306 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



'Nov. 8, 1888. 



RIFLES FOR SMALL GAME.— IV. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



There have been so many questions asked concerning 

 the hunting rifle for small game that I have felt it my 

 duty to once more make application for space in your 

 valuable paper to try and answer some of them as best I 

 can. The shooting qualities of these little guns are what 

 •we have written mostly on before and next comes the 

 action, wearing qualities, safety, rapidity of fire, uoji- 

 cleaning, and many other things also are to be taken 

 into consideration; while last but by no means least 

 comes the price. To be sure there are some sportsmen to 

 whom the difference in the price of our cheapest and 

 best rifles of American manufacture is of no consideration; 

 but it is well to remember that a large majority of our 

 amateur sportsmen are men of limited means, who have a 

 few hours or days once in a while; and when these red- 

 letter days do come, they like to take the rifle and spend 

 a few hours in the woods, among the squirrels and other 

 small game animals and birds, gathering nuts, etc., or 

 else practice at a target. 



The first thing Ave will consider is the cost of the rifles. 

 We will suppose that the steel in all the different makes 

 is the same — made especially for the purpose— and that 

 the barrels are all made by special machinery, drilled, 

 reamed, straightened, lapped, rifled and leaded to polish 

 equally well; then of course the shooting qualities, if the 

 same chamber and cartridge is used will be the same. 

 Nest the barrel must be attached to the frame, and here 

 is a point to be considered. To make the rifle with any 

 kind of a tip-up action costs more than it does to screw 

 it solid into the frame, besides the rifle will not wear as 

 long as it will if screwed into the frame and a movable 

 breech block be used. Now, while we ha ve a rifle that 

 costs less in the movable breech block, we have also a 

 better action. Among the rifles that answer to this de- 

 scription are the Ballard, Sharps, Remington, Winchester 

 single shot and Bullard, the latter, although a good gim, 

 we will set aside as being among the more expensi ve; but 

 to out-babance this, it, like the Maynard, has interchange- 

 able barrels, so tbat if several barrels of different calibers 

 were wanted, to use by the same person, the lot would 

 cost no more than the 'other one. In the first place we 

 will take the Ballard rifle into consideration. To say 

 that it is good in every respect -will only do it simple 

 justice. It is well made, safe, accurate, cheap, and wears 

 a lifetime without getting out of order. The Sharps is 

 out of the market, but was a good gun. The Remington 

 is a good gun as regards the action, etc., but its shooting 

 qualities are not up to the times in the .22-caliber. 



The Remington-Hepburn rifle is made to take the .22- 

 15-45 W. C. F. cartridge, and is a good gun at a moderate 

 price; in fact, it is a little more than good when the price 

 is considered. Next comes the Winchester single shot 

 rifle. This gun is made now in octagon, half octagon and 

 round ban-el, and chambered for all the standard center- 

 lire cartridges besides the. 22 rim- fire cartridge for gallery 

 shooting, etc. This rifle, when the action, wearing quali- 

 ties, accuracy and safety is considered, is equal to the 

 best; while for rapidity of loading and firing it stands at 

 the head of all single shot rifles. This rifle, in the .22 rim- 

 fire, has the "kicking extractor," which throws the 

 empty shell clear of the gun; then when the action is 

 closed the gun is cocked and is ready to fire. Next come 

 the repeating rifles for small game. In .22-cal. we have 

 the Colt, and Winchester, model '73. The Colt is a splen- 

 did little gun, and with the writer has always worked 

 without a hitch and shoots well at short range. The 

 Winchester is too heavy for this light shooting, and is a 

 burden rather than a pleasure. The rifle works well, 

 however, for those who like to carry so much weight. 

 The .32-cal. Colt and model '73 Winchester are both good 

 repeaters, but the novice can work the Colt much quicker. 

 The Winchester cartridge, however, gives greater pene- 

 tration and is full as accurate at the ionger ranges. 



Of course there are a great many things to be con- 

 sidered when a man asks us to tell him point blank what 

 the best rifle for all around work is, or as is often asked, 

 What is the best make of rifle? Who makes the best .22- 

 cal. rifle, everything considered? I am sure I cannot 

 tell. If you want a rifle for line shooting qualities I 

 w-ould say get a Stevens rifle chambered for the .22-5-40 

 rim-fire cartridge, or, as it is usually called, the .22 long 

 "rifle" cartridge. There is before me now a copy of a 

 target made by Mr. G. N. Billings, of Delphos, Kansas, 

 Oct. 22, 1888. It is a regular 50yds. standard target, 

 center with fourteen consecutive shots placed well inside 

 of the 10 circle, counting 140 out of a possible 140 at 50 

 measured yards. This shooting was done at rest and 

 without cleaning. Now a rifle that will shoot like that 

 you might say is the best rifle for game, etc.. but the 

 writer does not think so. Why? Because in the first place 

 it is a Stevens "range" rifle, price $33.50; it costs too 

 much; next, the trajectory of this target is very high, 

 and again this rifle is on the tip-up principle, and if used 

 a great deal may become loose and shaky with wear and 

 tear and shoot astray, so as to make it wholly unfit for 

 use. Let the Stevens Company give us a rifle with the 

 action good and solid like the Ballard or Winchester 

 single shot rifle, and with the fine shooting barrels that 

 they fit up in them, and they will have more than their 

 hands full to supply the demand that will be made for 

 them. 



Well, then, you ask what is the best rifle for game 

 shooting that I can go to the market and buy at a reason- 

 able price? one that will shoot well at all hunting ranges 

 and one that will wear well. My advice is to get one 

 adapted to either the .15-45 W. C. F. cartridge, or to the 

 .10-45 Maynard, or U. M. C. .10-45, or, as it is called, the 

 .22 ex-long c.f. cartridge. The rifles that are adapted to 

 the .15-45 shell are Remington No. 3, Winchester single- 

 shot and Ballard, good guns in every respect and moder- 

 ate m price. For the lOgrs. shell we have the Maynard 

 (a most excellent rifle but expensive), and the Ballard, a 

 good rifle and moderate price. Thus it will be seen that 

 the writer, although trying to write in a spirit of fair 

 play and justice to both manufacturer and consumer, 

 cannot recommend all the goods that are put in the mar- 

 ket for us to buy. There are other makes of rifles in the 

 market that have their good points, but also have those 

 that are undesnable. If my experience (which has cost 

 me a great deal of time and money) will help those who 

 are starting on the road— over which I have stumbled so 

 much— I wdl be content, and feel that this has not been 

 written m vam; and to those who wish for further infor- 

 mation would say that I shall be pleased to answer them 

 as best 1 can if they will write and ask. Our editor will 



give you my address, I think, if you will Rend him a 

 stamp for return postage. 



I see that in your last issue your correspondent 

 '•Kelpie" asks the writer's opinion regarding the .32-cali- 

 ber rifle for bear. If "Kelpie" will put the lf>5-grain 

 bullet in the right place he will need no explosive balls, 

 but if he does not he will need more than one shot 

 whether with a .32 or .50-cal. The writer would prefer 

 (die solid ball, but would take the precaution to have 

 another cartridge ready and play the lever for all it 

 was worth. Bruin would probably find enough to take 

 his attention if he had a 165-grain solid bullet well 

 planted in the brain. 



I w T ould like to add a word regarding sights for rifles 

 and will then conclude this letter, winch is already too 

 long. I have used nearly all of the many kinds of sights 

 that have been offered to sportsmen and the Lyman rear 

 sight I have found to be the best for all-around use. It 

 can be used in connection with any kind of muzzle sight, 

 but the middle or notched sight on the barrel should al- 

 ways be removed. Lyman's ivory front sight is also ex- 

 cellent for hunting and especially in the woods or in 

 bad light. Iron Ramrod. 



SOMERVTLI/B, M.18S. 



Editor Forest arid Stream: 



Refemng to the communications of "Iron Ramrod" 

 and "Kelpie" in recent issues of your interesting paper, I 

 beg leave to express my doubts as to the utility of the so- 

 called all-around rifle. The caliber and charge should be 

 proportionate to the work. If a rifle is wanted for small 

 game like squirrels let it be a .22-cal. center fire; if for 

 geese and other wildfowl, or for mid-range target shoot- 

 ing, choose a .32-40 or similar cartridge: but should deer 

 or bear be the game sought, select a ,40-cal., with charge 

 sufficient to do its work with neatness and despatch, leav- 

 ing the minimum number of cripples and the fewest pangs 

 of remorse. 



An all-around arm is apt to be like an all-around rod, 

 which may prove not just the thing for trout, and a little 

 worse for bass. Fortunately the price is now so moderate 

 that a pair of rifles may be had for what one formerly 

 cost. 



The charge, however, may be varied considerably if it 

 is desired to do so, particularly in those rifles chambered 

 for an everlasting shell. My .32-cal. Maynard does ac- 

 curate work Avith three different loads. First, 35grs. 

 powder and a patched bullet of 165grs. Second, 35grs. 

 powder and a five-groove naked bullet seated - 3 %in. in 

 shell. Third, about 28grs. powder and a three-groove 

 bullet, seated so that the shoulder of the cylindrical part, 

 is just at the end of shell. 



The last is the smallest charge I have used or think it 

 desirable to use in a .32-caliber, but to those who want a 

 rifle of this caliber and think this is still too powerful, I 

 would recommend the purchase of an imported rim-fire 

 for about $5 with checkered pistol grip and rubber butt 

 thrown in. It will probably afford them just as much 

 amusement and save the trouble of reloading. T. H. G. 



Elizabeth, N. J. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



I am so situated that I cannot use the large bore heavily 

 charged rifle that they use out West without danger to 

 others. In other words, I want to shoot black ducks 

 with the rifle. I have for the past five winters spent a 

 good part of my time looking at brother black duck en- 

 joying himself just out of range of the best 12-bore shot- 

 gun in this section. Of course I could get a 10 or even 

 an 8-bore and still he would be out of range. Now will 

 some of my fellow readers of the Forest and Stream 

 advise me what rifle to buy for the best shooting quali- 

 ties? It must not be dangerous to shoot where there is 

 nothing to stop the ball for a mile; or in other words, 

 after killing the duck I do not want to kill a man a mile 

 off. Iff seems to me a .32-cal. would be large enough. 

 Now the questions are, which make shall I buy? Which 

 is best, a single-shot or magazine? I have been told that 

 the peculiar style of bullet used in the magazine guns 

 rendered them less accurate than the single-shot. Can 

 any one say if this is true? 



Help me out of my difficulty, some one, and I may be 

 able to give you plain sailing directions to a point where 

 you can find plenty of ducks. Last winter I had the 

 pleasure and torture of spending five days looking almost 

 all day at flocks of 500 to 1,000 ducks and half as many 

 geese all just out of range of shotguns and yet perfectly 

 safe from a near approach. Now could not a good rifle 

 shot, with the right kind of rifle, have killed them off pretty 

 nicely at 150 to 200yds.? It seems to me so, and I am 

 going to try it. Some one tell me what rifle to buv and I 

 think I am all right. I have; a Colt's 22-cal. that I can 

 kill a single duck with nine times out of ten at 30 to 40yds. , 

 but it is too small for a greater distance if the wind is 

 blowing. I wish to say, however, in justice to the Colt's 

 22-cal., that it is a little "daisy," and I do not see how any- 

 thing can be more perfect for short range. 

 James Rivee, Vr. N. ORLEANS. 



Ammunition and Booty.— A Strahan, Iowa, corre- 

 spondent thus describes a type of gunner in that vicinity: 

 In the fall when the prairie chickens come from the 

 West, he will shoulder his gun and start out across the 

 field until he comes up within 150 to 200yds. of a flock, 

 when they up and fly. He will then watch till they settle 

 in a field. This time he will get within 75yds. of them, 

 when they fly again, but not till he has had time to waste 

 two loads on them without getting a feather. After 

 another tramp of a mile or two he may perhaps get one 

 if he has good luck, but as a general thing he will waste 

 eight or ten loads on one bird. Next come the ducks. 

 He will go to the river and stand on the bank, and when 

 he happens to hit one, if it falls in the river (which nine 

 out of ten do), he having no boat, loses his duck. Often 

 he uses a pound or two of powder to the duck, which 

 makes it a costly luxury.— H. W. 



Quail in New Jersey.— Small bags of quail on the 

 line of the Camden & Amboy R. R. in New Jersey were 

 the rule on Thursday and Friday of last week. The 

 weather was warm and windy, and the ground very dry, 

 and the woods were full of hounds and rabbit hunters. 

 Saturday being damp and showery at times gave better 

 results all around, but comparatively few birds were 

 killed. Woodcook and grouse were very scarce, but 

 cotton-tails abound.— J. L. K. (Perth Amboy, Nov. 5), 



FAILURE OF THE WOODCOCK FLIGHT. 



UTICA, N. Y., Nov. 5.— Editor Forent and Stream: 

 Mr. E. H. Lathrop's letter upon the failure of the 

 woodcock flight is noticed in your issue of Nov. 1, in 

 which he attributes this failure to the blizzard of last 

 March. That the woodcock are destroyed and there is a 

 failure of flight there is no doubt. Mr. Lathrop may be, 

 as you say, a "close observer," but his "theory" as to the 

 cause may be doubted, especially upon statistics. It is a 

 surprise that he should be so ready to attribute it to the 

 weather. The records of this association show a marked 

 and gradual decrease of woodcock, moi'e and more per- 

 ceptible each year for the past five years. In limited 

 localities there has been a seeming supply, but the 

 sections have been small and in spots, with a general 

 dearth or diminution. The supply in spots is, of course, 

 dependent upon or varied by a more or less wet or dry 

 season of the locality or elsewhere. The general average 

 shows a marked decrease as observed by sportsmen, but 

 especially shown by the scanty few on sale in market. 



If Mr. Lathrop or others of your readers will consider 

 the vast number of breechloading guns that have been 

 made and sold, together with the amount of trap shoot- 

 ing practice carried on in the past five or more years, and 

 once reflect that each of the owners of these new guns 

 has become qualified with the "fever" each season to kill 

 "a few woodcock," they will wonder that there could be 

 any woodcock left. The failure of flight need not be 

 attributed to the weather blizzard on theory, but may be 

 reasonably attributed to the sportsmen's blizzard on 

 probability. This association has foreseen this "failure 

 of flight" for years, and has endeavored to prevent it by 

 a law for more limited kflling. Unless killing be more 

 restricted their extermination is at hand — is possibly even 

 now beyond remedy. Sportsmen (especially the enthusi- 

 astic of the younger men), if they would desire sport in 

 the future would do well to reflect upon the prospects and 

 consider how long it would take to replenish their haunts 

 if once reduced to a few hundred pair, in view of the 

 secret violations of law heretofore existing, with the in- 

 difference with which market men would sell the last 

 bird. John D. Collins, 



Secretary Utica Fish and Game Protective Association. 



A HUNT AT THE ADIRONDACK CLUB. 



TT is barely daylight when I step out of the comfortable 

 J. cottage where I am quartered at the Adirondack 

 Club. The air is cool and still , and the white frost sparkles 

 on the ground. It is a grand hunting morning. Already 

 the hounds know that something unusual is going on, 

 for they are yelping down at their kennel, where they 

 are generally so patient and quiet. 



The Senator and the Commodore soon follow me, and 

 with our Winchesters on our shoulders we proceed to the 

 club house for breakfast. By the time we have finished 

 our substantial meal, of which venison and flapjacks 

 form an important part, our hounds, eight in number, 

 are coupled and straining at their chains. Four guides 

 take them in charge, and after receiving their instruc- 

 tions from Supt. Buttles, start off for the hills to put them 

 out, and we repair to our respective stations. Through the 

 kindness of my host I am given the river stand, consid- 

 ered the best, but owing to the river being very narrow 

 and heavily lined with thick brush, also the most difficult 

 from which to kill a deer. 



With parting instructions not to shoot at does, the rest 

 of the party depart for their respective stations on Lake 

 Sanford. 



After hiding my boat in the bushes I climb up into my 

 perch, which gives me a view up and down the brook as 

 well as a glimpse of the lake beyond, to say nothing of 

 the magnificent view I have of the glorious mountains 

 in all directions. 



It is now 8 o'clock and the sun shines out hot; though 

 the air is perfectly still, I have not yet heard the faintest 

 sound from the hounds, and I begin to think that it is 

 not one of my days. A flock of wild ducks swim up the 

 brook past me, playing and diving as they go, not 50ft. 

 away. How little they think that their deadliest enemy 

 is so near; but they are safe to-day; I sat quietly an hour 

 or more perhaps, when I thought 1 heard a faint splash. 

 Turning my head slowly I was startled by seeing a beauti- 

 ful buck walking slowly across the stream. I pick up 

 my rifle, but the tops of the bushes are so thick that I 

 can hardly aim. After changing from one opening to 

 another I pull the best I can at the deer's shoulder. At 

 the report he bounds into the bushes like a shot out of a 

 gun. 



"I would give five dollars to fire that shot over again!" 

 I say to myself, for the deer has vanished like a dream, 

 and I wonder how I missed him. Then it seems to me 

 that I ought to have heard him crashing away in his 

 mad flight, but I did not; I listen intently and I think I 

 hear something kicking in the bushes, but so faint and 

 uncertain that I dare not hope, and yet it is possible that 

 I killed Mm after all. I cannot stand the uncertainty 

 any longer, so at the risk of starting him, I climb down 

 and hunt up the spot where he left the river. "No blood, 

 guess I missed him," and I am in despair again. "No, by 

 Jove! Here is blood and lots of it," this I find on a tall 

 weed a few rods from shore, and frothy blood too, a sure 

 sign of a mortal wound, and sure enough, a few steps 

 further on I find my buck lying stone dead on his side, 

 in the cool dark shade of the dense woods. With a sigh 

 of relief and satisfaction I gaze on my noble game and 

 admire his fat sleek form and beautif uf head. 



After bleeding him I return to my perch, and pass a 

 contented half horn- thinking over niy lucky shot, when 

 I see something swimming down the brook. It looks 

 like an otter, no, it is a hound; but as it comes nearer I 

 see it is a deer, but it looks like a doe. Just then the 

 bushes hide it from my sight as it swims close under the 

 bank on my side of the stream. Below me some sixty 

 yards is a shallow, and as the deer strikes that and comes 

 into sight I see that it is a fine two-year-old buck. Up 

 goes the Winchester as he strikes into a smart gallop, and 

 at the report he wheels one side and bounds into the 

 bushes with his flag hugged close; as he disappears I fire 

 a snap- shot. He does not run f ar, but by bis snorting 

 and thrashing I know he is badly bit. In a minute or two 

 he is in the river some distance down and swims across, 

 showing only the top of his head. I fired three shots at 

 that, but without any Tesult, but when be tries to climb 

 the steep bank my last shot breaks his neck and he falls 

 back stone dead. I wipe the perspiration from my face 

 and think that it is enough luck for one morning, so I 



