Nov. 26, 1885.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



S4a 



jjreased hard and in fair conditioa otherwise. The 

 box was marked ".50 cal., 115 grains powder 'Express'; for 

 Billiard Repeating Rifle." The weights of the three pow- 



lir> K' - HuHard ICxpress, 



der charges Stood, 113.1, 111.3 and 110,15, while the three 

 hullets weighod up to 303.6, 303,7, 306.8 grains respectively. 

 The trajectory heights stood at- 



Round, .')0 Yards, 100 Yards. 150 Yards. 



1 fi,791in. 9.888 in. 7.934 in. 



3 7.838 in. 11.379 in. 9,013 in. 



V 8 7,163 in. 10.061m. 7,983 in, 



m 4 7.410 in. 11,188 in. 8.077 in. 



B ,0 6.841 in. 10.048 in. 7,950 in. 



Average.. .7 7.306 iu. 10.493 in. 8.189 in. 



The trial of the BuUard .50 express over the 100-yard range 

 with the express bullet followed close upon the trial of the 

 heavier solid bullet. The rifle was still warm, and in order 

 that it might stait under similar conditions as to the interior 

 of the barrel, a sharp rubbing was given with the brush of 

 the cleaning rod. It was 11:40 o'clock, and the wind was 

 holding from the 7 o'clock quarter, but at a 15-mile-an-hour 

 rate, the barometer mercury was at 30.340 inches. The 

 thermometer was at 59. tho wet bulb thermometer standing 

 at 52, making a dew point of 45 and a humidity of 60 per 

 cent. The loading of the weapon was from the same box as 

 the 300-yard express bullet record. 



The figures are again subject to comment, especially the 

 second round, where the 75 yard screen shows a bullet mark 

 fully one- tenth of an inch higher than at the screen 25 yards 

 nearer the target. Again, the bullet would seem to have 

 been corkscrew ing its way down the range, and caught the 

 third screen on the upper section of the curve in which it 

 was traveling. The figures as deduced show : 



Round. Yards. .50 Yards. 75 Yards, 



1,... 1.586 in. 1.789 in. 1,639 in. 



3 1.585 in. 3.191 in. 2.398 in, 



S 1.746 in. 3.114 in. 1.891 in. 



4 1.761m. 1.980 m. 1.703 in, 



5 1,773 in. 3.311 in. 1,869 in. 



Average.,., 1.690 in. 2.047 in. 1.878 in. 



Whitney-Kennedy .50, Solid Ball. 



This arm is the third of the large ,50-caliber weapons 

 using both solid and express bullet. Its ammunition was 

 taken from the same boxes used by the Winchester of the 

 same caliber, and all marks and figures on that ammunition 

 apply to this. The cut of the cartridge used in the remarks 

 on the Winchester gives rather undue prominence to the 

 bottle necked feature of the shell. The cut following gives 

 I a more correct idea of the appearance of the shell. The 



■ 



shell itself is l}f inches in length. The arm weighed 8 

 pounds 11 ounces, and of this weight 3 pounds b ounces 

 were in the barrel. It had a 36 inch octagonal barrel and 

 was marked ' 'Q. 95. " The twist in the rifling was uniform, 

 one turn in 30 inches, with six grooves, each .006 of an inch 

 in depth. It was placed on the rest at 200 yards at half-past 

 ten on the morning of Oct. 19, with the barometer standing 

 ^ at 30.205, the thermometer at 68.5, the wet-bulb thermome- 

 ter at 64, indicating a dew point of 60.7 and a humidity of 

 ,^76 per cent. The wind came from the seven o'clock quarter 

 at a twelve-miles-an-hour pace. As in all the other express 

 rifles particularly the traces of the gyratory motions by 

 which the ball traveled frorn muzzle to target are noticed in 

 the figures of the trajectory heights. The figures as reached 

 are as follows: 



Round. 50 Yards. 100 Yards. lEO Yards. 



1 8,043 in, 11.346 in. 8.460 in, 



3 7,067 m, 9,341m. 8,446 in. 



3 7.678 in. 11.474 in. 8.790 in. 



4 7.108 in. 11.096 in. 8.481 in. 



5 7.690 in. 11.963 in. 9,146 in. 



Average.... 7.517 in. 11.024 in. 8.665 in. 



At the 100-yard range this rifle was tested on Oct. 10 with 

 the ammunition taken from the Winchester box. The bar- 

 ometer at the time stood at 30,310, the dry thermometer at 

 63, and the wet bulb thermometer at 55, making a dew point 

 of 48 and a humidity of 60 per cent. The wind came at 18 

 miles per hour from the 10 o'clock quarter. The results ob- 

 tained appear somewhat startling, but careful verification 

 of them and re-examination of the target shows that they are 

 entirely correct, and that the course of each bullet in the 

 series of five is most accurately noted. It affords one of 

 the most marked cases of the existence of the gyratory mo- 

 tion on the part of the bullet. Why such a motion should 

 exist we cannot now stop to consider. Whether it is due to 

 a certain relation between the powder charge and thereby 

 the bullet velocity and the character of the rifling, or to 

 other circumstances, is in some measure an open question. 

 That there is such a motion our figures show; that such a 

 motion is not confined to small arms is the experience Of 



every one who has had much to do with ordnance of a 

 larger type, where it is not unfrcquent in experimental arms 

 to see a conical solid shot go off in a long coikscrew course 

 down the range, and then after travehug in that way for a 

 distance seem to correct itself, and with the dimiuishlng 

 velocity regain a normal course and travel in the usual arc 

 and in a single vertical plane. In the table below it will be 

 observed that the third and fifth shots show trajectory points 

 on the 50 and 75 yard screens actually below the line of fire. 

 This would naturally lead to the conclusion that the shot 

 was dropping, whereas the true explanation is found in the 

 remarks above. The second shot shows the same law at 

 work, only in this case the third or 75-yard screen caught 

 the bullet at one of its upper arcs of travel, and a constantly 

 rising bullet would seem to be tho conclusion. Really 

 there was nothing of the sort, as the bullet-hole in the target 

 went to show. Under the circumstances we have calculated 

 the average trajectory on the entire line of five shots, as 

 follows: 



Round, 25 Yards. 50 Yards, 75 Yai-ds. 



1 1.090 in. 1.843 in. 1.5.53 in, 



3 1.798 in. 1,844 m. 3.781 in. 



8 1.350 in. —0.879 in. —1.714 in. 



4 3,149 in. 3,411 in, 3.533 in. 



5 1,098 in. —0.338 in. —0.008 in. 



Average.... 1.477 in. 1.178 in. 1.229 in- 



Whitney-Kennedy .50, Express Bullet. 



The trial of the Whitney-Kennedy with the light express 

 bullet at 300 yards, followed immediately upon the comple- 

 tion of the solid bullet shooting by the same rifle at that 

 range. The weapon was not taken from the rest, though 

 the barrel was cleaned by passing through the swab several 

 times. The weather conditions it is not necessary to note 

 again as they had not changed to any extent. For the report 

 on the cartridge examined see the report on the Winchester 

 . 50 express bullet, as some from the same lot of cartridges 

 were employed. The list of figures does not show in any 

 such marked degree the vagaries seen in the case of the solid 

 bullet, though the average at 150 yards would seem to be 

 rather higher than one would expect. The record shows: 

 Round. 50 Yards, 100 Yards. 150 Yards. 



1 8 , 145 in, 13 , 176 in. 9 . 769 in. 



3 6.909 m. 11.013 m. 8.946 in. 



3 7 . 240 in. 10 . 970 in. 9 , 009 in. 



4 7.771 in. 11.072 in. 8.338 in. 



5 8 . 938 in. 12 . 617 in. 9 . 464 in. 



Average. 7.800 in- 1 1.569 in. 9. 105 in. 



This rifle at 100 yards with the express bullet in it was 

 fired at half past eleven o'clock on the morning of Oct. 10, 

 and showed again the presence of this gyratory motion. 

 In the record of several of the shots, particularly is it seen 

 in the second round, which in the space between the 50 and 

 75 yard target dropped more than two inches. When the 

 arm was tried the wind was blowing from the 10 o'clock 

 quarter at the rate of 15 miles per hour. The barometer 

 stood at 30.385 inches; the thermometer at 64.5 F. ; the wet 

 bulb at 55, giving a dew point of 45.7, and a humidity of 

 just 50 per cent. For description of the ammunition see 

 that described under Winchester ,50, express, as also for cut 

 of the light bullet. The results from the measurements of 

 the screens and targets show : 



Round. 35 Yards. 50 Yards. 75 Yards. 



1 1.833 in. 2.673 in,. 1,833 in. 



3 1.380 in. 2.693 in. -583 in. 



3 1.849 in. 3.533 in. 3.1.34 in, 



4 1.743 in. 3.311m. 2.031 in. 



5 1.814 in. 3.455 in. 1..580in. 



Average 1.723 in. 



2.530 in. 



1.629 m. 



Remington .50, N. Y. State Military. 



This is the last of the .50-caliber rifles, and though not a 

 hunting weapon was put upon the rest and subjected to a trial 

 for trajectory as affording an interesting comparison with 

 the expensive and specially adapted hunting arms making 

 up the bulk of the list. It is not unusually used in field 

 practice for game, especially in the rural sections of the 

 State, and even in this city we recall a bit of very good work 

 when Hoefle, of the 8th Regiment, and well-known to those 

 who frequented Creedmobr in its earher years, waited on 

 bended knee for the approach of a mad bullock, tearing 

 along a down-town street, and when the hot breath of the 

 infuriated beast was almost in his face, pulled trigger, and a 

 .50-caliber bullet went tearing open the bovine breast. The 

 piece is slangily styled the "gas pipe" by the militia boys, 

 but that now and then a good one is to be found in the lot 

 issued to the regiments is evidenced in the figures below, 

 which were taken from the trial of a gun loaned by General 

 Robbins, State Inspector of Rifle Practice for the State, and 

 one of the most enthusiastic, successful and careful students 

 of rifle practice on the National Range. The weapon was 

 marked on the butt-plate 38-H-55. It had a 36 inch round 

 barrel and weighed 8 pounds 13 ounces without bayonet or 

 sling. The rifling has a uniform twist of one turn in 43 

 inches, with five grooves each .005 of an inch deep and .16 

 of an inch wide. It was loaded with ammunition of the 

 Winchester make, selected by State Officers as the best 

 adapted to the arm. The bullet is of pure lead and is set 

 down as of 450 grains weight with 70 grains of powder be- 

 hind. The bullet is a three-groove one. Examination of 

 hree rounds found the powder in good conditioa and the 



weights at 71.3, 69 8 and 70 grains respectively, while the 

 corresponding bullets weighed 450.8, 450.3 and 449.3 grains. 



The weapon was put on the rest for the 300-yard test at 

 10:15 o'clock on the morning of Oct. 1, with the wind 

 blowing in gusts at an average of about eight miles per hour 

 from the one o'clock quarter. The barometer stood 30.150 

 inches, the thermometer at 76 F., the wet-bulb thermometer 



. at 67 and the dew point at 61, with 60 per cent, humidity 

 The rifle had been fired thousands of times before, and 

 though old and rusty without showed that it had a good and 

 trusty barrel, making a record as follows: 



Round. 50 Yards. 100 Yards. 150 yards. 



1 10. 313 in. 13. 850 in. 10. ,589 in. 



3 10. 094 in. 13. 728 in. 10. 883 in. 



3 10.068 in. 13.664 in, 10.499 in. 



4 9.7,54 in. 13.263 in. 10.376 in. 



5 10.123 in. 18.673 in. 10.403 m, 



Average ... 10.050 in. 13.635 in. 10.530 in. 



It was not until half past four on the afternoon of Oct, 12 

 that the rest was clear for the Remington State at 100 yards, 

 and it was then tried under wind blowing at 19 miles per hour 

 from the 3 o'clock quarter. The barometer stood 30,390, the 

 thermometer 54.5, the wet bulb thermometer 50.5 and the 

 dew point 46.5 with 51 per cent, humidity. The ammuni- 

 tion was same as used at 200 yards, and the weapon surprised 

 its friend by its steadiness. It is to be regretted that more 

 care was not taken and every weapon in the hands of the 

 volunteers able to shoot as well.. The record stood : 



Round. 25 Yards. 50 Yards. 75 Yards. 



1 3,398 m. 3,933 in. 3,393 in. 



3 3.290 in, 3.935 in. 3.395 in. 



3 :2.385in. 3.049 in, 3.534 in. 



4 3.438 in. 3.100 in. 3.G05in. 



5 3.351 in. 3, 937 in. 3,439 m. 



Average... 2.332 i". 3.986 in. 2.469 in. 



[to be cos tin U ED.] 



NOTES FROM ROCHESTER. 



TWO events of recent occurrence here may recall remin- 

 iscences of an interesting nature to some of your readers 

 who knew Rochester and its sportsmen twenty -five or thirty 

 years ago. The departure from this moving vrorld of Martin 

 Mclntyre, was one of the events, and the burning of the Sea 

 Breeze House was the other, 



Mart, as he was familiarly called, had attained the age of 

 three score and ten years, and if he had any more than the 

 usual reluctance to bid good-bye to the earth, I presume it 

 was from the fact that in doing so he had to lay aside his 

 gun and saw no pro.^pect of resuming its use on the other side 

 of the Styx. He lived in this vicinity from his early days and 

 was one of several men who found game and fish so abund- 

 ant hereabout as to afford a livelihood in their pursuit. He 

 was ardently devoted to field sports and retained his love for 

 them to the last, and long after there was any occasion to in- 

 crease his income from that source. Many years ago he got 

 possession of an unpromising elevation in the marsh at the 

 mouth of the Genesee River, seven miles from this city, 

 built a small house and beaan to accumulate money by 

 furnishing boats, fishing-tackle, etc., to those of a sporting 

 inclination who found the vicinity a good angling resort, and 

 he also supplied refreshments for the inner man to parties 

 who hearcl of his capacity to provide at short notice white- 

 fish dinners of a quahty to rival the turbrt of old Rome. In 

 time Roctiester found itself in need of watering place accom- 

 modations. Mclntyre's site on Lake Ontario was recognized 

 as the best to be had, and a company one day exchanged 

 $30,000 for bis hut and the land about it. On this sum' he 

 retired from business life and passed the remainder of his 

 days quietly, but managed to shoot more than a hundred 

 hares last season in the town of Greece, on the fields and 

 waters of which I have no doubt he had bagged enough 

 game to freight an express train. 



The Sea Breeze House was a hostlery built at the sand bar 

 between Lake Ontario and Irondequoit Bay a generation or 

 so ago, when the wildfowl shooting and fishing to be had In 

 the vicinity attracted sportsmen thither. As two lines of 

 railway now reach the piace. I need not say that the ducks 

 are a little shy of the new summer hotels that dot the bar; 

 and rise rather higher than formerly in going over it into the 

 bay. I have heard some great stories about the endless 

 flights of ducks which in the days of auld langsyne kept the 

 guns hot on the sand bar, and the small, solitary flock I saw 

 there a few days ago, when curiosity led me that way, told 

 that the times change, and wild ducks change their flight 

 with them. But in spite of the locomotive a sprinkliog of 

 birds still come into the bay, and some fair bags of widgeon 

 and black ducks were shot there this fall. The ponds on the 

 lake coast west of the river are not disturbed by steam 

 whistles, and are otherwise more attractive for duclfs in the 

 fall, and in consequence good sport is had on them occasion- 

 ally. A gentleman living near one of the ponds assured me 

 that he had shot nearly two hundred blacks and grays this 

 fall. He also had some excellent sport shooting plover, a 

 good flight of which very accommodatingly came on to a bog 

 where he was ready for them. A fisherman told me that 

 one day recently on hftiug his nets, set for whiteflsh, in water 

 110 feet deep in Lake Ontario, four miles from land, he 

 found drowned in the meshes twelve d ucks of the variety 

 called by local shooters "coweens," worthless, by the! way, 

 except when, as in this instance, they serve to adorn a tale. 

 He thought they must have dived to the nets at the depth 

 above given. 



I had some amusement a short time since building and 

 testing a craft constructed on a principle not, to my knowl- 

 edge, described by any of the naval architects, from JSToah 

 to him who desiened the Puritan. The vessel is of the 

 water shoe family, and consists of two watertight floats about 

 seven feet long, fourteen inches wide and four inches deep. 

 They are united by a joint connection which allows them to 

 move parallel, but not to separate. They thus constitute a 



