Illustrations by G.

DON RAY
PHOTO CREDITS:
Bill Browning, Montana Chamber of Commerce:
pages 45 (lower right), 46, 49 (top right), 57 (bottom),
112 (top), 113, 117, 121 (top), 160.
Leonard Lee Rue ' pages 33 (left center,
upper left), 37 (top), 49 (right center), 5253, 81 (top),
84 (top left and right, right center, bottom),
88 (bottom), 96 (bottom).
Fred Space: pages 45 (lower left), 56 (botom).
West Point Museum: pages 6, 7.
Graham Wilson: pages 45 (center), 57 (top right).
The editors wish especially to thank the following manufacturers
for their help in the preparation of this book: Colt's Patent Fire
arms, Remington Arms Company, Smith Wesson, Winchester
Repeating Arms Company.
Copyright 1961 by Golden Press, Inc. All rights reserved, in
eluding the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.
Designed and produced by The Ridge Press, Inc. Printed in the
U.S.A. by Western Printing and Lithographing Company. Pub
lished by Golden Press, Inc., Rockefeller Center, New York 20,
N. Y. Published simultaneously in Canada by The Musson Book
Company, Ltd., Toronto.
bbt
PART 1
HISTORY OF AMERICAN GUNS +
PART 2
THE RIFLE 1
WHAT MAKES A RIFLE 1
HOW RIFLE ACTIONS WORK 2
CALIBERS 2+
AMMUNITION 2
SMALL-BORE RIFLES 2
THE FIRST GUN d
WOODS RIFLES FOR DEER +
LONG-RANGE SHOOTING ++
BIG GAME IN TIMBER 9
SIGHTING THE RIFLE
BALLISTICS CHART
PART 3
THE SHOTGUN
WHAT MAKES A SHOTGUN
ACTIONS AND HOW THEY WORK 2
GAUGES AND SHELLS
CHOKES AND PATTERNS
BARRELS AND RIBS 79
UPLAND GUNS
WILDFOWL GUNS
FIBERGLASS BARRELS
PART 4
THE HANDGUN 1
REVOLVER AND AUTOMATIC J2
DOUBLE AND SINGLE ACTIONS 1+
CALIBERS AND AMMUNITION J
SMALL-BORE FIELD GUNS 1
BIG-BORE FIELD GUNS 1J2
POLICE AND DEFENSE GUNS JJ
PART 5
THE TARGET GUN 12
SMALL-BORE RIFLES 1
BIG-BORE RIFLES 1
FREE RIFLES AND PISTOLS 1d
SKEET SHOOTING 1d
TRAPSHOOTING 12
HAND-TRAP AND UTILITY GUNS 1++
TARGET HANDGUNS J
GUN CARE AND MAINTENANCE T9
INDEX J
8I8\0k 0F BfkI0#
The power of a gun to deliver a lethal blow accurately
and at long range has fascinated men for nearly 700
years. The invention of gunpowder in 13th-century
Europe made the gun possible-and inevitable. And
once it had appeared, gunsmiths and armorers inevi
tably applied skill and ingenuity to refining it and in
creasing the efficiency with which it performed its task.
Today the explosive force of gunpowder has been
effectively channeled and the gun is an instrument of
great precision. It is a far cry from its crude, eccentric
ancestors, and yet it is recognizably their true descend
ant. Any man who raises a gun to his shoulder, sights
down the barrel, and squeezes the trigger inherits-and
perpetuates-something from the vivid past.
More than that, he contributes something of himself
to the magic of the gun. For it is only his agent. It will
respond swiftly and ably only to the extent that it is
handled with resolution and respect. For good or ill, it
6088
.._
voices and executes the intentions of the gunner.
Daniel Boone, John Wilkes Booth, Billy the Kid, and
Sergeant York-all were men with guns in their hands.
Much of the gun's history is American. Guns have
figured prominently in many of the nation's early
days. They were present in the earliest seacoast set
tlements, helped secure the independence of a new
nation, opened the West, and sang of triumph and trag
edy in wars at home and abroad. Today, as the result
of a constitutionally guaranteed freedom to keep and
bear arms, guns are the companions of more than 15
million hunters, sportsmen, marksmen, and collectors.
The first truly American gun was the Kentucky rifle.
Long, slim, and as accurate as it was beautiful, it ap
peared in the 1720's, developed slowly for half a cen
tury, and achieved perfection of form and function in
time to help win the American Revolution.
The guns that preceded it were European imports.
Explorers of the late 1500's and early 1600's came
ashore with matchlock muskets, unwieldy, uncertain,
and unlovely weapons that smoked and roared impres
sively, but were useless if the slow-burning twist of
hemp-the match-that ignited the powder charge was
ever extinguished. In time, other locks-firing mecha
nisms-journeyed to the New World, chief among them
the flintlock, for more than 100 years the world's prin
cipal firearm. Generally, it fired a single, large-caliber
ball that was loaded at the muzzle and tamped into 5
North & Cheney fl i ntl ock
HISTORY OF AMERICAN GUNS
place-"seated"-with a ramrod. Flint struck steel
hammer against "frizzen"-with a pull of the trigger
and the resulting sparks ignited the charge in a prim
ing pan. The flame spurted through a "touch hole"
drilled in the side of the barrel and exploded the main
charge. Smoothbore, .78-caliber flintlock muskets, such
as the British Redcoat's "Brown Bess" or the American
revolutionary's French Charleville, could be loaded
and fired four times a minute by an expert and were
accurate up to 100 yards. This was sufficient range for
fusillades against massed infantry, which were a stand
ard military tactic of the time.
The .45-caliber Kentucky was a sharpshooter's weap
on, better adapted than the musket to the requirements
of the frontiersman whose targets-animal or human
lurked in a wooded wilderness. It was the design on
which future models would be built. Its action was simi
lar to the musket's, except that the spiral grooves cut
in the barrel-rifling-imparted spin to the ball, thus
giving it greater speed and accuracy. A good rifleman
6 could drop a deer at 100 yards, a redskin at 20. (The
brisk trade with the Indians-guns for furs and alle
giance-never involved the treasured Kentucky, how
ever. Trade guns were smoothbore flintlocks, usually
short-barreled carbines whose stocks were brightly
decorated with brass studs, but whose quality was less
than the best.)
The vital importance of the gun on the advancing
frontier of the new nation was reflected in the per
sistent efforts to improve its rate of fire, reliability of
discharge, striking power, a
n
d range. Loading at the
breech to eliminate the labor of muzzle-loading was a
first step. Major Patrick Ferguson, a capable British
officer, developed an ingenious breechloader during
the Revolution, but it did not find favor with the mili
tary and the idea died with him at the Battle of King's
Mountain in 1780. In 1811, an American inventor, Cap
tain John Hall, designed a partially successful breech
loading flintlock, but flame invariably spurted from the
loose joints of the chamber. Halls were used in the
Mexican War and a few even in the Civil War, but were
too hazardous ever to be popular.
7
Hal l breechl oader
An earl y pl ai ns ri fl e
Indi an trade gun
HISTORY OF AMERICAN GUNS
Techniques and machinery were needed to produce
precision parts with closer tolerances. Eli Whitney,
the inventor of the cotton gin, was among the first to
develop interchangeable (although substantially hand
made) parts and assembly line production. Hall him
self was a resourceful inventor and Eliphalet Reming
ton, who started the first full-scale gun factory in 1816,
installed Hall's precision equipment when he expanded
his business in 1828. But it was not until 1848 that
Christian Sharps, who had worked at the Harpers Ferry
arsenal under Captain Hall, finally developed a satis
factory breechloader.
The Sharps also used a one-piece cartridge which
helped greatly to overcome the powder flare that
plagued the Hall. Self-contained cartridges had be-
9
HISTORY OF AMERICAN GUNS
come feasible in the 1820's with the introduction of
percussion ignition. A metal cap filled with an explo
sive chemical compound was seated on the tip of a
hollow tube-the cone, or nipple-that led to the main
powder charge. The percussion of hammer on cap sent
a jet of flame through the cone to ignite the powder.
Once and for all, this eliminated the disconcerting mis
fires caused by faulty ignition.
The first important gun adapted for percussion igni
tion was the Hawken brothers' "plains rifle." This was
a Kentucky type with a shorter barrel and bigger bore.
It could take a fearsome load and was used by moun
tain men and trappers against grizzlies, bufalo, and
other heavy game encountered west of the Mississippi.
Maximum firepower, however, awaited repeating
weapons. Sam Colt's revolving rifles and pistols ap-
10 peared first, i n the famous Paterson models of 1836.

d

R
.44-cal i ber Henry
Then Sharps produced his breechloader. It was H
single-shot weapon, but its self-contained cartridge
was the essential element that would make true re
peaters possible.
The big Sharps survived through the 1800's. Han
dling big-bore metallic cartridges that could kill at a
quarter-mile range, it was the prime single-shot arm of
the bufalo hunter and Indian sniper through the rugged
period of hide-hunting and the Plains Wars. Its place
in history is firm with the rifleman who respects great
power and deadly accuracy at long range.
The Army, lagging somewhat behind firearms devel
opments elsewhere, used a .54-caliber, single-shot
rifled musket as its principal Civil War weapon. Two
fine repeaters were available, but saw only limited
service: the seven-shot, .52-caliber Spencer and the
16-shot, .44-caliber Henry. Both used the eficient new 11
A di sti ngui shed group of Wi nchester l ever-acti on ri fl es.
From top to bottom: Model s 1 866, 1 873, 1 886, and 1 894. Te l ast,
desi gned by John Browni ng, i s sti l l a popul ar deer ri fl e.
HI STORY OF AMERI CAN GUNS
ri m- fi re metal l i c cartri dge i ntr oduced by Horace Smi th
and Dan i el Wesson i n 1 858. The Spencer, al t hough
known to t he Confederates as "that damned Yankee
r i fl e that can be l oaded on Sunday and fi r ed al l week, "
was never a success after t he war. The l esser - known
Hen ry, however, became the most popu l ar repeater i n
the ar senal of t he western range r i der, I n di an fi ght er,
and scout.
I n a few years, i t grew i nto t he Wi nchester Model
1 866, whi ch r emai ned the maj or arm of h u nters, scouts,
and catt l emen for al most twenty years. The Model
1 873, chambered for a .44-40 bu l l et, was rej ected by
the mi l i tary for whom i t was desi gned, but 720,61 0 of
these famous guns were sol d before i t was di scon
t i nued i n 1 924. The Wi nchesters, t oget her wi t h t he d i s-
12
t i ngu i shed ser i es of Col t handguns t hat began i n 1 836

and cu l mi n ated i n the Peacemaker, were unsu rpassed

i n popul ar i ty. When i n 1 878 the Peacemaker was cham
bered for t he same . 44-40 cartr i dge used i n t he Wi n
chester ' 73, t hey provi ded t he pl ai nsman wi t h two
weapons for one l oad and became, i ndeed, "t he guns
t hat won t he West. "
The handgun, t he si dearm of t he mi l i tary and per
sonal combat weapon of the fronti ersman, gradual l y
i n cor porated t he advances made i n l ong ar ms. Fr om
t hei r fi rst appearance, t he Col t revol vers l ed t he fi el d.
The qual ity and vol u me of hi s output ear ned Sam Col t
an honored posi t i on i n t he hi story of fi r ear ms. Hi s
output ranged f r om t he . 44 Wal ker Col t, whi ch wei ghed
over fou r pounds, t hr ough t he Dragoon ser i es, to a .31 -
cal i ber pocket pi stol , i ntroduced i n 1 849, whi ch was
one of h i s most popul ar and l ong- l asti ng model s. Hi s
1 3
HISTORY OF AMERICAN GUNS
maj or r i val s were Remi ngton' s bi g . 36 and . 44 cal i bers,
whi ch had a sol i d frame br i dgi ng the cyl i nder that for
a wh i l e made t hem stronger than t he Col ts and al so
pr ovi ded a si ghti ng groove.
Smi th and Wesson, who become partners i n 1856,
made the t ransi t i on from per cussi on caps to metal l i c
cartri dges i n handguns, as t hey h ad wi th l ong ar ms. A
year l ater, they acqu i red a Rol l i n Whi te patent for bor
i ng cyl i nders cl ean t hr ough, t hus per mi tt i ng t he swi ft
i nsert i on of cartr i dges from the rear of t he cyl i nder.
I nci dental l y, Whi te or i gi nal l y offered t he patent to
Col t. Not t hi nki ng i n terms of metal l i c cartr i dges, Sam
made t he mi stake of t ur ni ng i t down. Smi th and Wes
son t hereby obtai ned a vi rtual monopol y on cart r i dge
revol vers. Just as t hei r bi g .44- cal i ber Number 3, or
Amer i can, was begi nni ng to hi t t he market i n 1869,
however, t he Whi t e patent expi red and competi tors
coul d move i nto the fi el d.
The mi l i tary, whi ch had offered consi derabl e resi st
ance to advancements i n ri fl es, proved much mor e
recepti ve to handgun i mprovements. The fi rst off i ci al
pi stol -a copy of t he Fr ench model of 1 777-was made
by North Cheney i n 1 799. After that the desi gns were
al l Amer i can. Al t hough i t t horoughl y tested al l makes
of revol vers, the Army, l i ke t he ci vi l i an front i er smen,
preferred t he Col ts. Mi l i tary pu rchases of t he Wal ker
Col t, t he Dragoon ser i es, t he Army Model 1 860, and
t he Peacemaker contri buted to the support of si de
arm devel opment.
Per haps the most i nfl uent i al gun desi gner thi s coun
t ry has pr oduced was John Moses Browni ng who, from
the i ssue of hi s fi rst patent i n 1 879, desi gned a cascade
14 of guns for Wi nchester, Remi n gton, and Col t. He and
Dragoon Col t pi stol
Fronti er Col t
h i s brot her l at er formed t hei r own arms company.
Brown i n g' s ach i evements i n the autol oadi ng fi el d are
u n paral l el ed and i n cl ude t he famous Gover nment
Model 1 91 1 Col t automat i c pi stol -sti l l t he offi ci al U. S.
Ar my si dear m.
Under t he spur of necessi ty, Amer i can i ngenui ty has
created a g reat array of fi rearms i n every era of i ts
hi story. The cu rrent h i gh poi nts of gu n evol ut i on are
described and pi ctured on t he pages t hat fol l ow. The
fasci nat i on for strai ght shooti ng sti l l exi sts.
15
1h 8II|
FkT
HEEL
BUTT
PLATE
5TCCK
5AFETY
CCMB
\R
.
TCE 5L!NG 5WIVEL
The di sti ngui shi ng characteri sti c of t he r i fl e i s t he
ser i es of shal l ow, spi ral grooves cut i nto t he i nner sur
face of i ts barrel . These channel s-ri fl i ng-i mpart spi n
t o the bu l l et as i t i s forced t hrough the bar rel by t he
expl osi on of the powder charge, t hus assur i ng a stead
i er, more accurate bu l l et fl i ght over a g reater r ange
than woul d be possi bl e i f t he bore were smooth.
Ri fl i n g was known as earl y as t he 1 6th centu ry i n Ger
many, but was fi rst appl i ed successfu l l y i n the Ken
t ucky ri fl e and di d not reach peak effi ci ency u nti l t he
devel opment of metal l i c ammuni t i on. For whi l e t he
Kentucky was more accurate than t he smooth bore
muskets of i ts t i me, it fi red a r ound bal l whose poor
bal l i st i c qual i ti es shortened i t s r ange. The streaml i ned
coni cal bu l l et used today i s f ar better abl e to buck
wi nd and mai ntai n i ts vel oci ty over l ong ranges.
To perform proper l y a r i fl e must be l oaded wi th a
bu l l et s l i ghtl y l ar ger i n di ameter than t he u ncut sur-
18
faces of the bore. Thi s di screpancy per mi ts the r i fl i n g
Precedi ng pages: Weatherby Mark V
REAR 5IGHT
I
BARREL BANO FRCN 5IGHT ANO RAMP

FCREARM
5LING
WHAT MAKES A RI FLE
to gr i p t he bu l l et fi r ml y and appl y t he twi st t hat wi l l
stabi l i ze i t i n f l i ght. Th e usual r i fl e h as ei gh t g rooves,
but t here may be as few as two or as many as 1 6.
General l y, the more g rooves the great er t he stabi l i ty
of t he bu l l et.
Grooves al so are cut at varyi ng " rates of pi t ch"
wh i ch govern t he speed of a bu l l et' s rotat i on. Low
vel oci ty r i fl es, for i nstance, have a "sl ow" pi t ch, per
haps one compl ete t urn i n 26 i nches, whereas a hi gh
vel oci ty r i fl e, such as a Model 70 Wi nchester or a . 257
Weat herby Magnum, wi l l have one t ur n every 1 0 i nches.
Di fferent rates of pi t ch requ i re di fferent types of
bu l l ets. Lead or l ead- al l oy bu l l ets are good onl y i n
l ow-vel oci ty ri fl es. Hi gh-speed ri fl i ng wou l d str i p
shreds of metal from the soft l ead, t hereby di stort i ng
t he bu l l et' s bal l i st i c qual i ti es, as wel l as fou l i n g t he
g rooves. Hi gh- vel oci ty bu l l ets ar e jacketed wi t h cop
per al loy whi ch i s hard enough to wi thstand stri ppi ng
and to protect t he l ead core f r om mel t i ng. 19
LF |IL F |I\LL
BOLT: Wi nchester Model 52 shown in cl osed and l ocked posi ti on
wi th Long Ri fle cartri dge i n chamber, fi ri ng pi n at ful l cock.
Ri fl e i s ready for fi ri ng. Cutaway shows adjustabl e tri gger-pul l
hW kllLL 61l W0k
Ther e are four pr i nci pal ri fl e act i ons. Choosi ng
among t hem i s most often based on t he shoot i ng con
d i t i ons the hunter wi l l encounter and the ki nd of game
he i s h u nt i ng. Fr equentl y, however, t he shooter' s per
sonal i ty can be a factor and shoul d be taken i nto
consi derati on.
BOLT ACTION: Thi s i s the strongest, heavi est type,
and i s best for l ong- range accu racy and pr eci se shoot
i ng wi thout excepti onal l y fast repeat-fi re. I t i s the onl y
20 act i on strong enough to take such powerf ul cartri dges
AUTOMATI C: Wi nchester Model 1 00 showi ng bul l et as it passes
bore port,. rel easi ng gas i nto operati ng cyl i nder. Pressure forces
pi ston to cl ose, cutti ng off proper amount of gas to work acti on
as the Wi nchester .458 for use agai nst danger ous
game. Usual l y stocked t o gi ve t he easi est, most com
fortabl e shooti ng wi t h a t el escopi c si ght, i t hol ds fou r
t o fi ve shots i n l ar ge cal i bers, s i x t o ei ght i n smal l er
ones. Th i s i s a good acti on for t he nervous h unter. The
man u al acti vi ty requ i red t o ready i t for each shot t ends
to steady t he shooter and prevents hi m from f i r i ng
too rapi dl y.
LV L1lwM1 Ori ginal l y, thi s ri fl e was wel l suited
for carryi ng on horseback because of i ts fl at, compact 21
RIFLE ACTIONS AND HOW THEY WORK
shape. The ol der desi gns proved too l i ght l y con
structed for heavy l oads, but today' s l ever-act i ons are
bui l t for such hi gh- pressure cartr i dges as Wi nchester's
. 243, . 308, and . 358. Smal l - cal i bers, l i ke the .22, can hol d
up t o 15 shots, o r more.
PUMP (OR SLIDE) ACTION: Pumps are general l y
l i ghtwei ght, easy to handl e, and qui ck to get on target,
but they are usual l y l onger barrel ed and l ess maneu
verabl e i n br ush country t han l ever-act i ons. An excep
ti on i s the n ew Remi ngton Model 760 C, wi th i ts bar r el
LEVER: Mar l i n Model 336 wi th t he acti on f ul l y opened.
Empty cartridge has just been ejected and bolt i s
now started forward, forci ng l oaded cartri dge into chamber
l ength of 18'1 i nches. An excepti onal shooter can oper
ate a pu mp as fast as a semi -automati c ri fl e.
AUTOLOADER: Thi s fi res faster t han any other acti on
and i s preferred by some hunters i n rapi d- fi re shooti ng
for such game as whi tetai l deer. Autos are heavi er than
pumps or l evers, and because of thei r more compl ex
parts are l i abl e to mechani cal di ffi cu l ti es-fou l i ng,
j ammi ng, etc. Because of thei r rapi d-fi ri ng abi l i ty, they
shoul d be used by cal m, di sci pl i ned h unters who are
not i ncl i ned to spray t he l andscape wi th bu l l ets.
PUMP: Pul l i ng back on t he sl i de handl e of a pump act i on causes
the used cartri dge to be ejected through the port. Forward
movement chambers the fresh cartri dge and l ocks the breech bl ock
CALIBERS
Cal i ber i s the di ameter of a ri fl e bore desi gnated i n
t housandths of an i nch. I t i s general l y measured be
tween opposi te grooves, but i n some cases, from l and
to l and (the bor e surface remai ni ng after the g rooves
have been cut) . Bul l et di ameters, as they rel ate to a
ri fl e's cal i ber, are g roove-to-groove measur ements.
Ri fl es and the cartr i dges that fi t them must be of t he
same cal i ber. There i s some confusi on i n desi gnat i ons
because manufactu rers t ry to g i ve thei r cartr i dges an
i denti ty that wi l l al ways be associ ated wi th the com
pany. Thi s resul ts i n such vari ous names as t he . 30-30
Wi nchester, . 30 Remi ngton, . 300 Savage, and ' 300
Weatherby Magnum. Al l of these ri fl es shoot the same
di ameter of bul l et. The vari ati on i s si mpl y i n bu l l et
wei ght and shape. The . 308 Wi nchester, measured
from groove to groove, and the ol d . 30 Wi nchester,
whi ch used t he l and di ameter, shoot a bu l l et of exactl y
t he same di ameter. The . 008 i s t he di fference between
the measurements from l and to l and, and from one . 004-
i nch groove to i ts opposi te. I n the .25 ser i es of cart
r i dges, the . 25-35 and . 250 Savage use the l and-to- l and
desi gnati on, whi l e the more modern . 257 Roberts and
. 257 Weat herby Magnum empl oy the groove method.
Most ri fl es may be chambered for di fferent cal i bers of
24 cart r i dge, but they wi l l then fi re onl y that cart r i dge.
AMMUNITION
A cart r i dge i s a compact uni t, or l oad, composed of
pr i mer, powder char ge, and bu l l et. The bu l l et i s t he
proj ecti l e and i s propel l ed by the i nteracti ng f or ces of
pr i mer and powder. As no r i f l e sui ts al l si t uati ons and
no cart r i dge f i t s every ri fl e, no bul l et i s s ui tabl e for al l
shoot i ng. Shape and construct i on di ctate usage. For
exampl e, heavy, compact bul l ets, capabl e of achi evi ng
h i gh vel oci t i es and penetrat i ng tou gh h i des, are
needed for bi g game, but wi l l dri l l t hr ough smal l er
ani mal s. I f smal l edi bl e game i s the quar ry, l ow-vel oc
i t y l oads ar e best; the tr emendous expansi on of h i gh
vel oci ty bu l l ets destroys meat. More potent l oads
bl u nt- nosed and metal -j acketed types-are saved for
dangerous game.
These ar e sporti ng bu l l ets, so-cal l ed because t hey
k i l l qui ckl y by expandi ng l arger than t hei r or i gi nal cal i
ber as they ent er t he target, t hereby provi di n g great er
shocki ng power. Thi s per mi ts a wel l - pl aced shot to
d rop the animal rather than l et i t escape, wounded, to
di e l ater i n agony.
Mi l i tary bu l l ets, i n order to compl y wi th t he rul es of
i nter nat i onal warfare, are equi pped wi th a fu l l - metal
patch ( no l ead t i p exposed) , so that n o expansi on
OLLUfb and an u nnecessar i l y pai nful woun d i s l ess l i ke-
l y to be i nfl i cted. 25

g L LT
H H v(; T
BULLETS
Sport i ng bu l l ets have a core of l ead or l ead al l oy
over whi ch a jacket of copper- zi nc al l oy may or may
not be pl aced, accordi ng to the demands of game and
ri fl e. By varyi ng the thi ckness and desi gn of t hi s jacket
metal , ammu n i t i on manufactu rers can contr ol the de
gree of bu l l et expansi on. Th ree degrees exi st i n sport
i ng l oads : soft poi nt, h ol l ow poi nt, and expandi ng.
The effecti veness of a bul l et i s measur ed by i ts
stri ki ng force, whi ch i s dependent on a combi nat i on of
vari abl es: expansi on, wei ght and shape, and the vel oc
i ty mai ntai ned over a requi red di stance. I deal l y, bu l l ets
wou l d perform best i f they were al l of moderate wei ght
and equi pped wi th shar pl y poi nted t i ps, si nce t hey
wou l d meet l ess ai r resi stance. However, bu l l et con-
26
for mat i ons as to wei ght and shape are l i mi ted by t he

constr uct i on of each r i fl e and t he type of act i on asso

ci ated wi th gi ven cal i bers. No matter how constructed,
two forces-gravi ty and ai r-i mpede t he bu l l et' s prog
r ess and afect i ts traj ectory. Thi s s i mu l taneous resi st
ance causes the bu l l et to l ose moment um i mmedi at el y
as i t i s ej ected from t he ri fl e muzzl e, and to l ose speed
gradual l y over t he fl i ght pat h. As t he bu l l et s l ows,
gravi ty i s abl e to exert greater control over i t, pro
duci ng a gent l y sl opi ng downward c u rve. Var i at i ons
i n wei ght, shape, and vel oci ty can i n crease or de
crease t he l engt h of t hi s curve, and t he shooter, i f he
i s to be accurate, must be abl e to cal cul ate f or t he
cu rve when ai mi ng. A study of l oads and of bu l l et ve
l oci t i es at vari ous ranges i s necessary. Manufactu rers'
tabl es provi d e much of thi s i nfor mati on.
27
SMALL- BORE RI FLES
No other cl ass of fi rearm i s made i n such a vari ety of
act i ons and desi gns as the . 22 r i m-fi re r i fl e. Most
model s fi re al l th ree si zes of . 22-cal i ber r i m-fi r e car
t r i dges-Short, Long, and Long Ri fl e. The Lon g Ri fl e-i n
standard or h i gh- speed l oadi ng-i s t he favori te car
t r i dge of the target r i fl eman. The h i gh- speed, h ol l ow-
poi nt, Long Ri fl e cart r i dge i s perfect for squi rrel , rab-
bi t, or other smal l pests. I n addi t i on to the wi de range
of shooti n g exper i ences possi bl e wi t h . 22 ri fl es and . 22-
ri fl e l oads, they are rel ati vel y i nexpensi ve to shoot,
produce l i tt l e report or recoi l , and are accu rate enough
to per mi t shooters to devel op a hi gh degree of ski l l .
Wh i l e t h e . 22 doesn' t pack the punch of l ar ger cal i bers,
i t i s a basi c tool for every ri fl eman. For the pl i nker of
t i n cans, i t peppers t he tar get and offers a g reat
amount of shoot i ng at l ow cost. For ser i ous target and
smal l -game ri fl emen, shooti ng i n confi ned quarters, t he
di s i ntegrat i ng bul l et l oad of the . 22 provi des maxi mum
protect i on from r i cochet and l ead spatter.
AUTOLOADERS are wi thout quest i on the most popul ar
repeat i ng model s i n the . 22 fami l y. They ar e part i cu l ar
favori tes among pl i n ker s, si nce t hey fu n ct i on wi th al l
th ree cart r i dge si zes. I n fact, these model s, as wel l as
pump- acti on model s, are gener al l y r egar ded as the
real "fun guns" whi ch n ormal l y are not sel ected for
ser i ous tar get or smal l - game shoot i ng. The bas i c ob- 29
SMALL-BORE RI FLES
ject i on to the autol oader made by most ski l l ed r i fl e
men i s t hat tri gger- pu l l tends to be rough and does not
permi t cl ean l et- off, that i s, a smooth, even movement
wi thout "pl ay" or "cr eep. " Si nce tr i gger contro l i s not
qui te posi ti ve, the shooter' s chances for accu racy are
di rectl y affected. Thi s does not mean that accu racy
i s i mpossi bl e wi th the autol oader; some of these mod
el s can be r emarkably shar p. One Marlin 98, fi tted with
cheek- pi ece stock and 20X scope (wh i ch magni fi es the
target 20 ti mes) , gave 1 '/a - i n ch groups at 1 00 yards.
Most autol oaders have l arge- capaci ty tubul ar maga
zi nes ( some hol d as many as 30 Short cartr i dges) , but
t hi s i s not al ways tr ue. Ori gi nal l y, cartri dges were fed
i nto the chamber hor i zontal l y from a tube i n the butt,
a method sti l l used i n the Wi nchester Model 63, Mar l i n
Model s 9 8 an d 99, Remi ngton Model 6 6 wi th a nyl on
stock, and Mossberg Model 1 51 . Al though rel i abl e, t hi s
met hod of f eed l i mi ts the magazi ne capaci ty t o 1 5,
or as few as 1 0 Long Ri fl e cartri dges. The under- bar r el
30 tubul ar magazi ne, feedi n g up i nto t he chamber on an
Basi c equi pment for rifl emen, the .22-cal i ber rifle is made in the
wi dest range of acti ons and desi gns. Shown here, Mossberg Mod
e
l 346-K
wi th 4X scope si ght (top) and Savage Model 5 De Luxe.
Both feature Monte Carl o stocks, have tubul ar magazi nes
angl e, wi l l car ry from 1 5 to 1 8. Remi n gton Model s 550
and 552, Stevens Model 87, Savage Model 6, Mar l i n
Model 99, an d Wi nchester 7 7 Tubul ar feed i n t h i s man
ner. ( The Wi nchester 77 i s al so avai l abl e i n cl i p l oad. )
BOLT-ACTION MODELS: I n smal l - game and ser i ous
target shoot i ng, bol t-act i on model s ar e prefer red. They
per mi t smooth t r i gger- pu l l and come equi pped wi t h
stocks desi gned for scope shooti ng. I n addi t i on, t he
bol t-act i on cl osure gi ves better br eech l ock- up to r i m
f i r e cartr i dges. All of t hese factors assu re the shooter
of greater accu racy. Al most any model wi l l pr oduce
two- i n ch groups at 1 00 yar ds. Model s are manufactu red
i n 20- odd desi gns and a wi de choi ce of wei ghts rang
i n g f r om f i ve to ei ght pounds. A ser i ous shooter usual l y
sel ects a heavi er model because of i t s better h ol di n g
( or gr i ppi ng) qual i ti es, al though t h e fact t hat t h e
shooter can gr i p h i s ri fl e more fi rml y does n ot neces
sari l y i nsure greater accu racy. The Wi nche ster 69,
Remi ngton 51 1 A, Mar l i n 80, Savage 5, al l cl i p- l oaded
(wi th . 22 Lon g Ri fl e onl y) are t he preferred r i fl es i n t hi s 31
SMALL-BORE RIFLES
cl ass. The cl i p, or box, magazi ne offers hunters i n t he
fi el d t he conven i ence of convert i ng f r om regu l ar t o
hol l ow- poi nt or other l oads by si mpl y i n sert i ng t he
pr oper magazi ne. I n t ubul ar magazi ne model s (the
Mar l i n Model 81 -DL and Savage 5 are good ones) , the
tube must be cl eared before t he des i red cartr i dges can
be i nserted ( one by one) .
SLIDE AND LEVER ACTIONS: Bot h of t hese perform
equal l y wel l and make good al l - around choi ces for
pl i nkers and smal l -game h unters. Sl i de, or pump,
acti ons have t ubu l ar magazi nes, capabl e of usi ng al l
t hree . 22 l oads. They're dependabl e when t he act i on
i s cl ean, but l ack t he accuracy of bol t-act i on model s
because they do not l ock u p as t i ght l y as t he bol ts.
Once hi ghl y popul ar, they are now l osi ng t hei r promi -
Pl i nki ng-firi ng a t ti n cans, cl ay bi rds, and other breakabl e
objects-i s fi ne practi ce shooti ng for hunters. From
random ranges and the ofhand (standi ng) posi ti on, i t hel ps bui l d
the co-ordi nati on and accuracy that are essenti al when the
shooter advances to more powerful arms and l ive, movi ng targets
Porcupi ne: l i teral l y "spi ny-pig"
Snowshoe rabbit, or varying hare
Remington Model 572A
Mar l i n 39-A Presentation Model (above) , Wi nchester Model 61 (bel ow)
SMALL-BORE RIFLES
nence to l ower - pr i ced acti ons. Sti l l f i ne model s i n t hi s
cl ass are : Remi ngton 572 (regul ar and l i ght wei ghts) ,
Savage 29, Wi nchester 61 hammer l ess ( i nter nal ham
mer) and 62 ( wi t h exter nal hammer) . A renewed i nter
est i n Western Amer i cana has encouraged t he revi val
of several ol d l ever-act i on desi gns, as wel l . Ol d favor
i te Mar l i n Model 39, l ong the onl y model i n t hi s f i el d,
i s now r i val ed by Mar l i n 56 and Mossberg Pal omi no,
bot h hammer l ess desi gns. Onl y t he Marl i n uses a c l i p-
34 type magazi ne.
Mar l i n Model 56-Levermati c (top) is hammerl ess, has a cl i p
magazi ne. Remi ngton Model 51 0A Targetmaster can be used for
smal l game, i s best as a young shooter's target ri fl e
Wi nchester Model 77 (above), shown here wi th cl i p magazi ne
al so comes i n tubul ar feed. Remi ngton Model 66 i s fed through a
tube in i ts nyl on stock, hol ds 15 Long Ri fl e cartri dges
No matter what act i on the shooter sel ects, the addi
t i on of s l i n g swi vel s t o support a s l i ng can prove i nval u
abl e assets. These f i t al l model s equal l y wel l , make
car ryi ng afi el d easi er, and can be used advantageousl y
by t he shooter to steady h i s hol d when f i ri n g. I t i s al so
i mportant to remember al ways to fi re agai n st a sol i d
backg round. Thi s makes sense not on l y because i t i s
easi er to di scer n t he target, but because t he warni n g
on t h e cart r i dge boxes reads, "Dangerous wi thi n U
mi l e. " I t means exactl y what it says.
35
With hi s Wi nchester 37 mounted, boy wai ts for i nstructor to throw bi rd
THE FI RST h
Earl y t rai n i ng i n shooti ng produces a ski l l ed h u nter
i n maturi ty. Young refl exes are fast and the youthfu l
student has an open- mi nded approach to hi gh- grade
shooti ng techn i ques. I f pr oper l y i nstr ucted, he wi l l
not acqu i re bad habi ts he must l ater u n l ear n. Trai n i n g
may begi n whenever t h e chi l d' s co- or di nat i on i s up to
i t, al ways provi ded that adequate safety condi t i ons
exi st and the i nstructor i s qual i fi ed. Twel ve years i s a
good average age at wh i ch to start. I n any case, be
comi ng a good shooter i s a matter of exper i ence and
practi ce, whether wi th l i ve ammu n i t i on on t he target
range or dry shooti ng i n a basement or empty room.
The fi rst ar m shoul d be a . 22 ri fl e. The si mpl er i t i s,
36 the better. The bol t-act i on, si ngl e- shot r i fl e i s best. I t
Raccoon l ooks curi ousl y over shoul der. Bel ow, Stevens Model 94Y
provi des t he new ri fl eman wi th the safest f i rear m he
can own. Pump-act i ons ar e al s o good f or t he new
shooter. I f kept c l ean, they ar e most dependabl e. The
. 22 has t he addi t i onal advantage of l ow r eport and re
coi L There i s no danger that the you n g shooter wi l l
devel op a fl i nch, th rowi ng hi s shots wi de each t i me h e
fi res. Lat er he can bui l d up t o more potent arms, gradu
al l y i n u ri n g h i msel f t o thei r strong ki cks. Some manu
factu rers make a speci al short-stocked . 22 si ngl e- shot
ri fl e to encourage marksmansh i p at an ear l y age. Thi s
i s a vast i mprovement over the t i me when st ocks had
to be al tered to accommodate young shooters. Al l of
these new model s are l ow i n pr i ce ( most of t hem under
$35) and strong and accu rate enough t o per mi t t he 37
ML FI RST GUN
l earner to devel op hi s marksmansh i p to a competent
degree. Some fi ne begi nner' s ri fl es i n s i n gl e- shot bol t
act i on are : Wi nchester Model 67 wi th a standard barrel
l ength of 27 i nches or the speci al Boy' s Ri fl e at 20
i nches ; Mar l i n Model 1 01 ; Remi ngton Model 51 0A;
Mar l i n Modei1 5- Y; Wi nchester Model 69 Jun i or Target
Shooter' s Speci al . These wei gh about 51 h pounds or
under. Begi nner' s model s i n si ngl e- shot, smal l - gauge
shotguns i ncl ude t he Wi nchester Model 37 i n 20 gauge.
Thi s i s an excel l ent al l - around smal l -game gun. Other
fi ne model s ar e the Stevens 94Y i n 20 or . 41 0 gauge and
38
t he Marl i n- Gl enfi el d Model 60-G i n . 41 0.
Marl in Model 101
Stevens Model 1 5Y
Wi nchester Model 69
Winchester Model 37 shotgun
Marl i n- Gl enfi el d Model 60-G shotgun
39
WOODS RI FLES FOR DEER
Few t hi ngs prove more useful t o t he h u nt er t han a
knowl edge of how to bag wh i tetai l deer-by far t he
most numerous and wi del y di str i buted bi g game i n
Amer i ca today. The el usi ve target i t presents makes i t
choi ce for sport. The whi tetai l i s sel dom l i kel y to ex
pose h i msel f i n open areas to permi t a cl ean shot, even
at l ong range. Movi ng al ong runways, or feedi ng, he i s
constantl y under cover.
The fi rst ri fl e to snag t he wary buck successfu l l y and
consi stentl y was t he ol d Kentucky. Li ght repeaters,
such as t he Wi nchester Model 1 873, chambered for
t he . 44-40 cartr i dge, soon fol l owed, but these have l ong
40 been obsol ete. About fi fty years ago, ear l y model s
Marl i n Model 336-C (top) and Wi nchester Model 1 00
were suppl anted by the Wi nchester . 30-30, whi ch is
sti l l effective for deer hunt i ng, if bu l l ets are wel l pl aced
and t he t ar get i s no more than 100 yar ds away. Thi s
model i s someti mes good for begi nners si nce i t has a
l i ght recoi l and al l ows hi m to shoot accu ratel y wi t hout
devel opi ng a "fl i nch. " Modern rifl es recoi l shar pl y and
i t t akes t i me for t he new shooter to adj ust h i msel f to
t he j ol t, so t hat he does not shoot wi de of hi s mar k each
t i me he fi r es. However, as t he moder n ri fl e i s more
l i kel y to provi de a qui ck, humane k i l l i n g punch, it is
preferred to t he ol d . 30-30. As soon as possi bl e, a shoot
l6hDUC spend several hours on a practi ce range, unt il
he becomes reasonabl y effi ci ent wi th t he heavier ar m.
41
WOODS RIFLES FOR DEER
TARGET: Whi tetai l .
TERRAIN: Second- growth t i mber, heavy br ush.
SHOOTING PROBLEMS: Hu nter must t ake l egal buck
-al though does may al so be shot, dependi n g on l ocal
condi t i ons. As target wi l l be movi ng, he must get off a
qu i ck, wel l - ai med fi rst shot ; he may not be per mi tted
another chance. I deal l y, the bul l et shoul d be pl aced
wi th i n an ei ght- i nch ci rc l e, di rectl y beh i n d t he shoul
der, wel l down i nto t he chest, but several spots can be
j ust as l ethal . Deer approachi ng head- on shoul d be hi t
at the neck-shoul der j unctu re or i n mi d- neck, j ust
bel ow t he chi n. When deer shows a si de vi ew, t he
hu nter must ai m j ust above t he cent er of t he neck, or
j ust behi nd t he el bow- poi nt of t he forel eg. A 100- grai n
bul l et sui ts these pu rposes. Even when fai r l y wel l
pl aced, t he fi rst hi t often wi l l not ki l l t he ani mal , but
merel y fel l or stun h i m, so a wel l - ai med fol l ow- up shot
i s n o l ess i mportant and must be car r i ed out qui ckl y be
fore t he ani mal overcomes the shock of the fi rst bl ow
and escapes.
SHOOTING REQUIREMENTS: Super accu racy and
g reat power are not requ i red si nce 90 per cent of deer
are shot at l ess t han 1 00 yards, but a substanti al l y
heavy l oad wi t h good br ush- bucki ng power i s n eeded
for t he t hi cketed ter rai n. A l i ghtwei ght (not over 7'1
pounds) , short-barrel ed ( no l onger t han 22 i nches)
r i fl e, equ i pped wi th a good si ght t hat pi cks up i n poor
l i ght, wi l l permi t t he hunt er to ai m qui ckl y and del i ver
a powerful , accu rate bl ow. Yet i t al l ows hi m to be
ready for t he fol l ow- up i f t he fi rst shot fai l s to down
hi s deer. Several model s fi l l the bi l l . Recommended
are t wo new ones : Remi ngton 760C carbi ne, wi th 1 8-
i nch barrel , and Wi nchester 1 00 autol oader, wi th fi ve
shot capaci ty ( one shot to each squeeze of the t r i g
ger) . Al so good are : Wi nchester 88, Savage 99, and
Mar l i n 336 ( l ever- model s) and t he Remi ngton 742 auto
l oader. The best l oads to consi der for whi tetai l are :
. 308 Wi nchester, . 358 Wi nchester, . 270 Wi nchester, . 35
Remi ngton, . 280 Remi ngton, . 300 Savage, al l moder n
center-fi re cal i bers.
Remi ngton Model 760C Carbi ne-l i ght, short barrel ed, hi gh powered
43
LONG- RANGE SHOOTI NG
Long- range shooti ng encompasses everyth i n g on
open range f r om trampi ng after smal l game i n farm
l ands to h u nt i ng bi g trophi es i n mountai n areas. I t i n
cl udes thr ee categor i es of shooti ng : bi g game, medi u m
game, an d varmi nts, i n terrai ns where they c an n ot be
stal ked cl osel y, wher e, i n s ome cases, an approach
may t ake sever al days.
Ranges run from 200 yards up. A shooter who i s on
h i s mettl e and wel l armed may even take a trophy at
1 , 000 yards. Strai n i s on both ri fl e and shooter to pro
vi de fi ne pl acement. Where pr i ze t rophi es are i nvol ved,
a gu i de i s needed for advi ce and horses for packi ng
t he k i l l back to camp. Success-and enj oyment-l ar gel y
depend on equi pment : the pr oper ar m, ammu n i t i on
t hat perfor ms wel l at hi gh vel oci t i es and over l ong
ranges, and powerfu l si ghts (at l east a 4-power scope
i s needed, al though t he 6-power i s a favori te among
thi s cl ass of h u nter) .
BIG GAME
The quest for pri ze trophi es i s a speci al ty of t he ad
vanced shooter. Condi t i ons can be hazardous; a knowl
edge of t he game i s essent i al . The quarry i s sel ected
by i ts tr ophy val ue, al though t he meat from mountai n
sheep, moose, el k, car i bou can be a savory by- product
of t he hunt. Once a pri ze i s si ghted, t he h u nter must be
abl e to cal cul ate t he t i me for stal ki ng, di spatch i n g, re
tr i evi ng, and d ressi ng k i l l . A fel l ed ani mal shoul d not
be l eft exposed overn i ght and retri evi ng may requ i re
44 scal i n g 1 , 000 yards of cl i ff.
.300 Weatherby Magnum De Luxe
Mountai n goat i s sure-footed but not especi al l y
swift. El k (bel ow, l eft) ar e fast movers. Ri ght, Author
Kol l er wi th prize ram taken i n Canadi an Rocki es
A potenti al prize trophy, bul l el k roams through Montana ti mber
LLM-ML MLLM
TARGET: Rocky Mountai n goat, mountai n sheep,
moose, el k, car i bou.
TERRAIN: Cr aggy c l i fs, mountai ns, and open pl ains.
SHOOTING PROBLEMS: Tough h i des, heavy l ayers
of fat, t hi ck pel ts compl i cate admi ni ster i ng a fatal
bl ow. Stal ki ng may i nvol ve scal i ng and conceal i ng
onesel f i n dangerous rocky areas. Sheep have vi si on
sharp enough to di scer n obj ects at one- hal f mi l e.
Moose r el y on hear i ng and scent f or safety, to a l esser
extent on si ght. El k and cari bou depend on keen sense
of smel l . Al l can move rapi dl y. Goats ar e an excepti on;
46 they are not so wary, concent rate on t hei r i mmedi ate
Col t Col tsman Super De Luxe Custom
sur roundi ngs, and never run fast, even when escapi ng
hunter ' s fi r e. Usual l y, a h u nter has ampl e t i me to j udge
range and wi nd dr i ft and set h i msel f for at l east one
shot wi th hol d steady.
SHOOTING REQUIREMENTS: A ri fl e t hat takes a
hi gh-vel oc i ty cart r i dge and provi des cl ean t r i gger- pu l l ,
a stock su i ted t o shoot i ng i n pr one or si tt i ng posi t i ons,
and fu l l power at maxi mu m range. Scopes ai d i n pi n
poi nt pl acement. Fi rst choi ce of ri fl e-and cart r i dge
i s t he . 300 Weat herby Magn u m; second i s t he Wi n
chester Model 70 Al askan i n . 338 cal i ber . The . 300
Hol l and Hol l and Magn u m cart r i dge offered i n Wi n
chester 70, Remi ngton 721 , Col t custom and De Luxe
ri fl es, and sever al Mauser types, i s al so fi ne. Wi n
chester' s new . 264 Magn u m cart r i dge i n Model 70 can
be used, but i ts 1 40- gr ai n bul l et l acks t he punch
needed and provi ded by t he . 30- cal i ber cart r i dge.
MEDIUM GAME
Antel ope and mu l e- deer h u nt i ng i s l i mi ted to t he Far
West-extensi ve, open country where di stances cov
er ed i n tracki ng are great. Many chase t he herds by
Jeep, but a true sportsman l eaves transportat i on
nearby to stal k h i s prey on foot.
TARGET: Ant el ope, mu l e deer.
TERRAIN: Usual l y open pl ai ns, t hough mu l e deer is at
home i n sparsel y t i mbered foothi l l s, mountai ns.
SHOOTING PROBLEMS: Both ani mal s are al ert. An
tel ope can move at 60 mi l es per hour when pressed. 47
Customized Weatherby Magnum wi th scope, i nl ai d stock
LONG-RANGE SHOOTI NG
Hu nter must approach prey caut i ousl y, huggi ng
ground, taki ng advantage of any cover. He wi l l prob
abl y be prone or si tt i ng when he si ghts and shoots. Hi s
fi rst shot must be accu rate. He sel dom gets a second,
and he must cal cul ate for a l ong- range shot and prob
abl y for a movi ng target.
SHOOTING REQUIREMENTS: Wi th no fol i age i nter
fer ence, smal l cal i bers wi th l i ghtwei ght bu l l ets buck
wi nd and hol d ki l l i ng punch over l ong ranges. Thei r
h i gh muzzl e vel oci ty pr ovi des an al most fl at traj ectory,
mi n i mi zi ng errors i n range j udgment. Best are : . 257,
7- mm, . 270 Weatherby Magnums. Al so effecti ve are :
. 280 Remi n gton ; . 300 Hol l and Hol l an d ; . 270, . 243, . 308
Wi nchester ; . 264 Wi nchester Magnum, and t he . 30-06
wi th 150- grai n bul l et. Speed i s u n i mportant, so bol t-ac
ti ons wi th added wei ght of fu l l stocks and l ong barrel s
ai d shooti ng. Choose Weat herby ri fl es, t he Col t Col ts-
48 man, Wi nchester 70, Remi ngton 721, or Mauser types.
Pronghorn antel ope (also bel ow, l eft)
Smal l herd of el k
Remi ngton Model 721 A
50
LONG-RANGE SHOOTI NG
VARMINTS
Varmi nt hunt i ng keeps eye and refl exes i n t r i m and
provi des year-around pract i ce i n l ong- range shoot i ng
wi th a l i ght gun and fi tted scope. Sel dom rest ri cted by
game l aws, i t reduces t he pest popul at i on of ani mal s
and bi rds that have l i tt l e or no val ue as f ood or fu r, but
pr ey upon ani mal s and crops that do.
TARGET: Gopher, prai r i e dog, chuck, coyote, bobcat,
mount ai n l i on, c row, hawk, great hor ned owl . ( Predatory
bi rds may be protected ; check l ocal game l aws. )
TERRAIN: Open farm country or prai r i es.
SHOOTING PROBLEMS: Tar get i s smal l , war y, and
cl ever wi th acute heari ng and excel l ent vi si on. Hu nter
shoul d approach carefu l l y, usi ng any avai l abl e cover.
Bi rds must be bagged when per ched. Once i n fl i ght,
they ar e al most i mpossi bl e to h i t wi th a ri fl e.
Wi nchester Model 70 Varmi nt Ri fl e
Remi ngton Model 722
Proud youngster di spl ays chuck bagged with Wi nchester 67
Woodchuck: menace to agri cul ture
Mossberg 640-K Magnum
SHOOTING REQUIREMENTS: Preci si on of bi g- game
r i f l e wi t hout i t s potency and a bu l l et t hat can sustai n
k i l l i n g power and expand rapi dl y on i mpact. Top l oad
i s regu l ar .222 Remi ngton, fi r i ng a 50- grai n bu l l et. The
. 21 9 Zi pper i n Mar l i n Model 336 ( l ever act i on on l y) i s
good, but not so accu rate. For targets wi th i n 1 00 yards,
t he . 22 Wi nchester Magn u m r i m-fi r e, f i r i ng 40- grai n,
h ol l ow- poi nt l oad i s f i ne. Ri fl es : Mossberg Model
640- K, bol t acti on ; Marl i n Model 57- M, l ever act i on ;
Wi nchester Model 61 , sl i de acti o n ; si ngl e-shot Col teer
-al l chambered for . 22 WMR-and Remi ngt on Model
722, Savage 340, Sako, BSA-bol t act i ons chamber ed
for . 222 Remi ngton. For unusual l y l ong ranges use :
. 243 Wi nchester Varmi nt or regul ar Model 70, Savage
Model 1 1 0, or one of t he Mauser bol t act i ons.
53
BI G GAME I N TI MBER
Many of t h e same ani mal s pursued b y t h e l ong- range
shoot er may al so be found i n t i mber count ry, but t he
shooti ng requ i r ements and equi pment must be s uit
abl e to t he di fferent condit i ons. Ranges are var i abl e,
but general l y short er than those encountered i n open
country. They go up to 300 yards, but a movi ng ani mal
may have to be t aken at under 50, so super- accu racy
is not so i mportant as speed. A t r i p to the Rocki es or
t h e Far North where such game may be found demands
much pre- pl ann i ng, equippi ng pr oper l y for t he h u nt,
and reservi ng camp and horses i n advance.
TARGET: Moose, e
i
k, car i bou, bi son ( buffal o) , bl ack
and g ri zzl y bear, Al askan brown bear and gi ant moose.
TERRAIN: Remote ar eas of West, Northwest ; h i gh
mountai n count ry; heavy, wi l d br ush an d t i mber;
54 Al askan coastal regi ons for bear.

Wi nchester Model 88
SHOOTING PROBLEMS: Wary ani mal s wi th keen
sense of smel l , good hear i ng and vi si on. They must be
stal ked s ki l l f ul l y, i deal l y upwi nd. Some knowl edge of
t he target' s habi ts i s essenti al . Bear are scarce, usu-
al l y t ravel al one, and move swi ftl y (somet i mes 20 mi l es
per day). They shoul d be h u nted i n fal l near feedi n g
areas or i n s pr i n g as hi bernat i on ends. Ar oused bear,
especi al l y g ri zzl y, i s dangerous and swi ft. The fi rst
shot shoul d be s ure, stri ki ng brai n, smas hi ng spi ne, or
smas hi ng s houl der and stri ki ng heart. A mi ss can be
fatal ; t he wi se h u nt er has t he next cart r i dge i n t he
chamber. El k, car i bou, and moose are more di ffi cul t to
spot i n t i mber regi ons than i n open country. Thei r
browni sh- grey pel ts h i de t hem i n shadows of tr ee
trun ks, l eaf patter ns, and autumn g rasses. They move
soundl essl y and are h i ghl y sensi t i ve to i nt r uders. 55
Savage 1 1 0-MC (above) and Savage 99 De Luxe
.308-cal i ber cartri dge i s good load for grizzly bear
Col ori ng protects el k (bel ow) . Moose rel i es on ears, nose
BI G GAME IN TI MBER
Amer i can bi son are protected by game l aws i n most
ar eas except Montana, Wyoming, and Al berta. Texas
per mi ts shooti ng mal es over 10 years and steers. Ar i
zona h ol ds an annual hunt open to 50 sportsmen.
SHOOTING REQUIREMENTS: The h u nter shoul d use
t he most powerfu l ar m he can handl e qu i ckl y and
shoot accu rat el y under stress of a char ge. A powerfu l
ri fl e, del i ver i ng a heavy, control l ed- expansi on bul l et,
i s necessary to cut tough hi de, pel t, and bone. Top
pi ng t he l i st of fast-fi r i ng, qu i ck- hand l i n g t i mber r i fl es
i s Remi ngton Model 760 sl i de-act i on i n . 30-06 Spr i ng
fi el d, . 280 Remi ngton, . 270 Wi nchester. I n t he same
cal i bers, Remi ngt on' s 742 autol oader ( sl i ghtl y heavier .
than t he 760) is a fi ne arm. Both are avai l abl e in . 308
cartri dge which i s one of the best cu rrent t i mber l oads.
Al so good ar e t hree l ever acti ons : The Marl i n 336- SD,
Savage Model 99- EG, and Wi nchester Model 88, whi ch
i s avai l abl e both i n . 308 and t he heavy . 358 cal i bers.
Many bol t acti ons t ake the necessary big- game l oads :
Wi nchester Model 70 Featherweight ; Remi ngton 721 ,
722 ; Savage 1 1 0 ( r i ght- and l eft- hand versi ons) , Bi r
mingham Smal l Ar ms Sporter, and several Mausers.
Fastest of al l is the new Wi nchester Model 1 00 auto-
58
l oader, fi ri ng . 308 cartr i dges.
Wi nchester Model 70 Westerner
Al askan brown bear eating salmon at creek edge

SI GHTI NG THE RI FLE
I t i s an axi om among ri fl emen that "no ri fl e i s better
than i ts si ghts, " but si ghts are hel pf ul on l y if pr oper l y
al i gned. Sel dom does a r i fl e come from the factory or
shop si ghted- i n and ready for use, and t oo few shooters
are abl e to recogni ze or cor rect the defect.
The pr i nci pl es of si ght i ng are si mpl e : the l i n e of
si ght must be paral l el to the l i n e of bore, and si ght
el evat i on shoul d take bu l l et traj ectory i nto account.
The fi rst adj ustment i s for wi ndage. The si ght i s moved
to ri ght or l eft i n the d i rect i on the bul l et must go to
el i mi nate any di scr epancy between t he actual st r i ki ng
poi nt and t he desi red stri ki ng poi nt. For exampl e, i f a
g roup of fi ve shots, fi red from a ri fl e stead i ed i n posi
t i on and ai med at target cent er , hi ts si x i nches l eft of
60 center , the rear si ght must be moved to the r i ght to
A properl y si ghted rifle takes advantage of natural trajectory
correct t he error. On mi c rometer , or scope, si ghts, t hi s
i s done i n graduated 'h- mi n ute ( someti mes '/ - mi n ute,
someti mes mi n ute) cl i cks, each cl i ck pr oduci ng a '/
i nch movement at 50 yards, 'h- i nch movement at 1 00
yards, one- i nch movement at 200 yards. (A '/ - mi n ute
cl i ck pr oduces a '/ - i nch movement at 1 00 yards ; a one
mi n ute cl i ck a one- i nch movement at 1 00 yards. )
Adj ust i n g open i ron si ghts i n dovetai l bar r el s l ots
( usual l y provi ded by the man ufact ur er) i s more d i ffi
cul t an d necessari l y a matter of t r i al an d er ror. Before
maki ng any adj ustment, i t i s wi se to draw a l i n e of
reference from the front edge of the si ght base to t he
r i f l e barrel . A fl at brass punch and hammer may be
used to tap the si ght i n the correct i ng di recti on. To
check the adj usted al i gnment, a second g roup must
61
Mykrom Scope Mount
Wi l l i ams matted front-ramp si ght cuts gl are
SI GHTI NG THE RI FLE
be fi red. I f t he amount of movement has n ot been suf
fi ci ent, the refer ence l i n e shoul d agai n be consu l ted
and t he si ght tapped unt i l the di fference i s el i mi n ated.
Er rors i n el evat i on are cor rected i n a si mi l ar man
ner. I n a r i fl e t hat shoots l ow, t he rear s i ght must be
rai sed ; i f i t shoots hi gh, t he rear si ght must be l ower ed.
I n mi cromet er and scope si ghts, t here i s a second di al
by whi ch adj ustments can be made i n '/ - mi n ute, 'h
mi n ute, or mi n ute cl i cks on t he same basi s as cor rec
ti ons are made for wi ndage. Open i ron si ghts are
adj usted by tappi ng. Ther e i s one except i on to t hi s
r el ati vel y si mpl e patter n. Occasi onal l y a r i f l e wi l l shoot
h i gh when the rear si ght i s set as l ow as i t wi l l go and
cannot be l owered. I n such cases, a hi gher front si ght
must be i nstal l ed whi ch, i n effect, l owers t he muzzl e.
The most di ffi cul t pr obl em a shooter encounters i n
62 si ght i ng a ri fl e i s di scover i ng i ts poi nt- bl ank range.
Unusual for shotguns is Wi l l i ams ramp si ght
(above, l eft) whi ch rai ses eye l evel , i mproves accuracy.
Scal e on Wi l l i ams 50 recei ver, or peep, si ght
(ri ght) si mpl i fi es adjustments for wi nd, el evati on
That i s, the range at whi ch no cal cul at i on for traj ectory
i s necessary when taki ng ai m: a bul l et d i rected at tar
get center, h i ts target cent er. Poi nt- bl ank range di ffers
with cartridges and wi th vari ati ons i n bu l l et wei ghts
and shapes i n the same cartr idge. To deter mi ne i t
proper l y, exper i mentati on on t he target range and a
study of bal l i st i c charts i s necessary. Knowl edge of a
ri fl e' s poi nt- bl ank range is i mportant for it r el i eves t he
shooter of compl ex cal cul at i ons. A bu l l et as i t i s di s
charged ri ses s l ightl y, t hen fol l ows a gent l y sl opi ng tra
j ectory. I f a h igh-vel oci ty l ong- range ri fl e, such as t he
Wi nchester Wester ner , is si ght ed i n at 1 00 yar ds,
t he bu l l et path shows an exaggerated d rop at l onger
ranges ( ei ght i nches bel ow ai m at 250 yar ds) . Yet t he
same r ifl e s ighted- i n at 250 yards shows onl y a s l ight
r i se in bu l l et f l i ght between 50 and 250 yar ds, shooti ng
about 2. 5 i n ches above poi nt of ai m at 1 00 yards, two 63
K-3 Weaver scope on Savage Model 99
SI GHTI NG THE RI FLE
i nches at 200 yards, and hi tti ng on target at 250 yards.
Thr ee types of si ghts are avai l abl e. The shooter' s
choi ce depends on pr i ce, what feel s comfortabl e to
h i m, and the type of shooti ng he expects to do.
SCOPE: By f ar the best si ght i ng devi ce avai l abl e,
al t hough i t i s fai r l y expensi ve, adds bul k and wei g ht t o
t he r i f l e, and i s al most usel ess i n rai n, fog, or snow.
At dusk, dawn, or on hazy days, when i t wou l d be d i ffi
cu l t t o fi x i ron si ghts on target, t h e scope' s l i ght- gath-
64 er i ng qual i t i es per mi t greater accu racy. I t s ai mi ng
K-1 Weaver scope on Remi ngton Model 1 1 -48 shotgun
J-25 Weaver scope on Remi ngton Model 572
devi ces-dot, cross hai r, post-and magn i fi cat i on si m
pl i fy t he shooter' s pr obl ems and present a c l ear i mage.
Deci di ng how much power to use i s oft en a pr obl em
when choosi ng a scope, but usual l y th i s i s deter mi ned
by game and terrai n. I n ti mber regi ons, where game i s
movi ng and at moderate ranges, l ow- power scopes
( 3X or l ess) whi ch provi de wi der f i el ds of vi si on are
best. I n open country, where game general l y i s not
movi ng and ranges are l ong, hi gh- power scopes (6X
or 8X} wi th g reat er magni fi cat i on are mor e sui tabl e. 65
Weaver scope, Echo mount, al most hi de al ternate recei ver si ght
SI GHTI NG THE RI FLE
PEEP SIGHT: Less expensi ve than scopes and far
more du rabl e, the peep rates second among si ghts.
The proxi mi ty of eye to si ght per mi ts an u n usual l y
wi de f i el d of vi si on, and t he eye' s i nst i ncti ve abi l i ty t o
peer t hr ough t he smal l apert ure, automat i cal l y center
i ng t he front si ght, i ncreases the chances of accu racy.
Si nce the hunt er needs onl y to al i gn the fr ont si ght
wi t h t he game, the peep i s f ar faster to use t han open
r ear si ghts wh i ch have three poi nts of reference: r ear
si ght, front si ght, and game.
OPEN REAR SIGHT: Ran ki ng t hi rd i n perf or mance,
but by far the l east expensi ve, are open i ron si ghts.
They are r ugged, easy travel ers, and on br i ght days
gi ve an unobstructed vi ew of the target, per mi tt i ng t he
hunt er to shoot t i ght (to keep hi s shot - gr oups wi thi n
a smal l ci rcu l ar area) . Wi th no l i ght- gather i ng pr oper
ti es, they are al most usel ess when l i ght is bad, and
focusi ng wi th t hem i s extremel y sl ow. The shooter ' s
eye must cent er t he front si ght i n t he rear s i ght, then
al i gn t he front si ght wi th the game. The di ff i cu l ty of the
pr ocess i s often i ncreased because l i ght st r i ki ng t he
f r ont si ght tends t o produce a hal o on one or t he other
s i de of i t. As t he eye attempts to center t h e si ght, i t i s
l i kel y to mi sj udge what i s actual and what i s i l l usory.
Thi s can somet i mes be el i mi nated by pl aci ng a hood
66 over t he front si ght to standar di ze t he l i ght.
BALLI STI CS CHART
FOR PRI NCI PAL CENTER- FI RE CARTRI DGES
MUZZLE VELOCI TY is a meas u re in feet per second of t he t i me
requ i red f or a bu l l et t o t rave l fr om mu z z l e t o a poi nt 7 5 feet away.
MUZZLE ENERGY is a cal c u l at i on in foot pounds of t he for ce exer ted
by a bu l l et as i t l eaves t he muzzl e. I t i s a r ough measurement of t he
compar at i ve k i l l i n g power of car t r i dges.
MI D- RANGE TRAJ ECTORY i s t he number of i nches a bu l l et r i ses
above t he l i ne of bor e, at the r ange speci fi ed.
MI D- RANGE
BULLET VELOCI TY ENERGY TRAJ ECTORY
CARTRI DGE Wt. Grs. Muzzl e Muzzl e 1 00 yds. 200 yds.
21 9 ZI PPER 56 3 1 1 0 1 200 0. 6 2. 9
22 HORNET 45 2690 720 0. 8 4. 3
222 REMI NGTON 50 3200 1 1 40 0. 5 2. 5
220 SWI FT 48 41 1 0 1 800 0. 3 1 . 4
243 WI NCHESTER 1 00 3070 2090 0. 5 2. 2
250 SAVAGE 1 00 2820 1 760 0. 6 2. 9
257 ROBERTS 1 00 2900 1 870 0. 6 2. 7
257 ROBERTS 1 1 7 2650 1 820 0. 7 3. 4
270 WI NCHESTER 1 00 3580 2840 0. 4 1 . 7
270 WI NCHESTER 1 30 31 40 2840 0. 5 2. 1
280 REMI NGTON 1 50 281 0 2630 0. 6 2. 6
30-30 WI NCHESTER 1 50 241 0 1 930 0. 9 4. 2
30-30 WI NCHESTER 1 70 2220 1 860 1 . 2 4. 6
30 REMI NGTON 1 70 2220 1 860 1 . 2 4. 6
30-06 SPRI NGFI ELD 1 1 0 3420 2850 0. 4 2 . 1
30-06 SPRI NGFI ELD 1 80 2700 291 0 0. 7 2. 9
30-06 SPRI NGFI ELD 220 241 0 2830 0. 8 3. 9 .
300 SAVAGE 1 50 2670 2370 0. 7 3. 2
300 SAVAGE 1 80 2370 2240 0. 9 3. 7
300 H . & H. MAGNUM 1 80 2920 3400 0. 6 2. 4
300 H . &H. MAGNUM 220 2620 3350 0. 7 3 . 1
3 2 WI NCHESTER
SPECI AL 1 70 2280 1 960 1 . 0 4. 8
32 REMI NGTON 1 70 2220 1 860 1 . 0 4. 9
348 WI NCHESTER 200 2530 2840 0. 8 3. 8
348 WI NCHESTER 250 2350 3060 0. 9 4. 4
358 WI NCHESTER 200 2530 2840 0. 8 3. 6
358 WI NCHESTER 250 2250 281 0 1 . 0 4. 4
35 REMI NGTON 200 221 0 21 70 1 . 1 5. 2
375 H. & H. MAGNUM 270 2740 4500 0. 7 2. 9
375 H . &H . MAGNUM 300 2550 4330 0. 7 3. 3
Id 8d0160M
.._
RECEI VER
BREECH BLOCK
TOE
WHAT MAKES A SHOTGUN
Th e versat i l i ty of t h e shotgun makes i t t h e most wi de
l y used h unter ' s arm i n Ameri ca. Loaded wi th t he f i nest
si ze of shot, i t ki l l s quai l , woodcock, doves, and sni pe.
I nc rease t he shot si ze and i t i s r eady f or d uck, g rouse,
pheasant, and rabbi t. Wi t h t he heavi est bi rdshot, i t
takes geese, foxes, t u rkeys, bobcats, and othe r l arge
var mi nts. Loaded wi th a r i fl ed sl ug, i t takes deer al
most as wel l as the ri fl e. I ts maj or l i mi tat i on i s a rel a
t i vel y short maxi mu m effecti ve range of about 75 yards.
The desi gn of the shotgu n i s si mpl e. The barrel i s
made of soft steel , thi n wal l ed and smoothbored. An
en l ar gement at t he breech end of t he bore-t he cham
ber -contai ns t he shel l . When t he t r i gger i s pu l l ed, i t
r el eases t he f i r i ng pi n whi ch moves shar pl y forward
and stri kes t he rear end of the shel l , detonat i ng the
pr i mer and thus f i r i ng the char ge. The break- open
70
si ngl e- shot i s t he si mpl est model . The br eech i s hi nged
Precedi ng pages: Wi nchester Model 59
BARREL

\
GAZI NE
FORE END
\
FRONT SI GHT
\

to per mi t effi ci ent l oadi n g and extract i on of t he shel l .

A shotgu n must th row a l oad of shot i n an evenl y
spread pattern at fai r l y short range. I t i s poi nted, not
ai med, and speed and easy han dl i n g are essent i al . Thi s
gu n has n o r ear si ght, so the eye of t he shooter must
take i ts pl ace. The stock is desi gned to gi ve fu l l sup
port to t he cheek, putt i ng t he shooter ' s eye i n t he
same r el at i onsh i p to t he breech f r om shot to shot.
The ki l l i n g range of the shotgu n i s l i mi ted to t he
di stance at whi ch t he target cannot escape t hr ough t he
patter n wi t hout sustai n i n g hi ts from enough pel l ets
to k i l l qu i ck l y. The di ffer ence i n t hi s " k i l l i n g patter n"
spread i s roughl y f i ve yards between gauges when t hey
ar e f i r i ng l oads of comparabl e val ue. What t he 1 2 does
at 60 yar ds, t he 1 6 does at 55, t he 20 at 50. The smal l er
and . 41 0 gauges fal l bel ow t hi s average. Thei r
maxi mu m efecti ve range i s 35 yards.
71
Pump acti on, showi ng the pump
(l ower ri ght) pul l ed back. The carri er i s
pi cki ng up shel l from the magazi ne
ACTI ONS AND HOW THEY WORK
Sh ot guns ar e made i n fi ve acti on types : s i ngl e shot,
doubl e bar rel , pump, autol oader, and bol t acti on. They
were once made i n l ever act i on, but these h ave been
di sconti nued. The si ngl e- shot, si ngl e- bar rel ed shot
gu n i s t he si mpl est and l east expensi ve type.
DOUBLES: The fi rst mu l t i pl e- shot gu n was a twi n
t ubed model capabl e of f i r i ng two shots. The moder n
doubl e gun has been refi ned and i mproved, but the
cl assi c desi gn remai ns. I t i s real l y two guns, si de by
si de, wi th one stock. I n addi t i on to dual bar rel s, i t has
twi n l ock systems (acti ons) and usual l y two t r i ggers.
OVER/UNDER DOUBLES: Thi s i s a more modern ver
si on of t he si de-by-si de doubl e bar rel . I t has the
added advantage of a si ngl e si ght i ng- pl ane. Many
shooters fi nd i t di ffi cul t to si ght over t he twi n bar rel s
of a regul ar doubl e gun. They t end to
.
"cross-fi re" over
the bar rel s rather than si ght proper l y down t he center
r i b. Wi th an over/under, t he gunner si ghts al ong the
72 top bar rel . Some shooters feel the vert i cal ar r ange
ment of t he bar rel s prevents t i ppi ng or canti ng to one
si de whi ch f requentl y causes a mi ss.
PUMP OR SLIDE-ACTION GUNS: The pump was the
fi rst repeat i ng shotgu n devel oped i n thi s country t hat
i s sti l l pr oduced today. The shel l s-a maxi mu m of si x
are contai ned i n a t ubul ar magazi ne bel ow t he s i n gl e
bar rel . Aft er f i r i ng, t h e sl i de handl e i s j erked backward
to ej ect the empty shel l case and recock the hammer.
As t he s l i de handl e i s pushed forward a fresh s hel l i s
l i fted f r om t h e magazi ne an d car r i ed i nto t h e chamber.
The f i nal forward movement of t he sl i de hand l e l ocks
t he breech bl ock and t he gun i s ready to fi re agai n.
AUTO- OR SELF-LOADERS: As t he t er m i mpl i es, t he
sel f - l oader l oads i tsel f after each shot and t he shoot er
has onl y to pul l t he tri gger to fi re the gun each t i me.
The magazi ne i s t ubul ar, as i n the s l i de- acti on gu n .
Two autol oader systems are cu r r entl y used : t h e recoi l
system, whi ch uti l i zes the energy i mparted b y the back
ward pressure of the fi red shel l , and t he gas system,
whi ch takes a part of t he expandi ng powder gases
t hr ough a smal l vent i n t he bore. The gas operates a
pi ston whi ch, i n t ur n, opens t he breech , t hus ej ecti ng
t he empty case, recocki ng the hammer, and feedi ng H
fr esh l oad i nto t he chamber.
BOLT ACTIONS: Si mpl e and i nexpensi ve, t he bol t
act i on i s al so the s l owest repeati ng shotgun to operate.
Shel l s are carri ed ei ther i n a t ubul ar magazi ne or i n
a box magazi ne, usual l y detachabl e, di rect l y f orward
of t he t r i gger guard. To ej ect a fi red case or prepare
t he gun f or l oadi ng, the bol t handl e i s l i fted and pu l l ed
back to t he r ear of t he r ecei ver. Push i n g t he handl e
forward pi cks up a fresh shel l . Turn i n g t he bol t i nto t he
l ocked posi t i on cocks t he act i on and cl oses i t. 73
Cutaway of buckshot l oad
o
O
O
O
. 410 bore
.410"
28 gauge
. 550"
20 gauge
. 615"
16 gauge-.670"
SHOTGUN GAUGES AND SHELLS
1 2 gauge-. 730"
A shotgun' s gauge-l i ke a r i fl e' s cal i ber-i s a meas u re
of i ts bore di ameter. The standard of measur ement,
however, i s an odd one. I t i s t he number of bal l s, each
fi tt i ng the bore exact l y, that can be pr oduced from one
pound of l ead. The number of bal l s wei ghi ng one
pound t hat f i t the bore of a 1 2- gauge gu n wi l l , t hen,
total twel ve. The onl y excepti on to t hi s i s t he l i tt l e .
4
1 0,
whi ch i s measu red i n thousandths of an i nch. Shot
shel l s are made up of powder, shot, and pr i mer. When
the gun i s fi red, the pr i mer i gn i tes, f i r i ng the powder,
wh i ch pr opel s t he shot. The case is usual l y made of
paper wi th a brass head. Remi ngton, however , has re
centl y produced a new case made of pol yethyl ene
pl asti c, wi t h a steel head coated wi t h copper and
brass. Thi s SP Premi er Grade shel l ( 1 2 gauge on l y)
74 seems the most du rabl e, waterproof shel l yet made.
Cutaway of ri fl ed- sl ug shel l
1 0 gauge-. 775" Cutaway of standard l oad
The l onger the shel l , the more shot pel l ets i t can
contai n ; t he h i gher t he shot- si ze number , t he smal l er
t he pel l ets. A ri fl ed- sl ug shel l woul d compare i n s i z e t o
a . 70-cal i ber bul l et and i s used onl y f or bi g game.
Range and t he si ze of t he target are t he factors t hat
fi x t he shot l oad used. For smal l game bi rds, such as
quai l or woodcock, at fai rl y short range, the 1 2- gauge
gun can be effect i vel y l oaded wi th a s h el l car ryi ng
t hree drams of powder (equi val ent) [ shel l man ufac
tu rers do not reveal t he actual measure they use] and
1 '/a ounces of #9 shot. For l ar ger bi rds, the 1 2' s l oad
can be i n c reased to 33/ d rams ( equi val ent) of powder
an d 1 1/ ounces of #6 shot. Th e 1 2 gauge wi l l al so take
Magn u m s hel l s for ducks at l ong range, and buckshot
or a one- ounce ri fl ed sl ug for bi g game. Smal l er gauges
car ry pr oport i onat el y smal l er l oads. 75

e
I mproved cyl i nder choke
"+
e
o
"

_ "

:
.

. .

.
:

"

*
".
Modifi ed choke
CHOKES AND PAfiERNS
The choke of a shotgun barrel works i n much t he
same way as t he nozzl e of a hose. When t he nozzl e i s
t i ghtened, a fi ne st r eam of water i s proj ected far out.
As the nozzl e i s opened, the spray patt ern becomes
wi der and t rave l s a shorter di stance. The amount of
wat er comi ng t hr ough the hose does not chan ge; onl y
t he wi dt h of the openi ng i t goes t hrough. I n t he same
way, a shot patter n i s changed by narrowi ng t he si ze
of t he bore near t he muzzl e.
Al l shotguns are made wi th one choke bor i ng or
anot her. These range f r om the standard th ree-fu l l ,
modi fi ed, and i mproved cyl i nder-to t he adj ustabl e
choke whi ch can be attached to t he bar r el and per mi ts
the shooter to change choke i n the fi el d. The effecti ve
shooti ng range i n a choke bor i ng i s deter mi ned by the
76
di stance at whi ch at l east 60 per cent of the shot
.

.
:
.
:.


.
`
`

'` . '

'

Ful l choke
680 Long Range No. 2
I
f

-

705 Ful l Choke
Ct
Cutts Compensator
LymanCHOKE wi th recoi l chamber
CHOKES AND PATTERNS
pel l ets wi l l fal l wi thi n a 30- i nch c i rcl e. Thi s i s about
25 yar ds for i mproved cyl i nder, 35 yar ds for modi f i ed,
and 40 yar ds for fu l l choke. For nor mal l y pr edi ctabl e
ranges t h e fol l owi ng chokes are recommended :
IMPROVED CYLINDER: Rabbi t, quai l , woodcock,
grouse, skeet shooti ng.
MODIFIED: Rufed grouse, pheasant, doves, ducks
over decoys.
FULL CHOKE: Waterfowl pass shoot i ng, turkey,
geese, foxes, trapshoot i ng.
Doubl e guns offer the advantage of t wo chokes, one
f or t he fi rst shot at cl ose range, the second ready for
a fol l ow- up if t he fi rst i s mi ssed. The usual combi na
ti ons are : ri ght barrel modi fi ed, l eft barrel ful l ; or r i ght
barrel i mproved cyl i nder, l eft modi fi ed. Skeet gu ns are
al so made wi th l ess choke i n t he r i ght barrel . Trap
guns and doubl es used for l onger ranges have both
barrel s bored ful l choke.
I t i s not necessary to have a mu l ti tude of guns to
hunt di fferent ki nds of game. The shooter can deci de
what choke he wi l l need most and get a gu n t hat can
be fi tted wi th i nterchangeabl e barrel s. Many manu
fact ur ers provi de t hese at fai rl y l ow cost . The di sad
vantage here i s that changi ng over fr om one set of
choked bar r el s to anot her cannot be done on the spur
of the moment. A more conveni ent answer i s an ad
j ustabl e choke on a si ngl e- bar r el ed gu n . Wi th t hi s
devi ce the shooter can obtai n any degree of choke.
Because of i ts rai sed su rface, some shooters al so use
the adj ustabl e choke as a f r ont si ght i ng ai d. Recoi l
reducers are i n corporated i n certai n model s ; others,
l i ke t he Cutts Compensator, are basi cal l y recoi l - re-
78
ducers combi ned wi t h i nterchangeabl e choke tubes.
Sol i d matted ri b
Venti l ated matted ri b
Matted ri b on doubl e gun
BARRELS AND RI BS
The standard bar r el l engths are 26, 28, 30, and 32
i nches. General l y speaki ng, the l onger bar rel s are used
i n wi l dfowl shoot i ng. Shorter barrel s usual l y are used
i n heavy brush country f or conven i ence i n handl i ng.
A r i b i s frequent l y attached t o t h e bar r el of a shot
gun. These are ei t her sol i d or venti l ated, wi th a matted
surface for easy si ght i ng. Matt i ng prevents refl ecti on
and gl are, and t he r ai sed su rface of t he r i b acts as a
better si ght i ng pl ane than the barrel i tsel f. The venti
l ated r i b i s part i cu l ar l y useful for repeated fi r i ng over
an extended per i od, as i n trapshooti ng. Heat waves
r i si ng from the bar r el wi l l cause a mi rage l eadi n g to i n
accurate shooti ng. The venti l ated r i b per mi ts some of
t hi s heat to come out of sl ots i n the surface of t he
barrel , and channel s i t out to t he si des. 79
UPLND GUNS
Upl and game bi rds can r i se f r om dense cover at
speeds of 30 to 50 mi l es per hour, so a shotgun that
handl es qu i ckl y and eas i l y i s t he fi rst requ i rement for
upl and hunt i ng. The shot must be made dur i ng t he
br i ef, fl as hi ng gl ances t he h u nt er gets of h i s quar ry
before it soars or r uns out of s i ght and range.
Several factors determi ne the choi ce of gauge used :
si ze and speed of target, the terrai n, and whet her or
n ot t h e shooter works wi th a dog. Most upl and game
can be t aken wi t h a 20- or a 1 6- gauge shotg u n ; a 1 2
gauge may bl ow a smal l bi rd to bi ts. The 1 2- gauge
proves most val uabl e when hunt i ng l ar ger bi rds, such
as t he wi l d t u rkey. For g rouse and woodcock i n densel y
t hi cketed New Engl and, the open- choked 20 gauge i s
deadl y, wh i l e i n t he more open country of t he South
and West, the hunt er chooses a 16 or 12 gauge for
l onger shots at quai l , partri dge, and pheasant. I f the
h u nter uses a dog, t he range can be fai rl y accurat el y
deter mi ned i n advance, dependi ng on t he breed and
abi l i ty of t he dog. A good bi rd dog usual l y hol ds the
Wi nchester Model 21 custom
(and expensi ve) doubl e gun
Rufed grouse
82
UPLAND GUNS
bi rd at poi nt at a known, reasonabl y cl ose di stance
each t i me. Thus, the hunter has onl y to add thi s fai r l y
constant factor to hi s own di stance from the dog to get
a good esti mate of the shooti ng range.
I f the shooter i s worki ng al one, t he bi rd may fl ush
underfoot, or r un 30 or 40 yards before taki ng fl i ght.
I n t hi s case, the l ong range of a 12 gauge makes i t
the preferred gun. I t al so offers a better opport un i ty
to make a cl ean k i l l , t hus l esseni ng the chance of c ri p
pl i n g bi rds and l osi ng them i n the underbr ush, where
they are di ff i cul t to recover wi thout a dog.
Upl and guns wei gh f r om 53/4 to 71/l pounds and a
pound one way or the other may mean an i mportant
l oss or gai n of t i me for the hunter to get on target.
TARGET: Grouse, pheasant, part r i dge, woodcock,
quai l , wi l d t u rkey.
v
TERRAIN: Grouse : rol l i n g t i mber l and and l ow val l ey
cover. Pheasant : farml and for feed, l ow growth or
swampl and f or cover. Partri dge: stubbl e fi el ds, open
prai r i e, occasi onal l y desert. Woodcock : l ow, moi st
ground, heavy cover. Quai l : dry g round vegetati on, usu
al l y l ow. Wi l d tu rkey : deep woods, morasses, swamp
l and, and th i cketed mountai n cou ntry.
SHOOTING PROBLEMS: Fast- movi ng, ext remel y wary
quar ry i n cl ose cover, wi th ranges of 20 to 50 yards.
Fast act i on i s needed to hi t target before i t di sappears.
Possi bl e muti l at i on of game from a too- heavy l oad
must be avoi ded. (Wi l d tu rkey i s the excepti on ; bei ng
l ar ge and heavy, i t requ i res a heavi er char ge of powder
and shot. ) Maxi mum pat i ence and endu rance i s ex
acted fr om the h unter.
SHOOTING REQUIREMENTS: Li ghtest, shortest gun
that car r i es a sui tabl e shot l oad. Fast act i on i s a must.
The choi ce of pump or autol oader i n a repeat er i s i n
di vi dual , but doubl e guns, al t hough l i mi ted to two
shots wi thout r el oadi ng, are s l i ghtl y fast er and better
bal anced. Thei r two- choke opti on al so per mi ts a fol
l ow- up shot at l onger range and t hei r shorter over-al l
l ength i s an asset. I n repeaters, the addi t i onal l ength
of the recei ver that houses the fi r i ng mechan i sm must
be i n cl uded i n over- al l measu r ements, maki ng a re
peater several i nches l onger than a doubl e of the same
bar r el l engt h. Twenty- si x i nches i s the suggested max
i mum barrel l ength for u pl and gunni ng.
RECOMMENDED GUNS: A l i ght 20- gauge shotgu n i s
recommended as t h e c l osest t o i deal upl and bi rd gu n ,
bu t i t requ i res a hi gh degree of speed fr om t h e hunter.
The 20 and 16 gauges chambered for Express and
Magnum l oads have chal l enged the fi rst- pl ace posi
t i on hel d by heavi er gauges. A 20 k i l l s n eatl y u p to
50 yards wi thout muti l at i ng the game, handl es eas i l y
and qui ckl y i n cl ose cover. Choi ce upl and guns i n-
Browni ng Superposed Grade V
Fox Model B-ST
83

,
E

'

1

!
.
,
,
O
O
&

J
U
d
i
Remi ngton Model 878 A
Wi nchester Model 42 De Luxe
UPLAND GUNS
el ude: Doubl es-Wi nchester Model 21 , custom- made
on l y, pr i ced fr om $1 ,000 up. Fox Model B, somewhat
on t he heavy si de, but modestl y pr i ced and rel i abl e.
Brown i ng Superposed over/under i s a t op- grade Bel -
gi an gun assembl ed h ere. Daki n over/under 20- gauge
Model 1 47 Magnum can drop bi rds at 50 yards. Pump
Guns-Wi nchester Model 1 2, wi th opti onal l i ghtwei ght
desi gn wei ghi ng one pound l ess than standard gauges
i n t he regu l ar Model 1 2 (1 2- gauge Model 1 2 wei ghs
7'12 pounds) . Featherwei ght I thaca Model 37 i s 53/4
pounds i n 20 gauge. Savage Model 30 wei ghs si x
pounds i n 20 gauge, seven i n 1 2 gauge. Stevens Model
77 i s vi rtual l y t he same as t he Model 30. Remi n gton
Model 870 wei ghs about 6112 pounds i n 20 gauge.
Autol oaders-Wi nchester Model 59 has Wi n- Li te fi ber-
gl ass bar rel , comes i n 1 2 gauge on l y, wei ghs 6112
pounds. Remi ngton Model 878 i n 1 2 gauge wei ghs sev-
en pounds. Regu l ar Remi ngton Model 1 1 -48 wei ghs 6112
pounds in 20 gauge. Most shotguns come i n t hree or
fou r gauges, many are c hambered for Express and
Magn u m l oads. Extras-A matted r i b hel ps el i mi nate
gl are and gi ves f l at- pl ane si ght i ng. However, i t adds a
quart er of a pound to t he average pump and auto- 87
I thaca 37R De Luxe repeater
Wild turkey i n protective fol i age
Stevens Model 31 1
UPLAND GUNS
l oader. An adj ustabl e choke enabl es t he gunner to
change t he shot patter n, yet adds no extra wei ght, as
a sect i on of the bar r el i s removed to al l ow for t he
choke attachment.
Rel at i vel y few shotgunners today are one- gun h u nt
ers. Many have a bi rd gun and a duck gun, whi ch most
often means a 20 gauge and a 1 2 gauge. Act ual l y, t he
20 gauge comes cl oser , i n the Magnum chamber i ngs,
to f i l l i ng t he needs of the upl and gunner than t he
average 1 2 gauge. A l i ght 20 makes an i deal upl and
bi rd gun f or hunt i ng i n cl ose cover. The l i ghtest gun
t hat hol ds t he n ecessary shot l oad i s al ways t he pref-
er abl e choi ce.
89
90
WI LDFOWL GUNS
Wi l d ducks and geese, wi t h thei r heavy feat her cov
er i ng, are t ough bi rds to ki l l . A wi l dfowl gu n n er must
shoot a t i ght pattern and pl ace a mi n i mu m of fi ve or
si x shot i nto t he bi rd to ki l l i t i n t he ai r. I n decoy
shooti ng, where the bi rd fl i es i n over t he decoys near
the shoot er ' s bl i nd, ranges are l i kel y to be 40 yards
or l ess. The more di fi cul t pass shooti ng, att empted
as the target f l i es h i gh overhead, offers the l ongest
range shooti ng of any shotgu n sport.
Wi l dfowl gu n n i ng demands mor e pr eci si on i n poi nt
i ng than upl and shooti ng. The l onger range makes the
t ar get seem smal l er . Ski l l i s needed to determi n e t he
pr oper l ead-t he di stance the gunner must poi nt ahead
of t he target to al l ow for t he bi rd' s movement and the
speed of t he shot. Because of the heavy shot r equ i re
ments, any gu n l i ght er than a 12 gauge i s a handi cap
to the gu n n er and frequent l y resul ts i n cr i ppl ed bi rds.
Si nce easy handl i ng and t he necessary power can be
bui l t i nto pumps and autol oaders, these have been the
fi rst choi ce of wi l dfowl ers for over fi fty years. Very
few doubl es are pr oduced i n t hi s cou ntry. The re are,
Savage M odel 775
WI LDFOWL GUNS
however, many fi ne i mported doubl es avai l abl e.
TARGET: Wi l d ducks, geese.
TERRAIN: Marshl and.
SHOOTING PROBLEMS: Pass 5hoot ngNO shotgun
i s t oo bi g f or pass shoot i ng. The target i s movi ng at
h i gh speed-60 or 70 mi l es per hour-and can come
fr om any d i rect i on. The shotgunner must know t he
cor rect l ead f or every range up to the l i mi t of hi s gun' s
reach. He must be abl e to j udge t he angl e and speed
of t he tar get and al l ow for any vari ati ons that wi nd
mi ght cause. eco shoot ngCor rect type, n u mber,
and pl acement of decoys for the vari ous speci es of
ducks, and how to use a duck cal l effecti vel y are i m-
92 portant tech n i ques t o be l ear ned. Proper conceal ment
Remi ngton Model 1 1 -48 A
..
~

Browni ng Doubl e Automati c Standard

i
G
Decoy shooti ng from natural bl i nd
WI LDFOWL GUNS
i n a bl i nd, t he maneuverabi l i ty of t he gun, and t he si ze
of t he char ge are the other maj or consi derat i ons.
Bl i nds may be made i n many ways and of many di f
ferent types of mat er i al . The nat ural ones, made of
grasses and reeds found on the spot, are best, but
di ffi cu l t to assembl e per manentl y. No matt er what t he
bl i nd, the most i mportant thi ng for the h u nter to r e
member i s to keep hi s head down and remai n abso
l ut el y moti onl ess.
SHOOTING REQUIREMENTS: A fai r l y heavy-about
7'12 pounds-si ngl e- tube repeat i ng gun wi th a mi n i mu m
bar r el l ength of 28 i nches i s appropr i ate. Both of t hese
factors ai d accu racy i n swi ngi ng and poi nt i ng. Al so
94 hel pfu l i s a matted r i b. The el evated, non- gl ar i ng fl at
Savage Model 30-ACL l eft-hand pump
surface g i ves better contr ol i n si ght i ng. The adj ustabl e
choke-opt i onal on many cu rrent pump and autol oad
i ng guns-i s usefu l . Thi s sets the bore for cl ose- r ange
shots ( up to 40 yar ds) when bi rds char ge i n at decoys,
or f or fu l l choke to g i ve t i ghter patter ns necessary
for pass shoot i ng.
RECOMMENDED GUNS: 855 5hoot ngP 1 2- gauge
Magnum, f i r i ng a l oad of 1 7/a ounces, wi l l g i ve de
pendabl e ki l l s on ducks at 70 yards, geese at 60 yards.
These are heavy guns-wel l over ei ght pounds-made
i n t he fol l owi ng model s : Remi ngton 870 Magn um,
Wi nchester 1 2- gauge Magn u m Duck Gu n , Stevens
77- M, Savage Model 775, and Brown i n g Superposed
Magnum over/under. Al l shoul d be purchased wi th fu l l - 95
WI LDFOWL GUNS
choke barrel s. eco shooti ng-Wi nchester Model 1 2
pump, Wi nchester Model 50 autol oader , Remi ngton
1 1 -48 auto, Remi ngton 870 pump, Mar l i n Premi er pump,
Savage Model 30 pump ( al so made i n l eft- handed ac
t i on) , Stevens Model 77, Browni ng Automat i c 5, and
Brown i ng Doubl e Automat i c (two- shot) are al l good
choi ces i n 1 2 gauge. Loaded wi th the 23/ - i nch Magnum
shel l , t hey ar e fast enough to handl e wel l over decoy
i ng d ucks and have enough range for some conserva
ti ve pass shooti ng-up to 60 yards.
Hutchi ns' goose breeds i n Arcti c, mi grates through Mi dwest
Marl i n
Premi er
Mark I
Fi bergl ass bei ng processed at Wi nchester
FI BERGLASS BARRELS
Fi ve hundred mi l es of
gl ass fi l ament are used i n
the Wi n-Li te barrel
I n creasi ng the strength of the shotgu n bar r el wi thout
addi ng to t he wei ght has al ways pl agued t he gun de
si gner. Wi nchester' s Model 59 autol oader has been
made wi t h a revol ut i onary new barrel cal l ed t he "Wi n
Li te, " whi ch i s made of fi berg l ass. Sever al l ayer s of
f i bergl ass cl oth are wrapped over a very t hi n-wal l ed
steel t ube t hat has been pre-wound wi th mi l es of fi ber
gl ass fi l aments. I t is t hen heat cured, g rou nd to si ze,
and fi n i shed. The resul t i s a bar r el twi ce as strong as a
comparabl e one i n steel , yet onl y hal f as heavy. I t won' t
heat up and is not affected by exposur e to weat her .
And i f, under ext raordi n ary condi t i ons, t he bar r el
shoul d bl ow up, t here i s no fragmentat i on as occasi on
al l y happens wi t h steel .
99
1df d8060M
.._
LJL1OH HO
A55LMHLY
HAHHLL
LJL1OH 5|Hl N
THE REVOLVER
Most fami l i ar and usual l y t he preferred si dear m, t he
revol ver pr ovi des rel i abl e operati on and a stronger
constructi on capabl e of handl i ng more potent l oads
t han t he automati c. I n addi ti on, i t may be carri ed l oad
ed wi thout danger of acci dental d i schar ge.
The revol ver offers a choi ce of two act i ons : doubl e
and si ngl e. I n the doubl e-act i on, each t r i gger- squeeze
cocks t he hammer, revol ves and posi ti ons the cyl i nder,
and fi res t he gun. I n si ngl e-act i ons, t he hammer must
be cocked manual l y to posi t i on the cyl i nder. The t r i g
ger i s t hen squeezed when the shooter i s ready t o
f i r e. I n al l model s, cartr i dges must be l oaded manual l y,
one by one. P cyl i nder usual l y hol ds si x rounds. To
l oad t he doubl e-act i on, the shooter si mpl y touches
t he si de l atch, exposi ng the cyl i nder chamber by swi ng
i n g i t out , away f r om t he frame. The cyl i nder of t he
102 si ngl e-act i on does not swi ng open.
Precedi ng pages: Ruger Si ngl e-Si x
BARRL|
BUSH| N0
S|| 0L |0C6 N01CH
RLC0| |
S

R| N0
H0US| N0
THE AUTOMATIC
TA6L0DwN LATCH
VA0AJ| NL
0R|
ANL| SCRLw
The har d- h i tt i ng automat i c i s a fl at, compact arm,
easy to car ry and conceal , and capabl e of provi di n g
one maj or advantage : rapi di ty of fi r e. I t has, however,
several d rawbacks. The compl exi ty of i ts desi gn tends
to pr oduce uncertai n operat i on. I mproper l oadi n g or
a faul ty magazi n e can cause j ammi ng, and i f t he gu n
mi sfi r es, i t i s a two- handed operat i on t o yan k t h e s l i de
back t o cl ear t h e chamber. These pi st ol s s h ou l d al
ways be car r i ed wi th t h e chamber empty to i nsure com
pl ete safety. Al l automat i cs ar e c l i p- l oaded. The gu n ' s
chamber i s part of i ts bar r el . For i ni t i al f i r i ng i n si ngl e
act i on model s wi t h an exter nal hammer, t he s l i de must
be pul l ed back to cock t he gun. Thi s i s u n necessary i n
doubl e-act i on an d hammer l ess model s i n wh i c h t he
i ni t i al tri gger- pul l cocks t he hammer and fi res t he gun.
Part of t he recoi l energy moves t he parts, ej ecti ng t he
empty shel l and posi ti oni ng a new cart r i dge. 103
CUTAWAY VI EW OF THE DOUBLE-ACTI ON S & W .38 MI LITARY AND POLI CE REVOLVER
Each tri gger-pul l cocks t he hammer, posi ti ons t he cartri dge, and fires
the gun i n doubl e actions. The hammer i s rai sed as sear and hand coupl e;
their rel ease al lows the hammer nose t o fal l , stri ki ng the fi ri ng pi n
LL

cL^R EPRl NQ
HPMME

HAND SPR| NG
MA| N PR| NG
CL| NOE
L
='

CUTAWAY VI EW OF A SI NGLE-ACTI ON RUGER BEARCAT REVOLVER
The hammer of si ngl e-acti on model s i s cocked manual ly
si mul taneously joi ni ng sear and hand and al i gni ng a cartridge.
To fire, the shooter squeezes the tri gger to rel ease the hammer
RLCU| L |LATL CRU55 || N
CARTR| DGL
| | R| NG || N
RLbUUND 5|R| NU
CHAMBLR
HAMMLR || VU1
HAMMLR 5|R| NG
BA5L || N LATCH NUT
CYL| NDLR LATCH |LUNGLR
CYL| NDLR LA1CH 5|R| NG
HAMMLR 5|R| NG 5LA1
bL bk 0 MM0b
There i s very l i tt l e di fference between pi stol cal i ber
and ri fl e cal i ber (see page 24) . Pi stol barrel s are
ri fl ed and act upon the bul l et i n the same manner.
Li ke t he ri fl e, the pi stol fi res ei ther ri m-fi re or center
fi re cartri dges. I n .22 cal i ber, ei ther the hammer or
t h e fi ri n g pi n, dependi ng on t h e speci fi c model , stri kes
the head of t he cartri dge. Al l other cal i bers ar e center
fi re. The fi ri n g pi n stri kes the pr i mer i n the mi ddl e of
the cartr i dge base. There i s a degree of i nter change
abi l i ty i n revol ver cartri dges not found i n r i fl es. The
. 357 Magnum can al so f i r e the . 38 Speci al , the . 44 Mag
num al so uses t he .44 Speci al , and the . 22 Magnum, t he
. 22 Speci al . However, the reverse i s not t he case. The
regu l ar . 22 r i m-fi re cannot handl e the Magnums.
Center-fi re cartri dges for automat i cs are r i ml ess.
Thi s i s to permi t them to feed easi l y from t he cl i p
magazi nes. I n or der t o make extract i on from t h e cyl i n
der possi bl e, cartri dges desi gned f or revol vers are
106 equ i pped wi th ri mmed heads.
MLL- bbk tL0 0
No oth er fi rearm captu res t he shooter' s i magi nat i on
as readi l y as t he handgun. I t i s di ffi cu l t to shoot ac
cu ratel y, of l i mi ted use i n hunt i ng, and not easy t o
own because of restr i cti ve l egi sl at i on, but i t i s sti l l t he
fi rearm t hat most peopl e t hi nk of as "gun" and t he
one every shooter hopes to possess. I n r ugged coun
t ry wher e t he hunter must cross rocky, o r wi l d, ter r ai n
and must use both hands to do i t, and i n areas wher e
cover i s good and he can get wi th i n 50 yar ds of h i s
prey, t he handgun i s a practi cal hunti ng ar m an d an
exci ti ng one to u s e. Handguns are avai l abl e i n what
seem endl ess desi gns and si zes and i n a wi de range
of cal i bers, from . 22 Short t o t h e . 45 Col t. By f ar t h e
most popul ar, an d t h e most sui tabl e for s mal l game,
i s t he . 22- cal i ber r i m-fi r e.
SITUATION: General l y t he hunter happens upon smal l
game-rabbi t, chuck, por cupi ne-crouchi ng i n tal l
g rass, n i bbl i n g vegetat i on, or i n t h e case of squi rrel ,
poi sed on a l ow tr ee l i mb. Once he has di scovered h i s
target, t h e shooter must be qu i ck and qu i et i n readyi ng
h i s ar m for t he ki l l . Al l of t hese ani mal s ar e extremel y
wary and swi ft i n fl i ght, and t hei r mi nute for ms per mi t
t hem to hi de easi l y. I f t he h u nter mi sj u dges h i s fi rst
shot, he pr obabl y wi l l not get a second, or the second
wi l l be at an el usi ve and rapi dl y movi ng target. For
t hi s t ype of game, the range i s short, t he fi el ds ar e
open, and t he tar get i s bi g enough to hi t wi t hout too
much di ffi cu l ty when i t i s stat i onary, so hai r- spl i tti ng
accuracy i s n ot necessary. Onl y a fai r l y steady hand i s
demanded. For tech n i que' s sake, t he shooter shoul d
keep a u ni for m gr i p and devel op a s mooth, steady 107
SMALL-BORE FI ELD GUNS
t r i gger- squeeze or he may mi sdi rect t he bu l l et each
t i me he fi r es. By pl aci ng h i s free hand on t he gun butt,
the h u nt er provi des j ust enough support to i mprove
hi s hol d. I f he wi shes to steady t he gu n f urt her, he can
ei ther assume a si tti ng posi t i on, supporti n g hi s el bows
wi th hi s knees, or he can l i e fl at on hi s back, rest i ng
h i s ar ms on h i s chest and support i ng hi s head wi t h U
stone or l og.
SHOOTING REQUIREMENTS: There i s no advantage
i n heavy gu n s for thi s type of shooti ng. The . 22-cal i ber
r i m-fi re, i n e i t her si ngl e- shot, revol ver, or automat i c,
i s recommended. Pr obabl y t he safest for t he average
shooter are the si ngl e- shot pi stol and the revol ver,
al though they handi cap fi r i ng speed s l i ghtl y. Both can
be car r i ed ful l y l oaded wi thout fear of acci dental di s
charge; each requ i res a del i berate cocki ng act i on t o
prepare t he gun for fi r i ng. Even t he doubl e-act i on re
vol ver, whi ch can be cocked and fi red si mpl y by pul l
i n g t he t r i gger, i s usual l y cocked manual l y f or mor e
1 08 accu rate s hooti ng. Automat i c pi st ol s i n . 22 cal i ber
Above, l eft, bi g- and smal l -bore fi el d guns (top to bottom) :
Col t . 22 Buntl i ne Scout, Ruger Super Bl ackhawk .44
Magnum, Smith & Wesson .44 Magnum, Ruger .22 Bearcat
109
Ruger Si ngl e-Si x . 22
Ruger Standard Automati c
Col t Huntsman
110
Hi -Standard Doubl e-Ni ne
SMALL-BORE FI ELD GUNS
have i nter nal hammers and can be fi red acci dental l y.
They shoul d be car r i ed wi th the chamber empty. The
gun may be readi ed for act i on si mpl y by pu l l i n g t he
sl i de back and al l owi ng i t to snap shut. Anot her d raw
back of t he automat i c i s i ts i nabi l i ty to fi r e any s i ze .22
cart r i dge othe r than the Long Ri fl e ( unl ess especi al l y
chambered f or t he Short) . Revol vers t ake al l t hree
cart r i dge si zes-Short, Long, and Long Ri fl e. The . 22-
cal i ber handgun i s usual l y popul ar wi th pl i n ker s si nce
i t i s i nexpensi ve to f i r e and l acks t he heavy recoi l of
bi gger handguns.
I n al l cases, when smal l game i s t he prey, t he gu n
s h ou l d be compact en ou gh to car ry easi l y an d shoul d
be equi pped wi t h a medi um- l ength bar r el f or ease i n
rapi d handl i ng. 111

BI G- BORE FI ELD GUNS

Moder n devel opments i n cartri dges have made i t
poss i bl e to consi der the handgun as a bi g- game ar m.
I n i t i al advances toward t hi s end wer e made more t han
a decade ago when Maj or Dougl as Wesson, wi t h t he
ai d of western bi g- game gui de El mer Kei t h, pr oduced
the . 357 Magn u m cartri dge and tested i t i n a revol v.r
desi gned especi al l y f or t he l oad. The gu n was
equi pped wi th an 83/ - i nch bar r el and wei ghed 47
ounces, the heavi est revol ver si nce t he Col t Dragoon
cap-and- bal l model s bu i l t dur i ng t he Ci vi l War per i od.
Wi t h hi s new handgun and cartri dge, Wesson was abl e
to k i l l bul l el k, deer, and moose, and aft er such unusual
success wasted no t i me i n pl aci ng bot h cartr i dge and
gun on the market, under t he Smi th Wesson l abel .
New bi g- bor e desi gns not onl y accommodate t hese
heavy l oads, but i n t he hands of ski l l f ul shooters per-
112
form al most as effecti vel y as a r i fl e.
BI G-BORE FI ELD GUNS
SITUATION: Handguns i n thi s cl ass are heavy and n ot
easy to car ry when on foot, yet they are l i ght er and
l ess cumber some than a r i f l e. I n wester n areas where
game i s l ar ge and the hunter does most of h i s spott i ng
from the saddl e, the bi g- bore handgun i s a conveni ent
sport i ng ar m. It i s al so handy i n emergency si t uati ons
when a gu n must be br ought qui ckl y i nto acti on. Many
gui des car ry bi g- bor e si dearms for such moments, or
to fi ni sh a cr i ppl ed ani mal , or even to col l ect "eat i n'
meat" f or camp. These guns ar e not as l i mi ted i n range
as mi ght be expected, but at l ong ranges preci si on i s
di ffi cu l t. Yet t hey produce enough power and operate
accurat el y enough to ki l l a deer or a bl ack bear at 1 00
yards, or mor e, if t he bul l et st r i kes the ani mal d i rectl y
i n t he chest cavi ty. At short ranges they can do j us
ti ce t o j ust about any hoofed game i n t he Western
Hemi sphere. For best perfor mance, a f i r m gr i p i s es
senti al and devel opi ng one requ i res much pract i ce.
The gun shoul d be hel d so t hat t he backstrap l i es i n
the cent er of t he pal m of the shooti n g hand and t he
hand i s wel l up on t he gun g ri p. The posi t i on shoul d
be bot h fi r m and comfortabl e, and i t must be one whi ch
al l ows t he gunner to squeeze the t r i gger i n a l i ne wi t h
bar rel , wr i st, and forearm, so t hat t he gun r ecoi l s
strai ght back. Th e t h u mb shoul d never exert pressur e,
and t he gr i p must be uni form or shots wi l l be th rown
to one si de or the other, dependi ng upon wher e t he
excess pressur e exi sts. The shooter may use h i s free
114 hand to steady both gun and ai m.
Col t Si ngl e
Acti on Army
Smi th & Wesson .44 Magnum
Model 29, wi th 6'1- i nch barrel
Smi th & Wesson .38/44
Outdoorsman Model 23 115
Ruger Bl ackhawk .357 Magnum, Presentati on Model
BI G-BORE FI ELD GUNS
SHOOTING REQUIREMENTS: I n the bi g- bore gun
category, t he revol ver stands al one. No automat i c
pi stol i s r ugged enough to accommodate t hese heavy
l oads. A shooter need onl y choose between si ngl e
act i on and doubl e acti on. A one- pi ece, deep-forged
frame makes the si ngl e-act i on a sl i ght l y super i or arm.
I t i s stronger and far l ess prone to damage. Al l bi g
bor e model s ar e fi tted wi t h hand-fi l l i ng g r i ps so that
the shooter can mai ntai n a fi r m grasp on h i s ar m. Some
ar e even equi pped wi t h adj ustabl e si ght s; i n si ngl e
acti on, the Ruger Bl ackhawk and Col t Fr ont i er ; i n
doubl e act i on, both Col t and Smi th Wesson model s.
Al l three-Col t, Ruger, Smi th Wesson-per mi t cl ean,
l i ght t r i gger- pu l l , i nsur i ng g reat er accuracy at l ong
ranges. Sui tabl e cal i ber s i n cl ude the modern . 357 and
. 44 Magnum made by Ruger, . 45 Col t, and . 44 Smi th
Wesson Speci al . Any one of these is powerfu l enough
t o fel l a deer or s i mi l ar game at moderate range. The
. 357 Magnum and the .44 Magnum have an added fea
ture i n thei r abi l i ty to fi re a l ow-powered cart r i dge
accuratel y and effecti vel y. The . 357 fi res al l . 38 Speci al
l oads-from wadcutters (a bul l et wi th a shar p- edged
shoul der t hat cuts a paper tar get cl eanl y, l i ke a con-
116
ductor' s punch) to 200- grai n pol i ce cartri dges. The . 44
Shooter reacts to jarri ng recoi l of .44 Magnum
Magnum shoots both . 44 Speci al and . 44 Russi an.
Among bi g- bore fi el d l oads, t he . 357 Magnum has
been t he most popu l ar cartr i dge for over a decade,
but i t i s sl owl y l osi ng i ts pr omi nence to the newer ,
mor e powerful . 44 Magnum, whi ch shoots a 240- grai n
bul l et at 1 560 f ps muzzl e vel oci ty. Bot h ar e effec
ti ve for bi g- game shooti ng.
A handl oader can i mprove any of t hese cart r i dges
by composi ng more powerfu l l oads for hi s per sonal
use. Factory l oads i n these cal i bers are del i beratel y
" l oaded- down" for safety pu rposes.
117
POLI CE AND DEFENSE GUNS
The l aw ofi cer has more at stake than any other
shooter when choosi ng a sui tabl e handgun. For h i m,
the gu n i s a defensi ve arm an d must be capabl e of
doi ng t he j ob unfai l i ngl y. The choi ces avai l abl e to
h i m are wi de, rangi ng from l i tt l e " hi deout" guns used
by pl ai ncl othesmen to powerf ul Magnums used by
hi ghway patrol men.
SITUATION: Al most every phase of pol i ce wor k
pl aces a di fferent demand on the desi gn of t he hand
gun. Al l must be du rabl e to wi thstand rough and ex
cessi ve han dl i ng. Some must be powerfu l enough to
penet rate the steel of fl eei ng autos. Detecti ves and
FBI agents need a gun t hat i s eas i l y conceal ed i n
shoul der or bel t hol sters, a gun t hat wi l l not catch on
cl oth i ng when snapped swi ft l y i nto use. A patrol man
wal ki ng the beat i s not so l i mi ted, but hi s si dearm
shou l d be nei ther too heavy nor too bul ky to be car-
118
r i ed comfortabl y i n a bel t hol ster for several hours a
Col t Trooper .38 Speci al
Smi t h & Wesson 9mm Model 39
119
Smi th & Wesson Hi ghway Patrol man
POLI CE AND DEFENSE GUNS
day. Si nce he i s pri mar i l y concerned wi th obtai n i n g
power an d accu racy f or l ong- range shoot i ng, a l ong
bar rel ed gun i s general l y preferabl e. The same arm
wou l d not be sui tabl e for offi cers assi gned to patrol
cars. Al though these men al so need an arm t hat sup
pl i es suffi ci ent power to hal t an escapi ng cul pri t at
l ong range, t he l ong barrel is too l i kel y to catch on car
seats and i n h i bi t an offi cer ' s rapi d movement i n and
out of veh i cl es.
SHOOTING REQUIREMENTS: I n spi te of t he auto
mati c pi stol ' s compact qual i ti es and fac i l i ty of con-
120
ceal ment, t he more cert ai n operat i on of t he revol ver
Two hands, avai l abl e rest, ai d accuracy
i s preferred i n pol i ce work. When ti me is short, the
possi bi l i ty of gun-j am because of i mproper l oadi n g or
a fau l ty magazi ne or cart r i dge i s too g reat. The offi
ci al -and most popul ar-revol ver among l awmen i n
metropol i tan areas i s chambered for t h e . 38 Speci al
cartri dge, a powerful , accurate l oad. A patrol man on
foot usual l y car r i es a . 38 revol ver equi pped wi t h a
fi ve- o r si x- i nch barrel . At l ong ranges, the l arger
si ghti ng radi u s t he l ong bar r el provi des i n c reases hi s
chances for accuracy. The same ar m wi th a fou r- i nch
barrel i s us ed by mobi l e u ni ts. The shorter bar r el fi ts
snugl y i nto a bel t hol ster, i s comfortabl e to wear whi l e
121
122
POLI CE AND DEFENSE GUNS
Three-Fi fty-Seven
Col t, i n .357 Magnum
and .38 Speci al
Smi th & Wesson
Combat Model 1 9 i n
. 357 Magnum
Col t .38 Pol i ce Posi ti ve
Speci al , avai l abl e
wi th four- or five-i nch barrel
Smi th & Wesson .38/44
Heavy Duty Model 20, fires
six shots, has fixed si ghts
Smi th & Wesson
1 950 Army Model 22
i n .45 cal i ber
Smi th & Wesson .38 Mi l itary
and Police Model 1 0,
with square butt, short acti on
POLI CE AND DEFENSE GUNS
dr i vi ng, and al l ows l awmen to move i n and out of autos
freel y. Detecti ves prefer a snub- nosed model wi th two
i nch barrel because i t i s easi l y conceal ed. I t i mposes
a handi cap i n runni ng gun fi ghts where ranges exceed
25 yards, but i n ti ght spots, where act i on must be
qui ck, i t perfor ms perfectl y. Hi ghway patrol men, state
troopers, sheri ffs i n rural areas-those who may be i n-
124 vol ved i n taki ng a cri mi nal at l ong range or i n hi gh-
Faci ng page, Col t
Ofi ci al Pol i ce (top) and
Col t Cobra. Bel ow, Hi -Standard
Snub Barrel Senti nel
way chases requ i re more power than the . 38 provi des.
For years, the Col t . 45 was thei r standard ar m, but the
. 357 Magn u m i s gradual l y repl aci ng i t. Desi gned wi th
a 31h- i nch barrel -about as short a barrel as i s practi
cal f or a gu n of t h i s power an d si ze-t he . 357 Magnum
i s al s o car r i ed by FBI agents. I t provi des power , yet
i s nei t her too l ar ge nor too bu l ky to be neatl y con-
ceal ed i n a bel t hol ster. 125
126
Smi th & Wesson
. 38 Centenni al
Model 40
Browni ng .380
Cal i ber Standard
Automati c
Smi th & Wesson
. 38 Chi efs Speci al
Model 36
Col t' s Detective
Speci al
i n .38 Speci al
Col t Government
Model . 45
cal i ber automati c
127
Precedi ng pages: Col t Offi cers Model Match
revol ver and Wi nchester Model 70 Target Rifl e
SMALL- BORE RI FLES
For t he past 1 50 years or so, Amer i cans have been
known for thei r s ki l l wi th a ri fl e, and target shooti ng i n
i ts many forms has been an extremel y popul ar sport.
Ski l l ed ri fl emen ranked i n status and popu l ar i ty wi th
today' s home- r un h i tters. Al though these pi oneer
shooters ach i eved remarkabl e scores wi t h thei r earl y
ar ms, today' s demand for even g reater accuracy has
i ncreased the need for hi ghl y speci al i zed ri fl es and
the competence of contemporary r i fl emen. Youngsters
are now encouraged t hr ough t hei r school s and organi
zat i ons such as the Nati onal Ri fl e Associ at i on and t he
Boy Scouts to become fami l i ar wi th fi rearms and de
vel op accu racy i n shoot i ng.
There are fou r certi fi ed posi t i ons for target shoot
i ng : pr one (for begi nners ; al so the easi est and hi gh
est scor i ng) , si tt i ng, kneel i ng, and standi n g (the most
di ffi cu l t) . The shooter gener al l y fi res at a standard
target from prescr i bed di stances. Thi s is an i ntensel y
130 competi ti ve sport among youngsters and adul t r i fl e-
Wi nchester Model 52 Target Ri fle
wi th recei ver si ghts
men al i ke t hroughout t he country.
Target arms di ffer appreci abl y from sporti ng arms i n
t hat han dl i n g ease, wei ght, and si ze are not of pr i me
i mportance. Pi npoi nt accu racy i s t he qoal and t he ri fl e
that ach i eves i t i s the r i fl e to use, even t hough i t may
be heavy and cl umsy by the hunter' s standar ds.
Wi th few except i ons, t he . 22 i s t he standard target
ri fl e. Loaded wi th . 22- cal i ber match ammuni t i on, t hi s
ar m wi l l g i ve mi n ute- of-angl e accu racy up to 1 00 yards.
( " Mi n ute- of-angl e" i s cal cul ated at one i nch for a
range of 1 00 yards. Thus, the .22 ri m-fi r e wi l l , i deal l y,
put al l of i ts bu l l ets i nto a 1 - i nch area at 1 00 yards,
someth i ng di fi cu l t to ach i eve wi th hi gh- powered h unt
i ng r i fl es. ) The r eport wi th t hi s cal i ber i s l ow and t he
recoi l al most non- exi stent.
As speed of fi re i s not an i mportant consi deraton i n
smal l - bor e target shooti ng, t he r ugged but s l ow bol t
act i on domi nates t he choi ce of target ar ms. Dm0
shooters prefer to l oad each cart r i dge si ngl y to avoi d
131
SMALL-BORE RI FLES
the r i sk of damagi ng the bul l et when i t i s fed th roug h
t h e magazi ne.
RECOMMENDED GUNS: Tops among match ri fl es ar e
the s i n gl e- shot bol t-acti on Remi ngton Model 40X and
t he Wi nchester Model 52, whi ch comes wi th a si ngl e-
132
shot adapter. Other ri fl es, more modestl y pri ced than
Remi ngton Model 521 T bol t actJon
Wi nchester Model 52 wi thout si ghts
Remi ngton Model 513T Matchmaster
.these excel 'l ent model s, are t he Mossberg 1 44LS, and
l i ghter-wei ght Remi ngton Model 51 3T and Wi nchester
Model 52 wi t h standard-wei ght barrel . When fi tted wi th
apertu re ( peep) si ghts, t hey perform very wel l i n al l
but t he h i ghest match competi ti on and wi l l h el p t he
begi nner t o devel op consi derabl e ski l l on t he range. 133
134
SMALL- BORE RI FLES
These r i fl es are equi pped wi th del i cate t r i gger- pu l l
adj ustments t o assure t h e fi nest l et- off possi bl e, and
ever y effort i s made to br i ng out al l of t he accu racy
i nherent i n the . 22 Long Ri fl e cart r i dge. However, a se
r i ous target shooter who i s sati sfi ed wi th noth i n g l ess
than maxi mum scori ng, commonl y cal l ed "possi bl es, "
must have t he best r i fl e avai l abl e. Thi s means t he top
grade Wi nchester or Remi ngton. These r i fl es wi l l g i ve
fi ne perfor mances i n both pr one and four - posi t i on
match shoot i ng. However, most ser i ous r i fl emen usual
l y al t er t he st ock t o make i t conf or m to t hei r own i ndi
vi dual styl e of shooti ng.
Mossberg Model 1 44LS (lop) ,
and Mossberg Model 3468.
Youths (below) practi ce on range
BIG- BORE RI FLES
Remi ngton Model 725 ADL
(top), and Wi nchester Model 70,
both bi g-bore target rifl es
Except for the mi l i tary- match competi tors, few target
shooters have the opportun i ty to compete i n l ong
range center-fi re matches-whi ch means shoot i ng a
center-fi re ri fl e at ranges up to and i ncl udi ng 1 , 000
yards. Thi s i s an expensi ve sport for the ci vi l i an be
cause of h i gh ammu n i t i on costs, and because t he cl u b
ranges offer i ng t h i s type of shooti ng ar e l i mi ted.
RECOMMENDED GUNS: Many center-fi re compet i
t or s use t he Nat i onal Match Spr i ngfi el d r i f l e, whi ch can
be obtai ned t hrough the Di rector of Ci vi l i an Mar ksman
shi p, and t he NRA at 1 600 Rhode I sl and Avenue, N. W. ,
Wash i ngt on, D. C. Among pr i vate gunmakers, Wi nches
ter i s t he onl y one offer i ng top-grade target ar ms for
thi s ki nd of shooti ng. Fi rst choi ce i s the Model 70 Bu l l
Gu n i n . 300 Hol l and Hol l and Magnum cal i ber. Al so
good i s t he Model 70 Target Ri f l e i n . 30-06 cal i ber. 135
136
Remi ngton I nternati onal Match
FREE RI FLES AND PISTOLS
The most exact i ng form of ri fl e shoot i ng i s the free
ri fl e match. The shooter must fi re over a 300- meter
(327-yard) range from prone, kneel i ng, and offhand
(standi ng) posi t i ons at a tar get whose 1 0- r i ng (the
bu l l ' s- eye) has a di ameter of l ess t han fou r i nches.
Onl y i ron si ghts may be used. Unt i l r ecentl y, no free
ri fl es were manufactu red J n t hi s country and Amer i cans
were forced to use forei gn makes for t hi s di ffi cul t com
peti t i on. However, sparked by t he 1 960 Ol ympi cs, both
Wi nchester and Remi ngton have devel oped speci al
i zed . 30-cal i ber center-fi re f r ee r i fl es.
For competi ti on i n the i nter nati onal fr ee pi st ol match
-sl ow f i re ( 10 shots i n 10 mi n utes) from 50 meters at
a target wi th a two- i nch 1 0- ri ng-Hi gh Standard pr o
duces a speci al si ngl e- shot model wi th el ectri c t r i gger
control , t he fi rst pi st ol of th i s type made i n Amtr i ca.
Hi gh Standard' s
el ectri c match pi stol
Wi nchester' s free ri fl e. Spotti ng scope shows l ocati on of hi t
Wi nchester Model 50 Featherwei ght
Wi nchester Model 42 Skeet
SKEET SHOOTI NG
Skeet r ecei ved i t s name i n a contest hel d i n 1 925.
The word i s Scandi navi an and-appr opr i at el y-means
"shoot. " Skeet i s a fast, short- r ange game wi th a mov
i ng cl ay target, and i s desi gned to s i mu l ate smal l up
l and- game h unt i ng. The fi el d i s l ai d out i n an ar c, wi th
seven shooti ng stat i ons at equal di stances al ong i ts
per i met er and two traps, one at each end of the arc.
An ei ghth stat i on l i es at mi dpoi nt on a l i n e between
t he traps. Bi rds ar e t hrown i n two fl i ght paths t hat
c ross fi ve yards i n front of Stat i on 8. Shooti ng
f r om each stat i on, t he gunner gets many angl es, both
i ncomi ng and outgoi ng, i ncl udi ng doubl es. The shooter
may have hi s gun at t he r eady, but i s not forewar ned
of t he di rect i on of hi s shot. The target i s broken at an
average of 22 yards.
The most effecti ve skeet guns are t he short-barrel ed,
open- bored guns s i mi l ar to t hose used i n upl and h u nt
i ng. Any gauge i s per mi tted, but t he 1 2, wi th i ts power
ful l oad, i s sti l l the most advantageous. I n order to
mai ntai n competi ti ve equal i ty, shooters usi ng the
smal l gauges-20 to . 41 0-compete among t hemsel ves. 139
l nstructpr studi es perfprmance pf novi ce skeet shooter
Remi ngton Model 1 1 -48 SA
Remi ngton Model 58 SX Sportsman
141
TRAPSHOOTI NG
Trap i s t he l ong- range, cl ay-target game t hat ap
proxi mates shooti ng at waterfowl and l arge upl and
game. The t rap i s t h rown from a si ngl e trap house
l ocated i n f r ont of t he shooti ng posts. I n si ng l es shoot
i ng, the target i s thrown at var i ed angl es of whi ch t he
shooter i s not forewar ned. I n doubl es, t he f l i ght paths
are fi xed. I n both cases the bi rds al ways move away
from t he shooter. The shooter stands at a mi n i mu m of
16 yards behi nd the t rap house and the targets fl y from
48 to 52 yards. The target i s t he same cl ay bi rd used
i n skeet shooti ng, but, u n l i ke skeet, t he gunner i s per
mi tted to take ai m-usual l y over t he trap house-before
cal l i n g for hi s bi rd. Hi ts occur at about 35 yards.
The trap gu n i s bu i l t especi al l y for thi s sport and i s
sel dom used for anyth i ng el se. P 1 2- gauge gu n wi th a
142 mi n i mu m bar r el l ength of 30 i nches i s the best choi ce.
Browni ng Superposed 12 gauge
Remi ngton Model 870 TX
Wi nchester Model 50 Trap Gun
Wi nchester Model 1 2 Trap Gun
Cl ay bi rd in hand trap is rel eased when swung
HAND-TRAP AND UTI LITY GUNS
Hand-t rappi ng i s an uncompl i cated sport t hat re
qu i res on l y enough space, a t rap and someone to op
erate i t, and a gun. The hand trap i s a smal l l i ghtwei ght
( usual l y under a pound) devi ce wi th a spr i ng mecha
ni sm. I t hol ds the cl ay bi rd and r el eases i t when swung
manual l y. Hand-trappi ng can go furt her than skeet i n
expl oi t i ng every possi bl e ang l e o f fi re for f i el d shoot
i ng pract i ce. There i s no fi xed range, but a mi n i mu m of
300 yards i n front of t he shooter is necessary as a
safety precaut i on.
1 44 Hand-trappi ng can be pract i ced wi t h any ki nd of
Hand-trappi ng is an eye-sharpener for fi el d gunners
Mar l i n Model 55, 1 2 gauge, adjustabl e choke
shotgu n-the l ow- pr i ced si ngl e shots and bol t act i ons
known as uti l i ty guns, as wel l as guns desi gned for spe
ci fi c hunt i ng or tar get wor k. As i n skeet shooti ng, the
bi gger t he gu n ' s gauge, t he c l eaner t he break. But be
cause of i ts l i ght wei ght and l ow recoi l , t he l i tt l e . 41 0
i s a favor i te. The shooter must be r i ght on target, how
ever, to compensate for the smal l shot patter n. A good
. 41 0 i n t he uti l i ty cl ass i s t he Savage over/under r i f l e
and shotgu n made wi th . 41 0 gauge combi ned wi th . 22
or . 22 Magn u m. Al so fi ne, economi cal arms for general
shotgu n n i n g are bol t-act i on repeat ers. 145
HAND-TRAP AND UTI LI TY GUNS
146
Stevens Model 58 AC wi th adjustabl e choke
Savage Model 24 over/under ri fl e-shotgun
Stevens Model 59 bol t-acti on . 410 gauge
Wi nchester Model 37 Si ngl e Shot
Remi ngton Model 1 1 -48 Ri fl ed-Sl ug Speci al
147
TARGET HANDGUNS
Col t Woodsman Match Target .22
Target- pi stol shoot i ng is an extremel y exact i ng sport
i n whi ch the shooter ' s form and acti ons must be stand
ardi zed as much as possi bl e. He must shoot t he same
way each ti me. The onl y way to master thi s i s t hr ough
pract i ce and by usi ng t he most accu rate pi stol obtai n
abl e. The poi nt of ai m, si ght pi ct ure, and g ri p must be
constant. Gri p i s most i mportant i n bi g- bore events
because of t he recoi l of the bi g- cal i ber pi stol s. There
i s a tendency for the gun to sh i ft i n t he hand aft er each
shot. Thi s changes t he si ght pi ct ure and makes i t i m
poss i bl e to mai ntai n maxi mum accu racy. The novi ce
frequent l y must fi ght agai nst uneven t r i gger- pu l l . I n
stead of si mpl y pu l l i ng back on t h e t r i gger, he pu l l s
back and t o t h e r i ght. Both fi r mness of gri p an d an
even pu l l are t hi ngs that can onl y be ach i eved th rough
1 48 consci ent i ous, u n remi tt i ng pract i ce.
Ruger Mar k I .22- cal i ber automati c
Smi th & Wesson K-38 Model 1 4
TARGET HANDGUNS
The refi nements that contri bute to accu racy i n a tar
get handgun i ncl ude suffi ci ent wei ght for steady hol d
i ng i n sti ff breezes, a cl ean, l i ght t r i gger- pu l l , non- sl i p
tri gger, ampl e barrel l ength f or a l ong si ght radi us,
si ghts that adj ust wi t h ease and accu racy, and a com
fortabl e, hand-fi l l i ng gr i p. Al l tar get handguns fu l fi l l
these requi r ements, but t o varyi ng degrees.
I n smal l - bor e ( . 22 r i m- fi re) target shooti ng, the auto
mat i c pi stol i s the popul ar favori te, part i cu l ar l y i n
t i med-fi re an d rapi d-fi re matches. Ti med fi re i s 2 0 sec
onds for fi ve shots ; rapi d fi re, 10 seconds for fi ve. The
150 sel f- l oadi ng, sel f- cocki ng feat ures of t hi s act i on en-
Col t Python .357 Magnum
& W .22 Automati c Pi stol Model 41
151
Nati onal Match
Hi -Standard Supermatic Tournament
TARGET HANDGUNS
abl e t he shooter to concentrate on t he target. Even i n
sl ow-fi re competi ti on, t h e smal l - bore automat i c i s i n
herentl y more accu rate than t h e revol ver.
I n most bi g- bore matches, the reverse i s t r ue and
the revol ver i s essent i al . I t i s di ffi cul t to devel op a f i ne
t r i gger- pu l l i n an automat i c because of t he nat ur e of
the act i on. Vi rtual l y t he onl y qual i fyi ng center-fi re auto
l oader i n a standard arm i s t he Col t . 45 Nat i onal Match.
However, experts have converted t he Col t Gover nment
Model . 45 to handl e the . 38 Speci al cart r i dge and, i n
1 52
t he pr ocess, have made t he enti re act i on more accu-
Hi -Standard Supermati c Trophy Presentati on Model .22 automati c
rate. Thi s i s effecti ve, but expensi ve, as i t demands t he
f i nest gunsmi t hi ng.
Hi gh- grade revol vers i n t he Col t and Smi th Wes
son l i nes perform wi th amazi ng accu racy and faci l i ty i n
t h e hands of a ski l l ed target shooter. However, they are
somewhat sl ower than autos i n t he fast- fi r i ng matches.
The . 38 Speci al and t he . 44 Speci al ar e the preferred
cal i ber s i n revol vers, both of whi ch can be fi red i n the
bi g . 357 and . 44 Magnums. Whi l e Magn u m cart r i dges
UIU not used f or target shoot i ng, t hese bi g- cal i ber r e-
vol vers make fi ne, steady- hol di ng target gu ns.
1 53
GUN CARE AND MAI NTENANCE
Fi ne steel wool , fol l owed by cl eani ng patch, removes l eadi ng
Good gu n care these days means l i tt l e more than
protect i ng t he exter nal metal su rface from rust. Actu
al l y, a ri fl e fi red wi th modern ammu n i t i on i s better l eft
uncl eaned if it is not goi ng to be i dl e too l ong under
humi d condi t i ons. The t hi n f i l m of powder and t he
powder resi due l eft after fi r i ng ar e usual l y good pro
tect i on agai nst r ust.
EQUIPMENT: Tool s for gun care are s i mpl e: 3/0 steel
wool for rust removal ; c l ean i n g patches and a sti ff,
154 j oi nted cl eani ng rod wi th a swi vel t i p for each bore
To guard agai nst moi sture, use paste wax, then pol i sh it of
si ze or gaug e ; sol vent (Wi nchester Sol vent, Hoppe' s
#9, or acetone) ; a s i l i cone- i mpregnated cl oth ( or oi l
a n d a wi pi ng rag) ; a t ube of gu n g rease, a n d a c a n of
paste wax meet t h e needs of general mai nt enance.
SHOTGUNS: The t hi n- wal l ed bar r el of a shotgu n i s
especi al l y suscepti bl e t o dents. I f dents occur, don' t
att empt to shoot t hem out. Take t he gu n to a gunsmi t h
who has t he proper expand i n g "dent - r ai ser " for r epai r.
I f the muzzl e end of a r i fl e or shotgu n has been j ammed
i nto snow, cl ay, or mud, check after u n l oadi n g f or ob- 1 55
GUN CARE AND MAI NTENANCE
structi ons and remove them wi th a pocket kni f e or a
sti ck. Don' t try to shoot such a pl ug out of t he bar rel .
After about a hundred s h el l s have been fi red, new
shotguns often show streaks of l ead i n t he bore-j ust
i n front of t he chamber or near the muzzl e. Thi s i n di
cates s ome rough ness i n t h e bor e, bu t that wi l l smooth
out wi th cont i nued shooti ng. Remove t he streaks by
wrappi n g a wad of the f i ne steel wool around the cl ean
i ng patch on the shotgun rod and scr ubbi ng out the
bor e t horough l y.
HANDGUNS: The chambers and bar r el of a handgun
can be cl eaned easi l y wi t h a br i st l e br ush soaked wi th
powder sol vent. Wi pe the bore wi th dry patches and
oi l i t l i ght l y i f i t i s to be i nacti ve f or a t i me. Go over
t he outsi de parts wi th the s i l i cone cl ot h, or appl y l i ght
oi l . Use heavi er gun grease i n very h u mi d areas.
RIFLES: To cl ean the bore, r un a patch wet wi th sol
vent t hr ough i t . Fol l ow wi t h a dry patch. Exami n e t he
bore for l u mps-rust, metal or l ead fou l i n g. I f t hey ap
pear, wrap steel wool around a patch and pol i sh t hem
out. I f t he ri fl e i s to be used agai n soon, oi l t he bore
l i ghtl y. Coat it wi th gu n grease if it i s to be stored for
a l ong per i od.
Sel f- l oad i ng . 22 r i m-fi re r i f l es and automat i c pi stol s
requ i re extra breech care because of powder res i due.
Swab t he breech wi th powder sol vent. I f much g rease
i s present, use al cohol or carbon tetrach l or i de.
Oi l shoul d not be squ i rted at random i nto t he act i on
of any gun. I t t ends to pi ck up addi t i onal abr asi ve dust
and can cause pr obl ems. If the gun i s to be used at
temperatures near zero, fl ush it cl ean wi th car bon
tetrach l or i de or gasol i ne, al l ow i t to d ry, t hen l ubri cate
156 wi th powdered g raph i te.
Basi c equi pment for gun care i ncl udes: Gun oi l , powder
sol vent, and patches (in box, ri ght) ; j oi nted al umi num cl eani ng
r od; jet-spray r ust preventati ve; si l i cone-i mpregnated cl oth
If a gu n must be exposed to wet weat her, go over it
befor ehand wi th a paste wax, then pol i sh i t off. Shoul d
t he gu n get soaked, ei t her by heavy rai n or i mmer
si on, t i e i t, muzzl e down, to the back of a chai r and
pl ace i t near a war m radi ator or open oven to dry.
|O| | 5U | l w| lU a dry cl ot h, t hen wi pe wi th t he s i l i cone
cl oth or oi l y rag. 157
I NDEX Of GUNS Numbers in bol d face refer to i l l u strat i ons.
kIfLt5,6kbI dt5,
Mb5t15
Bi rmi ngham Smal l Arms
Sporter, 53, 55, 58
Brown Bess, 6, 7
Col t
Col t eer , 53
Col tsman , 47, 48
custom, 47
De Luxe, 47
Paterson model s
of 1 836, 1 0
Ferguson breechl oader,
7, 7
Fl i ntl ock, 5
French Charl evi l l e, 6
Hal l breechl oader, 7,
9, 9
Hawken pl ai ns ri fl e, 1 0
Henry repeater, 1 1 ,
1 1 , 1 2
I ndi an trade gun, 8
Kentucky r i ll e, 5, 6, 9,
1 8, 40
Mar l i n
Model 1 5- Y, 38
Model 39, 34
Model 39- A Pr esen-
tat i on, 33
Model 56, 34, 35
Model 57- M, 53
Mode l 80, 31
Model 81 - DL, 32
Model 98, 30
Model 99, 30, 31
Model 1 01 , 38, 39
Model 336, 22, 43, 53
Model 336- C, 41
Model 336- SD, 55, 58
Mauser, 47, 48, 53, 58
Mossberg
Model 1 44 LS, 1 33, 134
Model 1 51 , 30
Model 346- B, 1 34
Model 346- K, 31
Model 640- K, 53, 53
Pal omi no, 34
Pl ai ns ri fl e, 9
Remi ngton
I nternat i onal Match, 1 36
Model 40X, 1 32, 1 34
Model 40X Range-
master, 1 33
Model 66, 30, 35
Model 51 0A, 35, 38
Model 51 1 A, 31
Model 513T, 1 33
Model 51 3T Mat ch-
master, 1 33
Model 521 T, 1 33
Model 550, 31
Model 552, 31
Model 572, 34, 65
Model 572A, 33
Model 721 , 47, 48, 58
Model 721 A, 49
Model 722, 51 , 53 , 58
Model 725 ADL, 1 35
Model 742, 43, 58
Model 742 ADL, 49
Model 760, 58
Model 760A, 49
Model 760C, 22, 43, 43
Sako, 53, 64
Savage
Model 5, 31 , 31 , 32
Model 6, 31
Model 24, 1 45, 1 47
Model 29, 34
Model 99, 43, 56, 64
Mode l 99- EG, 58
Mode l 1 1 0, 53, 58
Mode l 1 1 0- MC, 56
Mode l 340, 53
Sharps breechl oader, 9,
1 0 , 1 1 , 1 1
Spencer repeater, 10,
1 1 , 1 2
Spri ngfiel d Nati onal
Match, 1 35
Stevens
Model 1 5Y, 39
Model 87, 31
Weatherby, 48
Magnu m, 48
Magnum .257, 1 9
Magnum Model . 300,
45, 47
Mark V, 16- 1 7
Wi nchester
Boy' s r i f l e, 38
f ree r i fl e , 1 37
Model 52, 20, 1 32, 1 33,
1 33, 1 34
Model 52 Target
Ri fl e , 131
Model 61 , 33, 34, 53
Model 62, 34
Model 63, 30
Model 67, 38, 51
Model 69, 31 , 39
Model 69 J u ni or Target
Shooter ' s Spec i al , 38
Model 70, 1 9 , 53,
1 35, 1 35
Model 70 Al askan, 47,
48, 59
Model 70 Feather
wei ght , 58
Model 70 Target Ri fl e,
1 28-1 29
Model 70 Varmi nt , 51 , 53
Model 70 Wester ner , 59, 63
Model 77, 31 , 35
Model 88, 43, 55, 58
Model 1 00, 21 , 41 , 43, 58
Model 1 866, 12, 1 2
Model 1 873, 1 2, 1 2, 1 3 ,
40, 41
Model 1 886, 1 2
Mo d e l 1 894, 1 2
5h01bd5
Browni ng
Aut omat i c- 5, 79, 96
Doubl e Aut omat i c, 93, 96
Su per posed , 87
Su pe rposed 1 2 gauge, 1 43
Su per posed 20 gauge , 1 41
Su per posed Grade V, 83
Super posed Magn u m, 95
Dakin Model 1 47
Magnum, 87
Fox
Model B, 87
Model 8-ST, 83
Ithaca
37R, 79, 89
Model 50, 96 Super mat i c
Model 37, Featherwe i ght Model 50 Feather- Tour nament , 1 52
De Luxe, 87
wei ght , 1 39 Su pe rmat i c Tr ophy Pr esen
Marl i n Model 50 Tr ap, 1 43 tat i on Model . 22, 1 53
Model 55, 1 45
Model 59, 68-69, 87, North & Cheney
Premi er Mark I , 96, 97 99, 99 pi stol , 6, 1 4
Marl i n-Gl enfi el d Remi ngton
Model 60-G, 38, 39
hdbd5
. 36 cal i ber , 1 4
Remi ngton . 44 cal i ber , 1 4
Model 1 1 -48, 65, 87, 96 Browni ng . 380 Standard
Ruger
Model 1 1 -48 Ri fl ed- Sl u g Automati c, 1 26
Bearcat, 1 05, 1 08
Spec i al , 1 47 Col t Bl ackhawk, 1 1 6
Model 1 1 -48 Skeet , 85 .22 Bunt l i ne Scout , 1 08
Bl ackhawk . 357
Model 1 1 -48 A, 93
. 38 Pol i ce Pos i t i ve
Magn u m, 1 1 6
Model 1 1 -48 S A, 1 41 Spec i al , 1 22 Magnum . 44, 1 1 6, 1 1 7
Model 58 Magn u m, 93 . 38 Spec i al , 122 Magnum . 357, 1 1 6,
Model 58-ADL . 45 cal i ber , 1 07, 1 1 6, 1 25 1 1 7, 1 25
Sportsman, 85 Thr ee- Fi fty-Seven, 1 22 Mar k I . 22, 1 48
Model 58-SX 1 849 pi sto l , 13 S i ngl e- Si x , 1 00-1 01 ,
Sportsman, 1 41 Ar my Model 1 860, 1 4, 15 1 09, 1 1 0
Model 870, 8 7 , 96 Cobr a, 125 St andar d Aut omat i c , 1 1 0
Mode l 870 Magn u m, 95, Commander Model . 45, 103 Super Bl ackhawk, 1 08, 1 1 2
95 , 97 Detecti ve Spec i al .38, 127 Smi th & Wesson
Model 870 TX, 1 43 Dragoon ser i es, 1 3 , 1 4, 9 mm. Model 3 9, 1 1 9
Model 878, 87 15, 1 1 2 . 22 Aut omat i c Pi stol
Model 878A, 87 Fr ont i er , 1 5, 1 02, 1 1 6 Model 41 , 151
Savage Gol d Cup Nat i onal . 22 Aut omat i c Pi st ol
Model 24, 1 45, 1 47 Match, 1 52 Model 46, 1 48
Model 30, 87, 96 Government Model . 45, . 22!32 Ki t Gun, 1 09
Model 30-ACL, 95 1 27, 1 52 .38 cal i ber , 1 04
Model 30 Feather- Gover nment Model 1 91 1 , 15 . 38/44 Heavy Dut y
wei ght , 141 Hunt sman, 1 1 0 Model 20, 1 23
Model 775, 91 , 95 Nat i onal Mat ch . 45, 1 52 . 38/44 Out door sman
Stevens Off i cers Model Mat ch, Model 23, 1 1 5
Model 5 8 AC, 1 47 1 28-129 . 38 Centenni al
Model 59, 1 47 Ofi ci al Pol i ce, 125 Model 40, 1 26
Model 77, 87, 96, 97 Paterson mode l s . 38 Chi efs Speci al
Model 77- M, 95 of 1 836, 1 0 Model 36, 1 26
Model 94Y, 37, 38 Peacemaker , 1 3 , 14 . 38 Mi l i t ary & Pol i ce
Model 31 1 , 79, 89 Python . 357 Magn u m, 151 Model 1 0 , 1 04, 1 23
Wi nchester Si n gl e Act i on Ar my, 1 1 5 . 44 Magnum, 1 08, 1 1 6
Model 1 2, 87, 96 Tr ooper . 38 Spec i al , 1 1 9 . 44-cal i ber Nu mber 3, 1 4
Mode l 1 2 Du c k Gu n , 9 5 , 9 5 Wal ker . 44, 1 3, 1 4 . 44 Magnu m Model 29, 1 1 5
Model 1 2 F i e l d Gr ade, 8 5 Woodsman Match 1 950 Army Model 22,
Model 12 Skeet, 1 41
.
Target . 22, 1 48 1 22, 123
Model 1 2 Tr ap, 1 43 French model of 1 777, 1 4 1 955 .45 Tar get, 1 52
Model 21 , 80, 87 Hi gh Standard, 1 36 Amer i can, 1 4
Model 37, 36, 38, 39, 1 47 Doubl e- Ni ne, 1 1 1 Hi ghway Patrol man, 1 20
Model 42 De Luxe, 87 el ect r i c match pi sto l , 1 37 K-38 Model 1 4 , 1 50
.
Model 42 Skeet , 1 39 Snub Bar r el Sent i ne l , 125 p i stol s , 1 1 2, 1 1 6