AUGUST , 1917 
FOREST AND S T R E A M 
345 
Then where does it go? Does it strike a 
solid background where it stops without 
doing damage, or does it go flying across 
the next lot, endangering the lives and 
property of others? This same danger 
from stray bullets is present when shoot¬ 
ing along the surface of water, frozen 
ground, or flat rocks. The bullet strikes 
at such a slight angle that it glances off 
with great force and finally lodges in some 
place unexpected by the shooter. It is sur¬ 
prising how many of these stray bullets 
find human targets. Much enjoyment can 
be derived from the little .22 calibre rifle, 
but the user should never forget for an 
instant that the instrument of pleasure he 
holds may become an instrument of de¬ 
struction in one careless moment. 
A long list of rules for the boy to ob¬ 
serve in handling a rifle would be con¬ 
fusing; and only two are really needed: 
1. Never point the rifle—loaded or 
empty—at anything you would not be per¬ 
fectly willing to put a bullet into. 
2. When about to fire, consider where 
the bullet is finally going to land. 
If the boy who uses or contemplates 
using a rifle will bear in mind and observe 
these two rules, he will enjoy his little .22, 
be a safe companion for other boys and 
be a crelit to the brotherhood of riflemen 
—and to his country when it needs him. 
Are there any “grown-ups” who might 
consider the above rules and find them 
beneficial ? 
By HERVEY LOVELL 
M R. CHAS. NEWTON’S opinion of 
muzzle loading rifles,' expressed at 
different times in Forest and Stream 
and other outdoor magazines, has ruffled 
my hair the wrong way. 
The two photographs with this article 
show rifles of two different makes of the 
muzzle-loading system that I believe can 
outshoot any rifle he has ever made. One, 
the older, K. Bircher made. The other 
is a Pope, 25-25 barrel on Ballard action. 
Bircher was as fine a gunmaker probably 
as Switzerland ever allowed to emigrate to 
America. He specialized on turkey-match 
and Schuetzen style rifles for particular 
shooters. This one he bored to 10 mm. or 
.39 caliber, choked and gain twist left hand ; 
eight grooves with rounded corners and flat 
bottoms. The barrel is 30 inches, No. 5, 
octagonal, making the weight 16 pounds. 
The sights are front pin-head, with dia¬ 
mond set in the center. There is a peep 
wind-gauge of European design—and a 
dandy good sight, too. 
The stock, is of finest curly walnut, and 
furniture of the lock, set triggers, tang, and 
spur finger guard fits very close to the 
wood. The joints have stayed put all 
these years, in spite of drying out to an 
extent that you would think would make 
them show, as they always do in the case 
of quickly made factory stocks. The 
checking is deep and ‘flat on top of 
the diamond. A black buffalo horn tip to 
the fore-end finishes off one of the finest 
hand-made stocks I ever owned. 
Equipment consists of a false muzzle and 
starter, to center the bullet in the bore as 
it goes through the tight choke, cutting 
the grooves. The sharp flat base of the 
bullet cuts all dirt down onto the powder 
charge, giving clean shooting—and every 
shot will have the same clean grooves to 
follow out. The lubricated bullet is cen¬ 
tered in the bore. It expands evenly at 
discharge, and takes the rifling as if 
the choked part had been cut with burrs 
drawn forward. 
No one can clean a bore alike each shot 
in breech loading. I have found five shots 
the limit with F. G. Hazzard powder if I 
wanted to stay in the ten ring without 
cleaning. In cold weather, shooting a 
breech-loader with the Pope outfit, I can 
make ten shot-groups before cleaning. I 
could use nitro priming of ten per cent, of 
load, and blow the dirt out each shot. I 
am afraid of some primers in such fine 
barrels, on account of the danger of pit¬ 
ting the breech end of the grooves. Clean¬ 
ing thoroughly with gasoline helps where 
you have round corners in grooves; other¬ 
wise be careful with smokeless primers. 
In this Bircher muzzle-loader, shooting 
a 300 grain bullet, I use 60 grains F. G. 
Hazzard; and I would not refuse a match 
with Mr. Newton, if he used his .256 
caliber high-velocity rifle, my rifle to be 
wagered against one of his. I have spoiled 
my best mould for the long bullets, but can 
MUZZLE-LOADER RESULTS 
A sample target shot by the author 
with his muzzle-loading Pope on 
Ballard action. “Not a very 
good target,” he explains, “but 
better than most loads will 
shoot at 100 yards.” 
get Lischang to make one equally as good 
for the match—the Marine Corps course to 
be shot over, or a 200-yard off-hand match. 
No doubt Mr. Newton is the better shot, 
but I would have the more accurate rifle 
to shoot. 
The accompanying target was shot with 
the muzzle-loading Pope on Ballard action, 
double triggers, Winchester 5-power tele¬ 
scope, .32 caliber, 197-grain muzzle-loading 
Pope bullets, cast 1 to 30. This is not a 
very good target, but is better than most 
loads will shoot at 100 yards with a muzzle 
rest. I use No. 2 primers, and a shell full of 
F. G. Hazzard dental wax wad. Shooting 
this load breech loading, I can sometimes 
place 4 out of 5 shots in the same hole. 
I then clean with wet rags, and the next 
shot will get out of the group one-half 
inch or more—causing a lot of profanity. 
These two rifles would cost to make up 
about $75 each, and are well worth the 
money. One of the barrels was made 
European style, the other American: note 
the resemblance of methods here and 
abroad in rifling and loading. 
I really think the Kentucky rifles of Mr. 
Newton’s boyhood days, in the hands of 
natives, were poorly made cheap affairs, 
about on a par with the notorious Flobert 
of my kid days. Birds of a feather flock 
together, so they say, and one of those 
mountaineers probably started loading too 
much fine-grained powder. Then some¬ 
times a country merchant stocks with some 
poor grade of ammunition, and it takes 
years to shoot it all away, due to the na¬ 
tives’ notion of economy. If they had been 
using a Golcher or Hawkins make of rifle, 
properly loaded, there would have been a 
different opinion on Mr. Newton’s part. 
The country smiths bought barrels from 
Eastern ironmongers for less than five dol¬ 
lars, including a cheap lock and tube. The 
brass furniture and set triggers cost a 
couple of more hard-earned dollars. By 
fitting the native birdseye maple stock to 
boughten parts, a complete rifle was 
formed—by a man usually following 
wagon-making or horse-shoeing as a trade. 
Can anyone imagine an accurate arm 
turned out by such methods? 
Did Mr. Newton ever attend a turkey 
match at 80 rods distance—or one for head 
shots at 75 yards? There was usually an 
accurate rifle in those matches. 
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