Remarks on Rifles. 265 



work with a -303 Lee-Enfield ; but this is not nearly such a 

 good action as the Mauser, and the powder in the -303 

 cartridges, I found, damaged the chamber and barrel of 

 the rifle much more than does the powder in ygmm. 

 cartridges. 



Personally I do not believe in bores less than the -303, 

 and I found with the ordinary -256 Mannlicher and the 

 275 (ymm.) Mauser that one had to shoot most carefully 

 if wounded game was not to be lost. 



The new " Magnums " '256 and -275, with light sharp- 

 pointed bullets, I put on a par with the much advertised 

 280 Ross rifle. These may be very satisfactory on small 

 or medium sized animals, such as red-deer and some of the 

 lesser antelopes ; but they are not safe to use on heavy or 

 dangerous game, especially with solid projectiles, as these 

 do not maintain their true direction after hitting hard 

 round bones, and they zigzag all over the place. A man 

 naturally wishes his bullet to carry true and penetrate 

 efficiently. The great maxim of a good killing rifle is that 

 the bullet should be arranged to penetrate almost through 

 the body of the animal struck, and come to rest on the 

 opposite side. Then the beast sustains the full energy and 

 killing power of the bullet. 



It is natural that with a rifle giving a velocity of 

 30ooft. sec. efficient penetration is more difficult to 

 arrange, as the great velocity is very apt to shatter the 

 bullet and make it lose itself in small splinters. This 

 doubtless produces great shock in the bodies of small or 

 medium sized animals, but it is not good enough for the 

 larger species, which have more tenacity of life, with their 

 larger bones, flesh, and muscle. 



Many men with large experience of ordinary game 

 recommend the '280 and similar rifles, but I never heard 

 a man with practical experience of the largest of African 

 game praise these rifles. By largest game I mean elephant, 

 rhino, buffalo, and eland. 



A friend of mine who purchased a -280 a few years ago 

 told me he would much prefer a -303 with its heavier bullet. 



