Dec. 3, 1910.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
909 
It Hits 
Like the 
Hammer 
of Thor,the 
WINCHESTER 
.401 CALIBER 
Model 1910 Self-Loading - Rifle 
This repeater, which is the latest Winchester product, 
has speed and power plus. It’s speedy because, being 
reloaded by the recoil of the fired cartridge, it can be shot 
as fast as the trigger can be pulled. It’s powerful because 
it handles a cartridge of the most modern type — one that 
strikes a blow of 2038 foot pounds. The knock-down, 
shocking power of this cartridge, with its heavy bullet of 
large diameter, driven with high velocity, is tremendous; 
and the combination of such power with the rapidity of 
fire which this rifle is capable of, makes it unusually 
desirable for hunting the biggest of big game. There 
is no rifle made which will deliver five as powerful 
blows in as few seconds as the Winchester Model 1910. 
Ask your dealer to show you one. or 
send for circular fully describing this ride. 
WINCHESTER REPEATING ARMS CO. 
NEW HAVEN. CONN 
The Choice of a Gun. 
THE GUN THAT WILL SUIT. 
The choice of a gun must be determined, first, by the 
purposes for which it is intended that it is to ire used, 
and, secondly, by the physique of the person by whom 
it will be used. 
The gauge of the gun settled, the length of the barrel 
-must be decided upon. The proportionate length will 
soon be ascertained from the ratio of length to caliber- 
40 to 1 holds good for shotguns as for rifles — and the 
exact diameters of the various bores are given in the 
Schedule of the Proof House Tests. In practice as good 
results are obtained with sporting loads if the length 
of the barrel is slightly less than the theoretic maximum; 
with chambers of the usual length, the 12-gauge choke- 
bore barrel is better under than over 29.16m., which is 
theoretically its correct length. Barrels of 28m. seldom 
fail to give complete satisfaction, but the short barrels 
should not be chambered for extra-long cartridges, 
neither must the light ones. The gauge and length of 
barrel will determine the weight of the weapon; if its 
weight is not proportionate to the load used, it will 
recoil unpleasantly. A safe rule is to have the gun 96 
times heavier than the shot load. This means a 61b. 
gun for an ounce of shot; 6%lbs. for l%oz.; 7%lbs. for 
Hioz., and these may be shot with comfort, irrespective 
of the gauge of the gun; but the 12-bore gun is handi¬ 
capped by being lightened and the barrels shortened. 
For shooting small loads, the better plan is to reduce 
the gauge. On the other hand, the author has many 
times received orders to build 12-bore guns under Tibs, 
weight, yet chambered for the 2%in. cartridge case, and 
intended for use with 47grs. of nitro and llioz. of shot, 
and chiefly for pigeon shooting. As this heavy charge 
can be loaded into cases of the ordinary length, noth¬ 
ing is to be gained by having the 2%in. chamber, nor is 
the weight of the gun suitable for such still heavier 
charges as may be loaded into long cases. 
The gun will be more or less choke-bored; to dispense 
with the choke is to sacrifice efficiency, for choke-boring 
is the only method by which the outward expansion of 
the shot can be controlled. The amount of choke best 
suited for the weapon will depend upon the particular 
use to which the gun is to be put and the skill of the 
shooter to use it. A trapshooter placed at, say, 21yds. 
must change his gun when the handicapper puts him 
back to 28; but, in deciding the amount of choke, it 
must be borne in mind that the pattern shown on the 
target does not fairly represent the position of the pel¬ 
lets at any given moment, for, having individual veloci¬ 
ties, some go ahead, others lag behind, and so actually 
the pattern is never exactly what the target represents it 
to be. A choke-bored gun is four sizes better than a 
cylinder; that is to say, to get equally close patterns a 
barrel so much larger would be needed to shoot a heavier 
load and so make an equal pattern, while at long ranges 
the larger barrel and heavier loads could never equal the 
choke. Uniformity in shooting is a quality found in the 
best guns only; chokes and cylinders alike, unless care¬ 
fully finished, and a trial made of their performance, will 
make occasional bad shots, any one of which would allow 
of a pigeon escaping. The principal advantage a cyl¬ 
inder possesses is a larger killing circle at from 18 to 
26yds., or thereabouts. For this wider circle of 5in. at 
20yds., one must sacrifice 15yds. of killing range. For 
walking up game a gun which gives its largest killing 
circle at 30yds. with the right barrel and at 40 with the 
left is undoubtedly the most convenient for good shots. 
The various degrees of choking may be classified as: 
Full-choke, which with a 12-gauge gun, stand¬ 
ard load, distance and conditions will make 
an average pattern of . 215 pellets 
The half-choke, same conditions. 185 “ 
The quarter-choke, same conditions. 160 “ 
The improved cylinder, same conditions. 140 “ 
The old cylinder, same conditions. 115 “ 
Any better average shooting than 215 may be termed 
an extra full-choke; the improved cylinder is a barrel very 
slightly choked. 
The fit of the gun stock can be ascertained from actual 
trial only; the ordinary measurements suit most men, 
and if the gunmaker knows the height of the sportsman, 
and is advised of any variation from the usual type, as 
being very broad-shouldered, having long arms, etc., he 
should be able to build a gun which will fit well enough 
for most men. 
The hammerless gun of the Anson and Deeley, 
“Facile Princeps,” and similar types, will be shorter over 
all than a hammer gun -having the same length of stock 
and barrels, for the distance between the trigger and the 
head of the gun is nearly one inch less. Such guns, 
therefore, since they have the chief weight between the 
hands, may balance well — better than the hammer guns— 
yet indicate a fulcrum nearer the muzzle than the posi¬ 
tion 3in. from the breech end of the barrels, specified as 
a perfect balance. 
HOW TO ORDER A GUN. 
It is best to order a gun personally, since it is not 
easy for any one not conversant with trade technicalities 
to specify correctly the details of the arm required. If 
this is inconvenient, it is usual to supply the gun-maker 
with the measurement'of some gun which fits the shooter 
for whom the new weapon is inteqded, or to give precise 
indications to enable an expert to judge of the dimen. 
sions which will probably suit best. A photograph (full- 
length) is often a great assistance; any peculiarities of 
build should also be mentioned; if any spaces in the 
usual order form cannot be filled up, some indication 
should be given that the points they refer to are im¬ 
material. In using technical words, use them in the 
sense gun-makers understand them, or describe what is 
wanted in ordinary language, even though by a round¬ 
about way, for it is better to describe a special rib at 
full length than to order and obtain a “flat” when a 
“level” one is wanted. 
Instructions have already been given for measuring 
length and bend of the gun-stock, taking circumference 
of the “grip” and lay of the heel-plate; the amount of 
cast-off cannot be measured without special jigs' or tools, 
and it is best not to specify the cast-off required unless 
it has been accurately ascertained by an expert. The 
weight of the pull-off of the triggers is usually 41bs. 
Any deviation from this standard should be specified if 
required. 
The author has made a series of experiments, all prov¬ 
ing that at least four pellets of No. 6 chilled shot are 
required to kill a sitting bluerock pigeon stone dead, 
always excepting such fluky shots as result in one pellet 
striking the head or breaking the neck of the bird. It 
the pigeon be struck by six shots, although not one may 
enter a vital part, the shock of the impact is enough to 
drop the bird at once and allow it to be gathered. A 
cylinder gun will not average three shots into a pigeon 
at 30yds., and must therefore be considered practically 
useless at that distance; for, providing the pigeon was 
fairly struck, and in the center of the charge, not more 
than one bird out of three would be killed outright or 
gathered. To insure four pellets being put into a pigeon, 
a pattern of at least 200 in the 30in. circle is necessary. 
When extra barrels are required to fit the same stock, 
if the additional pair is widely different from the original 
pair, the gun will be wholly satisfactory with either pair. 
It is impossible to get a well-balanced light 12-bore gun 
and a heavy 10-bore wild-fowling gun simply by changing 
the barrels. A heavy 12 and a light 10 may interchange, 
or there may be barrels of the same gauge, but differing, 
say 8oz. in weight. Beyond this limit it is unwise to go— 
the requirement is more satisfactorily met by having two 
guns, even if both be of somewhat cheaper grade. 
The expense of fitting extra barrels adds quite one-half 
to the cost of the guns, and in cheap guns! more than 
half the cost. The workmanship upon the barrel and 
action-fitting are the heaviest items in the cost of guns, 
and the extra labor entailed by having two sets of bar¬ 
rels instead of one accurately adjusted breech mechan¬ 
ism, and geared with lock-firing and ejecting mechanisms, 
runs up the cost of construction enormously. 
The nature of the work may be estimated from the fact 
that to get the same bend of stock the finest adjustment 
of the barrels to the action is requisite — a difference not 
greater than the thickness of a piece of paper on the 
under sides of the barrels sufficing to throw out the 
bend one-eighth of an inch or more. It is evident, 
therefore, that it is imposible to fit a new pair of barrels 
to be exactly the same as the old ones unless the stock, 
and not the breech action only, is furnished to the gun- 
