Wild Beasts and their Ways, vol 1 | Page 8

ounce
with 4 1/2 drams of powder. Although the powder charge is not
sufficient to produce a high express velocity, the penetration and shock
are most formidable, as the bullet is of hardened metal, and it retains its
figure even after striking a tough hide and bones. The advantage of
such a gun is obvious, as it enables a charge of buck-shot to be carried
in the left barrel, while the right is loaded with a heavy bullet that is an
admirable bone-smasher; it also supersedes the necessity of an extra
gun for small game, as it shoots No. 6 shot with equal pattern to the
best cylinder-bored gun.
There are many persons who prefer a '500 or a '450 Express to the '577
or the '400. I have nothing to say against them, but I prefer those I have
named, as the '577 is the most fatal weapon that I have ever used, and
with 6 or 6 1/2 drams of powder it is quite equal to any animal in
creation, provided the shot is behind the shoulder. This provision
explains my reason for insisting that all animals from a buffalo
upwards should be placed in a separate category, as it is frequently

impossible to obtain a shoulder shot, therefore the rifles for
exceedingly heavy game must be specially adapted for the work
required, so as to command them in every conceivable position.
I have shot with every size of rifle from a half pounder explosive shell,
and I do not think any larger bore is actually necessary than a No. 8,
with a charge of 12 or 14 drams of powder. Such a rifle should weigh
15 lbs., and the projectile would weigh 3 ounces of hardened metal.
The rifles that I have enumerated would be always double, but should
the elephant-hunter desire anything more formidable, I should
recommend a single barrel of 36 inches in length of bore, weighing 22
lbs., and sighted most accurately to 400 yards. Such a weapon could be
used by a powerful man from the shoulder at the close range of fifty
yards, or it could be fired at long ranges upon a pivot rest, which would
enable the elephant-hunter to kill at a great distance by the shoulder
shot when the animals were in deep marshes or on the opposite side of
a river. I have frequently seen elephants in such positions when it was
impossible to approach within reasonable range. A rifle of this
description would carry a half-pound shell with an exploding charge of
half an ounce of fine grain powder and the propelling charge would be
16 drams. I had a rifle that carried a similar charge, but unfortunately it
was too short, and was only sighted for 100 yards. Such a weapon can
hardly be classed among sporting rifles, but it would be a useful
adjunct to the battery of a professional hunter in Africa.
There can be little doubt that a man should not be overweighted, but
that every person should be armed in proportion to his physical strength.
If he is too light for a very heavy rifle he must select a smaller bore; if
he is afraid of a No. 8 with 14 drams, he must be content with a No. 12
and 10 drams, but although he may be successful with the lighter
weapon, he must not expect the performance will equal that of the
superior power.
It may therefore be concluded that for a man of ordinary strength, the
battery for the heaviest game should be a pair of double No. 8 rifles
weighing 14 or 15 lbs. to burn from 12 to 14 drams of powder, with a
hardened bullet of 3 ounces. Such a rifle will break the bones of any

animal from an elephant downwards, and would rake a buffalo from
end to end, which is a matter of great importance when the beast is
charging.
Although the rifle is now thoroughly appreciated, and sportsmen of
experience have accepted the Express as embodying the correct
principle of high velocity, I differ with many persons of great authority
in the quality of projectiles, which require as much consideration as the
pattern of the gun.
The Express rifle is a term signifying velocity, and this is generally
accompanied by a hollow bullet which is intended to serve two
purposes-- to lighten the bullet, and therefore to reduce the work of the
powder, and to secure an expansion and smash-up of the lead upon
impact with the animal. I contend that the smashing up of the bullet is a
mistake, excepting in certain cases such as I have already mentioned,
where the animal is small and harmless like the black-buck, which
inhabits level plains in the vicinity of population, and where the bullet
would