The Portland daily press., 1896-10-30
LONG RANGE RIFLES.


They AreMakingHunti More Dangerous
Than at Present-BuiIets That Kill at
Four Miles.
The sportsmen Of Minnesota are ex
periencing peril which has existed in
Maine to creator or less extent for 9
ong time, even with the old style rifles
Owing to the introduction of the
modern. small-calibre, long range fire,
arms old-rime hunters look forward with
apprehension to the accidents that are
likely to occur. In the window Of q
Minnea polls gun store hangs harmless.
looking little rifle, to which Is attach ed
the significant plaoard: Grange -four
and halt miles," That simple little
announcement means that many men
who have heretofore spent most of the
month Of November in the woods OF
northern Minnesota will remain at
home this year and scan the newspapers
for the accounts of the deaths of un-
happy hunters who have been killed by
these terrible weapons. A number OF
these rifles have been sold. and it is ap-
parent that no man within a radius OF
sesvral miles of hunter armed with
one OF them has any certain tenure of
life. In Minneapolis, alone, at least a
dozen men who haven't missed their an
nual deer hunts. for several years have
given 1t out that this year they prefer
the quiet of business to the hazards of
deer hunting with such dangerous
weapons in use in the woods:
This is the first year that these rifles
have been used generally In the United
States for hunting purposes, and with
those who haven reflected on the posi-
bilities Of their long range they are ex-
tremely popular. The long. small cali
bre bullets, steel coated. discharged from
thase rifles, carry for 800 yards on n dead
line. There is no need for adjustable
sights with such powerful rifle, and
for that reason, as well as for their COM
parative cheepness, they are proving pop
ular. Minneapolis man swho used one
OF these rifles last year says that he
the use Of such weapons. His change Of
heart was brought about by little ex-
perience he had while In the woods last
winter.
He was sitting ON log smoking. wait
Ing for his wagon to come up with the
supplies, when there came the peculiar
moaning sound of the small -calibre bull
let. 1t struck tree scaorely four feet
from Mr.. johnson. He had hardly re-
covered from his surprise when another
bullet passed near his head. The next
moment Mr.. johnson was crouch ing
behind log. After he had recovered
his equanimity he dug the ball out of
the tree and found that it belonged to
one Of his own men. He learned from
them afterward that the man was three
miles away at the time the two shots
were fred.
''You may think it is laughing mat
ter" said W. W. Leonard, another we'll
known hunter, "but let me point out
few facts. The rifles now being sold in
Minneapolis and throughout the North
west have the terrible carrying power
OF the form idahle, small-cali bre rifles
now in use in the armies of EUROPE and
IN the regulnr army of.the United States.
These rifles are warranted to kill at
three miles. The steel-incassd bullet
leaves the muzzle of the rife with such
terrible velocity that 1t will penetrate
fifty inches of pine.
u NOW, imagine what may happen with
PARTY OF hunters, armed with such
rifies, distributed over coM paratively
small area of wooded country. One Of
the hunters may fire at deer, miss his
aim, and the bulleu may go on and kill
another member of the party two or
three miles away. This is no idle fear;
such accidents often OCCUR with the rifles
that have been used in hunting in previ-
GUS years, and which have an extreme
range of moro than / 200 yards
. 1t may be urged that no rifle bullet
can proceed a great distance in a forest
without imbedding itself. in tree trunk.
but In the slashings, where deer are
often hunted, one can sometimes soc
nothing but scattering trees and small
underbrush for miles.
9 contend that there il no excuse for
the use of such deadly weapons. In or
binary deer hunting be is poor hunter
who doesn't stalk his game within $50
yards. OF course in hunting mountain
sheep and goats the range is much long
er. But of what use ia such an extreme
range? A man can't see his game at two
or three miles, and even If no could he
couldn't aim within fifty feet of it,
There is no use for such weapons except
in warfare. and they ought to be forbid
dan in hunting"