GUMS AND AMMUNIT/OX. 



393 



cleaned again next morning, and carefully 

 oiled . . . after which it may be laid 

 away for weeks without danger of spotting. 

 An hour after wiping, if cleaned and oiled 

 a second time, it may be laid away with 

 equal safety. But if thoroughly cleaned 

 and oiled only once a .22 caliber is al- 

 most certain to spot. I wish some of your 

 readers would explain this. I have found 

 by experience that this is often the case, 

 but have never been able to discover the 

 reason. 



Subscriber, Hamilton, Ont. 



I noticed in February Recreation the 

 frontispiece entitled, " Tinkering his old 

 Ballard," said to have been a photograph. 

 I have always supposed a photo to be a 

 correct delineation of the object photo- 

 graphed; but in this case there must be 

 some mistake in it or else the old gentle- 

 man was in error as to the kind of weapon. 

 I have never seen a Ballard with a tipdown 

 action such as that picture represents. 



C. H. Russell, Jacksonville, 111. 



The caption was badly written and the 

 compositor misread it. Then the word 

 slipped through the proof reader's fingers. 

 The rifle shown is a Maynard. The picture 

 is not the frontispiece though, by about 7 

 pages. Guess again. — Editor. 



Please tell what is meant by .30-40 and 

 .30-50? I know .30 denotes the caliber, but 

 supposed 36 grains of smokeless powder 

 was about the largest charge loaded in a 

 high power cartridge. 



Reader, Louisville, Ky. 



ANSWER. 



The first numerals in the combination you 

 state refer to the caliber to the rifle, and the 

 second to the powder charge. Thus, .30-40 

 means a .30 caliber rifle, carrying 40 grains 

 of powder. I do not at this moment recall 

 a .30-50 rifle or cartridge on the market. 

 So far as I remember, there is no smoke- 

 less powder cartridge carrying more than 

 40 grains,' but black powder cartridges are 

 made to carry as high as 120 grains. 



Y. M. C. A., Findlay. O., asks if the 

 .30-30 Marlin or the Winchester is the 

 better gun for deer. In the first place, the 

 full patched bullet is not meant for big 

 game at all. The soft point bullet is by far 

 the most deadly. The Winchester is the 

 best gun of the 2 because it has a barrel of 

 nickel steel; the Marlin has not. The 

 Winchester has a flatter trajectory than the 

 Marlin as the latter uses a bullet with a 

 flat nose and shoots 4 or 5 inches higher 

 than the Winchester round nose bullet. 

 M. P. Dunham is right in defending the 

 • 2 5"35- That cartridge is in the same class 

 as the .30-30 and has the same terrific tear- 

 ing power. .30-30. 



Just returned from the Adirondack's and 

 must say a word for the .30-30 Winchester. 

 I have used almost every caliber gun the 

 Winchester people make and prefer the 

 .30-30 to all others. I shot one deer about 

 60 yards off; hit him in the heart and broke 

 a rib where the bullet came out. Shot an- 

 other through the shoulder, bullet made a 

 hole the size of a silver dollar where it 

 came out. The first deer ran 20 yards and 

 the second about 10. I also killed 2 foxes; 

 one of them the bullet cut almost in half. 

 If the Winchester Co. would make a gun 

 the same model as the .30-30 and chamber 

 it for the .30-40 U. S. Army cartridge I 

 am sure it would be one of the most popu- 

 lar guns for big game. 



J. S. Barron, 2d. New York City. 



Y. D. McQueen asks how to clean a .30- 

 30. I use acetone and have no trouble in 

 keeping my rifle bright. Use a rod with 

 revolving handle; swab gun a few times 

 with bits of cloth wet with acetone; then 

 draw a string cleaner through the barrel 

 several times. Where acetone cannot be 

 obtained, wood alcohol may be used in- 

 stead. Mr. E. J. Cunningham wants to 

 know what is the best cartridge for the '90 

 model, .22 Winchester. The special car- 

 tridge is best. Its inside lubrication makes 

 it clean to handle and it is twice as power- 

 ful as any other .22 rim fire. It is a great 

 killer for grouse, rabbits and squirrels. 

 These cartridges cost about 45 cents a 100. 

 P. J. Bowker, Wakefield, Mass. 



The controversy as to large versus small 

 calibres amuses me, besides teaching me 

 much. I am still carrying a .45-70 '86 Win- 

 chester, loaded with Dupont smokeless 

 powder and hollow-point 330 grain bullet, 

 which one correspondent kindly terms " en- 

 tirely obsolete," but I find it does its work 

 at least fairly well — though it is not from 

 choice I carry it. I brought the first '94 

 Winchester .30-30 to this country; tried it 

 to my satisfaction, and sold it because I 

 couldn't own 2 guns and couldn't sell the 

 .45-70; so you can put me among the 

 small (?) bores, until you come to revolv- 

 ers; then I'll swear by the .45 until some- 

 thing bigger comes out. 



M. L. Weaver, Yisalia. Cal. 



After diligent inquiry I am forced to 

 the conclusion that nowhere is there man- 

 ufactured a good shotgun of suitable weight 

 and properly stocked for young shooter>. 

 There are .32-44 and .45 caliber guns in 

 which shot cartridges are used: but what 

 I mean is a single barrel. 16 or 20 gauge 

 gun, weighing 4^2 or 5 pounds and 

 with stock short enough for boys 10 to 15 

 years old. Thousands of enthusiastic 

 youngsters have been discouraged by lack 

 of a proper weapon, and many more are 

 shooting guns that are misfits all around. 



