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RECREATION 



A SUGGESTION 



Editor Recreation : 



May I be permitted to make a suggestion? 

 Many of us have long wanted a single-action 

 swing-out cylinder six-shooter based on the 

 lines of the Colt single-action Army, but the 

 first man to take hold of the idea in a practi- 

 cal manner was my friend, Mr. Ashley A. 

 Haines. Mr. Haines has worked night and 

 day in his efforts to induce the manufactur- 

 ers to make this arm for us, and has done in- 

 finitely more in this direction than all the 

 rest of us put together. Wouldn't it be only 

 fair that the arm, if it is manufactured, as 

 we earnestly hope it will be, should be named 

 after him? Mr. Haines, as I know from ex- 

 perience, is excessively modest, and this 

 might be distasteful to him, though I can't 

 see how it could be, and, anyway, in this 

 case he is certainly the "man behind the 

 gun." Doesn't it strike the readers of Rec- 

 reation that it would be only just, when they 

 write the manufacturers about this arm, that 

 they should urge them to call it the "Haines 

 Model"? 



Just a word of caution to Messrs. Smead 

 and Hoel. Such smokeless powder as Du- 

 pont's No. 2 is much better than black pow- 

 der for use in revolvers, but what earthly ad- 

 vantage would be obtained by using a metal- 

 patched bullet? In a high-power rifle, hav- 

 ing a velocity of over 1,500 feet per second, 

 the metal-patched bullet seems to be a neces- 

 sary evil. It is a well-established fact that the 

 metal patch shortens the life of the barrel in 

 which it is used greatly. Mr. Al. Kennedy, 

 of Post Falls, Idaho, reports that he has used 

 plain lead bullets with the full charge of 

 smokeless powder in the .38 Browning-Colt 

 automatic pistol, and that they shot accurate- 

 ly, showing no trace of fusion, leading or 

 stripping. Now, while the stopping-power 

 of this arm is much less than that of many 

 revolvers, its velocity is greater than that of 

 any revolver by some 300 feet per second. 

 The only reason for using the metal-jacketed 

 bullet is to prevent fusion, leading or strip- 

 ping. I think it would be a tremendous mis- 

 take to handicap a revolver by using in it a 

 bullet which would give no advantage what- 

 ever over the plain lead one, but would quick- 

 ly destroy the accuracy of the barrel by wear- 

 ing out the rifling. 



An English shooter has written a very sen- 

 sible letter to Shooting and Fishing recently, 

 pointing out the fact that the use of metal- 

 patched bullets in revolvers and pistols is ab- 

 solutely unnecessary, as well as harmful. 



The metal-patched bullet for any purpose 

 whatever is, at best, a temporary makeshift. 

 Ten years ago its use was excusable, because 

 good results with smokeless powder could 

 not be obtained without its use. The fact that 

 it has not been replaced by a projectile which 

 will not ruin the barrel in which it is used is 

 a confession by the cartridge makers either 



of incapacity or what is more likely, of a de- 

 sire to ruin rifle barrels and so increase the 

 sale of guns. Pascal De Angelis, 



Utica, N. Y. 



If Mr. De Angelis will inform cartridge 

 makers how to do away with the metal- 

 patched bullet for high-velocity smokeless 

 loads we believe they will be ready to pay 

 handsomely for the information. — Editor. 



PREFERS THE SMOOTHBORE 



Editor Recreation : 



To the boys who will go to the big woods 

 for the first time I would dedicate this arti- 

 cle. As to the old "gun cranks," I have noth- 

 ing to say and would rather they would not 

 even read it. 



Do not spend any great amount of money 

 for "rifles" and hunting togs, in which you 

 may not have any use for years again. Every 

 hunter should have a good "scatter gun." 



I will tell you how to make it the most 

 effective weapon on this earth in the shape of 

 a shoulder gun. Put a wad %-inch down the 

 muzzle of gun ; melt lead sufficient to make a 

 disc the thickness of a gun wad ; send this to 

 any of the large gun houses and get a bullet 

 mould for your gun; between the jaws of 

 mould on underside file a small crease, suffi- 

 cient to grip a pin tight, but not leave the 

 jaws apart; on the point of a pin put the 

 stopper of a small vial in the mould. This is 

 to reduce the weight of bullet, which should 

 not be greater than 1% ounces. Care should 

 be taken in setting the core just high enough 

 to have the bullet perfect on underside. The 

 sprue end being much the heaviest will 

 cause the bullet to have a much more ac- 

 curate flight than a solid ball, and the gun 

 will not recoil near so much as with the usual 

 load of powder. 



In loading your shells (which should be the 

 best) the heavy end of bullet should be put 

 forward and well lubricated with an equal 

 mixture of "beeswax and tallow," a felt 

 wad or two over powder and card wad over 

 ball. With this ammunition you need not 

 fear to run upon any animal that roams the 

 woods, provided you are not in the habit of 

 getting "rattled." And you will find your 

 shooting much more accurate at 100 yards or 

 less than with the "best rifle," if you are not 

 accustomed to handling one. 



The rifle is all right in the hands of those 

 who know how to shoot them and have had 

 years of practice. 



On my last hunting trip nearly all the kill- 

 ing was done with shotgun and ball. No one 

 should think of going on a hunting expedi- 

 tion without practice with the gun he carries, 

 and a moving target range can very quickly 

 and cheaply be built. Two grooved wheels and 

 a hundred yards of wire ; the wheels can be 

 made out of barrel heads, with the insides 



