, 



Feb. SI, 1884.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



67 



—yjr good, but did not quite, suit \w, so I set, me about to 

 hnpi.A e it. As every oar, knows, theonly means of securing 

 :i jood pattern is by repeated trials at target, atdlfferenl dis- 

 lifferent amounts and kinds of ammunition and diil'cr- 

 E manners of loading sliells, Never having seen a target 

 f.n suo.b practice* [ made my own. In the center of a large 

 sheet, of paper, 1 drew a two-inch circle ami colored it, then 

 circle after circle, an inch between, until the diameter of the 

 outside circle reached 34 inches. The distances ahol at the 

 Bbove target were 45, 50 and GO yards. 



After repeated trials, I found the proper charge to bo 8i 

 drams Orange ducking powder to l\ ounces of No. 8 Le Roy 

 shot, with two best pink-edge wads resting firmly on powder. 

 aud a light cardboard wad on shot. 



With 'the above charge, my best patterns at 45 yards (strict 

 measurement) were 168, 160 and 107 pellets within the 24- 

 iueh circle, placing 2. 3 and 4 pellets within the 3-inch center. 



My experiments with greater charges at same target, but 

 at, greater distances, were equally as good. 



f also find that this gun will shoot B, KB and buckshoi 

 efficiently Well for any purpose. 1 should be pleased to hear 

 the result Of such trials as others may have made, 



I'ionn'svlvania; FaKMEK. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



In Forest and Stueam of Feb. 7, a correspondent from 

 Vermont says, that in his experience the muzzleloader makes 

 better pattern and penetration at long range than the breech- 

 loader. My experience is just the opposite, and decidedly 

 in favor of' the breechloader. 1 have not owned one of the 

 former for a number of years, but of the latter. 1 have had 

 and tried at targets as many, probably, as any one in this 

 State, and in every instance I have beaten the muzzle- 

 loaders. 



There isa heavy muxzleloader of gauge aud 1:2 pounds 

 weight owned near here; this gun was said to be a wonder 

 <ful shooter. One day 1 shot a 9,t pounds, 10-gauge Daly 

 breechloader against it, each gun being load edwithli ounces 

 shot. The big gun was so badly beaten at the first trial that 

 its owner refused to continue shooting, saying that his gun 

 had fallen off very much iu its shooting qualities, although 

 before the trial he was very confident of success, 



Neatly all the guns in this vicinity are muzzleloaders, and 

 if the statements »f the owners can be red pd upon, they 

 (like the wonderful Zulu gun advertised in some of the 

 country papers, and sold for the high price of $5.00) will 

 kill at any distance from 5 to 150 yards. The shooters about 

 here, with few exceptions, use very large shot for all kinds 

 of game, and occasionally kill a hawk or crow at 80 or 90 

 yards, and without measuring the distance, they afterward 

 declare that their guns are good for twenty-five rods every 

 time. I saw the owner of one of these guns shoot a squirrel 

 not over forty yards distant, and he afterward insisted that 

 he killed it at fifteen rods. 



Your correspondent speaks of shooting foxes. 1 think I 

 kill as many of them as any one, considering the number of 

 shots, so far this winter, using a 10-gauge 9-pound 10-ounce 

 Scott premier hammerless. I have killed nine foxes — every 

 one 1 have shot at — and in only one instance have used the 

 second barrel. The distances have been from twenty-five to 

 severity yards. This gun, however, is the best shooting 

 breechloader, for pattern and penetration, that I have ever 

 owned. At forty yards, with 4 J drams powder and If 

 ounces Tatham's No. 3 chilled shot, it puts from sixty-five 

 to seventy-two pellets in a 12-inch square. 



If your correspondent ever indulges in trap-shooting, and 

 will attend oue of the shooting matches of the Boston Gun 

 Club, on their grounds at Wellington, Mass., I will meet 

 him there and shoot my hammerless Scott breechloader 

 against the best muzzleloader he can find in the Green 

 Mountain State, at any reasonable number of straight away 

 clay-pigeons, at distances from twenty to forty yards rise, 

 for fun or money, each gun to be limited to l£ ounces shot. 

 Should he not wish to shoot himself, this is open to any 

 resident of his or this State, barring professionals. 



C. M. Stark. 



inrNBARTON, N. H., Feb. 11, 1884. 



Editor Jfore&t a ad Stfiwm: 



I am glad to see in your last issue, of the 7th inst., that 

 several of your correspondents are as anxious as myself to 

 know practically what our modern breechloading shotguns 

 will do. 



Now, 1 am well aware that there are published tables of 

 records of some guns of particular manufacture, and am 

 squally aware of like tables published by some former 

 writers on such subjects, "Frank Forester" for instance. 

 Yet of all the guns 1 have handled (and they have been no 

 inconsiderable number) I have shot very few indeed that 

 came up to this theoretical scratch, so to speak, and of 

 breechloaders, in my experience, not one in twenty will do it. 



Like your correspondent, "Buckeye," I have been much 

 interested in the discussion of hunting rifles (I do not claim 

 10 be a rifleman, yet I have used them just enough, as "the 

 boys'' say, "to keep my hand in"). My favorite weapon 

 from my boyhood up has been the shotgun. I may here re- 

 mark that the rapid extermination of all the larger earn ►vora 

 and dangerous animals, except in the remotest legalities, 

 renders the pursuit of field sports one confined almost ex- 

 clusively to that commonly pursued with the shotgun. 



Now," while we are all striving to attain the same end— 

 the obtaining of the best and most suitable arm for a given 

 purpose — let us by all means have the record and testimony 

 of practical performance. 



1 can add my mite and affirmation to the truth of a re- 

 maik made in' that admirable work, "The Sportsmen's 

 Gazetteer" by Mr. Hallock, "that, after a most crucial test, 

 the advocates of the chokebore are not satisfied as to re- 

 sults.' No, gentlemen; many of the acquaintances of your 

 correspondent are not satisfied. It may be advocated as an 

 advancement to trade and the demands of fashion, and, 1 

 may add, that imexplainable feature in human character 

 that is constantly demanding something new; but many of 

 us demand also a mixture of practical utility with the new, 

 at least iu the Backwoods. 



Beverly, West Virginia, 



[The comparison of the muzzleloader and the breech- 

 loader is a dead issue. The muzzleloader is the gun of the 

 past; the breechloader the arm of the present and future. 

 More to the point than a discussion of muzzle vs. breech 

 wohM be relations of experiments and tests in loading to se- 

 cure pattern and penetration. There is no question of the 

 breechloader's good qualitie-s. Ineffectual results very 

 probably follow from incorrect loading. We think that 

 some hints on this point would prove of real service to a 

 vast number oi sportsmen, and shall be glad to have com- 

 munications on the subject.] 



New Yokk Association.— The parlor at Pinard's wtis 

 occupied last Monday evening by the members of the New 

 York Association for the Protection of Game. There wasja 

 large attendance, among others Vice-President B. T. Lud 

 irjgton, Fayette S. Giles, Wisner H. Townsend, "Wakeman 

 Ilolbcrton. 4 llarson lihoades, Henry T, Carey, Thomas N. 

 Cuthbert and Henry N. Munn. Messrs. David W. Judd, 

 W. W. Beaton and' W. B. Dickei'marj were elected to mem- 

 bership and the resignation of Eugene Schieflelin was 

 accepted, A letter from Seth Green instructed the mem- 

 bers of the association to distinguish the sex of brook trout. 

 Mr. Payette S. Giles was directed, by vote of the association, 

 to attend the meeting at Delmorico's on the subject of pro- 

 tecting the Adirondack forests. Mr. J. H. Goodwin. Jr., 

 the official game protector for this city, reported upon his 

 doings in repressing the violations of the game laws. One 

 member said that to his knowledge qr.ai! and part- 

 ridge had been served at the Manhattan Cldh within 

 the past few days. Another member said he had seen 

 quail served at a Fulton street restaurant recently' aud 

 within the close season. A third member said that ou the 

 previous evening he had seen over fifty quail served at a 

 regular table d'hote dinner. The counsel of the board was 

 instructed to make an example of some prominent club or 

 restaurant instead of confining his efforts to street hucksters 

 and minor dealers. Mr. Godwin said that Ids mair. trouble 

 now was with striped bass, which were sent to the market 

 from a distance, and with lobsters which were brought to 

 market while entirely under weight. Mr. Munn spoke 

 earnestly in favor of so amending the game laws as to pro- 

 hibit the shipping through the State of any game when out 

 of season, It was not enough to make it unlawful to kill 

 birds in this State. Something should be done to prevent 

 this city and Boston from being open markets for the dis- 

 position of the out-of-season game. Mr. Munn also called 

 attention to the trapping- of game, especially on Long Island, 

 where the brakemen and others on the railroads bought the 

 birds and sold them in the city. A resolution was passed 

 askiug the railroad authorities to check the practice. 



Wildfowl ok the Pacific Coast. — East Portland, 

 Oregon, Feb. 10.— What has become of the canvas-back this 

 season ? 1 have been living in Oregon twenty -seven years, 

 and always found plenty of them on the Columbia bottoms 

 from November to April. Have killed from fifty to eighty 

 several times in one hunt. They are also very scarce in 

 California this season. The climate is dryer than I ever 

 knew it at this time of the year. There seems to be the 

 usual flight of mallard, widgeon aud other ducks, but no 

 canvas I o amount to anything. What few come, leave in a 

 few days. The lakes are thick with what the Indians call 

 Avappatoo, about like small potatoes, which are very sweet 

 and have always been favorite food for canvas-back ducks. 

 1 can not account for it, unless they have takeu this season 

 some other direction for their feeding ground. The geese 

 this season, which always are so plentiful during November, 

 took some other direction iu their flight from the north last 

 fall. I wish some of your subscribers will please state 

 through your columns if there is the sanio scarcity of birds 

 iu tbeir favorite localities. — T. H. P. 



Fisher's Island. — A consignment of 130 quail bus been 

 received by the secretary of Fisher's Island Club, to be put 

 out on their island as soon as the weather allows it. More 

 birds are on the way and the club has contracted for six 

 hundred birds in all, intending to turn loose about this same 

 number every spring. These quail are western birds, large 

 and healthy, and can be inspected at the residence of Max 

 Wenzel, 89 Fourth street, Hoboken, N. J. A Herald re- 

 porter announces that the Fisher's Island fresh-water ponds 

 "are to be stocked with fish, partly to afford angling to the 

 club men, but mainly to attract waterfowl." Wherein the 

 said reporter is manifestly muddled. 



Medina Gen Cleb.— Medina, N. Y.— The Medina Gun 

 Club has been organized by the election of the following 

 officers: President, C. F. Hurd; Vice-President, Fred Mead; 

 Secretary, Harvey L. James. M. D. ; Treasurer, A. F. 

 Ellicott; Directors, Aaron Shisler, Frank Barker, A. A. 

 Smith. The object of the association is the enforcement of 

 the laws regarding illegal killing of game out of season and 

 for the mutual benefit and pleasure derived from the meet- 

 ings of the members. Bi-weekly meetings will be held and 

 glass ball shoots indulged in. The membership now num- 

 bers seventeen, which, it is anticipated, will be increased to 

 twenty -five or thirty. 



Wisconsin and Michigan.— Mr. H. F. Whitcomb, of 

 Milwaukee, general passenger agent of the M. L. S. & W. 

 R. R., will shortly publish a guide and map of Northern 

 Michigan and Wisconsin, The map will be of such detail that 

 it will very materially aid sportsmen to find their ways to the 

 lakes and streams of that charming country. 



Geokoia.— Macon, Ga., Feb. 11. — The recent two weeks 

 of April-like weather has affected our shooting, small bags 

 being the result. Both man and dog suffer in walking and 

 make failures as to numbers. I was out on Saturday with 

 two others and we killed only twenty-one Bob Whites.— J, 

 H. J. 



Kansas.— Morantown, Kan., Feb. 4. — The ground hog 

 saw his shadow on the 2d inst. Robins, crows, ducks, and 

 large numbers of geese have arrived here from Texas, The 

 grass has started in the low grounds, and all nature seems to 

 be rejoicing. Lots of quad and pinnated grouse leit over. 



Beindeac, the famous sporting fop, had a costume for 

 every kind of game that he had shot at. One day, invited 

 bo the Duke of Orleans's shooting party, the Duke drew his 

 attention to a hare, suggesting he should fire. "I cannot, 

 monseigneur; I am in my partridge toilet," he replied. 



Moriches Bay.— State Game Protector George W. Whit- 

 aker, of Southampton, Long Island, offers fifty dollars re- 

 ward for such information as will lead to the conviction of 

 any person or persons pursuing wild duck, geese or brant 

 after sunset, or With light or lantern in Moriches Bay. 



A man by the name of Taylor, who has a ranch six miles 

 west of the head of Cattle Greet, in Colorado, is building an 

 enclosure, which will contain over 8,000 acres, for the purpose 

 of raising deer and elk for the Eastern market, as curiosities 

 for parks, etc. The fence is to be sixteen feet high. He ex- 

 pects to complste the park by next fall.in time to catch the deer 

 an* elk as they some from the mountains. He will leave gates 

 over the trails and is confident be can catch all he wants. Mr. 

 Taylor says young elk or deer will sell readily in the East for 

 £100. 



THE CHOICE OF HUNTING RIFLES. 



Editor Forest wnd Stream: 

 Alas' that every one cannot be pleased! Alas! that id rifles, as hj 



everything else, we cannot have hi one aim all the elements desir- 

 able in a huntmg gun, and alas I again, ibat target rifles, gallery 

 rifles, long-range, short-range, hgluyball, heavy-ball, express, non- 

 express, squirrel rifles, tiger guns, elephant rifles-, magazine rifles 

 ainl singlefondcrs cannot all be "assimilated," and one rille evolved 

 which will suit, for all and for everything, from the smallest to the 

 biggest game, for the house-gallery practice so many like, and the 

 long-range, target shooting so many are fond of. 'truly, so long as 

 man lives, tastes will differ, and gun-makers, as well as others, will 

 have their hands full trying to suit each individual taste, so many 

 not being satisfied with a compromise. 



The ,4b 00-300 magazine rifle, first proposed by me to the manufac- 

 turers, and mentioned in iny letter published 'by you Sept. 13, 1888, 

 and from which all this discussion has sprung, was proposed us a 

 "compromise gun," to contain as many of the elements desirable in 

 a hunting gun as might be possible in one gun, and to answer tin' 

 Strictures on "breechloaders" contained in the numerous letters of 

 Major Merrill, who, by the way, has not, answered the above-men- 

 tioned letter, ft was not, pr posed to construct a "bone -breaker" or 

 a ''smasher." as there are already enough of such guns now on the 

 market, but to try to construct a gun that would throw a naked 

 bulletin as Hat, a trajectory as possible, and unite with this quality 

 great killing power, accuracy of shooting, ease Of manipulation, 

 rapidity of fire, and safety to the shooter, together with as great a 

 range of game thai might be killed by it as might be possible. 



The .40-caliber was selected as a "compromise" between heavy aud 

 light caliber. Many like to shoot small caliber- rifle s at target in' pref- 

 erence to heavy calibers, while there are, doubtles, many whose only 

 game is that which requires light caliber. For man v of these doubt- 

 less the .40 -caliber is loo heavy, as the ball might tear chickens or 

 squirrels too much unle.is skillfully killed, but to go lower than .40- 

 caliber would be to impair' its usefulness at the other end and make 

 if too little effective on the middle class of game. On the other hand 

 it was not thought of as a gun to hunt grizzlies or other dangerous or 

 ferocious game, the hunter who desires such sport being able gen 

 erally to own more than one rifle or to provide himself with the 

 heavy "bone bleaker" and "paralyzer" necessary for safety to him 

 self in hunting such game. At the same time a gun was Sought that 

 would not be wholly noneffective even if by chance oue had, for his 

 own safety, to "tackle a, grizzly," but that would have the power and 

 number of shots to take care of a col man in a tight place. 



As Hie original proposes of this gun I am, of course, interested in 

 its success, and all the discussion pro and con. that your paper has 

 contained has been read with much interest. Mow that the gun "has 

 been born," and has been tested by so high an authority as Mr. Far- 

 row with such favorable results, let us see what we have: 



First— We have a gun whose range of game is greater than that of 

 any .415-caliber rifle, its caliber aud ball being small enough for small 

 game and yet its killing power being great enough for elks or buffalo, 

 as witness the favor of tne .40-00 Sharps with a great many Western 

 hunters on heavy game, and also witness the success of the ,40-cali- 

 ber military rille now being experimented with by the British army, 

 whore bio,.- i„ heavier in foot pounds than the blow of similar rifles 

 of .45-caliber, 



Second— w e have a gun whose trajectory is as fiat as any rifle not 

 especially made as an express— if not fully as flat as those— and one 

 that will obviate the necessity for such close estimation of dis- 

 tances within hunting ranges up to 300 yards. There being but three 

 inches drop at the 300-yard target, when fired with the 100-yard 

 (poml blank) sighi (Farrow's letter in January 1?' nambert, any game 

 within 2iH) yards would probably he hit in a deadlv spot with the use 

 only of one and that the point blank sight. Or, i'a other words, we 

 have a rifle whose "dangerous space" has been much prolonged 

 bevond the same space for the general run of .45 or .50 caliber 

 rules. 



Third— We hove a gun whose accuracy of Are is as great, if not 

 greater, I ban that of any other breechloader, one that will 

 shoot where you hold it, and close to the same sp >t everv time with- 

 out cleaning and with a naked ball. Patched bullets may be used if 

 desired in the same gun for accurate and close target shooting or for 

 special shots in the field. It is true that I have not shot this gun as 

 yet myself, and I therefore am not stating my own experience; but I 

 for one am willing to take Farrow's shooting in preference to my 

 owu as a specimen of what the gun can do in the shooting line. 



Fourth— We have a magazine gun, which, iu spite of the experience 

 of many, is undoubtedly the gun for hunting, aud one that Contains 

 sufficient ammunition for almost any emergency, and from which 

 shots can be thrown with almost incredible I apidity. when necessary 

 Understand that I— no more than the advocates of the siugleloader'— 

 do not believe in rapidity of fire as a necessity for the successful 

 hunting and bagging of game. Cool and deliberate shooting from 

 the siugleloader will get away with rapid and wild shooting from the 

 magazinegun every time: but times may come, and have come in 

 the experience of many, when the magazine rifle was a necessity 

 to save one's life, or to bag game badly wounded, but not killed by 

 the first shot. or to assist in the rapid but cool shooting necessarv when 

 one wishes to secure meat from a startled herd of elk, when perhaps 

 meat and not fine sport was the question for a hungry crowd depend- 

 ing upon the success of the shooting. 



In proper hands the magazine rifcie no more conduces to rapid or 

 wild shooting than the singleloader. With skillful hunting oue or 

 two shots would probably bag the unsuspicious game, and then the 

 magazine would be at once filled again, to have the full amount in 

 reserve for any emergency, virtually using the gun under such cir- 

 cumstances as a siugleloader. Iu proper hands again no "dead lock- 

 ing" of cartridges hi the magazine would ever result: such accidents 

 only showing carelessness and inattention, if not downright stupidity 

 on the part of those permitting them, the first care of any sports- 

 man, hunter, ranger or soldier being to keep his gun in thoroughly 

 serviceable condition for any and ail emergencies. 



Fifth— We have a gun whose safety cannot be greatly doubted. If 

 is true that accidents to magazines have happened, but the liability 

 to such accidents has been reduced to a. minimum. In this gun the 

 bullet is flattened on the point, not enough to destroy its fine shoot- 

 ing, but enough to keep the point of the bullet from resting on the 

 primer of the cartridge in front of it in the magazine, and this with 

 the tight hold of the feeding spring, keeps the shock of- the recoil 

 from having any very great liability of producing an explosion in 

 the magazine. Apart frsm the magazine we have a gun whose breech 

 mechanism is more than amply strong to stand the force of the ex- 

 plosion of the cartridge. Its bolt is held in place by a heavy strut in 

 l-ear which must break before the bolt can be driven baCk by any 

 force in the cartridge, and this strut is amply strong to stand any 

 shock to which it may be subje«ted. 



I have the. diagram of this mechanism before me. and from it I see 

 that this strut is pivoted on the same screw as that, upon which the 

 hammer revolves. It is short and thick and. when the gun is closed 

 stands leaning slightly from the vertical, and iu the right direction 

 to stand the strain— under the rear of the heavy breech block that 

 closes up in rear of the plunger or bolt containing the firing pin. In 

 this this gun differs materially from the Winchester, for example: 

 In the Winchester the whole strain is takeu upon apair of linksupon 

 each side of the gun (1 have the Winchester diagrams also before me) 

 whick links are not in a straight line when the gun is closed, but de- 

 pend for their stiffness upon their hold upon the pin in the head of 

 the lever: they are held upon this pin by the position of the sul- 

 phites of the breech frame, these side plates being held in place by 

 screws passing through and through— and should these screw's 

 'strip" tbeir threads, or become worn and loose— then the side plates 

 and links may, as they already have done, blow out from the links. 

 slipping off the pin iu the lever head and exert side pressure enough 

 to tear off the side plates and then allow the bolt to fly back. 



Sixth— We have a gun whose weight and length are not excessive, 

 but with sufficient weight to make the recoil of the 00 grams powder 

 not unpleasant, and with the right length for a "handy" gun, either 

 on foot or horseback, and still have sufficient length for good shoot- 

 ing for the distance required. 



Seventh— W T e have a gun whose ammunition is not bulky or heavy 

 or unreasonably long. Its powder and lead are about as t to 3; its 

 bullet, is 214 calibers long, is naked, and has sufficient cannelures to 

 hold lubricant and take the grooves of the rifle properly, aud the 

 otto grains lead has sufficient "staying power" and "remaining 

 velocity" to give a good account of itself at the distances for which 

 it is intended. Being intended for only short or hunting distances 

 proper— say up to 200 or 250 yards— its route, flight, etc., at longer 

 ranges can only be determined after experiment. 



Itistruewe have a "b»fctle-necked" shell, and this maybe objec- 

 tionable to some; but on the other hand we could not very well I .ve 

 the straight shell of .40-caliber without increasing its length be* md 

 reason, and it also seems to be a fact that the Bottle-necked shell 

 gives more force, weight for weight of powder, than the straigtn 

 shell, while it can be as readily extracted from a clean gnu (by 

 w hich I mean one free from rast or grit, and not ore that has not 

 been fired) as the "straight shell." which is not straight at all, but 

 conical. 



Having mentioned some of the things we have, let us see what we 

 have not. 



First— We have not a lighft gallery rifle, or one intended f or the 

 lightest of game, but it is believed that even ibis gun could "bark a 

 squirrel" in skillful hands. 



Second— We have not a "long-range" target or hunting rille, but 

 one intended purposely not to be long range, with the 90 powder and 



