GUNS AND AMMUNITION. 



459 



Derby Line, Vt. 

 The Marlin Fire Arms Co., 

 New Haven, Conn. 



Dear Sirs : I return your document en- 

 titled "The Musings of a Mossback." 

 Probably it is of much more value to you^ 

 than to me, as I am an admirer of G. O. 

 Shields, his methods, his motives, and his 

 Recreation. 



In sending such an article enclosed with 

 your catalogue you have, as an old pro- 

 verb puts it, "Killed 2 birds with one 

 stone," namely The Marlin Fire Arms Co. 

 and the periodical that published your arti- 

 cle. E. G. Moulton. 



RELOADING FOR HIGH POWER RIFLES. 



Dr. A. W. Smith in his article in Novem- 

 ber Recreation is a little severe in his 

 denunciation of high power rifles and am- 

 munition. Because one company turns 

 out inferior loads for 25 and 30 caliber 

 rifles, is no reason for condemning that 

 class of weapons. 



The Doctor's mistake was in using shells 

 loaded with Laflin & Rand smokeless 

 powder and expecting a velocity of 2,000 

 feet a _ second. That velocity can not 

 be obtained with the powder named, on 

 account of the extremely high breech 

 pressure which it produces. In the 25-35 

 Winchester, 20 grains of L. & R. light- 

 ning smokeless, with standard bullet, 

 is the maximum charge, which gives a 

 velocity far below 2,000 feet. The Doc- 

 tor should not use 30 or 32 grains of L. 

 & R. smokeless in a 30-30 if he values the 

 rifle. The pressure produced would be 

 far above what the gun is intended to 

 withstand. Don't put too much con- 

 fidence in old instructions for loading 

 L. & R. smokeless powders Write to the 

 manufacturers for their revised directions. 



DuPont 30 caliber smokeless with 

 standard bullet gives a velocity of 2,000 

 feet without excessive breech pressure, 

 and with good accuracy. I am informed 

 the Winchester people load that powder 

 in all shells for high pressure rifles, I 

 have found Winchester loaded 25-35 

 cartridges all that could be desired. 

 They gave high velocity with excellent 

 accuracy. 



For full charges giving a velocity 

 of 2,000 feet, use DuPont 30 caliber 

 powder. For medium loads use L. & R. 

 sporting rifle smokeless, L. & R. lightning 

 smokeless or DuPont smokeless No. 1 or 

 2, according to the shell and the rifle in 

 which it is to be used. For miniature 

 loads use L. & R. sporting rifle smokeless. 



The goods produced by the Ideal Mfg. 

 Co. are the best in the world. Their 

 no grain bullet, No. 25730, is not too long 

 for an 11 inch twist. If it keyholes either 

 the rifle is at fault or ^he bullet is not 



rightly tempered or lubricated, or too 

 much powder is used. A paper patched 

 133 grain bullet No. 25731, loaded in a 

 25-35 shell, with 7 or 8 grains of L. & R. 

 sporting rifle smokeless, gives fine results. 

 It is accurate and shows no sign of key- 

 holing even at long range. It is a splen- 

 did medium load. With 10 grains of the 

 same powder it is not accurate and will 

 keyhole at times. With 12 grains of the 

 same powder this bullet is more apt to 

 strike sidewise and 2 feet below or to one 

 side at 100 yards, than it is to go point on 

 and hit the target. I mention the above 

 charges and the results to show that the 

 reason a bullet keyholes is not always 

 because it is too long. I have experi- 

 mented with various loads for the 25-35 

 and have obtained fine results, in fact 

 much better than I at first thought pos- 

 sible. For miniature and medium loads 

 I now use paper patched bullets and find 

 them more satisfactory in every way, both 

 at the target and in the woods. 



F. C. Moulton, Wallstreet, Col. 



HOW I INVENTED THE HAMMERLESS. 



My first gun was an old army musket, 

 long, strong and with a kick like a kan- 

 garoo's. As I was but 13 and small for 

 my age, the balky old thing used to swat 

 me until my head ached and my trigger 

 finger looked like an over-ripe banana; 

 but when the pain ceased and the swelling 

 subsided I was again willing to spend 

 my last cent for powder and shot and give 

 that vindictive relic another whack at my 

 collar bone. While I was thus industri- 

 ously inviting disaster a neighbor's boy 

 fell in love with my weapon, convinced 

 from watching its performances that it 

 was a remarkably hard shooter. He 

 offered to trade for it a little single barrel 

 16 bore and I closed the deal. The little 

 gun was just my size and I was rapidly 

 becoming a wing shot when I unfortunately 

 broke the hammer. I was in despair until 

 I thought of holding the gun in my left 

 hand and exploding the cap with an old 

 harrow tooth. Thus, though unprincipled 

 persons have robbed me of the well deserved 

 emoluments, I am really the inventor of 

 the hammerless shot gun. 



One day we had unexpected company 

 to dinner, and mother said, 



"Son, call the dog and catch a chicken 

 right quick." 



" Lemme shoot it, Ma," I begged. 



"All right, son," she replied, "shoot it 

 if you like, but get it here suddenly." 



I got my weapon and its accessory 

 hardware, and trudged off in search of 

 potpie filling. I went through the locust 

 grove to a tall thick hedge in the shade of 

 which thg chickens loved tQ scratch and 



