Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1899-12-21
ARE NOW CHEAP
Changes in Sporting Weapons BY
Smokeless Powder.
Different Materials ana Mechanisn
Now In Use-Cut Prices and Sec.
ond-Hand Pieces Figure In
tho Reduction.

With every prospect Of a fine fowling
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
ly new devices grated on old standards.
The only really new item 10 gun which
has movable breech. The entire part
containing the lock mechanism and the
chamber for the cartridges may b
taken out to be replaced by anothsr
similar piece. This is designed for rap
Id firing, whore leaders are employed.
and although it has gained certain
amount Of favor in Europe it 10 not like
y to receive much notice from Amss3-
can sportsmen.
The magazine fowling piece propsrts
receiving more attention than for yeass
past. Especially has this been the cass
with the reed bird and the rail- huntere
this fall. The single trigger gun haa
failed to take here. except as q novelty,
and the fowling piece with auxiliary
chambers on each ode of the barrel to
hold two extra cartridges. did not APP
pear to sell at all. The truth Is the
American sportsman is satisfied with
the performance of the average high
grade American double barreled gun.
Possibly never before were guns 90
cheap as at present. 1t is said that the
cut price fever is responsible for this,
and that the secondhand guns so sx-
tensively advertised are second hand
in the same way as the bicycles were
when ride around Central park had
roughened the tires a little and SO en-
abled the dealer to sell them at second
hand" prices without breaking his price
agreement. Certain 1t is that many Of
the guns at reduced prices show little
or no wear, and equally certain It 10
that the fairly large profits on these
goods will permit smart dealer to
make good thing out Of the second
hand sales. The type of gun has
changed also, owing to the use Of
smokeless powders. A few years ago
when the everyday shooter knew moth.
Ing but black powder a. sporting ex-
plosivs. the lowest grade Belgian bar.
rolls were good enough for guns made 70
sell at six dollars, and Tor ordinary
amateur shooting filled the bill. About
the worst that happened In case Of IN
overcharge was that the barrel was
bulgcd ut the breech or muzzle, and .
badly burst gun was the exception.
Smokeless powder has all changed the
situation. A comparison Of a 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 ar
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 culiber. The ex-
perlence in actual game shooting with
these arms has been about the same as
in war. The bullet perforatcs without
killing. In the Maine woods a fine deer
was we'll within shot OF New York
man, and 1t was noticed that the tin of
one antlcr WAS split in 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 aud identified by the split
point and the wound mark which had
healed. An old-fashioned bullet would
have stopped the deer within 300 yards.
In the same camp a deer was secured
without visible wound. 1t was shot
at, threw up its head and dropped. Just
as the guide reached 1t, knife in hand,
1t rose, but Its throat was cut before it
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.