GUNS AND AMMUNITION. 



139 



THE .30 CALIBER IS ACCURATE. 



Like many readers of your most inter- 

 esting magazine I first turn to the Guns 

 and Ammunition department, and know of 

 no other periodical that can boast its equal 

 in that line. No other publishes the views 

 of both expert and crank. Mr. Wm. Wells, 

 in March Recreation, is at least unjust to 

 the 30-30 in his remarks. I have used and 

 experimented with a large number of 

 rifles, from the 22 Winchester to the 45-90, 

 including the model '94, 30-30, and single 

 shot 38-55 Winchester. A man may be hit 

 with a 45-70 as far as he can be seen, but 

 he is not in much danger. I should prefer 

 to be the target for a 45-70 rather than a 

 30-30. I have a 30-30 Winchester take 

 down, extra light weight. It is fitted with 

 Lyman target sights. This gun has been 

 fired over 800 times with factory metal- 

 cased bullets. Shooting from a rest at 100 

 yards, I have no trouble in grouping my 

 shots within a 3-inch ring. I am satisfied 

 the 30-30 is the more accurate of the 2. 

 If Mr. Wells will make it interesting I 

 know a gentleman who has a smokeless 

 rifle, and who would be glad to shoot 

 against any 45-70 that saw service 25 

 years ago. It is a Winchester single shot 

 30-40, fitted with a telescope sight If this 

 sight were barred he no doubt would use 

 ordinary target sights, and the 45-70 would 

 have to hump himself at over 1,000 yards. 



As to the killing power of the 30-30, I 

 have never been able to compare it with 

 the 45-70 during hot weather, but I know 

 that it holds its own with any 45 during the 

 game season. I know a 38-55 will stop 

 almost any game if the bullet is properly 

 placed. So will a 22. 



That the 30-30 or 30-40 is as accurate 

 as a 38-55 at 100 to 500 yards, I do not 

 claim. For that distance no rifle is su- 

 perior, but at 1,000 yards or over it is sel- 

 dom disputed that any of the 30 calibers 

 are not superior in accuracy to the best 

 of black powder rifles. My gun weighs 7 

 pounds 3 ounces, and I much prefer it for 

 my game to the best 9 to 10 pound rain 

 maker that ever happened. If anyone 

 wants an all around gun for everything 

 up to woodchucks or foxes, a 22 Winches- 

 ter repeater, using the 22 W. R. R cart- 

 ridge, will make him happv. 



Feed the game hogs on buck shot. A 

 ton of game hog meat would make good 

 sausage. 



A. H. Mosher, Philadelphia. 



out the city limit, with a miscellaneous as- 

 sortment of cartridges, both black and 

 smokeless, to which the little repeater is 

 adapted. As a rule I take with me a com- 

 plete cleaning outfit and usually give a 

 small bore a good cleaning after every 50 

 shots, but on that occasion I neglected to 

 do so. I had fired 300 cartridges and was 

 about returning to the city when a shower 

 appeared imminent. I sought cover in a 

 neighboring shanty with an apology of a 

 roof, standing my rifle in the most likely 

 place, I thought, for protection. Despite 

 my care, my gun received a goodly admix- 

 ture of rain and mud. The storm clearing 

 away, I started for the city, my rifle dry- 

 ing under the scorching sun. I purposed 

 giving the weapon requisite attention when 

 I should reach home. To work I set, but I 

 found it impossible to introduce the usual 

 rod with rag. The admixture of powder 

 and dirt had cemented itself to the surface 

 of the barrel. I resorted to heroic treat- 

 ment. I forced the naked rod, an iron one 

 at that, having none other at that time, 

 down through the barrel and there it stuck, 

 refusing to budge. My time was limited 

 and I was obliged to lay aside the weapon 

 until another opportunity presented itself, 

 when I again commenced on the rifle. If my 

 memory serves me correctly, it was several 

 days before I had a chance to finish, but 

 finally I did get to work and instead of 

 finding a ruined barrel the same beautiful 

 lustre charactertistic of the process again 

 greeted my eyes. I think this test was 

 crucial and sufficient to satisfy the most 

 skeptical that the treatment is a decided 

 success. I have subjected my 12 gauge 

 Remington and my .303 Savage to repeated 

 drenchings, stood them up to dry of their 

 own accord, and left the treatment to take 

 care of their inner skins as well as their 

 outer. It has never failed to do so. All 

 guns so treated clean more readily and 

 easily, shoot, better, and in my opinion are 

 better in every way than those that have 

 never been treated. 



E. Delany, Plainfield, N. J. 



GUN BORE TREATMENT SUCCESSFUL. 

 In answer to "R. E." in April Recrea- 

 tion relative to the gun bore treatment, I 

 once owned a fine .22 model '97 take down, 

 of which I took reasonably good care. One 

 day I went out to a little range, just with- 



SMOKELESS IS MODERN. 

 I have been on the frontier nearly all 

 my life, have owned all kinds of rifles, 

 from an old muzzle loader to a Savage 

 303 smokeless, and have killed all kinds of 

 game from a cotton tail rabbit to a grizzly 

 bear. It makes me smile to read an item 

 like that of William Wells, of Cora. Wyo., 

 but some peonle never move until the 

 wheels of progress run over them. Laying 

 all prejudice aside, I can not see how 

 anyone can claim any superiority for any 

 black powder gun over a smokeless gun. 

 The old reliable Sharp's rifle was the best 

 of its day and so was the old flintlock 

 of our great-grandfathers' time; but I 



