no 



RECREATION. 



said that after 50 shots, the inside of the 

 barrel is practically clean. The new pow- 

 der is a mixture of round pellets that look 

 like pepper and salt. This powder, the 

 Laflin and Rand Co. calls "Marksman." 

 Its value lies in the fact that the gas gen- 

 erated by the primer, or explosion, is cool ; 

 hence it does not melt the base of the Hud- 

 son-Ideal bullet. The heat from this pow- 

 der, as an explosive in a gun barrel, may be 

 conservately estimated at less than 20 per 

 cent, of that of any other powder. On this 

 account it may do away with jacketed bul- 

 lets entirely, for we all know the jacket, in 

 preventing fusion of the base of the bullet, 

 found therein about half of its value. 



Hitherto these high power rifles have had 

 little value except in military service. Their 

 extreme range and killing power rendered 

 them unsafe in the woods and no sane man 

 would discharge one at an ordinary target 

 in close proximity to civilization. You 

 need not now, however, throw away your 

 Krags, for with the improved Hudson bul- 

 let and 15 grains of Marksman powder, you 

 can with one of the Ideal tools, produce 

 a cartridge that has a velocity of 1,500 feet 

 a second and sufficient penetration and 

 shock to kill a deer at 125 yards. As a tar- 

 get load at 200 yards if your barrel is true 

 and you know how to hold and pull you 

 will get on the 8-inch black most of the 

 time. 



As to other high power rifles of different 

 caliber than the Krag, the Hudson-Barlow 

 30-40 load may be taken as a basis experi- 

 mental unit, on which to work out other 

 loads of value adaptable to the multiplicity 

 of calibers and powder charges. 



Ex-Ordnance Sergeant, Baltimore, Md. 



DENOUNCES THE SHOT GUN. 



In April Recreation I notice an article 

 by a Western friend who says that shot 

 guns are the invention of the devil and are 

 fit only for game hogs. The extensive use 

 and misuse of that weapon in this vicinity 

 is responsible for the rapid disappearance 

 of our small game, and to say that I agree 

 with Mr. Brass is only a mild expression 

 of my opinion. There may be some true 

 sportsmen in this city, but they are not 

 much in evidence when it comes to pro- 

 tecting game. A walk along a river or 

 through the woods within 50 miles of this 

 city will convince the most skeptical that 

 our animals and birds are ruthlessly hunted, 

 for every little while one meets a city hog 

 with his double barreled exterminator over 

 his shoulder. The worst of it is that many 

 of these chaps will have more game than 

 they can use in a month and all of them 

 much more than any sane man would kill. 

 If these so called hunters would use a small 

 caliber rifle game would have some show. 



A 30-30 should be the limit of rifle power. 

 Any game that lives can be killed by that 

 caliber and for most animals the short 

 range guns are plenty strong enough. I 

 have used only a 30-30 for a long time and 

 I do not want a more satisfactory gun. A 

 100 grain bullet and a light powder charge 

 makes an ideal load for ordinary use, and 

 it is accurate up to 100 yards. A heavier 

 bullet and a larger charge of powder will 

 give a load good for 200 yards. I use 

 smokeless powder because of its cleanliness. 



When a man tells me he can not get the 

 game with a rifle and so has to use a shot 

 gun, I advise him to buy a rifle and then 

 practice at a tin can until he learns to shoot. 

 If game is not worth doing a little work for 

 it is not worth killing. 



A repeating rifle is not objectionable if 

 rightly used, but the trouble with young 

 shooters is that they persist in using the 

 magazine when there is no reason for it. 

 My own repeater is used as a single shot 

 50 times to once as a repeater. 



There is now an effort being made to 

 organize a rifle club in this city and to in- 

 terest local hunters in the rifle as a substi- 

 tute for. the shot gun. It is intended to 

 have a regular range where the members 

 can hold matches. However, the prevailing 

 sentiment seems to be that you can not 

 enjoy fire arms unless you are killing some- 

 thing, so the prospect for organization is 

 not the brightest. Still, we shall" keep on 

 agitating the thing a while longer. If any 

 of your readers in or near Chicago should 

 be interested, I should like to hear from 

 them. 



I buy your magazine regularly from my 

 newsdealer and whenever opportunity offers 

 am more than glad to give it a boost. Your 

 pen of game hogs is certainly enough to 

 make the four legged breed sick with envy 

 at their capacity. 



R. D. Scott, Jr., Chicago, 111. 



ANSWERS TO HALE, POPE AND WHEELER. 

 In May Recreation G. L. Hale states an 

 experience with nitro powder, and asks for 

 an explanation. Mr. Hale had no powder 

 in the shell that missed fire. A friend of 

 mine bought 100 U.M.C. shells, for a quail 

 hunt, and had about a dozen act just as 

 described by Mr. Hale. Investigation 

 showed that there was no powder in them, 

 and further investigation discovered un- 

 used shells in the same condition. Mr. 

 Hale should remember that the W.R.A. 

 No. 4 primer is very powerful and is am- 

 ply able to start the wads and straighten 

 the crimp. He is doubtless positive that 

 he put the powder in the shell ; but I am 

 sure that if he will load a shell as he de- 

 scribed but without any powder, and then 

 try it, he will get a result that will convince 

 him of the truth of my remarks. 



