The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-01-14
STR ONG RI EA
FOR REPEATER.
Hunter Says New Style Gun Is
No Deadlier Than
Double Barrel.
SUGGESTS LIMITING ING BAG
Says Restrictions Should Be
Placed Around Number Of
Birds Killed.
by n. d. HART.

That there hae been gradual i'm
provement In the mehod of throwing
projectiles of every kind since David
slew Goliath Will not be denied Tho
people who have preceded US have
been conceitcd in their day. and gem
Grafton. just as We are to-day. though.
hundreds of years hence, II evolution
continues, those to follow will be wiser
than we.
We hear of the advisabil!ty of tho
curtaiment of Inventive genius in the
implements of war between men, yet
1t. Is conceded tho nation which can
throw the most deadly projectiles by
land or by sea Is the one less apt to
have TO throw them at all.
And again II seems TO me, as mans
mind broadens, SO thoroughly Is he
convinced of the utter lack of any
real knowledge as to where he goes
after death that his faith bestirs IT.
self In making things happier and bet
ter in every respect here and now.
rather than In sending his fellow'a
.'ovcr there to happy hunting
grounds" "seventy-two houri harems.
or e city OF many mansions" Real
ly. sensible men don't care about kill
ing each other anyway.
General Assembly to Act.
But all this Is different when II
comes to mans killing the fowls OF the
air or the beasts of the field. for he
eeaiizes instinctively that they are
here for his use. but not for his
abuse.
1t is learned that the General AS
sembly will DO asked to pass law
prohibiting the use Of the pump and
automatic repeating shotGuns In the
fields and marshes of this State. II
r "a 49,, ny
terested in marketing a double-oarrel
shotgun. / would favor this law, be-
cause the barrels of a gun are tho
most expensive part, and could not
hope to put out two barrels in COM
petition with a one barrel, and again.
1t will be some, years before the pat
emit rights of these repairing guns ex-
pire. and 1t might not pc possible for
me to make a repeater.
II thought that the gun made
the sportsman and that sportsman
ship was measured by the bore. make,
kim, and cost OF the gun used, Id
favor this law.
Law Limiting Bag.
But until every sportsman who Is
now using, a doubie-b barrel gun Will
agree to having law passed requiring
every hunter to use single barrel
twenty-guage shotgun. I'm going to
question his sincerity. Many Of these
fellows who would like to see the re-
peating guns run out Of the filds and
marshes, claiming their use unsports-
manlike, and that IN hands OF en-
perts they are far more destructive
than double barrels. grudgingly admit
that the single-arrel one shotgun
In the hands of an expert will do more
ex .cution than the repeater in the
hands of the average marksman.
When I have proposed TO some of
these men that we could solve the
question by having a law passed that
would limit the bag for the day and
for tne open season (say ten TO fifteen
per day and l50 per season.. few have
concurred, stating that such law
could not be enforced. Such laws are
operative in other States and are cav
ing the quail. and such laws in Vir-
ginia (if not at hrsO would soon be-
come popular and be as easily enforced
rs any other game law and have as
few violations by the men who are now
hunting out OF seasons. selling guam.
etc, and IL goes without saying that
the sportsmen who are so interested in
running repeaters out OF the fields and
marshes would not break any game
law.
Two Styles on Pnr.
am told by the men with whom
hunt that am a little above the aver
age quail shot: I have used an auto
matte repeating shotgun this. season
because of its light recoil and, speak
ing from my persnnal experience.
do not believe the average man. will
get 5 per cent more game In sea-
son. IT,. that, and one of my hunting
companions who uses q twenty-Guage
double barrel has never failed on any
of our trips to get about as many as
1 did and has shot me closer this sea-
son than he did last season when
used my double barrel.
The gun manufacturers have BEEN
working to perfect repairing shot
guns for many years. Many OF US
who have been shooting for thirty
years can recall this Or that repeat
ing shotgun which on account of some
missing link was soon dropped TO the
boneyard. and though the repeating
ride long since established Its real
worth 1t has beer within the last de-
cadc. that the repeating shotgun has
come into general use for trap an0
field shooting.
Two OF our largest American gun
manufacturers have at last succeeded
the heigh. OF tho twentiet I'll century In
ventiys genius, thus placing before
the. shooting fraternity q gun which
has little5ol no .recoil, a gun which ny
a change of barrels can DO aapt cd to
either field or trap shooting and a
gun considering tho quality OF It's bar
rels much CHEAPER than The double.
barrel, and Immediately the! cry. is
heard that the destrustiveness of the
gun should bar its use. !.
Cry From Men SFi,o Don't Know.
The cry comes from ,nens who neyer
used one. who possibly haSa heard
sonle user of tho guR telling about
how, heAEot = I'VE birds on the rise,
VII iclif will happen about as often as
q; double herFsl fellow gets two or m ore
fs.slG (C,cntinned on ecSnd pare. sF----T