Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-11-05

IhlS column IS open TO questions
which should be sent in care of the
Sporting Editor, and to discussions by
the readers on anything connected with
hunting or target shooting.
A. B. Din your reply to T. NJ. b.
you say that length of barrel does not
increase the efficiency | have always
been told that the longer barrels give
more room for the powder to burn, and
to get the utmost power out of a given
charge of powder a barrel is necessary
that is long enough for all the powder
to burn in the barrel Kindly explain
why a short barrel is as efficient as
long one.
Ans. There is only one way to test
the velocities given by various lengths
of shotgun barrels properly, and that
is by means of the electric chronograph
"a very expensive and delicate ma
chine; also, even with finest ammuni-
ton, variations in velocity occur be-
tween successive shots when fired un-
der identically the same conditions OF
"a much forty feet per second. 1t is,
therefore, necessary to fire long series
of shots and take an average. Expert
ments made in this way with the va
rious lengths of barrels, using modern
snlolteless powder shells, show Varia-
ton due to barrel length of about one
foot per second per inch, which, if you
consider the variation which occurs be-
tween different shots fired from the
same length barrel, is so small as to be
negligible, especially as the shorter
barrels handle so much easier. The
length of barrel has no effect at all on
the pattern. A twenty-siX inch full
choke barrel will shoot just as close at
all ranges as thirtytwo inch barrel.
l.. WI. would like to know which
one of these two shotguns shoots the
stronger, a 12-gauge full choke pump
gun or a 12-gause fun choke auto
matte shotgun.
Ans. The auto-loading shotgun shoots
just as hard and close as the pump gun
or double gun for the simple reason
that in the auto-loading gun the shell
remains locked in the chamber until
the shell head stops pressing against
the breech block. The barrel and
breech block recol, locked together,
about a quarter of an inch during the
time the shot charge is passing through
the barrel. In the double barrel or
pump gun, the whole gun recoils in
stead of just the block and barrel.
>. What is meant by full choke?'
Ans. The term full choke" is APP
piled to barrels that will put at least 10
per cent of their charge in a thirty-inch
circle at forty yards. This is accom-
plished by boring the barrel with a
construction at the muzZle.
J. II. MI Is u target pistol more
:
why?
Ans The target pistol is more ac-
curate than the target revolver mainly
because the bullet starts into the rifling
as soon as it leaves the cartridge,
whereas in the revolver there is neces-
sarily a short space which the bullet
must travel in the cylinder, which is not
rihed, before it passes into the barrel.
.. What length of barrel is best for
accurate shooting?
Ans 1t doesn't make much difference.
The popular length for pistols is 10
inches; for revolvers, 6 to ~ inches.
J. WI would like to buy krag
rifle from the government. Will you
kindly advise me how to get one? Do
| have to be member of the National
Rifle Association to secure one? What
does membership in the association
cost?
Ans Krag rifles can be bought from
the government if you are member of
a rifle club affiliated with the National
in the N. X. A. Write to Secretary Ma
tional Rife Association, 110S Wood
ward building, Washington, ID. c., for
further information.
C. Ell:
l. ] have a $3.50 revolver, 6-inch bar
rel, and the dealer advised me to shoot
soft point; being anxious to know If
this is right, Will you tell me If this
will injure the barrel? O
Ans. The 1920 cartridge is now load
ed in three ways-with black powder;
with low pressure smokeless powder,
which gives the same ballistic results
as the black powder cartridge; and the
high pressure or high velocity loading.
The last mentioned is unsafe in revol-
vers as revolvers are not designed for
the pressure produced by this cartridge
The proper cartridges to use in your
1aI Il IL
powder. or the low pressure smokeless
cartridges loaded with lead bullets. Do