74 SOUTH AFRICA. 



much better position than his predecessors, and 

 in order to deal successfully with the biggest game 

 animals it is no longer necessary to be encumbered 

 with heavy large-bore rifles and the corresponding 

 weight of ammunition. A rifle with 26-inch barrels 

 577-bore, and lolb. weight is quite efficient, and 

 I have observed that elephants, rhinos, and other 

 big game fall to the shots from -45O-bore rifles in 

 the most satisfactory way. Nor is it necessary 

 to charge a 577-bore rifle with more than 4 or 

 4^ drams of powder (black, or its equivalent in 

 nitro) or the -450-bore with more than 85 grains. 

 Personally, I prefer smaller charges for all 

 purposes except elephant or rhino shooting. 

 Moderate charges of powder give quite sufficient 

 penetration, and are not so liable to cause a 

 premature breaking-up of the projectile, while they 

 minimise recoil, which is a fertile source of error, 

 and in all respects undesirable. For all-round 

 purpose an express rifle is an inefficient tool, 

 although when a very fair shot can be obtained 

 all soft-skinned animals may be killed with it. 

 However, in the field it is very often necessary to 

 fire raking shots at the stern of good-sized 

 antelopes and gnus, and in that case the short 



