214 



RECREA T10N. 



of the powder. But water and rags have no 

 effect on it. 



W. G. B., Luzerne, Pa. 



EXTENDING THE LATERAL DRIFT. 



1 saw in RECREATION the statement that 

 all rifles threw bullets slightly to one side 

 of the target, in the direction of the twist. 

 At ioo yards, it was said, the bullet from a 

 rifle with a right hand twist would be 

 thrown 4 inches to the right. Take that 

 rifle and adjust the sights until the gun, 

 if held properly, will place bullets exactly 

 in center of bull's eye at 100 yards. At 50 

 yards where will the bullet be? Two inches 

 to left of a straight line of course. Now, 

 supposing the bullet to have a perfectly 

 flat trajectory, let us see where it would 

 be at different ranges as regards the 

 " lateral drift." At 200 yards, 4 inches to 

 right; at 300 yards, 8 inches; at 400 

 yards, 12 inches, and for each additional 

 hundred yards, 4 inches more to the right. 

 I have been thinking of buying a .236 navy 

 rifle, but fear it is not a safe gun to shoot 

 if the above calculation is correct. With 

 the immense range of that rifle the " lateral 

 drift " might have time to guide the bullet 

 around into the shooter's back before it 

 stopped. Will the correspondent who 

 knows so much about the drift, answer 

 this? With a flat trajectory and a velocity 

 of 2,550 feet a second, how far would a bul- 

 let have to travel and how long' would it 

 take to make a complete circle? 



Coyote Ash, Armington, Mont. 



PREFERS THE .38-55. 



I never owned a .30-30, but being a 

 Maine guide I have seen many used. Be- 

 fore I saw them I wanted one, but since 

 then I have no desire to own a .30. They 

 are all right if you hit a bone or a vital spot. 

 If the deer is paunched and there is no snow 

 on the ground you stand a slim chance of 

 getting your game, as the bullet is so small 

 it causes little bleeding. The majority of 

 sportsmen do not stop to pick a vital spot; 

 they shoot at the plainest mark which is 

 usually the paunch. Then again, at a run- 

 ning mark you have no time to pick a shot, 

 but shoot wherever you can draw a bead. I 

 have had as good success with a .44-40 as 

 with any gun I ever used, both on deer and 

 bear, I killed a bear' last year at 200 yards 

 with it. The best all 'round gun is the .38- 

 55. It is light, strong and makes a large 

 hole. With it I have killed deer 350 and 

 400 yards away. It is almost impossible to 

 make a good group of shots with the .30, 

 as I know from having seen good marks- 

 men try to do it. After trying many rifles 

 I have settled down to a .38-55- 



M. E. Mathews, Schoodic, Me.. 



ASKED AND ANSWERED. 



How does the Winchester rolled steel 

 barrel compare with Whitworth, Damas- 

 cus, Krupp and other high grade barrels for 

 strength, bursting strain, shooting qual- 

 ities, etc.? Is the breech action of the 

 Stevens Ideal rifle as strong as that of the 

 Winchester single shot? 



Wallace Miller, Gifford, 111. 



The "rolled steel" barrel of the Win- 

 chester shot gun is capable of excellent 

 shooting and will stand all ordinary 

 charges and wear. It can hardly be classed 

 with the highest grade steel and Damascus 

 barrels as regards strength. The breech 

 action of the Stevens Ideal rifles is strong 

 and good. No comparison tests between it 

 and the Winchester have ever been made. 

 N. E. C., Trenton, N. J. 



GAME OR GUNS? 



I am a recent convert to the repeating 

 shot gun and no longer use the double bar- 

 relled hammerless. Some people find it 

 awkward to change from the latter gun to 

 the repeater, but with persistent practice the 

 action is mastered. It did not take me long 

 to get the hang of it and make doubles on 

 blue cocks. I think the repeater is a more 

 killing gun, that is there are fewer birds 

 crippled to escape and die undiscovered. 

 It has been stated that the repeater is liable 

 to freeze up. If the action is kept well oiled 

 there will be no freezing. A hammerless re- 

 quires the same care. The take down is a 

 great improvement over the solid frame. 

 H. C. Gardiner, Buffalo, N. Y. 



A. H. Merrill's detonating powder for 

 explosive bullets does not work well at this 

 altitude. Can some one give a formula for 

 an explosive to be used for filling hollow 

 pointed bullets, that will explode, and yet 

 not be dangerous to handle when loaded? 

 The .25-25 is a good caliber for anything up 

 to deer. I use a Stevens and think there is 

 nothing better. 



H. F. Reynolds, Husted, Col. 



I do not see why some of the other large 

 firms who deal in sportsmen's goods do not 

 advertise in Recreation, for I am sure 

 they would get as good returns for their 

 money as in any other magazine. The peo- 

 ple who read Recreation are the ones who 

 do the buying. 



W. G. Snider, St. Andrews, N. Y. 



I wish A. M. G., Haywards, Cal., who 

 wrote in January Recreation about his 

 rapid adjusting sight would tell us some- 

 thing about its construction, how he uses 

 his eyes for accurate range finders, and who 

 makes and sells the sight. 



E. Shook, Johnstown, N. Y. 



