GUNS AND AMMUNITION. 
SMALL SHOT. 
I greatly enjoy the friendly discussions 
in RECREATION’S gun and ammunition de- 
partment. To discuss a subject with a view 
to bringing up new points or studying de- 
tails is a good and practical way to diffuse 
knowledge. The way Dr. J. A. Elliott, of 
Northumberland, Pa., has of settling some 
of the mooted questions is the most scien- 
tific. His report is clear, decisive and I 
believe unprejudiced; and is the only one 
that has completely satisfied me on just 
those points I wished to know. Such ef- 
forts should be encouraged and should be 
accepted without debate. If there were 
more of such investigations and less natu- 
ral gas explosions on other debatable ques- 
tions, we should arrive at perfection much 
sooner. It has a discouraging effect on 
scientific investigators to receive idle, base- 
less criticism when they have given their 
time, talent, money and reputation to learn 
facts. 
demonstartors, and a higher standard of 
sportsmanship. 
Geo. M. Clouse, M. D., Columbus, O. 

Please give dimensions of the German 
ring target. Does it differ from the target 
used by the American rifle team? 
O. J. Axtell, Hambletville, N. Y. 
ANSWER. 
The dimensions of the German ring tar- 
get are as follows: Diameter of bulls eye 
12 inches, embracing the 18 ring; highest 
circle of count, 25, 14% inches diameter in 
center of bulls eye. Concentric circles %4 
inch apart counting from 25 down to tf. 
This target is used for offhand 200 yard 
shooting. 
The military targets, such as used by 
the U. S. Army and Militia in the interna- 
tional contests, are as follows: Third class 
for 200 and 300 yard shooting; Outside di- 
mensions, 4x6 feet, bulls eye 8 inches, 
counting 5. Second class target for 500 
and 600 yard shooting; Outside dimensions, 
6x6 feet, bulls eye 22 inches in diameter, 
counting 5. First class: Outside dimen- 
sions 6x12 feet for 800, 900 and 1,000 yard 
shooting; bulls eye 36 inches in diameter, 
counting 5.—EnpIrTor. 

Will some one interested in revolver 
shooting tell me of some brand of clean 
smokeless powder that will give good 
results in a 44 cartridge? 
L. H. L., Hackberry, Kans. 
ANSWER. 
Good results are obtained with the Haz- 
ard smokeless rifle powder No. 2. In using 
this powder the same charge cup as is used 
for black powder will give the proper quan- 
I long to see more investigators and 
I4I 
tities, that is, using the same bulk. The 
shells should be well crimped on the bul- 
lets to get good results. This will involve 
opening the mouth of the shells each time 
they are reloaded. The Ideal reloading 
tool is suitable for this work. Good re- 
sults can also be obtained with Laflin & 
Rand Bulls-eye powder, using a shell with 
a crease near the mouth to prevent the bul- 
let from slipping too far into the shell. The 
proper charge of this powder for the regu- 
lation 44 is 3% grains by weight. The 
shells should also be crimped when using 
this powder.—Ebiror. 

Will a shot gun with a 4o inch barrel 
shoot farther than one of 32 inches? Has 
the larger barrel any advantage? 
Adrian Valdos, Ambler, Pa. 
ANSWER. 
There is no advantage in any shot gun 
having a 40 inch barrel. By common con- 
sent large gauges are made with longer 
barrels than smaller ones. Guns of 28, 24 
and 20 gauges are best 26 to 28 inches long; 
16 and 14 gauge, about 28 inches; 12 gauge, 
either 28 or 30 inches. Some 12 gauge 
brush guns are built with 26 inch barrels, 
and when properly bored give surprisingly 
good patterns. Ten and 8 gauge seem pre- 
ferable in 32 to 36 inch barrels. Assuming 
that all barrels must be long enough to 
properly consume the powder gases, the 
quantity of metal in the barrel and its dis- 
tribution, coupled with the method of bor- 
ing, have much more to do with the ef- 
ficiency of the gun than the length of bar- 
rel has.—Ep1rTor. 

Four years ago I was on a bridge over 
the middle branch of Root river in this 
State. The bridge is 22 feet above the 
water. I was shooting suckers with a 38 
caliber. A water snake about 4 feet long 
came swimming up stream; when he was 
about 20 feet above the bridge I lined up 
on his neck and cut loose. To my utter 
astonishment, considerable water flew 10 
or 15 feet above the bridge and with it came 
the snake’s head, cut off as clean as with 
an axe. The water was about 12 inches 
deep, with solid rock bottom. Can any one 
explain what brought the snake’s head up 
there? I use a 22-7%4-45 and think it far 
superior to the common 22. I have just 
seen the first 22 Savage rifle that has been 
brought here. It is the neatest arm of that 
caliber on the marget. Marlin is now beat- 
en on the only gun he had on the market 
that was any good, namely his 22 caliber. 
W. S. Jones, Albert Lea. Minn. 

The Grand Haven Gun Club was or- 
ganized in this city September roth, 1903, 
