FOREST AND STREAM. 



38* 



Centennial Club, of Jersey City, ten men a side, Aug. 1876 ; 

 beat a picked team of New York City, ten men a side, shot at 

 Conlin's Gallery, May 11, 1S77. At the great Schuetzen-bund, 

 Leld in Philadelphia, 1876, our club, althougb inexperienced 

 then as 200 yards' shooters, came in fifth best, out of ten 

 teams entered ; also brought away some fifty prizes in all. 

 Beat the Columbia Rifle Olub, three matches at 200 yards, 

 shot at Guttenburg; first match, shot March 1, 1877, ten men 

 a side; second shot March 11, 1877, fifteen men a side; third, 

 match shot April 13, 1877, fifteen men a side. We suffered 

 our first defeat at the hands of the Helvetia Rifle Team, a club 

 composed of some of the crack shots of other clubs at Union 

 H :1 1, fifteen men a side, Oct. 1,1877; second match,shot Oct. 29, 

 1877, fifteen men a side, which we also lost. At the Schuetzen- 

 fest to be held next year, 1878, at Union Hill, under the able 

 management of the President, Captain Geo. W. Aery, Presi- 

 dent of the Uuited Schuetzen-bund of North America, the 

 Zetter Club will undoubtedly do their best to secure victory. 



Zetti.ek Rifle Club— Weekly Shoot, JViro. 2Wi.— 

 Creedmoor targets reduced to Gallery distance, 10 shots 

 per man, possible 50 : 



John Dutil, 48; C. G. Pettier, 48; Gus. A. Shurman, 4G; 

 I\[. L. Riggs, 46; B. Fettler, 46; P. Fenning, 45; L. Beates, 

 M. W. Furrow, 45; Wm. Kline, 44; Chas. Judson, 43; 

 Theo. Kliesralh, 43; D. Miller, 41; M. P. Moore, 41; G. L. 

 Petry, 41. 



Conlin's Gallery.— There will be practice shooting at 

 Conlin's Gallery, 1222 Broadway, on Thanksgiving, day and 

 evening. 



Saratoga Rifle Club — Saratoga, iV. T. — At a regular 

 meeting held on the 12th of Nov., the following officers 

 were elected for the ensuing year : President, James M. An- 

 drews: Vice-President, Albert F. Mitchell; Treasurer, W. 

 F. Howard; Secretaries, Wm. H. Benson, Capt. O. J. Wing; 

 First shooting master, E. Davis ; Becond shooting master, W. 

 J. Leggett. The regular .November shoot took place on the 

 Spring street range on Saturday last. In the morning the 

 shooting was at 500 yards, and in the afternoon at 200. Pos- 

 sible number of points, 50 at each range. At the 500 yards, 

 the first prize, a fine gold badge, was won by Wm. H. Ben- 

 son, and the second, a Centennial medal, by F. D. Wheeler, 

 Jr. At the 200 yards, the first prize, the Farrington gold 

 badge, was won by Win. H. Benson; second, a fine watch 

 charm, presented by J. H. Moody, was won by Irvin Davis. 

 The following are the score? : 



W EI BenBon, Sharps Rifle 5 54545565 5—48 



FD Wlieeler, Jr. HeniinKton...... 4 55555465 5—48 



P Wa keman, Remington" 03 5 352544 5—89 



J Johnson, Sharps 4 4 3 5 5 2 4 5 4 5 — 41 



Irvin Davis, muzzle-loader 2 2 2 4 4 4 w 



Amatkub Rifle Club.— The fourth contest for the Ane- 

 roid barometer, presented by the N. R. A., took place at the 

 rifle range, Rochester, Nov. 21. There was a heavy wind, 

 the weather was cold, and a poor score was the result : 

 R B Yates. 



800 -. 3 46654556 4—45 



1,000 5 5 5 2 —17—62 



James H Brown. 



800 , 3 53555545 5—44 



1,000 4 4 3 4 —15—69 



Charles Francis. 



800 3 24489646 3— 38 



1,000 .;. 3 4 5 4 3 — 18— 6T 



5 A Servis. 



800 5 23534544 5-41 



1,000 8 3 4 8 8 —15—56 



W S Smith, Jr. 



800 5 54654658 S-46 



1.000 8 9 —5—51 



6 E Rider. 



800 2 35 3 554(1 5-40 



1,000 0* —0—40 



A Roda. 



800 222444BS 4—29 



1,000 w 



San Rafael Rifle Club— Ual. , Nov. 11. — The following 

 is the score made by the San Rafael Rifle Chib at 200 yards : 



RC Moore 6 4443S643 4— iO 



E Dubois 4 48444443 5— 39 



RARoioiie 4 44344543 4—89 



FJJaoobs 5 34345834 4— 3S 



GW Parker 5 44844443 8—38 



T J Crowley 2 2^8 2 2 2 4 4 4 4—29 



Team shooting is spreading, for the Sacramento Pistol 

 Team are now in the field. Range, twenty yards ; method of 

 scoring, with the target twelve inches in diameter, and a bull's- 

 eye of seven-eighths of an inch in diameter ; ring graded 

 from 1 to 11, and bull's-eye twelve points. Score : 



Atkinson 1110 10 10 8 10 10 » 8 13— 9S 



Brewer 8 T 7 7 10 1112 12 9 12—96 



Dyers 6 8 8 10 9 7 1110 9 7— 66 



Dixon 1110 10 7 11 7 6 0—02 



Geruer 11 9 8 5 9 10 8 8 8 8— 81 



GoMthwaite... 10 10 4 11 7 6 5 0— 53 



Brimtna u n u 10 9121111 9 8—103 



Jackson 9 8 9 8 4 11 9 9 9 10—89 



Reed 9 784T9988 8—79 



Williams 10 9 9 8 6 11 10 8 8 2— 81 



Mr. Griffith's score of 103 is a very good one. 



Depaetuee of Mr. W. Rigby and Mb. R, S. Gbeenhill. 

 — After having made quite an extended tour through the 

 United States, these two gentlemen left on Saturday for' Eng- 

 land. They express themselves as highly delighted with 

 their visit, and state that they are not likely to forget the 

 kindness and hospitality with which they have been received. 

 »- <♦- - „ 



THE RIFLE ON RUNNING GAME. 



No. II. 

 In the previous article I said the first thing to be done when a 

 deer Btarts is to remember that you have a rifle in your hands and 

 not a shot gun. The nnmber that can be miBBed, even inside of 75 

 yards, with a rifle fired as a shot gun, by good shots on quail or 

 woodoock, is perfectly amazing. A deer in market or in & picture 

 looks quite large, but in reality they are a very small mark. Ther e 

 is around them an immense amount of vacancy and the tendency 

 of a bullet to find it is marvellous. In the winter of 1868 and 1869 

 on the head waters of the Chippewa Biver in Wisconsin, out of over 

 50 first-rate running shots that I got in about a month's hunt, I 



hit just axaotly two, and only soratched hair on them. Only two 

 months before that I had killed 19 quail hand-running in thick 

 brush, and had repeatedly killed 12 or 13 successive shots in the 

 thickest kind of New Jersey cover. At the same time I could with 

 the rifle hit a deer standing about as well as most men. This is a 

 humiliating confession to make, but I do it for the benefit of those 

 who may get in the same situation, to show that a shot-gun aim ie 

 perfectly useless, except, of course, by accident. Had I never 

 touched a shot gun, I would doubtless have done much better. For 

 the instant a deer would start, off went the rifle the same as on a 

 quail, and I forgot all about the Bights. 



After breaking myself of that fault, the next blunder was not 

 •hooting far enough ahead. I knew, of course, that it was neces- 

 sary to shoot somewhat ahead, the same as with a shot gun, but 

 had no idea of how far until all my good chances were wasted, 

 and the aeaBon out. And my experience in these two respects 

 corresponds exactly with that of all others whom I have met. This 

 distance is surprisingly great. Almost every one in his first 

 attempt at duck shooting, has been surprised to find himself miss- 

 ing beautiful crossing shotl, while holding directly on or even a 

 few inches ahead of them, and has finally discovered that two or 

 even three feet ahead will kill where Bix inohes will not. It is even 

 more so with a deer, for a bullet does not scatter, and half an inoh 

 is a miss. Moreover, he is much further off , as a general thing, than 

 duoks are, and is also moving much faster than one supposes. Ab 

 the margin required will vary with the distance, speed of the game 

 and speed of the ball,"it is impossible to lay down any reliable rules. 

 Nor can any mathematical calculations be of any avail, both for 

 the same reasons, and the further difficulty of applying them when 

 made. It is also difficult to express practical knowledge on the 

 subject in figures. But I will try and give a few as a rough guide 

 to your own practice. These as well as all figures heretofore 

 given will necessarily be inacourate, for I can only guess at them 

 as they appear to ma over the Bights. They may be as much as 

 a foot or more out of the way. 



A deer seldom runs at full race-horse speed. His usual gait is 

 a graceful oanter or springing jumps. Still he is going faster, and 

 your bullet is much Blower than you suppose. I have never had 

 more than two shots at deer running broadside at a racing point. 

 The first was about seventy yards off, scratching dust at a furious 

 pace. I fired at What seemed to me fully five feet ahead of him, and 

 saw the ball tear the dust from a knoll about thirty yards beyond 

 him, in a line with his tail, but apparently three or four feet behind 

 him. ThiB deer must have moved fully twelve feet at least while 

 the baU was traveling the 100 yards. The next one was not over 

 forty yards, and, reoollecting the other, I held about the same dis- 

 tance ahead, striking him just back of the shoulder. A hare (Calf 

 fornia jack rabbit) under full speed, at fifty yards, wants about 

 five feet margin, running at a light gait about 2% or 2. Running 

 quartering at forty or fifty yards I have repeatedly struck just be- 

 hind thorn, although holding a foot ahead. And even when run- 

 ning at a very sharp angle to the line of fire, I have invariably made 

 the dust fly behind them when holding directly on, and this, too> 

 at not over twenty paces distance. Holding ahead must never be 

 neglected unless your deer is very close or going very slow, and 

 oven then it will be safe to hpld off the body, even though it may 

 also be safe enough to hold on. At a deer driven toward me, and 

 coming on a course so slightly quartering that he would have 

 passed within twenty yards of me (or as our Creedmoor riflemen 

 would aptly express it, coming like a 11 o'clock wind), I fired at 

 about 75 yards. I held just so as to see a strip of daylight ahead 

 of his breast, and struck in the middle. These distances are taken 

 from shooting done with a .44-rifle, seventy grains of powder, and 

 the long-range (5 30 gr.) ball. With 77 grains of powder I could 

 see no difference in practicing on hares, although with a round ball 

 the difference is perceptibly less at 100, and even up to 120 or 130 

 yards, though not enough to be of much consequence for deer. In 

 shooting from a running horse it will, of course, not be necessary 

 to hold ahead where the speed is equal. 



The large hare makes the best of all praotice next to deer, when 

 you oan get them on ground where you can see the ball strike. In 

 Southern California the ground is bo dry during three-fourths of 

 the year, that the dust will fly whenever the ball touches, and when 

 deer are out of season (and even when in Beason), I have capital 

 sport as well as capital practioe in this way. 



But if you cannot have opportunities on living marks you may 

 make a good running target, with a solid wheel, sawed out of a two- 

 inch plank, about eighteen inohes in diameter and rolled down Ml 

 by some friend who is short of better amusement. But if accom- 

 modating friends or impecunious small boys are scarce, make a 

 frame for it of two pieces of plank, nailed edgewise on a third 

 piece, two or three inches apart. Drive a nail in the top edge of 

 each, and lay a wire aoross baok of them to hold the wheel in place- 

 Set the frame at the top of a hill with a lively slop, and with a 

 loose string attaohed to your wire, let it start when you. get in posi- 

 tion. Try it first at thirty yards/ until you can hit it twice out of 

 three times. Then increase your distance and its spewed from time 

 to time. If you can get, or so fix, the hill side as to make it give 

 a regular bounce it will be much batter. The only trouble with this 

 is, that, like the Creedmoor running deer target, it does not give 

 variety enough. But it is first-rate where you can get no better, 

 to say nothing of the appetite acquired by packing that wheel up 

 hill fifteen or twenty timeB. 



It is not necessary to throw your rifle ahead of the game when 

 you first raise it. But it is always expedient to do so. If you raiae 

 it directly on the mark the temptation to pull is often to strong to 

 resist. 



The tendency to overshoot game with a rifle is one of the remark, 

 able and inexplicable things about hunting, and where is this 

 tendency so strong as on running game, It was for this reason 

 that I told you to file the back Bight flat on top. If the sides are 

 higher than the centre notch, there will be a constant tendency to 

 Bhoot too high from trying to see your game above them. With 

 a little praotice you oan catoh this sight quite as quick and shoot 

 just as well as with the " back sight," which for good work is only 

 a useless nuisance. I go Btill farther, and cut down the sides 

 about one-twentieth of an inoh, leaving about one-sixteenth of an 

 inoh on each side of the centre notch (which is simply a fine split) 

 standing above the rest of the sight. Over the sides of this I oan 

 get a clear view of the whole body, even to the feet of a deer in 

 any way he may run. I find that I can catch this Bight just as 

 quiok as any other, after a little-praotioe, and am not half ao apt to 



over-shoot with it. Twioel have killed as high as three hares out 

 of five shots at over forty yards lunniug broadside with thi 

 sight; although I must admit that there is a tremendous amoun 8 

 of " scratoh" about such shooting as that. as. owing to the jump 

 of the hare, which it is impossible to take intc account, it is very 

 difficult to avoid over or under shooting at least one-half the time 

 on an average, besides the difficulty of getting the right margin. 

 The value of your shot on such small game must be tested alwaya 

 by the question, where does the ball strike ? And not by its hitting 

 or missing him as you may make a dozen capital shots without 

 touching so small a mark. 



For running shots a set trigger is an abomination ; equally eo i* 

 the three pound pull. It should be so that a moderate jerk wil 

 fire it without disturbing your Bight, and without the necessity of 

 beginning a moderate pressure as you would with a bard trigger at 

 a target. About one and one-half or one and three-quarters pound* 

 is about right, though for a heavy rifle two pounds would perhaps 

 be easy enough. 



Thus far I have spoken of open shooting. When you try to 

 shoot in timber you may be edified by hearing your ball " whack * 

 into a tree between you and your deer. You must now watch three 

 things : 1st your sight, 2d your deer, 3d the trees. Where tree* 

 are very thick it is, often best to pick out an open place and throw 

 your sights into that, firing just as the deer gets within the right 

 distonoe from them. Bat be sure and not wait until he touches 

 the line of your sights or you will miss him if he is going at any 

 speed or is at any distance. 



Tiiere will be generally little use in shooting beyond the point- 

 blank of your rifle ; unless in oaseB where there is no probability 

 of your deer stopping for a standing shot. By point-blank, I 

 mean the distance to which your rifle will shoot over the fifty yard 

 sight, so nearly level that the drop of the ball need not be taken 

 into account. As soon as it beoomes necessary to make allowance 

 for the fading of the ball this kind of shooting becomes uncertain, 

 from this cause and the increase of margin that is necessary for 

 the increased distanced as well aB the difficulty of allowing 

 for the up and down motion. After a few trials you will sea 

 the gigantio absurdity of all talk about killing on the run at two 

 hundred and three hundred yards. An examination of the score* 

 at the Creedmoor two hundred yard target will soon show you that 

 it is no child's play to kill a deer standing at two hundred yards. 

 even when the distance is exactly known, and you will be more 

 firmely convinced when you oome to try it. And this difficulty 

 becomes enormous when the mark ia in motion, and its distance 

 not known exactly. You would have to guess the distanee to 

 within fifteen yards, and that too in an instant, throw up the 

 proper sight or else shoot over the open sight so as to allow for 

 about five or Bix feet fall of bullet, and shoot from ten to twenty 

 feet ahead. This would be hard enough If the deer were only 

 trotting, to say nothing of a high lope or springing gait. Such 

 shots may of course be made, but they are " soratohes " and 

 terribly scratchy ones at that. It is safe always to conclude that 

 the man who tells such a story is a very poor judge of distance and 

 to discount it one hundred per oent. 



Remember that coolness is absolutely indispensable and that 

 haste will do you no good. Let quickness oome with time, and 

 practice slowly and carefully. Do not be beguiled into fast shoot- 

 ing at that Creedmoore target ; make it your first point to hit 

 and don't shoot at first more than once on one run, unless yon 

 have a double-barreled rifle. Let others try to see how big a 

 hail storm of bullets they can get up in a given time if they like 

 it, and don't be at all bothered if by so doing they happen to 

 make more points than you. You will in the end do by far the - 

 best work on game if you take it easy and make accuracy the 

 first point. 



Recollect alwaya your sights ; sights first, sights next, sights 

 laBt— never forget them. Don't be in haste ; it is far better to 

 let a deer get twenty or thirty yards farther off than to take a 

 careless aim or get your eye off your sight. And never try any 

 scrap shots, unless of oourse, when another jump or two will 

 take him out of sight. And never try to get in a shot ahead 

 of your oompanion if you happen to have one, but shoot juat 

 as if alone. If you follow this advice carefully you will be sur- 

 prised at the progress you wili make, and at the amount of true 

 pleasure you will have, although you nesd never be ashamed 

 of missing even a fair- shot. 



Miners Ranch*, San Diego Co., Cat. J. ft. Taj* Dtkh. 



UPSET OF BULLETS. 



Utica, Nov. B, 1877. 

 Editob Fokest and Stream; 



I should be glad if you would give me some space in your paper 

 in order that I might present my views on rifles and the upset of 

 bullets, and to correct a mistaken idea that I thintt the genera 

 public have of muzzle-loading rifles— I mean those which have 

 been used in the great rifle contest. I have taken the Fokest and 

 Stream for the last three years and have read many articles on 

 rifles and rifle shooting with much interest. I saw the mistaken 

 idea that the public had of those muzzle-loaders, and have waited 

 in hopes that some one more able with the pen than I am would 

 correot it. The general opinion is that there have been tests b(» 

 tween muzzle-loaders and breech-loaders ; I claim there have been 

 no tests with what riilemakera and all crack shots call muzzle- 

 loaders. The proper muzzle-loader is provided with a guide 

 starter, which is fitted to the muzzle of the gun in perfect line 

 with the bore ; with this starter the bullets with a linen patch are 

 driven into the gun and fitted to the grooves air ti^ht. 



This insures that it will follow the grooves iu coming out, and in 

 case it is not expanded by the powder, it will not make a very "bad 

 unaccountable" shot. When solid bullets are used in these guns 

 only part of the bearing on the bullet is fitted to the grooves in 

 loading, allowing the powder to expand it to complete the bearing. 

 If I understand it, the bullet for those muzzle-loaders (made by 

 Metford and Rigby) are put down the bore with a paper or linen 

 patch, and do not take the rifling sufficient to follow the grooves, 

 until it is expanded by force of powder, and therefore do not 

 represent a proper muzzle-loader. 



The bullets for our American breeoh-loaders are prepared with a ' 

 paper patch, and just fill the bore without taking the rifling, the 

 same aa the Metford and Bigby rifles ; therefore both are on the 

 same prinoiple, It matters not where the bullet is put into the 



