The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-05-17
SPORT WITH GUN AND ROD.
EIPERIENoB OF a MAN Uuo
COULDN'T PEI 4 sHoTc UN
TO SURF HIM.

ne Frsetised WITH = Hiss sud the- rovrs
Ont what the T-oubis wss-Trh,,x, +.
NNoods-sn Cas- no with "a ~JncELp,r,-
Luck OF the Fly Cnsters-way. or Oh.
Cuehoos-rooiharay Act or . Tir.-
Huster-Traveis OF u Hu.tsr,. By,,.,.
Some men arc never satisfied with their fire.
arms. A man has been trying 10 90, n
shotgun that will suit him. He has tried
American and English guns TIL he couldn't
rest. Among them were 10 gauges and %
euagcs. heavy weights and light weights. full
choke, medium choke, and cylinder barrels, and
all OF the highest grade.
Every time, about, that he shot at n duck,
the duck kept right on going, faster than be-
Tore. II anything, and 30 did shore or upland
birds. whether big, medium. or small charges
of shot and powder, nitrus or black powder,
chilled or soft shot, were used. lie became n
on the subject of guns, and lie was
the ioy OF his dealers heart. His gun.room
racks we're piled mp with guns till they creaked.
lie had more kinds Of guns than he could remem.
Der, ard he used to sit down In bis gun room
ma look at them and think. lie got i've guns
one fall and shot each n few times, but couldn't
hit anything. IIo began TO get discouraged.
and ono day he went do wn to the dealers and
got tho first rifle he ever owned. 1t was dir.
cheap and n perfect beauty to his mind-a 30
N"'''V, ilh hIt, usInB tut lblR THU thTlTluRe.
IL was n single shot and cost SIS. vita q frill
or two on 1t. Tho sights were the ordinary
buck horn kind. With It he got 500 car.
tridgcs, and away he went up to the Adiron-
dscks to try IL.
BY the time he had fred 300 shots he conld
hit a barrel head at so yards every time. At
the end OF an extra 500 shots he could hit n
Nasaline bottle at 10 yards, twice out of three
times. lie got so that he could shoot n par
trldge's neck of at 30 Yards once in five shots.
He took to shooting ut flying birds. crows,
cranes therons), hawks. Gulls, and such other
Cargo birds as he could find about the clearings.
He had a thoroughly good tine. He paid less
than 30 cents a hundred shots and cleaned his
gun at the end OF n string of twenty-five.
Toward the end OF the bird season he sent
for one Of his guns, q L. gauge, or maybe 1t was
a II gauge. ii don't matter which. He had fired
5000 and more shots with his rifle and hadn't
even looked at n shotgun. When the gun and
shot shells came he went hunting with 1t. His
dog pointed, n woodcock jumped up, and away
IT went, twistin I in a way that had made him
wild In the old days. Up went the shotgun.
and with a bang that sounded ~fearfulIy loud
to his rifle trained ears, the charge lcaped from
tho muZZle. What followed made him gasp.
The bird tumbled end over end and a few feath-
crs were all that fioated away in the air. So
fine a shot he had never made before, and sell
dom had lie seen one so good. He thought 1t
must have been an accident.
Over on n beech ridge he knew of an old
cock partridge. He had tried time and again
to kill 1t with his rifle as it flew away, but
without success. This bird was soon found
and away it went in n way that made the leaves
tremble. twisting to avoid twigs and ~saplings
with II delightful roar. Bang. went the gun
again and smash went the bird into a heap of
leaves. The mans heart beat with a Joy he
had never known before. Truly that gun
must he all right after all In spite of the fine
ehots he had missed with 1t the. fall before.
birds were rather short, though extremely
difficult.
On his way to the creek a rabbit went scurry-
He had missed many shots as easy and even
easier. Just as he got tn the creek q flock OF
SIX me apa isn, W went fy y ne past fifty 1o Yards
n little ahead of the leader and pulling the
trigger he had the tremendous satisfaction of
seeing one. the leader, go splashing into the
\ few days. later. after sport SO successful
him. he went home. One day be- was sitting in in
the gun room calculating and thinking. Across
his knees was the gun with which he had been
barrels fondly. Within reach was his rifle,
but the shotgun for a while was, to his mind.
fectly satisfactory weapon; He, had it now
sure pop. After a bit he looked at the rifle
and noticed what a small bullet it fired as COM:
pared with the muzzle of his shotguns. All of
a sudden he leaped from his chair and looked
at the array of guns. On his face was n sheep
Why" he said. II never knew how to
shoot"
principles OF aiming until he had purchased
and used a rifle with two sights. instead OF one
like the shotgun. He shoots a thousand or 50
shots q year from his rifle now TO keep his hand
in. and few can shoot better than he with u
shotgun at game.