n6 



RECREATION. 



but it required considerable force on the 

 slender rod to put it there. 



The patch should be of just the proper 

 thickness, soft and tough, so as to fill the 

 grooves just right. An old buckskin glove 

 would often be the best thing, though a 

 thick cotton drilling was generally used. 

 With the bullet in place, a percussion cap 

 on the nipple put the rifle in condition for 

 immediate use. 



The sights were usually of the common 

 pattern. The front sight, a thin slip of 

 polished silver, set into a'- slip of steel 

 which fitted a dovetailed notch across the 

 barrel, near the muzzle. The rear sight 

 was a semi-circular notch, with a minute 

 nick in the bottom, and this sight was 

 often covered with a shade of blackened 

 tin, to protect it from the light. 



When the front sight was polished, a fine 

 bead would .show at the nick like a tiny 

 spark of fire, thus allowing exact aim. 

 Every hunter would adjust the sights to 

 suit himself and no time nor labor was 

 considered too great to accomplish that 

 end. 



At a moderate range, say under 75 yards, 

 the small bore rifle was wonderfully pre- 

 cise. The trajectory of the round bullet, 

 at that range, was flat, but would not hold 

 up much beyond that distance. 



The still hunter, with his muzzle loader, 

 was a careful man in many ways. He 

 could not pump half a dozen bullets into 

 the game, in as many seconds, but he 

 usually brought home the meat with his 

 first shot. It was a case of the man behind 

 the gun, then as well as now. 



Although my first and best shooting was 

 done with such rifles, I soon discarded 

 them as too slow and now am content with 

 the modern breech loader which is not so 

 great a burden to tote and has a longer 

 range of action. 1 



Thomas Clarke Harris, Baltimore,' Md. 



In reply to the suggestion of U. N. Dyer, 

 who wished to hear something good said 

 of the old Kentucky rifle, I have a great 

 interest in old time guns, of which I have 

 several. Among them is a fine old style 

 muzzle loading rifle, made in Nashville, 

 Tenn., by Kirkman & Ellis. -The barrel is 

 of the finest steel, octagon, 48 inches long; 

 stock is of dark curly maple and ex- 

 tends the entire length of the barrel. The 

 gun is brass mounted. The caliber is about 

 36, taking 90 pound balls to the pound 

 of lead. There are 7 deep grooves or rifles in 

 the barrel. The front sight is of the knife- 

 blade style, German silver, the rear sight 

 a plain buckhorn with a fine notch, no 

 elevation being allowed. The gun is per- 

 cussion lock with a set hair trigger. This 

 rifle is capable of throwing a ball with the 

 greatest accuracy within the limit of its 

 range, about 150 yards. There are few 



rifles of to-day that can outshoot these 

 old guns. I load my rifle by placing a ball 

 in the palm of my left hand and pouring 

 out just enough powder to cover it; then 

 ram the ball home, with its greased patch. 

 These rifles are a great curiosity now, and 

 are almost out of use, although I saw sev- 

 eral in the Northern part of Minnesota 

 last fall. Let us hold the old Kentuckey in 

 reverence, because it is so closely asso- 

 ciated with the pioneers who went before 

 us. I stick by Recreation. 



George W. Huffnagle, Vineland, N. J. 



In July Recreation Mr. U. N. Dyer asks 

 concerning the old Kentucky rifle. I have 

 one in my collection which is in condition 

 to use. It is 7 feet 2 inches long. The stock 

 and fore end are all one piece and are of 

 snakewood ; the fore end extending to the 

 muzzle. The flint lock is extra large and 

 the flash pan is prominent. The rifle is 

 about 14 gauge and at the muzzle is as thin 

 as a modern shot gun ; but the explosion 

 chamber must be 1-2 inch thick. The rifle 

 weighs about 18 pounds. 



Dr. H. Plympton, Brooklyn, N. Y. 



OLD TIME HUNTERS AND THEIR GUNS. 

 The greater part of the hunting in my 

 early days was done with a muzzle loading 

 rifle of the type generally known as the old 

 Kentucky rifle. As a man had only one shot 

 in those days it was necessary that he should 

 take great care in aiming. A misplaced bul- 

 let might cost him his life. Imagine your- 

 self face to face with a grizzly, a mountain 

 lion or a bunch of red men, with their war 

 paint on, with a little load of black powder 

 and one little bullet, away down in the back 

 end of the barrel, a percussion cap on the 

 tube. You pulled the trigger and were not 

 quite sure whether the gun would go or not, 

 for a little dampness or dirt in the tube 

 and it was no go. With those old long 

 guns you had to have a steady nerve and 

 be a good shot. As a rule all old timers 

 were such. In fact, it was necessary with 

 them, as a good portion of their living was 

 secured with the rifle. It was not safe to 

 get nervous. If you shoved a ball down 

 before putting the powder in the gun, or 

 broke your ramrod, either of which was 

 easy, then you would better take to tall 

 timber. 



In those days it was considered a dis- 

 grace to shoot a squirrel or grouse in the 

 body. I have known some of those old men 

 who would seldom miss a grouse's head, 

 or, in fact, anything they shot at. For accu- 

 racy, up to 100 yards, the gun will prob- 

 aly never be built that will beat the old time 

 muzzje loader. They were loaded with a 

 light charge of F F or F F G black powder, 

 and a patched bullet ; and one shot a 

 minute was considered fast work. 



