FOREST AND STREAM. 



275 



quently than waB the custom for Idlers to do heretofore. We nmst 

 watch your progress and try to keep pace with vou. 



Tour friends here will remember the courtesy of the Forest and 

 Stream, whose editor catered so liberally tor their sport "out West' 

 In 1874. 



I have a scheme in my mind, which 1 may shortly bring lo your no- 

 tice, for the information of yuir champion tetm, but I will reserve it 

 for another occasion. 



Believe me, dear sir, your faithful and obliged Arthur B. Leech. 

 Dublin, 49 Kutland Square, Oct. 19, 1STT. 



MAJOR LEECH'S SCHEME. 



49 Rotl.vnd Squake, Dukiix, > 

 October go, 1877. , 



Mt Deak Sir— It is neerrless for me to repeat here my ad- 

 miration of the great, skill ana endurance which brought to a 

 successful termination, for America, the great match with the 

 British Team for the Centennial Trophy, as I have written at 

 length on the subject to the Foruist and Stream, and toward 

 the dose of tbat letter I alluded to a matter, which I did uot 

 farther particularize, that I would shor ly have the pleasure of 

 bringing to your notice, # and as there is no reason why I 

 should longer pause to open the subject for the consideration 

 of your association, I shall now proceed to do so. 



By the rules of the Centennial Match, ihe winning team 

 may select the range for the future competition of that trophy, 

 the winners of which are the champion rifle shots of the world 

 so long as they can hold the prize. 



The American success at Creedmoor has been so uniform 

 hitherto as to cause it to be asserted that the range gives un- 

 due advantage to the American Team, and that perhaps a 

 change of venue might not be unacceptable to your cham- 

 pions. It has occurred to me that some neutral ground, which 

 I before ventured to suggest, might be agreed upon for the 

 next competition. 



Again, the Irish and American match is one that, I have 

 reason to believe, it is the wish of the Americans, as it cer- 

 tainly is of the Irish, to perpetuate, and thus to still further 

 induce, as far as rifle shooting intercourse can, that hindly 

 reciprocity of feeling so happilv existing ; and it is very grati- 

 fying to feel that our united efforts to create good will are ful- 

 ly acknowledged on both sides of the Atlantic. 



Thf great World's Exhibition to take place at Paris in 1878, 

 would seem to offer all the advantages of a neutral ground for 

 one or both of these competitions • 



If my proposal is favorably received, and if your team de- 

 cide on coming to Europe next year, 1 need not, say what 

 pleasure it would give us to welcome our American friends 

 once more ; and if Paris be selected for the Centennial Match, 

 I have no doubt that an Irish team would be certain to enter 

 for it. That the French authorities would give us facilities 

 for such a trial of skill I have reason to believe, and the terms 

 being already settled, we have but to adhere to the rules of 

 the Centennial Match. 



With kind regards to all my friends, believe me to remain, 



Yours very faithfully, AirrHtrn B. Leech. 



Col. Soxiermei:uokn, Sec. N. K. A. of America, N. Y.. 



Majok Leech. — We take the following from the White- 

 hall, Review : 



Probably uo man in Dublin stands more in that fierce 

 light which bcais upon a popular peisonage than the Major. 

 Not to know him would argue oneVself unknown. This is 

 the organizer of victory, the Carnot of the Kifle Match. It 

 is not so much that he liimself has shot as that he has been 

 ihe cause of shooting in others. He is the forester of the 

 franestireurs of Erin. Long before the Lords and Commons 

 met at Wimbold's Dun, and while yet the Elcho Shield was 

 a chimera careering through space, Ihe Major set himself 

 like the Prussian strategists, to train in secret a force which 

 should in lime go forth to conquer and surprise. He hail 

 hut narrow means to work with, for the Irishmen legalized 

 to have and use firearms are few, even among the better 

 elates, and so they are likely to remain while the popuiace 

 makes so capital a shift with the shillelagh or the section of 

 limestone which serves as the ■ultima ratio in the political or 

 religious differences of the isle. Cribbed and confined as 

 he was, the Major wrought wonders. His measures com- 

 plete, he forthwith declared amicable war against the two 

 Britons, and at the head of sight sharpshooters invaded 

 England. He. was defeated in a pitched battle at Putney 

 Heath, and this was but the first of a series of disasters. 

 But, he never lost heart ; like another Arthur, sans his Ex- 

 calibur and his Tennj'son, he "cheered his Table Round 

 with large, divine and comfortable words," and so screwed 

 their courage to the firiug point that they again and again 

 encountered Scot and Saxon till they marked at length the 

 tallest score, and carried the trophy home to Erim. The 

 Major made his triumphal entry that day like a Coriolanus, 

 and then set about the subjugation of the other hemi- 

 sphere. But he was less successful in a laud where one- 

 third of the inhabitants are Majors ; at all events he won no 

 •spoil from the Yankee. But he wrote a book, with an epi 

 graph, intimatiug that his ambition as a promoter of rifle 

 shooting "reached the sky." and in other respects betraying 

 a harmless vanity. However, a hireling on a Dubliu news- 

 paper was unmuszlcd and set to hay the Major. He might 

 as well have bayed the moon, for he never ruffled a feather 

 of the serene complacency which marks every lineament of 

 the genial, high-spirited and deservedly popular gentleman, 

 whose heart is so much in his hobby that when 'that trans- 

 lation which he hinted at in his volume takes place, it will 

 not be his fault, if he does not get up a tir inter ceksliale be- 

 tween the shooting stars, with for team captains, say Ursa 

 Major and himself. 



—The Volunteer Service Gazette is particularly interesting, 

 as it contains quite a series of letters from Major Leech, Mr. 

 Stamford, S. Young and Mr. John Rigby, in regard to the 

 American Centennial contest. Mr. liigby's letter is very 

 manly', and to the point. He complains that the English Na- 

 tional Rifle Association have not paid sufficient attention to 

 new arms, "and that in endeavoring lo reduce all rifle shooting 

 to a dead level of equality, they were really banishing from 

 the association its best friends, and gradually depriving its 

 meetings of all attraction for men of scientific or inventive 

 minds." In regard to his own make of rifle, Mr. Rigby 

 writes as follows : 



Four of the British used the Rigby rifle. They loaded, as 

 usual in this climate, without wiping between the shots, and 



with ordinary lubrica'ion. They averaged 199i per man $3r 

 day, and Mie'ir be>t man £04 1-3, or slightly over the best of 

 the Americans. The remaining four Unions used the Met- 

 fnrd rifle, and, lam informi d, adopted a system of cleaning 

 out bet we' n the slu.ts. They averaged lliU, and their best 

 man's figure was 104 AVhen we examine the scores of the, 

 maich itself, conclusions drawn from the practice days are 

 modified. The first, day was fine, hut hot. American aver- 

 age, 2<)<U ; four British with Rigby rifle, 200.V ; four British 

 with Metford rifle, '<30UJ. The highest individual score (114) 

 wi uld have been credited to Mr. MUlaer, but that he placed 

 ind bull's eye at 1,000 yards en the wrong target. Sir 

 Henry Halford spoiled a line score by firiug one shot without 

 a bullet. 



Mr. Rigby then goes, on to say, "That on the flual day, 

 though it was calmer, it was ten degrees hotter, and then that 

 the Metford squad improved slightly, making an average of 

 202}, while the Rigby squad fell off to 201." Mr. Rigby con- 

 cludes as follows : 



We learn from this year's experience that unless the rifle- 

 men of Great Britain resolve to tiive more attention to long- 

 range shooting they must content themselvts with a second 

 rate position, and acknowledge the supremacy of America, 

 and this is by no means fo unimportant a matter as many 

 suppose. The success achieved at Oreedmoor has been maiuly 

 due to the National Rifle Association of America, ably sec- 

 onded by the exertions of manufacturers of military arms, 

 who desire to make use of the reputation, so gained in com- 

 peting with English manufacturers for the. supply of arms to 

 foreign governmeu I s. 



Mr. Youug's communication is rather directed to the excel- 

 lence of our American team shooting, which, as an art, the 

 genticman states has not been cultivated in England. Mr. 

 Young makes an important point on "new blood," and how 

 we have been working here to get the best and freshest men 

 to the front : 



AVe thought the Yankee team tbat came to Wimbledon in 

 1875 most excellent, but in their team of 1877 only one mem- 

 ber of I lie 1875 team was good enough for a place. This new 

 blood, which we so much want, had displaced the quondam 

 heroes. 



Major Leech's letter is an excellent one, and we regret 

 that want of space prevents our publishing it in full. In 

 speaking of the Spirit of fjie Times match, the Major writes : 



In this match all ths members of the successful American 

 team took part, as did the British team ; there was no coach- 

 ing allowed, and the gross score of our team was superior to 

 the American team in that compeiition ; therefore it is some- 

 what premature to assume that our Rigby and Metford 

 muzzle-loaders are not s f ill equal to the American breech- 

 loaders in all circumstances of temperature and weather, 

 although possibly at a disadvantage on the particular occasion, of 

 a calm d>/.y, with the thermometer at 100 degrees in the shade. 

 [The italics are our own.] 



lu writing about team shooting, Major Leech says : 



A team to proceed to America should, if possible, practice 

 together as a team for a considerable time previously, rmd for 

 this reason alone 1 am, as I have always been, an advocate 

 for separate teams proceeding for Ireland, England and Scot- 

 land, each representing its own counliy ; but when succes- 

 ful, proud of being so on behalf of the United Kingdom. 



We have hut few comments to make on these letters, most 

 important contributions as they are to the hist^y of rifle 

 shooting. "What we honestly believe is that, granting the su- 

 perioiity of our team Shooting, American breech-loading rifles 

 are better than English muzzle-loaders. If ever the English, 

 Irish or Scotch teams, individually or correctively, are to beat 

 us, it will be when they introduce breech-loading guns as g)od 

 or better than ours. There is no difference between the rifle- 

 men of the United Kingdom and our own as to skill. 



What shall we call it? is it pig-headedness? No, let us 

 say rather that conservatism, which makes Englishmen ad- 

 here to something or other, which their common sense should 

 have made them abandon long ago. It may be thought stupid 

 on our part "to show where the whip is with wmidi we may 

 be scourged," b\it we only repeat what is apparent to every 

 rifleman in the United States — "That it is a question of 

 guns and not of men." 



— The Dublin Irish Times, in an editorial commenting on 

 the late International rifle match at Creedmoor, says: "The 

 men, with one exception, who most distinguished themselves, 

 were Irishmen. Yet it is precisely these men who are de- 

 barred from taking part in the most important matches at 

 Wimbledon. Worse still, .the National Rifle Association 

 (Brirish) seem to have made up their minds to utterly 

 ignore both Ireland and Scotland ; and even Sir Henry 

 Halford — in the course of a speech made at Dclmonico's, New 

 York, in reply to the toast of 'The British Rifle Team,' 

 which he so ably captained— expressed a strong desire that 

 when tiext a rifle team from this country went across to Amer- 

 ica to compete with our Yankee cousins, the Board of Direct- 

 ors of the National Rifle Association of America could arrauge 

 so as to make that team the representative team of C-reat 

 Britain, and not accept additional teams irom Scotland and 

 Ireland. Anything more preposterous was surely never heard 

 of. VV hen the so-called International team visits America the 

 respective nationalities are conspicuously paraded) ni order to 

 show the closeness and harmony of union between the three 

 countries. When, however, the competitions take place in 

 this country, and at Wimbledon, Irish ritlemeu are totally de- 

 barred from competing for the most important prizes. 

 Anomalies like these should not be allowed to exist ; the sub- 

 ject of the rules of the so-called National Rifle Association 

 (British) has engaged the attention of the Council of the Irish 

 Rifle Association, who, we expect, will regard the interests of 

 Irish riflemen." 



— The Volunteei- Seniee Gazette, which always writes 

 moderately and sensibly in regard to rifle matters, has the 

 following on the International contest : 



We do not intend now to reopen the arguments by which it was, 

 eighteen months ago, sought to prove. Oil the one side, lhat thia country 

 ought to be represented by three different teams, and on the other mat 

 we ought to try to get the best 3ingle team we could from the United 

 Kingd in, without Daring what pi opoiuOn of its members came from 

 jjjnjjland, anfl what from Ireland tr SOutiaud. lyelffler ia it wonh 



while to consider the Ingenious) argument, brought forward by some ol 

 nnr American friends, that inasmuch as the great Snider match at 

 Wimbledon between English, Irish and Scotch, used to be oalled by 

 ourselves a.n "International " maf,,;h, thai, therefore, in an International 

 march in which a foreign country takes part, we ought et 111 to preserve 

 our "'uatioutiliti>8" without regard to the '•political' unity of which 

 those nationalities form part. Our only object ar present is to urgo 

 upon all concerned the great desirability that the directors of the 

 United Sates National Ride Association should take the matter 

 seriously iu hand, aud liy down, once for, all, the principle on which 

 foreign teimis are admissible to shoot for the gr^ar Centennial Trophy 

 in future years. We do not for a moment deny that, the question is noi 

 a very easy one, or that it seems to be complicated by the assertion 

 which is vigorously made, that the directors are bound to admit nepa- 

 rtte teams from what we have called "sub-nationalities," because they 

 have once admitted them. We are sure that the decision will be care- 

 fully considered, and that it will be acccepted without d-mur, even if 

 it should result, In thesuhaiitulion, as far as we are concerned over 

 lure, oi two or three iudependent teams for on;i reftlly national team. 

 Whatever may be said, a very larL>e body arao'ig ua, Including English, 

 Irish and Scotch, dislike intensely the Idea of contending against 

 foreign com petit orB and airalnst their own countrymen at the same 

 rime. An Englishman views with very different feelings a contest with 

 the Irish or the Scotch— among ourselves, as it weie— and one in when 

 a foreign opponent is a'so concerned. We are convinced that thia 

 view is Strongly held, and that, rightly or wrongly, it will always 

 militate against the formation at leash of an "English." team for the 

 Centennial March. The esse is i liferent, a-t rega ris our Colonies. 

 Theoretically, we should like to see Canada, Australia, etc., ranged 

 Upon our- fide in an International rifle mutch, but it is clearly practi- 

 cal «y impos-ible for any captain to get together a team which shall in- 

 clude, besides our on u islae.de s, Canadians and Australians, aud we 

 must be content at the best to ask that Hie United Kingdom shou'd be 

 represented, as a whole, and not in three parts. At any rate, we hope 

 'that the question will speedily he s ittled, and that both Hie Arriericars 

 and ourselves may be in future spared the climcuHies which arose in 

 18T6. 



Rreiffl- Twist— Matter- Forest and Stream: I wtite. to see 

 if we young riflpmen cannot gain some information about the 

 twist of a burning rifle? Cannot we have a discussion on 

 that subject from rifle makers ? I am tired enough of the re- 

 coil theory [Amen]. Is it not enough to know that Ihe gun 

 is bound to "kick," any way yon fix it ? Please "give us a 

 rest" on that, and have something new. The rifle makers, as 

 far as I can find out, use a sharp twist, from an _1*8 to 80-ii.ch 

 twist (I am speaking of breech-loaders now). 



Would also like the best twist for a 40-oal 70 grs. "Will the 

 straight shell give less recoil and same initial velocity (or more) 

 than the bottle-n*-ck. Am partial to a 40x70 and explosive bul- 

 let for large game, (deer I mean— we have no larger here). Those 

 posted say ttie Frank Wesson twist is one turn in 18 inches,- 

 Remington, 1 in 20 and 32 ; Sharps 1 iu 20; Ballard, 1 in 20 

 and 24; Mayrtard, 1 in 80. And now will the rifle makers 

 tell us what the best twist for a hunting rifle really is? 



Hunting Rifle. 



A Rifle Galleky in a Chtjeoh. — The "Church of 

 Christian Endeavor," in Brooklyn, has, among other mod- 

 ern improvements, a shooting gallery whore the brethren 

 endeavor to hit the bull's-eye. The Baptist Weekly hopes 

 the pastor can say ; "The weapons of our warfare are not 

 carnal," even if he does practice with pop-guns. 



Changing MtTzzi.ii-LoA.nKK8 to Bree<th-Loadee8. — I be- 

 lieve the principal objection to breech-loading shot, guns con- 

 verted from muzzle-loaders is that, in enlarging the chambers 

 to admit the cartridge, boring out tbe barrels cms away so 

 much metal as to greatly reduce their strength and render 

 them unsafe for even moderate charges. For the interest of 

 fellow sportsmen wTfo would like to have muzzle-loaders 

 changed to safe breech-loaders, I wi?h to suggest to the gun- 

 makers a plan which I am not aware has been before proposed 

 and which 1 think would obviate tbe above named objection 

 to tbe converted guns. It is to enlarge the breeches to the 

 right size for shells by hearing the barrels at the breeches and 

 expanding thern on a mandrel. This would leave them as 

 strong as new, less the trifling decrease consequent on heating; 

 and I am not sure there would be any diminution of strength 

 ir the work was done by a skillful mechanic. I think that°by 

 "hammer hardening" the barrels, wdiere heated, their origi- 

 nal tenacity would be restored. The expausion would produce 

 a slight external enlargement, detracting a little from ihe 

 symmetry of the barrels, hut this is no serious objection to the 

 plan, lam not a gun maker, and perhaps overlook faults in 

 the plan that will be obvious to professionals. If any of your 

 readers should givei't a trial I hope he will communicate the 

 result of his experiment through your columns. E. 



liochesler, Oct., 1877. 



WINCHESTER RIFLE-MODEL OF 1876 



AliOUT TUB ABSENCE OF THE SLIOE. 



Helena, M. T„ Oct. is, i:s;r. 

 Winchester Arms Co. : 



(Some pine ago 1 wiote you in regit ol to reene rowder in your gura. 

 Was pleased when 1 saw the model ol '70 ; bought one; tried lo i, uni 

 christened her "Old Mortality No. 2." They are ■'■world icaieiM' 

 and no mistake. Iu viewing ihem with a critic'* eye. and cciupaiirjg 

 them with tbe model of isra, the question suggested itself—" Why was 

 tbe slide over the rpenUig omitted 7" 'the aiicle was considered ny 

 gun fanciers a great improvement and a very neeetsiry one. Again, 

 why was it omitted ? There must Ud some rtasou. Won't yon answer 



thrOUgh 1'OREST AJ,D fe'TKEAItt ? iliOKTIEKSH AN. 



New Haven, Conn., uot, SI, if ;i. 

 Editor Forest and Stream : 



Gentlemen— We inclose a letter received to-day, -which we answer as 

 requested through your columns. The slide placed upon the Winehex- 

 tei- gun?, model 1S13, was left off in tae model of 167B, as a matter of 

 safety and precaution. Of tne great number of people using our Anns 

 Model, 1818, m»uy are. iguoiautof the proper use of them, and always 

 close the slide over the carrier-block mortise ; aud it thej rind a cart- 

 ridge with an imperfect head, and it blows tne head oil, the ^i«s 

 6neapea Into the breech and lock-wo>k, thereby causing daiir&ge llitlt 

 would not occur if the cover was open. There are ne,iy of theae. c«rt- 

 lioges in the market for all onr guns, made expri prl.y for the i.uipo-e 

 of ii, j ■aing our reputation. (Joris-qaemly, we haV&lQ caution our cus- 

 tomers against any cartridges uot pf our make, ts we will not be 

 responsible for any damage to the gun by any cartridge but of our own 

 make. Respectfully yours, 



Wi.senESTEi; Ktrr.ATii:o Arms Co. (Sw | 



