GUNS AND AMMUNITION. 



47 



the automatic looks and feels a little awk- 

 ward in the hands at first; but after shoot- 

 ing it a few times this idea is entirely dis- 

 pelled. 



The Ideal Manufacturing Company is 

 now making a reloading tool for this arm, 

 and as black powder and lead bullets can 

 be used, it will cheapen the ammunition for 

 target practice. 



Not having used the .32 caliber auto- 

 matic I know nothing about it, but it is 

 undoubtedly a fine little pocket gun. though 

 of course too light to take into the woods 

 for big game. 



I am constantly surprised that the makers 

 of this splendid arm do not advertise in 

 Recreation. 



Al. Kennedy, Post Falls, Idaho. 



RELOADING SHOT SHELLS. 



Two years ago 2 friends and I began ex- 

 perimenting with reloaded shot gun shells. 

 We have since then been using reloaded 

 shells almost exclusively for shooting rails, 

 ducks, plover and snipe and find them prac- 

 tically as good as new shells. 



We have also used them at the trap. 

 August 4th, last, on the grounds of the 

 Middletown Shooting club, I broke 117 tar- 

 gets with 130 shots. Of the shells used 50 

 were factory loaded. With them I scored 

 45 targets, 90 per cent. Eight shells re- 

 loaded with the same load, 38 grains 

 smokeless and 1^4 ounces No. 7^4 shot, 

 broke 72 targets, also 90 per cent. In other 

 events I did fully as well with reloaded 

 shells as with factory loads. 



As a rule, 90 per cent, is above my gait. 

 Between 80 and 85 per cent, is my usual 

 record. The point I wish to make is that 

 I have not jumped at the conclusion that 

 reloaded shells are equal to new, but have 

 proved it by repeated trials. 



Furthermore, I sent 100 shells to a firm 

 thoroughly equipped for making these tests. 

 Thirty were factory loads; 400 were new 

 hand loaded shells ; the remainder were re- 

 loaded. There was practically no difference 

 in results. The factory loads had slightly 

 higher velocity; the hand loaded, both new 

 and reloaded, made the better pattern, both 

 for number of pellets and uniformity. 



The Winchester people have queered 

 themselves here by putting shells on the 

 market that can not be reloaded. 



I should like to hear from Recreation' 

 readers on the subject of reloaded shells. 



There are many little points to be ob- 

 served in reloading old or loading new 

 shells in order to attain satisfactory re- 

 sults ; and, while we do not claim perfec- 

 tion, we certainly get good results and save 

 one cent on each shell, a big item where 

 several thousand shells are annually used 

 by an individual. 



W, p. Barnarcl, Middletown, Del. 



RECREATION DID IT. 



W T yndygoul, Cos Cob, Ct. 

 Editor Recreation, 



23 West 24th Street, New York City. 

 Dear Sir: — 



I have just returned from Manitoba, and 

 where there I saw many of the sportsmen 

 and others interested in the preservation of 

 game. I was glad to meet Dr. George Bell, 

 who was the leader in the fight against the 

 •automatic gun, which, as you know, has 

 been declared illegal in the province of 

 Manitoba. He surprised and pleased me by 

 saying that not the local sportsmen had 

 done it so much as Recreation. 



"It was Recreation that warned us the 

 gun was coming ; it was Recreation that 

 pointed out the danger ; it was Recreation 

 that supplied us with arguments to fight it. 

 We went around in Winnipeg and got prac- 

 tically every sportsman to sign a protest 

 against the automatic gun. Armed with 

 this we went before the Legislature. Our 

 only opponent was a local representative of 

 the Winchester Arms Company, and his 

 heart, evidently, was not in his work. He 

 came there simply because his company 

 wished it ; but once our case was presented, 

 and a number of extracts from Recreation 

 read to the committee, the Winchester man 

 subsided. He did not even present his case 

 at length. The thing was easily carried in 

 the House. 



'"I want you," he said, "to tell the editor 

 of Recreation that we owe it to him, and 

 we. appreciate what he has done." 

 Yours sincerely, 



Ernest Thompson Seton. 

 September 24, 1904. 



THE ITHACA CROSS BOLT. 

 Mr. Greener, in one of his books, says 

 that no cross bolt for shot guns was a success 

 because they all lacked the necessary self 

 tightening power. What the great gun- 

 maker meant was that in order to be effec- 

 tive in holding the barrels tightly to the 

 frame, the bolt had to be fitted too tightly 

 in the frame and extension rib to permit 

 the free and easy movement of the top 

 lever. What he said then was true at that 

 time, and is true still, with the new Ithaca 

 cross bolt excepted. The Ithaca bolt is a 

 bar of the best spring steel and # is always 

 held in true position in a slot cut in the 

 solid frame by its own spring power or re- 

 siliency. It has a firm bearing in 3 direct 

 irons on the slot cut in extension rib, but, 

 not being bound by friction, allows the top 

 lever to work freely. This makes the Ithaca 

 cross bolt a success, and with the other de- 

 sirable features, including simplicity, dura- 

 bility, neatness of design and phenomenal 

 shooting qualities, makes the Ithaca the 

 most perfect hammerless gun in the mar- 

 ket. Let any sportsman test this weapon, 



