GUNS AND AMMUNITION. 



47 



shot ; for a heavy charge in hunting foxes 

 or chance shots at ducks at long distance, 

 42 grains powder and 1% ounces BB shot. 

 Place over the powder one smokeless card 

 wad and enough black edge wads so the 

 shot and one thin Winchester card wad 

 on the same will leave about 3-16 inch of 

 shell for crimping. The Laflin & Rand 

 people have a graduated powder measure, 

 which they sell for 25 cents. I use that 

 in measuring my loads. I have found the 

 above loaded shells exceedingly effective, 

 and when I miss I do not blame my am- 

 munition. 



In October, 1901, N. A. Lee of Dexter, 

 N. Y., and I were hunting at the mouth of 

 Black river, Jefferson county, N. Y. We 

 saw a large flock of black ducks coming up 

 the main channel and flying high. They 

 were far out of ordinary shot gun range. 

 Acting on the impulse of the moment, when 

 the ducks were opposite us, I picked up my 

 gun and fired hastily with the left barrel 

 loaded with BB shot. What was our sur- 

 prise to see a duck drop into the water. My 

 friend laughed and said, "Well ! well ! 30 

 rods I" Examination showed that one shot 

 had hit the duck in the head just back of the 

 ear. 



On another day about the same time 4 

 of us were hunting the big marshes of 

 Black River bay. A large bird came flying 

 slowly between us and the shore,. It ap- 

 parently considered itself out of range. 

 Two of us tried a chance shot, but I was 

 tne only one to have large shot in my gun. 

 After flying a rod or 2 the bird fell. On 

 being brought in we found 2 BB shot had 

 hit its side and breast. It may be inter- 

 esting to add that the bird was to us a 

 curiosity. Two of the party had lived and 

 hunted in that vicinitv all their lives, but 

 had never seen the like. The taxidermist 

 at Watertown, N. Y., said it was a sea- 

 bird, a cormorant ; and that once in a 

 while one will follow the St. Lawrence 

 river up to Lake Ontario. The bird meas- 

 ures 2 feet from bill to tail. 



William J. Gardinier, Herkimer, N. Y. 



In answer to F. A. Ward, Sterling, 111. : 

 After many tests with nitro powder in a 

 12 gauge 30 inch barrel, I have found 42 

 grains, 1 field wad, 2 felt wads, 1% ounces 

 No. 8 chilled shot, firmly crimped, an ex- 

 cellent load. Also, 45>< grains powder, 

 same wadding, 1% ounces No. 5 shot for 

 larger game. The Winchester Repeating 

 Arms Co. furnish these loads, and their 

 shells are excellent. 



Chas. L. Kelsey, Buffalo, N. Y. 



gauge, 2 barrels, 26 and 30 inches, for the 

 past 6 months. Its action in rapid 

 firing, or rather its non-action or over- 

 action, has caused me to lose a great many 

 birds, as well as a large part of whatever 

 religion I had. One morning I was 

 out with some friends after quails and 

 the first covey found rose in a scattering 

 manner, offering the finest opportunity 

 I ever saw for the use of a pump gun. I 

 fired one shot, and in trying to throw 

 another shell into the barrel, the magazine 

 spring allowed 2 to come into the carriage. 

 That of course locked it tight. If this 

 had occurred only once I might think it 

 was my fault, but it occurs every time I 

 go into the field. I now have my gun 

 advertised for sale, intending to get me 

 a Winchester 16 gauge with 26 and 2s 

 inch barrels. I like the pump guns, but 

 I am through with anything that has 

 "Marlin" stamped on it. 



I should be pleased to have users of the 

 Savage rifle give their opinions of it, as 1 

 expect to get one at an early date. I 

 should also like to have the views of 

 different users of telescope sights, as I 

 wish to get one for the rifle in question. 



We have a large quantity of small game 

 in this section, consisting of quails, 

 squirrels and turkeys, and occasionally 

 a wildcat. There are not many bristle- 

 backs in this country. Nearly everyone 

 observes the game laws. 



R. G. Robertson, Junction City, Ark. 



HAS DISCARDED MARLIN GOODS. 

 I am deeply interested in the comments 

 on the Marlin guns. I have been using a 

 Marlin take down repeating shot gun, 12 



RECOMMEND THE 25-35. 

 If Mr. Huff is looking for a light and 

 effective gun, I advise him to buy a 25-35 

 half-magazine carbine I carried one on a 

 3 months' trip through the Sierra Madre 

 mountains, last fall. I was attracted by its 

 lightness, a point I could fully appreciate 

 after toting a 30-40 Krag. My comrades 

 used 30-30' s and a 45-70. They jeered at 

 my popgun, but I had the last laugh. I 

 fired 5 times at 4 bucks and got them all, 

 3 dropping in their tracks and one running 

 about 100 yards, shot through the lungs. 

 The only other deer secured by our parly 

 was hit several times with the 45-70, and 

 then would have escaped, had it not become 

 entangled in a barb wire fence. 



James H. Pierce, Boulder, Colo. 



In August Recreation A. Huff finds 

 fault with the 25-35 Winchester. I have no 

 2 5-35 to sell, but I can not allow a man 

 who admits he only used it on one or 2 

 deer to call a good gun bad names. I 

 spend much of my time in the woods is a 

 guide, and have used a 25-35 Winchester 

 3 years. I think the 30-30 O. K., but the 

 2 5-35 has better penetration, flatter trajec- 

 tory, and greater velocity; shells cost less, 

 make less noise, and have less recoil. I 



