Deo. 17, 1885.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



407 



twist of oue turn in 33 inches, and tlie six grooves were each 

 ,006 inches deep and .140 wide. The loading was with am- 

 munilion coming from the U. M. 0. Co., of Bridgeport, 

 Conn., and on opening the powder was found in fine condi- 

 tion. The bullets with two grooves had a composition of 



pure lead. The cartridges were nominally .40-60-310. AVhen 

 opened three charges of powder weighed respectively 60.1. 

 60.7 and 60.5, while the bullets were 311.1, 311.1 and 209.8. 

 The trajectory table shows: 



Kound. 50 Yards. 100 Yards. 150 Yards. 



1 7.911 in. 11.355 in. 8.866 in. 



3 8.217 iu. ll.S'J''iu. 9.490 in. 



3 8.831 in. i;J. r'37in. 9.989 m. 



4 8.328 iu. il.5S3in. 8.968 in. 



5 8.833 iu. 13.B5yin. 9.647 m. 



Averaae 8.399'". 13.044 in. 9.390 in. 



The trial at 100 yards took place at 4 o'clock on the after- 

 noon of Oct. 5. The weather conditions at this time were: 

 Barometer, 30.140 inches; dry thermomct^ir, 58.5°; wet bulb 

 thermometer, 50"; dew point, 45.1, and humidity, 50 per 

 cent, of saturation. The wind at the time was from the 6 

 o'clock quarter, six miles an hour. The trajectoiy figures 

 were as follows: 



Kouiid. 35 Yards. 50 Yards. 75 Yards. 



1 3.0.54 iu. 3.441 in. 3.158 in. 



3 1.938 iu. 3.355 in. 3.0S6 in. 



3 1.988 in. 3.443 in. 3.043 in. 



4 1.9301n. 3.470 in. 3.111 in. 



5 1.931 in. 2.405 iu. 3.140 in. 



Average 1.964 in. 2.423 in. 8.107 in. 



IVlaynard .40. 



There was but oue arm of theMaynard pattern in the test, 

 and this was tried at each of the two ranges. Its manner of 

 action by tipping made it an inconvenient oue to load after 

 each discharge, but it was very steady iu its work, and the 

 muzzle measurements frequently taken enabled the trajectory 

 figures to be accurately determined. The rifle, when the 

 time came to test it, was found to have the firing pin broken 

 off. This in another arm would have made the piece 

 entirely useless, but inquiry showed that the daughter of the 

 range inn-keeper had a little .33-caliber Maynard, with which 

 the fair markswomau was very clever at popping glass balls 

 from a trap. This was borrowed, and it was but the work 

 of a moment to chauge the stock from the .33-caliber barrel 

 to the .40 caliber one, and the test went on without any 

 trouble. The accident really enabled us to show one of the 

 points of merit of the Maynard in the interchangeability of 

 barrels on the same stock. The arm had a half octagon 

 barrel, 39 inches long, with the shop mark 3,349. The 

 entire arm weighed 8 pounds 6^^ ounces, and in the barrel 

 there were 5 pouuds 4 ounces of metal. There were six 

 grooves with a uniform twist of one turn in 38 inches. The 

 grooves were .003 inch deep and .140 inch wide. The load- 

 ing of the piece was from a lot of cartridges sent down from 

 the armory of tbe Massachusett Arms Co. with the arm. 

 They were loaded according to the letter of advice accom- 

 panying them, with Hazard's FG powder, 70 grains, with a 

 leaden bullet ot: 340 grains. This is the only case of a 

 breechloader where the loading was done by the parties send- 

 ing the arm, and the reason is manifest to those who know 

 that Maynard ammunition is not sold usually in the shop. 

 The company sent extra shells, bullets and loading devices, 

 but we were well enough satisfied with the lot of cartridges 

 sent to employ them in the trial. Three cartridges when 



opened showed the bullet to have' one large groove,5while 

 three powder charges weighed up to 57.1, 56 and 60.5 grains, 

 a difference so marked ti-om the nominal weight that the 

 •charges were rewcigbed. The corresponding bullets weighed 

 343.5, 340.3 and 343.1. 



The 300-yard test was made on Oct. 1, with the barometer 

 standing at 30.170 inches, the thermometer at 55", and the 

 wet-bulb thermometer at 54°, giving a dew i>oint of 53 and 

 :a humi(iity of 93 per cent. It was about 7 o'clock in the 

 morning when the trial was made, and what wind there was 

 •came from the 7 o'clock quarter at two miles per hour. The 

 ,300-3- ard trajectory heights stood : 



Kound. 50 Yards. 100 Yai-ds. l.bO Yards. 



1 7.965 in. 11.067 in. 8.871 in. 



3 7.903 in. 11.054 in. 8.805 in. 



3 7.932 in. 10.999 in. 8.849 in. 



4 8.071 in. 11.295 in. 9.033 in. 



6 7.949 in. 11.0;jl in. S. 6.59 in. 



Average 'i. 9 57 in, 11.087 in. 8.843 in. 



The 100 yard trial of the arm took place at 8 o'clock on 

 the morning of Oct. 13, with an eighteeu-miles-per-hour 

 wind blowing from the t o'clock quarter. The barometer 

 readiia^ wes !)0.,S{5 ioclifis, the dry thermometer stood at 

 •^0" f\p4 t|)^ wpt \vi\h !i}er,'TK)M?PtPr 4 §..5% n\p^p^ $ f^t^ 



lated dew point of 43 and a humidity of 74 per cent. The 



arm and ammunition were as before, and the test showed: 



Romid. 36 Yards. 50 Yards. 76 Yards. 



1 1.704 m. 3.099 in. 1.801 in. 



3 1..579 in. 1.986 in. 1.813 in. 



3..,.,.,., 1.766 in. . 3.331m. ' 1.903 in. 



4. ....... . 1.973 in. 3.3.55 in. 3.035 in. 



5. ...w.,.,. 1.730 in. 3.114 iu. 1.92:3 in. 



Average 1.758 in. 



3.155 in. 



1.895 in. 



A TRA.rECTORY COHBECTION. 



A transposition in our trajectory report last week gave the 

 record of the Merrill rifle to the Romer and vice -versa. In 

 fact it was the Merrill which was tried at 100 yards, and the 

 100-yard table belongs to this fine weapon of the old type 

 and time, when accuracy was put before convenience of 

 handling, and the Romer rifle tried at.200 yards from the 

 rigid rest must* be credited with the table attributed to the 

 Merrill arm. A letter from the Major clears up other points 

 in this provoking complication. In the pamphlet form in 

 which it is intended to make the report of the trial a perma- 

 uent record, this, together with minor typographical errors, 

 will be coiTCCted as far as possible. 

 Editor Forest and Stream: 



The "Merrill rifle," made by E. Phillips about ten years 

 ago, which was tested for 100 "yards only at the Foiiest and 

 Stre,\m trial on the 13th of October, 1885, j-equires the fol- 

 lowing in substance to be published in your columns iu or- 

 der to correct in some respects the report upon it in your 

 last issue of Dec. 10, 1885. 



It is a muzsileloader hunting and target rifle of ordinary 

 "type" and form, well gotten up; weight entire, 11 pounds 

 Qi ounces; length of barrel, 38 inches; patent breech, caliber 

 .43 inch ; the lifting is a gain twist, but the. degree of it is 

 not known (by me). It has six grooves, each .01 inch deep, 

 and. 105 inch in width; peef^ and globe sights, not "teles- 

 copic," and it was sighted at the trial with the former, and 

 not with the latter; has a set trigger and metallic bullet 

 starter which sets over the muzzle in loading, but it has no 

 "false muzzle;" patch used at the trial was of linen oiled, 

 and bullet a light conical or "sugar loaf," which is cotTectly 

 represented in the cut and description of it in your last issue, 

 also the powder charge. The rifle was adapted to, and hence 

 shot from, Mr. Romer's bench rest at the trial, and not from 

 the iron rest xised on the field. The second shot followed 

 so nearly the first one that the rifle was then changed in rest 

 position in order to meet the requirements of The experi- 

 menter. "With sucli a charge from such a weapon," as the 

 report says, "the shooting was of course very accurate, and 

 a very flat curve is shown as follows: 85 yards, 1.130 inches; 

 50 yards, 1,306 inches; 75 yards, 1.373 inches." 



This table, published in the Dec. 10 issue, stands assigned 

 to Romer's muzzleloader, whereas his table (assigned to 

 Merrill's rifle) is the next table published above mine. His 

 table is for 300 yards, and his rifle did this shooting on Sept. 

 39. from the iron rest. His curve is published as follows: 

 35 yards. 4.499; 50 yards, 6.399; 75 yards, 4.993. 



The Bland rifle was first tested in the iron rest on Sept. 39 

 for 300 yards, and next again on Oct. 13 in the Romer rest 

 for 100 yards. 



These explanations, I hope, may assist you, and make 

 things more clear to your readers. 

 New York, Dec. 14. MAJ. H, W. MerrilL. 



THE LYMAN SIGHT FOR DEER HUNTING. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



For the consideration of such of your readers as may be 

 interested in rifle shooting, and especially in hunting with a 

 magazine gun, I wish io%ive my views as to the best way of 

 using the Lyman sight for shooting at deer or other moving 

 game. 



I have no fault to find with the sight itself, for in my 

 opinion it is just right and needs no improvement, but I dis- 

 agree with Mr. Lyman as to the right way of using it to get 

 the best results in hunting. 



His directions are to remove the middle sight entirely and 

 use only the Lyman sight and front sight, claiming that the 

 middle sight is not needed and only obstructs the vision. 

 Now, let me describe the middle sight which I use, and the 

 advantage which I claim for it. 



1 file off the sides of a common buck-horn sight, leaving 

 a width at the top of but little more than one-fourth of an 

 inch, and make the notch large enough to show the front 

 sight plainly, thus ; 



Then I put my sights at such an elevation that to hit a 

 small mark at a short distance, say at twenty or twenty-five 

 yards, I must look through the bottom of the large aperture 

 of the Lyman sight and see the top of the front sight just 

 flush with the top of the middle sight, as shown above. By 

 this means I have as good a sight as can be made for shoot- 

 ing at any still game at a short distance. 



Now for a running shot, and it is for this that I really 

 want a Lyman sight, I look carelessly through the large 

 aperture, taking no notice of the middle sight and thinking 

 of nothing except to bring the front sight on the object to 

 he hit. It is natural to look through neai'ly the center of the 

 Lyman sight, giving a little more elevation than at first but 

 none too much for deer shooting. In fact with a good rifle 

 the bullet will hit just where the sight is held at all'ordinary 

 distances as shooting is done iu the woods. The middle 

 sight will be fairly below the front sight and not in the way 

 in the least, especially when we consider that the gun is 

 always moving upward or sideways, but never downward 

 while aiming at a running deer. The front and middle 

 sights will have this appearance. 



Now for a long distance, say for a somewhat long stand- 

 ing shot, and when there is no time to elevate sights, I look 

 through the extreme upper part of the Lyman sight and in- 

 ciease the elevation fully as much as one lift on a common 

 middle sight. This will bring the front sight still higher 

 above the middle sight, thus : 



In this manner fchree ditfcreut elevations can be obtained 

 jwij^out altering sjghtfior takiog tjie guafro^iypyr gboidder, 



and in every case the middle sight is there to show exactly 

 how coarse or tine you are aiming, with — so far as I can see 

 —no possible disadvantage in its use. 



There are many advantages in the use of such a eight. If 

 you have raised your Lyman sight for target shooting, the 

 middle sight will show you exactly where to replace it and 

 you do not have to remember what number it was on before 

 you elevated it. Then, if your front sight— or, in fact, any 

 one of the three — gets displaced by an accidental bump, or 

 some one thoughtlessly twists your Ijyman sight to a ditt'erent 

 elevation, a single glance through your sights detects the 

 dilflculty. Otherwise you may find it out by shooting over 

 the back of the only deer of the season that stops to look at 

 you. 



There are some cases where it is not practicable to use the 

 Lyman sight at all. After it is too dark to see through even 

 the large aperture you can see to shoot a deer at short range, 

 especially if you use an ivory front sight. Then the notch 

 in the middle sight cannot be seen, but the top being narrow 

 and the corners distinct, you can draw over the center of it 

 and shoot quite well, just seeing the top of the ivory sight 

 over the center of the middle sight. This is an important 

 point, as deer often commence moving on their runways 

 just at dark. I have used a sight for three seasons and have 

 made some very quick running shots with it and can recom- 

 mend it for all kinds of shooting that I have ever tried. 



Backwoodsman. 



Eau Claire, Wis., Nov. .30. 



GAME IN THE PARK. 



Mammoth Hot Springs, Wyo., Dec. 5, 1885. 

 Hon. D. W. Wear, Superintendent Yellon-stone National Park: 



Sir — Having just returned from a tri]) through a portion 

 of the Park I beg leave to submit the following report: I 

 left this place ou the 14th of November, and went as far as 

 Taney's Ranch that day and camped. That night about 

 10 o'clock I shot a large red fox, which had come down from 

 the mountain to regale himself on some of Taney's fine 

 chickens. The next' morning I proceeded ou my way to 

 Soda Butte, and camped there that night with Jack Baro- 

 nett, who had just returned from a trip over on Slough 

 Creek, where he reported all quiet and no depredations being 

 committed. I remained at Soda Butte two days reconnoiter- 

 ing the country in that vicinity; and on the 18th of Novem- 

 ber left there in company with Assistant Superintendent 

 Fish, and went about eiahteen miles and camped ou Miller 

 Creek, where I found Bill Wilson, a hunter, camped just 

 outside the Park hue. About ten miles from Soda Biitte, 

 near the mouth of Calfee Creek, 1 ran on to a band of ten 

 elk and saw signs of quite a number iu the snow, all heading 

 iu the direction of Specimen Mountain, i remained in camp 

 with Bill Wilson four days and scouted the country in every 

 direction, and then went about four miles further and 

 camped on Burnt Creek. 



The next day (Nov. 36) I went up on the top of Saddle 

 Mountain, and Fish went down on the east fork of the Tel- 

 lowstone and found Horn Miller, Woody and Renfro, hunt- 

 ers, camped just outside the Park. They stated that they 

 had been out eighteen days and had not killed game enough 

 to supply their own wants, having killed in all only three 

 deer, and were then on their way home empty-handed. The 

 next day (Nov. 37) I started in the direction of Green Creek, 

 and Fish started back to Soda Butte. I went across the 

 range toward the head of Pelican Creek, where I went into 

 camp that night about 10 o'clock. Just before going into 

 camp I ran on to a large band of elk coming down from the 

 mountain and heading in the direction of the basin. The 

 next morning (Nov. 38) I arose bright and early and could 

 see feeding on the hills bands of elk like droves of cattle 

 and as tame ; conclusive evidence to my mind that they had 

 not been hunted or molested for some time. I broke camp 

 about 8 o'clock and started for the Tellowstone Lake. About 

 seven miles distant from camp I ran on to a band of sev^n 

 buffalo heading in the direction of Specimen Range. A 

 little further on, in a swamp, I ran on to a band of five 

 moose. I went on about twelve miles further and went- into 

 camp. 1 saw elk all along the route during the day in every 

 direction. 



The next morning (Nov 89) I started in a southerly direc- 

 tion, heading toward Brimstone Basin, and saw plenty of 

 buffalo sign all along the route. The next day (Nov. 30) I 

 traveled down the Tellowstone Lake in an easterly direction. 

 The lake was hterally covered with geese, ducks and swans 

 all the way down. I camped that night just east of the lake 

 on the Tellowstone River, having traveled about twenty-five 

 miles. The next day (Dec. 1) I forded the river about three 

 miles below the lake, and saw a large band of elk on the east 

 side just after crossing. I struck the wagon road leading 

 from the Tellowstone Lake to the falls at this place, and 

 followed it down to the falls, where I arrived that night 

 about 9 o'clock. During the day I saw several bands of elk, 

 and just after crossing the river I found the trail of a band 

 of antelope heading in the direction of Hayden's Valley. 1 

 did not see the antelope, but judging from the sign, which 

 was quite fresh, I should think there were about forty in 

 the band. 



The next day (Dec. 3) I started in a northerly direction, 

 heading for Mammoth Hot Spi'ings, crossing over Thomp- 

 son's peak, and camped that night on the head of Blacktail 

 Basin, having traveled about sixteen miles. Found the 

 snow about two feet deep on the range. During the night 

 my horses ran off, and the next morning (Dec. 3) I started 

 in pursuit of them afoot and overtook them about four o'clock 

 iu the afternoon. During the day I ran ou to several bands 

 of elk, while hunting my horses. " After finding my ponies I 

 started for Mammoth Hot Springs where I arrived that night 

 about n o'clock, having been out nineteen days. During 

 all this time I saw no hunters or signs of hunting in the 

 Park, and think I am fully justified in saying that there is 

 more game in the Park now than was ever known before at 

 this season of the year. The few hunters that I met on the 

 trip were retui-ning from the chase empty-handed and com- 

 plained bitterly of the scarcity of game. I saw no game of 

 any kind outside of the Park. Respectfully submitted. 



Ed. Wilson, Ass't. Supt. T. N. Park. 



Cape Cod Deer.— Recently in West Barnstable, Mass., 

 a deer, driven by a dog, dropped exhausted in the orchard 

 of Mr. A. J. Howland, near ihe depot. Closer examination 

 revealed shot marks, and as the animal seemed to be suffer- 

 ing it was killed by those who saw it. The dog, which was 

 allowed to depart, wore a collar inscribed "Fish, Greenville, 

 Mass." As the statutes prohibit the hunting or killing of 

 deer, it is a much-discussed question among our local wise 

 heads as to who should be holders, for breaking the l.jws^ 

 t!)« flog. i-tR owiier. or tli."s« who killi^jj the rVy^.y'/ - A ]]. p 



