Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1913-12-03
THE HUNTER IN CLOSE TINE
Pleasure In Repair and Care of His
Hunting Outfit.

There are many things any gunner can
do during the long winter evenings,
partly as pastime, but largely by way of
| repair work and the upkeep OF his shoot
ing outfit. For no one who takes
pride in his guns likes 10 see them de-
teriorate, even Ia a small way, and once
be has acquired the habit OF doing little
things, it becomes pleasure in
preparation for which be will find him
self planning long before the active season
atield has closed.
Persons who do not shoot find it diff
cult TO understand what pleasure the
cunning .'crank", as they term the en-
thnsiast. finds in the mere handling OF
guns in the closed season. A lucid ex-
PLANTATION is difficult TO give; and, anyway,
there is ground for belief in the oldtime
shooting, so strong in many men, was in
herited, and not acquired through prac-
tice or environment.
No musician ever fondles his violin
more lovingly than does the owner OF one
OF the beautiful bits of workmanship, the
modern double barrel gun. Even the
plain ones are handsome, and this you
will admit il you find one of your friends,
who cares nothing for shooting as a sport,
gazing through a shop window at a dis
play Of guns, but he sis all eyes" for the
high-grade guns, while as for you, IL you
can afford the outlay, you possess one,
otherwise you content yourself with a
palmer gun ana try 10 make yourself be-
lieve that it will serve better for knocking
about and for rough use than the highly
finished piece which calls for more or less
careful handling.
This accounts for the possession by men
of two guns where one would answer ali
purposes. They take the costly one on
upland trips in fair weather and the plain
gun into the ducking boat and On back
wood trips. When il comes to shooting,
there is little TO choose between the two
guns, provided, of course, both are well
made. 1t may be summed up in this wise:
For one piece of money you can purchase
a good gun. For two pieces you may have
one that has barrels Of better grade of
steel. For three pieces you can get better
barrels, locks and stock. Beyond that
sum you pay for engraving, fancy stocks
and extra hand work, inside and out.
This, in a way, explains why so many OF
the very costly guns will shoot better
with all sizes OF shot than the average
medium-grade gun.
The winter evening is the time to look
after the inner workings OF your gun, and
to make sure that no saline deposit, how
ever small, may be lurking there in the
dark, like a moth in your best trout flies.
IL is no trick to separate the receiver from
the stock. SO that you can get the locks
to clean them. An old toothbrush the
stubbier the better lis the thing to use,
with a little tarpentine or crude petro-
leum as q cleanser. Brush out all dust,
using toothpick to get into the angles,
and IL there is rust on any OF the parts,
wind bit OF cloth around q silver oil
soft wood, moisten with turpentine, and
with wee pinch of rottenstone or pow
| dered chalk burnish up the furnished
places. Another useful thing to keep in
| the repair kit is a three-eigh hts Inch round
varnish brush. Cut on half the handle,
moisten with turpentine, and see what an
effective thing the brush is for getting
| into corners TO clean ont rust, dust and
| powder residue.
/ Don't use refined kerosene on your gun.
| Its smell is bad enough, but ii soaks into
the wosd to darken and stain it. Nor is IL