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Show Hgy JIM RHODYp-? How Shot Is Made Although millions ol hunters use shot shells for hunting, trap and skeet shooting, few realize that the manufacturer of the tiny lead pellets pel-lets in the shells is based on a curious cu-rious but fundamental law of physics. Instead of being formed by casting cast-ing or by some other mysterious process, lead shot pellets get their spherical form by being dropped from the top of a shot tower into a tank of water. Molten lead is poured into perforated dropping pans. As the lead passes through the perforations perfor-ations in the bottom of the pan, the pan is automatically and rapidly rapid-ly tapped. With each tap, a pear-shaped pear-shaped drop falls away. Surface tension causes the molten lead droplet to change from its pear-ehaped pear-ehaped form into a perfect sphere. At the 9-story Winchester shot tower which is one of New Haven's landmarks, the pellets fall 154 feet Into a tank of water. Water is used to cushion the fall. Scooped up from the tank of water, the pellets are then sorted with the few inperfect ones weeded out by the use of another ingenious scientific principle. The pellets are poured over a series of inclined planes. Round pellets roll straight and attain sufficient speed to leap a gap into a trough. Imperfect ones either wobble off the sides of the planes or fall into the gap. Imperfect Imper-fect pellets that roll into the gap are remelted. Final operations include in-clude sorting and polishing with graphite. Contrary to popular misconception, misconcep-tion, the hardness or softness of shot pellets is determined by the alloy used and not because hot shot is dropped into cold water. At the start of a dropping operation the water is cold. Continual dropping of hot shot warms the water but does not affect the hardness of the shot pellets. AAA Pheasant Kills Snake Warren Cody, 13-year-old Kansas fisherman, gives an account ac-count of a fight he witnessed near his home In Decatur County. Coun-ty. "While on the way to my old fishing hole, I ran across a rooster pheasant fighting a bull 6nake three and one-half feet long. The snake would strike at the pheasant, but the bird would fly jjjst high enough over the snake to spur it in the head. I watched for 10 minutes before the pheasant saw me and flew away. The snake was so near gone that I finished it. An examination ex-amination revealed that the pheasant's spurs had penetrated pene-trated through the head." AAA New Phantom Line Phantom Products, Inc., manufacturers manu-facturers of what many anglers declare is the "finest casting rod on the market," has added glajs spinning rods, fly rods, surf rods, trolling rods and new muskie and boat rods to its line for 1950. There is no doubt about the fine performance which may be expected ex-pected of the Phantom line of fly rods if they match the quality and performance of the Phantom glass casting rod. Those who own Phantom Phan-tom glass casting rods, especially in the extra-light models, know the flexibility and resiliency of the tip and the smooth, delightful action which makes using them such a pleasure. AAA To perform a work equal to that of mole, a man, in size comparison, would have to dig a tunnel wide enough to permit the passage of his body and 37 miles long, in a single night. AAA Turkey Differences The most noticeable difference In the wild and domestic strains of the turkey is the markings on the tail feathers. The tips of the tail feathers and tail coverts cov-erts are deep rusty or chestnut in the true wild turkey while in the domestic strain they are white. Also, the wild bird has longer and more slender legs and has a more slim and erect appearance as a whole. The domestic bird has short, rather thick legs and is plump. AAA The African black porcupine attacks at-tacks his enemies by running at them back wards. ''. I AAA Would Honor 'Ding' I A move to honor "Ding" Darling, eminent cartoonist and former head of the U.S. fish and wildlife service, by placing his portrait on the 1950 Duck Stamp has been started by the Outdoor Writers' Association of America. Carl Sexauer, editor and publish, er of the Ogden, Iowa, Reporter, first had the idea and published the proposal in an issue of his paper. Sportsmen in favor of the move art urged to contact commissioner. |