soft nose Win- 

 chester — had passed through the small in- 

 testines, cutting them all to pieces. All 

 hunters have, no doubt, seen deer shot in 

 the same place which were never gotten at 

 all, or at best only after a long chase. I re- 

 member once, some 10 years ago, when on 

 one hunt 11 deer were shot, too far back 

 or too low down, by soldiers using the 45- 

 70-500, and not one of these was saved at 

 the time, though several were found dead, 

 later. 



The fourth animal killed with the 30-30 

 was a good sized black tail buck. We were 



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