266 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



PATTERN AND PENETRATION TESTS. 



THE COLT GUN. 



WHEN the Colt guns of Messrs. Merrill and Moss were 

 tried in our series of tests the report brought a 

 prompt protest from the Colt armory in Hartford. "They 

 have been out of the armory for several years. Have 

 been manipulated in various ways, perhaps rebored, and 

 may not now fairly represent our output. We would 

 like to try a gun or two of our own directly from the 

 factory."" "All right," said Forest and Stream, "send 

 along man, gun and charges, under the invitation which 

 is open to every gun maker the world over." A test was 

 made of a pair of Colt guns on Oct. 2. They were beauti- 

 ful to look at, and expert Alex. McMullen, who brought 

 down and shot the arms, had a right to the pride he felt 



COLT GUN, 12-GAUGE, RIGHT BARREL, 40YDS., 405 PELLETS. 



in handling them. The transparent finishing fluid used 

 on the barrels brings out the steel and iron grain in the 

 clearest possible fashion, and there is none of the dull 

 browning generally found on barrels. This finish de- 

 mands the nicest work from start to finish in making 

 the barrels, as every blemish is brought out in a startling 

 fashion. The smooth-working breech machinery was a 

 pleasure to handle, while the bits of walnut used in the 

 s^ock had the richest grain known to this fine finishing 

 wood. 



The day was fortunate for a test. There was a 2 o'clock 

 wind, blowing a bit gustily at times, and freshening up 

 as the 60yds. range was reached. Still, it was a good 

 enough day to test any gun, and the two Colts, one a 12 

 and the other a 10-gauge, ran smoothly from start to 

 finish. 



The paper screens from the liberal way in which they 

 were spattered with shot gave promise of a high percent- 

 age of pattern, but it remained to be seen what sort' of 

 charges were in the big brass shells which had come 

 down with the guns. It was the first time that a brass 

 shell had appeared on the range in connection with a test. 

 They were not particularly handy or satisfactory. The 



COLT GUN, 12-GAUGE, Llsti ^AI.IUIj, 40 YDS., 370 PELLETS. 



wads over the shot insisted on working up and allowing 

 the shot to shake about in the brass cylinder. Of course 

 but one barrel was loaded at a time, and the shooter 

 watched each|shell as it went in to see that a loosely wad- 

 ded one did not get in to vitiate the results. The guns 

 were not wet in any way during the test, and the only 

 moisture was from the breath of the shooter as he blew 

 down each barrel after shooting. They responded very 

 well and remained quite clean during the entire test. 



When the three test charges were opened, the powder 

 was found to be fairly even as to weight, though the 

 greasy wads had formed a marked deposit of verdigris in 

 the cartridge shell interiors. The shot charges, however, 

 were very irregular, and the shot used was very far from 

 being even or true. There were dumb-bell and pear-shaped 

 shot by the dozen, and how the count and weight came 

 out a glance at the record will show. In order to give 

 the reader an idea of the entire performance of the guns 

 we give the figures for each shot fired as follows: 



COLT GUN, 12-GAUGE, 40YDS. 

 Right Barrel. Left Barrel. 



















Aimed 



Selected 



Between 



Pene- 



Aimed 



Selected 



Between 



Pene- 



Circle. 



Circle. 



Center. 



tration. 



Circle. 



Circle. 



Center. 



tration. 



Pellets. 



Pellets. 



Inches. 



Sheets. 



Pellets 



Pellets. 



Inches. 



Sheets. 



401 



405 



4 



14 



231 



339 





11 



314 



316 



6 



14 



281 



295 





13 



293 



302 



ft 



13 



338 



370 



13 



334 



336 



16 



221 



266 





12 



392 



400 



4 



11 



230 



357 





15 



347 



352 





14 



260 



325 



6 



H 



COLT GUN, 10-GAUGE, 40YDS. 

 Right Barrel. Left Barrel. 



Aimed Selected 



Circle. Circle. 



Pellets. Pellets. 



218 232 



Between Pene- Aimed Selected Between Pene- 

 Center. tration. Circle. Circle. Center, tration. 



Sheets.. Pellets. Pellets. Inches. Sheets. 



213 

 326 

 332 

 323 



146 

 64 

 167 



124 

 50 

 192 

 158 

 75 



240 

 382 

 355 

 372 



66 

 204 

 160 



93 

 180 



128 

 49 

 184 

 177 

 95 



5^ 16 



295 



290 



4 



16 



43^ 13 



364 



370 



914. 



15 



5*4 15 



273 



317 



5H 



13 



6^ 14 



360 



842 



5 



17 



7 16 



326 



325 





16 



6. 15 



323 



329 



— 



— 

 15 



COLT GUN, 12-GAUGE, 



60yds. 







5^ 5 



90 



127 



7 



7 



8 7 



99 



153 





4 



6^ 6 



8 



130 



159 



7 



8 



83 



121 







% 8 



134 



178 



7 







107 



147 



7 



6 



COLT GUN, 10-GAUGE, 60 YDS. 









81 



75 



m 



8 



4 7 



140 



149 



8 



7 11 



131 



145 





6 



4 7 



190 



190 





5 



8 7 



122 



155 



6 



6 



5^ 1 



133 



143 



S 



7 



In addition to the cartridges brought with the gun 

 another set was tried. The latter were purchased from 

 the stock in the store of Von Lengerke & Detmold, and 



COLT GUN, 10-GAUGE, EIGHT BARREL, 40YDS., 382 PELLETS. 



were made up by them. Taking first the 12 -gauge charge 

 they showed up as follows: 



THE CHARGE. 



Shell— V. M. C. Club. 

 Powder— Dead Shot, S^drs. 

 Shot— LeRoy, lj^oz. No. 8 Chilled. 



CARTRIDGE ANALYSIS— THREE CARTRIDGES. 



Loading. Poioder. Shot. 



Card over shot; black \ 1 97 grs. 482 grs. 428 pellets. 



edge, pink edge and-; 2 96 grs. 478 grs. 409 pellets. 



card over powder. (3 97 grs. 486 grs. 417 pellets. 







Average 97 grs. 



482 grs 



418 pellets. 







COLT GUN, 10-GAUGE, 40YDS. 









Right Barrel. 



Left Barrel. 





Aimed 



Selected 



Between Pene- Aimed 



Selected 



Between 



Pene- 



Circle. 



Circle. 



Center, tration. Circle. 



Circle. 



Center. 



tration. 



Pellets. 



Pellets. 



Inches. Sheets. Pellets. 



Pellets. 



Inches. 



Sheets. 

 15 



306 



310 



3 20 252 



268 



iU 



292 



283 



4% 13 289 



279 





18 



328 



328 



SH 15 254 



254 





18 



308 



307 



m 16 265 



267 





17 







COLT GUN, 12-GAUGE, 60YDS. 







95 



140 



7 8 155 



160 





11 



122 



133 



6 8 132 



140 



6 



9 



86 



103 



6 6 126 



119 



5H 



6 



101 



125 



6 ~7 137 



139 



5 



8 



COLT GUN, 10-GAUGE, LEFT BARREL, 40YDS., 370 PELLETS. 



The record of the 10-gauge gun with the paper shells 

 was another good test of the gun, and stood as follows: 



THE CHARGE. 



Sliell—U. M. C. Club. 

 Powder— Dead Shot, 4J^drs. 

 Shot— Tatham lJ4oz., No. 6 Chilled. 



CARTRIDGE ANALYSIS— THREE CARTRIDGES. 



Loading. Powder. 



Card over shot; two B. ( 1 122 grs. 



E.; one P. E. and oard-< 2 116 grs. 



over powder. ("6 120 grs. 



Shot. 



598 grs. 541 pellets. 

 600 grs. 541 pellets. 

 605 grs. 546 pellets. 



Average 119 grs. 601 grs. 



542 pellets. 



COLT GUN, 10-GAUGE, 40YDS. 

 Right Barrel. Left Barrel. 



Aimed Selected Between Pene- Aimed Selected Between Pene- 

 Circle. Circle. Center, tration. Circle. Circle. Center, tration. 

 Pellets. Pellets. Inches. Sheets. Pellets. Pellets. Inches. Sheets. 



344 

 346 

 293 



176 

 158 

 108 



349 

 358 

 396 



175 

 176 

 165 



19 

 13 

 17 



16 



348 

 343 

 342 



344 



348 

 343 

 326 



339 



COLT GUN, 10-GAUGE, 60 YDS. 



7 7 167 198 



8 8 158 200 

 8>« 6 117 175 



6 



5^ 



147 



191 



It will be noted as a peculiarity of the gun, at least in 

 comparison with many others tested, that in many cases 

 the aimed circle is the best for that shot; often a shifting 

 of the striking center to secure a better pattern only led 

 to a falling off in the record. This makes our column of 

 inches between center rather misleading, unless this fact 

 is kept in mind. With this brief story of the day we 

 learn the formal record of the two guns: 



ClAremont, N. J., Oct. 2, 1889. 

 TEST MADE AT FOREST AND STREAM GUN- TESTING SCREEN. 



Git?!— Colt Hammerless. Cost, $—. No. of gun, 4, • ■ 

 Weight, 91bs. Length of barrels, 30in. Gauge, 10. Rij, 

 barrel, full choke. Left barrel, full choke. 



Weather— Clear. Direction of wind, 2 o'clock. Force of 

 wind, 8 miles per hour. Thermometer, dry, 59°. Do., 

 wet, 53 °. Humidity, 67° . Barometer, 30.1m. 



Ghfirge, as given by holder of gun: 



BOTH BARRELS. 

 Shell— U. M. C. Brass. 

 Powder, Brand—No. 4 Ducking. 

 Powder, Quantity— 3%dvs. 

 ( Make— Tatham's. 

 Shot < Quantity— l%oz. 

 ( Size— No. 8 Chilled. 



CARTRIDGE ANALYSIS. 

 Tliree Cartridges Taken at Random. 



BOTH BARRELS. 



Loading. Powder. 

 P. E. wad over shot;(l... 101 grs. 

 two P. E. wads and-] 2. . . 97 grs. 

 card over powder. ( 3 . . . 98 grs. 



Shot: 



603 grs. 561 pellets. 

 597 grs. 560 pellets. 

 575 grs. 542 pellets. 



Average 99 grs. 591 grs. 554 pellets. 



TEST AT 40 YARDS. 



Five Shots per Barrel from rest at fixed 30-inch Circle. 



RIGHT BARREL. LEFT BARREL. 



Pattern. Penetration, s pellets.^ Pattern. Penetration, s pellets 



1. 218 pellets. 



2. 213 pellets. 



3. 326 pellets. 



4. 332 pellets. 



5. 323 pellets. 



16 sheets. 



13 sheets. 



15 sheets. 



14 sheets. 



16 sheets. 



1. 295 pellets. 



2. 364 pellets. 



3. 273 pellets. 

 4 360 pellets. 

 5. 326 pellets. 



16 sheets. 



15 sheets. 

 13 sheets. 



17 sheets. 



16 sheets. 



Av. 282 pellets. 15 sheets. Av. 323 pellets. 15 sheets. 



Three shots at 4-foot square; 30-inch Circle selected from 

 best pattern. 



RIGHT BARREL. LEFT BARREL. 



1 382 pellets. 1 370 pellets. 



2 355 pellets. 2 342 pellets. 



3 372 pellets. 3 325 pellets. 



Average 368 pellets. 



Average 345 pellets. 



TEST AT 60 YARDS. 



Five Shots per Barrel from rest at fixed 30 inch Circle. 



RIGHT BARREL. LEFT BARREL. 



Pattern. Penetration, s pellets. Pattern. Penetration, s pellets. 



1. 124 pellets. 



2. 50 pellets. 



3. 192 pellets. 



4. 158 pellets. 



5. 75 pellets. 



9 sheets. 



7 sheets. 



11 sheets. 



7 sheets. 



7 sheets. 



1. 81 pellets. 



2. 140 pellets. 



3. 131 pellets. 



4. 190 pellets. 



5. 122 pellets. 



8 sheets. 

 8 sheets, 

 6 sheets. 



5 sheets. 



6 sheets. » 



Av. 120 pellets. 8 sheets. Av. 133 pellets. 7 sheets. 



Three shots at 4-foot square; 30-inch Circle selected from 

 best pattern. 



RIGHT BARREL. LEFT BARREL. 



1 126 pellets. 1 149 pellets. 



2 184 pellets. 2 190 pellets. 



3 177 pellets. 3 155 pellets. 



Average 159 pellets. 



Average 165 pellets. 



CLAREMONT, N. J., Oct. 2, 1889. 

 TEST MADE AT FOREST AND STREAM GUN-TESTING SCREEN. 



Gun— Colt Hammerless. Cost, $—. No. of gun, 4,283. 



Weight, 8 7-161bs. Length of barrels, 30in. Gauge, 12. 



Right barrel, full choke. Left barrel, full choke. 

 Weather— Clear, Direction of wind, 2 o'clock. Force of 



wind, 8 miles per hour. Thermometer, dry, 59°. Do., 



wet, 53°. Humidity, 67° . Barometer, 30. lin. 

 Charge, as given by holder of gun: 



BOTH BARRELS. 



Shell— V. M. C. Brass. 



Powder, Brand— Bucking No. 4. 



Powder, Quantity— 3>£drs. 



( Make — Tatham's. 

 S7toi -< Quantity— l%oz. 



( Size— No. 8 Chilled. 



CARTRIDGE ANALYSIS. 

 Three Cartridges Taken at Random. 



BOTH BARRELS. 

 Loading. Powder. 

 P. E. wad over shot;(l... 80 grs. 

 two P. E. wads and J 2... 82 grs. 

 card over powder. ( 3 . . . 81 grs. 



Shot. 



621 grs. 581 pellets. 

 612 grs. 573 pellets. 

 585 grs. 554 pellets. 



Average 81 grs. 606 grs. 

 TEST AT 40 YARDS. 



569 pellets. 



Five Shots per Barrel from rest at fixed 30-inch Circle. 



RIGHT BARREL. 

 Pattern. Penetration, 3 pellets. 



1. 401 pellets. 



2. 314 pellets. 



3. 293 pellets. 



4. 334 pellets. 



5. ,392 pellets. 



14 sheets. 

 14 sheets. 

 13 sheets. 

 16 sheets. 

 11 sheets. 



1. 231 pellets. 



2. 281 pellets. 



3. 338 pellets. 



4. 221 pellets. 



5. 230 pellets. 



11 sheets. 

 13 sheets. 

 13 sheets. 



12 sheets. 

 15 sheets. 



Av. 347 pellets. 14 sheets. Av. 260 pellets. 13 sheets. 



