I THE RIFLE OF A PAST HALF CENTURY 11 



suicide by destroying itself, although its fragments may have fatally 

 torn and injured the vital organs of the wounded animal. The 

 bullet has ceased to exist, as it is broken into fifty shreds ; there- 

 fore it is dead, as it is no longer a compact body, in fact, it has 

 disappeared, although the actual striking energy of a very inferior 

 bullet may have been expended upon the animal. 



If the animal is small and harmless, this should be the desired 

 result. If, on the other hand, the animal should be large and 

 dangerous, there cannot be a greater mistake than the hollow 

 Express projectile. 



I have frequently heard persons of great experience dilate with 

 satisfaction upon the good shots made with their little '450 hollow 

 Express exactly behind the shoulder of a tiger or some other animal. 

 I have also heard of their failures, which were to themselves some- 

 times incomprehensible. A solid Express '577 never fails if the 

 direction is accurate towards a vital part. The position of the 

 animal does not signify; if the hunter has a knowledge of compara- 

 tive anatomy (which he must have, to be a thoroughly successful 

 shot) he can make positively certain of his game at a short distance, 

 as the solid bullet will crash through muscle, bone, and every 

 opposing obstacle to reach the fatal organ. If the animal be a 

 tiger, lion, bear, or leopard, the bullet should have the power to 

 penetrate, but it should not pass completely through. If it should 

 be a wapiti, or sambur stag, the bullet should also remain within, 

 retained in all cases under the skin upon the side opposite to that 

 of entrance. How is this to be managed by the same rifle burning 

 the same charge of powder with a solid bullet ? 



The penetration must be arranged by varying the material of 

 the bullet. A certain number of cartridges should be loaded with 

 bullets of extreme hardness, intended specially for large thick- 

 skinned animals ; other bullets should be composed of softer metal, 

 which would expand upon the resisting muscles but would not pass 

 completely through the skin upon the opposite side. The cartridges 

 would be coloured for distinction. 



If the metal is pure lead, the bullet '577, with an initial 

 velocity of 1650 feet per second, will assuredly assume the form of 

 a button mushroom immediately upon impact, and it will increase 

 in diameter as it meets with resistance upon its course until, when 

 expended beneath the elastic hide upon the opposite side, it will 

 have become fully spread like a mature mushroom, instead of the 

 button shape that it had assumed on entrance. I prefer pure lead 

 for tigers, lions, sambur deer, wapiti, and such large animals which 

 are not thick-skinned, as the bullet alters its form and nevertheless 



