70 WILD BEASTS AND THEIR WAYS CHAP. 



whereas the, -450 and even the '500 would be of little use against 

 a charging buffalo. 



At tiie same time it must be distinctly understood that so light 

 a projectile as 650 grains will not break the bone of an elephant's 

 leg, neither will it i>cnctrate the skull of a rhinoceros unless just 

 U-hind the ear. This is sufficient to establish the inferiority of 

 small-bores. 



I have seen in a life's experience the extraordinary vagaries of 

 rifle bullets, and for close ranges of 20 yards there is nothing, in 

 my opinion, .siijx'rior to the old spherical hardened bullet with a 

 heavy charge of powder. The friction is minimised, the velocity is 

 accordingly increased, and the hard round bullet neither deflects 

 nor alters its form, but it cuts through intervening branches and 

 goes direct to its aim, breaking bones and keeping a straight course 

 through the animal. This means death. 



At the same time it must be remembered that a -577 rifle 

 may be enabled to perform wonders by adapting the material of 

 the bullet to the purpose specially desired. No soft -skinned 

 animal should be shot with a hardened bullet, and no hard-skinned 

 animal should be shot with a soft bullet. 



You naturally wish to kill your animal neatly to double it up 

 upon the spot. This you will seldom or never accomplish with a 

 very hard bullet and a heavy charge of powder, as the high velocity 

 will drive the hard projectile so immediately through the animal 

 that it receives no strikipg energy, and is accordingly unaware of a 

 fatal wound that it may have received, simply because it has not 

 sustained a shock upon the impact of a bullet which has passed 

 completely through its body. 



To kill a thin-skinned animal neatly, such as a tiger, lion, large 

 deer, etc. etc., the bullet should be pure lead, unmixed with any 

 other metal. This will flatten to a certain degree immediately 

 upon impact, and it will continue to expand as it meets with re- 

 sistance in passing through the tough muscles of a large animal, 

 until it assumes the shape of a fully developed mushroom, which, 

 after an immense amount of damage in its transit, owing to its 

 large diameter, will remain fixed beneath the skin upon the side 

 opjMjsite to its place of entry. This bestows the entire striking 

 energy of the projectile, and the animal succumbs to the tremendous 

 shock, which it would not have felt had the bullet passed through, 

 carrying on its striking energy until stopped by some other object 

 beyond. 



I must repeat that although gun makers object to the use of 

 pure lead for rifle bullets, upon the pica that lead will form a 



