The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1858-12-23

The person. could extend man deadly stroke with the
greatest certainty to distant objects The old rfe 10 be
effective held necessarily TO be from three 10 four
feet Ia length Of barrel and nom eight % ten pounds IN
is weight Maynards is twenty inches oug and weighs
six pounds but forty grains OF powder for charge
1t looks like childs paythng in the hands OF man,
but Try this tribe with the best guns extant and the e1
pertinent will prove that II ~ superior 10 them all Ia In
variable accuracy the aim aud that momentum which
bears ito balls 10 much greater distances
Before 1 started en my hunt tested Maynard gun
10y trying IL with my own hunting rifle, made by the
celebrated Hawkins, OF 81 Louis, who has of years lifted
out the hunters OF the plains aud the Rocky mountains
found the little gun best at all distances. then OBJ
tanned OF the improved iar-shoong rifles maniac-
tured at Harpers Ferry, under the supervision OF scien-
tihc military men, adopting the discoveries which the
achievements OF the Minnie rifle in the Crimenn war
have suggested Over this piece Maynards gun
again triumphant at all distances then adopted il for
my mountain hunt.
a When appeared among the hunters with this cpl
tome Of rifle in polished steel could perceive, though
suppressed with all possible politeness smile that passed
around at the expense of my gun aud myself en-
deavored 10 exngu this latent rdoue by telling OF the
eats the gun performed Mt home compassionate look
of ncreduty made sensible that my consd
cred akin to that fellow who Dragged OF his great leap at
the Rhodes but dared not attempt the feat again upon the
ground on which he and his companions to whom he
boosted of his activity then stood quietly resolved
that would relieve myself OF this presumption by taking
an early occasion to compare the little gun power with
/ that of greatest rcpute in the mountains.
% Al hays near flIglhih Whefe Boouiy
| company assembled, aud examining Maynard gun
with mingled curiosity and distrlst, and dersion,
| modestly proposed shooting match. hundred and
fourteen yards stepped off pretty good test for
hunting gun Some hall dozen rifles OF the best repue
were tried against the popgun, and all beaten
The surveyor of the county made his experiments with
It, which proved equally honorable for himself ADD the
gun Then OF the best shots among the huntsnen
tried with equal and selfcongratulaton The lit
| tie gun became fiyorite Subsequently the other
side of the valley the Pennsylvania line, where we
| had accession of comrades another trial was made
with Maynads against the mountain gun, shooting the
distance of 232 yards In this experiment the little gun
was always close into the mark the others nouhere-a
sharp shooting machinist and eager hunter would test
the thing with rest for both himself and the gun, and
/ nearly drive the centre
a. A fine malksman, who had Harpers Ferry rife OF
great celebrity resolved to try both from his own shout
der The little gun cut the paper the big one missed
the tree. The surveyor OF the county tried his hand
again and keen eyes with it, and made line shot just
above the paper On this the great bear killer declared
he never in his long life had any rifle equal to May
nard B. He lamented that ho had not such weapon In
his early days it would have been admirable by its
quick loading for his hand to hand fights with the bear
in defence his dog ia the laurel tcets aud for long
shots from monnuin to mountain over the precpitous
gorges which divided them along the Savage river II
only wanted he said the hairtgger and little addi-
ton to its length to pose 1t ut arm length to make
| the piece perfect "