The Red Cloud chief., 1899-12-15
GUNS ARE NOW CHEAP
Changes in Sporting Weapons by
Smokeless Powder.
DiHsrsnt Materials and Mechanism
Now In Ise-Cut Prices and See
ond-Hand Picces Figure In
the Reduction.

With every prospect OF q fine fowltng
and hunting season the spOrtsmen are
looking around for the latest things in
guns. 1t looks as If perfection had been
nearly reached so far as structural fea-
lures are concerned, and the great prob
lem is which are the best of certain fair
~ new devices grated on old standards.
The only really new item Is a gun which
has "A movable breech. The entire part
containing the lock mechanism and the
chamber for the cartridges may be
taken out to be replaced by another
similar piece. This Is designed for rap
Id firing, where leaders are employed.
and although IL has gained q certain
amount Of favor in Europe II IL not like
ly to receive much notice from Aneri-
can sportsmen.
The magazine fowling piece properis
receiving more attention than for years
past. Especially has this been the case
with the reed bird and the rail hunters
this fall. The single trigger gun has
failed to take here, except as n novelty.
and the fowling piece with auxiliary
chambers on each side OF the barrel to
hold two extra cartridges, did not APP
pear &c sell at all. The truth 10 the
American sportsman 10 satisfied with
the performance Of the average high
grade American double barreled gun.
Possibly never before were guns 90
cheap as at present. II Is said that the
cut price fever is responsible for this,
and that the secondhand guns 30 ex-
tensively advertised are second hand
In the same way as the bicycles were
when q ride around Central park had
roughened the tires q little and 80 en-
abled the dealer TO sell them at second
hand" prices without breaking his price
agreement. Certain IL il that many OF
the guns at reduced prices show little
or no wear, and equally certain il is
that the fairly large profits on these
goods will permit n smart dealer to
make a good thing out Of the second
hand sales. The type Of gun has
changed also. owing too the use OF
smokeless powders. A few years ago
when tho everyday shooter knew moth
ing but black powder as a sporting ex-
plosive, the lowest grade Belgian bar
rels were good enough for guns made to
sell at six dollars, and for ordinary
amateur shooting filed the bill. About
the worst that happened in case OF an
overcharge was that the barrel was
bulged at the breech or muzzle, and n
badly burst gun was the exception.
Smokeless powder has all changed the
situation. A comparison of IA gun OF
ten years ago and one Of to-day will
show material differences in the mech
anism of the breech, the thickness of
the breech, and the construction Of the
body and action. All these changes are
designed to Withstand the greater
strain Of the nitro Of smokeless pow
ders.
The smokeless powders have also
been extensively used in rifles. espe-
cially those of small caliber. The ex-
perience in actual game shooting with
these arms has been about the same as
In war. The bullet perforates without
killing. In the Maine woods a fine deer
was well within shot OF n New York
man, and IL was noticed that the tip of
one antlcr was split in a peculiar fash
ion SO as to distinguish the animal. He
fired and apparently hit the deer just
back of the flank. The bullet went
clean through the deer, and away went
the animal. Three weeks later, in an
other camp, the animal was shot by an
other man and identified by the split
point and the wound mark which had
healed. An old-fashioned bullet would
have stopped the deer within 900 yards.
In the same camp a deer wal secured
without a visible wound. II was shot
at, threw up It's head and dropped. Just
an the guide reached il, knife in hand,
1t rose, but it's throat was Gu before IL
escaped. At first the impression was
that the knife caused the muscles to re-
act, but investigation showed that the
bullet struck the base Of the horn and
was detected, the shock stunning the
animal;-N. Y. Sun.