The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-10-07

Shot Guns and Rifles Are in
Greater Demand Than
Ever Before.
SPORTING DEALER TALKS
SMALL BORE WEAPONS ARE
MOST IN FAVOR.

1.-THE number of shotguns, rifles and
sporting goods generally being sold in
Salt Lake this fall" said a prominent
dealer yesterday, lis greater than during
any previous season within my recollec-
ton This is not because guns and am
munitiOn are cheaper this year than for
merly, because they are not. and as q
matter OF fact, ducks are rather scarcer
so far than they have been for a num-
Der of seasons. The fact of the matter
is.'a greater number of people are turn
ing to hunting and shooting as a means
OF recreation every year. and the present
season SO far has been a record-breaker
Not only are more people engaging in the
shooting game than ever before, but the
sport Is attracting a better class of peo-
pie all the time and becoming more and
more popular as a means of spending
vocation, be it for one day or thirty.
Another noticeable fact in connection
with this years shooting is the general
tendency towards smaller bore weapon.
Where lew years ago a shotgun any
less than II gauge was a rarity, there are
row hundreds of siXteens in active use.
10 say nothing of an occasional twenty.
Men are beginning TO learn that a small
bore gun in capable hands can be made
to do almost as much execution as the
larger bores, and do il cleaner and more
quietly, and with more satisfaction to
load or smokeless powder used in a six
teen gauge shotgun. is about two to two
ana half drams as against three to
three and quarter in n twelve gauge,
and three-quarterS to seven-eighths of an
ounce OF shot, as compared with an ounce
10 an ounce and quarter used in the
twelve. The difference in weight of the
two guns is in itself an important consd-
Grafton where a long days shooting is
concerned, to say nothing Of the ''ShOul-
der which invariably follows the dis
shots from twelve gauge and which is
utterly lacking with the smaller arms
Yes, hack powder is still used to
considerable extent. but the great mass
of the people are rapidly becoming edu-
Gated to the advantages OF the snokeIess
brands, and these are gaining in popular
lty every day. The difference i'm price of
the loaded shells is so small as to be
hardly worthy of consideration, while the
many points of superiority OF the nitro
powders over the black are bound to
make them a faVorite in the long run.
OF course there is a difference in the
shooting qualities of the two brands The
nitros appear to have a greater carrying
power and a greater penetration and
ing. not TO mention the ease and rapidity
with which gun from which only
smokeiess powder has been fired can be
cleaned compared to the time and labor
required to cleanse the same gun after
the use of black powder.
practically all trap shooting is now
done with SmOkelesS powder of one brand
or another. and the scores made this year
average higher than ever before As a
dealer IN sporting goods and a sportsman
myself l often wonder, how people can
brlng themselves to use black powder at
all. but there are always a certain num-
berrof old-faShioned people. either through
prejudice or for some other reason. who
decline to make a change in the accus-
toned order of things, no matter what
the inducements in favor of such
Ghange may be. The use of black pow
ever. while the smokeless continues to
reach higher state Of perfection The
solution of the question of smokeless or
non-smokeless therefore is simply a mat
ter of time"