GUN-MAKERS RECOMMENDED 265 



in carts. Spare back and fore-sights for each rifle should also 

 be taken. Slings for rifles are unnecessary, as the belts and 

 (swivels are not necessary, there are loops to any good sling- 

 one goes on to the small grasp end of the stock, and the other 

 over the barrel but these cannot be used when firing at game, 

 they are only handy to sling a weapon across one's back after 

 the day's shooting is over) swivels not only rattle about and 

 alarm game, but invariably catch on every projection, and are 

 a nuisance to yourself in every way. A Burman does not 

 object to carrying your rifles without a sling, and I have never 

 yet had one of my rifles dropped or damaged through any 

 carelessness on the part of my gun-bearers and hunters. 

 With regard to breech actions, the Westley-Richards breech 

 and top-snap action (said to be the best sporting action in 

 the world) should, if possible, be used. There are several very 

 good makers of rifles and really very little to choose between 

 any of them. 1 It is all a matter of money, and if that is a 

 secondary consideration you can always obtain a good rifle. 

 Each maker has, of course, his own speciality or patent with 

 regard to breech, top-snap action, ejecting and single-trigger 

 mechanism, rifling of barrels, etc. Metford '461 double rifles 

 by Geo. Gibbs of Bristol are also very highly spoken of by 

 Mr. F. V. Kirby, author of In Haunts of Wild Game, who has 

 done great execution with this rifle amongst the pachyderms 

 of Africa, killing elephant and rhinoceros with both the head and 

 body shots. Messrs. Holland and Holland are the well-known 

 makers of Colonel Fossberry's patent, the " Paradox " (this is 

 also made by Westley-Richards) ; a double hammerless -303 

 Lee-Enfield is also a useful weapon for deer, and all thin- 

 skinned animals. For the " Paradox," conical, steel-pointed, 

 hardened lead bullets, conical, steel-core bullets coated with 

 lead, and solid, hardened, conical lead bullets are used. 



For the Mannlicher, soft-nosed, nickel-coated, copper-coated, 

 and slit-up bullets are used. The cartridges made abroad for 

 this weapon in Austria, I believe are said to be superior to 

 those of English manufacture. The '303 bullets are similar to 



1 I got my own rifles recently from Messrs. Jas. Dickson and Sons, 

 Prince's Street, Edinburgh, and they turned them out to my entire satis- 

 faction. 



