of wildlife. Instead, they inform their public,
through the press, television, movies, radio and
publications, of the facts behind conservation.
Some of the state department magazines compare
most favorably with many of the better slick pa
per commercial ones. They are loaded with in
formation dealing not only with wildlife, but with
those things that make wildlife possible. Refor
estation, cover planting, proper land use practices
and water resources and development are but a
few.
We can be proud of our departments today. To
me, this branch of state government has surpassed
all others in advancement during the last decade.
* * * *
"Shotguns are bored with varying degrees of
choke’ or tightness near the muzzle end of their
barrels. A 'full choke’ is one with the maximum
of constriction and is designed for long range
shooting,” declared Joe Davison, Western-Win-
chester Manager, Trap and Skeet Promotion.
"A column of shot propelled from the gun
barrel by the powder charge is held in a more
compact mass if that barrel is smaller at the
muzzle end. Such a tight formation of pellets
simply means that at long yardages there is still
sufficient density of pattern to bring down game.
Two or three shot in the target is seldom enough.
On mallard ducks it was found that at least five
No. 4 shot were required to bag the fowl con
sistently.
"Naturally for some types of shooting, such as
on heavy feathered geese or high ducks, one needs
all the density of pattern and range he can get,”
the expert stated. "Quail, ruffed grouse and wood
cock require barrels of very little choke as these
birds are taken at short yardages.”
"Recent developments in ammunition such as
the exclusive Western-Winchester over-powder
cup wad and the crimped shell have combined
with the short shot string and made patterns even
denser and more efficient. With such ammuni
tion, greater shooting success is made possible in
the taking of heavily feathered game. For closer
shooting of upland birds or for skeet and traps
for that matter, the smoother more even patterns
puts more birds in the bag or increases one’s
score.”
Jack Lacy, Western-Winchester expert, has in
structed thousands in the handling of rifles. Here’s
what he has to say about trigger squeeze.
"Use only the finger in applying gradual pres
sure to the trigger.
"Be sure your hand and arm are rigid during
the squeeze.”
Mr. Lacy adds that the pressure is so gradual
that the shooter does not know when the rifle is
going to fire. "This is necessary,” he said, "or one
will be setting his muscles and buck the shot, as
the marines say. That is, the shot will go wild
and be a poorly placed one.
"The first joint of the finger is more sensitive
than the second but there are experts among those
who use either. Plenty of practice in trigger
squeezing is the thing that makes a shooter ready
for that moment when his sights are lined up
against game.”
OLIN'S "BALL POWDER" USED IN NATO CARTRIDGE
The new short case .30 caliber cartridge just
adopted by the North Atlantic Treaty Organiza
tion as the standard for NATO military forces, is
a full half inch shorter than the 30-06 cartridge
currently used in the Garand rifle. It was made
possible by the use of "Ball Powder”, a smokeless
powder developed by Olin Industries, Inc., it was
revealed for the first time by John M. Olin, Pres
ident.
"Ball Powder” is manufactured by a revolution
ary new chernlcal process under water in a spher
ical form which provides greater density than
conventional smokeless powder. This greater dens
ity assisted in the shortening of the NATO cart
ridge case
The NATO cartridge was developed by Frank-
ford Arsenal, the small arms ammunition develop
ment center for the Ordnance Corps. Olin’s re
search departments worked with the Arsenal on
the development and adaptation of "Ball Powder”
to this cartridge.
The Olin Arms and Ammunition Division rec
ognized the merit of this new' military cartridge,
and in August 1952 introduced a sporting version
known as the 308 Winchester. The excellent bal
listic characteristics of the new sporting cartridge
quickly became evident and a new lightweight
rifle, the Winchester Model 70, was introduced as
its companion. The two are now growing favor
ites of the big game hunters throughout the Unit
ed States.
Now a standard for loading U. S. small arms
ammunition, "Ball Powder” was used for military
purposes during World War II when it was first
adopted as the standard for the cartridges for the
Winchester-developed U S. Carbine, Caliber 30
Ml. "Ball Powder” was also loaded in World War
II ammunition for Great Britain.
Today the Government is building its own
multi-million dollar "Ball Powder” plant at it\
Badger Ordnance Works, Baraboo, Wis., which is
being operated by an Olin subsidiary.