308 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Not. 10, 1887. 



TESTING A GUN BARREL. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



It has been frequently a matter of conjecture to me 

 what amount of strain a gun would stand, and my desire 

 for knowledge has been greatly stimulated by some 

 writers in the sporting press who laud a certain gun and 

 others also who condemn the same weapon. As far as I 

 have seen no one in the United States has gone to the 

 trouble and expense of finding the limit of strength in 

 any make of gun, nor have I heard any mention of such 

 an experiment on the other side of the water. 



Now, I think I have solved the problem pretty fairly as 

 far as one make and grade of gun is concerned. Having 

 resolved to find out what a gun would stand, I selected 

 the one of my two guns lor which I had least use, a 

 Parker 10-bore, weighing 91bs. 13oz., full choke in both 

 barrels, which were 32in. in length. The gun was bored 

 specially for No. 6 shot and made an average of 190 each 

 barrel with l^oz. Leroy No. 6 and 4idrs. FG, 30in. circle, 

 40yds. It was of the $70 grade and was bought from Read 

 & Son, Boston, three years ago. The gun had not been 

 fired more than 350 times, with ordinary loads, so that it 

 was to all practical intents as good as new. 



The powder used in the test was Orange FG, and the 

 shot Tatham's No. 10 chilled; they were measured in the 

 combined powder and shot measure made by the B. G. I. 

 Go., and the measure was always struck off level with the 

 top. 



A rest was constructed to fire the gun from. The bed 

 was a squared log and spiked upon its upper surface was 

 a square block with a groove cut along its upper surface 

 in which to lay the barrels, and a long heavy squared 

 piece of timber with a groove cut down its face to receive 

 the butt of the stock. Underneath the bed were placed 

 two heavy pieces of timber to raise the bed off the ground. 

 The gun was secured in the rest by two half-inch ropes, 

 one of which passed with a double turn round the barrels 

 at the point of the fore end and stretched back to a piece 

 of wood nailed under the bed log to prevent the rope slip- 

 ping forward. The other rope passed with a double turn 

 around the pistol grip and stretched back was secured in 

 the same way as the other. The ropes, when in position, 

 were twisted up tight with a stick, tourniquet fashion. 

 This held the gun fast and the ropes stretching back held 

 the gun up against the rear block and prevented junip- 

 ™& 



The gun was fired by a thirty-yard cord attached to 

 each trigger, and the barrels were* wiped out three times 

 after the second, fourth and eighth shots; this was to see 

 if the gun was leading to any great extent. 



In the experiment I fired a series of four shots (two 

 from each barrel) of each different load, using only four 

 shells, which I drew and recapped as required, the shells 

 were Winchester 2| brass. The experiment was made 

 Oct. 27 and the folio wing' were the loads and results: 



In loading the gun I inserted a primed shell at the 

 breech, closed the gun and poured the powder in at the 

 muzzle, followed by a pink-edge wad, the shot and a wad 

 of paper. 



The loads used were 8drs. powder, 3oz. shot in each 

 barrel for first series of two shots with each barrel; 9drs., 

 3£oz. for second series; lOdrs., 4oz. for third series; lldrs., 

 4|oz. for fourth series; 12drs., 5oz. for fifth series; 13drs., 

 5^oz. for sixth series; 16drs. , 7oz. for seventh series. 



The first damage appeared at the third shot of the third 

 series, when the stock split in two longitudinal cracks 

 from the lock plates right through the grip. The grain 

 of the wood ran in a line with the barrels, instead of in a 

 line extending from end to end of the stock, I lashed the 

 split stock, but the next shot broke it off, bent out the 

 trigger guard and slightly bent the left trigger. As the 

 trigger guard was in the way without the stock, I took it 

 off, sawed off the broken end off the stock, and butted it 

 against the rear block with a piece of wood under the 

 locks to raise the triggers clear of the bed log. Things 

 continued in this state till the third shot of the fourth 

 series, except that each recoil drove the broken end of the 

 stock about an inch into the rear block and jammed up 

 the locks with broken splinters, which I had to stop and 

 pick out. At this shot the cracked left trigger was bent 

 and doubled up under the plate, and the upper strap or 

 tang was bent down at the end. The next shot bent the 

 tang still more, and bent in the rear end of the left lock 

 plate. 



On firing the first shot of the fifth series (the right bar- 

 rel) the gun turned over and striking on the other trigger 

 both barrels went off almost simultaneously, the result 

 being that the bent left trigger was nipped off and the 

 barrel therefore disabled. I always loaded both barrels 

 at once and cocked both hammers at once; my object 

 was to see if the explosion of one barrel would set off the 

 other, as has happened to the guns of some of your cor- 

 respondents, but this was the only occasion on which 

 such a thing happened, and it would not have occurred 

 had the gun not fallen upon the trigger. During the re- 

 mainder of the experiment I was therefore confined to 

 the right barrel. 



No further damage occurred during the rest of the 

 shooting till I reached the first shot of the seventh series, 

 except that the gun turned over again and cracked and 

 bent up the right trigger. I found it difficult to prevent 

 the gun turning over at the shot after the loss of the 

 stock. The load for the last shot was the trifle of 16drs. 

 powder and 7oz. shot. This burst the barrel, making an 

 aperture 5£in. in length, commencing fin, behind the 

 shoulder of the chamber, and extending in width from 

 the edge of the upper rib nearly to the upper edge of the 

 fore-end; a piece of brass shell was also blown out; the ex- 

 tension rib which was inserted Ifin. within the barrels 

 was intact, but the upper rib from that to within o^in. of 

 the muzzle was ripped off and bent forward 2in.' The 

 fore-end lump was broken out and the under rib from that 

 to within 13in. of the muzzle was torn away from the 

 right barrel but still adhered to the left barrel. The 

 space between the ribs was filled in with plaster of Paris, 

 and this also was blown out; the right trigger was broken 

 off, the left lock-plate bent in at the rear corner and 

 bulged out in the middle, and the left barrel was bulged 

 out quite perceptibly. The fore-end was a complete 

 wreck, smashed into splinters, many of them small enough 

 for toothpicks; the iron work was, however, intact. 



Now as regards the frame and action, I could not see 

 from a close' examination that they showed any signs of 

 strain, the action worked with perfect ease, the bolt 

 locked and the barrels fitted as closely as when the gun 

 was new; indeed the frame, action, extension rib, barrel 



lumps and the rear ends of the barrels could be put on 

 another gun and no one know that they had been through 

 such a trial, I think this says a good deal for the Parker 

 action. 



After examining the gun I shipped it to Parker Bros, 

 with a report of the experiment and a request that they 

 examine the gun thoroughly and let me know the result. 



J. Campbell. 



THE GAME CAMPAIGN. 



CENTRAL LAKE, Mich., Oct. 30.— Severa 1 gulls were 

 seen yesterday, flying over the lake. They are, I 

 believe, never seen here except when in attendance upon 

 the annual school of "herrings," and it seems likely that 

 these fish are working this way. 



Our deer hunters are looking sadly at their rifles, and a 

 very few of them intend to look for deer next Tuesday; 

 but these a nim als are now so scarce that it seems hardly 

 worth their while. Still, there are a few left. 



It may be of interest to those of your readers who have 

 visited this part of Michigan, to learn that the final survey 

 of the D. C. & E. R. R., from Kalkaska to Mackinaw, has 

 been completed. It passes through Central Lake village, 

 about twenty rods west of Smith's old hotel, and there 

 seems a reasonable probability that the road will be built. 



Kelpie. 



Augusta, Ga., Nov. 2.— Editor Forest and Stream: 

 The season has fairly opened for game, and the shooting 

 is better than I have ever known, especially on ducks. 

 Ten days ago a heavy rain set in with the wind from the 

 northeast, and this brought the ducks in countless thou- 

 sands, some remaining in the locality while the great 

 bulk kept on toward the coast. On last Friday I walked 

 to the river side, and saw drove after drove flying down 

 the Savannah River. The rains co :tinued nearly a week, 

 and filled the lowland fields (clay soil) with water. Thou- 

 sands of ducks have stopped in these to feed among the 

 high weeds and grass, and the slaughter has been great. 

 This style of shooting is peculiar for us, as in all my ex- 

 perience I have never had just such a one. I have been 

 out three afternoons, only half a mile from the city, and 

 have seen lots of ducks in the open grassy fields, and 

 about dark they fly in from all directions to roost and 

 feed. All the ducks I have seen are the large English 

 ducks. Heretofore we have hunted the sloughs and 

 water holes, but they seem to avoid these places and drop 

 in the fields where there is water. Hunters report quail, 

 woodcock and snipe in abundance, and I should judge the 

 report correct from the quantity on sale. I have been 

 out but once since the open season, and made a fair bag 

 on quail — J. M. "W. 



Waterville, Me., Nov. 6. — Kennebec county, although 

 one of the longest settled portions of Maine and one con- 

 taining many large towns, still offers fair sport to the 

 hunter and the fisherman. One who is a skillful shot 

 can get a good bag of ruffed grouse in almost any of the 

 country towns. The numerous streams and ponds afford 

 fairly good duck shooting in the fall and spring. The 

 swamps abound with rabbits, and foxes are plenty, offer- 

 ing the best of fun to one possessing a good hound. Gray 

 squirrels and raccoons are also found. As to fishing, 

 trout are nearly a thing of the past, but the ponds and 

 streams, in which the county abounds, are well stocked 

 with pickerel, perch and black bass. The best fishing for 

 bass is to be found in Lake Messalonskee and Lake Co- 

 boesecontee. Taking into consideration the fact that a 

 sportsman may in this county hunt and fish where and 

 almost when he wishes, one may go further and fare 

 worse for sport than in old Kennebec— E. T. W. 



Boston, Mass., Nov. 5. — I have been off shooting sev- 

 eral times and I have not for many years seen such a 

 poor season for game as this. We did have one flight of 

 marsh birds Aug. 20 to 24 (which was the best on the Cape 

 for years), but the native woodcock were a dead failure 

 almost everywhere in the eastern part of the State. Par- 

 tridge are quite scarce, probably on account of the wet 

 summer; and as for quail I don't believe there is one 

 bevy where there were four last year. Some say they 

 were winter killed; some say that tliey did not pah- (there 

 are a good many bevies of old birds found), but all agree 

 that they are scarce, much more so than last year. The 

 flight woodcock went by as usual, very quickly, but some 

 gunners had quite good luck while it lasted; have heard 

 of as high as fourteen in one day. I don't know for 

 myself, as I was too busy at the time to try them.— J. 



Masardis, Me., Nov. 2. — The hunting season has been 

 unusually fine and a great amount of large game has been 

 shot in this county. I have heard of six moose and about 

 twenty deer and caribou. A few clays since Sawyer and 

 Greenough, fur hunters on Otter Brook, ten miles from 

 Oxbow, shot two moose not far from camp. They went 

 out after partridges to bait traps with and came upon 

 three moose in a logging road. They allowed the third 

 one to escape. The headwaters of the Aroostook are now 

 the best big game preserve of easy access in the State, 

 and would continue so were it not for skin butchers and 

 lumbering operations. It was at this place a few years 

 since that a party of Indian butchers, with over thirty 

 moose hides in their possession, successfully resisted 

 arrest by a game warden. — C. 



Dutchess County, N. Y.— My first note gave rather a 

 gloomy view of woodcock shooting, with my favorite 

 setter off for the happy hunting grounds, a worthless dog 

 palmed off on me, a gentle reminder of rheumatism, and 

 no gun fired off for two seasons. It was high time to be 

 up and doing: I sold doggy for what he would fetch, en- 

 listed an old acquaintance, who furnished a good dog, 

 while I threw in horse and wagon, loaded up and sailed 

 in; hunted two weeks steadily "from morn till dewy eve," 

 and we bagged nearly forty woodcock. I kept my end 

 of the log up, as we took 'out these birds from three or 

 four swamps not far away, we think we did well. My 

 nephew had fine sport over in Ulster county bagging some 

 120 woodcock and partridges.— C apt. Clayton. 



Hornellsville, N. Y., Nov. 6.— Ruffed grouse were 

 never so plentiful before; the Hornell Gun and Game 

 Club takes care that the snarer does not get in his work. ! 

 When we find a hedge we appoint a committee to watch 1 

 it until we catch the fellow in the act of taking a snared ; 



bird, then it is pay the fine or go to jail. Our Distric t 

 Attorney Robinson will have no nonsense about the game 

 laws. As a result of our watchfulness I report that E. 

 Shear, of this place, killed in one day over two Irish set- 

 ters twenty ruffed grouse. — J. Otis Fellows. 



An Eye-Opener for Mossbacks. — Grand Rapids, 

 Mich., Nov. 3.— Editor Forest and Stream: The monthly 

 report of Game Warden Wm. Alden Smith for month 

 Sept. 27 to Oct. 26 reads thus: "There were twenty-nine 

 arrests reported as follows: Dr. Wessinger, of Allegan 

 county, not guilty; Chas. Kasiscka. Berrien county, fined 

 $5 and costs; Henry Richards and Joseph Vizua, $10 each 

 and costs; Lewis Gilbant, not guilty, all of Baraga county; 

 I. F. Nelson, Delta county, fined $10 and costs; James A. 

 Saunders, Genesee county, 25 days in jail; Frank Richard- 

 son and James Stanford, Baraga county, $5 each and costs; 

 Ellsworth Bacon, Bert Bartholemew and Eugene Deane, 

 Newaygo county, $5 each and costs; H. Sutton and C. 

 Gregory, Jackson county, discontinued: John Banister, 

 same county, $5 and costs; Steve Wichoock, $5 and for- 

 feiture of net; William Tuck, $5 fine and costs; Adam 

 Wichoock $25, Tonie Wichoock forfeiture of two nets, 

 Stephen Wichoock suspended sentence, all of Manistee 

 county; Chas. Joe and Chas. Jenneraux, of Mason county, 

 adjourned 60 days; M. Taylor, David Wilson, Eber Ste- 

 vens, John Leate, Montcalm county, $5 each and costs; 

 Dan Mongoose, Marquette county, $25 and costs; Charles 

 Comptingame, Menominee county, $50 and costs. A total 

 of $200 in fines alone." This is a veritable eye-opener; it 

 shows that Smith means business; and the Mossback is 

 rubbing his eyes and asking himself what it all means.— 

 Alpena. 



Chamber and Choke.— Toronto, Can.— Editor Forest 

 and Stream: I would be much obliged if some of your 

 readers, who understand the matter, will say what is the 

 use of the shoulder at the end of the chamber in breech- 

 loading guns, in which the cartridge is inserted. I have 

 a 12-bore breechloading doublebarrel gun, by a good 

 English maker, which when it came into my possession 

 kicked fearfully with a charge of 3drs. of powder. A 

 clever, practical gunmaker here, to whom I took it, 

 removed the shoulder at the end of the breech chamber, 

 entirely curing the gun of kicking, and at the same lime 

 improving its shooting. It is now a regular cylinder, 

 gradually narrowing to 12-gauge at the muzzle. Does not 

 such a condition of the interior of the gun constitute a 

 species of chokeboring, and does not the contraction at 

 the muzzle delay the charge sufficiently to give the in- 

 creased power of a regularly choked gun? Why should 

 not all guns be bored in this way? — J. S. W. 



A New York Game Law Synopsis, suitable for post- 

 ing, has been prepared under the direction of the Fish 

 Commissioners, and may be had on application to the 

 secretary, H. H. Thompson, 373 Cumberland street, 

 Brooklyn. 



After Election.— Baltimore, Md., Nov. 3.— I will go 

 to Augusta county, Va., after our State election, and will 

 write you from Buffalo Gap in reference to huntins; in 

 that region.— E. S. Y. 



HE HAS A BONANZA, 



DURHAM'S CREEK, N. C, Oct. SL-Editor Forest and Stream; 

 I take the liberty of writing to you in order to advise you of 

 a plan whereby you may please your sporting friends, and at the 

 same time afford yours truly a chance to turn an honest penny. 

 It is this: I have about 1,000 acres of land down here that is liter- 

 ally alive with game of all sorts (except bear). The game consists 

 of deer, wild turkey, quail, woodcock and snipe, rabbits, squirrels, 

 coous, opossums, gray foxes and an occasional wildcat. The 

 waterfowl on the Pamlico River are wild geese and swan, and all 

 game ducks that are found on the Chesapeake. Fish and oysters 

 can be had at all times through the winter. I have ample house 

 room for 15 or 20 men, and would furnish deerhounds. Setter dogs 

 are not to be had here. The land is posted, that is, protected by 

 law from outside hunters. Forty-two head of deer were killed in 

 here last winter from Jan. 1 to Feb. 15, besides many more that I 

 had no account of. It is no uncommon thing to shoot from two to 

 seven head on a favorable day. 



My plan is to rent the land and house room to a club, they to do 

 their own cooking, etc., or I would furnish good plain board, and 

 keep their dogs at a reasonable rate. The ways of getting here 

 are by O. D S. S. line to Washington, N. C; or Bay line to Nor- 

 folk, thence by Norfolk Southern Railway to "Washington, N. 0. 

 From Washington down river by schooner or steam tug. Mail 

 twice a week. Telegraph office at Washington, distant 25 miles. 



In cold weather game can be sent to New York city in about. 40 

 hours. I can refer you to the officers of the U. S. revenue cutter 

 Stevens, to Lieut. Haun, Lieut. Hanks or Chief-Engineer Dins- 

 moro. Hoping that you will hand this to some one who may think 

 it worth while to work it up, and excuse the liberty I ha ve taken, 

 I remain, yours faithfully, I. S. Kittle. 



THE CRITICS AND UNCLE LISHA. 



UNCLE LISHA'S SHOP" is meeting with a pleasant 

 welcome among the reviewers. Here are some of the 

 words of praise that have come to our notice: 



Delightful as a fresh breeze over a meadow of new mown hay, 

 — Bay City Tribune. 



There is not a Vermonter in middle life, especially if he now 

 lives at a distance from the old home nest, who will not continu- 

 ally laugh and cry over this picture of the past. * * * Many 

 of the domestic and neighborhood scenes are full of tenderness.— 

 Rutland (Yt.) Herald. 



The Milwaukee Sentinel points out the "quaint humor" of the 

 book; the Portland Argus pronounces it "a graphic picture of a 

 rustic community;" the Now York Commercial Advertiser calls it 

 'a photographic reproduction;" the Kennebec Journal recognizes 

 Uncle Lisha as "a character;" the Grand Rapids Eagle praises its 

 chapters as a series «f short sketches, "and very good ones at 

 that;" the St. Johns (N. B.) Globe says "the incidents are related 

 often with dramatic effect." The Ann Arbor Courier thinks the 

 volume "a first-rate one for a little relaxation from every day 

 life." 



The scene is in a nook of the mountains of Vermont, where old 

 ideas and the twang of centuries stick together like ancient com- 

 rades.— Cincinnati Commercial Gazette. 



Dining several years past we read with great enjoyment in tae 

 columns of Fohest and Stream a series of humorous sketches, 

 totally unlike anything of the kind that ever appeared elsewhere 

 and which for raciness and variety of homely incident, and for 

 mastery of the genuine "down-East Yankee" and French Canadian 

 dialects it would be impossible to surpass. These sketches are 

 connected with sporting subjects, but can be enjoyed by any one, 



