The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-11-03
NEW IDEAS IN suoTouNs.
The American Makes Equal to the Best
Foreign.
(From the New York SUM-

(From the New York SUM-
OF late years the American fowling
piece has taken rapid strides to the front
and has overcome the early prejudice OF
the Englishmen who objected to 1t on
| the ground chiefly that it was cheap
gun as compared with the $3.50 or $500
weapon which every man of means in
England 20 years ago considered the
only gun worth handling. Since then
American marksmen have demonstrated
what they could do with American guns
in several countries in Europe and have
proved that American guns are worthy
| of the highest commendation.
In Europe the chief topic in regard to
guns this season is still the single trigger
idea, which was described fully in the
Sun last fall. Although guns made on
this model have been shown here, they 90
not appear to have won favor, possibly
because of the more severely practical eie-
ment in the makeup Of the American
sportsman, who shoots almost without
exception in the open, with naturally
reared and naturally hunted game. Inc
game In the surroundings of the Enghsn
ooverts, grouse moors. and strictly pre-
served country, is easier to bring down.
and consequently the sportsman over
1nere is apt to give more attention to such
Gnlngs as freaks and fancies In guns.
Lne principal American Improvements
Inaoe recently have been in the direction
OF greater regularity of pattarn-penetra-
zion was always strong point in Ameri-
can guns-and some very fine results have
been obtained. At trial of q gun the
other day, 30 shots being fred and the
gun being wiped out after every 10 shots,
gne variation between the highest and the
lowest result in q 30-inoh circle was not
more than Ter cent. For many years
It has been regarded as almost q. certainty
mat IN 10 or IL shots with any gun there
Will be at least one weak pattern, ana
the recorded pattern Of gun Is always
averaged on that account. So the show
ing In the trial referred to may be said to
have approached the phenomenal.
mere is also an increase in the demand
lor nght-weighs guns, and these run not
SO much to lighter weight for given
| bore as to a smaller bore. One Of the
principal firms In this country is now
making line which includes s, 10, IL,
IA, 10, 20 and 24-gauge breech- loading
guns. The greatest increase in this de-
mand comes from Texas, the Houston
field shots using the lightweight guns
almost exclusively. A 16-gauge recently
turned out on special order weighs Z
pounds, ounces, is Of Damascus steel
blued to resemble fluid steel, and has 30
| inch barrels and IA 1-2 inch stock, the
drop at the butt being II inches. This
| appears to point to straighter type OF
gun than was used 90 years ago, when
| few but Americans could shoot off-hand
| with anlAmerican gun. To cater to the
demand for light guns there have been
introduced stocks Of spun aluminium.
| They are hollow, open at one side, and
are very neat and wonderfully strong, bat
the slight difference in weight will
| scarcely affect the demand for the old
stock Of finely seasoned close-inspected
! wood. Cheap stocks are generally made
OF American grown walnut, but fine
stocks are seasoned for from 10 to. 20 years
in most cases, and are of English walnut,
worth possibly So in the rough; German
walnut, worth approximately 81, and
Brazilian walnut, worth SIS. A hand
made stock of the last wood Is frequently
worth s25. Mahogany is too brittle, and
rosewood too heavy. 1t is possible today
to buy a really good gun of the finest
| twist, hammerless, If desired, for from
S35 to $3.50. A curious idea is the square
, muzzled shot gun, the outcome of a num-
i Der of experiments by DIR. A. S. Kennedy
of Auburn, Me-, who sought to secure
imp ovement in pattern and penetration.
He took an ordinary repeating shot gun,
| had it made square at the muzzle, and
then improved the shape, grading the
\ four sides of the. barrel inward and down
! suit of his experiments is that the shot is
practically .shoyoled..into. a compact bunoh
as 1t leaves the BARREL and SO leaves the
gun without the tearing pressure made
| by a round choke.
A novel invention has been turned out
| by Alessandro Souri, of Liege, the great
| quinn aking city of Belgium. 1t is a
| two barreled fowling piece or rifle which
can be fired, each barrel separately in the
| ordinary way, or the two barrels at once,
at tive objects not more than 40 yards
apart. The gun is provided with scale
| which shows the distance Of the objects
aimed at and the necessary difference OF
direction of the muZzles of the two bar
| rels. A pull at ring on the under side
OF the gun operates two rods which slide
| the barrels apart to the extent required,
| aim is taken, and the objects ought to
| fall This.is the greatest freak gun Liege
has introduced since Herr Pieper, the
great gunmaker, produced a gun designed
| to be fixed like modern machine gun OF
| the stern Of boat, to carry an ordinary
charge Of shot and powder, and to fire loo
shots minute.
In the sighting of fowling pieces there
is general impression that the sight
proper is Of very little use to the average
quickshot. Most gun experts say that
this idea Is a mistake, and that the sight
| is seen instinctively in the act of raising
the gun to the shoulder, and that it Is Of
| vital Importance. Ivory sights have been
long in vogue, put not commonly with
rear or breech point of lowry as well as
| the one at the 1nuzzle, and still later
idea SPECIALLY adapted for dawn and dusk
shooters is a protected piece of glass al
| the muzzIe under which is a streak OF
self luminous material.
An innovation on the grass mats used
as blind for wild fowling has been in.
| PRODUCED by New Yorker at point In
| Georgia where snipe and waders are
plenty and the beach is hard and smooth.
This a grass blind built around rub.
ber-tired tricycle. in which he sits and
quietly pedals from point to point where
he has placed stales, calling as he goes.
| II birds alight or are seen at q distance.
he very slowly drifts down to them, and
in this way is reported to be making ex-
| cellent has.