502 
FOREST AND 
November, 1921 
SELECTING THE 
STREAM 
PROPER 
RIFLE 
SOME VALUABLE SUGGESTIONS ON CHOOSING THE WEAPON THAT IS 
BEST SUITED FOR THE TYPE OF GAME THE SPORTSMAN IS GOING TO HUNT 
By A. L BRAGG 
I T is sometimes a difficult problem for 
the amateur sportsman to select a 
rifle that is best fitted to his particular 
requirements. Oftentimes a rifle is 
selected mainly with only one view-point 
in mind, and as a result it frequently 
happens that the new acquisition does 
not meet his needs very well and is later 
on discarded for a more satisfactory 
gun. During the last fifty years the 
development of rifles of various styles 
and calibers has been going' on with 
amazing rapidity, and unless a sports- 
man has kept in fairly close touch with 
the new inventions as they appear on 
the market he may find that it is not an 
easy matter to judge of the superior 
merits of some of the later models, espe- 
cially those of the high-velocity, small- 
bore type. 
There are hundreds of varieties of 
rifle cartridges on the market, having 
shells of different shapes and lengths, and 
bullets of almost every conceivable form 
that can be figured out geometrically. 
Some of our rifle cartridges have bullets 
patched with paper or incased with nickel 
or copper, while others have bullets of 
pure lead or lead alloys with grooves of 
various widths and locations, according 
to the theoretical ideas of scientific 
sportsmen or the whimsical notions of 
the gun crank. 
There have been too many styles and 
calibers of rifles and cartridges on the 
market, and a great many of them are 
simply a duplication and possess no 
outstanding advantages. One of our 
leading gun companies has been turn- 
ing out over six hundred varieties of 
cartridges and about four hundred 
and fifty styles of guns. There is no 
need whatever for such a large assort- 
ment, and since the recent world war 
American gun manufacturers have taken 
a wise step in discarding a lot of calibers 
that have served more to flood the mar- 
ket and confuse the prospective buyer 
than to offer a larger field for selection. 
The passing of the old big-bore, black- 
powder rifles have left in their wake 
three distinct classes of guns : smokeless- 
powder rifles, black-powder rifles and 
those adapted to either high-velocity 
smokeless or black-powder loads. This 
classification should be taken into con- 
sideration before attempting to choose a 
rifle. High-power rifles, like the 250-3,000, 
30-30 and 30 Government, are intended 
for smokeless powders only, and black 
or semi-smokeless powders cannot be 
used in them with any degree of success. 
These rifles have very rapid twists, a 
majority of them giving a bullet a com- 
plete turn in every ten inches as it passes 
through the barrel. Rifles having smoke- 
less steel barrels and a comparatively 
slow twist of rifling, such as the 32 
Special and some of the 32-40 and 38-55 
calibers, are equally adapted to black, 
semi-smokeless, low-power smokeless or 
high-velocity cartridges. The twist of 
rifling in the guns of this class range 
from one turn in sixteen to one turn in 
twenty inches. 
All rifles not having smokeless steel 
barrels belong to the black-powder class, 
and in such guns a high-velocity load 
cannot be used with safety. However, 
low-power smokeless-powder cartridges 
that give a slightly increased velocity 
over black-powder loads can be used in 
them with good results. The black- 
powder rifles of to-day are the survivors 
of a once great class of black-powder 
rifles ranging from big, bulky cartridges, 
like the 38-90-217, 40-110-260, 45-125- 
500, 50-100-450, etc., down to the small 
22-caliber cartridges. The twist of rifling 
in a majority of these guns was compara- 
tively gentle, some only having one turn 
in sixty inches. 
Some popular hunting cartridges 
’T" HE first step towards the selection 
of a rifle is to determine the size or 
caliber of the gun best fitted to one’s 
needs. This depends to a large extent 
upon the game to be hunted or the local- 
ity where the weapon is to be used. 
While the use of a rifle is not limited to 
any particular game, it is, as a rule, 
better suited to a certain class of shoot- 
ing. Black bear and deer have been 
successfully hunted with rifles of the 
25-20 and 32-20 calibers, and small game 
like the woodchuck and fox are some- 
times shot with rifles using high-velocity 
cartridges of the 30-30 caliber or larger. 
However, it is not a wise plan to go 
after large game with a small-game rifle, 
and it is an indication of poor sportsman- 
ship to use a big-game rifle in shooting 
small game. 
The use of a high-power rifle is out 
of the question in a well-settled com- 
munity, especially if it is devoid of hills, 
on account of the long range of the gun 
and the danger from ricochetting bullets. 
The energy or striking power of a bullet 
determines largely its killing power, al- 
though there is a difference in the 
effectiveness of small, elongated bullets, 
driven at high velocities and large-caliber 
heavy bullets driven at low velocities, even 
though they both develop the same energy 
at a given distance. The latter is best de- 
scribed as giving a thrust and the former 
as giving something of an explosive 
effect, as, with expanding bullets, they 
strike animal tissues. Therefore, it can 
be seen that in shooting big game a. 
bullet driven at a low velocity may not: 
give sufficient shocking power, and a bul- 
let driven at too high a speed would 
destroy itself before it penetrated suffi- 
ciently to reach a vital spot. 
The range and trajectory of a pro- 
jectile is dependent upon its weight and 
velocity. A short bullet does not retain 
its velocity or its energy as well as a 
long bullet, and for this reason some of 
the large-caliber, light-weight bullets are 
suitable only for short-range shooting. 
For the largest of the big game, such 
as the huge bears of Alaska, the giant 
moose of eastern Canada or the fierce 
beasts of the tropical jungle, a heavy 
bullet of good length and driven at a 
muzzle velocity of well over 2,000 feet 
per second should be considered. The 
main points for such a weapon would be 
to deliver a smashing knockdown blow 
and give good penetration with soft-point: 
bullets. 
Among the cartridges suited for this: 
class of shooting are : the 30 Govern- 
ment, using the heavier-weight bullets,, 
and the 35 and 405 Winchester. The 
first-named cartridge is better for long- 
range shooting than the latter two. For 
big game, such as deer, bear, puma,, 
mountain sheep, elk, wild goats, a rifle- 
giving a bullet a velocity of around 2,000' 
feet per second or more and a striking 
energy of over 1,500 foot pounds would', 
be satisfactory. 
Among the cartridges adapted to this, 
class of shooting are the 250-3000 and'. 
303 Savage; 30-30, 32-40 and 38-55 high- 
velocity loads; 32 Special, 33 Winchester.. 
35 Remington, 30 Army and 401 Win- 
chester. For medium-sized game, such 
as wolves, coyotes, wildcats and other 
predatory animals, and for an occasional 
shot at deer or other larger game, the 22' 
high-power Savage, 25-35, 25 high-power 
Remington, 38-40, 44-40, 32-40 and 38-55' 
would give sufficient power at all ordi- 
nary ranges. 
For small game, such as foxes, wood- 
chucks, jackrabbits, raccoon, geese and 
other large game birds, rifles of the 25-20 
and 32-20 class and reduced smokeless- 
powder loads in high-power rifles would 
be found the most satisfactory. For 
rodents, crows, small-game birds and the 
smallest of game animals, the 22 long rifle 
