55o 



RECREATION 



For the last thirty-live years I have owned 

 and used nearly every make of revolver to 

 be purchased in the United States, and with- 

 out egotism consider my experience suffi- 

 cient to allow me to express an opinion in 

 the matter. Now, I have experimented with 

 all calibres and lengths of barrels, and for 

 accurate shooting, steadiness when shot, 

 ease and smoothness of action, penetration, 

 durability and beauty of form I have found 

 nothing that pleases me so well as the Colt 

 Bisley model (Mr. Allen Kelley to the con- 

 trary notwithstanding) 5^-inch barrel, .32 

 calibre, weight about 40 ounces, the nearest 

 to perfection of any revolver ever yet 

 made. 



I have been using a revolver of this de- 

 scription for some time, and I would not ex- 

 change it for any revolver I ever saw, used, 

 or heard of. In regard to the weight, I ad- 

 mit it is pretty heavy, but none too heavy to 

 shoot well. A shooting iron of any kind 

 must have some weight in order to have ac- 

 curacy and penetration, and if a man is too 

 weak to carry a pistol of this weight he had 

 better give up shooting and get a job as dry 

 nurse to some infant. 



With the revolver I have been describing 

 I shot, sitting in my buggy the other day, a 

 woodchuck at a distance of 20 rods and 

 killed him as dead as a door nail. Do you 

 suppose I could do that with one of these 

 15 or 20 ounce revolvers? Well, I guess 

 not. I have tried that thing and failed too 

 many times. 



A man will lug around all day a rifle or 

 shotgun that weighs from 8 to 10 .pounds 

 without any complaint, but if he has to carry 

 a revolver that weighs 40 ounces he thinks 

 some one is trying to make a pack mule of 

 him. 



Perhaps Mr. Hoel, who complains of the 

 long sweep in cocking the Colts revolver, 

 has not thought that by having the long 

 sweep of the hammer and its striking so far 

 forward, makes it possible to use a weaker 

 spring and thereby makes it much easier to 

 cock. I have found it much better to have 

 the hammer strike a cartridge a little too 

 hard than not hard enough, especially if you 

 happen to be in a position where a miss fire 

 means death to one; 



I think we have got, at this time, in Colts 

 Bisley model revolver as good an all-round 

 gun as will ever be made, and I honestly be- 

 lieve that many of the arguments advanced 

 for improvements in the belt revolver would 

 be more injurious than beneficial, and al- 

 though I certainly have no desire to 'nter- 

 fere in the slightest with any one else's 

 wishes or ideas, for myself I am very 

 well satisfied with what I already have 

 and do not care to try too many experi- 

 ments. 



G. B. Murray, M. D., 



Greenwich, N. Y. 



LIKES A HEAVY "GUN" 



Editor Recreation: 



Regarding the belt revolver which has 

 been quite freely discussed in the columns of 

 Recreation, beg to say that I am heartily in 

 favor of such a gun. 



The suggestions made by Messrs, Haines, 

 Lowdermilk, of Chicago, and Hoel, of Day- 

 ton, O., are all O. K. I would like to see a 

 full choice of calibres placed on the market, 

 but if we are to have but one, I say by all 

 means let it be the .38 S. & W. special, as I 

 think this would meet the demands of most 

 shooters. Single-action, swing-out cylinder, 

 with fore-end lock, front sight removable, 

 but low on the gun, shortening of the ham- 

 mer and nickel steel construction are all 

 good points, and if we get a gun embodying 

 the principle of these features we should be 

 satisfied. 



I have used a great many styles of guns, 

 and at present my wife and I are using a .32 

 Colt's New Police. The principal objection 

 ■to this gun is that it is too light for effective 

 work, and I would never again buy a double 

 action revolver. 



For target work and hard knocks such a 

 revolver must stand here in Northern Wis- 

 consin, where deer, bear, wolves, etc., still 

 abound, such a gun would be ideal and I 

 should have one of them. I think all the re- 

 volver shooters should express their opin- 

 ions, for unless the manufacturers know 

 there is a demand for such a gun, it will 

 never be placed on the market. 



Two years ago this fall I killed a deer 

 with my .32 New Police Colt's, but it took 

 four shots, and from this alone I know that 

 a .38 S. & W. special would be none too 

 heavy. W. M. Miller. 



LIKES THE RIM FIRE 



Editor Recreation: 



As a gun crank I have been much inter- 

 ested in reading Mr. Ashley Haines' article 

 on the new type revolvers, as well as other 

 comments on' the same. In this connection I 

 would like to ask why does not some one put 

 out some rim-fire revolvers as well as rifles ? 

 The Marlin people have always had my heart- 

 iest congratulations on account of making 

 their little .32 calibre rim-fire rifle, and I 

 really believe I have had more pleasure out 

 of this than any other of my different arms. 

 The ammunition is very much cheaper, and 

 one can afford to throw it away and not 

 jump for the shell between shots. If a princi- 

 ple is good in a .22 and .32 calibre ammuni- 

 tion, why not in larger calibres? The same 

 thing holds good in revolvers. As I have 

 eight or ten old type Smith & Wessons, etc., 

 which shoot the rim-fire ammunition and are 

 Ai, I can assure you I would like to hear 

 some other ideas on this subject, as to why 



