GUNS AND AMMUNITION. 



Anybody can shoot all day but a gentleman always quits when he gets enough. 



HE SHOULD GET AN AMERICAN GUN. 



In April Recreation "Small Game" in- 

 quires of the readers of his favorite maga- 

 zine as to the best gun, naming 5 well 

 known American makes. While I do not 

 approach this question from the point of 

 view of the theorist or of the expert, yet 

 from a practical standpoint I can assure 

 Small Game that there is no question in 

 my mind as to which of the guns referred 

 to I should choose, if he wants a first 

 class reliable w T eapon. Small Game is quite 

 right in giving consideration to none but 

 the products of American ingenuity and 

 skill. By all means let us patronize home 

 industry in this important matter, and thus 

 avoid the disappointment that must, sooner 

 or later, fall to the lot of the man who pins 

 his faith to a foreign gun. 



I have handled and examined all the 

 guns referred to by the inquirer, have seen 

 them in action at the trap and in the field, 

 and in view of such experience will sug- 

 gest to Small Game that he communicate 

 with the Lefever Arms Company, Syra- 

 cuse, N. Y. All the guns mentioned by him 

 are good guns, but in my judgment the 

 Lefever is superior to any other. Among 

 the wealthier class of sportsmen the Par- 

 ker is the most popular gun in American 

 today, but this is largely a matter of repu- 

 tation due to persistent and judicious ad- 

 vertising, and to the employment of skilled 

 experts to demonstrate these guns. 



I have shot an F grade Lefever for the 

 past 7 years, and feel that I can recommend 

 it unreservedly to the man who is looking 

 for the best gun. In all this time I have 

 had neither a break nor a balk which could 

 be attributed to defect in material or con- 

 struction ; never an accidental discharge 

 nor a missfire, to endanger my own life or 

 the lives of my companions, nor disappoint- 

 ing the shooter at the critical moment. 

 With the Lefever the sportsman can go 

 afield feeling certain that no accident will 

 happen to mar the pleasure of the day. In 

 short, the owner of one of these guns can 

 and will swear by his weapon, but he never 

 has occasion to swear at it. 



The cocking device of the Lefever is 

 superior to any in use to-day; is simple, 

 positive and absolutely reliable. A friend 

 of mine, a mechanic, who is subject to peri- 

 odic attacks of gun fever once said to me 

 that he had examined critically the "in- 

 ternal workins" of every reliable gun, for- 

 eign or domestic, and that he considered 

 the Lefever the most scientific of them all. 

 In point of balance, symmetry and beauty 



of outline, this gun is unquestionably with- 

 out an equal. Simplicity is the characteris- 

 tic feature in its construction, and the parts 

 are fitted better than in any gun of equal 

 grade. In the matter of pattern and pen- 

 etration, the manufacturers can satisfy the 

 most exacting. The safety can be made 

 either automatic or independent at will, and 

 the hammers can be let down without 

 moving the safety forward, a matter of no 

 small moment. 



If Small Game will select any one of the 

 many grades built by the Lefever Arms 

 Company, he will secure a weapon of which 

 he need never feel ashamed, and one that, 

 in point of execution, will keep pace with 

 the fastest company in which its owner 

 may have occasion to travel. But I would 

 not advise him to be satisfied with the low- 

 est priced gun on any list. Instead, let him 

 select the highest grade he thinks he can 

 afford, then go one better, and my word 

 for it, he will never regret his bargain. A 

 handsome well balanced and perfect fitting 

 gun is always good for 10 points extra at 

 the trap or in the field. Results in this life 

 are largely a consequence of enthusiasm, 

 and the best incentive to good work with 

 the gun is the possession of an arm in 

 which the owner can feel a genuine pride. 



Some time since D. M. Lefever, for 25 

 years manager of the Lefever Arms Com- 

 pany, and to whose care and skill the en- 

 viable reputation of the Lefever Hammer- 

 less guns is largely due, severed his con- 

 nection with the old company, and began 

 the manufacture (independently) of high 

 grade hammerless guns. While I have 

 never had the pleasure of examining one 

 of the new Lefevers, yet I feel certain that 

 the output of the new factory must be 

 worthy of consideration. "Uncle Dan" Le- 

 fever, as he is familiarly known, is per- 

 haps the most widely known and ingenious 

 of the inventors and makers of double 

 guns. I have one of the catalogues of 

 the New Lefever before me, and am satis- 

 fied that the prospective buyer would make 

 a mistake if he failed to give the new gun 

 due consideration. As D. M. Lefever, Sons 

 & Co. advertise in Recreation, I would 

 suggest that Small Game drop them a line 

 requesting information. Let him consult 

 both companies, make his own selection, 

 and be assured that the word "Lefever" is 

 synonymous with all that is reliable and 

 up-to-date in hammerless, double guns. 



In answer to further question's by Small 

 Game, I would advise a 12 gauge gun for 

 hunting purposes ; for trap work, a 12 



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