The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1897-12-16
DANGER IN NEW HUNTING RIFLES
SpOrtsmen Afraid of Their Long
Range and Power of Penetration.

range and the average distance at which
game is shot one is likely TO strike cor
Trajectory opinions. A prominent hunt
er, in speaking recently of the great eff
fectiveness of the American rifle, said
| that in his experience elk, moose, bears
and white-tailed deer were most gen
orally killed within range of IT'S yards,
and that this was so because they were
apt to be discovered within this dis
tahce, not because of any lack of car
! rying power in the rife. When this
statement is contrasted with the pros
lpectus of the latest rifle which has a
first sight of $50 yards, fiat trajectory
and a maximum range of 1900 yards,
what is the average hunter to think?
! OF one thing there is no room for
doubt, and that is that this year many
people are preparing to go to the woods
deer shooting, and will take with them
the new rife. Itswonderful range and
penetration are due to the new smoke
less powder employed in conjunction
with a bullet sheathed in copper so as
| to present a harder surface to the rifing
than lead. This projectile is forced
through a barrel from 20 to "a inches
long, the rifing of which has about one
| turn to every eight inches. The great
objection raised by experienced hunters
to such an arm as this is that with the
r.zong range one never knows where the
| bullet is likely to bring up once it has
left the gun. a few years ago hunter
fired at a deer at distance of 1873 yards
as measured after death. The animal
was standing at the foot of a slight
bluff of loamy sand in which not
stone or rock was to be seen The rifle
was fired and the deer fell. the bullet
| having gone clear through the heart
ard missing the ribs on both sides
! Immediately after a hail was heard
from point about 200 yards back of the
| shooters, and an angry man was heard
| asking where in thunder they were
shooting, as the bullet had just skinned
over his head. \ close examination
showed Craze and leaf holes above the
heads of the other party of hunters,
and it would seem that the bullet had
| traveTsed two sides of a triangle. from
the rifle to the quarry, and back from
| the quarry to the other base corner of
the triangle. If such thing is possible
| with an ordinary rifle sighted to 100,
$50, 900 and 500 yards, what would be
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| they may have in other Dl1rag GRO Z, ~
| believed to be suitable for deer shoot
| ing in the eastern states. Apparently
English sportsmen are also entertain