GUNS AND AMMUNITION. 



379 



charge, placed 40 yards away. Strike a 

 30 inch circle on this pattern, choosing the 

 thickest part as the center. This is a more 

 reliable test of the shooting of a gun than 

 can be obtained by firing at small targets." 



30 CALIBERS AND OTHERS. 



Articles like that signed "Rifle," in Sep- 

 tember Recreation, make me tired. Men 

 start for a hunt and take along a 30 cali- 

 ber. They see its wonderful power and 

 its smashing effect on game and conclude 

 it is the only gun made. An electrical 

 gun built to kill game 3 miles away by 

 simply pressing the button would find a 

 good sale to just such people. A 30 is 

 not too powerful for grizzly; but I rank 

 the man who uses a 30 on deer and such 

 game alongside the fellow with an 8 gauge 

 shot gun. The man who can not place a 

 38-55, or a 45-70 at least, so as to kill a 

 deer, should stay out of the woods. The 

 30 caliber is a strictly military arm, as was 

 originally intended, and is a great gun in 

 that line. 



Of course, black powder is behind the 

 times, but ammunition for black powder 

 guns can now be procured loaded with 

 smokeless powder. I have seen a small 

 bore shoot through y 2 inch of iron and 3 

 feet of oak. It would not have killed a 

 deer any quicker than a 38-55 or a 45, 

 but it might have spoiled more good meat. 

 For years the old 44-40 killed most of the 

 large game shot throughout the world. 

 The 44-40 is not the most powerful nor 

 most accurate of guns; but there are the 

 32-40, 38-55, 40-70, 45-70, and 45-90 to se- 

 lect from, and they are good enough for 

 any game in America. Why are so many 

 30 caliber men crying for a heavier load 

 with the same velocity? A 38-55 suits me 

 all right, and I have plenty of backing. 

 Coquina made some fine kills in the past, 

 with that old 40 caliber pill driver of his, 

 though Mr. Vandyke and others think a 

 cannon the thing needed. Some more of 

 you 38 and 45 fellows stand up for your 

 pet pill driver. 



F. H. Shaw, Ironton, la. 



REPEATING SHOT GUNS. 



G. R. Rucker asks in November Recre- 

 ation for information about repeating 

 shotguns. 



I have been using a Winchester repeater 

 4 years. To have 6 shots always ready 

 is an advantage in hunting ducks, espe- 

 cially where they are not plentiful. 



I think a repeater as safe as, if not safer 

 than, nine-tenths of the double guns. You 

 can never pull the wrong trigger and miss 

 a bird, nor pull 2 triggers at once and get 



a bruised shoulder. When the gun is at 

 half cock it is impossible to open it or to 

 explode a shell in the chamber. On the 

 Winchester the trigger guard is small and 

 will not catch in twigs, yet is large enough 

 to admit the finger. 



My gun has been in use at least 4 days 

 of every week since I got it, shooting 

 game and targets, and is as good as when 

 new. I carry it on horseback, on the bike, 

 in wagons, and give it rough usage, shoot- 

 ing black and smokeless powder. 



I never had any trouble with my gun, 

 and have used it in rain, sleet, snow and in 

 extremely cold weather.. I never heard 

 of a repeating gun bursting, and can see 

 no reason why they should. 



I bought a Winchester because the price 

 was low. Also, because I had studied the 

 merits of different double and repeating 

 guns and decided the Winchester wa9 

 the best for the price, all points considered 



I think the repeater is a better all around 

 gun than the double barrel. I do not 

 speak from the standpoint of a game 

 butcher, either. A person can slaughter 

 game with the double gun if he is so in- 

 clined. 



J. J. McMamara, Cimarron, Col. 



HAS FAITH IN THE .32-20. 



In my young days game in great variety 

 was plentifully distributed over this re- 

 gion. We had elk, deer, wild turkey, prai- 

 rie chickens, quail, and squirrels; also 

 wolves by the thousand, and an occasional 

 bear. Amid all this plenty I hunted but 

 little. It was not until after our civil war 

 that I had leisure to indulge in field sports. 



I have hunted buffalo, antelope, and deer 

 on our Western plains and in the Rocky 

 mountains. My favorite rifle was a Whit- 

 ney breechloader, 42-75, Russian model. 



Finally, I was so unfortunate as to dis- 

 charge the gun while a straw was in the 

 barrel. This made a groove in the metal 

 near the breech, and caused the gun to 

 shoot wild. I then got me a 38 Winches- 

 ter repeater, and did excellent work with 

 it. My hunting companion, who had al- 

 ways preferred a 45-70 or 50-90 until he 

 saw the work of my gun, insisted on my 

 letting him have it. So I parted with the 

 38 and bought a 32-20. With this I have 

 done some fair target practice, but I have 

 not had a chance to try it at large game. 



I am favorably impressed with the Sav- 

 age rifle, though I think that frequent use 

 of the jacketed bullet is certain to wear 

 the rifling. As to caliber, the .303 or 

 30-30 is destructive enough for any game 

 in this country. Still, I have faith in the 

 32, and shall depend on it for all my deer 

 and turkey hunts. 



Occident, Sedalia, Mo. 



