Feb. 2, 1882.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



11 



etc., and on occasion .ire quite effective agaitfst deer, More- 

 over they are very convenient, the ararmlnitidn is light and 

 takes up little room, spa" in skilful hands they arc quite equal 

 to large bores within ordinary distar. c 



In regard to material for cnrilridga-oases, I believe thnt 

 paper could boused to advantage as it is meases for shot- 

 guns; but brass shells would be found useful at times. C, 



New KoenELL e. N. Y. 



Eiii/rir Tfbrsst and Btr a 



The article of Mr. A'a q t>yke n especially interesting to 

 me, as I have tried in vain to Shoot round bullets from breech- 

 loaders with any accuracy. Since his letter appeared I have 

 made another trial, but with jto better success. The first at- 

 tempt was made with a .'iO-eal. auxiliary rifle barrel, but they 

 flew wildly, I then took a . 40-cal. Ballard, and loaded the 

 Shells full,' putting a wad at the end, 1 had some round 

 bullets tfca*, with a greased patch, fitted the barrel snugly, 

 These T pushed down upon the shell, having first put in two 

 wads b.'lween the latter and the bullet, so that the ball 

 should he lel't in position JUS1 above the end of the chamber. 



My efforts we. < p 1 '' ' ' failure, as the bullets at fifteen 

 rods would scatter over a foot of space. 1 then tried the 

 nth the r< sulai patched buffet of ggg strains, loaded 

 from | ma] manner, and at the same dis- 



tance placed a succession of bullets so close that a silver 

 dollar would cover the holes. I fired in both cases while 

 sitting on a low seat, and rest ing elbow on the knee. 1 no- 

 ticed that Mr. Van Dyke says that for patched round balls 

 loaded f-'om ( he irtuiczle ' the barrel should be cut straight." 

 by which he must mean. I suppose, that the twist should be 

 what is called a "slow twist." lie also says that the barrel 

 should not be choked much. The Ballard is not choked, but 

 has no! a slow twist. I cannot conceive wliy a dose-fitting 

 round patched ball that had been put down" from the muz- 

 zle, should strip in troing out. even with a large charge of 

 powder, The shells contained GO grains of strong powder. 

 Several years, since T experimented with round bullets 

 thoroughly, but always failed to do pood work with them, 

 When loaded from either breech or muzzle. A correspondent, 

 from Bridgeport showed me (in Forest and Stkram. with 

 cuts') how io patch the bullets for broecMoading shells, but 

 after faithful trials 1 had to give it up. I have turned out 

 wooden plu.'fs, and patched them, with balls in front, (mak- 

 the balls would fly wildly. 

 lov 



ing a nice job) bui it was i 

 Eoi common hunting purr 

 of the rifle would like to u 



und bub 



there is 

 and uot a bit of 

 Wist of the old- 



recoil. If the secret of success is in the 



fashioned rifle, then not many breech- 



If any one will explain the cause of my failure I will try 



again. 



Mr. Tan Dyke has been a valuable correspondent of Forest 

 akd Stream, and there are doubtless a host of readers who 

 have been interested and benefited by his experience, and 

 the writer is one of the number. 



His ,65 or ,73-cal, double 



twist, which may account f< 

 at the target and anion-; the 

 he had a duplicate', and was 

 to shoot in bis company for 

 1 might add that I am nc 

 mechanic, and have owned i 

 men have a hobby of some s 



Fever rifle may have a. slow 

 lis success with round bullets 

 Id-cats, and the writer wishes 

 route for southern California 

 -w months. 



toj ice in this art, am an apt 

 ay good rifles, and as most 

 , T have this one, and if there 



is a way to let fly the round bullets from a breech-loading 

 rifle unerringly for moderate distances I shall try to do it for 

 pastime. " D. H. S. 



EtviNcrox, Conn. 



"Will "Colin" please state how he loads his rifle shells 

 with round balls; whether he fills the shell to the end with 

 wads and cork, pr forces (he ball down immediately upon 

 the top of the small powder charge he mentions, and oblige— 

 SEBSCRrBER. (Chicago. 111.) 



A RECORD OF DEER SHOOTING. 



Forest rtwd Stream : 



In your issue of the lgth ult,, I notice an article from 

 "Byrne " of Arkansas, in winch he shows the killing power 

 of his shot gun. weighing I'd lbs., and loaded with 8 drs. 

 powder, and 8 OZS, No. 8 buckshot. He did good shooting at 

 sixty and seventy yards, once making a double on deer at the 

 former distance. 



Win you let me give my idea of the right gun for deer 

 shooting in the woods ? I will gtve facts only, not theory. I 

 shoot a three-barrel Baker gun; shot barrels' ten-gamre: 'rifle 

 .44 oal. ; weight ten pounds. I load with 4 drs. Orange duck- 

 ing powder, and lb ozs. No, 2 buck shot. I did not weigh 

 the shot, fait was told their weight At all events, there 

 were only nine No. 2 buckshot in my shells. Notice the dif- 

 ference; "' Byrne's " gun is three pounds heavier than mine. 

 He has only a double shot gun, while I have a double shot 

 gun and a, rifle. He shoots twice as much powder, and I 

 think I am safe in saying twice as much shot also. 



Now for the shooting' On one hunt, made in November 

 -'"' ;■■'': , 1 blled seven deer, which was the last score made out 

 of four, our partj getting only fifteen deer. We hunted in 

 the Choctaw' Nation, and found deer very scarce. I give the 

 shots in their order. 1. A two-year-old buck, standing broad 

 side, measured distance, 75 yards, killed dead in his trades 

 with right barrel of shot jam, four shot striking him. 2. A 

 largedoe, standing quartering tin yards (guessed distance), 

 shot with rifle, grazing heart, and breaking up liver. She 

 running bj m ■ ■ yards, measured distance. I fired 



one barrel of the shot gun, knocking her dead in tracks, put- 

 ting four shot in her. one breaking her neck. She could not 



' ■ lived ten minutes, after the rifle ball struck her, but my 

 rule is to shoot as long as a deer shows life. 3 A verv large 

 buck killed lire-hut. tin -^-y ,-,( Sl viv v a'rds as 



the eyes were just parted. ; ; . j lit. very strong. Shot 



with shot gun. five shot tal I jeffeol &ie deer running about 

 fifty yards. 4. A yearling, standing broad side 125 yards, 

 ice ,snre:l sh -t w-th rifle, ttt: ball pestrng through the heart, 

 killing it in one rninule. 5. The boss of the woods, a mam- 

 moth lank. LI biggesl fleer seen on the hum, standing broad- 

 Bldfi '. ' -• > ... shut with rifle, the ball 'passing 



throug tb '„.-. heart, killing almost instantly, 



6. A small doe, running quartering, sixty yards, guessed, shot 

 with shot gun, three shots taking effect,, 'one breaking bone in 

 ham. the other two striking just front of ham, and ranglu"' 

 forward passed through the lungs, killing her in a few mim 

 utes, she not running over two hundred yards. 7. A year- 

 ling, killed fire-hunting, distance guessed 'at sixty yards, as 

 the eyes were not quite" pa; ted. and the light very 'fine. Shot 

 with shot gun, four shot taking effect, one passing through 

 the lungs, one through the shoulder, one. through the paunch 

 and one through the fore-leg and brisket. 



This gun is not " choked especially for buck shot," but it 

 shoots them all the same, and with the advantage of the rifle 

 barrel, which shoots as true and far as any breech-loading 

 rifle of same calibre, it makes the best gun in the world, for 

 every sort of hunting, especially for large game in timbered 

 country. I have killed turkeys at, 75 yards repeatedly, using 

 No. 1 shot; ducks and chickens same' distance, using No. 6, 

 chilled. Once I killed a chicken 87 yards, using No. shot, 

 striking it wut'i at. bast three shot ibr it ha.1 a wing and leg 

 broken, and was shot in the bead. No further examination 

 was made. At So yards, 1 have put 894 Id's. 429 S's, and 800 

 G's in a twenty-four inch circle. 



lam not a, professional sportsman, and am not writing in 

 the interests of any company, am not well enough "tip" in 

 sporting matters to know whether or not my gun is extra- 

 ordinary, but I know it beats anything I have Ever yet tried. 



I am pastor of the Baptist Church in this city, and as fond 

 of hunting as anybody. Geo. W. Batmes, Jr. 



RUST-SPOTS IN GUN BARRELS. 



OOME weeks since I started the question of "spots in 



guns," and since then I have found out an error iu my 

 statement wMcb I wish to correct, On looking over my note's 



1 find that while using Hazard's 4 ducking powder I had no 

 spots in my gnus, but on the recommendation of a gunner I 

 was induced to try American FF, and it was after that that 

 the trouble took place. Two of my friends also took to 

 "cheapness," and soon the same result followed. In one 

 case three days was sufficient to do it and in the either about 

 a week. In these cases the spots appeared while we three 

 were shooting on the marsh and the guns Were constantly ex- 

 posed to dampness. Further, I find that three more of my 

 friends Who have shot with me at the same place and who 

 used the expensive powder, have no spots in their guns. The 

 six men I have mentioned all pursued the same system of 

 cleaning, viz. : first, paper, then kerosene, then rag iim.il they 

 were clean, and finally sperm oil. This at night, half an 

 hour's Work at least, morning performance also, at noon same. 

 Cleaning enough, I should think. Now as to the snots. Let 

 an}' one look down their barrels and they will notice that 

 these spots run in curious parallel lines from the chamber to 

 nearly two-thirds of the length of the gun. There, they stop. 

 At the muzzle ordinary rust collects, but this is always easily 

 removed. Cheap, moist powder is to be avoided at the sea 

 shore, in my opinion. Will some one who shoots entirely 

 away from the salt air kindly give their experience, mention- 

 ing the grade of powder they use ?— F. S. (Boston, Mass.) 



their guns re-bored and then keep them in a dry, warm closet, 

 I think they will find the barrels kept perfectly bright. — 

 Bekztke. (YVhitinsville, Mass.) 



I have thought I would withhold my mite until I read 

 "Californian's" theory. He says never to clean a gun after 

 shooting, but put away just as it is, with the burnt powder 

 dust on its barrels. This is, in my dearly bought experience. 

 tin error; and I foolishly took the advice of a friend, and 

 found when alas! too late.' that I had ruined the polish in my 

 12-gauge Iterniugton, Before I "blundered" 1 used to clean 

 as follows, and I had one of the finest polished guns in the 

 whole country: Wet a flannel and run it through. the barrels 

 to remove the powder dust, then follow with ti. dry cotton 

 cloth and rub it back and forth, until the barrels are perfectly 

 dry. Then take a. woolen cloth and thoroughly saturate it 

 with best sperm oil and leave as much as possible on the in- 

 side of the barrels. I never was troubled with rust. "Bor- 

 der Ruffian" is right in his logic, and shows practical 

 experience in the question at issue. "Californian" says "the 

 finer the. grade of barrels the more likely they are to 'scab.' " 

 which is correct, and the lower the grade the less likely, etc. 

 A wagon tire will stand all kinds of weather; and will rust 

 but a trifle. Not so with fine steel. I have inspected a 

 number of guns which were not cleaned after the day's shoot- 

 ing and found them in every instance to be badly rusted. 

 My pride is in my gun, and if- my dearest friend were to tell 

 me my gun would not rust by leaving it uncleaned, I would 

 not, for one fleeting moment credit, his wdrds. By ' 'eternal vigi- 

 lance" only can .gun barrels be kept from rusting. If any one 

 doubts, let him buy a fine Damascus barrel and subject" it to 

 the test and he will find out that it pays to clean a am as 

 soon as the shooting is over for the day." In my experience 

 the different, grades of powder have nothing whatever to do 

 with rust, 1 have used the poorest and the best, and have 

 found no difference in this line. In fact, I was using "club 

 sporting," a high grade powder, when my choice gunbecame 

 speckled with rust. Nothing will remove rust specks but re- 

 polishing in a lathe, which will cost from s2 to $5, according 

 to amount, of rust in the barrels. —Dell, (Sauk Centre, Minn). 



Permit me to make this statement of fact bearing upon the 

 subject. Capt, Balph Whitehead, who has killed more 

 birds, perhaps, in the last twenty years than anv other man 

 between St. Louis and Chicago, only cleans the inside of his 

 gun barrels twice a. year; that is, when the spring and the 

 fall shootings begin; and I am confident that the inside of 

 his barrels are in as good, if not better, condition than those 

 of my own guns, which I never put away without, thoroughly 

 cleaning and oiling. I have the Captain's word for the above 

 statement, and I believe that he is as reliable as anv other 

 sportsman, and that is good enough authority. But if if 

 needed confirmation I would add that I have shot with him 

 once or twice a year for the past fifteen years, and have never 

 seen him wipe out his gun when he returned from a day's 

 shooting. No matter what kind of weather it is, he puts 

 away his game and cares for the inner man. Then he wipes 

 the barrels and stock of his gun on the outside with an oiled 

 rag, and sits down to enjoy his pipe and laugh at his Quests 

 while they rub and sweat for half an hour over cleaning their 

 guns. None of the others can show smoother, brighter bar- 

 rels on the inside than he can. This fact I have seen demon- 

 strated on many occasions, by running an oiled rag through 

 his gun barrels after the rest of us were done cleaning.— 

 H. G. Caret. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 



I have shot a Scott 12-bore which is as bright to-day as 

 when purchased, and it has been used in all kinds of weather. 

 In cleaning it 1 use new white flannel, benzine and best 

 sperm oil. For a cleaning rod I use a soft pine stick. After 

 wiping the barrels out thoroughly with a rag wet with the 

 benzine, I use one oily rag, then Wipe dry With a clean rag 

 B; nzine will tak, out mere, dirt with 1. ;-,s labor Hum an-dhing 

 T have ever tried. I thud; as much depends, on Where a 

 gun is kept after cleaning, as how it is cleaned. My trims 

 and rifles are kept in a closet next to the chimney, where the 

 temperature is about the same all the year round", and 1 have 

 never been troubled with rust spots. I have used several '-trad, s 

 of powder, from Hazard's ducking down, and don't think that 

 this has anything to do with the spots. If some of your sub- 

 scribers who are troubled with "gun measles" will have 



I do not consider myself a professional sportsman, yet do 

 shooting enough through the v< 



:ts my firearm if 



I 1' 



tatisfy me that the mode 

 nn rust in' every respect. 1 

 ,44 oat. breech-loading rifle. 

 ■ a day, or fire a single shot, 

 i is. to give my rifle a thorough 

 eXt day. but do the job up at; 

 i cleaning rod, and prefer this 

 iw pieces of cotton flannel or 

 h the barrel, the first one or 

 tsfoot oil. (I do not, think 

 .■ water.) Continue this with 

 dry ones, until it shows no signs of foulness, then take a 

 piece, saturate with the oil, andpaas slowly through. Lastly, 

 a small piece just to take up) (he surplus oil, as too much is 

 not good. I stop up the muzzle with a, cork, .and T examine 

 quite often and replenish with a little fresh oil once; in sis 

 weeks when not in use. — Amatelik, (Machias, Mo.) 



1 follow prote 

 use for till shooting purpQS 

 Whenever I g. out shootu 

 on returning, tin- first thin 

 cleaning; never wait until 

 once. I use a, common w 

 to all patents. Now I tab 

 she! ting, and pass them throu; 

 two saturated with purified ne 

 .1 never u, 



The article in your issue of January 13, signed "Cali- 

 fornia," was very good. In out experience we find that clear 

 Water should never tie used to wash out the barrels. We 

 have found nothing better than sal-soda water (good strength ). 

 Alter a thorough washing, wipe out the lead with a brass 

 wire scratch brush. Then swab the barrels thoroughly with 

 swab well saturated with parafiinc-oil. Let your barrels lie in 

 tli is condition, say twenty -four hours, then wipe out with a 

 clean dry swalh Then swab with the pan.fiine-oil as before, 

 and oil the outside with the same. You can then put away 

 your gun in a dry place without any fear of rust. >We can 

 show you barrels that were treated 'in this manner some fif- 

 teen years ago, and they are as bright now as when put away. 

 The para fflne-oil forms a thin coating over the surface, which 

 excludes the air and prevents rust. — Practical. (Hartford, 

 Conn). 



My plan of preventing fine gun barrels from rusting when 

 laid away during the close season is this: I obtain some pure 

 refined paratflne, melt it by placing the vessel containing it in 

 hot water, fill the barrels full, and allow it to congeal inside. 

 I will guarantee that the gun may remain idle for'any length 

 of time and come out bright, It is perfectly harmless, and can 

 be instantly removed by placing the barrels in hot water. 

 Parafrine melts at 180 degrees Fahrenheit, water boiling at 212 

 degrees, so any one can see the barrels need not, be subjected 

 to anything like a dangerous heat. — F. B. (Boston, Mass.) 



I have, after many experiments, adopted the plan of wip- 

 ing out the gun thoroughly, with dry tow first, then, after 

 most of the dirt is removed, I use turpentine and tow freely 

 and dry tow again. If the gun is loaded, use three row wire 

 scratch brush; then tow again. If rust spots are in barrel 

 use wire brush dipped in oil and fine emery. Lastly, oil bar- 

 rels thoroughly with sperm oil and cork up both ends tightly 

 with good corks. The specks in the barrels will not affect 

 the shooting of the. gun, but one does not like to explain or 

 apologize every time a friend looks through your gun. — S. 

 H. M. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 



THE PURPOSE OF FIELD SPORTS. 



[From Dougatt's "Shooting: Its Appliances, Practice, and Purpose. "] 



HAVFNG- now, so far as I have been able, instructed the 

 young sportsman in the Appliances and Practice of the 

 Art of Shooting, I enter, not unreluctantly, on the final and 

 very different branch of this work— its Purpose. The appli- 

 ances and practice are technical and customary. They admit 

 of no objectfons, save upon modifications arising from differ- 

 ences in opinion or experience. The subjects are taken as 

 things of course, and any argumentation prast be on minor 

 matters. But when we enter upon the purpose, we are met 

 by a host of talent, which of recent years has set itself to 

 denounce all field sports as immortal and degrading. The 

 question arises, A\ hat need is there, iu a work'of this nature, 

 intended to instruct sportsmen, who, of all men, do not chal- 

 lenge the innocence of their recreation, to go into the moral 

 question at all? Certainly, were I to consult my own case 

 and immunity from future retort, I would stick to my last- 

 to guns and how to use them, and leave till moral discussion 

 toothers. But having naturally thought over the subject, 

 and being one who holds that it is the duty of every man tei 

 honestly and fearlessly advocate what he believes to' be right, 

 I venture to give the following remarks. I view the whole 

 question from this standpoint, "that, where things innocent iu 

 themselves tire mixed Up with things hurtful and denounced 

 accordingly, there is no end to the mischief that may ensue. 

 To condemn things good on false arguments appears to me to 

 be quite as mischievous as to praise things wicked. Right, and 

 wrong are confounded. When men of high repute, leaders 

 of thought, set themselves, through ignorance or caprice, to 



idemn, they also weaken their whole influence in 



t which is undeniably good. 



abound in every age. The imperfect moral 

 arrangements of this world — perhaps one of the greatest nat- 

 ural proofs of a higher future state of existence— furnish such 

 writers with endless themes. These themes varv with time. 

 We live in a period of overdue stimulation of the intellect? 1 1 1 

 the prejudice of physical development at one period; at 

 another the direction of the pressure is reversed. Those of 

 my readers who are comers; 

 Classical Essayists, of the eigl 

 how the shafts of satire we 

 against the visiting London 

 ners — in plain terms, of grea 

 tlemen and their wives audd 

 to stay at home and follow their 

 even assailed 



unjustly ci 



praising t) 



Satirists 



pations. They 



manners into their country houses 



that iuti-lleetitalism and progress of 

 ducts of city life. The current runs th 

 but the twentieth century may 



nl with what are termed the 

 teenth century, must recollect 

 re almost invariably leveled 

 ud the adoption of town man- 

 it refinement — by country gett- 

 3. These were counseled 

 iral pursuits and occu- 

 f'or introducing London 

 ^ et every one knows 

 ilizaiion 'are the pro- 

 ither way at present, 

 r turn of the wheel, 



and satire employed to promote field sports, and undo th. 

 mischief created by the advocacy of undue inlelleetiialism, if 

 an existing school of writers succeed in well-meant but mis- 

 taken efforts. 



It would be a comparatively easy matter to write a school- 

 boy essay on the use and advantages of exereisr. All t hinkin g 

 men agree that exercise ia a ccn3ia.;n of haalth. What is 

 disputed so keenly of late is the lawfulness of that exei'aise, 

 as involving cruelty to 1he lower animals, when it takes the 

 form of field sports. The controversy has been carried on, 

 on one side, with all the force and skill of practiced logicians. 



