RIFLES FOR BIG GAME 



That particular hunter would seem to be entitled to 

 his own taste, for he has very fully demonstrated his 

 own skill and success. 



The old English preference in rifles was for large 

 calibers. The American and the German idea of 

 late years has run to the small calibers. The Spitzer 

 ammunition in .30 caliber, as made for the 1906 

 Springfield, will shoot a great deal better than the 

 average rifleman can hold, at ranges up to three 

 hundred yards ; and this sort of ammunition pretty 

 much leaves out of the question the necessity for 

 much study of ranges in actual hunting. In either 

 the bolt action or the finger lever action, that am- 

 munition is plenty good enough for any game on 

 this continent. As a safe rifle for all-round African 

 use it also is good enough, except for the extremely 

 heavy game such as rhino and elephant. This is 

 the belief of experts who have proved the matter out 

 on the field and not on paper in which latter fash- 

 ion most rifle problems are worked out. 



An English professional ivory hunter who has 

 killed to his own gun four htmdred and forty-seven 

 bull elephants, for their ivory alone, has written a' 

 book which shows him to be very positive in his 

 notions as to what is safe to bring home the bacon 

 or the ivory. He says that any modern rifle will 

 kill heavy game sometimes the .256, the .303, the 



153 



