Class ^S/t2^ 
 Book_ 
 
 lfS_ 
 
 Copyright N^. 
 
 COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 
 
SPORTING FIREARMS 
 
SPORTING 
 FIREARMS 
 
 BY 
 
 HORACE KEPHART 
 
 Author of "The Book of Camping and 
 Woodcraft," *'Camp Cookery," etc. 
 
 Illustrated with Diagrams 
 
 NEW YORK 
 
 OUTING PUBLISHING COMPANY 
 MCMXII 
 
\< 
 
 Copyright, 1912, By 
 OUTING PUBLISHING COMPANY. 
 
 Entered at Stationer's Hall, London, England. 
 All rights reserved 
 
 
 
FOREWORD 
 
 It is assumed that the reader of this booklet 
 is familiar with gun catalogues — hence space is 
 saved by omitting nearly everything that cata- 
 logues have to say. 
 
 Let us consider rifles and shotguns from the 
 user's standpoint, simply as tools of sport, to 
 be judged strictly on their merits. The 
 " make " of a gun, like a horse's pedigree, may be 
 of good or ill repute; but it is not a final guar- 
 antee of merit. 
 
 To prove a gun thoroughly, it must be tested 
 both on the range and in the field. Nobody can 
 tell from field shooting alone just what a gun's 
 shooting qualities are; nor can anybody tell 
 much about its killing power and serviceability 
 until he has used it a good deal on game. 
 
 Horace Kephart. 
 Bryson, N. C. January, 1912. 
 
Table of Contents 
 
 CHAPTER PAGE 
 
 I. Rifles and Ammunition ... 11 
 
 11. The Flight of Bullets ... 26 
 
 III. Killing Power 40 
 
 IV. Rifle Mechanism and Materials . 59 
 
 V, Rifle Sights ...... 76 
 
 VL Triggers and Stocks — Care of 
 
 Rifle 91 
 
 Part II. The Shotgun 
 
 VII. Shot Patterns and Penetration . 109 
 
 VIII. Gauges and Weights .... 124 
 
 IX, Mechanism and Build of Shotguns 140 
 
SPORTING FIREARMS 
 
SPORTING FIREARMS 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 RIFLES AND AMMUNITION 
 
 THE shooting merits of a rifle are rated 
 by the accuracy, velocity, and force with 
 which it delivers bullets. I use the word 
 force, for brevity's sake, in an arbitrary sense, to 
 include energy of impact, penetration, and shock. 
 Some rifles are accurate, but drive the bullets 
 so slowly that they describe a high curve, so that 
 they will over-shoot or under-shoot beyond, say, 
 fifty yards, unless the distance is closely esti- 
 mated and proper allowance is made in aiming. 
 Some shoot swift and hard, but drive their bullets 
 now high, now low, now right, now left, and no 
 man can tell just where they will hit. Others 
 shoot swift, and hard, and true: they can be 
 relied upon to hit " where they are held," without 
 allowing for distance, up to, say, one hundred and 
 fifty yards. When all three merits are combined 
 in the same gun we have a weapon of high ballistic 
 
 11 
 
SPORTING FIREARMS 
 
 efficiency — an " old reliable " that a man may well 
 be proud of. 
 
 I have spoken in hunters' terms and as though 
 it were the gun alone that did the work. But 
 the degree of accuracy, velocity, and force with 
 which a rifle shoots is really determined not so 
 much by the weapon itself as by the charge with 
 which it is loaded. If a novice should ask " How 
 straight and how hard does a Winchester rifle 
 shoot? " (or a Remington, or any other) nobody 
 could give a direct answer; for it depends on 
 what cartridge is used. If, on the other hand, he 
 should ask " How straight and how hard does a 
 .25-35 Winchester cartridge shoot?" (or any 
 other) we could answer definitely; for it will give 
 about the same results in any standard arm that 
 is made to use it. 
 
 Of course, the precision with which a bullet 
 starts on its errand is governed largely by the 
 design, material, and mechanical perfection of the 
 gun barrel. So, too, velocity of bullet depends 
 somewhat upon length of barrel. But the com- 
 mon experience of gunmakers has so nearly 
 standardized these matters that we need not con- 
 sider them for the present. 
 
 The cartridge determines the kind of work that 
 a rifle can do. It is a law of scientific gunnery 
 
 12 
 
RIFLES AND AMMUNITION 
 
 to design first a cartridge, then a gun to handle it. 
 And this is done in practical gunmaking whenever 
 an arm of superior ballistics is produced. On 
 the contrary, whenever a charge is ill-balanced 
 or a bullet malformed, for the sake of fitting the 
 cartridge to a particular breech mechanism, bad 
 shooting is bound to result. 
 
 This matter is so important, yet so commonly 
 overlooked, that I may be allowed a little space 
 to illustrate and emphasize it: 
 
 In the half-century preceding our Civil War 
 the muzzle-loader reached its highest develop- 
 ment. After infinitely varied experiments, Amer- 
 ican riflemen discovered a peculiar bullet called 
 the "sugar loaf" (^fig, 1) that outclassed all 
 
 Figure 1. 
 
 others in ballistic merit. Its length was a little 
 less than twice its own caliber. Its distinguish- 
 ing feature was an extremely slow taper from 
 point to base, the bearing or cylindrical part be- 
 ing so short that this bullet could only be loaded 
 by using a false muzzle to start it. Except for 
 a slightly blunted tip, it had fine lines, like a boat 
 
 13 
 
SPORTING FIREABMS 
 
 built for high speed. It flew with extreme ac- 
 curacy up to five hundred yards, and with a lower 
 curve or trajectory than any other form of coni- 
 cal ball. 
 
 With such bullets a rifle by Morgan James 
 made a score of twenty-five consecutive shots, at 
 two hundred and twenty yards, with average 
 deviation of 1.4 inch; also ten shots, same dis- 
 tance, average deviation .8 inch, measuring from 
 center of bullet hole to center of group (targets 
 published in Atlantic Monthly, October, 1859). 
 The bullet here illustrated was used, in a .42-130- 
 270 muzzle-loader, in the Forest and Stream tra- 
 jectory test at Creedmoor in 1885, and made a 
 lower curve than any American or foreign breech- 
 loader of its day (height of trajectory 6.4 inches 
 midway over the two hundred yard range). We 
 may say that this or a similar charge gave the 
 highest ballistic efficiency — the best combination 
 of accuracy, velocity, and force — that ever was 
 attained with black gunpowder within sporting 
 ranges. 
 
 When breech-loaders were introduced the 
 sugar-loaf bullet could not be used in them, owing 
 to its short bearing. Their mechanism was so 
 weak, and the shells were so weak, that breech 
 pressure had to be kept down to a low figure. 
 
 14 
 
RIFLES AND AMMUNITION 
 
 This could only be done by using a small charge 
 of powder and a light, short bullet. Still, the 
 bullet had to have considerable bearing, in order 
 to start straight. 
 
 This meant a bluff shoulder, like the bow of a 
 canal boat, and consequent low speed. Such a 
 bullet is illustrated in fig» ^5 the well known .44- 
 
 FlGUEE 2. 
 
 40-200. The accuracy of such a charge is far 
 inferior to the one previously mentioned. Its 
 trajectory is so high (sixteen inches midway over 
 the two hundred yard range) that shooting it be- 
 yond one hundred yards is mostly guesswork, and 
 seldom effective. And yet more of this ammuni- 
 tion, probably, was sold in America than any 
 other that has been used on big game, and more 
 game has been killed with it than with any other. 
 It came into use at the right time, when an army 
 of hunters, many of them ex-soldiers, advanced 
 into the West, where game was wonderfully plenti- 
 ful. These cartridges were cheap, and they could 
 be bought at any frontier post. Game was easily 
 approached, in those days, and sportsmanship) 
 
 15 
 
SPORTING FIREARMS 
 
 had no more ethics than timber cutting — nobody 
 cared how many broken-legged or gut-shot ani- 
 mals crawled off to fester miserabl;^ in a thicket 
 and die by slow torture. 
 
 So it came to pass that the record for Amer- 
 ican game shooting was won by as poor a cart- 
 ridge as ever was forced into an arbitrary shape. 
 It should be noted, in this case, that the bullet 
 is of only 1^ calibers length, cylindrical through- 
 out half its length, and very blunt. Such a missile 
 will fly straight enough to satisfy average men, 
 up to one hundred and fifty yards, if started at 
 very slow speed (standard muzzle velocity 1,300 
 feet a second). If driven by a strong charge of 
 powder it would meet excessive air resistance, 
 would waste energy like a bluff-bowed boat driven 
 by powerful engines, would " corkscrew " in its 
 flight, and soon would go staggering like a ship 
 without a rudder. 
 
 Good marksmen never were satisfied with such 
 ammunition as the .44-40, .38-40, .32-20, and 
 others similarly proportioned. The demand for 
 something more accurate and of surer killing 
 power became insistent. It was met by a series 
 of cartridges of radically different type, in which 
 the bullet was of from 2J^ to 3 calibers length, 
 such as the .45-110-550, .45-70-405, .40-90-370, 
 
 16 
 
RIFLES AND AMMUNITION 
 
 .40-70-830, .38-55-255, and .32-40-165. (The 
 first figure, in each case, is the caliber in hun- 
 dredths of an inch; the second is the weight of 
 powder, in grains ; the third is the weight of 
 bullet, in grains.) The .45-70-405 bullet is 
 shown, as an example in fig. 3. 
 
 Figure 3. 
 
 These were the most accurate sporting cart- 
 ridges produced in black powder days. Their 
 bullets, being long and heavy, could only be 
 driven at low speed (1,300 to 1,400 feet a second) 
 and had high trajectories (10 to 13^ inches 
 midway for two hundred yards), but they were 
 reliable, if proper elevation was given, up to 
 three hundred to one thousand yards. Discrim- 
 inating marksmen refused to use repeating rifles 
 until they were made strong enough to handle 
 ammunition of this or similar t3"pe. 
 
 The one fault of the long, heavy bullet was its 
 high trajectory. It is hard to estimate distance 
 correctly over uneven ground, across ravines, and 
 over the water. It is harder still to make just 
 the right allowance for it when aiming over open 
 
 17 
 
SPORTING FIREARMS 
 
 sights. Moreover, game is hunted where there Is 
 cover. A man may not be expecting a shot at 
 less than one hundred yards, but there is no tell- 
 ing when game may be jumped unexpectedly at 
 some intermediate distance. Suppose he carries 
 a .45-70, or a .38-55, sighted to strike center at 
 one hundred yards. He jumps a deer at fifty 
 yards, and fires quickly — no time to think about 
 sight allowance. His rifle will shoot nearly three 
 inches higher than he aims. This may mean all 
 the difference between a clean kill and a cripple. 
 
 Had he been armed with a weapon taking such a 
 cartridge as the 1906 model .30 U. S. A., the bul- 
 let would have risen no more than a negligible 
 fraction of an inch above line of aim, at any point 
 from muzzle to mark. At longer ranges than one 
 hundred yards the advantage of a low trajectory 
 rapidly mounts in value. 
 
 To meet the demand for a flatter line of fire 
 in repeating rifles a new series of cartridges was 
 devised, of which the .45-90-300 and .50-110-300 
 are typical. The total length of cartridge being 
 limited by the form of breech mechanism, increased 
 velocity could only be gained by enlarging the 
 shell capacity and shortening the bullet. 
 
 Here, again, accuracy was sacrificed with no 
 offsetting gain. The difference in trajectory be- 
 
 18 
 
RIFLES AND AMMUNITION 
 
 tween the .45-90-300 and the .45-70-405 was so 
 slight as to be of no practical value, considering 
 that the latter bullet is the steadier of the two. 
 Muzzle energies are the same, and the remaining 
 energy of the 405 grain bullet is greater at all 
 ranges than that of the 300. The .50-110-300, 
 with a bullet of only one and one-third calibers 
 length, and very blunt, is notoriously inaccurate, 
 so that its trajectory figures are quite misleading. 
 The .50-100-450, with longer bullet in the same 
 shell is far superior to it in every respect. 
 
 Then came smokeless powder and steel-jacketed 
 bullets, changing everything. We awoke to the 
 fact that killing power or shock does not depend 
 upon caliber alone. We also learned that a bullet 
 
 Figure 4. 
 of four or five calibers length could be given an 
 initial speed of two thousand feet a second, or 
 more, and yet shoot with precision at all ranges, 
 with a trajectory lower even than that of the 
 " sugar loaf " bullet from our grandfathers' 
 muzzle-loader. The most effective sporting cart- 
 ridges of this class are those using bullets of the 
 length here mentioned, (fig 4), with lead exposed 
 
 19 
 
SPORTING FIREARMS 
 
 at the tip so as to mushroom on impact. Weaker 
 ammunition for medium game was provided in 
 the .303 Savage, .30-30, .25-35, etc., with bullets 
 of three to three and three-fourths calibers length, 
 which were of fair accuracy and stopping power. 
 
 Some dissatisfaction has been found with am- 
 munition for these small-bores, owing to defective 
 bullets of the soft-point kind, which were not ac- 
 curate and did not penetrate as they should. 
 Consequently many hunters have insisted on larger 
 calibers. An attempt to make high-velocity am- 
 munition out of the old .45s and .50s was tried by 
 returning again to the futile expedient of using 
 bullets that were very short and stubby. It failed, 
 as all such efforts are bound to fail, since a bullet 
 that is inaccurate at moderate speed is sure to fly 
 wilder and wilder as the velocity is increased. 
 Other large caliber ammunition using longer bul- 
 lets, such as the .35 Winchester, .405 Winchester, 
 .9 mm. Mauser and Mannlicher, has given much 
 better results. 
 
 Up to this point in the development of firearms, 
 it seemed to have been proven that accuracy and 
 sustained velocity could only be attained, in 
 breech-loaders, by using long and heavy bullets. 
 The lesson learned in muzzle-loading days that a 
 great deal depends upon the shape of a projectile's 
 
 20 
 
RIFLES AND AM3IUNITION 
 
 head — upon its lines, as one would say of a boat — 
 had been forgotten. Our riflemen and our gun- 
 makers, as a class, seemed possessed of the notion 
 that they had nothing to learn of their forefathers 
 and nothing to learn abroad. 
 
 Meantime the U. S. A. ordnance board was get- 
 ting interesting news from beyond the horizon. 
 Smokeless powder and jacketed bullets were intro- 
 duced from Europe; then came, from the same 
 source, bolt action repeaters, clip-loading maga- 
 zines, rimless shells, machines for charging cart- 
 ridges by weight instead of by bulk, and, finally, 
 an odd form of projectile, the sharp-pointed 
 Spitzer bullet, which upset our so-called science 
 of ballistics and taught us anew the lesson of the 
 " sugar loaf." 
 
 The shape of the Spitzer bullet is shown in fig. 
 5, which is a view, partly in cross-section, of the 
 
 FlGUEE 5. 
 
 .30 U. S. A. cartridge, model of 1906. The pro- 
 jectile is shorter than the former service bullet by 
 about one-half caliber. Considerably more than 
 
 ^1 
 
SPORTING FIREARMS 
 
 half its length forward is finely tapered from 
 point to shoulder. In fact, only so much of the 
 bullet is cylindrical as is necessary to give it 
 secure bearing in the shell and a straight start 
 in the bore of the gun. 
 
 Although the Spitzer weighs only one hundred 
 and fifty grains, as against the two hundred and 
 twenty of the old service bullet, its fine lines enable 
 it to pierce the air much more easily than the old 
 model with round head. When a bullet of the old 
 form is made short enough to weigh only one hun- 
 dred and fifty grains, and is fired with the same 
 muzzle velocity as the sharp bullet, its speed falls 
 off much more rapidly, and its trajectory is 
 higher and higher as the range increases, until, at 
 seven hundred yards, it even rises above that of 
 the two hundred and twenty grain rounded-head 
 bullet. 
 
 Form of bullet head becomes of greater and 
 greater consequence as muzzle velocity is in- 
 creased. It is much the same with projectiles in 
 air as it is with boats in water — the higher the 
 speed, the finer should be the lines. An ideal 
 shape for a projectile would be somewhat like that 
 of a submarine torpedo, sharp at both ends, and 
 I doubt not that some day we shall come to it. In 
 fact, I experimented with such missiles about 
 
 22 
 
RIFLES AND AMMUNITION 
 
 twenty years ago and found that no sabot was 
 needed to start them straight and that they re- 
 quired a much slower twist than bullets with 
 square bases, which have to be shot light end fore- 
 most, in defiance of nature. 
 
 The change wrought by the Spitzer bullet has 
 been as revolutionary, in its way, as that effected 
 by smokeless powder. The maximum ordinate 
 (highest rise) of the two hundred and twenty grain 
 Springfield bullet, for one thousand yards range, 
 is twenty-two feet; that for the sharp-point bul- 
 let is only fourteen and one-half feet. At all 
 ranges up to two thousand yards the velocity of 
 the sharp-point is greater and the trajectory 
 flatter. Up to one thousand yards the energy is 
 greater and the accuracy is better. In fact, the 
 .30 U. S. A. cartridges turned out by the Frank- 
 ford Arsenal since 1909 are probably the most 
 accurate ammunition ever produced for a hand 
 firearm, the mean radius at five hundred yards 
 being 4.87 inches, and the mean vertical deviation 
 2.34 inches. When the rifle is sighted to strike 
 center at one hundred and fifty yards, its bullet 
 rises only 0.61 inch above actual line of sight at 
 fifty yards, 1.05 inch at seventy-five yards, 1.07 
 inch at one hundred yards, 0.71 inch at one hun- 
 dred and twenty-five yards, and falls only 1.19 
 
 23 
 
SPORTING FIREARMS 
 
 inches below it at one hundred and seventy-five 
 yards (my own figures). 
 
 Most surprising of all properties of this re- 
 markable projectile is the fact, now well estab- 
 lished, that the full-mantled bullet (not soft-nose) 
 has tremendous smashing effect on living tissue 
 and bones up to three hundred yards — quite 
 enough for any American game. 
 
 I have written this sketch for a practical pur- 
 pose. Since it is the cartridge that determines 
 the kind of work that a rifle can do, it follows 
 that when one is buying a rifle he first should con- 
 sider the kind of work that he wants to do with 
 it, then choose a cartridge adapted to such work. 
 When this is settled, but not until then, it is time 
 to consider what functioning mechanism is best 
 for the purpose, what weight and proportions of 
 arm, what materials and finish; then, finally, who 
 makes the best gun of that kind. The trouble is 
 that there are so many varieties of ammunition on 
 our market that anyone studying catalogues and 
 ballistic tables is likely to get " bumfuzzled," as 
 my backwoods partner puts it. In the catalogue 
 of one maker alone you can count more than four 
 hundred different rifle cartridges, all of them on 
 sale to-day. Nine out of ten of them are out-of- 
 date, or of bad design. To criticize all of them 
 
 24< 
 
RIFLES AND AMMUNITION 
 
 would take a book. I have tried to show how one 
 can discriminate bj following a few safe rules : — 
 
 1. No cartridge is worthy of consideration by 
 up-to-date sportsmen unless the bullet is at least — 
 
 3 calibers long for -.25 caliber bullets 
 
 • 23^ " " " .30 to .35 •' 
 
 2 " " " .40 to .45 " " 
 
 1% " " " .50 
 
 2. No bullet is accurate at high speed unless it 
 either is long and heavy or has fine lines forward. 
 
 25 
 
CHAPTER II 
 
 THE FLIGHT OF BULLETS 
 
 THE trajectory of a bullet is the curved path 
 of its flight. Every missile travels in a 
 constantly increasing curve. The height 
 of that curve, for a given range, depends upon the 
 speed at which the projectile flies. No trajec- 
 tory can be flat, because no curve is flat; it will 
 be low with a swift bullet and high with a slow 
 one. The advantage of a low trajectory is that 
 it extends the range throughout which one can 
 hit game without making a close guess at the dis- 
 tance and precise allowance for the drop of bul- 
 let. 
 
 Imagine yourself hunting with an accurate but 
 low-speed rifle — say a .38-55 or a .45-70 of the 
 type favored a few years ago. In your hunting 
 ground the cover is so thick that the guides say: 
 "Don't bother about trajectory; nine-tenths of 
 big game is shot within a hundred yards, and any 
 rifle will carry * level ' enough to do the trick at 
 that distance." 
 
 ^6 
 
THE FLIGHT OF BULLETS 
 
 But the days slip by, your vacation is near 
 spent, and you have no trophy. Then the ex- 
 traordinary happens. A fine bull moose steps 
 out to the lake's margin. There he stands, clearly 
 outlined against sky and water, as fair a mark 
 as any bull'seye on your target range at home. 
 It is your last chance to retrieve from failure a 
 trip you have planned these three years past, and 
 one that has cost you a pretty penny, withal. 
 
 The beast is a good way off; just how far is not 
 easy for city-trained eyes to gauge. You say to 
 yourself " three hundred yards," and raise the rear 
 sight accordingly. Beside you is a big, old mossy 
 log — as good a muzzle rest as man could wish. It 
 is a fair advantage to take for so long a shot. 
 The moose does not wind you. There is no hurry. 
 You aim as you never aimed before, draw trigger 
 with never a blink or shrink, and — miss ! 
 
 " Chr-r-ristopher Columbus ! " or words to that 
 effect. 
 
 The moose has vanished forever. And what's 
 to blame? Trajectory is to blame. Your guide 
 was right about the nine times in ten; but about 
 this supreme and never-to-be-forgotten one chance 
 in ten he was dead, dead wrong. 
 
 You overestimated the distance by fifty yards — 
 not a very bad guess, under the circumstances. At 
 
 27 
 
SPORTING FIREARMS 
 
 two hundred and fifty yards where the moose really 
 stood, your slow-moving bullet, aimed for three 
 hundred, flew nearly or quite two feet too high. 
 Had you been armed with an accurate high-speed 
 rifle, say a .30 U. S., ' 06, the bullet would have 
 landed on the moose, from two to seven inches 
 above the point you aimed at, with strong prob- 
 ability of bringing meat to camp and a fine head 
 for the wall of your den at home. 
 
 These figures are not the kind reprinted by 
 catalogue experts in the gun-talk pages of maga- 
 zines. They are the kind that bring results. No 
 gun ever shoots swift for one man and slow for 
 another. Its trajectory is pre-determined when 
 the cartridge is loaded, and one can no more alter 
 it by anecdotes of fluke shots than he can by pull- 
 ing harder on the trigger. 
 
 Trajectory, then, is something that every up- 
 to-date sportsman should understand. To do so, 
 one must give attention to a few figures. Those 
 commonly printed in catalogue tables do not tell • 
 the facts that a hunter most needs to know. The 
 midway rise of a bullet over certain ranges may \ 
 have some value in comparing weapons, but little - 
 in hunting ; for nobody will make a mistake of 
 fifty per cent in judging distance. The zone of . 
 probable error is the twenty-five to seventy-five 
 
 28 
 
THE FLIGHT OF BULLETS 
 
 yards nearest the mark shot at, bath on the hither 
 side and beyond the object. 
 
 Trajectory tables, to be of practical use to 
 sportsmen, should show the height of bullet curve 
 every twenty-five or fifty yards from muzzle to 
 range sighted for; also the drop below line of 
 aim, at similar intervals, for some distance beyond 
 that range. It is not expedient to publish many 
 such tables in this place, nor is it needful to do so. 
 Rifle ammunition may be classified in a few well- 
 defined groups, and a typical cartridge of each 
 group will serve for comparison. The meaning 
 of the tables published herewith can be taken in 
 at a glance. 
 
 I have selected four typical cartridges, and give 
 their trajectories, at sporting ranges, in detail. 
 They may be compared with others by noting, first, 
 the relative length of bullet in calibers, and, second, 
 the midway height of curve over a given range, as 
 shown in catalogues. The cartridges chosen for 
 illustration are as follows — 
 
 (A). The .22 long rifle. Typical of miniature 
 rim-fires used on very small game and vermin; 
 also by beginners, as primers of marksmanship, 
 and by older sportsmen to " keep their hands in." 
 
 (B). The .32 Winchester auto-loading cart- 
 ridge. Type of cheap, short-range ammunition 
 
 29 
 
SPORTING FIREARMS 
 
 suitable for shooting in settled regions at small 
 game generally and at predatory creatures, yet 
 powerful enough for an occasional deer or black 
 bear. 
 
 (C). The well known .30-30. Differing but 
 little from others in a series of cartridges of about 
 two thousand feet a second muzzle velocity which 
 are much used on game from deer to elk, having 
 fairly low trajectory, fair accuracy, and enough 
 power for all but the largest American game. 
 
 (D). The .30 U. S., model of 1906, with Spitzer 
 bullet. Typical of the latest military and big 
 game cartridges of highest velocity associated with 
 fine accuracy and great shocking power. 
 
 The calculations are my own, checked against 
 results of careful tests, and are close enough aver- 
 ages for all practical purposes. Be it remem- 
 bered, however, that trajectories for the same arm 
 vary a little, even at moderate ranges, according 
 to atmospheric conditions and elevation above sea- 
 level; more still, according to the vertical devia- 
 tion of shots fired and the flip or stiffness of gun 
 barrel. Some of these points will be considered 
 later. 
 
 Trajectory is of practical interest to hunters 
 in several ways : — 
 
 (1). It shows the extreme range to which a 
 
 30 
 
THE FLIGHT OF BULLETS 
 
 given rifle can be sighted without letting the bullet 
 rise more than a negligible amount above the line 
 of aim; also the farthest range throughout which, 
 without allowing for distance, it will neither rise 
 above nor fall below a given animal's vitals when 
 aimed at their center. 
 
 For example: I am hunting squirrels with a .22 
 taking the long-rifle cartridge. Squirrel range 
 may be anywhere from fifteen to fifty yards. I 
 adjust the rear sight, by targeting, to hit a nail 
 head at thirty-five yards. The bullet's curve then 
 will be as follows : — 
 
 (TABLE I.) 
 
 35 YARD TRAJECTORY OF .22 LONG-RIFLE. 
 
 Muzzle velocity 1,100 feet a second. Top of front sight 
 Yz inch above axis of bore. 
 
 Trajectory, 
 
 Distance, yards. 
 
 60 
 
 —2.61 
 .35 
 
 —2.26 
 
 The minus sign indicates drop below line of 
 sight. 
 
 31 
 
 inches. 
 
 
 
 
 Disi 
 
 ;ance, yards 
 
 ?. 
 
 
 10 
 
 20 
 
 25 
 
 30 
 
 35 
 
 40 
 
 50 
 
 Above or 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 below hori- 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 zontal . . . 
 
 0.39 
 
 0.47 
 
 0.40 
 
 0.25 
 
 
 
 —0.29 
 
 —1.30 
 
 Sight al- 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 lowance . . 
 
 .35, 
 
 .21 
 
 .14 
 
 .07 
 
 
 
 .07 
 
 .21 
 
 Above or 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 below line 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 of aim . . 
 
 0.04 
 
 0.26 
 
 0.26 
 
 0.18 
 
 
 
 —0.22 
 
 —1.09 
 
SPORTING FIREARMS 
 
 Trajectories must be figured from the horizontal 
 plane, which is a straight line from center of 
 muzzle to the point the rear sight is adjusted for. 
 But the curve that counts in hunting is that above 
 or below line of aim, which is a straight line from 
 top of front sight to the same point. The amount 
 of sight allowance depends upon height of front 
 sight (axis of a telescope sight) and is propor- 
 tional to the distance. 
 
 In this instance my .22 bullet, starting half an 
 inch below line of aim, cuts upward through that 
 line at ten yards from the muzzle, rises to a quar- 
 ter-inch above it, then falls to line of aim at thirty- 
 five yards. If I shoot forty yards with the same 
 sighting, I must aim a quarter of an inch high, to 
 allow for drop; at fifty yards, one inch high; at 
 sixty yards, two and one-quarter inches high. 
 
 Can I improve matters by adjusting for a fifty 
 yard " point-blank? " Let me see: — 
 
 (TABLE II.) 
 50 YARD TRAJECTORY OF .22 LONG-RIFLE. 
 
 Trajectory, 
 inches. 
 
 Above or 
 below 
 
 horizontal . 
 Sight allow- 
 ance , 
 
 Above or be- 
 low line of 
 aim 
 
 10 
 
 20 
 
 Dis 
 25 
 
 stance 
 30 
 
 , yarc 
 40 
 
 Is. 
 50 
 
 60 
 
 0.65 
 
 0.99 
 
 1.05 
 
 1.03 
 
 0.75 
 
 
 
 —1.05 
 
 .42 
 
 .33 
 
 .25 
 
 .17 
 
 .08 
 
 
 
 .08 
 
 0.23 
 
 0.66 
 
 0.80 
 
 0.86 
 
 0.67 
 
 
 
 —0.97 
 
 75 
 
 —3.26 
 .25 
 
 —3.01 
 
 32 
 
THE FLIGHT OF BULLETS 
 
 This curve is too high for squirrel shooting. 
 The thirty-five yard point-blank was just right. 
 For large animals, harder to approach, fifty 
 yards might be the minimum. 
 
 (2). Such a trajectory table shows what al- 
 lowance to make for drop of bullet beyond the 
 point to which the sights are set. In making a 
 quick shot beyond point-blank, one does not raise 
 the rear sight. Either he draws a coarse bead, 
 or he aims as much higher as he thinks the bullet 
 will drop. The latter practice is best, for there 
 is less guesswork about it. 
 
 (3. A set of trajectory tables for a certain 
 cartridge, worked out for various ranges, shows 
 how far it would be profitable to shoot at game 
 of a given size with that charge — how far the 
 bullet's curve will be low enough to give a reason- 
 able chance of hitting. For instance: the .2^ 
 long-rifle cartridge will put ten consecutive shots 
 in a three inch bull'seye at one hundred yards, or 
 into an eight-inch bull'seye at two hundred yards, 
 when the air is still. 
 
 Does this mean that it is fit to use at such ranges 
 in hunting? Target shooters sometimes forget 
 that there are no sighting shots at game. The 
 precision required in judging distance with .£2 
 long-rifle sighted for one hundred and two hun- 
 dred yards, respectively, is shown below: — 
 
 33 
 
SPORTING FIREARMS 
 
 (TABLE III.) 
 100 YAED TRAJECTORY OF .22 LONG-RIFLE. 
 
 Trajectory, 
 
 inches. 
 
 
 
 Distance, yards 
 
 
 
 25 
 
 50 
 
 75 
 
 100 
 
 125 
 
 150 
 
 Above or 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 below 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 horizontal . . 
 
 3.30 
 
 4.49 
 
 3.48 
 
 
 
 — G.38 
 
 —15.37 
 
 Sight allow- 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 ance 
 
 .38 
 
 .25 
 
 .13 
 
 
 
 .13 
 
 .25 
 
 Above or 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 below line 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 of aim .... 
 
 2.92 
 
 4.24 
 
 3.35 
 
 
 
 — 6.25 
 
 —15.12 
 
 (TABLE IV.) 
 200 YARD TRAJECTORY OF .22 LOXG-RIFLE. 
 
 Trajec- 
 tory ins, 
 Above 
 or be- 
 low 
 hori- 
 zontal 
 Sight 
 allow- 
 ance . . 
 Above 
 or below 
 line of 
 aim . . . 
 
 Distance, yards. 
 
 25 
 
 50 
 
 75 
 
 100 
 
 150 
 
 175 
 
 200 
 
 8.84 
 
 15.59 
 
 20.12 
 
 22.20 
 
 17.93 
 
 10 67 
 
 
 
 .44 
 
 .38 
 
 .31 
 
 .25 
 
 .13 
 
 .06 
 
 
 
 8.40 
 
 15.21 
 
 19.81 
 
 21.95 
 
 17.80 
 
 10.61 
 
 
 
 225 
 
 -13.56 
 
 .06 
 
 —13.50 
 
 Everyone now and then makes a hit with the 
 .22 at such ranges, bat who keeps tally of the 
 misses.^ Flukes are no proof of good marksman- 
 ship. No rim-fire .22 has a trajectory enough 
 flatter than the above to make any material diff- 
 erence in shooting. Further comment is needless. 
 
 Let us examine the curves of some cartridges 
 
 34 
 
THE FLIGHT OF BULLETS 
 
 that are fit for serious hunting. The heights are 
 given in inches and fractional parts: — 
 
 TRAJECTORIES 
 
 (TABLE V.) 
 
 OF .32 WINCHESTER 
 ING CARTRIDGE. 
 
 SELF-LOAD- 
 
 Height of 
 curve ; 
 
 25 yards 
 
 50 " 
 
 75 '• 
 100 " 
 125 " 
 150 " 
 175 " 
 200 " 
 225 " 
 250 " 
 350 " 
 
 Muzzle velocity 1,392 feet a second. 
 
 Range sighted to, in yards. 
 
 at 
 
 
 50 
 
 75 
 
 100 
 
 150 
 
 200 
 
 
 0.6 
 
 —2.0 
 —5.5 
 
 1.3 
 
 1.4 
 
 
 
 —2.8 
 
 —7.2 
 
 2.0 
 
 2.7 
 
 2.] 
 
 
 
 —3.7 
 
 3.5 
 5.8 
 6.7 
 6.2 
 
 4.0 
 
 5.2 
 
 9.2 
 11.8 
 13.0 
 12.5 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 —13.5 
 
 —9.3 
 —16.5 
 —25.9 
 
 
 —5.6 
 —13.5 
 
 10.1 
 
 6.2 
 
 
 
 —7.1 
 
 —18.1 
 
 300 
 
 17.2 
 
 28.8 
 
 34.0 
 
 31.7 
 
 21.6 
 -29.5 
 
 (TABLE VI.) 
 
 TRAJECTORIES OF .30-30, SOFT-NOSE 170 GRAIN 
 
 BULLET. 
 
 Muzzle velocity 2,008 feet a second. 
 
 25 
 50 
 75 
 100 
 125 
 150 
 175 
 200 
 225 
 250 
 300 
 350 
 400 
 
 Height of 
 curve at 
 yards 
 
 75 
 
 0.6 
 
 0.6 
 
 
 
 —1.3 
 
 —3.3 
 
 —6.1 
 
 Range sighted to, in yards. 
 
 100 
 
 0.9 
 
 1.2 
 
 1.0 
 
 
 
 —1.7 
 
 —4.2 
 
 —7.5 
 
 —11.7 
 
 150 
 
 1.6 
 
 2.6 
 
 3.0 
 
 2.8 
 
 1.8 
 
 
 
 —2.6 
 
 —6.2 
 
 —10.7 
 
 —16.2 
 
 200 
 
 2.4 
 
 4.2 
 
 5.4 
 
 5.9 
 
 5.6 
 
 4.6 
 
 2.8 
 
 
 
 —3.7 
 
 —8.5 
 
 —21.2 
 
 300 
 
 7.7 
 12.9 
 
 15.2 
 
 14.2 
 
 19.2 
 
 —14.7 
 —35.8 
 
 35 
 
SPORTING FIREARMS 
 
 (TABLE VII.) 
 
 TRAJECTORIES OF .30 U. S., MODEL OF 1906. 
 
 Muzzle velocity 2,700 feet a second. 
 
 Range sighted to, in yards. 
 
 Height of 
 curve at 
 
 25 yards 
 
 50 " 
 
 75 " 
 
 100 " 
 
 125 " 
 
 150 " 
 
 175 " 
 
 200 " 
 
 225 " 
 
 250 " 
 
 275 " 
 
 300 " 
 
 350 " 
 
 400 " 
 
 450 " 
 
 500 " 
 
 550 " 
 
 150 
 
 0.8 
 
 1.3 
 
 l.G 
 
 1.4 
 
 0.9 
 
 
 
 —1.4 
 
 —3.1 
 
 —5.3 
 
 —7.9 
 
 200 
 
 1.2 
 
 2.0 
 
 2.6 
 
 2.9 
 
 2.7 
 
 2.3 
 
 1.3 
 
 
 
 —1.8 
 
 —4.1 
 
 —6.8 
 
 —10.0 
 
 300 
 2.0 
 3.6 
 5.0 
 6.1 
 6.3 
 7.1 
 6.8 
 6.5 
 6.2 
 4.6 
 2.7 
 
 —5.7 
 —14.7 
 
 400 
 
 5.4 
 
 9.8 
 
 12. 
 
 14.0 
 
 13.6 
 
 11.2 
 
 8.0 
 
 
 
 —10.0 
 
 —21.5 
 
 500 
 
 7.0 
 
 14.1 
 
 19.1 
 
 22.4 
 
 24.3 
 
 24. i 
 
 22.4 
 
 17.1 
 
 9.3 
 
 
 
 —11.4 
 
 (TABLE VIII.) 
 
 150 YARD TRAJECTORY OF .30 U. S., WITH SIGHT 
 ALLOWANCE. 
 
 Top of front sight one inch above axis of bore. 
 
 Trajec- 
 torj' ins. 
 Above or 
 below 
 horizontal. 
 Sight al- 
 lowance . . 
 Above or 
 below line 
 of aim . . . 
 
 25 
 
 Distance, yards. 
 )0 75 100 125 150 175 
 
 200 
 
 0.83 1.28 1.55 1.40 0.88 —1.36 —3.01 
 .84 .67 .50 .33 .17 .17 .33 
 
 —0.01 0.61 1.05 1.07 0.71 
 
 
 
 ■1.19 —2.68 
 
 The mean vertical deviation of the .30 U. S., 
 
 36 
 
THE FLIGHT OF BULLETS 
 
 '06, service cartridge should be added, pro- 
 portionally, to the trajectories, in order to get 
 the average height of shots that fly high, and sub- 
 tracted for the average of those that go low, for 
 no two shots from the same gun describe exactly 
 the same curve. 
 
 This is a matter of importance, yet it is seldom 
 taken into account. Trajectory figures are trust- 
 worthy, provided the gun and cartridge are steady 
 performers; otherwise they are not. It is of little 
 use to know the average curve of a series of fliers 
 and drop-shots. 
 
 In the Forest and Stream trajectory test of 
 1885, a .50-95-300 rifle showed an average trajec- 
 tory of 1.178 inches midway over the one hundred 
 yard range. This was the mean height of five 
 consecutive shots, fired from machine rest, through 
 a paper screen at fifty yards. A .40-70-330 rifle, 
 tested in the same way, gave an average rise of 
 2.452 inches at the same distance. If those aver- 
 ages alone had been published, most readers would 
 have concluded that the curve of the .50 was much 
 the best. But the shot-for-shot records showed 
 that the .50-95 actually varied 4,29 inches ver- 
 tically in those five test shots at fifty yards, where- 
 as the .40-70 varied only 0.17 inch in its five shots. 
 
 This is an extreme instance ; still, the diff'erence 
 
 37 
 
SPORTING FIREARMS 
 
 in vertical deviation between popular cartridges 
 of to-day is too great to be overlooked in this con- 
 nection. Some will put a long series of shots into 
 a four-inch bull'seye at two hundred yards ; others 
 will often miss a twelve-inch one. 
 
 Lieutenant Townsend Whelen, U. S. A., one of 
 our highest authorities on modern rifles, has shown 
 that the .30 Krag cartridge (commonly known as 
 the .30-40), and others of the two thousand foot 
 class, when charged with soft-nose bullets for hunt- 
 ing, will not make a sure hit at more than half the 
 range that a .30 U. S. sharp-point will, the arm in 
 each case being sighted to its farthest effective 
 " point-blank " for deer, no allowance for distance 
 being made in aiming. He adds to the trajectory 
 of each cartridge its mean vertical deviation over 
 the range sighted for, and this is the only fair 
 comparison. 
 
 I quite agree with him that accuracy and tra- 
 jectory must be considered together, not separ- 
 ately, and that makers of guns and ammunition 
 should publish the mean radius of shots fired from 
 machine rest, as well as the trajectory curve, for 
 each cartridge, at various sporting ranges. It is 
 by no means satisfactory to say " accurate to (so 
 many) yards," or " accurate enough for hunting 
 purposes." The buyer is the man to define what 
 
 38 
 
THE FLIGHT OF BULLETS 
 
 " accurate " means, and he should have definite 
 measurements to compare by. 
 
 If a gun adds to a man's error of holding a quite 
 appreciable error of its own, it is fit for nothing 
 but the scrap heap. If high velocity could only be 
 attained by sacrificing precision of fire, it would 
 not be worth having. It is entirely practicable 
 nowadays to make rifles and ammunition (of any 
 caliber and any reasonable power) so accurate 
 that they w^ill shoot as close as a good marksman 
 can hold, under favorable field conditions. No 
 lower standard than this should be accepted for 
 any rifle. 
 
 39 
 
CHAPTER III 
 
 KILLING POWER 
 
 THE all-round effectiveness of a bullet de- 
 pends upon its penetration and the shock it 
 imparts. Penetration is determined chiefly 
 by the length of bullet in calibers and its resistance 
 to deformation. Other things being equal, the 
 longer the bullet the deeper it will pierce. Shock 
 depends upon energy spent in the blow and upon 
 area and nature of wound. 
 
 In comparing the killing power of different 
 charges we have one definite datum to start with: 
 the muzzle energy of the bullet. Energy is ex- 
 pressed in foot-pounds, which means the force re- 
 quired to lift so many pounds one foot from the 
 ground. Energy varies directly as the bullet's 
 weight and as the square of its velocity. Speed, 
 then, is of greater consequence than weight of bul- 
 let. For example : 
 
 Weight 
 
 of bullet. Muzzle velocity. Muzzle energy. 
 
 150 grains. 1,500 feet a second. 750 foot-pounds. 
 
 300 grains. 1,500 feet a second. 1,499 foot-pounds. 
 
 150 grains. 3,000 feet a second. 2,998 foot-pounds. 
 
 40 
 
KILLING POWER 
 
 In this instance, doubling the weight only 
 doubles the energy; but doubling the speed quad- 
 ruples the energy. Notice that caliber has noth- 
 ing to do with this. Weight and velocity deter- 
 mine the resulting energy, no matter what the cali- 
 ber may be. 
 
 But game is seldom shot at the muzzle of the 
 gun. The energy we are interested in is energy at 
 point of impact, wherever that may be. Bullets 
 diifer very much in the degree to which they main- 
 tain or lose speed and energy. The 200-grain 
 bullet of a .401 self-loader (very short and bluff) 
 loses thirty-five per cent of its energy in going only 
 one hundred yards; the 300-grain .405 (medium 
 length and taper) loses twenty-six per cent; the 
 150-grain .30 sharp-point U. S. bullet (relatively 
 longer, and with fine taper) loses but sixteen and 
 one-half per cent energy in the same distance. 
 Here is another reason for observing critically the 
 length of bullet in calibers (e. e., length in propor- 
 tion to diameter) when choosing a cartridge. 
 
 Let us now compare the muzzle energies of the 
 leading hunting cartridges, this being the first step 
 toward estimating their relative efficiency in hunt- 
 ing. I have selected fifty or more standard ones, 
 ranging from the weakest to the most powerful 
 that are used in magazine arms at the date of this 
 
 41 
 
SPORTING FIREARMS 
 
 writing. Just now we are entering a new era of 
 military and sporting firearms. Improved am- 
 munition of American design will probably be on 
 the market before long. Meantime, in order to be 
 up-to-date, I must use a number of foreign ones 
 for illustration of recent progress in ammunition 
 for big game. 
 
 In classifying cartridges under the three heads 
 of big game, medium game, and small game am- 
 munition, I have drawn the dividing lines at two 
 thousand and at seven hundred foot-pounds muzzle 
 energy, respectively. Judging from results ob- 
 served in the field, I think this rating is as fair as 
 any arbitrary standard can be. Much, of course, 
 depends upon local conditions and the method of 
 hunting. The .^5-S5, for example, is an excellent 
 little cartridge for all-round use in a country where 
 turkeys or geese and small mammals are the com- 
 monest game, yet where deer and black bear are 
 met now and then. If deer and bear were plenti- 
 ful enough to be the main object of chase, one 
 would prefer a cartridge of greater energy. 
 
 When a man is hunting sheep, goats, or elk, with 
 possible grizzlies as a side issue, the .30 U. S. could 
 be recommended without question. If he were 
 making a specialty of grizzlies, or of the more 
 formidable Alaskan or polar bears, he might do 
 
 42 
 
KILLING POWER 
 
 well to accept the burden and kick of a .333 or 
 a .425. The largest game on this continent has 
 been killed by thousands with rifles using am- 
 munition that I class as " medium game." I 
 have known an Arkansas hunter who was credited 
 with having killed over five hundred black bears in 
 the brakes and cypress sloughs surrounding his 
 own plantation, and he would scarcely touch any 
 other rifle than the .32-20 Winchester model of 
 1873, w^hich is here rated as for small game. 
 
 Three weeks ago, one of my hunting partners, 
 while trout fishing, came upon a two-year-old bear 
 in the thicket. He knocked it down by a lucky 
 throw of a stone no bigger than a billiard ball, 
 hitting the beast at butt of the ear, and finished it 
 with his pocket knife. Some years earlier, an- 
 other partner of mine, within a mile of this same 
 place, shot a small bear in the head with a .44-40 
 and jumped into the scrimmage to kick his dogs 
 loose. The bear w^as practically unhurt and 
 turned on him. " Doc " conquered, but he came 
 to me in a condition that he described as " nigh 
 breechless." One can draw his own inferences 
 about proper weapons for bears. 
 
 The ballistics of this or that cartridge vary 
 somewhat according to the factory loading it. 
 Where this variation is considerable, I give the 
 
 43 
 
SPORTING FIREARMS 
 
 data supplied by different ammunition companies. 
 The following abbreviations are used: U, M. C, 
 Union Metallic Cartridge Co. ; U, S.y United 
 States Cartridge Co. ; Win., Winchester Repeating 
 Arms Co.; B., blunt headed bullet (whether 
 rounded or flat tipped) ; S., sharp-point bullet. 
 Ballistics of foreign cartridges are those of for- 
 eign, not domestic, loading. Length of bullet 
 may be judged from its weight, as contrasted with 
 others of the same caliber. 
 
 BIG GAME CARTRIDGES. 
 
 Bullet M.Vel. M.En. 
 
 grains, ft.secs. ft.lbs. 
 Caliber, 
 
 inch. Cartridge. 
 
 .256 (6.5 mm.) Mauser and Mannl 157 B. 2313 1960 
 
 .256 6.5 mm.) Mauser and Mannl 139 S. 2887 2585 
 
 .256 (6.5 mm.) Mannlicher-Schoenauer. 123 S. 2592 1845 
 
 .278 (7 mm.) Mauser and Mannl 173 B. 2231 2025 
 
 .278 (7 mm.) Mauser and Mannl 154 S. 2740 2568 
 
 .278 (7 ram.) Mauser and Mannl 139 S. 2920 2632 
 
 .280 Ross 140 S. 3150 3095 
 
 .280 Ross 160 S. 2950 3088 
 
 .30 Krag, '98 (.30-40) 220 B. 2005 1972 
 
 .30 Krag, Hud«on-Thomas 202 S. 2100 2094 
 
 .30 U. S., '06, service 150 S. 2700 2429 
 
 .30 U. S., match 172 S. 2580 2540 
 
 .315 (8 mm.) Mauser and Mannl 236 B. 2034 2221 
 
 .315 (8 mm.) Mauser and Mannl 154 S. 2882 2823 
 
 .315 8 mm.) Mannlicher-Schoenauer.. 244 B. 2165 2540 
 
 .315 (8mm.) Mannlicher-Schoenauer.. .170 S. 2411 2199 
 
 .333 Jeffery-Mauser 250 S. 2600 4200 
 
 .35 Win., model 1895 250 B. 2200 2687 
 
 .350 Rigby-Mauser 225 S. 2572 3306 
 
 44 
 
KILLING POWER 
 
 .355 (9 mm.) Mannlicher 281 
 
 .401 Win., self-loader 200 
 
 .401 Win., self-loader 250 
 
 .405 Win., model 1895 300 
 
 .413 (10.5 mm.) Mannlicher 309 
 
 .425 Westley Richards-Mauser 410 
 
 .441 (11mm.) Mauser 322 
 
 MEDIUM GAME CARTRIDGES. 
 
 .22 High Power Savage 68 
 
 .25-35 Win. and Savage 117 
 
 .25-35 Rem., Stand., Stev 117 
 
 .25-35 Rem., Stand., self-load- 
 ing 101 
 
 .25-36 Marlin 117 
 
 .30-30 Win., Marl., Sav 170 
 
 .30-30 Rem., Stand., Stev. 170 
 
 .30-30 Rem., Stand., self-load- 
 ing 151 
 
 .303 Savage 195 
 
 .32-40 Win., Marl., Sav., H.V..165 
 .32-40 Win., Marl., Sav., H.V..165 
 
 .32 Special Win. and Marl 165 
 
 .32 Rem., Stand., Stev 165 
 
 .32 Win., self-loading 165 
 
 .33 Win 200 
 
 .35 Rem., Stand., Stev 200 
 
 .35 Rem., Stand., self-loading. 170 
 
 .35 Win., self-loading 180 
 
 .351 Win., self-loading 180 
 
 .38-55 Win., Marl., Sav., H.V..255 
 .38-55 Win., Marl., Sav., H.V..255 
 .40-65 Win. and Marl., H.V 253 
 
 .22 short, rim-fire 30 
 
 .22 short, rim-fire 30 
 
 .22 long, rim-fire 30 
 
 .22 long-rifle and armory, rim- 
 fire 40 
 
 .22 long-rifle, smokeless, rim-fire 40 B 
 
 45 
 
 B. 
 
 2100 
 
 2700 
 
 B. 
 
 2142 
 
 2038 
 
 B. 
 
 1875 
 
 1952 
 
 B. 
 
 2204 
 
 3237 
 
 B. 
 
 2230 
 
 2935 
 
 S. 
 
 2350 
 
 5022 
 
 B. 
 
 2461 
 
 3969 
 
 B. 
 
 2800 
 
 1200 
 
 
 B. 
 
 2030 
 
 1070 
 
 
 B. 
 
 2127 
 
 1175 
 
 
 S. 
 
 2275 
 
 1158 
 
 
 B. 
 
 1855 
 
 893 
 
 U.M.C. 
 
 B. 
 
 2008 
 
 1522 
 
 
 B. 
 
 2020 
 
 1540 
 
 
 S. 
 
 2020 
 
 1450 
 
 
 B. 
 
 1952 
 
 1658 
 
 U.M.C. 
 
 B. 
 
 2065 
 
 1558 
 
 U.M.C. 
 
 B. 
 
 1752 
 
 1125 
 
 Win. 
 
 B. 
 
 2112 
 
 1684 
 
 
 B. 
 
 2057 
 
 1550 
 
 
 B. 
 
 1392 
 
 710 
 
 
 B. 
 
 2056 
 
 1878 
 
 
 B. 
 
 2000 
 
 1776 
 
 
 S. 
 
 2050 
 
 1585 
 
 
 B. 
 
 1396 
 
 779 
 
 
 B. 
 
 1861 
 
 1385 
 
 
 B. 
 
 1700 
 
 1635 
 
 U.M.C. 
 
 B. 
 
 1593 
 
 1437 
 
 Win. 
 
 B. 
 
 1790 
 
 1800 
 
 
 i\l. 
 B. 
 
 900 
 
 54 
 
 U.M.C. 
 
 B. 
 
 975 
 
 63 
 
 U.M.C. 
 
 B. 
 
 1000 
 
 66 
 
 
 B. 
 
 1100 
 
 108 
 
 
 B. 
 
 983 
 
 86 
 
 
SPORTING FIREARMS 
 
 .22 automatic, rim-fire 45 B. 1036 107 U.M.C. 
 
 .22 automatic, rim-fire 45 B. 1000 100 U.S. 
 
 .22 automatic, rim-fire 45 B. 903 82 Win. 
 
 .22-7 Win., rim fire model 1890. . 45 B. 1150 132 U.S. 
 
 .22-7 Win., rim fire model 1890. . 45 B. 1107 123 Win. 
 
 .22-7 Win., rim fire modell890.. 45 B. 1036 107 U.M.C. 
 
 .22-13-45 Win., center-fire 45 B. 1541 237 
 
 .25 Stevens, rim-fire 67 B. 1161 201 
 
 .25-20 Win., single-shot 86 B, 1468 412 
 
 .25-20 Win., & Marl., repeater. 86 B. 1547 457 U.M.C. 
 
 .25-20 Win., & Marl., repeater. 86 B. 1376 362 Win. 
 .25-20 Win., & Marl., repeater, 
 
 H. V 86 B. 1711 560 
 
 .32-20 Win., & Marl 100 B. 1325 390 U.M.C. 
 
 .32-20 Win., & Marl 115 B. 1222 382 Win. 
 
 .32-20 Win., & Marl., H. V 100 B. 1575 551 U.M.C. 
 
 .32-20 Win., & Marl., H. v.... 115 B. 1640 690 Win. 
 
 One material fact that shows conspicuously in 
 these tables is that caliber alone is no gauge of 
 power. Let the novice rid himself, once and for 
 all, of the notion that a big bore necessarily means 
 a powerful rifle and a small bore means a weak 
 one. This never was true, even in the days of 
 round bullets. As far back as the American 
 Revolution our frontiersmen of the Alleghanies 
 discovered and adopted the " express " system of 
 driving small bullets at very high speed, thus 
 getting the maximum efficiency out of a given 
 weight of lead. 
 
 In our tables of modern ammunition we see a 
 .35 caliber Winchester of 779 foot-pounds muzzle 
 energy, and another .35 Winchester of 2,687 foot- 
 pounds. The former is rather light for deer 
 
 46 
 
KILLING POWER 
 
 shooting, and the latter will knock out a grizzly 
 bear. Again, we note a bullet of only ,^5Q inch 
 diameter and 139 grains weight, that has a muzzle 
 energy of 2,585 foot-pounds, which is much 
 greater than that of any .45 or .50 caliber cart- 
 ridge loaded with black gunpowder that ever was 
 used in a repeating arm. It attains this power by 
 a muzzle velocity of 2,887 feet a seeond. 
 
 We come, now, to a matter of caliber that does 
 affect killing power. It is not the normal diam- 
 eter of the bullet, but its diameter when expanded 
 by impact. This latter factor determines, in 
 great degree, how much of the projectile's energy 
 will actually be utilized in shocking the thing 
 struck. Here is where the question of big bores 
 vs. small bores really hinges. 
 
 The pressure and heat of smokeless powder 
 and the quick twist of rifling required by modern 
 arms compel us to use bullets wholly or partly 
 encased in jackets of hard metal. The fault of a 
 full-jacketed bullet is that, unless driven at ex- 
 tremely high speed, it only punches a small hole 
 through a beast, piercing so easily that it does 
 not expend much of its energy on the object 
 struck, but wastes it in flight beyond. Such a 
 missile can pass close to a vital organ without 
 disturbing it, close to a nerve without severely 
 
 47 
 
SPORTING FIREARMS 
 
 shocking it, close to a blood vessel without rup- 
 turing it. The hole of exit is little if any larger 
 than that of entrance, and both of them contract 
 so as not to let out blood. 
 
 A good bullet for hunting any big game except 
 the greater pachyderms is one that will expand 
 when it hits, and still hold together so as to pene- 
 trate deeply. Such a bullet " pulps " tissue all 
 around its course, drives body fluids violently 
 away from it, smashes bones instead of drilling 
 them, paralyzes nerves, and either imparts its full 
 blow by stopping in the body or tears a big hole of 
 exit through which the life-blood rapidly drains. 
 This sounds gruesome, but in fact it is humane; 
 for the quicker a beast is knocked down and dis- 
 patched, the better it is for all concerned. 
 
 To make a manteled bullet expand on impact, 
 its tip must be so modified as to open and let part 
 of the lead core flatten out. In a full-jacketed 
 bullet the metal casing does not cover the butt 
 end. If the tip, then, is split or filed across, there 
 is risk of the lead core being blown forward and 
 through it, stripping the jacket and perhaps lodg- 
 ing it in the gun barrel. If this happens, and is 
 not discovered before the next shot, the barrel 
 will either be bulged or burst. Special bullets are 
 manufactured abroad that have the head split 
 
 48 
 
KILLING POWER 
 
 back of the tip {^fig. 6) leaving the latter intact. 
 
 Figure 6. 
 Their effectiveness depends upon so many con- 
 tingencies that they are scarcely to be recom- 
 mended. 
 
 Hollow bullets have been employed for many 
 years. If driven to low speed the cavity must 
 be deep {jig. /) to insure expansion; if at higher 
 speed, it must be shallower {fig, 8) or the missile 
 
 Figure 7. Figure 8. 
 
 will spread prematurely and fly to fragments, 
 making only a superficial wound. For cartridges 
 of great velocity the hollow must be shallow (fig. 
 p) and backed by a long core of lead. In such 
 
 ?f:i^ 
 
 Figure 9. 
 case a plug, wedge, or steel ball (Hoxie bullet) 
 
 49 
 
SPORTING FIREARMS 
 
 may be fitted into the mouth of the cavity to 
 compel the tip to spread when its hits. 
 
 In general it may be said of hollow bullets that 
 they are ill-balanced and therefore inaccurate at 
 any but short range. Their action is uncertain, 
 because velocity depends upon range, animals 
 vary a great deal in toughness of hide and tissue, 
 and a hollow bullet that would merely flatten on 
 flesh or viscera might fly to flinders on bone. 
 
 Up to date, the favorite expanding bullet in 
 our country is what is called the " soft-nose " 
 (figs. 10, 12). This is solid throughout, but 
 
 Figure 12. 
 
 has the base covered by the hard metal envelope 
 and the tip left with more or less of the lead core 
 exposed. A well proportioned and well made 
 bullet of this sort generally gives satisfaction. Its 
 expansion depends upon how much lead is left 
 naked at the tip, this being regulated according 
 to the velocity of impact. It will not do to ex- 
 pose too much of it, nor to make the tip flat, be- 
 cause such a ball is easily deformed and is prone to 
 jam when fed upward at a slant from the maga- 
 
 50 
 
KILLING POWER 
 
 zine; neither will it fly accurately, nor with nor- 
 mal speed. 
 
 A short soft-nose bullet {fig. lO) is not so reli- 
 able as a long one {fig. 1 2), because it upsets 
 throughout so much of its length {fig. Il) that it 
 
 Figure 11. 
 
 is prone to go to pieces, especially on bone, and 
 fail to pierce deep enough. A long bullet mush- 
 rooms at the tip only {fig. /j) and has a solid 
 
 Figure 13. 
 cylinder back of it to drive ahead. Thickness of 
 jacket modifies such action a good deal; also soft- 
 ness or hardness of the leaden core. 
 
 Any soft-nose bullet should have its length, 
 strength of mantel, and temper and relative ex- 
 posure of tip carefully proportioned to the power 
 of the gun and the character of game hunted; 
 otherwise it will not give satisfaction. Soft-nose 
 
 51 
 
SPORTING FIREARMS 
 
 bullets of Spitzer shape, to be propelled at very 
 high speed, have but little of the point left naked 
 {^■jig. 14). They are more likely to be accurate 
 fliers than round-headed ones. 
 
 Figure 14. 
 
 The fact that the base of a soft-nose is covered 
 by the metal envelope affects its upsettage on fir- 
 ing. Hence it may be advisable to make such 
 bullets a trifle super-caliber, to insure that they 
 seal the bore gas-tight when they issue from the 
 cartridge shell. Lack of care in this respect ac- 
 counts, I think, for much of the inaccuracy that 
 has been observed with bullets of this class. 
 
 Recently a capped bullet has been introduced 
 (^^. l^) consisting of a cylindrical core of lead 
 
 Figure 15. 
 encased in hard metal, dished out in front like the 
 " man-stopper " revolver bullet, and covered at 
 the head with a hollow cap of thin copper. It 
 expands with certainty, yet holds together and 
 
 52 
 
KILLING POWER 
 
 penetrates well, inflicting a very severe wound. 
 In Spitzer bullets the cap is pointed and the front 
 of core has a shallow cavity (^^. l6). 
 
 FiGUBE 16. 
 
 Until further reports are received from the 
 field, covering all kinds of big game hunting, it is 
 too early to determine whether the expanding prin- 
 ciple should or should not be applied to Spitzer 
 bullets for general hunting. The sharp-point 
 bullet, with its high velocity, has revolutionized 
 military ammunition and is likely to do the same 
 for sporting arms of all calibers. When used in 
 proper barrels ' it is the most accurate missile 
 known. It maintains speed and energy so much 
 better than those with rounded or ogival head that 
 ballistic tables employed in the old way will not 
 serve to calculate its curve of flight, which is 
 much lower than that of an old-style projectile of 
 the same caliber, same weight, and same muzzle 
 velocity. 
 
 More extraordinary still is the fact that instead 
 of the sharp-point penetrating bone or tissue more 
 easily and with less disruption of channel, as we 
 naturally would expect, it will, when striking at 
 
 53 
 
SPORTING FIREARMS 
 
 very high speed, smash and pulp a considerable 
 area around the bullet's course, thereby deliver- 
 ing a paralyzing, knock-out blow. It is the full- 
 jacketed Spitzer of which I speak — the regular 
 military pattern. " 
 
 At the extreme speed of close quarters it is 
 checked or stopped by less thickness of flesh or 
 bone than at long range. If it goes through, the 
 wound of exit is large and lacerated. All this de- 
 pends upon very high velocity, the minimum re- 
 quired for knock-out eff'ect seeming to be about 
 2,000 feet a second at point of impact (not muzzle 
 of gun) which corresponds to a range of 300 yards 
 with the .30 Springfield-Mauser* used by our army 
 and navy. At low speed the Spitzer merely drills 
 a small hole, like that of the older military bullet. 
 
 To sum up: energy actually utilized in shock 
 depends upon resistance offered by the animal's 
 body. Resistance, so far as the missile is con- 
 cerned, depends upon (1) the size to which the 
 bullet mushrooms, or (2) upon the speed of bullet 
 being so high that tissues and body fluids can- 
 not give way easily to let the projectile pass, but 
 
 *I call our service arm the Springfield-Mauser because 
 it is a Mauser action slightly modified by our ordnance 
 board. A second-hand gun of another kind has recently 
 been marketed under the trade name of " Springfield- 
 Mauser," which will not take our service ammunition and 
 is inferior in every respect. 
 
 • 54 
 
KILLING POWER 
 
 set up a sudden and violent pressure all around 
 the neighborhood of the wound, with consequent 
 shattering effect over a large area. 
 
 A large bullet is more effective than a small one 
 provided that its velocity is correspondingly 
 great and that it is not too short to maintain 
 energy and hold together so as to penetrate. 
 The minimum length permissible, in calibers, that 
 I mentioned in Chapter I, is a good rule-of-thumb 
 by which to judge force as well as accuracy. In 
 case of doubt, use a still longer bullet. Short 
 bullets are not fit to use on any but soft-skinned 
 game, and then only at short range. To trust 
 them on dangerous beasts is folly. 
 
 American riflemen of the old school inclined 
 toward very light charges. There was a time 
 when game was so plentiful and (relatively) so 
 unwary that a hunter generally had a fair chance 
 to display exquisite marksmanship — the art of the 
 nail-driver — at the short ranges that were then 
 the rule. 
 
 Conditions change. We take running shots 
 nowadays and long shots that our forefathers 
 would have considered foolish. In such hunting 
 it is utterly impossible to " put the bullet in the 
 right place " so unfailingly as of yore. To be 
 humane, then — to be sportsmen instead of butchers 
 
 66 
 
SPORTING FIREARMS 
 
 and bunglers — we must use charges of much 
 greater power than were customary a quarter of a 
 century ago. This we still can do with small 
 bores, owing to improved ammunition. 
 
 The advantages of a small bore are plain: a 
 light and handy weapon, comfortable in the saddle 
 or on an all-day tramp, light ammunition, moder- 
 ate recoil, low trajectory, fine accuracy, and effi- 
 ciency to the farthest sporting ranges. 
 
 Having spoken at length of big game ammuni- 
 tion, I may add a few words on the much simpler 
 matter of cartridges for small game. 
 
 The .22 short, of good make, is very accurate 
 up to thirty-five yards, but unreliable beyond 
 fifty. Its proper use is for miniature target prac- 
 tice and exterminating vermin. To employ so 
 feeble a charge on squirrels, rabbits, or game 
 birds is cruel, because many will escape in crippled 
 condition. The .22 long is not so accurate and 
 has no superior merit of any kind, the difference 
 in trajectory and killing power between it and the 
 .22 short being microscopic. 
 
 The .22 long-rifle is the most accurate rim-fire 
 cartridge of its caliber. Varieties of it called 
 armory cartridges, and known as the .22 Krag, .22 
 U. S., and .22 Stevens-Pope, differ only in hav- 
 ing the bullet firmly seated in the shell so as not 
 
 56 
 
KILLING POWER 
 
 to pull out in the barrel throat when a loaded cart- 
 ridge is ejected — a distinct advantage. The .22 
 automatic is of variable merit, as will be seen in 
 the table. The best rim-fire hunting cartridge of 
 this caliber is the .22-7 Winchester, model of 
 1890. It is accurate to one hundred and fifty 
 yards and has considerably greater killing power 
 than either of the others ; in fact it is the only .22 
 rim-fire that should be used on game larger than 
 squirrels. 
 
 For turkeys, geese, and the lesser animals, noth- 
 ing under a .25 caliber should be used, unless 
 it be the .22-15-60 Stevens, which is limited to 
 single-loaders, or the new .22 high power. The 
 .25-20 is a standard charge for such game when 
 hunted near settlements. 
 
 A much better cartridge, wherever it can safely 
 be used, is the .25-35. This is the most accurate 
 medium power charge of the 2,000 foot-second 
 class that we have at present and gives but half 
 the recoil of a .30-30. It is far more reliable in 
 windy weather than a .25-20. With a telescope 
 sight on the rifle, sharpshooting at geese and other 
 wary game can be practiced with deadly effect at 
 two hundred yards, or even farther. 
 
 The .22 high-power cartridge, recently intro- 
 duced, has not been standarized at the time of this 
 
 57 
 
SPORTING FIREARMS 
 
 writing. Its ballistics, as given in my table, are 
 subject to modification. It is a striking example 
 of the killing power of a very small, solid, sharp- 
 point bullet, when driven at great speed. Al- 
 though the missile weighs only 68 grains, it is 
 more destructive than the 180-grain bullet of a 
 .35 Winchester self-loader; and it is also more 
 accurate. 
 
 58 
 
CHAPTER IV 
 
 RIFLE MECHANISMS AND MATERIALS 
 
 THE typical sporting rifle of to-day is a re- 
 peating arm. Repeaters are classified ac- 
 cording to form of magazine and system 
 of breech mechanism. 
 
 A tubular magazine under the barrel has sev- 
 eral defects and no compensating merits. It is 
 needlessly cumbersome and complicated, easily in- 
 jured, awkward to recharge, prone to make a rifle 
 jam in feeding. The position of the cartridge, 
 end to end, is unsafe in principle. Soft-nose 
 bullets are battered or scraped, and sharp-points 
 cannot be used at all, in a tubular magazine. The 
 balance and symmetry of the gun are spoiled. 
 
 A box magazine, with cartridges superimposed, 
 has none of these faults. But if it protrudes 
 much in front of the trigger guard it is unsightly 
 and always in the way. Since it sticks out at 
 the very point where a gun should balance, it will 
 be a wearying annoyance on every all-day trip. 
 
 A revolving magazine inside the receiver is a 
 
 d9 
 
SPORTING FIREARMS 
 
 further improvement. It is somewhat bothersome 
 to recharge, hard to unload, and occasionally may 
 balk in feeding. 
 
 Decidedly the best magazine is a flat one within 
 the receiver, flush with the forearm, carrying 
 cartridges in double column, and charged either 
 by clips or by dropping the cartridges in and 
 settling them to place by one or two slight motions 
 of a finger lever. 
 
 Whatever the system of magazine, there should 
 be a cut-ofl" whereby the arm can be used as a 
 single-loader, so that special ammunition may be 
 used when desired, with a magazine full of regular 
 cartridges in reserve. 
 
 As regards method of operating, magazine rifles 
 are either trombone action, lever action, bolt ac- 
 tion or self-loading arms. 
 
 The trombone action with sliding forearm 
 ("pump gun") can be fired faster, with good 
 aim, than any other repeater that is operated by 
 hand. It is the only system, except the self- 
 loader, that can compete with a double barrel in 
 getting in a quick and sure second shot. In rifles 
 it is the best hand-functioned mechanism for small 
 cartridges. For heavy charges it is not reliable, 
 since it has not enough power to feed and extract 
 refractory cartridges. It is too frail for weapons 
 
 60 
 
MECHANISMS AND MATERIALS 
 
 that are to be taken into rough service in remote 
 regions. 
 
 Lever actions vary a good deal in merit. As a 
 class, they are quite satisfactory for ammunition 
 of medium power, and in arms that are to be used 
 only on short and easy trips. If the bolt is closed 
 by double locking bolts near head of cartridge, as 
 in the '86 model Winchester, the action will with- 
 stand any strain that a barrel can stand. If, 
 however, there is but one locking bolt, and it in the 
 rear, there will be a certain spring or play of the 
 bolt proper which affects accuracy. It is unreli- 
 able in case of a defective high-power cartridge or 
 an unnoticed obstruction in the barrel. In some 
 actions of this character the lever, being held only 
 friction-tight, soon wears shackly and sags in a 
 most annoying way. 
 
 Both lever and trombone actions are prone to 
 jam, especially if the rifle be uptilted in reload- 
 ing, as when one lowers his rifle from the shoulder 
 while working the lever or slide. Such balks 
 generally occur at the worst possible moment. 
 I have had this happen with a brand new weapon 
 at the second shot. While I was prying at the 
 cartridge a deer actually stopped as if to hear 
 what I had to say about the matter. Then it 
 took genuine alarm. 
 
 61 
 
SPORTING FIREARMS 
 
 Nearly all rifles that operate by lever or trom- 
 bone slide are complicated, hard to take apart for 
 cleaning or repair, and hard to reassemble. 
 There is a multitude of small parts that are likely 
 to roll away and be lost while you are struggling 
 to fit things together. You must have two or 
 three screwdrivers and a pin punch to work with. 
 The j ob will take from half an hour to half a day, 
 depending upon whether you happen to have 
 printed instructions to go by or only the light of 
 nature and average awkwardness. Of course, if 
 your hunting range is near home, accidents will 
 be few and the gunsmith handy; but if you are 
 forty miles from Nowhere, with a gun that has 
 dropped in the mud, or in the water, or has got 
 sanded, or has snapped off a spring, or broken 
 a firing-pin, and you have no tool to work with 
 but the file you sharpen your axe with — then is 
 the time that good little deer should not stop to 
 listen. 
 
 No lever or trombone action can be cleaned 
 from the breech (the only way that a good rifle 
 should be cleaned) unless it has a detachable bar- 
 rel. The common pattern of take-down works 
 by an interrupted screw at the breech. The bar- 
 rel thereby is weakened at the very point where 
 it should be strongest. Such a mechanism will 
 
 62 
 
MECHANISMS AND MATERIALS 
 
 soon wear shaky. I have yet to see a take-down 
 action that is trustworthy for big game rifles. 
 
 In this connection it may be remarked that 
 everybody hates to clean a gun when he comes in 
 at night, fagged out from a hard day's chase. 
 The easier the gun is to clean, the likelier it is 
 to be cleaned. And a night or two of neglect may 
 ruin the jfinest rifle in the world. 
 
 It is significant that no lever or trombone ac- 
 tion has ever passed a modern ordnance board 
 or been adopted by any civilized army. While 
 the requirements of rifles for small game and tar- 
 get practice are less stringent than for those 
 built for military service, there is no difference 
 at all between those of big game rifles and mili- 
 tary ones, as regards strength, simplicity, ease 
 of dismounting, and certainty of working prop- 
 erly in any emergency. There was a time when 
 ordnance boards were conservative to a fault, 
 and when private manufacturers took the lead in 
 improving firearms, but that time has past. The 
 sportsman of to-day who goes far into wild re- 
 gions, and who must depend upon his rifle at times 
 to preserve his life, should give close heed to the 
 latest and best in military weapons, for the high- 
 est technical skill in the world is engaged on that 
 class of firearms. 
 
 63 
 
SPORTING FIREARMS 
 
 Bolt action repeaters of the best military or 
 semi-military type are simple, strong, durable, 
 and sure to function. In such a weapon the bolt 
 can be slipped out in a second, so that the bar- 
 rel can be inspected and cleaned from the breech. 
 The entire working mechanism can be taken apart 
 with the fingers, or, at most, with a single screw- 
 driver or key. There are but few parts, and all 
 of them amply strong. Coiled springs, prac- 
 tically unbreakable, take the place of flat springs 
 that always are treacherous. 
 
 A bolt action locks with two lugs immediately 
 behind the cartridge head, and there is a third, 
 or even a fourth, lug in the rear. Such closure 
 will withstand the breech pressure of any cart- 
 ridge. The extractor is equal to any strain. 
 Since the extractor engages the head of the shell 
 before feeding into the chamber, a refractory cart- 
 ridge can be ejected instantly instead of having 
 to be pried out. A bolt action works better than 
 any other when the arm has become foul from 
 grit, as is bound to occur at times in sandy coun- 
 tries. Finally, all bolt actions of recent model 
 have flush magazines, easy to recharge, and the 
 best of them are supplied with cut-off's. 
 
 The only objection urged against bolt actions 
 is that they are awkward to manipulate and slow 
 
 64 
 
MECHANISMS AND MATERIALS 
 
 in repeating. This is largely a matter of habit. 
 A man shoots best with the action he is used to. 
 Anyone who watches soldiers in their skirmish 
 runs and rapid fire practice can see that the com- 
 mon military bolt can be worked fast enough for 
 almost any emergency that may happen in hunt- 
 ing. For the extremely rapid work sometimes 
 needed in the close quarters of thicket or jungle 
 shooting, where a rifle is not aimed but pointed, 
 as one would point a shotgun or a revolver, a self- 
 loader ranks first, with the straight-pull bolt a 
 close second, the lever action third, and the boJt of 
 four motions a lagging fourth. Here, however, 
 we should consider that a quick first shot of great 
 smashing power is generally worth more than 
 three or four hits rained with ammunition of low 
 or medium power; that very quick repeating is 
 almost never done with any but weak ammunition ; 
 and that the bolt action handles powerful charges 
 better than any other repeater. 
 
 In my opinion, the only speed of fire, with rifles 
 that is worth considering is speed of aimed fire. 
 No kind of gun can deliver a second shot accur- 
 ately until both it and its user have recovered 
 equilibrium. The time required to catch fresh 
 aim will depend upon how hard the gun recoils. 
 With weak ammunition that gives practically no 
 
 Q5 
 
SPORTING FIREARMS 
 
 recoil, the only disturbance to be corrected is 
 that caused by operating the gun's mechanism. 
 When powerful charges are used in aimed fire, 
 the straight-pull bolt is quickest, and between the 
 lever and the turn-down bolt there is little diff- 
 erence. 
 
 This brings us naturally to the topic of self- 
 loading arms. It is claimed that they " absorb " 
 much of the recoil. With present-day patterns 
 I do not find it so. The shock is more of a push 
 than a kick, but it disturbs aim just as much, 
 with cartridge of given power. So long as a self- 
 loader is used only with weak ammunition it can 
 be fired a little faster, with good aim, than any 
 other mechanism; but it is not yet made to handle 
 really first-class ammunition for big game or 
 military purposes. I do not regard the extra 
 quickness of the self-loader as of so much value 
 as another merit that seldom is considered, 
 namely: its noiselessness in recharging. If 
 one's first shot misses, the animal is likely 
 to pause for an instant, listening and scent- 
 ing to get the direction of danger. Then 
 the clank — clank of a hand-operated arm tells 
 just what the beast wants to know: whereupon it 
 is off on the jump, and you have lost the chance 
 of a standing shot. 
 
MECHANISMS AND MATERIALS 
 
 The objections that have been made against 
 lever and trombone actions apply with jet greater 
 force to self-loaders as we know them to-day. 
 Glancing backward over the history of firearms, 
 one will observe that from muzzle-loaders to 
 breech-loaders, from single-shot arms to maga- 
 zine guns, from hand-operated repeaters to our 
 so-called automatics, every gain in rapidity of 
 fire has been made, at first, by sacrificing the 
 more essential merits of simplicity, reliability, and 
 power. 
 
 Our self-loading rifles just now are in this ex- 
 perimental stage. They are good enough for 
 light work in the neighborhood of settlements, or 
 as auxiliaries when one has a ship or a caravan 
 to fall back on; but as weapons for hard service 
 they do not compare with a first-class bolt action 
 rifle using the best type of ammunition for big 
 game. None the less, we all expect the " auto- 
 matic " to win in the end ; and few of us would 
 be surprised to learn to-morrow that the thing 
 was done. 
 
 I repeat that the faults of lever and trombone, 
 actions, self-loaders, and this or that style of 
 magazine, are not of serious consequence so long 
 as the guns are used with ammunition of moderate 
 power and in regions where repairs can easily be 
 
 67 
 
SPORTING FIREARMS 
 
 made. Mechanically, and from a strictly im- 
 partial standpoint, the bolt action is the highest 
 development of rifle construction at the time of 
 this writing. Lever and trombone are out-of- 
 date for all but light work, and auto-loaders are 
 ahead of the times. But mechanical perfection 
 is not the only point to be noted in a general re- 
 view of present-day arms. Most of our people 
 still prefer the older models, partly because we 
 are used to them, and partly because they hap- 
 pen to be cheaper. 
 
 Here we should consider that the rifle trade in 
 America is on a different basis from that of any 
 other manufacturing country. In no other 
 civilized nation are sporting firearms so generally 
 owned and used by all classes of people. Prob- 
 ably nine male Americans out of ten, of military 
 age, own guns of one sort or another. New 
 rifles, shotguns, and revolvers or pistols, are sold 
 by the myriad every year. It follows, as a mat- 
 ter of course, that the chief demand here is for 
 " a cheap gun that will do the work." And it 
 follows, as a matter of business, that our home 
 gunmakers turn out the best cheap guns in the 
 world. They also make, for those who will pay 
 the price, as good shotguns as can be found any- 
 where, and revolvers that are simply peerless. 
 
 68 
 
MECHANISMS AND 31 ATE RIALS 
 
 We cannot say the same for our rifles. The de- 
 mand for really first-class rifles has not yet 
 reached the proportions that justify large ex- 
 penditures to produce them. It is growing so 
 rapidly, however, that one may expect decided im- 
 provements within the next ten years. Among 
 our better informed sportsmen it already is in- 
 sistent. Many of them purchase foreign weapons. 
 Others take our excellent Springfield-Mauser to 
 a master gunmaker and have it made over into as 
 fine a sporting rifle for American game as man 
 could reasonably desire, the cost, all told, being 
 in the neighborhood of forty or fifty dollars. 
 They consider it rather absurd to put up with 
 a fifteen or twenty dollar rifle to hunt moose or 
 bear with, when they cheerfully pay fifty for a 
 shotgun to hunt quail with. And certainly they 
 get their money's worth. 
 
 Without finding fault with low-price rifles that 
 " do the work " remarkably well, let us consider 
 the points of a thoroughly well made rifle which 
 can be turned out at a higher, but still reasonable, 
 cost. 
 
 First, the barrel, which is by all odds, the most 
 important part of the gun. In the day of black 
 gunpowder our best rifle barrels were made from 
 mild steel that was so soft it could fairly be cut 
 
 69 
 
SPORTING FIREARMS 
 
 with a knife. Such metal was so easy to machine 
 that good barrels could be turned out very rapidly 
 and with little hand finishing; hence they were 
 cheap, but shot as accurately as any. Smoke- 
 less powder required stronger material, and 
 jacketed bullets required harder metal. This was 
 supplied by the commercial nickle-steel of our 
 day, harder to work than the soft steel it replaced, 
 but still capable of being turned out in much the 
 same way. Common nickle-steel will do for cart- 
 ridges of the " medium game " class mentioned in 
 a previous chapter; but when it is employed with 
 ammunition of the " big game " or military class, 
 there is trouble. 
 
 The trouble comes from erosion of the rifle 
 bore. It has been assumed by riflemen generally 
 that the erosion that cuts down the " accuracy 
 life " of their barrels to a thousand rounds or so 
 is caused by the excessive friction of jacketed bul- 
 lets, unlubricated, driven at high speed through 
 the rifle bore. If this were true, the wear would 
 be fairly uniform throughout the bore, or might 
 be greatest toward the muzzle, where the bullet 
 gets its highest velocity. Such is not the case. 
 Erosion always is greatest immediately in front 
 of the neck of the chamber, where the bullet starts. 
 Instead of being uniform, it begins with slight pits 
 
 70 
 
MECHANISMS AND MATERIALS 
 
 which then are guttered out in irregular channels. 
 
 The gutters slowly deepen, and still more slowly 
 creep forward up the bore. By the time they 
 have advanced about two inches beyond the neck 
 of the chamber they have deepened so much that 
 a bullet leaving its cartridge shell has room to 
 tilt before taking the rifling, and is deformed, per- 
 haps has its jacket split, before entering the per- 
 fect part of the barrel. This damage is done by 
 the gases of explosion of nitro powder, which are 
 so hot that ordinary steel cannot stand the tem- 
 perature. At first a little of this gas escapes 
 around the bullet before it has gone far enough 
 to seal the bore, and so the pits form. As the 
 eroded portion extends, more gas escapes ahead, 
 and more guttering results. 
 
 A barrel of ordinary nickle-steel will lose ac- 
 curacy quite perceptibly after 1,000 rounds of 
 the '03 U. S. ammunition (220-grain bullet), or 
 even after 500 rounds, if the barrel happens to 
 be a little above caliber. After, say, 3,000 
 rounds, it will shoot quite wild, notwithstanding 
 that the forward nine-tenths of the bore may re- 
 main virtually intact. Such steel is strong 
 enough to stand the breech pressure, and perhaps 
 hard enough to resist bullet friction, but it will 
 not stand the superheated gases of explosion, 
 
 71 
 
SPORTING FIREARMS 
 
 The remedy, in so far as the gun is concerned, 
 is two-fold. First a special compressed steel 
 should be used, or a tungsten-steel, or other alloy 
 that will resist the combined attack of friction 
 and great heat. Second, the barrel should be 
 throated so that the bullet fits as snugly as prac- 
 ticable at the start, and no other fit of bullet 
 should be shot from that barrel. Both the 
 superior steel and the extra work raise the price 
 of the barrel, but the accuracy life of the rifle is 
 greatly lengthened. 
 
 Many rifle barrels are soon ruined by excessive 
 scrubbing with chemicals to remove metal fouling. 
 By metal fouling is meant a deposit of hard metal 
 from the bullet's jacket, which sticks with great 
 tenacity, escapes observation for a time, but 
 rapidly accumulates until the rifle shoots wild. 
 Here, as with other diseases, prevention is better 
 than cure. The gunmaker's part is extra care in 
 finishing the interior of the bore, so that it shall 
 be smoothly polished and true to gauge. It is 
 not unlikely that a better material for the bullet 
 jacket may be found than nickled steel, or cupro- 
 nickle-steel — perhaps a bronze of high tensile 
 strength that is a good anti-friction metal as well. 
 
 Ordinary lubricants will not work, because they 
 are decomposed (disintegrated into their chemical 
 
 72 
 
MECHANISMS AND MATERIALS 
 
 elements) by the great heat of explosion. Gra- 
 phite alone will not stick to the bullet. Any in- 
 equality of action in a lubricant will make one 
 bullet fly high and another low. Here is room 
 for useful experiment. But in any case the barrel 
 of a rifle that is to use the best modern ammuni- 
 tion should be of high quality and carefully gone 
 over by an expert workman. 
 
 The bore of a rifle barrel should not have tight 
 or loose places in it. Either it should be a true 
 cylinder or, preferably, it should have a slight and 
 even taper from breech to muzzle — say a quarter 
 of a thousandth inch greater in front of chamber 
 than at muzzle, in a .30 caliber. It can be tested 
 by carefully pushing a well fitting lead bullet 
 through the bore from breech to muzzle with a 
 steel cleaning rod. 
 
 The muzzle is a rifle's most important part, and 
 at the same time the one most exposed to injury 
 by a chance blow or by unskilful use of the clean- 
 ing rod. Examine it with a lens. If lands and 
 grooves are not perfectly cut to the very end, or 
 if there be a burr of metal left at the mouth, or 
 any sign of wear, reject the piece at once. Any 
 imperfection here will allow gas to escape un- 
 evenly around the base of the emerging bullet and 
 so tilt it at the critical moment of start. 
 
 73 
 
SPORTING FIREARMS 
 
 A rifle barrel expands a good deal from the 
 heat of firing, both around the bore and length- 
 wise. In order that this expansion should be 
 even, the metal should be distributed symmetri- 
 cally. There is no merit in an octagon or half- 
 octagon barrel; rather the contrary. The best 
 form is round and tapered toward the muzzle. 
 
 Every barrel flips or springs more or less at 
 each discharge. So long as this flip is uniform, 
 it may be allowed for in adjusting the sights; but 
 grooves cut into the barrel for attaching sights, 
 or other parts, affect the flip in a way that is det- 
 rimental to accuracy. There should be none. 
 Some sporting rifles have a slot for forearm stuck 
 almost directly under the rear sight slot. Such 
 a barrel can be sprung with the two hands. 
 
 Some fine rifles have a matted rib extending 
 along the top of the barrel to prevent the glare 
 of sunlight from spoiling one's aim and to cut off 
 the radiation of heat waves that arises from rapid 
 firing. Such a rib, milled from the solid barrel, 
 interferes with uniform expansion and contrac- 
 tion of the barrel, may even buckle it tem- 
 porarily in continued firing, and the bore 
 departs from a true circle. The difference prob- 
 ably will not be noticed in a sporting rifle, but no 
 rib should be tolerated on an arm for match shoot- 
 
 74 
 
MECHANISMS AND MATERIALS 
 
 ing. The matting is likely in time to aggravate 
 the very trouble it was designed to cure, for when 
 the bluing or browning wears oif, as it will do 
 much faster than from a smooth surface, the 
 shooter's eyes will be annoyed by innumerable 
 tiny facets of light. 
 
 All friction surfaces of a rifle's action should 
 be polished to a mirror-like smoothness, so that 
 there shall be no sticking, grating, or clattering 
 in operating it. Bolts should be casehardened, 
 small parts finished in a workmanlike manner, and 
 bluing should be put on to stay. If economy 
 must be practised, let it be in non-essentials, and 
 not in the barrel that slioots or the mechanism 
 that controls its shooting. 
 
 75 
 
CHAPTER V, 
 
 EIFLE SIGHTS 
 
 HITHERTO we have been studying the 
 rifle and its ammunition simply as engine 
 and power, independent of the man behind 
 the gun. Enter, now, the man, with his personal 
 factor to be considered. 
 
 Cartridges, gun barrels, and breech mechanisms 
 treat everybody alike. Not so the sights, trigger, 
 and stock, which give one control over his weapon ; 
 these require adjusting to the individual, because 
 men differ in eyesight, coordination, and build. 
 
 In very quick work, at close quarters, a rifle 
 may be pointed like a shotgun, without seeing the 
 sights at all. This kind of rifle shooting is so 
 rare that we need give it scarcely a thought. The 
 rifle, properly, is an arm of precision and must be 
 handled as such, or we will miss. To hit a small 
 object at short range, or a large one at long range, 
 it is essential that the sights be exactly aligned 
 and that the tip of the front sight barely touches, 
 
 76 
 
RIFLE SIGHTS 
 
 or does not quite touch, the lower edge of the pre- 
 cise spot that one wants to hit. 
 
 A fine fore sight, covered by a hood, such as is 
 made for target shooting, is not fit for hunting. 
 It cannot be seen distinctly in varying light, nor 
 in the shade of forests. A hunter's front sight 
 must be open, strong, and firm, and its tip should 
 be of some white or colored material that will show 
 up plainly against a neutral or murky back- 
 ground. 
 
 The plain german-silver front sight generally 
 sent out with a cheap rifle does not suit anybody's 
 eyes. It is sure to glitter in sunlight. Take a 
 rifle so fitted, stand out in the open, swing the 
 gun to all points of the compass, and aim at var- 
 ious objects as you go. Besides the annoying 
 glimmer, the appearance of the sight will vary ac- 
 cording to the direction or angle at which light 
 impinges on it. One side will show up clearer 
 than the other, and you cannot well help aiming 
 off to the clear side. The eye strain, too, will be 
 excessive, 
 
 A black front sight is better, in good light, but 
 it cannot be made out distinctly when the light is 
 poor. A tip faced with platinum shows up fairly 
 well, and it will not glitter like german silver. An 
 ivory bead can be seen still more clearly, so long 
 
 77 
 
SPORTING FIREARMS 
 
 as it is new and white, but it will turn yellow from 
 the inevitable oiling, and then must be pared. 
 One or two parings, and it is done for. More- 
 over, an ivory bead is brittle and easily damaged. 
 The best all-round fore sight is a "gold" (al- 
 loy) bead. This shows up well, over snow as well 
 as in dim places, yet does not glitter in the sun. 
 
 Pore sights with changeable beads are generally 
 too frail and disconcerting for wilderness work. 
 An exception may be noted in favor of what may 
 be called a day-and-night sight. This consists 
 of an ordinary " gold " bead sight to the base of 
 which is hinged a steel standard bearing a large 
 bead, or rather a small disk, faced with white en- 
 amel, which may be thrown up so that the white 
 disk covers the ordinary bead. Such sights are 
 made in Europe and should be copied or improved 
 here, for there often come times in a hunter's ex- 
 perience when a sight that can be seen in the dusk 
 would be appreciated. Imagine yourself with a 
 bear or cougar treed at nightfall. If a luminous 
 chemical can be found that will stand the weather, 
 it might be better still for a facing. 
 
 In any case, a bead is preferable to a barley- 
 corn, or knife-edge, or plain vertical bar, because, 
 when aiming over an open rear sight, a round 
 bead shows more clearly just how much front sight 
 
 78 
 
RIFLE SIGHTS 
 
 is taken. Size of bead will be governed somewhat 
 by length of rifle barrel and by local conditions. 
 For general hunting, it is best to use the smallest 
 bead that can be seen distinctly. 
 
 The rear sight usually attached to an American 
 rifle of over .22 caliber, unless otherwise ordered, 
 has two radical faults: first, its high wings cut 
 off the view, not only below the thing aimed at, 
 but on both sides. This is never desirable, and 
 always is a nuisance when shooting at moving 
 game. Second, the buckhorn is attached to a 
 long, flat spring that runs back from the sight 
 slot. This spring, in connection with steps (that 
 never are adjusted for any range in particular), 
 serves clumsily to elevate the rear sight — it takes 
 two hands to operate the thing. Thereby the 
 sight is brought too close to the eye for clear 
 definition. 
 
 Any open rear sight will blur, more or less, be- 
 cause no eye can focus simultaneously on rear 
 sight, fore sight, and mark aimed at. The closer 
 it is to the eye, the more it will blur. Take the 
 buckhorn out, tie it on the barrel three or four 
 inches forward, and note the improvement. It 
 is true that this shortens the sighting radius, but, 
 of the two evils, blurred vision is much the worse. 
 
 A plain folding leaf sight, set directly in the 
 
 79 
 
SPORTING FIREARMS 
 
 rear sight slot, is in better position, and is quicker 
 to reset, than a buckhorn. The slot should be at 
 least eleven inches ahead of the trigger, and pre- 
 ferably twelve. The reason that a military rear 
 sight is only seven inches ahead of trigger is that 
 it is generally used with the peep instead of the 
 bar; in fact, I do not know any expert military 
 shot who ever uses the bar, unless it be for quick 
 firing. 
 
 The best of open rear sights is a plain, flat 
 bar, with perhaps a small notch marking the cen- 
 ter, and with one or two folding leaves for longer 
 ranges than " point-blank." The bar should slant 
 backward and have its top edge beveled, 
 so as to offer a clear, clean outline in all lights. 
 Its corners should be rounded, to prevent catch- 
 ing in gun case or other obstacles. The leaves 
 should be held stiffly upright by springs, when in 
 use; otherwise they will soon wear loose and can 
 easily be jarred forward. 
 
 Whether the top of a bar sight should be plain 
 or notched, with or without vertical line, and 
 whether a notch should be wide or narrow, square, 
 semi-circular, V-shaped, or U-shaped, are matters 
 of personal choice. I can only state my own pre- 
 ference and the reasons for it. 
 
 To my eyes, a vertical line to mark the center 
 
 80 
 
RIFLE SIGHTS 
 
 is unnecessary. If I pay any attention to it at 
 all, I must change eye focus to do so, and this dis- 
 tracts me from my proper business of watching 
 the mark. A triangle of ivory or platinum is 
 worse, because it blurs with the bead of the fore 
 sight. A deep notch is objectionable for hunting, 
 because if I draw down into it (military "half 
 sight ") a great deal of the light is cut off. In 
 the forest we need all the light we can get. Draw- 
 ing half sight has this serious defect, for a hunter, 
 that it is hard to do in quick aiming and may be 
 impossible in dim light. Hence, if the rifle is ad- 
 justed for half sight, one is prone to overshoot. 
 I consider it bad practice to draw fine, medium, 
 or coarse bead, according to distance. There is 
 too much guesswork about it. With a high 
 power rifle, you are almost sure to overdo the 
 matter. So, on all accounts, I prefer a plain, 
 level bar, with small nick to mark the center, and 
 I always aim with full bead showing just its plain 
 circle above the bar. When firing beyond the 
 range for which bar or leaf is adjusted, I strive to 
 aim as many inches higher as the drop of bullet 
 requires. For instance, with a rifle using our 
 military cartridge and bar permanently set for 
 a " point-blank " of one hundred and fifty yards, I 
 carry this simple rule in my head: 
 
 81 
 
SPORTING FIREARMS 
 
 200 yards =: 3 inches drop 
 225 yards = 5 inches drop 
 250 yards = 8 inches drop 
 
 Up to one hundred and seventy-five yards I 
 make no allowance at all, as the variation does not 
 exceed a couple of inches anywhere. It is easier 
 to remember "three, five, eight," and aim accord- 
 ingly, than to cut oif precisely an infinitesimal 
 fraction of an inch at the muzzle while looking 
 keenly at the distant mark. 
 
 The method of attaching open sights to a rifle 
 barrel is not of much moment with low power arms. 
 With weapons using heavy charges that quickly 
 heat the barrel to a sizzling temperature, it is 
 quite another matter. The cheapest way to 
 mount sights is in tapered slots dovetailed in the 
 barrel. It is easy, then, to align the sights by 
 tapping them over to right or left until a proper 
 group is made. A slot weakens the barrel, and 
 impairs its accuracy, if the barrel be thin and 
 the charge heavy. 
 
 Sight blocks soldered or brazed to the barrel 
 are liable to be knocked off when the weapon is 
 hot from rapid firing. Smokeless powder makes 
 the barrel expand quickly, while the block remains 
 cool, and this strains the solder, or even tears it 
 apart. 
 
 8^ 
 
RIFLE SIGHTS 
 
 In rifles that have a rib on top of the barrel, 
 milled from the solid metal, it is customary to 
 dovetail the front sight slot lengthwise into 
 muzzle end of rib. This prevents the sight from 
 being knocked out of alignment. The objection 
 is that individual rifles vary so that no standard 
 position for the slot will suit them all, and no 
 provision is made for adjustment sidewise. 
 
 The proper way to attach either a front or a 
 rear open sight to a high power rifle is by a 
 permanent band around the barrel, with movable 
 sight base attached. We have a good example 
 in the service arm of our army and navy, the 
 Springfield-Mauser, commonly called " New 
 Springfield." The front sight of this arm is 
 pinned to a movable stud (Z>, fig, //) which fits in 
 a band {A) firmly attached to the barrel. Since 
 
 Figure 17. 
 83 
 
SPORTING FIREAEMS 
 
 no two rifles are exactly alike, each weapon is tar- 
 geted by an expert, at the armory, until the cor- 
 rect position of its own front sight is determined. 
 A hole is then drilled through base of movable 
 stud, into standing part of sight band, and a screw 
 (F) is inserted, thus securing the front sight im- 
 movably in its place. The rear sight is attached 
 by a similar band. 
 
 A peep sight on tang, frame, or cocking piece 
 gives a longer sighting radius than an open sight 
 on the barrel, with proportionally truer aim. The 
 aperture of a peep sight for hunting should be 
 considerably larger than that for target shoot- 
 ing. One's eye will center such a peep-hole in- 
 stinctively, because the center of the hole gets 
 more light than its edge. He will scarcely be con- 
 scious of using a rear sight at all. 
 
 In good light he can catch true aim quicker with 
 such a peep than with any pattern of open sight, 
 because there is no blur and because he need waste 
 no time in cutting off the right amount of bead. 
 He can see the whole object aimed at and a con- 
 siderable space all around it. A distinct advan- 
 tage of the peep over a plain open sight is that 
 elevation can be adjusted to any range, and for 
 any cartridge, with exactitude. One can set his 
 " point-blank " to suit himself ; he can use various 
 
 84 
 
RIFLE SIGHTS 
 
 charges in the same gun without guesswork as to 
 elevations. 
 
 An aperture of any kind i» bothersome in the 
 gray of dawn or twilight and in the murk of tall 
 forests when the sky is overcast. To provide for 
 shooting on such occasions (often one's best 
 chance) there should be an auxiliary leaf sight on 
 the barrel. Both it and the aperture must turn 
 down out of the way of the other, for the two can- 
 not be used together without blurring everything. 
 
 For target shooting and for hunting small game, 
 the best position for a peep sight is on the tang. 
 On a rifle of more power, a tang sight is not suit- 
 able, unless the arm is hammerless and its bolt 
 retreats into the receiver, in which case a short 
 tang sight can be mounted well forward, where it 
 is not in the way of eye or hand. A peep is at its 
 best when not more than two inches from the eye. 
 
 A bolt action rifle may have a peep sight at- 
 tached to the receiver. This position is objec- 
 tionable because it puts the aperture so far away 
 that it is hard to center in dim light. To provide 
 for this, there should also be a turn-down leaf on 
 the barrel, as previously described. Unfortun- 
 ately, nearly all patterns of receiver sights are 
 made with the peep permanently erect. This 
 should be remedied. 
 
 85 
 
SPORTING FIREARMS 
 
 Receiver sights, as a rule are slow and awkward 
 to reset at different elevations and the divisions 
 are too coarse. A receiver sight that clamps in 
 position merely by a lever is not sure to " stay 
 put." By far the best sight of this class is the 
 new Lyman for the Springfield-Mauser, operat- 
 ing by a milled-head screw, 
 
 A peep sight attached to the cocking piece has 
 this advantage, that it draws back close to the 
 eye, where it should be, in aiming, yet flies for- 
 ward out of the way before the gun can recoil. I 
 have used such a sight on a bolt action rifle with 
 complete satisfaction. The anticipated variation 
 from wobbling of cocking piece did not occur. 
 
 If one can afford it, the best possible combina- 
 tion of sights for open country is a " gold " bead 
 front, permanent open rear with one leaf, and a 
 telescope sight of the best modern pattern, the 
 latter detachable in a moment, and ordinarily car- 
 ried like a spyglass in leather scabbard slung 
 from the shoulder. The open sights would be 
 used for big game near by ; the telescope for small 
 game and for all long shots, running or standing. 
 
 Beware, however, of the old-fashioned telescope 
 sight with long tube and delicate mountings, per- 
 manently attached to the barrel. It is not a prac- 
 tical instrument — not even for target shooting. 
 
 86 
 
RIFLE SIGHTS 
 
 Its field (area visible through 'scope) is so small 
 that one must grope and bob around to find his 
 mark, and then can see but a short distance around 
 it. If the object moves, he loses it. 
 
 The relief (distance from eye to eyepiece) is 
 generally so short on such telescopes that the tube 
 projects backward from the breech, forming a 
 hook to catch in all manner of obstacles and quite 
 unsafe to use on a rifle of much recoil. The lenses 
 are easily jarred loose. The crosshairs are prone 
 to break, or to separate in filaments when the 
 weather changes. The adjusting screws stick out 
 like sore thumbs, ever in the way of twigs and 
 trouble. Such a 'scope is a delicate thing to 
 carry, even to a rifle range, and is quite unservice- 
 able in the field. 
 
 A modern telescope sight of good make is a 
 short instrument (not over ten inches long, and 
 some of them only six inches) that can be snapped 
 on the rifle in a few seconds and detached as 
 readily. It is sure to return to the same adjust- 
 ment every time. Its construction throughout is 
 strong enough for rifles of the highest power and 
 for any kind of service — forest hunting, saddle 
 work, or mountaineering — in short, it will stand 
 what a spyglass w^ill stand, and is as easily carried. 
 Changes of elevation are made by a milled head 
 
 87 
 
SPORTING FIREARMS 
 
 operating the crosshairs, while the tube remains 
 rigid. The mount is hollow, so that the open 
 sights can be used, with telescope in position and 
 without mounting the 'scope awkwardly on the 
 side. The tube itself does not project back of the 
 rifle's breech, but has a soft rubber eye-cup to cut 
 off side light. It has a wide field and brilliant 
 illumination, is adjustable to any eyesight, and 
 corrects defects of vision. 
 
 It is a grave mistake to employ a high power 
 in a rifle telescope. Five diameters should be the 
 limit, for hunting, and three is more satisfactory 
 all-round. The lower the power, the wider will be 
 the field of vision, the brighter the illumination, 
 and the less one's own tremor will be magnified, 
 with consequent swaying of the image. A three- 
 power 'scope makes an object three hundred yards 
 distant appear only one hundred yards away, and 
 that is good enough. The field of a good prism 
 telescope of three-power is seventeen yards at one 
 hundred yards, and is proportional at other dis- 
 tances. This means that, in aiming, the object 
 is magnified to three times its apparent height 
 to the naked eye, and that the shooter can see 
 everything within seventeen feet of it at one hun- 
 dred feet, or seventeen yards at one hundred yards. 
 
 An open sight cuts off the lower half of 
 
 88 
 
RIFLE SIGHTS 
 
 field entirely ; the telescope shows everything below, 
 as well as above, and one can shift elevation at 
 will, in the twinkling of an eye, by merely aiming 
 high or low. It is an advantage to have stadia 
 marks in the scope for this purpose. I once had 
 a fifteen-inch .22 rifle, with telescope attached, 
 that had dots on the vertical crosshair. Using 
 long-rifle cartridges, it was easy to do very fine 
 shooting at surprising distances. Notwithstand- 
 ing the excessively high trajectory, one could catch 
 any elevation he wanted. With this tiny gun, a 
 ten-year-old boy made bull'seye after bull'seye at 
 two hundred yards the first time he tried it, firing 
 from muzzle-and-elbow rest, on a still day. 
 
 The extremely compact telescope sight now is- 
 sued to expert riflemen in our army and national 
 guard serves as a rough but practical range- 
 finder. When it was first brought out, a rifle 
 equipped with it was tested by Captain Casey of 
 the American team. A regular one thousand- 
 yard target, with thirty-six inch bull'seye, had 
 been placed so far away that the bull was a mere 
 speck to the naked eye. Casey did not know the 
 distance and set in to get the range for himself, 
 by firing from the prone position. His first shot 
 ricochetted into the target, scoring 3, the second 
 was a 4, and the next eighteen bullets struck the 
 
 89 
 
SPORTING FIREARMS 
 
 bulPseye, the wildest of them being no more than 
 eighteen inches from dead center. The distance 
 was then found to be one mile. The more one 
 knows of rifle shooting, the better he can appre- 
 ciate such a triumph for ammunition, gun, sight, 
 and man. 
 
 90 
 
CHAPTER VI 
 
 TRIGGERS AND STOCKS CARE OF RIFLE 
 
 COMMAND of the trigger is the hardest and 
 the most essential part of marksmanship. 
 Few human operations require one's nerves 
 to be so finely strung and his muscles so instantly 
 responsive, in the face of immediate concussion and 
 recoil. And the slightest blink or balk, quiver or 
 flinch, when drawing trigger, will cause a miss. 
 
 The worst fault of cheap rifles is their rough 
 and exasperating locks. Every man who is am- 
 bitious to excell with the rifle would gladly pay 
 extra for a superior lock, if he could get it. Rifle 
 makers offer many outside. " extras " in the way 
 of plating, engraving, and other non-essentials, up 
 to hundreds of dollars, but the product of skill- 
 ful handwork that buyers would most appreciate 
 is a first-class trigger mechanism. 
 
 A lock made of inferior steel will soon wear out 
 of adjustment. Then the trigger will creep, i. e., 
 will start, stick, require two distinct pressures, 
 
 91 
 
SPORTING FIREARMS 
 
 and go off unexpectedly at last. The language 
 of anathema, even as perfected by Sterne in his 
 Tristram Shandy, does not suffice to do such a 
 mechanism justice. No man lives who can shoot 
 decently with a creeping trigger. 
 
 In a rough lock, the notch into which the sear 
 engages must be deep, lest the metal wear off or 
 snap off. This notch is toothed upward at an 
 angle, so that the sear cannot merely slide out 
 but must lift against direct pressure of the main- 
 spring. If the notch is deep, the trigger cannot 
 let off quick and sharp. 
 
 When shooting offhand, it is impossible for any- 
 one to hold without tremor. The best a man can 
 do is to touch off just as his front sight swings 
 to the right spot. This takes the utmost nicety 
 of judgment and instantaneous execution of it. 
 An error of a fiftieth of a second, in firing, is likely 
 to throw the shot wild. In this infinitesimal in- 
 terval, the eye, and brain, and finger, and trigger, 
 all must work together. 
 
 No firing mechanism can be operated, from start 
 to finish, in a fiftieth of a second, except a finely 
 adjusted set trigger. A plain trigger requires 
 that preliminary pressure be applied, to take up 
 all but the last few ounces of strain and that it 
 be steadily held there until the critical instant; 
 
 92 
 
TRIGGERS AND STOCKS 
 
 then the final release is let off in a flash. Whether 
 the pull be light or heavy, it positively should be 
 smooth in take-up and instantly responsive to the 
 final let-off. 
 
 Set triggers are of three types; single, split, 
 and double. The single set is put in action by 
 pressing it forward with the thumb. It is not 
 likely to wear well. The split trigger (called by 
 the maker " double set ") likewise has its rear 
 half pushed forward to set. It lasts better, but 
 has a rather annoying backlash. Both of these 
 patterns are slow to operate. Much better than 
 either is the old reliable double set of our earliest 
 frontier days (now trade-listed as " schuetzen 
 double set," because re-introduced by German- 
 American target shooters). This consists of two 
 triggers spaced well apart, as in a double gun. 
 The forward trigger is set by drawing the rear one 
 back to a click; hence the arm can be set and fired 
 very quickly, with gun to shoulder. A well made 
 double trigger can be regulated to a hair, will al- 
 ways stay so, and will not jar off. In the hands 
 of a cool man who is used to it, this is by far the 
 best mechanism for deliberate offhand shooting, 
 both at targets and at game in the open. As a 
 nail-driver with the first shot, it has no equal. 
 
 A set trigger is unfit for quick repeating. Of 
 
 93 
 
SPORTING FIREARMS 
 
 course, the front trigger can be used without set- 
 ting, but the difference between the one-ounce set 
 pull that one has grown accustomed to and the 
 seven-pound unset pull that he may want to use in 
 an emergency will balk anybody. I have been used 
 to the set trigger for twenty years and to plain 
 triggers for twice that span, yet I cannot change 
 from one to the other without a little practice, 
 nor do I know anybody else who can. 
 
 In fine, a set trigger is admirable for hunting 
 small game, and for stalking on the plains or amid 
 thinly forested mountains. It is an advantage 
 when one uses a telescope sight. Yet for average 
 hunting in forest and thicket and for all quick 
 firing, it is out of place. One must choose ac- 
 cording to the work he is to do. 
 
 At the other extreme is the old-fashioned mili- 
 tary pull of from eight to twelve pounds. Very 
 few men can ever be trained to do good offhand 
 work with such a pull; nor does the accomplish- 
 ment, when acquired, stand for anything meritor- 
 ious — it is against nature. The modern military 
 pull is better. It has, first, a dragging take-up of 
 enough finger-power to make it safe among massed 
 troops, then a comparatively light let-off. It will 
 balk a recruit, in quick firing, until he gets used 
 to it. 
 
 94 
 
TRIGGERS AND STOCKS 
 
 The best all-round trigger for a sporting rifle 
 is a plain one of from two to three pounds. If the 
 lock is well made, there is no valid objection to a 
 two-pound pull, and most men will do better shoot- 
 ing with it than with a heavier one. The lock 
 parts should be of hard but tough steel, ground 
 and polished smooth, and then adjusted by some- 
 one who is more of a watchmaker than a black- 
 smith. 
 
 A rifle should balance about four inches in front 
 of the trigger guard. Good balance makes a gun 
 buoyant and quick to swing into position, whereas 
 an ill-balanced arm causes one to boggle and hunt 
 for his sights. A well proportioned gun is less 
 burdensome to carry than a clumsy one that may 
 be a pound or two lighter. 
 
 No rifle using modern ammunition need have a 
 barrel more than twenty-four inches long. Ex- 
 haustive tests by our ordnance department have 
 proven that the muzzle velocity of a .30 Spring- 
 field-Mauser with a twenty-four inch barrel is 
 but eighty-seven feet a second less than that of a 
 thirty-inch barrel, while the accuracy of the short 
 barrel is equal to that of the long one, its weight 
 three-fourths pound less, the balance better, the 
 arm more easily manipulated, and its total length 
 suitable for cavalry as well as infantry. A differ- 
 
 95 
 
SPORTING FIREARMS 
 
 ence of eighty-seven feet in muzzle velocity does 
 not seriously affect the weapon's trajectory with- 
 in sporting ranges. It is more than compensated 
 by the merits gained. On the other hand, twenty- 
 four inches is as short as a sporting barrel should 
 be, unless for special service, because a shorter 
 barrel is hard to aim truly without a telescope. 
 
 The weight of a high power rifle should be 
 governed chiefly by the amount of free recoil set 
 up by its cartridge. From seven and one-half to 
 eight pounds is enough rifle weight for such a cart- 
 ridge as the .30 U. S. A., '06, which gives a free 
 recoil of fifteen foot-pounds, and six pounds is 
 plenty for a .30-30 of seven pound recoil. How- 
 ever, it is here assumed that the weight is where 
 it belongs — chiefly in action and breech end of 
 barrel. A well made rifle has no superfluous wood 
 or metal anywhere. A cheap one has a great deal 
 of useless steel in the frame and elsewhere, that 
 could be milled out to the betterment of the piece. 
 I also assume that the best barrel steel is used, with 
 no slots to weaken it, and that the piece has a shot- 
 gun butt to distribute recoil. 
 
 The fit of a rifle stock is not of so much con- 
 sequence in firing deliberately with light charges, 
 but a rifle that must be swung smartly into posi- 
 tion for a shot on the jump should " come up " 
 
 96 
 
TRIGGERS AND STOCKS 
 
 like a well proportioned shotgun. The stock of a 
 sporting rifle, though, should be a little shorter 
 than that of a shotgun, because the arm is some- 
 times used in prone position. Moreover, a rifle- 
 man's proper poise, when shooting offhand, is more 
 erect and straight-necked than that of a gunner; 
 hence the rifle stock needs more crook than a shot- 
 gun's. (Compare figures in Chapter IX.) 
 
 The following dimensions for rifle stocks are 
 copied, in the main, from the writings of Mr. E. 
 C. Crossman, an expert whose judgment in every- 
 thing pertaining to rifled firearms deserves close 
 attention. — 
 
 A rifle stock for a man of average build should 
 measure about thirteen and three-fourths inches 
 from trigger to hollow of butt ; drop from line 
 of sight to comb, one and seven-eighths inches ; 
 drop to heel, three inches. A short man, or one 
 with short arm-reach, needs a shorter stock, say 
 thirteen and one-half inches ; a tall or long 
 armed man, a longer one, fourteen or fourteen 
 and one-fourth inches. A short neck requires a 
 drop of one and three-fourths inches at comb 
 and two and three-fourths inches at heel; long 
 neck, two, and three and one-fourth inches, re- 
 spectively. 
 
 If the stock is made to order, a cast-off (stock 
 
 97 
 
SPORTING FIREARMS 
 
 bent away from face) of one-fourth Inch at heel 
 will help to bring the eye straight in line with the 
 sights, without effort, A broad chested, full- 
 faced man needs more. A well-shaped cheek 
 piece also helps one to align quickly and naturally 
 along the axis of the barrel, but adds weight to 
 the gun. 
 
 A full pistol grip aids holding, provided it be 
 close to the trigger and well curved (for an aver- 
 age hand, four inches from trigger to front of 
 grip cap). A grip so shaped lessens the strain 
 on the three grasping fingers and thereby leaves 
 the trigger finger mobile for its proper work. A 
 grip of four and three-fourths inches circumfer- 
 ence fits a medium hand. 
 
 The conventional American rifle butt, slender, 
 thin, and crescent shaped where it fits the arm, 
 is a relic of the eighteenth century. It was prop- 
 erly designed for the rifles of that day, which had 
 excessively long barrels and practically no re- 
 coil; hence were shot from the arm instead of 
 from the shoulder. It is quite unsuitable for 
 present-day weapons that use heavy charges and 
 must often be handled quickly. A shotgun butt, 
 slightly hollowed between heel and toe, comes 
 promptly to the aim, does not catch in clothing, 
 and its broad plate distributes recoil over a con- 
 
 98 
 
TRIGGERS AND STOCKS 
 
 siderable area of the shoulder. A butt plate of 
 hard rubber is too brittle; it is better of steel, 
 checkered to prevent slipping when the shirt or 
 coat is wet. 
 
 I like a trap in the plate, opening into a cham- 
 ber within the butt where a jointed cleaning rod 
 is kept, together with a spare striker or firing 
 pin, spare springs (if flat), a folding screwdriver 
 like that of our army, and a bullet jacket extrac- 
 tor. I much prefer a cleaning rod, even if many- 
 jointed, to a pull-through thong. The latter is 
 a poor excuse for cleaning and is liable to break, 
 in which case it is a desperately hard thing to 
 get rid of. Again, if a shell neck or a bullet 
 jacket lodges in the barrel, the rifle is put out 
 of action until a rod can be found. 
 
 Straight-grained walnut is stronger than fig- 
 ured wood. See that the grain runs lengthwise 
 of the grip. Italian walnut is hardest and hand- 
 somest, but heavy. English walnut is next 
 choice. A varnished stock is garish when new 
 and shows every scratch and bruise thereafter. 
 The most tasteful and durable finish is produced 
 by several coats of linseed oil, each thoroughly 
 rubbed in by hand. 
 
 The stock of a good rifle is improved by neat 
 and sharp checkering on grip and forearm, to 
 
 99 
 
SPOBTING FIREARMS 
 
 keep the hands from slipping. It is well, also, to 
 checker the trigger, safety catch, under side of 
 bolt head, and butt plate. All other metal parts 
 should be left severely plain, the blueing being 
 of a dull finish. Anything that glitters on a rifle 
 disturbs aim and alarms game by flashing like a 
 heliograph. Many a time, the first notice I have 
 had that another hunter was in the field came 
 from the glitter of his rifle barrel. 
 
 Plating and engraving are out of place on a 
 weapon that is not meant for ballrooms or dress 
 parade. They cheapen and vulgarize it, as dia- 
 monds do a street costume. The beauty of a 
 rifle is in its symmetry, its graceful contours, its 
 easy poise in the owner's hands, its evident fit- 
 ness for stern and manlike work. Let it show in 
 every line and on every surface that it is no play- 
 thing, but a weapon of precision. 
 
 When one gets a good rifle, by all means let 
 him take thoughtful care of it. This means work 
 at times when one is least inclined for it; but do 
 it. Never leave a rifle fouled from the day's 
 shooting. A few nights' neglect, or even one, 
 can ruin the best gun a man ever put to his 
 shoulder. 
 
 The corrosive residue of smokeless powder can- 
 not be removed with a wet rag, like that of black 
 
 100 
 
TRIGGERS AND STOCKS 
 
 powder. The black carbon fouling that jou see 
 when looking through the barrel may be swabbed 
 out with a dry wiper, but that is not what does 
 the mischief. There is left a sticky residue that 
 you cannot see, but that you can feel adhering 
 to the wiper as you run a rod through. This 
 has an acid reaction and attacks steel virulently. 
 Water will not dissolve it. You must use either 
 a nitro-solvent oil or an alkali, preferably the 
 former. 
 
 Get a yard or two of firm cotton flannel, thick 
 enough so that the tip of the rod will not push 
 through it (a stuck rod is hard to remove). 
 From this cloth cut square wipers of such size 
 that they will just fit snugly but can be pushed 
 through without strain. If your rifle is of such 
 model that it can be cleaned from the breech 
 (every rifle should be) open the breech, remove 
 bolt, if there is one, put a newspaper on the floor, 
 stand the rifle on it with muzzle down, and keep 
 it so. Shove a dry wiper through, as far as it 
 will go, and withdraw it. This brings out the car- 
 bon fouling. 
 
 Then saturate a wiper with nitro-solvent oil 
 and swab the bore with it four or five times. Re- 
 peat with a fresh rag wet with the solution. 
 Finally, turn the rifle up and clean out the muzzle 
 
 101 
 
SPORTING FIREARMS 
 
 with a similarly oiled rag on the end of a sharpen- 
 ed pine stick, and the chamber with the same. 
 In this way there is no chance of injuring the 
 muzzle, which is the most delicate part of a gun. 
 
 It is not necessary to scrub hard, because your 
 object is not to remove the sticky fouling by 
 friction (it can't be done, not even with a wire 
 brush), but to "dope" the barrel thoroughly 
 with the solvent, and then give the latter time 
 to get in its work. 
 
 Set the gun away for twenty-four hours. Then 
 look through it. You may be surprised to see 
 the bore evenly coated with a reddish deposit that 
 looks like rust. It is not rust, but is something 
 that soon will cause rust if you don't remove it. 
 This deposit will appear, no matter how much 
 elbow-grease you may have used on the barrel 
 in the first place. When a gun is fired with 
 smokeless powder, the gases are driven into the 
 very pores or texture of the steel, and some of 
 their acid residue is lodged there. This sub- 
 stance will " sweat out " gradually. 
 
 Now go for it, with the nitro-solvent, just as 
 you did before. And repeat this operation the 
 third day, even the fourth, if you love your gun. 
 When a dry rag will come out perfectly clean, 
 you may be satisfied that the gun is " surgically 
 
 102 
 
TRIGGERS AND STOCKS 
 
 clean " — the microbes of rust have been ex- 
 terminated. 
 
 Then oil the bore with liquid vaseline (albolene, 
 cosmoline oil). This is absolutely neutral, can- 
 not gum or turn rancid, and is thick enough to 
 stay where it is put. A thin oil is not the thing 
 for a gun bore, because it will run down into the 
 chamber and leave the upper bore unprotected. 
 If the rifle is to be put away for a long time, or 
 if you live at the seashore, use mercuric ointment 
 instead of oil ; it is the best of all rust preventers. 
 
 You can make a good nitro-solvent cheaper 
 than you can buy it from a sporting goods 
 dealer. This is Dr. W. G. Hudson's formula, 
 and a good one: 
 
 Kerosene oil free from acid 2 fluid ounces 
 
 Sperm oil 1 fluid ounce 
 
 Spirits of turpentine 1 fluid ounce 
 
 Acetone 1 fluid ounce 
 
 Your druggist can test the kerosene for you, 
 in a jiffy, with litmus paper. The above solvent 
 is a good rust-preventive. 
 
 If nitro-solvent cannot be procured, dissolve 
 washing soda (not baking soda) until the water 
 will take up no more (i. e., a saturated solution). 
 Use this just as you would the solvent, but when 
 through, carefully remove all trace of it from 
 
 103 
 
SPORTING FIREARMS 
 
 the bore with dry rags, or the soda itself will set 
 up rust. Then oil. 
 
 A cleaning rod to be used in a high power rifle 
 is best made of steel, because grit will stick to 
 a wooden rod, or even a brass one, and act on the 
 bore like a rat-tail file. Any rod, whether wood 
 or metal, will injure the muzzle in a surprisingly 
 short time, if the wiping is done from the muzzle 
 and in an unskilful way. The proper shape for 
 a rod head is shown in the accompanying cut, 
 which I have borrowed from Lieutenant Whelen's 
 Hints to Military Riflemen. 
 
 D 
 
 Right Shape for Cleaning Rod. 
 
 While a rifle cannot be cleaned thoroughly with 
 a pull-through or field wiper, still, such treat- 
 ment is better far than neglect. A common cord 
 or thong is likely to break, and then the shooter 
 is " hung up " for sure. A superior field cleaner, 
 home made, was recently described by Mr, R. A. 
 Kane : 
 
 " Get about three feet of heavily braided brass 
 picture hanger's wire, drop a little soft solder 
 on each end to keep it from raveling, then with 
 a pointed tool like a carpenter's awl, separate the 
 strands squarely in the middle, an inch from one 
 
 104 
 
TRIGGERS AND STOCKS 
 
 end, and again twice more at intervals, leaving 
 an inch between the openings. Into these open- 
 ings through the braided wire insert oblong 
 strips of cotton flannel thick enough to fit the 
 bore snugly. 
 
 " To wipe the barrel, thread the plain end of 
 the wire through from the muzzle and, as it ap- 
 pears at the open breech, take a turn around the 
 hand and draw through smartl}'' with a single pull. 
 This excellent pull-through wiper is not liable 
 to break off in the barrel and, when coiled up, 
 may be carried in one's vest pocket. The wip- 
 ing rags should be passed through the braided 
 wire at right angles to each other." 
 
 Always wipe out the oil from a rifle bore before 
 firing, for it will make the bullet fly wild. For 
 the same reason, never wet or oil a bullet. 
 
 The mechanism of a rifle, wherever metal parts 
 rub together, should be kept lightly oiled with a 
 good thin oil like " 3-in-l." Too much oil only 
 serves to catch dust and grit. For the outside 
 of the gun, Lieutenant Whelen advises that a 
 piece of buckskin be saturated with oil ; " once 
 thoroughly saturated, it will last a lifetime, and 
 is a great saver of oil." Of course, the gun first 
 must be wiped thoroughly dry. The stock needs 
 attention, at intervals, lest moisture get into it 
 
 105 
 
SPORTWG FIREARMS 
 
 and swell it. Apply a coat of raw linseed oil, 
 nothing else, and polish by rubbing with the 
 hand. 
 
 To remove metal fouling, dope the barrel 
 for three or four minutes with a prep- 
 aration sold for the purpose, or with strong- 
 est ammonia, cleaning thoroughly thereafter 
 till all trace of the alkali has vanished, and 
 being especially careful to get none of the liquid 
 in the action, for it is sure to cause rust. 
 
 If a rifle barrel once becomes pitted from rust, 
 throw it away and get another. To try to re- 
 move rust with flour of emery or pumice would ruin 
 the barrel anyway. Never polish any part that 
 is blued. Do not put your rifle away with a cork 
 or oiled rag in the muzzle: instead of keeping 
 moisture out of the barrel it will seal up the mois- 
 ture of the air inside the tube, and rust will fol- 
 low. 
 
 It sometimes happens that the neck of a shell 
 is blown up into the barrel, or a bullet jacket may 
 lodge there. To remove either, insert a bullet 
 jacket extractor, such as is issued to troops in 
 the company repair kit, and tap out with a clean- 
 ing rod ; or, upset one end of a bit of copper rod 
 to full caliber of bore, insert small end down, and 
 tap out gently. 
 
 106 
 
PART II 
 THE SHOTGUN 
 
 107 
 
CHAPTER VII 
 
 SHOT PATTERNS AND PENETRATION 
 
 IN passing from rifles to shotguns, we en- 
 counter a quite different set of problems. 
 Still, the two arms have this much in com- 
 mon, that all depends upon what we want to do 
 with them. Some kinds of gunning require a 
 wide spread of shot at close quarters ; others, a 
 compact swarm at a considerable distance. Some 
 game can be killed with small shot ; other game re- 
 quires large pellets. The more pellets we use, 
 the better chance of hitting, but the more lead 
 thrown, the heavier our gun must be. Charge of 
 powder and shot must be proportional to weight 
 of gun, and weight governs dimensions. 
 
 Let us take up one point at a time, keep our 
 minds on it for the time being, and not be over- 
 hasty about drawing conclusions. In the end, 
 we shall find that desirable qualities conflict, 
 more or less, and that compromises between them 
 must be made, lest we pick out a freak gun that 
 excells in some one merit at the expense of others. 
 
 109 
 
SPORTING FIREARMS 
 
 The power of a shotgun is determined by its 
 pattern and penetration. Pattern means two 
 things. — 
 
 1. The percentage of shot pellets that the gun 
 will place in a given area, at a given distance, 
 the standard being a thirty-inch circle at forty 
 yards ; 
 
 S. The evenness with which the pellets are dis- 
 tributed over that area. 
 
 An ideal pattern would be one containing every 
 pellet of the charge, all spaced equidistant from 
 each other. But no gun ever shoots that way. 
 Many pellets are battered out of shape by con- 
 cussion, or by friction against the bore. Since 
 these offer unequal surfaces to the air's resis- 
 tance, they soon swerve like a flat stone. Others 
 are jostled out of the way by their crowded neigh- 
 bors. 
 
 The pattern that a charge of shot will make de- 
 pends very much upon how the gun barrel is 
 bored. When shot are fired from a true cylinder 
 they soon scatter widely, so that only thirty per 
 cent to thirty-five per cent of the pellets will 
 strike inside a thirty-inch circle, at forty yards. 
 This is too thin a pattern for any but the shortest 
 ranges ; consequently guns are not bored to a true 
 cylinder for sporting purposes. What are called 
 
 110 
 
PATTERNS AND PENETRATIONS 
 
 " plain cylinders " by the trade are really made 
 with a slight taper toward the muzzle, which com- 
 presses the charge enough to pattern, on the aver- 
 age, about forty per cent. Try your 12-gauge 
 " cylinder " and see if it is not about 13-gauge 
 at the muzzle. 
 
 To produce still closer patterns, the gun bore 
 must have a rather abrupt choke (constriction) 
 near the muzzle, so as to jam the shot together 
 at the instant of leaving the gun's mouth. The 
 fuller the choke, the denser the pattern. A 
 quarter choke (sometimes called "improved cylin- 
 der ") averages about fifty per cent of the charge 
 in a thirty-inch circle, at forty yards; a half or 
 " modified " choke, about sixty per cent ; a full 
 choke, about seventy per cent ; an extreme choke, 
 from seventy-five to eighty per cent. These, at 
 least, are the definitions that I shall follow. Gun- 
 makers disagree a good deal among themselves 
 in the meaning they give to such terms as cylin- 
 der, open bore, modified choke, full choke, etc. 
 It would be better to discard such words alto- 
 gether and describe the degree of constriction by 
 the percentage of charge that the gun patterns at 
 forty yards. A " full choked " gun is simply one 
 that patterns about seventy per cent, regardless 
 of its gauge and other dimensions. It may take 
 
 111 
 
SPORTING FIREARMS 
 
 a constriction of 0.04 inch to full choke a 10- 
 gauge, and only 0.02 inch to full choke a 20- 
 gauge, but both guns will throw the same per- 
 centage of their charges (say seventy per cent) 
 into a thirty-inch circle at fort}^ yards. Length 
 of barrel has nothing to do with this. 
 
 Spread of charge depends largely upon choke. 
 A full choke (seventy per cent) gun tht-ows the 
 effective part of its charge into a thirty-inch 
 circle at forty yards ; a half choke into a thirty- 
 six inch circle ; a quarter choke into a forty-two 
 inch circle ; a " cylinder " into a forty-eight inch 
 circle. This is true of all gauges alike, notwith- 
 standing what you may have been told to the con- 
 trary. 
 
 Different chokes are adapted to different pur- 
 poses. It is with shotguns just as it is with rifles. 
 No one gun can excell in all kinds of shooting. 
 When one is hunting ruffed grouse in the wood- 
 lands, the game springs up from concealment with 
 a whir-r-r, and it must be downed at once, or, in 
 a second or so, it is gone. Such shooting de- 
 mands a wide spread of shot at close quarters, 
 both to increase the chance of hitting and to re- 
 duce the chance of mutilating. In trap shoot- 
 ing, on the other hand, and in wildfowling, it often 
 is necessary to hit hard at a considerable distance, 
 
 112 
 
PATTERNS AND PENETRATIONS 
 
 and this requires the close pattern given by a full 
 choke. 
 
 The pattern tables commonly published in gun 
 catalogues are not of much use in the field. They 
 show nothing but estimated performances of 
 various chokes, with all sizes of shot, at the one 
 range of forty yards. Game is shot at all dis- 
 tances from fifteen to fifty yards, or upwards. 
 One should know what his gun will do at all sport- 
 ing ranges. So I think it worth while to print 
 here the average patterns obtained by actual fir- 
 ing with some quarter choke, half choke, and full 
 choke 12-gauge barrels, at five-yard intervals, 
 from twenty-five to fifty yards, and with three 
 different charges — standard duck, trap, and up- 
 land loads. The figures show the number of pel- 
 lets within a thirty-inch circle at each range. 
 At twenty yards, all of these chokes place the 
 full charge inside a circle of that size. 
 
 12-GAUGE PATTERNS OF 
 
 DUCK LOAD, 
 3]/^ drams bulk smokeless, I14 oz. No. 6 chilled shot 
 
 Full Choke, 
 nominal 70% 
 at 40 yds. 
 265=95% 
 246=88% 
 223=80% 
 198=71% 
 167=60% 
 145=52% 
 
 
 (279 pellets). 
 
 
 Quarter Choke 
 
 Half Choke, 
 
 Range 
 
 nominal 50% 
 
 nominal 60% 
 
 in yards. 
 
 at 40 yds. 
 
 at 40 yds. 
 
 25 
 
 234=84% 
 
 251=90%. 
 
 30 
 
 201=72% 
 
 229=82% 
 
 35 
 
 173=62% 
 
 198=71% 
 
 40 
 
 142=51% 
 
 170=61% 
 
 45 
 
 106=38% 
 
 140=50% 
 
 50 
 
 84=30% 
 
 106=38% 
 
 113 
 
SPORTING FIREARMS 
 
 12-GAUGE PATTERNS OF 
 
 TRAP LOAD, 
 
 35^ drams bulk smokeless, 1^ oz. No. Tj/^ chilled 
 shot (431 pellets). 
 
 Range. 
 
 Quarter Choke 
 
 Half Choke. 
 
 Full Choke. 
 
 25 
 
 362=84% 
 
 389=90% 
 
 410=95% 
 
 30 
 
 315=73% 
 
 358=83% 
 
 384=89% 
 
 35 
 
 267=62% 
 
 306=70% 
 
 345=80% 
 
 40 
 
 216=50% 
 
 263=61% 
 
 303=70% 
 
 45 
 
 155=36% 
 
 212=49% 
 
 246=57% 
 
 50 
 
 114=27% 
 
 151=35% 
 
 211=49% 
 
 12-GAUGE PATTERNS OF 
 
 UPLAND LOAD, 
 
 3 drams 
 
 bulk smokeless 
 
 , IVs oz. No. 8 
 
 chilled shot 
 
 
 (460 pellets). 
 
 
 Range. 
 
 Quarter Choke 
 
 Half Choke. 
 
 Full Choke 
 
 25 
 
 386=84% 
 
 414=90% 
 
 437=95% 
 
 30 
 
 336=73% 
 
 382=83% 
 
 409=89% 
 
 35 
 
 281=61% 
 
 322=70% 
 
 363=80% 
 
 40 
 
 225=49% 
 
 271=60% 
 
 318=69% 
 
 45 
 
 161=35% 
 
 216=47% 
 
 258=56% 
 
 50 
 
 110=24% 
 
 147=32% 
 
 212=46% 
 
 Bear in mind that these figures are averages. 
 Any gun will vary ten per cent between shots, 
 and sometimes a good deal more, but the tables 
 show what may fairly be expected in the long run. 
 Other gauges, of same chokes, will make similar 
 percentages at the various distances, with shot 
 
 114 
 
PATTERNS AND PENETRATIONS 
 
 adapted to them. It will be observed that the 
 smaller sizes of shot show a falling off, in pattern, 
 at the longer ranges. This is because they lose 
 momentum faster, and hence the pellets stagger 
 and fly wild. 
 
 It is commonly agreed that on the average a 
 bird must be hit by at least three shot, of suit- 
 able size, to ensure killing. We may say, then, 
 that killing patterns for birds require not less 
 than the following number of pellets within a 
 thirty-inch circle, at maximum range: 
 
 Snipe, etc 350 No. 9s or 8i^s. 
 
 Quail 235 No. 8r^s or 8s. 
 
 Large grouse, or small ducks 165 No. 7s or 6s. 
 
 Large ducks 120 No. 6s or 5s. 
 
 Geese or turkeys 60 No. Ss or larger. 
 
 Bearing these /figures in mind and glancing 
 back, now, at our tables, we can figure pretty 
 closely the maximum effective ranges of various 
 chokes, in 12-gauge guns, with upland loads and 
 duck loads. Other gauges will be considered 
 later. 
 
 Of course, killing pattern depends not only 
 upon choke but upon gauge of gun, since the 
 larger the gauge, the more pellets it will handle. 
 But let us consider one point at a time, lest our 
 minds wander and we confuse ourselves. Some 
 guns make dense patterns and yet bunch the pel- 
 
 115 
 
SPORTING FIREARMS 
 
 lets irregularly, leaving considerable spaces un- 
 touched. This fault may be due to excessive 
 choke. At present there are few, if any, makers, 
 who will guarantee even patterns of more than 
 seventy per cent average. Any choke in excess 
 of this is likely to make patchy patterns. Again, 
 an extreme choke is prone to lead at the muzzle. 
 As soon as lead begins to stick to the bore, the 
 shot go to flying wilder and wilder. Hence the 
 merit or demerit of a closely choked gun is not 
 learned by firing a few shots at sheets of paper, 
 but by testing it after a hundred rounds have 
 been fired rapidly, as in trap shooting. 
 
 Gunmakers can easily bore barrels that will aver- 
 age seventy-five per cent for five test shots, yet it is 
 only once in a blue moon that we find an arm 
 that will keep this up in an all-day shoot, with- 
 out frequent doctoring. Quite recently the 
 eighty per cent gun has been announced. I feel 
 like predicting that steady averages of over 
 seventy per cent will not be attained by peculiar 
 boring of the muzzle, but by improved ammuni- 
 tion and better chambering. 
 
 The shape of the cone, directly in front of 
 the cartridge chamber, affects pattern, and so 
 does the fit of shell. When the crimp is blown 
 out of a paper shell, it must fit the cone smoothly 
 
 116 
 
PATTERNS AND PENETRATIONS 
 
 and fill it, or there will be a jump and tilting of 
 the wad. If the shell be too short for the cham- 
 ber, or the cone too long, gas will escape ahead 
 of the shot and will scatter the charge. 
 
 Cheap guns of full choke are likely to give 
 patchy patterns, because they have not been re- 
 touched by the gun-maker after testing. If one 
 must put up with a cheap gun, it is wise for 
 him to select a half choke (I am speaking of 12- 
 gauges), because what it lacks in closeness of 
 pattern will be more than made up in evenness 
 and uniformity of shooting. 
 
 A dirty, or leaded, or rusted bore is sure to 
 sprinkle its charge; it may even ball some of the 
 shot — weld them together into an irregular mass 
 that will fly anywhere except where it is wanted. 
 Balled shot account for many distressing acci- 
 dents, where men have been injured at extraor- 
 dinary distances, or when standing far out of the 
 line of fire. They also explain how Epiphalet 
 Snooks killed an eagle at one hundred and five 
 measured yards, with number six shot, from gran- 
 dad's muzzle-loader. He might have done the same 
 thing with both eyes shut and while flinching out 
 of his skin. And yet Epiphalet will brag about 
 that gun to the end of his days and will have sev- 
 eral fights for its dear sake. 
 
 117 
 
SPORTING FIREARMS 
 
 Balling of shot may be caused by bad ammuni- 
 tion, or by a charge that does not fit the gun in 
 hand. Too much powder, or wads that are not 
 thick and springy enough have a like effect in a 
 choke bore, whereas such a load would batter the 
 shot and sprinkle it from a cylinder bore. 
 
 Some guns string out their shot in a thin pro- 
 cession, part of the pellets lagging as much as 
 ten or fifteen feet in the rear. In such case the 
 pattern might look all right on the target, but 
 a fast flying bird could plunge through the charge 
 and escape. Cylinder bores are prone to string 
 their shot, or to make widely varying groups. 
 
 If the shot are too soft, or not spherical, or of 
 mixed sizes, they will string and scatter badly, 
 no matter what kind of gun they may be fired 
 from. 
 
 It is more important that a gun should pepper 
 the target evenly and that it should behave well 
 all day, regardless of how hot and dry the air 
 may be, than that it should make very close pat- 
 terns when tested for a few rounds under favorable 
 conditions. 
 
 Effective range depends not only upon how 
 many shot hit the object, but also upon their pene- 
 tration and the shock they impart. The killing 
 power of a pellet of shot is much easier to deter- 
 
 118 
 
PATTERNS AND PENETRATIONS 
 
 mine than that of a rifle bullet, since shot are 
 spherical. If shot of all sizes are fired with the 
 same muzzle velocity, then the bigger the shot 
 the better it will maintain speed, the far- 
 ther it will range, the harder it will hit, and 
 the deeper it will penetrate. Size of gun 
 bore has nothing to do with this. A 28-gauge will 
 drive any size of shot (if it chambers properly) 
 as hard as an 8-gauge, and no harder, provided 
 the powder charges give both loads the same 
 muzzle velocity. Penetration depends simply up- 
 on speed and weight and hardness of pellet. A 
 20-gauge may drive its shot a little faster than a 
 12-gauge because it uses relatively more powder; 
 or because the 12-gauge may be squib-loaded and 
 hence cannot burn its powder properly ; but size 
 of bore is not the determining factor. Both guns 
 can be standardized to the same initial velocity — 
 it is all a matter of loading. 
 
 With the favorite powder charges of to-day, 
 regardless of gauge, the maximum killing ranges 
 of various sizes of shot, on pigeons, are about as 
 follows : 
 
 No. 6 55 yards. No. 8^^ 40 yards. 
 
 No. 7 50 yards. No. 9 35 yards. 
 
 No. 8 45 yards. No. 10 30 yards. 
 
 On small ducks, with standard duck charges, 
 
 119 
 
SPORTING FIREARMS 
 
 number 6 shot have killing penetration up to fifty 
 yards, and number 5 up to fifty-five yards, but 
 five or ten yards less on large, fuU-plumaged 
 ducks. In heavy guns using stiff charges, num- 
 ber 1 or B shot do steady execution on geese at 
 fifty to sixty yards, and BB or BBB shot at sixty 
 to seventy yards, while 4s or 3s will do the same 
 on ducks. 
 
 Always use chilled shot. There are men who 
 prefer soft ones because such pellets flatten more 
 on game and make large wounds, when fired at 
 short range. But soft shot lose much more in 
 pattern and penetration than they gain in shock- 
 ing power. They are easily deformed in the gun 
 barrel, especially by choke bores — then they lag 
 in the rear and fly wild. Moreover, they are more 
 prone to ball and to lead a gun than hard shot. 
 
 The only objection to chilled shot is that they 
 are somewhat lighter than soft lead pellets of the 
 same size and hence lose a trifle in sustained 
 velocity, range, and penetration. The fault could 
 be overcome by hardening shot with mercury, in- 
 stead of " chilling " it, but the difference in weight 
 is rather trivial, anyway. 
 
 The sizes, weights, and names of shot, accord- 
 ing to the " American standard," are shown be- 
 low: 
 
 120 
 
PATTERNS AND PENETRATIONS 
 
 SIZES OF SHOT. 
 
 
 
 
 No. 
 
 to the oz. No. to the oz. 
 
 Name. 
 
 
 Diameter. 
 
 Chilled Shot. 
 
 Drop Shot. 
 
 Dust. 
 
 
 .04 inch. 
 
 
 
 
 4565 
 
 No. 12. 
 
 
 .05 " 
 
 
 2385 
 
 
 2326 
 
 " 11. 
 
 
 .06 " 
 
 
 1380 
 
 
 1346 
 
 " lOM 
 
 5 Trap 
 
 .065 " 
 
 
 1130 
 
 
 1056 
 
 " 10. 
 
 
 .07 " 
 
 
 868 
 
 
 848 
 
 " 91/2 
 
 Trap. 
 
 .075 " 
 
 
 716 
 
 
 688 
 
 " 9. 
 
 
 .08 " 
 
 
 585- 
 
 > 
 
 568 ^ 
 
 " 8% 
 
 Trap. 
 
 .085 " 
 
 
 495 
 
 
 472 
 
 " 8. 
 
 
 .09 " 
 
 
 409 
 
 
 399 
 
 " 7V2 
 
 Trap. 
 
 .095 " 
 
 
 345 
 
 
 338 
 
 " 7. 
 
 
 .10 " 
 
 
 299 
 
 
 291 
 
 " 6. 
 
 
 .11 " 
 
 
 223 
 
 
 218 
 
 " 5. 
 
 
 .12 " 
 
 
 172 
 
 
 168 
 
 " 4. 
 
 
 .13 " 
 
 
 136 
 
 
 132 
 
 " 3. 
 
 
 .14 " 
 
 
 109 
 
 
 106 
 
 " 2. 
 
 
 .15 " 
 
 
 88 
 
 
 86 
 
 " 1. 
 
 
 .16 " 
 
 
 73 
 
 
 71 
 
 B. 
 
 
 .17 " 
 
 
 
 
 59 
 
 BB. 
 
 
 .18 " 
 
 
 
 
 50 
 
 BBB. 
 
 
 .19 " 
 
 
 
 
 42 
 
 T. 
 
 
 .20 " 
 
 
 
 
 36 
 
 TT. 
 
 
 .21 " 
 
 
 
 
 31 
 
 F. 
 
 
 .22 " 
 
 
 
 
 27 
 
 FF. 
 
 
 .23 " 
 
 
 
 
 24 
 
 
 
 COMPRESSED BUCKSHOT. 
 
 
 4 C 
 
 
 .24 inch 
 
 
 
 341 
 
 balls to lb. 
 
 3 C 
 
 
 .25 " 
 
 
 
 299 
 
 (( « (( 
 
 2 C 
 
 
 .27 " 
 
 
 
 238 
 
 rr (( (( 
 
 1 C 
 
 
 .30 " 
 
 
 
 175 
 
 (( a i( 
 
 
 
 
 .32 " 
 
 
 
 144 
 
 (( (( (C 
 
 00 
 
 
 .34 " 
 
 
 
 122 
 
 (( (( (( 
 
 000 
 
 
 .36 " 
 
 
 
 103 
 
 tt (< (( 
 
 It IS unfortunate that some shot manufacturers 
 use antiquated standards of size and nomencla- 
 ture, which lead to confusion. 
 
 121 
 
SPORTING FIREARMS 
 
 Buckshot cannot be recommended for any 
 sport; they cripple more deer than they kill, ex- 
 cept at very close quarters. They may be use- 
 ful, however, for defensive purposes. For choke 
 bores, they should be selected by chambering in 
 the muzzle. Push a wad down into the closest 
 part of the choke, and observe whether a layer 
 of the shot will pass it without jamming. 
 
 If a shotgun is ever used on large game, it 
 should be only with solid ball and at close quar- 
 ters. The ball must fit properly in the narrowest 
 (tightest) part of the gun bore. The actual 
 calibers of true cylinders are as follows: 
 
 10-gauge, 0.775 inches. 16 gauge, 0.662 inches. 
 12-gauge, 0.729 inches. 20-gauge, 0.615 inches. 
 
 Proper sizes of round ball for cylinder bores, 
 allowing for patch, are: 
 
 10-gauge, 0.760 inch, 630 grains. 
 12-gauge, 0.714 inch, 540 grains. 
 16-gauge, 0.647 inch, 390 grains. 
 20-gauge, 0.600 inch, 300 grains. 
 
 Chokes amount to from 0.01 to 0.04 inch, de- 
 pending upon caliber and upon pattern desired. 
 To allow for full chokes, our factories load ball 
 cartridges with undersized bullets, the weights 
 being as follows: one and one-eighth oz. ball for 
 
 12S 
 
PATTERNS AND PENETRATIONS 
 
 lO-gauge; one oz. for 12-gauge; seven-eighths oz. 
 for 16-gauge ; five-eighths oz. for 20-gauge. 
 
 Such missiles have great smashing power, at 
 short range, and will carry straight enough for 
 deer shooting up to forty yards. At one hundred 
 yards they will generally miss a stable door, and 
 the stable itself at two hundred yards, unless E. 
 Snooks is at the trigger. 
 
 US 
 
CHAPTER VIII 
 
 GAUGES AND WEIGHTS 
 
 THE killing pattern of a shotgun depends 
 not only upon choke but upon gauge. 
 For example, if we take a 12, a 16, a 20, 
 and a 28-gauge, all of them full choked (seventy 
 per cent), and load each with its standard charge 
 of number 8 shot, they will pattern as follows : 
 
 12-gauge uses 1^ oz.=460 pellets, and patterns 70%=322. 
 16-gauge uses 1 oz.=409 pellets, and patterns 70% = 280. 
 20-gauge uses ^ oz.=358 pellets, and patterns 70%=2ol. 
 28-gauge uses ^ oz.=307 pellets, and patterns 70%=215. 
 
 Each gun throws seventy per cent of its charge 
 into a thirty-inch circle, at forty yards, but the 
 12-gauge plants nine shot where the 16-gaugc 
 places eight, the 20-gauge seven, and the 28- 
 gauge six. The bigger the bore, the more pellets 
 it will handle, of a given size, and the denser will 
 be its pattern, if chokes are the same. 
 
 On the other hand, if we load all four guns with 
 the same number of pellets, but still give each 
 gauge its standard weight of lead, then, the bigger 
 the bore, the larger pellets it will handle, and the 
 greater will be its effective range. 
 
 124 
 
GAUGES AND WEIGHTS 
 
 We can simplify the discussion of gauges by 
 means of a table that one's eye can take in at a 
 glance. I give, below, average forty-yard pat- 
 terns of guns of all gauges from eight to twenty- 
 eight, and various chokes, with standard loads of 
 all sizes of shot from BBs to 9s, omitting such 
 figures as are of no practical use. Chilled shot 
 are employed in all cases, except Bs and BBs. 
 (For number of pellets to the ounce, see previous 
 chapter.) The charges here tabulated are: 
 
 Heavy 16-gauge. 
 Medium 16-gauge. Heavy 
 
 2 ounces. Heavy 8-gauge. 
 iy2 ounces. Heavy 10-gauge. 
 I14 ounces. Heavy 12-gauge. 
 ly^ ounces. Medium 12-gauge 
 1 ounce. Light 12-gauge. 
 20-gauge. 
 
 ^ ounce. Light 16-gauge. Medium 20-gauge. 
 
 ^ ounce. Light 20-gauge. Medium 28-gauge. 
 
 AVERAGE SHOT PATTERNS, 
 30-inch circle, 40 yards. 
 FULL CHOKE GUNS=70%. 
 
 
 
 1^2 
 
 114 
 
 IVs 
 
 
 % 
 
 Shot 
 
 2oz, 
 
 OZi. 
 
 oz. 
 
 oz, 
 
 1 oz. 
 
 oz. 
 
 BB 
 
 70 
 
 50 
 
 
 
 
 
 B 
 
 83 
 
 70 
 
 52 
 
 
 
 
 No. 1 
 
 102 
 
 76 
 
 64 
 
 57 
 
 
 
 2 
 
 123 
 
 92 
 
 77 
 
 69 
 
 62 
 
 
 3 
 
 153 
 
 114 
 
 97 
 
 86 
 
 76 
 
 67 
 
 4 
 
 190 
 
 143 
 
 119 
 
 107 
 
 95 
 
 83 
 
 5 
 
 241 
 
 181 
 
 151 
 
 135 
 
 120 
 
 106 
 
 6 
 
 
 234 
 
 195 
 
 176 
 
 156 
 
 137 
 
 7 
 
 
 314 
 
 262 
 
 235 
 
 209 
 
 183 
 
 TVs 
 
 
 
 302 
 
 272 
 
 242 
 
 211 
 
 8 
 
 
 
 358 
 
 322 
 
 286 
 
 251 
 
 sys 
 
 
 
 
 390 
 
 347 
 
 303 
 
 9 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 , 
 
 461 
 
 410 
 
 358 
 
 oz. 
 
 71 
 90 
 117 
 158 
 181 
 215 
 260 
 307 
 
 125 
 
SPORTING FIREARMS 
 
 HALF CHOKE=609o. 
 
 Shot. 
 
 l%oz. 
 
 IVsOZ. 
 
 1 oz. 
 
 %oz. 
 
 No. 5 
 
 129 
 
 116 
 
 
 
 6 
 
 167 
 
 151 
 
 134 
 
 lis 
 
 7 
 
 224 
 
 202 
 
 179 
 
 157 
 
 7y^ 
 
 259 
 
 239 
 
 207 
 
 181 
 
 8 
 
 307 
 
 276 
 
 245 
 
 215 
 
 81/3 
 
 
 334 
 
 297 
 
 260 
 
 9 
 
 
 395 
 
 351 
 
 307 
 
 QUARTER CHOKE=50%. 
 
 Shot. 
 
 l^oz. 
 
 IVsOz. 
 
 1 oz. 
 
 %oz. 
 
 No. 6 
 
 140 
 
 
 
 
 7 
 
 187 
 
 168 
 
 
 
 7V2 
 
 216 
 
 194 
 
 174 
 
 
 8 
 
 256 
 
 230 
 
 205 
 
 
 SV2 
 
 
 279 
 
 248 
 
 217 
 
 9 
 
 
 329 
 
 293 
 
 250 
 
 " CYLINDER "=40%. 
 
 % OZ. 
 
 135 
 155 
 184 
 223 
 263 
 
 % oz. 
 
 Shot. 
 
 li^oz. 
 
 IVs oz. 
 
 1 oz. 
 
 %oz. 
 
 No. 7 
 
 150 
 
 134 
 
 
 
 m 
 
 172 
 
 155 
 
 138 
 
 
 8 
 
 204 
 
 184 
 
 164 
 
 143 
 
 m 
 
 
 223 
 
 198 
 
 173 
 
 9 
 
 
 263 
 
 234 
 
 204 
 
 220 
 
 % oz. 
 
 176 
 
 Referring back, now, to the preceding chapter, 
 where killing patterns for various birds are tabu- 
 lated, the reader can see for himself what gauges 
 and chokes and sizes of shot are effective at forty 
 yards, with customary charges as shown above. 
 Good estimates of performances at other ranges, 
 from twenty to fifty yards, may be made by com- 
 paring the work of 12-gauges (see Chapter VII), 
 at forty yards, with those of other gauges shown 
 
 126 
 
GAUGES AND WEIGHTS 
 
 here, and making proportional allowances, accord- 
 ing to charge of shot. 
 
 We see at once that size of shot should be regu- 
 lated to gauge of gun, as well as to size of game. 
 With standard charges, neither a 20-gauge nor a 
 16-gauge w^ill pattern close enough for ducks, 
 (at forty yards) with any shot larger than num- 
 ber 6; whereas a 12-gauge (full choke, of course) 
 will handle 5s effectively; a 10-gauge, 4s; an 8- 
 gauge, 3s. Similarly, a 20-gauge will make a 
 forty yard goose pattern with 3s ; a 16-gauge with 
 2s; a 12-gauge with Is; a 10-gauge with Bs; an 
 8-gauge with BBBs. Consequently, if other 
 things are in normal proportion, the bigger the 
 bore, the farther it will kill. 
 
 Of course, a small bore can be so built and 
 so loaded as to handle a charge that is " stand- 
 ard " for a bigger gauge ; but would we gain or 
 lose by it? 
 
 The narrower the bore, the longer the column 
 of shot will be, with a given charge. This means 
 increased friction in the small bore, greater tamp- 
 ing of the powder and consequently quicker burn- 
 ing, greater breech pressure, and a more violent 
 recoil. Moreover, small bores generally are 
 loaded with finer shot than large bores, when used 
 for the same purpose; and the finer the shot, the 
 
 127 
 
SPORTING FIREARMS 
 
 harder the gun will kick. All experts, I believe, 
 agree that small bores require more gun weight in 
 proportion to shot weight than large bores do. 
 For example, a 12-gauge using two and three- 
 fourths drams of powder and an ounce of shot 
 need not weigh over six and one-fourth pounds, 
 but a 16-gauge charged with similar load should 
 be half a pound heavier ; and a 20-gauge, another 
 half pound. Since the prime merit of a small 
 bore is its lightness of gun and of ammunition, 
 it must be apparent that overcharging such a 
 weapon is poor policy. 
 
 Hitherto we have been speaking only of 
 shot loads, irrespective of powder. Would any- 
 thing be gained by using light loads of shot and 
 heavy charges of powder? 
 
 We hear a good deal, nowadays, about small- 
 bore " express " shotguns — a term borrowed from 
 the riflemen's parlance of thirty years ago. Any- 
 one can see that if the velocity of shot can be 
 raised, say, two hundred feet a second, without 
 spoiling the pattern, then their effective range 
 will be greater, and a gunner need not allow so 
 closely for " lead " of his bird, nor for drop of 
 shot at long range. 
 
 Of course, it is easy to increase the velocity by 
 using more powder, but the trouble is here, that 
 
 128 
 
GAUGES AND WEIGHTS 
 
 with present systems of gun boring and present 
 methods of cartridge making, any considerable 
 increase above standard charge of powder is 
 likely to batter the shot, lead the gun, and ruin 
 the pattern. We cannot have successful high- 
 velocity shotguns until makers of guns and of am- 
 munition consent to spend a good deal of time 
 and money on something new — and this, naturally, 
 they are loath to do. 
 
 Tentative experiments have been made, with en- 
 couraging results. It is claimed that a seven and 
 one-half pound 12-gauge has been built in Eng- 
 land that brings down overhead ducks from an 
 altitude of fifty to sixty yards. Quite recently, 
 Mr. Charles Askins, the gun expert, has secured 
 an American eight pound 16-gauge in which he 
 uses three and one-fourth drams of Schultz and 
 an ounce of shot, " probably the highest-velocity 
 load ever regularly shot from an American shot- 
 gun." The astonishing thing about this gun and 
 charge is that they make an even pattern of 
 eighty per cent. It will be interesting to learn 
 whether this sturdy weapon behaves well at the 
 fiftieth or hundredth round. 
 
 The advantage of high initial velocity is greater 
 with large shot than with small ones, because the 
 latter are less able to maintain speed. Extra 
 
 129 
 
SPORTING FIREARMS 
 
 powder charge, with fine shot, is wasted, just as an 
 athlete's strength would be wasted in trying to 
 throw grains of sand to a distance. Still, it seems 
 feasible to give number 7 shot a somewhat higher 
 remaining speed at duck ranges than 6s have with 
 their present standard charges of powder, and 
 number 9 shot a higher remaining speed at quail 
 ranges than 8s now have. When this is accom- 
 plished, the six and three-fourths pound SO-gauge 
 of the future will be as effective with seven-eighths 
 ounce of shot as our seven and one-half pound 12- 
 gauges of to-day are with one and one-eight ounce, 
 as regards both spread and density of pattern. 
 Of this, more anon. 
 
 We may now take up the four classes of shot- 
 guns, seriatim, namely: upland, wildfowling, trap, 
 and all-round guns. 
 
 1. Upland Guns. — For hunting snipe, plover, 
 woodcock, quail, and the larger grouse, we do not 
 need very powerful arms, but light weight of gun 
 and ammunition are essential. When a man has 
 tramped the fields from morn till noon with a 
 seven and one-half pound gun, he will be in ready 
 mood to swap for something lighter. Five yards 
 greater killing range does not compensate for stiff 
 muscles and the lassitude that comes from over- 
 exertion. A tired man is too slow. 
 
 130 
 
GAUGES AND WEIGHTS 
 
 There is an opposite extreme to be avoided: the 
 feather-weight. A certain weight is required to 
 steady one's swing. Men of average physique 
 will make fewer misses, in an all-day hunt afield, 
 with a gun weighing between six and seven pounds, 
 than they will make with either a heavier or a 
 lighter arm. 
 
 Now, what power is needed for upland shoot- 
 ing? and can we get it in such light guns? and 
 what kind of gun will give us the most power with 
 the least fatigue in handling it? 
 
 Nine-tenths of upland game is killed within 
 thirty-five yards. Any gun that will make the 
 minimum killing pattern at forty yards (say S35 
 number 8 shot within a thirty-inch circle) has 
 ample power for the purpose. This is done by a 
 quarter-choke with one and one-eighth ounce of 
 shot, by a half-choke with one ounce, and by a 
 full choke with seven-eighths ounce, regardless of 
 gauge. So much for long range. 
 
 But we also must have, for upland work, an 
 open pattern at short range. How short a range? 
 Not fifteen yards, because, at that distance, a 
 forty per cent cylinder bore will bunch its full 
 charge within a ten or twelve inch circle, and 
 blow a bird to pieces, or at least make it unfit for 
 table. At twenty yards, then? Yes, at twenty 
 
 131 
 
SPORTING FIREARMS 
 
 yards we want a pattern that will not mangle. 
 This wc can get with a cylinder bore using one 
 and one-eighth ounce of shot, with a quarter-choke 
 using one ounce, or with a half-choke using seven- 
 eighths ounce. 
 
 Hence our conditions are met by a light 12- 
 gauge with right barrel cylinder bored and left 
 barrel quarter-choked; also by a 16-gauge of 
 quarter and half-choke; also by a 20-gauge of 
 half and full-choke. 
 
 We now are on the firing line of what has sar- 
 castically been called " the battle of the bores." 
 Let us compare the guns last named, testing them 
 side by side, for spread and density of pattern, 
 both at average (twenty-five yard) and extreme 
 (forty yard) upland ranges. First with number 
 8 shot. — 
 
 PATTERNS WITH NUMBER 8 SHOT. 
 
 Gauge. 
 12 
 16. 
 20. 
 
 Gauge. 
 12. 
 16. 
 20. 
 
 Charge of 
 
 Killing 
 
 Circle. 
 
 No. 8 shot 
 
 Right. 
 
 Left. 
 
 IVs oz. 
 
 30 
 
 26 
 
 1 oz. 
 
 26 
 
 22 
 
 Vs oz. 
 
 22 
 
 18 
 
 25 yards. 
 
 Pattern. 
 
 Right. 1 Left. 
 
 368 386 
 
 344 368 
 
 322 340 
 
 Charge of 
 
 No. 8 shot. 
 
 IVs oz. 
 
 1 oz. 
 
 % oz. 
 
 Killinsr Circle. 
 
 40 yards. 
 
 Right 
 52 
 42 
 36 
 
 132 
 
 Left. 
 42 
 36 
 30 
 
 Pattern. 
 
 Right. 
 184 
 205 
 215 
 
 Left. 
 230 
 245 
 251 
 
SPORTING FIRE ARMS 
 
 PATTERNS WITH NUMBER 8% SHOT. 
 
 Gauge. 
 16. 
 
 Charge of 
 
 No.S^shot. 
 
 1 oz. 
 
 Killing 
 Right. 
 30 
 
 25 
 
 Circle. 
 
 Left. 
 
 26 
 
 yards. 
 
 Pattern. 
 Right. Left, 
 396 416 
 
 20. 
 
 % oz. 
 
 26 
 
 22 
 
 365 391 
 
 Gauge. 
 16. 
 
 Charge of 
 
 No.Si/^shot. 
 
 1 oz. 
 
 Killing 
 Right. 
 52 
 
 40 
 Circle. 
 Left. 
 42 
 
 yards. 
 
 Pattern. 
 Right. Left. 
 198 248 
 
 20. 
 
 % oz. 
 
 42 
 
 36 
 
 217 260 
 
 Comparing these figures with the preceding 
 table, we find that, w^ith suitable chokes, and nor- 
 mal loads, a 16-gauge using number eight and one- 
 half shot excells a 12-gauge with number eight, 
 up to forty yards ; and that a 20-gauge gives a 
 denser pattern, with killing circle only four inches 
 less at twenty-five yards than the 12-gauge, under 
 same conditions. If number nine shot were used, 
 the guns might be bored more open, and still main- 
 tain killing patterns, but the effective range would 
 be cut down to thirty-five yards. 
 
 For the larger grouse we must use larger shot 
 and the patterns need be no denser than 165 at ex- 
 treme range. Testing the small bores last men- 
 tioned (16-gauge cylinder and quarter-choke, 20- 
 gauge quarter and half-choke) with number seven 
 and one-half shot, we get the following averages, 
 as compared with the 12-gauge. 
 
 133 
 
GAUGES AND WEIGHTS 
 
 66 
 
 Killing circle " refers to the area over which 
 the shot spread uniformly, and " pattern " means 
 the number of pellets within a 30-inch circle. 
 
 Anybody can see, from this, that at medium 
 range the large bore has the advantage, if chokes 
 are as here given ; whereas at long range the 
 smaller bores surpass it. 
 
 If we give the 16-gauge the same chokes as the 
 12, and give the 20-gauge a quarter choke right 
 and half-choked left, then these small bores will 
 do better at twenty-five yards, but will sprinkle 
 too thin at forty yards — provided we stick to 
 number 8 shot. 
 
 These are the reasons for conceding, as nearly 
 everyone does, that small-bores are only for the 
 expert who can center his bird time after time, 
 and that they are poor weapons for ordinary 
 marksmen, because their killing circles are too 
 small. 
 
 Now comes up a point that seldom is con- 
 sidered. Up to forty yards, number eight and one- 
 half shot have killing penetration for all upland 
 game except large grouse. Suppose we try num- 
 ber eight and one-half in a 16-gauge with right- 
 barrel a cylinder and left quarter-choke ; also in a 
 20-gauge, right quarter-choke, left half-choke. — 
 
 134 
 
GAUGES AND WEIGHTS 
 
 PATTERNS WITH NUMBER 1^2 SHOT. 
 
 
 
 
 25 
 
 yards. 
 
 
 
 Charge of 
 
 Killing 
 
 Circle. 
 
 Pattern 
 
 ^ 
 
 Gauge. 
 
 No.7i/^shot. 
 
 Right. 
 
 Left. 
 
 Right. 
 
 Left, 
 
 12. 
 
 lys oz. 
 
 30 
 
 26 
 
 310 
 
 326 
 
 16. 
 
 1 oz. 
 
 30 
 
 26 
 
 276 
 
 290 
 
 20 
 
 % oz. 
 
 26 
 
 22 
 
 40 
 
 264 
 
 yards. 
 
 272 
 
 Gauge. 
 
 No.7 1/2 shot. 
 
 Right. 
 
 Left. 
 
 Right. 
 
 Left. 
 
 12. 
 
 IVs oz. 
 
 52 
 
 42 
 
 155 
 
 194 
 
 16. 
 
 1 oz. 
 
 52 
 
 42 
 
 138 
 
 174 
 
 20. 
 
 % oz. 
 
 42 
 
 36 
 
 151 
 
 181 
 
 If larger shot than number seven and one-half 
 is used in the small bores, then our 16-gauge must 
 be half-choked, and the 20-gauge full-choked, or 
 the pattern will be too thin for any but short dis- 
 tances. Guns so choked are only for the expert 
 marksman, and for open country at that. In 
 ruffed grouse hunting, or brush work generally, j| 
 they would be well-nigh useless. 
 
 I conclude, then, that for upland shooting a 
 16-gauge should be cylinder-bored (forty per 
 cent) in the right barrel, quarter-choked (fifty 
 per cent) in the left; a 20-gauge, quarter-choked 
 in the right, half-choked (sixty per cent) in the 
 left ; and that both should be charged with number 
 seven and one-half shot for ruffed grouse, or num- 
 ber eight and one-half for quail and the smaller 
 birds. So built and so loaded, the small-bores 
 
 135 
 
SPORTING FIREARMS 
 
 have all the spread and density and penetration 
 that are needed for upland shooting. It follows 
 that if they have, in addition, any peculiar merits 
 which are lacking in the larger gauges, then these 
 merits may well be determining factors in choice 
 of weapon. 
 
 The advantages of light weight and handy grip 
 they certainly do possess. Normal dimensions 
 for upland guns of various gauges may be stated 
 as follows. — 
 
 Gauge. 
 
 Weight. 
 
 Bbls. 
 
 Shell. 
 
 Powder. 
 
 Shot. 
 
 12. 
 
 7 lbs. 
 
 30 in. 
 
 2% in. 
 
 3 dr. 
 
 IVs oz. 
 
 *16. 
 
 6% ill. 
 
 30 in. 
 
 2 9-16 in. 
 
 2% dr. 
 
 1 oz. 
 
 16. 
 
 61/2 lbs. 
 
 28 in. 
 
 2 9-16 in. 
 
 2y2 dr. 
 
 1 oz. 
 
 *20. 
 
 eVa lbs. 
 
 28 in. 
 
 2% in. 
 
 2y2 dr 
 
 % oz. 
 
 20. 
 
 61^ lbs. 
 
 28 in. 
 
 2-^2 in. 
 
 21/4 dr. 
 
 Vs oz. 
 
 (The guns starred (*) give a slightly higher velocity to 
 the shot than standard.) 
 
 In comparing weights, we should consider am- 
 munition as well as weapon. Twenty-gauge cart- 
 ridges weigh three pounds less per hundred than 
 those of 12-gauge. 
 
 I do not advise using shorter barrels than 
 twenty-eight inch, in any gauge. A good length 
 of sighting plane is essential for true alignment, 
 and a certain length is needed for steady swing. 
 
 If a pump gun or self-loader is preferred, then, 
 for the uplands, let it be a 12-gauge cylinder, or 
 
 136 
 
GAUGES AND WEIGHTS 
 
 a 16-gauge quarter-choke, or a 20-gauge half- 
 choke. 
 
 2. Wildfowling Guns. — Close patterns at long 
 range are indispensable for ducks, geese, brant, 
 and other waterfowl. Large shot must be used, 
 and plenty of them. The powder charge should 
 be as heavy as practicable, to drive the shot at 
 good speed. The gun should be of large bore, full 
 choke and heavy metal. It is true that small- 
 bore guns of high velocity do good work on wild- 
 fowl under certain conditions, but only when 
 handled by expert marksmen. Average duck 
 hunters are badly handicapped by anything less 
 than a heavy 12-gauge, say one of eight pounds, 
 with thirty-two-inch barrels, using from three and 
 one-half to three and three-fourths drams of 
 powder, and one and one-fourth ounce of shot. 
 Such a gun, charged with number 6 shot for 
 inland ducks, or number 3s for geese, is a good 
 killer up to fifty yards. 
 
 If greater range is desired, then choose a 10- 
 gauge of nearly or quite ten pounds, thirty-two 
 inch barrels, and taking shells long enough for five 
 drams of powder, well wadded, and one and one- 
 half ounce of 4s or 5s for ducks. Is or 2s for 
 geese. Properly held, it will account for nearly 
 everything within sixty yards. 
 
 137 
 
SPORTING FIFE ARMS 
 
 On the coast, where long shots may be the rule, 
 an 8-gauge of thirteen pounds, thirty-four inch 
 barrels, chambered for seven drams of powder 
 and two ounces of 3s or 4s for ducks, Is or BBs 
 for geese, is eminently a proper arm for men who 
 can wield it promptly. Its effective range is 
 about seventy yards. A glance at the first table 
 in this chapter will show the superiority of large 
 charges and big shot, beyond peradventure. Still, 
 it is likely that nearly all inland duck hunters 
 will find a specially designed 12-gauge their most 
 satisfactory arm, in the long run. 
 
 3. Trap Guns. — The standard trap gun of to- 
 day, the world over, is a full-choked 1^-gauge. 
 Usually it is of seven and three-fourths to eight 
 pounds weight, with thirty-two inch barrels, using 
 three and one-fourth drams of powder, and one 
 and one-fourth ounce of number seven and one- 
 half shot. Both closeness and uniformity of pat- 
 tern are Indispensable. 
 
 4. All-round Guns. — The man who can own but 
 one gun for all purposes, and whose shooting In- 
 cludes both upland game and waterfowl, should 
 certainly buy a double-barrel for the sake of hav- 
 ing two chokes, for short and long range respec- 
 tively or else have two barrels for his auto. Since 
 his weapon must be a compromise, he cannot lean 
 
 138 
 
GAUGES AND WEIGHTS 
 
 toward any extreme, nor can he fairly expect to be 
 a top-notcher in either form of sport. It is es- 
 sential that his gun should throw large and small 
 shot equally well. On this account more, perhaps, 
 than on any other, a 12-gauge is pre-eminently 
 the arm for him. Let it be quarter-choked (fifty 
 per cent) in the right barrel, and full-choked 
 (seventy per cent) in the left, chambered for two 
 and five-eighths inch shells, so that either three, or 
 three and one-eighth, or even three and one-fourth 
 drams of powder may be used with one and one- 
 eighth ounce of shot. Such a gun should weigh 
 about seven and one-half pounds, and should have 
 thirty-inch barrels. 
 
 If, however, the gunner's requirements never 
 call for larger shot than number six; then a seven 
 pound 16-gauge might answer every purpose. 
 
 139 
 
CHAPTER IX 
 
 MECHANISM AND BUILD OF SHOTGUNS 
 
 REPEATING shotguns are cheap, service- 
 able, deadly, and therefore popular, in 
 spite of their inherent ugliness. They are 
 less objectionable at the traps than anywhere 
 else. In duck shooting over decoys, where power- 
 ful charges are not needed, the 12-gauge pump 
 gun gives a good account of itself. The only 10- 
 gauge repeater on our market scarcely deserves 
 mention, as it is too light to handle any duck loads 
 that are strong enough to bring out the super- 
 iority of a ten over smaller bores. In upland 
 shooting, a repeater is clumsier to carry than a 
 neat double-barrel of equal power and has the 
 marked disadvantage of only one choke for all 
 ranges. 
 
 Self-loading shotguns — generally called " auto- 
 matics " — are still in the awkward period of de- 
 velopment. This much can be said for them: 
 that they are positive self-ejectors, with single 
 trigger, at a moderate price. From a mechanical 
 
 140 
 
MECHANISM AND BUILD 
 
 standpoint their chief defect is a lurking uncer- 
 tainty of functioning. At the time of this writ- 
 ing, such arms are only made in 12-gauge, with 
 forearm so excessively deep as to throw the hand- 
 hold too low for good instinctive pointing. It 
 would be better to cut down the gun to 16 or 20- 
 gauge, with lines proportionally refined, and stock 
 it so that both of the shooter's hands will come up 
 naturally in line when he aims. 
 
 There are other reasons for restricting the self- 
 loader to small and graceful proportions. No- 
 body of good taste can tolerate a gun that looks 
 like a crooked club and handles like one. More- 
 over, there is an ethical objection to rapid-fire 
 arms that would be silenced if smaller gauges of 
 narrow killing pattern were adopted. It is 
 claimed that they are unsportsmanlike: that they 
 tempt one to ruthless and indiscriminate slaughter. 
 Automatic sjiotguns are outlawed in Pennsylvania 
 and throughout Canada, on the same principle 
 that forbids the use of swivel guns on waterfowl 
 and dynamite on fish. 
 
 We may note certain inconsistencies in such 
 legislation. If the self-loader is an unsportsman- 
 like weapon, then so is the pump gun ; for there is 
 little, if any, difference in their destructiveness, 
 when used by skilled and unscrupulous hands. 
 
 141 
 
SPORTING FIREARMS 
 
 It is not the gun, but the gunner, who is to 
 blame. Our passenger pigeons were not exter- 
 minated with breech-loaders, nor our buffalo with 
 self-loading rifles. And, to-day, far more game 
 is slaughtered, in season and out of season, with 
 single-loading " nigger guns " than with all the 
 automatics in America. It is stated that about 
 500,000 new shotguns are sold every year in the 
 United States, of which not less than 350,000 sell 
 for $5, or less. Who uses those cheap guns? 
 As a rule, they are in the hands of pot-hunters 
 who sneak about, at all times of the year, mur- 
 dering every edible animal that they can find, on 
 the ground or any way they can get them. This 
 irresponsible class of men and boys are too shift- 
 less to keep a complicated gun in working order, 
 even if they could muster the price. The only 
 measures that can be counted upon to protect the 
 wild life of this country are uniform game laws, 
 decently paid wardens, national breeding grounds, 
 and prohibition of the sale or import of dead 
 game. 
 
 Regarding small bore automatic shotguns, I 
 agree heartily with the views expressed by Mr. 
 Askins, in a recent magazine : " It is not to be 
 doubted that many conscientious hunters are pre- 
 vented from using a magazine shotgun by the feel- 
 
 142 
 
MECHANISM AND BUILD 
 
 ing that it is an unsportsmanlike arm; that it 
 gives the marksman an undue advantage, is un- 
 necessarily deadly. Such men would take most 
 kindly to a 20-gauge with its closer choke, nar- 
 rowed killing circle, and lessened charge of shot. 
 In the opinion of these marksmen the reduced 
 chances of killing with a single load would be ex- 
 actly balanced by the reserve of fire." I may add 
 that, on the score of sportsmanship, there is the 
 same refined pleasure in getting results with light 
 guns that we feel in landing big fish with delicate 
 tackle. But nobody wants a 20-gauge repeater 
 unless it is built throughout on 20-gauge lines. 
 
 Up to the present time, everyone who insists 
 upon graceful contours, " live " balance, due pro- 
 portions of gun to charge, fine materials through- 
 out, and skilful hand finish, has no choice but a 
 double gun. In double-barrel shotguns we can 
 get — what we cannot get in rifles — anything we 
 want, turned out by either of half-a-dozen Amer- 
 ican factories. 
 
 The best barrels, irrespective of price, are those 
 made of fluid-compressed steel, either Krupp or 
 Whitworth. Next in quality come the various 
 " nitro " steels of high grade, for which each gun- 
 maker seems to have his own pet name. They are 
 homogeneous metals, of high tensile strength, that 
 are drilled from short rods, then rolled and drawn, 
 
 143 
 
SPORTING FIREARMS 
 
 while liot, to the required length and rough-bore. 
 Barrels of this sort are not only stronger than 
 Damascus: the}^ are of closer texture, they take 
 a finer polish, and hence do not pit or lead so 
 easily with smokeless powder. Besides, they are 
 easier to make, and therefore cheaper. In the 
 old days, Damascus was preferred because it was 
 a certain guarantee of quality, as compared with 
 the inferior plain steel of the period. Damascus 
 is made from alternate layers of iron and steel, 
 twisted together into a spiral, heated and ham- 
 mered flat, welded around a mandrel, forged into 
 shape, bored to gauge, and then browned by a 
 rusting process so as to bring out the figure or 
 " curl " of the metals. Such a barrel is so tough 
 that it would bulge, rather than burst; but it is 
 soft enough to be dented easily, and its iron por- 
 tion is eaten into by the acid gases of smokeless 
 powder. 
 
 Aside from the quality of metal and wood, a 
 well-made gun is distinguished from a cheap one 
 chiefly by the following points. — 
 
 1. The frame is comparatively light. Gun 
 frames are milled from the solid block. If this 
 job is skimped, a lot of superfluous metal is left 
 at the breech, making the gun needlessly heavy 
 and ill-balanced. 
 
 ^, The working parts are of tough and homo- 
 
 144 
 
MECHANISM AND BUILD 
 
 geneous steel, hard enough to stand long wear. 
 They are finished by master craftsmen and have 
 an unmistakably thoroughbred look, if we may 
 apply such a term to inanimate material. In a 
 cheap gun we find such abomination as " malleable 
 casting." It is soft or brittle stuff, and every 
 part grates on its bearings. Inside of a gun 
 beauty is proof of utility, every time. 
 
 3. All joints are perfect. In the finest speci- 
 mens of guns the doll's-head and other joints fit 
 with such exquisite nicety that the lines of junc- 
 tion cannot be seen with the naked eye. A hu- 
 man hair, or the thinnest tissue paper, would pre- 
 vent the barrels from closing on the breech. 
 Similarly the fitting of wood to metal is so close 
 that no moisture can seep in between them. 
 
 4. The trigger-release is smooth, quick, and in- 
 variable. This is a matter of the utmost impor- 
 ance, for marksmanship with any kind of fire- 
 arm depends more upon absolute control of the 
 trigger than upon anything else. I would put 
 up with almost any other botch in a gun rather 
 than tolerate a " mean " trigger. The various 
 grades of meanness can only be detected by firing, 
 or snapping, repeatedly from the shoulder. 
 
 In the matter of trigger-pull, one can only ex- 
 press his own preferences, for what suits one man 
 
 145 
 
SPORTING FIREARMS 
 
 may disconcert another. If, after firing several 
 rounds, you find yourself thinking of the trigger 
 at all, then that lock needs doctoring to fit your 
 personal equation. A pull of not under three and 
 one-half pounds for the rear trigger is necessary, 
 in any case, to preclude jarring-olf of the second 
 barrel. The front trigger should actually pull 
 lighter than the rear one, because it has not so 
 good leverage. Then both triggers will seem to 
 pull alike. 
 
 Choice of single or double-trigger mechanism de-' 
 pends a good deal upon one's shooting habits. 
 ** It is hard to teach an old dog new tricks ;" and 
 yet the new trick may be a good one. Men who 
 are not set in their ways will find a first-class single 
 trigger an advantage, because one pulls it always 
 from the same point, at the same angle, with the 
 same pressure, and without relaxing his grip. A 
 single trigger has this further merit : that in shoot- 
 ing heavy loads continuously, as at the traps, one's 
 finger is not bruised by a front trigger recoiling 
 against it, or by the guard. Everybody who has 
 suffered in this way knows that it causes flinching. 
 The difference in speed of fire, between single and 
 double triggers, amounts to nothing, when stiff 
 charges are used; for the kick-up and return of 
 muzzle must be waited for, in any case. A left- 
 
 146 
 
MECHANISM AND BUILD 
 
 handed shooter will find the single trigger easier 
 to manipulate than double ones. 
 
 Hammerless guns are the safest, for the obvious 
 reason that they cannot be discharged by catching 
 in brush, clothing, fence wires, etc. ; also because a 
 hammer may slip when one's thumb is numb with 
 cold. If you have any lingering mistrust of the 
 hammerless, then get one with an automatic safety. 
 This is an especially admirable contrivance to have 
 on " the other fellow's " gun. 
 
 Some shotguns are locked shut by a bolt which 
 engages lugs under the barrel. Such a mechanism 
 is bound to wear shaky in time. There are guns 
 of this kind so well made that they remain tight 
 for a long period, but the principle is faulty in 
 itself. The locking point should be as far as prac" 
 ticable from the hinge ; as anyone can realize if he 
 stops to think about it. The proper place is 
 where the rearward extension of the rib enters 
 the frame. The best fastening is a rotary bolt, 
 which is beveled or tapered. This bolt goes 
 from one side of the frame, through the extension 
 rib, into the opposite side, and also locks over 
 the extension. It is actuated by a heavy spring. 
 Its taper automatically takes up all wear. There 
 can be no more play than with a wedge driven 
 home. The gun will always close tight, no mat- 
 ter how much it has been used. 
 
 147 
 
SPOETIXG FIREARMS 
 
 A Scli-ciecior is such ^ po^iriTe adrant^s^ on 
 anT gun th&t it should be ajylird, as a matter of 
 eooise, to all bat the "«"erT diei^er: grades. 
 TTiere is no good r^ - ~ - - -- ~- ?nld add moi>c 
 than ten dollars to - - ^^^amrr don- 
 
 Ue-4>aiTd. 
 
 As for ^igraTiiig on. a gmi, I .^^ ex- 
 
 pr\ess€d the opinkMi that it !> 
 |Jace. If Toa mast have it. 
 
 get a pattern designed bx s ?^s 
 
 art from filigree. A profosion oi mear 
 scrolls, or other rococo, dm^^is a veap.i : i 
 proTides jost so many extra nests f: : lo 
 
 breed in. Anvwar, if joa car ~ — 
 
 ing. Toa can afford sometiung . 
 more original than the eT\eilas: . ^ 
 
 or the stag at bay. Yoar o^ _ 
 
 the best dedgn of alL 
 
 What has been said of wood for rifle stocks 
 applies eqaaDj to sho^ons. The rig^t fit and 
 ^'hang'* of a ^lotgon are anotlfr ziATter, be- 
 caase the arm ^ handled diffierer 
 A gunner's eye. and his vhi^ 
 be on the mark akxie. He sh; _ . _- 
 
 scioas of se^ng ather the frc- ; 
 The gon-pointing is 3oi*e ^ . ^_ -. 
 
 as qoicklT as he vnold r:iz: . _|.rr. Herce 
 
 14S 
 
MECH^XISM AXD BUILD 
 
 A, ,v.. » 
 
 If s ^-znst^vi 5s tew crcjoked for voiur o^m 
 j:.: ■=-__ 5_~rot Iot: if too strtjdg-M* you 
 'f^— OT^cJTsLc*!?!, Moreover, if vixir clx^k d«>c?> not 
 :i>i li^ht s^Tiiiist tbe eomb of stoei. ^rou 
 •n_^ adin f- , Chr ;s«rj"cvss tie *r'iii"> r3]k iritliout 
 kzr^riiig: II, ijiri so slx!»oi to rigtit or kit, jls the 
 c-vse ~ay be. If tic beci of the stoci dcvs not 
 r^sT A^iinst ~ ~ - - -t of the s'^ ~ " r. evexT 
 
 - - \:' , ~- *'- .: A grip 
 
 :_ .: „ .: _- : 2: :.., .^-: .._.„;:-, ..:ts tlie firm 
 ^-xsp iiL.^t is nf-r-rSSATT to t^e up reooil, and >o 
 -■rili T>roTni3ke r . ~^. A fore Arm that misnt^ 
 Ik a iBSLE in sraiding the gun. If tlie stoci 
 is too siiort, it wiE bii5et your face, and s: : 
 " ~ : in front: if too long, it will catch under 
 TOUT ami?:T, intexfer^ "witii toux txiggex-xt . . : , 
 . ' Ae yoa siioot hign and bt 
 
 i: IS castomaxy. in oxdexing gujiii, to specify 
 c~.~ t"". " ""- ;r stoc^. - - - - - - - -; 
 
 
 :ut ge:: , T>erfect fit. 
 
 149 
 
SPORTING FIREARMS 
 
 extra for it, he should give more detailed meas- 
 urements, as shown in the following cut. — 
 
 W 
 
 GUNSTOCK MEAoUKEMi^iMo. 
 
 First, lay a gun that fits you (or nearly fits 
 you) on a table; then take a straight-edge as 
 long as the gun and lay it along the top of the 
 rib and out over the butt, snug against muzzle 
 and breech. Now measure, as shown below, to 
 whatever dimensions you deem best. By way of 
 illustration I append actual measurements for a 
 man of medium and symmetrical build. — 
 
 A-G. Length, from heel to trigger 14 5-16 inches 
 
 D-G. Length from hollow to trigger 14^/4 
 
 E.G. Length from toe to trigger 14% 
 
 B-B. Drop at comb 1% 
 
 A-A. Drop at heel 2% 
 
 A-E. Depth from toe to heel 5% 
 
 B.F. Length of grip 7 
 
 G. Circumference of grip 4^ 
 
 G-E. Trigger to cap of pistol grip 4^ 
 
 Cast-off (explained below) ^ 
 
 In testing for length, it is important to hold 
 the left hand in its most comfortable and master- 
 
 150 
 
MECHANISM AND BUILD 
 
 ful position, well forward of the trigger guard, 
 so as to give good command of the gun in any 
 attitude, and yet not far enough to put any 
 strain on the left arm. The closer one holds to 
 the trigger guard with his left hand, the longer 
 the stock should be, and vice versa. It is the 
 left arm that really governs the proper length 
 of stock, rather than the right. 
 
 A short-armed man requires about a fourteen- 
 inch stock; a long-armed one, fourteen and one- 
 half to fourteen and three-fourths. Bend of 
 stock depends upon length of one's neck, and 
 also upon whether he crooks his neck a good 
 deal, in aiming, or points his gun when his head 
 is more erect. In general, it is best to select a 
 rather straight stock, for the express purpose 
 of throwing the shots a little high. Most birds 
 are shot on the rise, and all shot drops in its 
 flight. 
 
 A full-chested man requires more hollow in the 
 butt-plate than a flat-chested one. 
 
 The comb of a gun affects aim both vertically 
 and horizontally. If its drop is just right for 
 the individual user it will direct his shot at the 
 right elevation — the comb is, in effect, a shot- 
 gun's rear sight. If its thickness just suits the 
 shooter's face, then his eye will naturally follow 
 
 151 
 
SPORTING FIREARMS 
 
 the center of the gun's rib. In trying guns for 
 drop, hold your head well up, just as you would 
 in the field — don't sight down along the rib. 
 Drop at heel, as a rule, is proportional to drop at 
 comb. The usual ratios are: one and one-fourth 
 inch at comb to two inches at heel (short neck) ; 
 one and three-eighths, two and one-fourth; one 
 and one-half, two and one-half (medium neck) ; 
 one and five-eighths, two and five-eighths ; one and 
 three-fourths, two and three-fourths (long neck) ; 
 one and seven-eighths, three inches. 
 
 If a pistol grip is wanted, let it be of shorter 
 radius (four to four and one-fourth inches) and 
 fuller curve than the present fashion. I can see 
 no advantage in a pistol grip unless the gun has 
 only a single trigger. 
 
 Circumference of grip is governed by the size 
 of one's hand. A grip that is too slender cramps 
 the hand, or slips through it when recoiling, and 
 is easily broken in the field. 
 
 Cast-off means a sidewise bend of the stock to 
 bring the rib into accurate alignment with the 
 eye. A hollowed-out comb has the same effect 
 as a cast-off to the right. Either of them helps 
 in difficult swinging shots. The amount of cast- 
 off, or shape of comb, is wholly dependent on 
 one's personal build. For average men, a cast- 
 
 152 
 
MECHANISM AND BUILD 
 
 off of one-eighth to three-sixteenth inch is suffi- 
 cient. If you are broad-chested, more may be 
 needed. 
 
 A gun balances right when its weight is con- 
 centrated near its center of gravity, and when 
 this center is so placed that the right and left 
 hands support equal weight. Such " hang " 
 makes a gun buoyant, makes it feel lighter than 
 it really is, and helps immensely to level the two 
 hands when pointing for a quick shot. An ill- 
 balanced gun is inert, sluggish in the gunner's 
 grasp. A well-balanced one is " alive," respon- 
 sive. Both weapons may be of the same weight; 
 but one will drag and tire a man, while the other 
 will seem a part of his very self. We all know 
 what it means to say that " the horse and his 
 rider are one " ; in the same way should a gun and 
 gunner be one. 
 
 THE END 
 
 153 
 
HANDBOOKS 
 
 ^ Each book deals with a separate subject 
 and deals with it thoroughly. If you want to 
 know anything about Airedales an Q U 1 ^1 N G 
 HANDBOOK gives you all you want. If 
 it's Apple Growing, another @ U T * I N Q 
 HANDBOOK meets your need. The Fisherman, 
 the Camper, the Poultry-raiser, the Automobilist, 
 the Horseman, all varieties of outdoor enthusi- 
 asts, will find separate volumes for their separate 
 interests. There is no waste space. 
 
 ^ The series is based on the plan of one sub- 
 ject to a book and each book complete. The 
 authors are experts. Each book has been specially 
 prepared for this series and all are published in 
 uniform style, flexible cloth binding, selling at 
 the fixed price of seventy cents per copy. 
 ^ Two hundred titles are projected. The series 
 covers all phases of outdoor life, from bee-keeping 
 to big game shooting. Among the books now 
 ready are those described on the following pages. 
 
 OUTING PUBLISHING COMPANY 
 
 OUTING MAGAZINE youchtino, 0-U-T-I-N-S HANDBOOKS 
 
 I4M4S WEST IbTH ST NEW YORK l22 S. MICHIGAN AVE. CHICAGO 
 
Outing Handbooks 
 
 THE AIREDALE. By Williams Haynes. The book opens with 
 a short chapter on the origin and development of the Airedale, as a dis- 
 tinctive breed. The author then takes up the problems of type as bear- 
 ing on the selection of the dog, breeding, training and use. The book is 
 designed for the non-professional dog fancier, who wishes common sense 
 advice which does not involve elaborate preparation or expenditure. 
 Chapters are included on the care of the dog in the kennel and simple 
 remedies for ordinary diseases. 
 
 *' A splendid bonk on the breed and should be in the hands 
 of e'very oxuner of an Airedale nxjhether novice or 
 breeder. ^^ — The Kennel Re-vieiv. 
 
 ' 'It ought to be read and studied by e'very Airedale onvner 
 and admirer.'^ — Hoijuard Keeler,AiredaltFarm Kennels. 
 
 APPLE GROWING. By M. C. Burritt. Mr. Burritt takes up 
 the question of the profit in apple growing, the various kinds best suited 
 to different parts of the country and different conditions of soil, 
 topography, and so on. He discusses also the most approved methods 
 of planning a new orchard and takes up in detail the problems connected 
 with the cultivation, fertilization, and pruning. The book contains chap- 
 ters on the restoration of old orchards, the care of the trees, their pro- 
 tection against various insect-enemies and blight, and the most approved 
 method of harvesting, handling and storing the fruit. 
 
 THE AUTOMOBILE— Itt Selection, Care and Use. By Robert 
 SIoss. This is a plain, practical discussion of the things that every man 
 needs to knbw if he is to buy the right car and get the most out of it. 
 The various details of operation and care are given in simple, intelligent 
 terms. fVom it the car owner can easily learn the mechanism of his 
 motor and the art of locating motor trouble, as well as how to use his car 
 for the greatest pleasure. A chapter is included on building garages. 
 "// is the one book dealing nvith autos, that gii'es reliable 
 information." — The Grand Rapids (3/ich.) Herald. 
 
 BACKWOODS SURGERY AND MEDICINE. By Charles 
 S. Moody, M.D. A handy book for the prudent lover of the woods who 
 doesn't expect to be ill but believes in being on the safe side. Common- 
 sense methods for the treatment of the ordinary wounds and accidents 
 are described — setting a broken limb, reducing a dislocation, caring for 
 burns, cuts, etc. Practical remedies for camp diseases are recommended, 
 as well as the ordinary indications of the most probable ailments. In 
 eludes a list of the necessary medical and surgical supplies. 
 
 The manager of a mine in Nome, Alaska, ivrites as fol- 
 loivs: "/ have been on the trail for years {tiveli'e in the 
 Klondike and Alaska) and have alnvays 'wanted just such 
 a book as Dr. Moody' s 'Backivoods Surgery and Medicine .'^ 
 
Outing Handbooks 
 
 CAMP COOKERY. By Horace Kephart. "The less a man 
 carries in his pack, the more he must carry in his head," says Mr. Kep- 
 hart. This book tells "what a man should carry in both pack and head. 
 Every step is traced — the selection of provisions and utensils, with the 
 kind and quantity of each, the preparation of game, the building of fires 
 the cooking of every conceivable kind of food that the camp outfit or 
 woods, fields, or streams may provide — even to the making of desserts. 
 Every receipt is the result of hard practice and long experience. Every 
 recipe has been carefully tested. It is the book for the man who 
 wants to dine well and wholesomely, but in true wilderness fashion with- 
 out reliance on grocery stores or elaborate camp outfits. It is, adapted 
 equally well to the trips of every length and to all conditions of climate, 
 season or country; the best possible companion for one who wants to 
 travel light and live well. The chapter headings tell their own story. 
 Provisions — Utensils — Fires — Dressing and Keeping Game and Fish — 
 Meat — Game — Fish and Shell Fish — Cured Meats, etc. — Eggs — Bread- 
 stuffs and Cereals — Vegetables — Soups — Beverages and Desserts. 
 
 "Scores of neiv hints may he obtained by the housekeeper 
 
 as ivell as the camper from Camp Cookery.''^ — Portland 
 
 Oregonian. 
 
 *'/ am inclined to think that the adzfice contained in Mr. 
 
 Kephart' s book is to be relied on. I had to stop reading 
 
 his receipts for cooking ivild fo'wl — they made me hungry.' ' 
 
 — Nenxj y'ork Herald. 
 
 "The most useful and ^valuable book to the camper yet 
 
 published.'' — Grand 'R^apids Herald. 
 
 "Camp Cookery is destined to be in the kit of every tent 
 
 daveller in the country." — Ednjuin Markham in the San 
 
 Francisco Examiner. 
 
 CAMPS AND CABINS. By Oliver Kemp. A working guide 
 for the man who wants to know how to make a temporary shelter in the 
 woods against the storm or cold. This describes the making of lean-tos, 
 brush shelters, snow shelters, the utilization of the canoe, and so forth. 
 Practically the only tools required are a stout knife or a pocket axe, and 
 Mr. Kemp shows how one may make shift even without these imple- 
 ments. More elaborate camps and log cabins, also, are described and 
 detailed plans reproduced. Illustrated with drawings by the author. 
 
 EXERCISE AND HEALTH. By Dr. Woods Hutchinson. Dr. 
 
 Hutchinson takes the common-sense view that the greatest problem in 
 exercise for most of us is to get enough of the right kind. The greatest 
 error in exercise is not to take enough, and the greatest danger in ath- 
 letics is in giving them up. The Chapter heads are illuminating. Errors 
 in Exercise — Exercise and the Heart — Muscle Maketli Man — The Danger 
 of Stoppinj Athletics — Exercise that Rests. It is written in a direct 
 
Outing Handbokks 
 
 matter-of-fact manner with an avoidance of medical terms, and a strong 
 emphasis on the rational, all-round manner of living that is best calcu- 
 lated to bring a man to a ripe old age with little illness or consciousness 
 of body weakness. 
 
 ' '// contains good physiology as 'well as good common sense, 
 •written by an acute observer and a logical reasoner, 
 ivho has the courage of his con-victions and is a master of 
 English style.''— D. A. Sargent, M. T>., Sargent School 
 for Physical Education. 
 
 "One of the most readable books ever ^written on physi- 
 cal exercise.'' — Luther H . Gulick, I\[ . D., Department 
 of Child Hygiene, Russell Sage Foundation. 
 "A little book for the busy manivritten in brilliant style. ^' 
 — Kansas City Star. 
 
 THE FINE ART OF FISHING. By Samuel G. Camp. Com- 
 
 bines the pleasure of catching fish with the gratification of following the 
 sport in the most approved manner. The suggestions offered are help- 
 ful to beginner and expert anglers. The range of fish and fishing condi- 
 tions covered is wide and includes such subjects as "Casting Fine and Far 
 Off," "Strip-Casting for Bass," "Fishing For Mountain Trout" and "Autumn 
 Fishing for Lake Trout." The book is pervaded with a spirit of love for 
 the streamside and the out-doors generally which the genuine angler 
 will appreciate. A companion book to "Fishing Kits and Equipment." 
 The advice on outfitting so capably given in that book is supplemented 
 in this later work by equally valuable information on how to use the 
 equipment. 
 
 " fVill encourage the begijnier and give pleasure to the 
 
 expert fisherman." — N. Y. Sun. 
 
 "A 'vein of catching enthusiasm rnns through every 
 
 chapter." —Scientific American. 
 
 FISHING KITS AND EQUIPMENT. By Samuel G. Camp. 
 
 A complete guide to the angler buying a new outfit. Every detail of fish- 
 ing kit of the freshwater angler is described, from rodtip to creel and 
 clothing. Special emphasis is laid on outfitting for fly fishing, but full in- 
 struction is also given to the man who wants to catch pickerel, pike, 
 muskellunge. lake-trout, bass and other fresh-water game fishes. Prices 
 are quoted for all articles recommended and the approved method of 
 selecting and testing the various rods, lines, leaders, etc., is described. 
 
 "A complete guide to the angler buying a neiv outfit." — 
 
 Peoria Herald. 
 
 "The man advised by Mr. Campavill catch his fish." — 
 
 Seattle P. I. 
 
 "E'ven the seasoned angler nvill read this hook ivith 
 
 profit." — Chicago Tribune. 
 
Outing Handbooks 
 
 THE HORSE — Its Breeeding, Care and Use. By David 
 Buffum. Mr. Buffum takes up the common, every-day problems of the 
 ordinary horse-user, such as feeding, shoeing, simple home remedies, 
 breaking and the cure for various equine vices. An important chapter 
 is that tracing the influx of Arabian blood into the English and Ameri- 
 can horses and its value and limitations. Chapters are included on 
 draft-horses, carriage horses, and the development of the two-minute trot- 
 ter. It is distinctly a sensible book for the sensible man who wishes to 
 know how he can improve his horses and his horsemanship at the same 
 time. 
 
 "/ am recommending it to our students as a useful refer- 
 ence book for both the practical farmer and the student." 
 — T. R. Arkell, Animal Husbandman, N . H. Agricultural 
 Experiment Station. 
 
 '^Has a great deal of merit from a practical standpoint 
 and is ^valuable for rejerencen.uork .^'' — I'rof. E.L. J or don, 
 Professor of Animal Industry , Louisiana State Uni'versity. 
 
 MAKING AND KEEPING SOIL. By David Buffum. This 
 deals with the various kinds of soil and their adaptibility to different 
 crops, common sense tests as to the use of soils, and also the common 
 sense methods of cultivation and fertilization in order to restore worn- 
 out soil and keep it at its highest productivity under constant use. 
 
 THE MOTOR BOAT— Its Selection, Care and Use. By H. W. 
 Slauson. The intending purchaser of a motor boat is advised as to the 
 type of boat best suited to his particular needs, the power required for 
 the desired speeds, and the equipment necessary for the varying uses. 
 The care of the engine receives special attention and chapters are in- 
 cluded on the use of the boat in camping and cruising expeditions, its 
 care through the winter, and its efficiency in the summer. 
 
 NAVIGATION FOR THE AMATEUR. By Capt. E. T. Mor- 
 ton. A short treatise on the simpler methods of finding position at sea 
 by the observation of the sun's altitude and the use of the sextant and 
 chronometer. It is arranged especially for yachtsmen and amateurs who 
 wish to know the simpler formulae for the necessary navigation involved 
 in taking a boat anvwherc off shore. Illustrated with drawings. 
 
Outing Handbooks 
 
 OUTDOOR SIGNALLING. By Elbert Wells. Mr. Wells has 
 perfected a method of signalling by means of wig-wag, light, smoke, or 
 whistle which is as simple as it is eifective. The fundamental principle 
 can be learnt in ten minutes and its application is far easier than that of 
 any other code now in use. It permits also the use of cipher and can 
 be adapted to almost any imaginable conditions of weather, light, or 
 topography. 
 
 "/ find it to be the simplest and most practical book on 
 signalling published.'"' — Frank H. Schrenk, Director of 
 Camp 'Belgrade. 
 
 ^'One of the finest things of the kind I have ei'er seen. I 
 belie've my sei'en year old boy can learn to use this system, 
 and I knonxj that ive ivill fitid it ijery useful here in our 
 "Boy Scout <zvork.'' — Lyman G. Haskell, Physical Direc- 
 tor, r. M. C. A., Jacksonville, Fla. 
 
 PRACTICAL POULTRY KEEPING. ByR.B.Sando. The chap- 
 ters outlined in this book are poultry keeping and keepers, housing and 
 yarding, fixtures and equipment, choosing and buying stock, foods and feed- 
 ing, hatching and raising chicks. Inbreeding, caponizing, etc.. What to do 
 at different seasons. The merits of "secrets and systems", The truth about 
 common poultry fallacies and get-rich-quick schemes. Poultry parasites and 
 diseases. A complete list of the breeds and subjects is attached. It is 
 in effect a comprehensive manual for the instruction of the man who de- 
 sires to begin poultry raising on a large or small scale and to avoid the 
 ordinary mistakes to which the beginner is prone. All the statements 
 are based on the authors own experience and special care has been taken 
 to avoid sensationalism or exaggeration. 
 
 PROFITABLE BREEDS OF POULTRY. By Arthur S. 
 
 Wheeler. Mr. Wheeler has chapters on some of the best known gen- 
 eral purpose birds such as Rhode Island Reds, Plymouth Rocks, Wyan- 
 dottes. Mediterraneans, Orpingtons, and Cornish, describing the pecu- 
 Harities and possibilities of each. There are additional chapters on the 
 method of handling a poultry farm on a small scale with some instruc- 
 tions as to housing the birds, and so forth, and also a chapter on the 
 market side of poultry growing. 
 
 RIFLES AND RIFLE SHOOTING. By Charles Askins. Part 
 
 I describes the various makes and mechanisms taking up such points as 
 range and adaptibility of the various calibers, the relative merits of lever, 
 bolt and pump action, the claims of the automatic, and so forth. Part 
 
 II deals with rifle shooting, giving full instruction for target practice, 
 snap shooting, and wing shooting. 
 
Outing Handbooks 
 
 SCOTTISH AND IRISH TERRIERS. By Williams Haynes, 
 
 This is a companion book to The Airedale and deals with the origin of 
 the breeds, the standard types, appproved methods of breeding, kennel- 
 ing, training, care and so forth, with chapters on showing and also on 
 the ordinary diseases and simple remedies. 
 
 SPORTING FIREARMS. By Horace Kephart. This book is 
 devided into two parts, Part I dealing with the Rifle and Part II with the 
 Shotgun. Mr. Kephart goes at some length into the questions of range- 
 trajectory and kilhng power of the different types of rifles and charges 
 and also has chapters on rifle mechanisms, sights, barrels, and so forth. 
 In the part dealing with shotguns he takes up the question of range, the 
 effectiveness of various loads, suitability of the diff"erent types of boring, 
 the testing of the shotguns by pattern, and so forth. 
 
 TRACKS AND TRACKING. By Josef Brunner. After twenty 
 years of patient study and practical experience, Mr. Brunner can, from 
 his intimate knowledge, speak with authority on this subject. "Tracks 
 and Tracking" shows how to follow intelligently even the most intricate 
 animal or bird tracks. It teaches how to interpret tracks of wild game 
 and decipher the many tell-tale signs of the chase that would otherwise 
 pass unnoticed. It proves how it is possible to tell from the footprints 
 the name, sex, speed, direction, whether and how wounded, and many 
 other things about wild animals and birds. All material has been ^ath' 
 ered first hand; the drawings and half-tones from photographs form an 
 important part of the work, as the author has made faithful pictures of 
 the tracks and signs of the game followed. The list is: The White-Tailed 
 ^11- lu"^?'''~l;!f Fan-Tailed Deer-The Mule-Deer-The Wapiti or 
 Llk-The Moose-The Mountain Sheep-The Antelope-The Bear- 
 The Cougar-TheLynx^The Domestic Cat -The Wolf-The Coyote- 
 The Fox-The Jack Rabbit-The Varying Hare-The Cottontail Rabbit- 
 The Squ;rrel--The Marten and the Black-Footed Ferret-The Otter-^ 
 The Mink-The Ermine~-The Beaver-The Badger-The Porcupine- 
 The Skunk-Feathered Game-Upland Birds-Waterfowl-Predatory 
 hinte7 '' invaluable to the novice as well as the experienced 
 
 ''This book studied carefully, ivill enable the reader to 
 become as <well 'versed in tracking lore as he could by 
 years of actual experienced —Le^wiston Journal, 
 
Outing Handbooks 
 
 WING AND TRAP-SHOOTING. By Charles Askms. The 
 
 only practical manual in existance dealing with the modern gun. It 
 conL^is a full discussion of the various methods such as snap-shooting 
 sW and half-swing, discusses the flight of birds with reference to he 
 gunni's problem of lead and range and makes special application of the 
 Various points to the different birds commonly shot m this country. A 
 chapter is included on trap shooting and the book closes with a forceful 
 and common-sense presentation of the etiquette ot the held. 
 
 "It is difficult to understand hoiv anyone nvho takes a de- 
 light in hunting can afford to he without this ^'aluahle 
 hookr— Chamber of Commerce Bulletin, Portland, Ore. 
 
 ''This book cwillproz'e an in'valuable manual to the true 
 
 sportsman, whether he be a tyro or experts-Book Neivs 
 
 Monthly. 
 
 ''Its closing chapter on field etiquette deser'ves careful 
 
 reading.''— N. Y. Times. 
 
 THE YACHTSMAN'S HANDBOOK. By Commander C. S. 
 Stanworth U. S. N. and Others. Deals with the practical handling 
 of sail boats, with some light on the operation of the gasoline motor. It 
 includes such subjects as handling ground tackle, handhng lines and 
 taking soundings, and use of the lead line; handling sails, engine troubles 
 that may be avoided, care of the gasolene motor and yachting etiquette. 
 
\ \9 '^^^