5 2 



RECREATION. 



finish. Size No. 5 for ducks, squirrels, rab- 

 bits, etc; No. 7^ for bluerock targets; No. 

 8 or 7 x / 2 for quails; No. 9 for snipe and 

 woodcock. Never use less than 1 or more 

 than i l /$ ounces in a 12 gauge; 1 thin " B " 

 card wad over shot. Use a Barclay or 

 Spangler wad starter with inside springs, 

 and crimp firmly with the Ideal High Grade 

 Closer. Then rest assured you have the 

 proper thing in the way of a load. Be care- 

 ful in measuring powder and shot, and in 

 placing in the shell the same number and 

 size wads in the proper order so as to have 

 each load uniform. 



If higher priced shells than those men- 

 tioned are wanted the U.M.C. smokeless or 

 trap shells are all that can be desired. The 

 last named has no superior. 



Chas. B. Wise. 



THE MANHATTAN RIFLE ASSOCIATION. 



This association being now an assured 

 success, a short description of its aims and 

 purposes may interest the readers of Rec- 

 reation. It was organized 2 years ago, by 

 a few sportsmen interested in rifle shooting, 

 living in the upper part of New York City 

 and meeting on various ranges wherever ac- 

 commodations could be secured. As our 

 membership increased, we began to look for 

 a place to locate a range of our own, and 

 after some searching found an ideal spot at 

 Baychester, on property owned by Mr. J. 

 H. Campbell. 



The membership has steadily increased, 

 until we are now in a position to supply our 

 range with all modern conveniences. We 

 have a well built butt and target house, with 

 3 sets of sliding targets, and can readily add 

 more as occasion requires. We have a club 

 house in which a good fire burns on cold 

 days in winter, and which we have hereto- 

 fore been using as a shooting house also, 

 until our regular shooting house is com- 

 pleted. A telephone line connects the butt 

 with the club house and firing points, greatly 

 facilitating the work of those who delight 

 in experimenting and in group shooting at 

 rest. We shall soon have firing points ar- 

 ranged at 500 and 600 yards, to accommo- 

 date those who take pleasure in shooting at 

 these distances, as well as 25 and 50 yard 

 pistol ranges. The new shooting house 

 now being built will be at the 200 yard firing 

 point. It will be small at first, but well de- 

 signed, and so arranged as to readily admit 

 of its being enlarged as occasion requires. 

 It will also be provided with bench and 

 machine rests, to enable members to test 

 their guns. 



The range is located in the open country, 

 with a hill behind the targets to stop bullets, 

 the line of firing being due North. There 

 are no slits to shoot through, as in the 

 scheutzen parks, all of the targets being in 

 full view of all shooters at all times. No 

 liquors are sold on the premises. Those 

 desiring other refreshments than the excel- 



lent coffee served by Mr. Campbell can get 

 them at a hotel nearby. Baychester can be 

 reached in about 20 minutes from 3d Avenue 

 and 129th Street L station, from which 

 trains leave at a quarter before each hour, 

 via the New Haven R. R., and the range is 

 about 10 minutes from the station. 



Our members are all business or pro- 

 fessional men, who indulge in rifle shooting 

 for the sport there is in it, and not for profit. 

 Many of them prefer to use hunting rifles. 

 Some of the military men prefer their mili- 

 tary rifles, while others use target rifles. 

 Each man is free to do as he pleases, and so 

 all are satisfied. 



It is our aim to make this association as 

 nearly like the Massachusetts Rifle Associa- 

 tion as possible, rather than copy after the 

 scheutzen corps who seem to have the mon- 

 opoly of rifle shooting in this vicinity at 

 present. If all those who are interested in 

 rifle shooting as a clean sport will join us 

 and help, there will be no difficulty in having 

 an organization equal to that of the Bosto- 

 nians. A cordial invitation is hereby ex- 

 tended to all interested in this sport to join. 



The dues are $6 a year, and the initiation 

 at present is merely nominal ($1) so as to 

 enable us to obtain as many desirable mem- 

 bers as possible. Each application is, how- 

 ever, carefully investigated by the executive 

 committee before action is taken, as we 

 want none but true sportsmen in our or- 

 ganization. 



Any further information will be cheer- 

 fully furnished on application to the Presi- 

 dent, Dr. W. G. Hudson, 73 West 131st 

 Street, or to the Secretary, J. E. Silliman, 

 National Park Bank, Broadway, to whom 

 applications for membership may also be 

 sent. 



STRETCH IN RIFLE SHELLS. 



BALLARD. 



In every kit of reloading tools for rifle 

 cartridges there should be included some 

 sort of resizing die for overcoming the ex- 

 pansion due to continued firing. Ordinary 

 resizing affects only the diameter of a shell, 

 however, leaving the length of the shell to 

 take care of itself. It may have escaped the 

 attention of many shooters but it is a fact 

 that shells expand also in length from con- 

 tinued use. This stretch materially affects 

 the performance of the cartridge in the mat- 

 ter of accuracy. This difficulty is more 

 marked with taper or bottle-necked shells 

 than with straight ones; but should be 

 guarded against and regularly corrected in 

 all. 



One of the cheapest and most convenient 

 tools I have seen for this is that shown in 

 the accompanying cut. One of which any 

 rifleman can make with the help of a black- 

 smith for 10 minutes. . This tool consists 

 simply of a piece of bar iron about 5-16" x 

 1 l A" with a slot cut in one end large 

 enough to easily admit the muzzle of the 



