76 SOUTH AFRICA. 



direct, but was fortunate enough to buy one 

 of -5/7-bore at an auction of a deceased officer's 

 effects, which served me well for some seasons, 

 but, tempted by a high bid, I at length parted with 

 it regretfully. These rifles are not only accurate, 

 but stand rough wear and tear and neglect much 

 better than any grooved ones, which latter kind 

 soon go off their best shooting unless kept in 

 tip-top order ; moreover, the oval bore, for obvious 

 reasons, recoils less than a grooved one, and what 

 fouling there is, which is very little, is evenly 

 distributed over the smooth inside surface of the 

 barrel, instead of packing in patches as is the case 

 with all grooved rifles more or less. They are 

 therefore much easier to clean. Barrels of sporting 

 rifles need never exceed twenty-six inches in 

 length, both on account of handiness and because 

 short guns can be held much steadier during the 

 aiming period, or in high winds, than long ones. 

 To facilitate quick focussing of the sights, the 

 stocks of all rifles should be much more bent than 

 usual. A man of 5 ft I o in. cannot do his level 

 best at quick or running shots with a bend of less 

 than three inches. One turn of the rifling in 

 twenty-six inches is ample for sporting weapons, 



