GUNS AND AMMUNITION 



333 



loaders being used by regular troops in active 

 battle. 



The old red coats must have been well 

 trained, for it seems that no one since made 

 a success of breech loaders until the advent 

 of metal cartridges. 



BULLET IN FLIGHT. 



Editor Recreation : 



In the October number of Recreation, 

 just to hand, I notice a query regarding the 

 visibility of a rifle bullet while in flight. I 

 disagree with your negative answer. My at- 

 tention was called to this matter by an old 

 army man who had had considerable experi- 

 ence with long range shooting in the Far 

 West, who at the time, I thought to be im- 

 posing upon my credulity. Bearing his 

 words in mind, however, during several 

 shooting seasons on the New York State 

 range at Creedmoor, I repeatedly, on very 

 clear days, saw bullets from my 47SO for 

 an instant, almost as distinctly visible as a 

 golf ball driven from a tee, though the tra- 

 jectory lost them to the eye within a few 

 yards from the muzzle. I have called several 

 other shooters' attention to this fact while on 

 the range, and after carefully watching each 

 shot they fired, they admitted that I was 

 right and bullets could sometimes be seen. 



PROPER 12 GA. LOAD. 



Editor Recreation : 



In answer to inquiry of Revalli, Missoula, 

 Mont., wish to say that 34-inch barrels are 

 not desirable as they are too long to be con- 

 veniently handled. The maximum load of 

 black powder is 4 drams for 12 ga., and 5^2 

 for 10 ga. ; smokeless powder, ^Va drams for 

 12 ga. and 4^ for IO S a -> ^ y° u nave a 

 good gun. 



W. Clemens, Fargo, N. D. 



PUZZLED READER. 



Editor Recreation : 



In the January number of Recreation, "W. 

 H.," of Pontiac, 111., asked what brands of 

 powder gave the best results in the 32-44 

 target revolver to avoid excessive fouling. 



Since I use a 32-44 S. & W. target revolver 

 myself I have anxiously watched for a reply, 

 but have seen none. 



It has occurred to me that a revolver as 

 heavy as this one, being made, as it is, from 

 the 44 model, should possess enough metal, 

 if it is good, to withstand at least medium 

 charges of the high power smokeless powder, 

 but I have not had the courage to try it. 



If it could stand it, the only objection to 

 the arm would be overcome. I would like 

 the opinion of Mr. Barlow, of the Ideal Com- 

 pany, on this point. 



"W. H." will greatly facilitate the clean- 

 ing process by pouring boiling water from 

 the spout of a tea kettle, through the bar- 

 rel, followed, of course, with wiping and oil- 

 ing. 



Do not, however, try to clean the cylinder 

 in this manner, as water will not dry out of 

 the extractor, and will rust and ruin the 

 action. 



As a lubricator, I have been using vaseline 

 slightly hardened with parafifine, and dropped 

 in the shell hot, around the edge of the ball. 

 E. H. A., Coudersport, Pa. 



PROUD OF HIS WINCHESTER. 

 Editor Recreation : 



I note in a recent issue the question, "What 

 do you think of the 38-55 Winchester rifle 

 for big game?" I am the owner of a large 

 tract of land in Georgetown County, South 

 Carolina, a combination of game preserve 

 and cattle range. The cattle feed the year 

 round, are practically wild, and are shot and 

 dressed in the woods when wanted. For the 

 last few years I have used the 38-55 C. F. W. 

 rifle for the purpose of killing these beeves, 

 and they are as wild and as tenacious of life 

 as possible, and my rifle has never failed to 

 drop the largest beef on the spot unless my 

 bullet was badly placed. Of course, all 

 beeves are shot in the head, but the 38-35 

 Winchester will do the work properly any 

 distance under 400 or 500 yards. I have 

 not tried one over that distance, and most of 

 my shooting is done at much shorter range, 

 usually about 150 to 200 yards. At that 

 range I can kill the largest beef in his tracks. 

 I also not the question by "Revalli :" "Are 

 34-inch barrels desirable?" I suppose he 

 means on a double barrel shot gun. In my 

 fourteen years of duck and bird shooting on 

 my preserve I have tried various lengths of 

 gun barrels. There is no question that the 

 long barrels will shoot farther, but there is 

 the additional weight, and each inch on the 

 end of a gun barrel may be compared with 

 the old saying in shoeing a horse, "An ounce 

 at the toe means a pound at the withers/' 



I prefer the 32-inch to any. There is a 

 vast difference between the 30 and 32-inch 

 barrel, but not so much between the 32 and 

 34-inch. The 32-inch, in my opinion, is the 

 happy medium. 



Wm. Lownder, Cat Island, South Carolina. 



HARD WADDING. 

 Editor Recreation: 



Will some of your readers answer these 

 questions? What is hard wadding? Does it 

 injure a choke bore gun? I have been using 

 in my gun one }& inch Eley wad, one fa inch 

 hard felt, and one card wad, on top of 

 powder. Would this be called hard wadding? 

 Wadding in the above way I use 3*4 drams 

 black powder and 1 ounce of shot. The load 

 gives splendid results, but will it injure my 

 gun? I don't want to shoot it if it does that. 



Can some one tell me what causes a hard 

 sealing-waxlike substance to form on inside 

 of barrel about an inch from the end, and at 

 the end of the chamber when using black 

 powder ? 



Arthur L, Phelps, Lindsay^ Ontario, . 



