BULLET AND SHOT 



when entering the vitals of an animal of the softer- 

 bodied class at the same range. Expresses are 

 generally made of '360, -400, -450, -500, and -577 

 calibres. Given the same charge of powder and 

 the same range, the larger and longer the hollow 

 in the front of the express bullet, and the lighter 

 therefore the latter becomes, the more the thinness 

 of its walls facilitates its breaking up at ordinary 

 ranges, or almost pulverisation if fired into an 

 animal at very close quarters. 



The above three results are the legitimate work 

 of the express rifle with its proper bullets, though 

 the weapon may be instantly converted into a hard- 

 hitting small bore by the substitution of solid 

 bullets, though this last is but a casual and 

 secondary albeit often extremely valuable ser- 

 vice which it is capable of rendering when 

 desired. 



In addition to its power, and the shock to the 

 nervous system of an animal struck by its peculiar 

 bullet, the express rifle possesses the further advan- 

 tage of a comparatively flat trajectory owing to the 

 great velocity of its light projectile driven by a 

 large charge of powder. As has been said above, 

 bullets of different weights may be used out of the 

 same rifle, but as the latter will have been tested 

 and sighted for but one of these, a slight increase 

 of elevation will, in the case of long shots, have 

 to be given when a heavier bullet is employed, and 

 a finer sight be taken when a slightly lighter pro- 

 jectile is used. 



The weight of Eley's papered hollow tube '500 



454 



