45* 



RECREATION 



Winchester people, make a .25-20 in some kind 

 of a box magazine, as the tubular magazine is a 

 nuisance in some ways, and the .25-20 is a very- 

 popular cartridge for all game under deer. 



Upon examining a Mauser rifle, the other day, 

 I noticed that it only had four deep round-edged 

 riflings, while the American-made rifle has six 

 much shallower square-edged riflings. Which 

 formof riflinggives themostaccuracy ? How does 

 the Krupp steel barrel compare with the 

 American make of rifle barrels in shooting 

 qualities ? Which gives the most accuracy — the 

 pointed nose bullet or a flat nose bullet of the 

 same length? Otto Kositzky. 



Yankton. South Dakota. 



Shoots a .32-40 Marlin 



Editor Recreation: 



I take a great deal of interest in the "Gun 

 Talk" in Recreation, and think it is the most 

 interesting page. I read a great deal of experi- 

 ences told by fellow sportsmen, with different 

 makes of rifles and calibres, but see very little 

 about the .32-40 rifle; in my estimation it is the 

 best all-around gun on the market. 



I use a model '93 Marlin, and think it is one 

 of the very best made. The .32-40 h. p. s. is a 

 very accurate and also a very powerful car- 

 tridge, giving a velocity of 2,000 feet per second, 

 and also a flat trajectory. For deer, moose, 

 caribou, elk and similar game it is the very 

 best of rifles. Now, brother sportsmen, take 

 my advice and use a .32-40 next season and you 

 will not regret it, but useh. p. s. cartridges, and 

 above all, let it be a modern. Wishing the very 

 best of success to the new Recreation. 



E. L. Hughey. 



Aberdeen, Ohio. 



Loyal to the Savage 



Editor Recreation: 



I notice a correspondent in March Recrea- 

 tion is anxious to hear from users of the Savage 

 rifle. While I am the owner of two rifles made 

 by the Savage people — a .303, and one of 

 their 1903 model .22's, and swear by them 

 both, yet it is rather amusing to note how loyal 

 the average hunter is to his rifle. Last Novem- 

 ber, when on my annual hunting trip, I met a 

 great many hunters, of course using a consider- 

 able variety of firearms, and saw but one man 

 who was dissatisfied with his weapon — a .32-20 

 — and he had killed one of the largest bucks I 

 have ever seen with it. This hunter was much 

 chagrined because others could shoot through 

 four-foot trees, while he could not. While each 

 may have a decided preference for some par- 

 ticular make, yet, as now made, there is every 



reason to believe that any standard arm will 

 give the owner perfectly satisfactory service. 



Personally I should like to own one more 

 arm, and that a Savage, built on the same gen- 

 eral lines of the 1899 model, but shooting the 

 h. p. .25-20, and weighing not to exceed 6\ 

 pounds. 



I should like to hear reports from brother 

 sportsmen who are using the 8 mm. and 9 mm. 

 Manlicher rifles. How do they compare on big 

 game with the various .30-30's and the .303? 



I have bought a lot of the new Ideal bullets, 

 No. 308,291, and am having very good results, 

 using 23 grains L. & R. Lightning powder. 

 They have a little lower velocity than the 

 regular factory cartridges, and the trajectory 

 is some higher, but they have given very accu- 

 rate results. I have not tried them on game. 



Hinchman, Mich. E. A. Boal. 



Up-to-date and Wise 



Editor Recreation: 



I am particularly interested in the Gun De- 

 partment, for I have handled and used a gun 

 nearly all my life, in fact, ever since I was a 

 small boy, back in the old muzzle-loader days. 

 I see that some of our brothers have a hanker- 

 ing to stick to black powder and lead; but I, for 

 one, am satisfied with the metal -patchandsmoke- 

 less powder. I don't think I would use black 

 powder again if it was made free, gratis; no, 

 I have no use for black powder, unless they stop 

 making smokeless powder. 



I see by some of the letters that they have 

 lots of trouble keeping their guns from rusting. 

 Well, mine will rust, too, if I don't keep it well 

 cleaned and wiped out. For gun grease I use 

 vaseline and beeswax, or white wax, either one 

 works well. A gun is considerably like a fine 

 horse; must be well taken care of and well 

 groomed to look nice. About the only difference 

 is that your gun doesn't need grooming quite 

 as often as the horse. 



I have used all kinds of guns, from the .50 

 to the .25-35, and am using a .25-35 at tne 

 present time, and am well satisfied with it, for it 

 certainly tears things where it has a chance. 

 It will take all the head off a jack-rabbit, and 

 clip a grouse's head as neatly as though it was 

 done with an axe. 



I am getting rather old to talk about shooting 

 a grouse's head off, but I do get them quite 

 often. Yet, I never hunt with anything but a 

 rifle, so you can see I should have to get the 

 heads or spoil the bird, and I would much 

 rather have a bird get away than to shoot it in 

 the body, for it is surely spoiled then. 



Well, I don't want to take too much of your 

 valuable time, so will close by saying I am a 



