GUNS AND AMMUNITION. 



55 



companies for the .32-40 central fire cart- 

 ridge. The bullet of this cartridge is .308 

 in diameter, while the .32 short is .313 in 

 diameter with a base .299 in diameter. The 

 bullet is therefore too large for the barrel. 

 The standard twist of the .32 short cart- 

 ridge is as follows: 



Remington Co., one turn in 20 inches; 

 Colt's, one turn in 24 inches; Winchester, 

 one turn in 26 inches; Stevens, one turn 

 in 26 inches. 



It would therefore seem that Mr. Fitz- 

 patrick has a barrel that was intended for 

 the .32-40 central fire cartridge and is be- 

 ing used to shoot the .32 rim fire. The 

 bore is too small for the bullet and the 

 twist is not adapted to the charge. Either 

 one of these 2 conditions might cause the 

 keyholing of the bullet. 



A. L. A. Himmelwright, New York City. 



LIKES THE MOGG TELESCOPE. 

 The readers of Recreation should be 

 thankful for the valuable advice to be 

 found in its pages. In the January num- 

 ber I read with pleasure the article by Mr. 

 Earle W. Wilson regarding his experience 

 with the rifle telescope made for him by 

 L. N. Mogg, Marcellus, N. Y. I was in- 

 duced to send an order for one of these 

 telescopes to mount on my .25-25 single 

 shot rifle, and it is the most perfect glass I 

 ever used. That means the best of some 

 10 or 12 I have used during my many 

 years of experience with the rifle in the 

 woods and at the target I do not think 

 Mr. Earle intended to advertise anyone's 

 manufactures, but, like me, would like to 

 have our brother riflemen know the good 

 things that are on the market. With this 

 'scope and rifle I have doubled up crows at 

 various distances up to 200 yards or more, 

 and can, on a still day, place most of the 

 bullets in a 3-inch circle at 150 yards from 

 a rest. My telescope is 10 power, and has 

 a tube 34 inches long. Barrel of rifle is 

 28 inches. A better outfit for small game 

 and light target work I never saw. I can 

 see distinctly, in good light, a nailhead in 

 a board fence at 300 yards, or the same at 

 30 feet. 



H. A. Wood, Boston, Mass. 



SMALL SHOT. 

 I wonder if manufacturers of repeating 

 shotguns will admit and attempt to explain 

 the fact that guns have been wrecked by 

 shells exploding in the magazine. A 

 neighbor came in the other day with 2 nitro 

 shells in his new repeater. As he worked 

 the lever of the gun, to unload it, the 

 forward shell in the magazine exploded. 

 The man was not injured, but the gun was 

 badly demoralized. Until p-un makers can 

 find a way to prevent such accidents, a re- 



peater with nitro powder is likely to be a 

 dangerous combination. 



Frank Andrews, Smith Road, O. 



We know of a few cases in which shells 

 have exploded in the magazine. If the con- 

 ditions were as stated in Mr. Andrews' 

 letter it could only be attributed to over- 

 sensitive primers. These might have been 

 reloaded goods, in which case the arch of 

 the primer may have been broken down in 

 sticking. Of the accidents reported to us, 

 which have been few considering the num- 

 ber of guns in use, in no case has anyone 

 been hurt. 



Winchester Repeating Ar*~- Co., 



New Haven, Conn. 



Many sportsmen seem prejudiced against 

 every other gun than their own. It is only 

 natural for a man to brag about his gun if 

 he has never seen nor handled another 

 model. The same with powder. Smokeless 

 powder is undoubtedly an improvement 

 over black powder, as regards penetration 

 and speed, while black powder, which will 

 always be used by some hunters, gives a 

 greater shock to game, owing to the fact 

 that its velocity is less than that of the 

 smokeless. If all the spoitsmen had tried 

 all the models and makes of guns and 

 ammunition, they would not be so enthusi- 

 astic over their own nor so thick headed in 

 their condemnation of other arms and am- 

 munition. 



John W. Robertson, I"ew London, Ohio. 



I should like to reply to H. R. P. in re- 

 gard to the Quackenbush .22 caliber rifle. 

 Some time ago I bought a "Junior Safety" 

 Quackenbush, and, so far as accuracy is 

 concerned, I never saw a better rifle. A 

 friend also has a "Junior Safety," and it is 

 in every respect equal to mine. We are able 

 to make better targets with them than 

 with any other small rifle we ever tried. 

 I have often used a one inch pine board as 

 a target, and the .22 shot would go through 

 the board every time at 100 yards. As a 

 squirrel gun I do not think it can be ex- 

 celled. I now have a repeating rifle which, 

 by reason of its greater length of barrel, 

 gives a better target at long distances than 

 the Quackenbush. 



Geo. F. Mims, Edgefield, S. C. 



Have any of the readers of Recreation 

 ever used babbitt metal projectiles in their 

 .30-caliber rifles? If so, with what result? 

 I know a man using a Winchester .30 who 

 reloads his shells, using babbitt metal bul- 

 lets of his own casting, from best babbitt, 



