MY SOMALI BOOK 269 



To obviate this the lead was hardened with an alloy 

 of tin or other hard metal. But with the advent of 

 the Metford system of rifling and still higher velocities, 

 even this proved inadequate to prevent stripping. 

 The remedy sought was to encase the lead buUet in an 

 outer shell of harder metal — nickel being usually 

 chosen. 



The combination of a harder surface with increased 

 velocity naturally gave increased power of penetration, 

 a decided advantage in dealing with pachydermatous 

 animals for instance. But m shooting beasts of 

 thinner skin and lighter build, it was found that the 

 bullet drilled a small hole clean through the animal, 

 usually emerging on the other side with sufficient 

 remaming energy to carrj^ it with but slightly diminished 

 velocity far into space beyond. It is obvious that, 

 in such a case, a large proportion of the bullet's striking 

 energy was wasted so far as its effect on the animal 

 was concerned. Moreover, the high velocity having 

 been obtained in part by a reduction m the size of the 

 bore — i.e, m the diameter of the buUet — and by elonga- 

 tion of its shape, the result was that the narrow clean- 

 drilled hole made by the hardened bullet caused a 

 minimum of actual injury in its passage through an 

 animal's body. It therefore became necessary to 

 design buUets which should not have these defects. 

 And this has been done with, on the whole, a verj^ 

 great measure of success. The general principles of 

 the various designs of bullets : soft-nosed, hollow- 

 pomted, capped, etc., being that the point of the bullet 

 " mushrooms " upon or after impact, the extent of 

 striking surface being thus increased, with the double 



