Omaha daily bee., 1899-11-01

Changes In sporting weapons Caused
hA Isc of sI,, cl. eIcas DnxNIer.

Changes In sporting weapons Caused
by Use of smoke1css Powder.
With every prospect OF fine fowlng and
hunting season the sportsmen are looking
around for the latest things in guns. 1t
looks as IL perfection had been nearly
reached so far as structural features are
concerned, reports the New York Sun, aud
the great problem is which are the best OF
certain fairly new devices grated on old
standards. The only really new item Is a
gun which has movable breech. The en-
tire 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 rapid firing, where load
ere are employed, and although 1t has gained
a certain amount of favor in Europe 1t Is
not likely to receive much notice from
| American sportsmen.
| The magazine fowling piece proper is re-
! celving 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 a novelty, and the fowling piece
with auxiliary chambers on each side of the
barrel to hold two extra cartridges, did not
appear to sell at all. The truth is the Ameri-
can sportsman Is satisfied with the perform
ance of the average high-grade American
double barreled gun.
Possibly never before were guns so cheap
as at present. 1t is said that the cut-price
fever is responsible for this, and that tho
second hand guns so extensively advertised
are secondhand in the same way as the
bicycles were when ride around Central
Park had roughened the tires little and SO
enabled the dealer to sell them at Second
| wi raalinp his Dripr
agreement. Certain 1t is that many of the
guns at reduced prices show little or no wear
and equally certain is it that the fairly large
profits on these goods will permit a smart
dealer to make good thing out of the Sec
ond- 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 nothing but black powder as sport
ing explosive the lowest grade Belgian bar
rels were good enough for guns made tc
sell at Sc, and for ordinary amateur shoot
ing filled the bill. About the worst thai
happened in case of an overcharge was tina
the barrel was bulged at the breech or muz
zle, and a badly burst gun was the excep
tion. Smokeless powder has changed th'
situation. comparison of gun OF tel
years ago and one of today will show ma
!, terial differences in the mechanism OF thu
breech, the thickness of the breech, and thu
construction of body and action. All thes
changes are destined to withstand the great
er strain of the nitro or smokeless powders
The smokeless powders have also beef
extensively used in rifles, especially thos
of small calbre. The experience in actua
game shooting with these arms has beef
about the same as in war. The bullet per
: forates without killing. In the Maine wood
a fine deer was we'll within shot of New
} York man and it was noticed that the I'll
} of one antler was split in peculiar fashio
} so as to distinguish the animal. He fired ant
apparently hit the deer just back OF tn
flank The bullet went clear through tn
deer and away went the animal. Thre
weeks later, in another camp, the anima
was shot by another man and identihed b
the split point and the wound mark, whlc
had healed An old-fashioned bullet woul
have stopped the deer within 300 yards. l
!. the same camp a deer was secured wlthou
= | a visible wound 1t was shot at, threw u
= its head and dropped. Just as the suld
reached it, knife in hand, 1t rose, but II
throat was cut before it escaped. AT mrs
the impression was that the knife cause
: the muscles to react, but investigate
S showed that the bullet struck the base
the horn and was DETECTED, the shock stur
ming the animal.