394 



RECREA TION. 



Suitable rifles are obtainable. Why not 

 shotguns. 



H. C. Wilcox, Friendship, N. Y. 



In reply to R. S. Hamilton, in February 

 Recreation, about a .20 gauge I can say I 

 have used a .20 gauge Remington gun for 

 14 years. The best load I have found for 

 it is 2J/2 drams nitro powder and Y\ ounce 

 of shot from No. 12 to No. 4. Shot larger 

 than No. 4 will not give a good pattern 

 nor penetration. 



I once killed an incoming pin tail duck 

 with 2y 2 drams powder and No. 5 shot at 

 68 yards. If Mr. Hamilton's .20 gauge is a 

 Remington and he uses this load he will 

 have a good combination. 



Jerry Z. Piatt, Grand Island, Neb. 



I should like to hear, through Recrea- 

 tion, from anyone who has used shot 

 cartridges in a rifle, particularly in a .32- 

 40. Where can I buy the unloaded shot 

 cases and what do they cost? What is 

 their effective range on such game as red 

 squirrels? How should they be loaded in 

 a regular .32-40 cartridge? Will they in- 

 jure the barrel. The only gun club here — 

 the " Auburn " — holds a shoot every Sat- 

 urday in summer. New members are being 

 added and we hope next summer to build 

 a club house. 



L. H. Tarr, Auburn, Me. 



I notice there are some doubting 

 Thomases reading Recreation who are 

 free in their remarks about people who 

 claim to make long range shots. Although 

 I am not able to bring down a prairie 

 chicken every time at 100 yards with my 

 12 gauge and 1% ounces of No. 4 shot, yet 

 it is a fact that I killed most of my chickens 

 last season at that distance. The trouble 

 with most hunters is, they are unac- 

 quainted with their guns and do not know 

 how far to trust them or how to hold for 

 long shots. 



H. C. M., Storm Lake, la. 



Is not a .25-20 rifle the best for a be- 

 ginner? It will kill rabbits, grouse and 

 other small game, and is it not powerful 

 enough for deer? A .25-36 or .30-30 in the 

 hands of a novice is a dangerous weapon. 

 Do .25-20 shells require resizing? In fac- 

 tory loaded .25-20 smokeless shells, does 

 powder touch bullets? Is the '97 model, 

 Winchester takedown shotgun as strong 

 as ordinary '97 gun? 



F. L. Bringhurst, Victor, Col. 



I should like to communicate with Pine 

 Tassel of Lisbon Falls, Me., who asks in 

 Recreation about the fellows who carry 

 repeating shotguns. I use a new model 

 Stevens .22 and find it does all the work 

 up to 100 yards that could be expected of 

 so small a bore. I should like to hear from 



sportsmen who use 16 gauge- guns for all 

 round shooting, as to what load they find 

 most satisfactory. 



G. E. Morris, Somerville, N. J. 



In answer to R. S. Hamilton's inquiry as 

 to the best load for a 20 gauge shotgun I 

 think i l / 2 drams Schultz smokeless powder 

 and i l /i ounces of No. 4 shot about right. 

 I have handled a gun since I was 8 years 

 old and am nearly 12 now. I have a .22 

 Winchester and hardly ever miss a squir- 

 rel's head when I have a fair shot. Rec- 

 reation is the best magazine ever published. 

 F. C. Brockett, Berlin, Wis. 



Will D. T. Tuthill and others give, 

 through Recreation, their ideas of an all 

 aro»und gun, for trap and field? What is the 

 proper drop for such a gun? Why do ex- 

 pert trap shots use such straight stocks? 

 How far should one lead a cross-flying 

 quail, if the gun is swung as rapidly as the 

 bird is flying, and the shooter is reasonably 

 quick on trigger? 



" Kentuckian," Catlettsburg, Ky. 



I notice in the last issue 2 of your cor- 

 respondents refer to me. One will not even 

 allow that I know when a thing balances; 

 the other says I claim the Savage rifle does 

 not balance. My article does not refer to 

 the Savage, as I have never owned one, and I 

 never express an opinion or make a state- 

 ment unless I am absolutely sure of my 

 ground. 

 Dr. E. F. Conyngham, Phillipsburg, Mont. 



Will some readers who have tried the .38- 

 55 caliber ^ r arlin on big game give their ex- 

 perience through Recreation, the best 

 sportsmen's magazine published. Also ad- 

 vise the best place to get big game. Should 

 like to hear from some who have tried 

 King r s semi-smokeless powder for rifles. 

 Have tried it, but do not get good results. 

 M. E. Daniels, Kendallville, la. 



Tell J. W. Brown, of Carthage, Mo., that 

 2,7 grains of Laflin & Rand smokeless 

 powder, wadded well, will give him a pat- 

 tern which will surprise him. For velocity 

 and penetration there is nothing like it, 

 and it is entirely smokeless. That is a 

 quail load. For general shooting and at 

 the traps use 40 grains. 



T. E. Doremus. Schaghticoke, N. Y. 



Will some sportsman of experience tell 

 me what loads give best results for duck 

 shooting and for long range field and trap 

 shooting? Are full choke, modified choke 

 or cylinder bore barrels preferable? 



B. E. Hocker, Dayton, O. 



Old Silver Tip has the situation sized up 

 about right. The .30-30 is a murderous 

 weapon. I use a .25-20 in target practice, 



