39° 



RECREA TION. 



and little grain mixed, and so soft as to be 

 easily pulverized in the fingers, can appre- 

 ciate the merit of these qualities. 



This powder is only intended for use in 

 black powder rifles and revolvers, and in 

 these it was tested with the utmost satisfac- 

 tion. Its velocity is that of the best grades 

 of black powder with the charges pre- 

 scribed, while its breech pressure is con- 

 siderably less. The best results were ob- 

 tained with metal cased bullets or such as 

 had been hardened with tin or antimony. 



Unfortunately I had only the means at 

 command of testing the powder in a .32-40 

 ^"inchester, and in a .38 revolver. In these 

 it gave wonderfully good results but I am 

 anxious to hear what it will do in other 

 calibers and write this to ask sportsmen 

 who have tried it what their experience has 

 been. Everything indicates that the 

 powder is just what the riflemen have been 

 waiting for and it would be a disappoint- 

 ment to them, indeed, if it should fail in 

 any point. 



HOW SHRAPNEL SHELLS ARE MADE. 



Toronto, Ont. 

 Editor Recreation: In the interesting 

 account by Mason Mitchell of " How it 

 feels to be shot by a shrapnel bullet," he 

 describes a shrapnel in which I think he is 

 hardly correct. At least the description 

 does not tally with 



screwed 



what I have seen of 

 the shrapnels made in 

 the arsenal at Wool- 

 wich, England. The 

 shell is there made 

 with charge of pow- 

 der at the base. The 

 time fuse is there and 

 an ingenious device 

 which will act in case 

 the fuse fails. The 

 bullets are all right as 

 described except that 

 in the larger shells 

 larger bullets are 

 used. The effect 

 aimed at is for the 

 powder to explode at 

 the burning down of 

 the properly timed 



fuse, drive the cap off and then to have the 



bullets discharged in a bunch as shot from 



a shot gun. 



The powder is not mixed with the bullets 



and the fuse is not at the point. 



Theo. Coleman, M.D. 





I Fuse ■ 



HOW THE SAVAGE WORKS. 



Lancaster, Pa. 

 Editor Recreation: By this mail I send 

 you 4 Savage bullets on a card. One of 

 these penetrated the left side of a 300 pound 

 bear, broke 2 ribs, passed through the heart, 

 through the right shoulder blade, and was 

 found lodged under the skin, at the point 



of the same shoulder. The jacket could not 

 be found, but as the intestines were per- 

 forated at many points, and their contents 

 discharged into the general cavity of the 

 abdomen, this was no doubt the cause of 

 its not being found. It had separated from 

 the ball, as it passed through the ribs. This 

 animal stepped into an open space 30 feet 

 wide, and 175 yards away, when I fired. By 

 the time it disappeared I had fired 5 shots, 

 3 of them taking effect, one as above de- 

 scribed and the other 2 passing through the 

 .body, between the 

 short ribs and the 

 hips. Another -ball 

 entered the left side 

 of a large bull elk, 

 striking the .center of 

 a rib and ranging for- 

 ward, and lodged un- 

 der the right shoulder 

 blade. The jacket 

 clung to it until with- 

 in 4 inches of where 

 it lodged. Distance 

 from firing point, 75 

 yards. 



Still another ball 

 entered the right hip 

 of the largest bull elk 

 I ever saw, 2 inches 

 to the right of the tail, 

 passing through about 

 15 inches of flesh, and 

 lodging in flank of 

 same side. It did not 

 touch a bone in its 

 course. The hole in 

 the skin, where the 

 ball entered, was but 

 little larger than the 

 ball ; but where it en- 

 tered the body the hole was nearly twice as 

 large as the hole through the skin. In the 

 flesh is where the astonishing destruction 

 was wrought. I could place both hands, 

 palms together, and shove them into the 

 track of the ball, the only impediment being 

 the tendinous fiber completely stripped of 

 muscular tissue, some of which, as you will 

 observe, is still clinging to the bullet. Dis- 

 tance from firing point, 150 yards. 



Another ball entered the left side of a 

 large bull elk, just back of the shoulder, 

 passing between 2 ribs, through the heart, 

 and lodging under right shoulder blade, not 

 touching bony tissue. Distance from firing 

 point, 75 yards. 



Observations and conclusions arrived at, 

 from an elk hunt with a Savage .303 rifle. 

 My gun is a 26 inch barrel, full octagon, 

 rigged with Lyman tang rear, and ivory 

 bead front sight, targeted to center at 65 

 yards. I used the soft nosed, expanding 

 smokeless Savage powder cartridge. I 

 never changed my sights during the hunt, 

 although I killed small game occasionally 

 at distances varying from 20 to 50 yards, 



