THROUGH choice or of necessity sportsmen limit their arsenals to two or three favorite weapons, the selection of which is governed by their pocket books and the game which they most enjoy to pursue. Big batteries are rare in America and those who possess them are limited, generally speaking, to the wealthy all-around sportsmen who are attracted by both fur and feathers, and the gun crank class who, whether they can afford a large collection or not, generally have one which, by the way, is as often as not an inharmonious assortment that is far from practical.
A collection is one thing, a perfect battery for practical purposes is another, and the latter is not and cannot in the nature of things be large. The explorer, trapper, or professional hunter of big game in America usually limits his armament to one rifle; from a practical point of view that is all that he needs, and he should be practical; where one hunts heavy game he has little use for a shotgun, while the man that only hunts in the settled districts for rabbits and birds may justly feel that his old gun is all that is to be desired. The all-around type of shotgun is pretty firmly established as a seven and a half pound gun, choke bored and modified, of as good a grade as the owner can afford. There is a great divergence of opinion in regard to the all-around rifle, but general opinion is more firmly establishing the sporting rifle for the .30-06 cartridge in this place every day.
Perhaps the possessor of two such weapons has all that he needs for American shooting; if he feels so, he is fortunate. I sometimes look back upon the days when I only had such a battery and wonder if I was not better off than I am today; certainly I was quite as happy in their possession as I now am in the more dignified assortment, and of one thing I am positive, which is, that I could shoot quite as well as I can now, and bagged just as much game. Colonel Roosevelt once said to me that he felt that one rifle was a necessity to every red-blooded American, but that a lot of them were a nuisance. Being one of his most ardent admirers, I was so impressed by this statement that I never allowed my love for all kinds of firearms to run away with my best judgment as to what was needed. I believe that I was one of the first to become convinced of the all-around superiority of the Springfield rifle and cartridge and this also was due to a talk which I had with the Colonel upon his return to America from East Africa. Subsequently I became the owner of a shotgun that I consider as near all-around perfection as is possible. One may become convinced of the practicability of the all-around rifle and shotgun, but no matter how near the ideal they may approach, and I firmly believe that mine do, no matter how firmly convinced we may be that in the long run our record will be larger if we adhere to the one gun principle, the fact still remains that the all-around weapon, (leaving aside the personal factor that we undoubtedly do shoot better by not switching from one gun to another) cannot in itself be as good in every instance as the special gun for the purpose at hand.
After all, for those of us who are enthusiasts, what can be more gratifying and give a greater compensation than a well-regulated battery of fine weapons. Many sportsmen would dearly love to possess a good battery who cannot afford one; nevertheless, they love to contemplate it. Others would have one if they knew what to select. It is for these that I write.
The most elaborate battery from the practical point of view can be limited to nine weapons, as listed below, and right here it is well to state that my selection of the ideal battery must not be considered an arbitrary one; conditions vary, what is one man’s meat is another’s poison—the gun that is just right for Bill will not suit Jake at all. The selection must be governed by those calibres and types of weapons that suit our tastes the best and inspire the most confidence. They must be also governed by our physical development. Some of my readers are sure to consider some of the weapons enumerated entirely unnecessary, as indeed they may be for their use, but it should be borne in mind that the list pretends to contain the ideal battery for North America and, therefore, to cover the needs of the average man, most suitably, for every purpose from Alaskan bear to rail birds.
To begin with, there should be an accurate small bore target rifle of the finest which can also be used for squirrels. In this instance the new Winchester Model ’52 stands alone, no more perfectly finished and accurate target rifle was ever produced; some may feel that one of the popular little light weight trombone action rifles is better for squirrels, but the knowing sportsman realizes that this shooting, which requires the most accurate rifle work, is best accomplished with a heavy man-sized weapon.
The next is a light weight short weapon, handy and easy to carry, powerful enough for black bear and deer, and a comfortable weapon to carry through a fatiguing day’s stalk above the timber line for goats and sheep, and with the necessary flat trajectory to facilitate hitting them at long range. Such a weapon is also the ideal one for use on the larger species of vermin, which calls for an extremely accurate rifle, such as wolves, coyotes, foxes, woodchucks, etc., such a weapon as the justly popular .250-300 Savage or the .256 Mannlicher-Schoenauer.
Third, an all-around weapon capable of doing all that the second rifle will and powerful enough for the largest game found in America, one that is not too large for deer and is ample for grizzly, moose, elk, and Alaskan brown bear. For such a weapon there should be a great variety of loads, each with a sufficient reason for being called the best for the different varieties of game. As such, the .30-06 Springfield stands alone, though there are those who will prefer a Mauser. One can take his choice between the 1895 Model Winchester, the new Model ’30 Remington, or the U. S. Government musket.
Fourth, a large calibred, powerful weapon capable of delivering a smashing knock-down blow at short range. Such a weapon might sometimes be used in thick cover for moose, but would primarily be intended for Alaskan bear. It should be a .405, a .45-70-500, or a .50-100, which confines it to the Winchester Model 1895 or the 1886, unless a foreign rifle is selected, such as the 9.5 mm. Mannlicher-Schoenauer, or a .404 or .425 Mauser.
Coming to the shotguns, the first should be a light well-balanced field and cover gun, and because of its lightness should be as good a grade as can be afforded, for of the entire battery it will in most cases be put to the greatest use. Some will prefer a twenty or a sixteen-bore, while the majority will still cling to the light twelve. This is a matter of personal preference, and should be governed by the weight to be tolerated and the proficiency of the shooter. If a twenty, 5¾ to 6 pounds weight; half choke in the right barrel and full in the left; a sixteen, of 6 to 6¼ pounds, right improved cylinder and left three quarters, or if a 12, 6½ pounds, right improved cylinder and left half choke. The barrels should be 26 to 28 inches long, by all means automatic ejector, with the possibility of a single trigger.
The duck gun is usually a heavy twelve-bore today, because of our inability to secure ten-bore shells of factory make to give it its full range and power. This gun should be of at least 7¾ pounds weight, bored for three inch cases, capable of firing 3¾ drams of powder and 1¼ ounces of shot; the barrels should be 30 to 32 inches in length, 80 per cent choke in the left barrel and slightly open in the right. It should by all means have automatic ejectors, and a single trigger in the rear position which allows one to shoot with a glove on in severe cold weather.
Some will suggest that the above can also be used for the traps, but the trap gun is generally required with a longer and straighter stock which will not lend itself to the best work in the blind or sink box. Nor do I recommend the pump as the best for duck shooting, despite its undoubted advantage in rapidity of fire, as one of necessity has to shoot a barrel of the same boring for both long or for near shots; also, it cannot accommodate the long shells required for the heavy charges recommended.
For the traps, the gun should be a special single barrel trap gun or a pump at the discretion of the shooter. There is an undoubted advantage in accurate alignment for clay targets in the single barreled weapon.
Lastly, the sidearms are a heavy belt gun for self-defense, and a small bore for shooting game for the pot around camp and for target shooting when it is not convenient to use the larger weapon. The former should be a Colt .45 Automatic, a .44 Special S & W, a Colt .38-40, .44-40, or the old .45, either the New Service or the Single Action type, and by all means the latter if it is to be used on horseback. The little “meat-getter” may be a .22 target pistol, a Colt or S & W revolver, or the Colt or Reising .22 Automatic.
Along the line of those suggested, my own battery consists of the following:—
1. A Winchester Model ‘52 target rifle, .22 calibre.
2. A Mannlicher-Schoenauer carbine, calibre .256 weighing 6½ pounds with an 18″ barrel, and equipped with a Mignon four power scope.
3. A Sporting Springfield rebuilt by a famous gunsmith.
4. A .450 British Single Shot Express.
5. A 20-bore Parker, D. H., automatic ejector and single trigger, weighing 6¼ pounds with 28″ full choke barrels.
6. A 12-bore L. C. Smith “Monogram” ejector, weighing 7¼ pounds with a pair of 30″ full choke barrels of Whitworth steel bored for 3″ cases, and with a lighter pair of 28″ barrels modified choke.
7. A Remington 12-bore Automatic, modified choke solely for the sink box.
8. A .45 Colt Automatic.
9. A .22 Reising Automatic.
There are other guns in my collection including several .22 calibre rifles; a Winchester trap gun; a couple of imported featherweight twelve-bores and several revolvers and automatics, but they are not needed and are never used. At one time or another I have owned and shot rifles and shotguns by all of the American makers; shotguns by all the British makers of prominence, and rifles by most of the prominent British and German makers, many of them splendid weapons, but entirely disregarded in my ideal battery. There are some of them probably quite as well fitted to meet the requirements of an individual sportsman as those that I have placed, but they are not required except to fill the needs of the sportsman who has his own ideas at variance with mine in regard to the ideal weapon. The enthusiast who does not sport such a battery need not go out in the garden and eat worms. If I had to discard six of my nine pets today I would cling like a leech to the ’52 Winchester, the sporting Springfield and the L. C. Smith, and feel perfectly satisfied that I was equipped to meet any condition that might arise; and, as I have said before, would probably make a better average shot for shot than I do now, the reason being that as the .22 rifle is primarily for target shooting and small game, the ’52 Winchester will meet any requirements that such a rifle would be called for with the possible exception of aerial targets for which a light trombone action repeater would be better. It’s one disadvantage would be in the discomfort of its weight and yet this very weight would make it a very telling weapon in the field. The Sporting Springfield will do all that the 6.5 Mannlicher will do, and do it better. There are times when its weight as compared with the 6.5 will be a discomfort and its power more than sufficient, but there is no time when its execution would not be somewhat superior. The same applies to the shotgun. The special Smith will reach out and kill consistently as far as any twelve that I have ever used, and with the shorter barrels is not an unhandy weapon to use in the field, yet the connoisseur would be sure to long for a light and handy featherweight when walking up jacksnipe and shooting woodcock in the birches.
I have tried conscientiously to limit my armament, but of necessity in line with my work I must forever be experimenting with old weapons and new devices of every variety, and so I have given it up in despair, ceased worrying and allowed the gun cabinet to fill up again.