266 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[May 1, 1884. 



fan, and drooping wings. He would nod his bead in time to 

 the movement of his feet, as though listening to music we 

 could not hear. It was a scene droll, at the same time 

 picturesque, the tall green pines above thtir carpeting of red 

 brown needles, a red doe standing like a statue with out- 

 stretched neck, and glaring eye, a small, long-billed, dark- 

 eyed, mottled bud, marching back and forth with all the 

 pornp of a grenadier, and two sportsmen on their knees as 

 silent spectators. 



"Woodcock, in their migrations south, are sure to give the 

 best of s-port, for though one shoots a favorite cover clean, 

 two or three frosty nights will bring others to inhabit it 

 again. But when the cold blasts of November whistle 

 through the leafless trees, and the cokl nights freeze the loam 

 toe hard for a woodcock's bill, then they" bid adieu to our 

 northern ken, and are off for a warmer clime, leaving the 

 ruffed grouse the only game bird of our woodlands. 



THE PERFORMANCE OF SHOTGUNS, 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



Practical men in every branch of sport, are unanimously 

 calling for an all-around type, be it a yacht, a canoe, or a 

 rod. While excellency of special types has been, in late 

 years, eagerly sought and fairly attained, the all-around types 

 have been sadly neglected, almost unthoueht of. In fite- 

 arms, for instance, we have the far-killing 10-gaugc choke- 

 bore for waterfowl, the 12 gauge modified choke for field 

 "birds, the wonderfully fast and effective rifle repeater for 

 deer and grizzlies. But what has yet the inventive skill of 

 gunsmiths done to put into the hands of the woodsman a 

 suitable weapon to meet the daily emergencies of his adven- 

 turous journey through forests and streams? 



The woodsman, for safety as well as for food, wants a 

 weapon with which he can kill anything, either fur or feather, 

 which chance nifty throw across Ids path. "With a shotgun 

 he cannot succeed in killing large game, while a rifle will 

 not afford him any opportunity to bag birds. To this I hear 

 the interested manufacturer 'reply: "Let him take both." 

 When the woodsman, burdened with his canoe and supplies, 

 is carrying- over the mountainous range, creeping under the 

 fallen tree, walking knee deep in the swampy path, his mus- 

 cles strained, sweating and breathless, how comforting and 

 refreshing it should be to throw another ten pounds on the 

 weary man's back! 



A 'combination of the rifle and shotgun in a single, safe, 

 effective, compact, fast-shooting and light weapon is then a 

 desideratum; and, from the intense interest this question 

 has raised every time it was mentioned, the gunsmith who 

 will furnish it.'l am sure, will be handsomely repaid. 



"While it would be unfair not to acknowledge what has 

 already been accomplished in this way by two very mer- 

 itorious productions — Mr. Shelton's auxiliary Tifle and Mr. 

 Baker's three-barrel gun (whose success should induce com- 

 petition)— it is, at the same time, only justice to say that 

 neither weapon fills the bill in such a way that no further 

 improvement should be luoked for. 



The auxdiary rifle, cannot be. so adjusted as to be perfectly 

 accurate, and it is obvious why. The adjusting piece is a 

 lead collar around the rifle barrel at its muzzle end, which 

 has to be reduced to the gauge of the gun at the head of the 

 chamber, through which it is shoved into the gun barrel; 

 from the head of the chamber up to the choke the bore of 

 the gun is gradually widening, so that when this centeiing 

 collar has reached its resting point it fits loose, thus causing 

 vibrations which seriously impair the accuracy of the 

 shooting. 



After much trouble and many trials, however, by getting 

 solder put aTound the muzzle end of the foul-protector which 

 screws on this rifle, to have it fit exactly the inside of my 

 gun's muzzle. I have succeeded in partially remedying this 

 defect. In a gunsmith's shop at Montreal, I was shown 

 another auxiliary, left there by a friend of mine for the 

 object of correcting the same fault. Whether he was suc- 

 cessful or not I am not aware. 



The three-barrel gun is a very accurate, powerful and well 

 finished weapon, each barrel, shot and rifle, doing exactly 

 what the maker claims; but a very serious drawback to it, 

 as far as my own experience goes, is the complication result- 

 ing from the connection of the rifle and left gun locks. "To 

 operate the rifle hammer, <8>ock the left hand shotgun lock, 

 and then push forward the thumb piece A of rifle hammer, 

 which wilt cause the hook C to engage with the pin E.which 

 ' is attached to the tumbler of the left hand lock; then by 

 pulling the back trigger, the rifle hammer will be caused to 

 strike the firing pin at B and stop, thus not allowing the 

 left band hammer to go quite far enough to reach its firing 

 pin. After firing the rifle, cocking the left hand hammer 

 throws the rifle lock out of gear, tken the shotgun locks are 

 entirely independent of the rifle lock." This extract from 

 the maker's instructions how to use his gun shows that it is 

 altogether too complicated to be really effective, on the 

 ground, where nine times out of ten suceess depends on 

 quick action. I have always wondered why the inventor has 

 not adopted an independent self-cocking rifle lock, with a 

 safety catch, as that used in the hammerless? This would 

 undoubtedly add much value to his gun. 



As to its selling price, 1 may say also that the manufacturer 

 is n-aking us pay rather too high for his patent. Of two guns 

 exactly the same grade, the double barrel be sells for $45, 

 the treble barrel $75, making for the. rifle barrel and lock 

 alone $30, the full price of the best repeaters on the market, 

 representing three times the labor and material and surely 

 no less ingenuity. 



Both the auxiliary and the three-barrel, and this is my 

 capital objection, are, like all breechloaders, too slow ex- 

 tracting, reloading and recucking to compare in effective- 

 ness with the repeater. They are unquestionably worthy im- 

 provements on the general gun, yet not fully what is re- 

 quired. 



My object in writing this paper is not to detract from the 

 real merits of these two weapons, both of which I am glad 

 to possess and use, as the best all-around guus yet produced. 

 I insist on their defects and insufficiency only to show the 

 urgency of improvements, and to induce inventors to search 

 for something still better, 



The woodsman's gun must be single barrel and repeater, 

 capable of shootiug both bullet and shot— in other words, a 

 modification ot the present repeating rifle. As for details, I 

 will mention: Barrel, cylindrical smoothbore, about .65 

 rifle caliber or 18 gun gauge, 27 or i 8 inches long, three dis- 

 tinct metal rartridges, round bullet, Ituck shot and fine shot, 

 lever action, acting at will as repeater or singleloader, 

 weight 8 pounds. 



The repeater is indispensable, as rarely a single shot will 

 finish large or dangerous game, and as more than one may 

 be shot at. The half magazine, with 5 or 6 cartridges, is 



quite sufficient to meet any emergency; and to avoid com- 

 plication in the action, it should be used to store only bullet 

 cartridges, the repeating being hardly required with the shot, 

 the shot cartridges might be used by operating the gun as 

 singleloader, while the contents of the magazine would be 

 held in resi-rve. 



The caliber of the barrel, -fifo inch, is a sufficient compro- 

 mise of the rifle and shotgun to secure efficiency in shooiing 

 both bullet and shot. The cylinder bore is necessary to 

 make the bullet accurate, while small-gauged guns need no 

 choking to give hard and close shot shootiug. 



The round or spherical bullet dispenses with the rifling, 

 which would make the barrel unfit to shoot shot. And it 

 must not be forgotten that the round ball, large caliber, is 

 the most effective form in which the same weight of lead can 

 be cast (Van Dyke, "Still Hunter," pp. 342, 345), also that 

 the round ball will make seventy or eighty yards or more in 

 half the time the other does, and therefore make much less 

 of a curve (Idem, p. 347). In fact, up to 100 and 150 yards 

 (which are about the longest ranges a practical hunter ex- 

 pects to kill) the round bullet has a flatter trajectory and a 

 greater penetration aud killing power than that of any other 

 shape, while its comparative lightness requiring less powder 

 lessens the recoil. It would also allow making a shorter and 

 more compact cartridge. The Indians in this country never 

 use in their hunting any other than the round bullet. 



It is useless to add that this bullet must fit exactly the bore 

 of the barrel. I would further suggest, to secure the full 

 propelling power through the whole length of the bairel, the 

 insertion in the shell of a thick concave felt wad, to nest the 

 bullet in, over the powder, this shape preventing any upset- 

 ting of the wad by the force of explosion, and thereby loss 

 of gases. 



As to the action, that of any of the leading American 

 magazine rifles would do, with but slight alterations in size, 

 and some improvement, perhaos, to make the singleloading 

 more handy and quicker, the H«tchkiss being, 1 believe, the 

 most perfect on this point. 



The weight of the projected weapon is also a matter of im- 

 portance ; so telling it is on the woodsman's shoulder in a day's 

 tramp, that any unnecessary ounces of this item should be 

 di.-pensed with. What is strictly consistent with strength 

 and steadiness only should be allowed. Owing to the com- 

 parative lightness, both in lead and powder, of the cartridge, 



I should think eight pounds quite enough. The actual 

 weight of repeating rifles on the market, ranges from 8-J- to 



II pounds As the thickness of their barrel goes a great way 

 in that weight, why not build the barrel of this with same 

 material as the shotgun, twist or Damascus, giving much 

 more strength to same bulk? 



The above covers about all the points claimed by me at the 

 outset for the projected weapon. Not being a specialist, I 

 don't assume, of course, to be strictly correct on all the de- 

 tails; but, feeling that the idea I am making myself the 

 humble exponent of, is, in the whole, practical and useful to the 

 craft, I repectf ully invite discussion on it by more competent 

 men than myself, confident it Will more effectively bring out 

 the all-around gun in the best .shape it can be produced. 



And I trust American makers, whose rare ingenuity has 

 so wonderfully developed excellency of firearms in a variety 

 of styles, will seon give us the suggested weapon, with the 

 same degree of perfection attained in others. 



Sorel, P. Q., April, 1884. J- B. BltOUSSEAU. 



Following is the table of charges for 



shotguns, 



drawn up 



by Maj. H. W. Merrill: 









Gauge 



Diameters 



Areas of 



Eatios of 



Loads Pow- 



Loads of 



Numbers. 



of Bores. 



Bores. 



Areas. 



der Nearly. 



Shot Nearly 



4 



1.08 



9137 



2.46 



7^d 



2 7-1 6oz. 



5 



.99 



76 c >3 



2.C6 



6 15d 



2 l-16oz. 



6 



.98 



6782 



1.82 



5^d 



lfcoz. 



7 



.89 



6277 



1.67 



5d 



1 l8-16oz. 



8 



.85 



5052 



1.51 



*m 



lWpz. 



9 



.82 



6275 



1.41 



m& 



1 7-i6oz. 



10 



.79 



4398 



1.31 



4d 



1 5 16oz. 



11 



.76 



4521 



1 21 



3%d 



1 3-16oz. 



12 



.73 



4176 



1.12 



3J^d 



l^oz. 



13 



.71 



3956 



1.06 



3 1-5d 



1 1-160Z. 



14 



.69 



3736 



1.00 



3d 



loz. 



15 



.67 



3516 



0.94 



2 4-5d 



.15-160Z. 



16 



.65 



3228 



0.86 



2 3-5d 



.14-160Z. 



Note.— The unit of measure 



is three dra 



tns of powd 



er and one 



ounce of e 



hot for a No. 14 gun. 



Tatham's s1 



andard shot 



No. 6. 



MICHIGAN NOTES. 



THE duck shooting has been excellent during the last two 

 or three weeks. The early spring shooting, however, 

 was a dead failure. Those who started to meet the first 

 flights and shoot over air holes while the ice was solid, were 

 woefully disappointed. One well-known shot, who made 

 the arduous trip upon the ice from New Baltimore to Ihe 

 house of the Lake St. Clair Fishing aud Shooting Club, aver- 

 aged one-quarter of a duck a day. He was gone twelve days, 

 and all told, in the tw< lve days, he killed three ducks. He 

 believes firmly in the saying that spring duck shooting is in- 

 deed a lottery. Just now the shooting is at its best. Not 

 many redheads have been killed, but the bluebills have been 

 killed by the thousands. And they are hard to dispose of — 

 the dead ones, I mean— for who likes spring ducks? Bah 1 1 

 don't. Tough, thin, fishy, not any in mine, thank you, I'll 

 wait till October. 



The shooting at the St. Clair flats during the last ten days 

 has been especially fine. So, also, it has been along the 

 Lake Erie marshes. I can but think that the good results of 

 prohibiting battery shootiug are now being reaped in the 

 increased numbers of ducks. 



As yet snipe have been found in no great numbers, al- 

 though bags of from eight to fifteen have been made just 

 outside the city limits. Should we soon have a warm rain 

 the birds will come iu greater numbers. 



Messrs. Harrington & Richardson are to be congratulated 

 upon having secured the services of Mr. John E. Long, who 

 now travels in the interests of their excellent gun, I know 

 of no one better fitted to represent such a worthy arm. John 

 E. (I hate to call a gentleman Johnny) has the entbusiasn we 

 all like to see; a long experience in fire-arms such as few can 

 boast of, and he is moreover as complete a sportsmen as ever 

 trod a field of Michigan in quest of grouse, or quail, or snipe. 



QuaiJ wintered nicely notwithstanding a long, severe 

 winter. I have heard of none that were frozen. An old 

 farmer a few miles out tells me of a lively bevy that by some 

 wonderful chance escaped the hordes of hunters who beat 

 the fields about Detroit incessantly. May that bevy five 

 long and prosper and multiply. Delta. 



Detroit, Mich., April 26. 



LIFE SAVING CREW GUNNERS. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



It is generally supposed that the crews of the different life 

 saving stations on our coast are not allowed to be out of 

 hailing distance from their headquarters from the 1st of 

 September until the 1st of May. the period for which their 

 services are engaged by the United States Government. In- 

 deed, if I am not mistaken, there is a special rule to this 

 effect, yet many of the members of these crews, especially 

 those on the New Jersey coast, spend almost the entire 

 portion of the day at a great distance from the station houses 

 behind their decoys, with their guns at same point or in some 

 cove during the ducking season. 



Some years ago $40 per moith from the. 1st of November 

 until the 1st of April was the amount paid each member of 

 the crew, while the captain drew more from the Government. 

 The monthly salary paid them now has since been raised to 

 $45 per month, and again to $50, and the commandant's $75. 

 While many lives have been saved by this branch of the 

 Government service, complaint has been raised this season 

 that should a vessel run ashore during daylight it would be 

 difficult at many points to get the crews quickly together in 

 order to ret der prompt assistance; indeed oneinstance has 

 lately occurred where a schooner, in broad daylight, in 

 entering one of the important inlets of the New Jersey coast 

 went aground owing to poor pilotage, not one of the life 

 saving crew being on hand to do the work as was wanted. 

 After running aground, bay men, not of the life saving crew, 

 had to be employed to aid in getting the vessel off, the crew 

 of the station being off in the bay shooting. 



Again, while those not engaged at the stations are endeav- 

 oring to eke out a livelihood during the dull season of the 

 year, with their guns, the stationmen, well paid by the Gov- 

 ernment, occupy the best points of the ducking grounds and 

 greatly interfere with the amateur, who visits these sections 

 ^eking a day's enjoyment, I am writing in a general way 

 but could be more specific in relating the complaints that 

 have reached my ears. It would seem to me that the life 

 saving crews should be compelled to obey the rules under 

 which they were made members of this service, and not be 

 allowed to carry on market shooting. Their pay is good, 

 yet wheu a point is occupied by a city sportsmen and his 

 bayman, and fowl are flying, these station men push directly 

 in alongside of them, throw out their decoys, and claim a 

 part of the shooting or else go somewhere directly to lee- 

 ward and ruin the sport for both parties. Artichoke. 



CONCERNING ROBINS. 



Editor Forest and Stn'eam: 



In your issue of March 13, "A. T. S." writes that he used 

 the following language to a Floridian who had been guilty 

 of shooting robins : "Fortunate for you, sir, that you live 

 in the South ; if you were seen in the North with that bag 

 of song birds in your possession you would be lynched, and 

 your carcass given to the crows." The indignation of 'A. 

 T. S." was just, but if it be true that those who shoot robins 

 in the North are lynched, then a certain eminent man, a 

 writer whose books most of us love, is in great danger. Mr. 

 John Burroughs lives, I believe, on the banks of the Hud- 

 son, near New York City, and yet Mr. Burroughs, in a 

 charming sketch published in Seritmer's Monthly for Decem- 

 ber, 1880, unblushingly states that he hunted robins. Says 

 Mr. Burroughs : ' 'In the afternoon, remembering the robins, 

 and that robins are game when one's larder is low, I set out 

 alone for the pine bottoms, a mile or more distant," In lit- 

 erary matters Mr. Burroughs is quite an authority, and if 

 we allow also that he is to be heard on the question of what 

 is and what is not lawful game, and take for true his state- 

 ment "that robins are game when one's larder is low." then 

 we must certainly acquit the Fjoridian; for his reply to "A. 

 T. S.," "O, them's mighty fine eating," shows that he only 

 shot them to eat and not for the mere sport of killing. 



But it is likely that Mr. Burroughs, charming writer and 

 learned critic that he is, is not yet an authority on questions 

 of game and shooting, and that he and the Floridian are 

 both in the wrong. It is evident to me that if Mr. Bur- 

 roughs is a sportsman at all he is remarkable both for want 

 of success and for strict truthfulness. In the sketch above 

 mentioned, after stating that one of his companions was "an 

 old ducker," he says of himself: "For my part I had never 

 killed a duck— except with an ax— nor have I yet." Now 

 would any sportsman kid a duck with an ax? Perhaps "his 

 larder was low," but even then would any sportsman make 

 the damaging confession against himself that he had never 

 killed a duck in any other way? However, the object of 

 this communication is not to settle the status of Mr. Bur- 

 roughs as asportsman, but to call the attention of "A. T. S." 

 to the fact that, as you, Mr. Editor stated, the Floridians 

 are not the only people guilty of the offense of which he 

 complains. In the case of Mr. Burroughs the offense is 

 somewhat aggravated by the fact that the robin has been to 

 him a source of much inspiration, the title to one of his 

 earliest books being "Wake Robin." 



Let no one think that I wish any of the missionaries of 

 whom "A. T. S." speaks, sent to correct Mr Burroughs 

 from his error of robin hunting, still less that I have called 

 attention to this matter in order to have him lynched. In 

 his favor it can be said that his hunting does but little hurt 

 to game or birds of any kind, and 1 doubt if even the robins 

 would wish it prohibited. 



Unlike most sportsmen he does not measure the success of 

 his hunting by the amount of animal life destroyed. Going 

 to hunt robins and finding none, he comes back satisfied, be- 

 cause he had seen a wild turkey. ' T found no robins, " says 

 he, "but went back satisfied with having seen the turkey, 

 and having had an experience that I knew would stir up the 

 envy and disgust of my companions." To show how little 

 dependent upon the mere shooting is his enjoyment of the 

 hunt, read the following from the same sketch: 



"The ducks flew quite briskly that night; I could hear 

 the whistle of their wings as I stood upon the shore indulg- 

 ing myself in listening. The ear loves a good field as well 

 as the eye and the night is the best time to listen, to put 

 your ear to nature's keyhole and see what the whimperings 

 and the preparations mean. 1 overheard some muskrats 

 engage in a very gentle and affectionate jabber beneath a 

 rude 'pier of brush and earth upon which I was standing. 

 The old, old story was evidently being rehearsed under there, 

 but the occasional splashing of the ice-cold water made it 

 seem like very chilling business; still we all know it is not," 



During a three days' stay they bagged but one duck, yet 

 Mr. Burroughs seem's to have counted it a successful hunt. 

 "With our one duck, but with many pleasant remembrances 

 we returned to Washington that afternoon." 



Happy Mr. Burroughs! we could better lynch a better 

 sportsman. J- E. Roddick. 



GAiJtESvrLLE, Ark., April 17. 



