38o 



RECREATION. 



once. Winchester ammunition works per- 

 fectly, the bullets having broad, flat points. 

 I have been thinking of buying a shot gun, 

 and through reading Recreation have de- 

 cided that the '97 model Winchester is the 

 best. Which would be best for close, long 

 range shooting, a 30 or a 32 inch barrel ? 

 E. W. V., Watertown, N. Y. 



I have used nearly all makes of Ameri- 

 can rifles, and consider the Maynard and 

 the Stevens the most accurate. I am using 

 a Stevens Ideal 25-21-86, which I load with 

 20 grains of King's semi-smokeless and 

 an 86 grain bullet. For target shooting at 

 30 to 200 yards, the Stevens Ideal 25-21 

 will equal some of the larger calibers. Al- 

 ways load with King's semi-smokeless 

 f. f. G. powder. The penetration and kill- 

 ing power of the 25-21 is as great as that 

 of the best 32-20 rifles, and it is a much 

 more pleasant gun to shoot. For wood- 

 chucks and all small game it is just the 

 thing. What small game hunters need is 

 accuracy in a gun, not smashing power. 

 J. R. Waterman, Bliss, N. Y. 



I notice in October Recreation the in- 

 quiry of E. E. Vance, of St. Joseph, Mo., 

 as to whether or not a 32 caliber revolver 

 would be the right thing to use in a hand 

 to hand engagement with a grizzly bear. 

 A 32 is plenty big enough for the purpose 

 if properly used. This is the proper way: 

 Thrust the revolver down the bear's mouth 

 into his stomach and rapidly empty the 

 cylinder. Meanwhile hold the animal's nose 

 tightly with the left hand to prevent the 

 escape of gas. If the brute does not drop 

 dead, he will be so flabbergasted that it 

 will be an easy matter to kick him to 

 death. 



H. Coleman, Council Bluffs, la. 



Would it be safe to use nitro powder in 

 a 12 gauge shot gun made 10 or 12 years 

 ago? The gun has laminated steel barrels, 

 unusually heavy at the breech, and the stock 

 is heavy and firm. It is stamped "New York 

 Machine made," and, if I remember right- 

 ly, was listed at $60. I have always used 

 black powder in it with excellent results. 



The right barrel shoots fairly close, the 

 left very close 



B. L. Dingley, Meadville, Pa. 



Will some of Recreation's readers 

 please answer? 



I read in December Recreation what 

 Mr. Burns says of V. M. C. shells in the 

 '90 model Winchester 22. I have a rifle of 

 that caliber and have had no trouble with 

 its action with Winchester shells. Once 



I bought a box of V. M. C. shells, and 3 

 or 4 stuck in the carrier. At first I 

 thought it was the gun's fault, but when I 

 tried Winchester shells it worked all right 

 I did not compare the shells, but several 

 times since I have had V. M. C. cartridges 

 stick in my gun. 



Paul Hilsdale, Sauk Centre, Minn. 



I note that many readers of Recreation 

 favor high power rifles for such game as 

 deer. I like the .303 Savage, but think it 

 too powerful for deer, especially with soft 

 point bullet. I saw a deer last fall that 

 was shot with a Savage .303 soft point 

 bullet; it mushroomed and tore the meat 

 badly. I consider the 32-40 a good all- 

 around gun for deer and smaller animals. 

 Should like to hear, through Recreation, 

 the experience of others with the new 35 

 Winchester. 



32-40, Tilton, N. H. 



Please tell me how many No. 7 or No. 8 

 shot, out of 1% ounces, a gun should place 

 in a 30 inch circle at 40 yards in order to 

 be a good trap gun? 



Win. L. Zeller, Spring Bay, 111. 



ANSWER. 



For inanimate targets the gun should 

 pattern 64 to 68 per cent of the charge. For 

 live birds the right barrel should pattern 

 60 per cent, the left 70 to 75. — Editor. 



I have a single barrel, 20 bore, Reming- 

 ton. Though I have owned it 11 years and 

 given it hard use, it is still as good as new. 

 It has 28 inch, full choke barrel and fly- 

 ing lock action. I hunted woodchucks with 

 it 5 or 6 summers. The man who paid me 

 the bounty on them said I brought in more 

 scalps than any other man in the State. 

 Richard Gill, Fall River, Mass. 



Utica, N. Y. 

 I should like to hear from Canadian 

 readers their experience with the Enfield 

 rifle, .577 caliber. I have one and like it. 

 Chas. Raynes, Fairville, N. B. 



The proprietor of a New York hotel 

 says that one night one of his guests came 

 into the hotel much excited. When asked 

 what was the matter, he said : "As I was 

 coming along the street a fellow jumped 

 in front of me, pointed a pistol at me, and 

 said : 



" 'Give me your money or I'll blow 

 your brains out !' " 



"What did you do?" 



"I told him to blow away; that I would 

 rather be in New York without brains 

 than without money." — Hotel Reporter. 



